Christmas Photo Session 2008

Today was is the day we spend some time turning our house into a photo studio and taking photos of the kids for Christmas cards. It always starts out fun, but sometimes ends up a little stressful! (Especially when we try to incorporate the family dog in to the mix!) Thankfully, we are usually able to get some great shots. Here are our favorites from this year. Look for them to come your way (via Christmas cards) in a mailbox near you!

Just One More Day!

Dear Friends and Family,

In just one more day we will head to the polls to elect a new president. It has been a LONG campaign!

Last week I was waiting in the lobby of a local elementary school during Matthew's speech class. I was excited to see the school was running a mock presidential election and allowing each child to cast their vote. I had the privilege of watching quite a few kids step up and fill out their ballot. When they approached the table there was a photo of Barack Obama and a photo of John McCain. Several times, I heard different children ask a nearby adult who each man was so they could decide how to cast their vote. There was discussion among the children about how they made their decision. "He looks nice.......his name is cool.........he looks really old." I was sitting there wishing I could pull a few of these sweet-faced children aside and give them a brief Obama/McCain comparison of the issues before their No. 2 pencil touched the paper!

In these final hours before we each take our stand at the voting booth, I pray all of us whole-heartedly evaluate the choices at hand. Let us make our decision not based on appearances, style, age, sex, race or even party affiliation. Let us, instead, choose a leader based on integrity, political and life experience, and, most importantly, each candidates' views on moral issues. Let us vote from our hearts, not from our checkbooks!

It is not too late to research the candidates and what they stand for! Check out websites like www.johnmccain.com and www.barackobama.com and www.ontheissues.org.

I will be praying for ALL OF US tomorrow ~ let God be the one guiding our decisions, not man. Regardless of the results at the end of the day tomorrow, I keep reminding myself that God is good in ALL things.

God Bless,

Jen

It's H~A~L~L~O~W~E~E~N!

We had a fun Halloween season this year. Hanna and Matthew's costumes started off as "Dark Bride" and Harry Potter . . .

Matthew was still Harry Potter for his Kindergarten class party.....

Here he is with some friends in his class....

He was SO HAPPY because he was the student with the Principal who lead the 500+ kids of Anderson Elementary in the Halloween parade. Look at that smile!

Here he is with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Hill. He just loves her!

By the time Trick or Treating actually began, both of the kids were in different costumes. Here they are now as a cowgirl and Ben 10.

Happy Halloween!

Matthew Turns Five!!!

We celebrated the BIG day with a fun afterschool party at McDonald's with a Ben 10 theme. Notice the cleverly crafted Ben 10 ice cream cone cupcakes! :o)
Lots of friends came to help celebrate......over 2o friends in all! That's a LOT of Happy Meals!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Wow ~ How time flies!

I am trying to figure out where the last two months have gone! It seems like summer just ended, we just got home from vacation and the kids just started school! In reality, tomorrow is the first day of November! WoW! Here's some highlights of the last two months:

Matthew started Kindergarten in September.

It was a sad drop off for both of us! Matthew was slightly more vocal about his sadness...

He seemed to think he was being lead away from me for the rest of his life . . .

But, by the end of the day, he loved it!! He came out singing and do the hand motions for "The Wheels on the Bus".

Thank You God! I could not have endured those tears everyday!

We made it home!

We are back from our family vacation and wanted to share a few of the highlights of the trip. We sailed on the Carnival Holiday to Cozumel and Calica, Mexico.



Here is Matthew dancing with Fun Ship Freddy in the dance contest, on our first night aboard.

He was very proud to have won the trophy again this cruise. (He is already at home practicing for next time!)

The view from the back of the ship . . . the waters are an astounding color of blue.

First formal night . . . the food in the dining room was incredible again.

The Captain's Party is held on the first formal night. The kids came with us and Matthew danced, danced, danced again.

The food and ice sculptures from the Midnight Gala Buffet are so neat to look at. They open the buffet, for pictures only, 45 minutes prior to serving.

We ported first on Cozumel and went snorkeling at Mr. Sancho's Beach. The water was crystal clear and the fish were every where! They are such brilliant colors in tropical climates. We can't wait to go back to Cozumel in November.

We spent an afternoon at a beach in Calica, Mexico ~ our second port. The kids spent a lot of time digging in the sand. Hanna was determined to dig a hole large enough to get Matthew inside.

The kids enjoyed a game of Giant Checkers on the Lido Deck. (Hanna is wearing her new hat from Calica ~ she LOVES it.)

Here are the kids posing with our waitress and waiter, Biljana and Aldrin. We really love the dining experience on the ships. On this night, Biljana and Aldrin pulled Hanna and Matthew up with them to dance around the dining room to the "Hot, Hot, Hot" song. Priceless!

Matthew with his hero, Fun Ship Freddy. He had to buy a Freddy hat from the gift shop and then he HAD to get this picture taken with him.

Matthew, Hanna & Nick watching the ocean from our stateroom window.
If these three are awake, there is most likely an ice cream in their hand. (Or in Nick's case, an ice cream AND a tropical drink!)

We feel truly blessed to experience such a fun family vacation. Once again, we would have loved to stay on the ship ~ but all good things must come to an end. :o) There is always next time though!

We made it to Mobile!

After our long (but enjoyable) road trip, we finally made itc to Mobile, Alabama this afternoon at about 3:30!
After we checked into the hotel, we decided to go for a ride to the cruise terminal which is about five miles from our hotel. I had MapQuested directions, so we expected it to be a breeze. Wrong. After several attempts, we did finally find the terminal, but we couldn't say exactly how we got there. It definitely didn't resemble the MapQuest directions. :o) We did stumble upon a huge car dealership owned by some Alabamian (is that a word?!?) McConnells . . .Once we made it back to the hotel, we went swimming. The hotel has a very nice and very large pool in the atrium . . .

Now, we will just relax for a bit . . .

We will board the ship around noon tomorrow. Assuming we can find our way back to the terminal. :o)