Jenna's First Slumber Party

Jenna has been begging and begging to have her cousins and Aunt Hadassah over for a slumber party and so we finally acquiesced to her request! Friday night was the long-anticipated party and we had so much fun!

(Side note to my parents: I now understand why you liked the 'sleep-overs' when only one friend was invited and we were old enough to be in the basement bedroom! THANK YOU for hosting all my friends through the years and tolerating--with only a few threats--the many whispering, giggling and occasionally rowdy girls who should have been sleeping!)

Hadassah makes a tutu!

Dress up!!

Cousin Anna came too and she had so much fun playing with 'Bubba!'

You can't have a slumber party without popcorn and a movie!

(I knew those large cottage cheese containers would come in handy some day)

"Did it snow?"

(I love pajama-clad mornings --even after a sleep-deprived night!)

Waffles for breakfast! Yum-yum!

Look at all those pretty girls in their fluffy tutus! They had so much fun!

Goodbye for now! Thanks for coming Avah, Abbey, Hadassah and Anna!!

We love you!

Double the Treats, Double the Fun!

Ever since I was little I've taken part in ringing a few doorbells and getting Halloween treats from our neighbors and friends, but the best part was always dressing up and playing a part. A new elaborate homemade costume (or an old one, made over) was unquestionably the best part of the day for me! Now with two kids of our own, the tradition continues (and my enthusiasm has yet to wane)!

Looking sweet and hoping for treats!

Jenna, our petite Denver Bronco's Cheerleader!

Zachary, our little Train Engineer!

This year was the first that the kids went 'Trick or Treating' as our church did not host their annual 'Fall Fest' (Budget Cuts: Continuing to fund missions here and abroad seemed more important than a night of festivity for families - go figure!) We were sad about not seeing all our friends at the event that has become an October tradition for many families at New Life Church, but we had a day of fun anyway -- two days in fact! Friday afternoon we spent doing the 'Trick or Treat Street' downtown with our wonderful friend's.

Out on the town and cute as can be; Jenna, Allikaye and Zachary!

Little buddies; Jenna and Allie!

Then Saturday evening was spent in our neighborhood going from door to door. The kids were so cute in their costumes (Jenna in her 'Rosetta' fairy costume - yay for old ballet costumes!) and soon became pro's at saying, "Trick or Treat?" and "Thank you!" (Proud Mommy Moment!) Both days were beautiful and warm, melting most of the 20" of snowfall we got Thursday and we were very thankful for that! All in all it was a grand success!

"Trick or Treat!"

"Look Mommy! I GOT CANDY!!"

Hope you had lots of fun too!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The kids and I went for a walk yesterday afternoon and I brought our camera to get some pictures and I'm so glad I did! The glory of autumn made a perfect backdrop for capturing the sweet little faces of my "babies" who are growing up SO fast!! :)

More photos posted on Facebook!

Chop Chop

This weekend I went to my favorite barbershop in Denver and cut the tresses. About 10" to be exact. The hair will be sent to the Locks of Love organization in Palm Beach, FL.

Before

After

Autumn Comes to Colorado...

This past weekend, we enjoyed a little trip to the back side of Pike's Peak, near the Crags.

It was a beautiful day and the kids were as excited as we were to be out in the warm sunshine after the mild snowstorms kept us indoors last week! (Yes, I did say SNOW.)

The aspens are just beginning to turn and were beautiful! In a few weeks, I'm sure they'll be even more breathtaking!

Jenna found a "Jenna-sized tree!"

Zach was pretty fascinated with the snow and we all had fun throwing snowballs as we hiked. (How often can you do that in September?!)

I am always in awe of God's creativity.


The sound of the coin-sized leaves rustling in the breeze was like music to our ears!


Part of the trail felt almost magical as sunlight filtered through the trees standing sentry-like on either side of the trail.


A peek at Pike's Peak!


It was such a nice afternoon, we've decided to try and make our trip an autumn tradition.

I love autumn in Colorado!!

Autumn Updates

It’s been a while since I have updated anyone on what we’ve been up to other than a fun activity here and there, so I thought that I would do what I could to catch you up on us while I’m thinking of it…

First, for those of you who knew that we were in the middle getting our certification for becoming foster parents with hopes of adopting out of the Colorado Foster Care System, shortly before our final visit with our social worker in May, we decided withdraw from the process. Was it cold feet? No. We felt that God was asking us (me specifically, who was more or less the driving force behind everything) to wait. It was not an easy decision, especially after the intense training and other requirements we went through in order to start the process, not to mention the emotional investment involved. After praying it through, we both feel at peace with our decision and know that it was the right thing to do.

Another update is that we no longer have our lovable Labrador. In May (that was not a good month for us this year) ‘Samwise’ had to have an emergency surgery after swallowing a rock that got lodged in his intestines. The surgery was very expensive, as surgeries tend to be and Rich and I decided against draining part of our savings in order to pay for it. It was another difficult decision, but we knew that when it came to spending our ‘rainy day’ income on our children vs. our pets, we had to make that distinction. Sam, for as much as we loved him, was an animal and would likely be happier with another family who could give him the attention and exercise that he needed. So, with many tears, we signed him over to the vet who did the surgery and then adopted him out. We think of him often, trusting he found a great home.

Starting next month I will be babysitting full-time again. Our neighbors were recently blessed with a baby girl and have asked us to watch her when her mom returns to work. Jenna and I are both excited about having little Hannah in our home and I know that we will have a lot of fun having a tiny baby around here again!

In other news, Rich’s company is in the middle of a major shift in leadership and we ask that you be praying with us as we navigate this situation with grace and honor.

Speaking of honor, we are reading Honor’s Reward by John Bevere this semester in our small group and I would highly recommend it. I am already learning so much and wish I had read this book years ago! It is an easy read and in usual Bevere fashion, cuts right to the heart of an issue instead of dancing around it.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading over the summer and in addition to Honor’s Reward, have read the Mark of the Lion trilogy - Francine Rivers; The Atonement Child – Rivers; House – Frank Peretti & Ted Dekker; The Missing – Beverly Lewis; The Appomattox Saga (10 books) – Gilbert Morris; Twilight Series (4) - Stephenie Meyer; The Host - Meyer; God’s and Kings series (5) - Lynn Austin; and I can honestly say that I liked them all! If you’ve read something great lately, let me know – I’m always in need of some new books.

On the emotional front, this season has been a difficult one for us in many ways and the resounding lesson seems to be GOD IS IN CONTROL – He knows what He’s doing even if our ways are not His ways! Be it in the books I read, the verses that we learn or something someone says to encourage us, I can’t help but see that. God takes the ‘mess’ that we see and turns it into something beautiful and good. I am so grateful for that! Thanks for staying in touch and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! Hope you’re all doing well, I’m sorry my blogging has been so sporadic this summer! Happy Autumn!

A Day Out With Thomas

We spent Sunday morning at the Colorado Railroad Museum with Zach's pal, Thomas the Tank Engine!

All aboard!

We're riding with Thomas!!!

Meeting Sir Topham Hatt!!

What an exciting day!!