"There's No Place Like Home!"

Do you think Levi's having fun yet? This boy needs a haircut!!!

Levi was "Smartie Pants" for Halloween! Nana sewed Smarties candy all over his pants and his wig and glasses made him look like a little nerd!

Levi and his friend Caitlyn at his school party--the little "nerd couple"!

Here's our little Dorothy fr0m "The Wizard of Oz"!

Dorothy and Toto still in Kansas! Her little dress was handmade with love by Nana!

Lydia was so proud of her red ruby slippers!

We had a fun Halloween day passing out candy at Caleb's school to the kids in the halls between classes, then we helped with Levi's school parade and party. We finished the day at our church's fall festival and a little trick-or-treating to some friends. On Saturday, we had Caleb's 13th birthday party with his friends. They went on a photo scavenger hunt around town and had a blast! The weather is perfect here--sunny and 70's. Can it really be November?

Palin Power!!!

We had the chance of a lifetime today here in our town. Sarah Palin came to speak at a rally about 5 minutes from our house! So, we got tickets, let the boys skip school, and waited in line for over 2 hours in the cold just to see and hear our favorite lip-stick wearing hockey mom! And she was awesome! The crowd was huge and super energized for McCain/Palin. Let's just hope the rest of the country will be on Nov. 4. Please continue to pray for God's man to be elected and don't forget to show up to vote. Levi had a mock election today at his school and McCain won by over 100 votes. It's sad when the kids have more sense than some adults these days! We are super excited in our home about this election--I'm even gonna wear my new Sarah Palin button everyday that says, "You go girl!" with lipstick on it and Mark says he's wearing his McCain/Palin t-shirt everyday, too! Enjoy the pics from our exciting day!

Goodbye Grandma J...

We love you, Great-Grandma!

This is 4th of July, the last time we were with her.

Lydia and Ellie with Nana and Great-Grandma J.

Kip, Gina & Levi with Grandma J in her yard.

Caleb, Levi & Lydia with Great-Grandma J.

Three generations--me, Grandma and Lydia as a baby.

My Grandma J woke up at about 5:30 each morning. But on Tuesday morning, October 21 she woke up at about 5:30 in the presence of Jesus in heaven. She lived a long, full life of almost 95 years and we are so thankful she is no longer in pain. We gathered this weekend with many family and friends to say good-bye. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of her with my kids. I'm sure I'll have more stories and memories of Grandma to share soon.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Caleb turned 13 today! Where have the years gone? We are still in shock that we actually have a teenager in our house now. Although he's already been acting like one for awhile. It was a fun day--I took him Subway for school lunch so he wouldn't have to eat PB & J on his special day. Then we had dinner at El Torrero tonight where they sang "Happy Birthday" in Spanish to him. He didn't like that too much. Then we went to the Jr. High girls basketball game to watch our friend Andrea play. We finished the evening off with ice cream at Culver's! He finally got to open presents before bed and all he got from us was his new cell phone and the first bill--where he went over by 70 bucks! Welcome to the world of teens and texting, huh?

Introducing Twinkle Toes Lydia...

Pause the playlist below to watch this:


Lydia just finished her first ballet/tap class and this is a video of her little class performing for the parents on the last night. This is her "I'm a Little Tea Pot" dance! She's the ballerina in the purple leotard in the front row. After they performed they got princess crowns, pink cookies and juice for a treat! It was so cute! Looks like we may have a little dancer in the family!

Our Weekend in Nashville!

We took a road trip this weekend to Nashville where Caleb played in a soccer tournament. Three of our starters couldn't make it, so the soccer wasn't that impressive--we tied one game, lost the next then finished with a win.

We had a great time visiting with my brother Kevin, his wife Kelly and their 3 little girls, Shayla, Kayla and Layla who live there! We played at the soccer park, did some shopping at Opry Mills Mall and went to Chuck E. Cheese for tons of fun! Here's a few pics of our weekend!

A Must See! (pause my playlist below to watch)

Mark and I had a date last Friday night to see the movie Fireproof and it was so good! Please go see it and encourage others to go too. It's a great lesson for all, even if you've been married forever! It's not just about marriages in trouble, but has great lessons about our relationship with Christ and with our parents or children. Satan is trying really hard to destroy marriages both inside and outside the church today. I think he's working harder on Christian marriages because he can't stand the thought of a couple sold out to Jesus. We have learned that none of us are immune to Satan's attacks in this area of life. So, go see the movie then run out to Sam's and buy the Love Dare book from the movie for 8 bucks! Mark and I are having fun working through it and we are challenging all of you to take "The Love Dare" too! I think the Lord would be pleased! The soundtrack from the movie is great--check out my playlist below where I've added a couple songs from Fireproof! "Slow Fade", "You Belong to Me" and "Love is Not a Fight"!