Happy Birthday Cole!

Cole turned 4 years old this week - can't believe that much time has gone by already!

We started the morning with our traditional cinnamon roll breakfast, and then everyone headed off to school.

When I picked Cole up I also picked up a few others, and we went to lunch at Chick-fil-a.  It was a nice, quick celebration, and then one of his friends came back to the house to playfor the afternoon.

After dinner we had cake and opened presents.

Cole requested a batman cake this year, so Penny did the baking, and I did the decorating.

Cole was so excited to open his presents - he'd been asking about them all day.

One of the favorite gifts has definitely been this bow and arrow - the arrows whistle as they're flying through the air.  And they go super far, so it's fun to shoot them outside too!

The Littles

Having three kids means I often group them in various ways when I talk about them.  I refer to "the girls" for obvious reasons or "the littles" for the younger two kids, etc.  Anyway, here's some pictures of the littles...

Fall means carving pumpkins, going to the pumpkin patch, and many other pumpkin related activities.  This year Mead's class learned how to roast seeds, and they used cleaned seeds to count by 5's and 10's.  Very creative ways to learn!

This is how I found Cole sleeping the other night - the boy loves his Tonka trucks (diggers, bulldozers, and excavators, too)!  He had them all lined up so carefully in his bed.

And today is Cole's birthday, so here's a preview of the celebrations - a birthday crown and pencil from school.

Grandparents Day Chapel

The kids' school had Grandparents Day this past Friday, and Mead and Laine were part of the chapel presentation.

Mead sang a song about the days of creation.

And Laine's class sang a song about the fruit of the spirit, which is also the theme verse for all the students this year.

They both did a great job, and it was fun to join them at school for the morning.

Fall Festival

It's that time of year - lots of outdoor festivals and community gatherings.

Last weekend the school had its fall festival - an evening the kids really love.

They always enjoy hanging out with their friends and going on hay rides.

Lots and lots of hay rides - I think Cole was on the hay wagon more than not that night!

Love this picture of Laine and me.

So thankful for our school and the friends our kids have made there.

Pig Pickin'

A couple weeks ago the church held its 2nd annual pig pickin'.  Like last year, Penny was put in charge of roasting the pig, and with a little experience under his belt, he and his helpers did a great job.

18 hours after starting the process, the roasters were ready to serve some delicious pork.

The kids loved getting their faces, hands, and arms painted.

And everyone loved the bounce houses in the parking lot.

Looking forward to next year's pig pickin' again already!

Jacksonville, NC

Last week I took a trip to visit my dear friend, Sara, in Jacksonville, NC.

While we were there we went to a couple beaches and visited the military base (Camp Lejeune).

We also took a day trip to Shakelford Island, which has about 130 wild miniature Spanish horses on it.

We had a great time hanging out, catching up, and visiting a few of the sights of the NC coast.  Thanks for a great visit, Sara!

Around the house

A few highlights of our days lately...

Enjoying some light-up toys I found on clearance,

First fire pit of the fall,

Such cuties!

Ready for "International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day" at school.

And the obligatory "silly" picture that always follows!