We're still here....

We haven't fallen off the face of the Earth... We had a busy week last week....Cody and I had to go out at some point every day! Lots of running errands! We had our usual weekly activities, but also had some special events too. Thursday, Cody and I went with mom and dad to the Cracker Barrell in St.Joe, MO where we met my grandparents to celebrate my grandpa's 80th birthday. It was a beautiful fall day and a great trip. We stopped at Cabelas (dad's favorite) to see the animals on display and Cody had fun chasing the ducks outside...I think they flew South to get away from the 3yr old terror running and laughing after them! Friday night Trevor's school had a fall festival (basically, a carnival). It was a good time...the kids sang some songs and we played carnival games. The boys were really excited to get their picture taken with the Webb City HS Cardinal mascot. Kind of sad, since WC lost their football game for sectionals by one point just the day before. They have a great mascot--full of energy and great with the kids. Saturday we put up our Christmas lights, taking advantage of the mild weather. Our local weather man is calling for some interesting weather over Thanksgiving weekend....well see. Sunday, we went to Ash Grove to mom and dads to celebrate Libby's birthday. The boys did all their usual things and had a blast.

This week, is a little more relaxed. Cody and I had a great MOnday at home and yesterday went to Mom's Connection at church. We put together our Operation Christmas Child boxes. If you're not familiar, Operation Christmas Child is run by Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Graham (Billy's son). Every November, they collect shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, clothing, candy, etc for children in less fortunate situations in other countries. It's a way to show them the love of Jesus. We started this two or three years ago and absolutely love doing it. The thought of these children opening our boxes on Christmas thrills us--picturing their joy. We also feel it's a good example of giving and sharing to our boys....showing them that there are children in the world who have nothing compared to what we have. The items to fill the boxes can be inexpensive and simple. This week is the national collection week for the boxes, if you're interested, there's still time to fill a box, just check the website for a drop-off location near you. You can log onto their website (or click on the link) for more info: samaritanspurse.org Ok, didn't mean to get on a soapbox. The weather has been really mild and windy, today is much cooler and more fall-like. The leaves are everywhere and we love it! We are gearing up for Thanksgiving...it's at our house this year. (We do thanksgiving with Nathan's family and Christmas with mine.) Our count right now stand at about 14-15 people, including the 4 kids. Should be fun! We are excited for the food and the games! Can't believe it's already November and time for Thanksgiving! Where has the year gone?!

Tonight is church, it's chick-fil-a night. Our church provides dinner at $3 per person every Wed night. We love this....a cooking-free night. :-) I've been doing a Beth Moore study on the Tabernacle and it's been great. We're about 2 weeks from being done. So neat....God instructed Moses to assemble the tabernacle, patterned from a structure in heaven, to foreshadow and symbolize Christ, thousands of years before his birth. What an awesome God we serve!