Getting Caught Up Before I Go Crazy

If I don’t get busy and post some pictures, my brain is going to explode, and the grandparents are going to think I’ve fallen off the planet.  So, please excuse the long post, but it has to be done.

I gave Todd a surprise birthday party at one of our favorite local restaurants, and it was pretty chilly and windy that night.  It was a major accomplishment getting the candles lit.  Creed’s birthday was actually that day, too, so we celebrated together.  He is precious and as fun as he is cute!

The grown-up girls wanted to get a picture together while we were at the party, and the littl‘uns wanted to join us.  We are not matched up parent-to-kiddos, and I’m not even going to try and straighten it out!

We did get our own picture eventually.

Some of my dear Bastrop friends: Melinda, (me), Ashley, who cooked us dinner tonight because we’ve been a little sick around here, Erin, and Julie.

A picture of Emma playing soccer because I promised one a million years ago.

While Daddy was in Illinois, we carved our pumpkins.

And, finally, our Halloween pictures.  The poodle, gypsy and flower fairy had a great time.  We visited a friend’s neighborhood and hit some houses over there, and then we went to the nursing home to trick-or-treat and to hand out fall decorations that our kiddos had made during homegroup.  See why I love our homegroup?  I thought this was such a great idea, and all the kids did a great job.  You know, honestly, you never know what you may see/hear while in a nursing home, but all the kids were so sweet with everyone, and I was so proud of them.

After that, we headed back to Ann’s house (another homegroup gal) for the most incredible fall fest ever.  I’m scared to ask her how much time it took for her to set everything up.  Off the top of my head the following were available for the kids: pin the nose on the pumpkin, toss the hula hoop over the pumpkin, a go-fish game with prizes, bagged popcorn for the hayride, put a funny face on the pumpkin (using potato head pieces) bean bag toss through the pumpkin, iced cookies for the kids to decorate after they had finished the friendly ghost hunt inside.  I get tired just trying to list it all.  It was amazing!

The hula hoop toss.

 

I had to show the back of Aubrie’s wings.  I thought these would be easy to make.  I was wrong.

Homegroup friends.

 

The poodle pose.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!  I feel so much better getting that done.

A Year Now

I really wanted to sit down and reflect before I entered this post, but my pajamas are calling.  A year ago today we pulled up roots from our wonderful Mississippi town and landed here in Bastrop.  I must say that things have been about as clear as mud since then, but I know that there is purpose in our being here.  Just about everything thing we thought was supposed to happen hasn’t, and we’re really working on being okay with that.

We’ve really been trying to figure out ways to teach our girls gratefulness and contentment with what they have.  I’m finding that in an age when they have just about everything they want and/or need that this is very difficult.  It’s even more difficult when you realize that you struggle with this yourself. SO, I’ve been working on being content with the shelter, food and clothes that I have.  I’ve been trying to not think about the parts of my life that are in the garage or under the stairs in a box because we thought our rental would be temporary.  I want to cultivate thankfulness for the real things in my life, not the trappings that honestly can soak up a lot of time and don’t matter in the end. 

This is NOT easy for me.  At. all.  But, I’m working on it day-by-day…and here we are, a year later.  How is it that it was fast and slow all at the same time?  When someone figures that out, please let me know!

I have a ton of other things I want to post, but I’ll have to get to it later – sick kids lately, so the pajamas are now screaming at me.