Pumpkin Prayer

(cut off top of pumpkin)
Lord, open my mind so I can learn new things about You.

(remove innards)
Remove the things in my life that don't please You.

Forgive the wrong things I do and help me to forgive others.

(cut open eyes)

Open my eyes to see the beauty You've made in the world around me.

(Cut out nose)

I'm sorry for the times I've turned my nose at the good food You provide.

(cut out mouth)

Let everything I say please You.

(light the candle)

Lord, help me show Your light to others through the things I do. Amen

By Liz Curtis Higgs

I just like this picture of Isabelle looking as close as she can at the Jack-O-Lantern.

Some Fall Fun with Friends!!!!

Kristi had a Fall Costume party on Saturday. We had so much fun sitting around the bonfire, cooking hot dogs, eating chili, playing games, and riding the 4-wheeler. It was so nice to visit with our family and friends this evening. Thank you so much Kristi for inviting us to your party.

Here we are. I think Matt looks hilarious because you can't hardly see him except for his eyes and mouth.

We had a relay to see which team could finish their baby food first. Our team won but I think we got lucky because when we would reach behind our back to grab our jar of baby food we go lucky. I believe our whole team grabbed fruit. The other team got prunes, peas, etc. yuck, yuck!!!!

This is Matt, Tamera, and Aaron Gray trying to eat donuts off the string.

Matt and Isabelle riding the 4-wheeler together. I think the adults had way more fun on these things than the kids did.

Hannah Gray. What a sweet little Indian she was tonight.

Just couldn't resist putting this picture of Matt with his cheese hanging off his chin. Truth is Aaron just told him something funny when he had food in his mouth and he started laughing. As you can tell by the look on Aaron's face it must have been pretty funny.

Mason and Isabelle love to play together but if they spend too much time together fireworks start. This could be because they are both very strong willed children or simply because they are both four year olds doing what four year olds do.

Baby Mikhi was Winnie the Pooh in a bumble bee costume. Costume party's just aren't as much fun when your just a baby. But he sure did get a little nap.

Matt with his brothers Aaron and Andy. Andy said he came as a professional four wheeler rider. I think that means I didn't care to dress in a costume. I think this picture is so funny. You can't hardly see Matt at all but you can see his pearly white teeth.

Aaron, Amanda, and baby Ben (who will be two next Saturday)
Austin was so glad to see Austin Gardner. They had so much fun playing games and riding the four wheeler. We didn't see them much the rest of the evening. Austin told me the other day that he and Austin Gardner never argued. He said "Mom we think just alike and agree on everything." Watch out Lisa I'm not so sure that is a good thing. Or we could look at the bright side, they say great minds think alike.
This is Grandma Libby and Japanese Isabelle posing oh so pretty.
Alanna was a sweet little princess.
The Afghan couple would be Lisa and Dave Gardner. Thank you so much Lisa and David for allowing us to have this time together at your home. It is always a pleasure to get together with you all.

PS. We didn't forget Cody at home. He was gone this weekend.

My 18 min. patience tester!!!!

My eighteen minute patience tester was the train I had to wait on this morning on the way home from school. I do not like to just sit and do nothing and I think that crazy train was testing me. It was the longest train (at least it seemed that way to me). This train moved slower then one mile per hour I'm sure. It was in no hurry at all. Then just when the last two cars come up to the road to cross, It Stopped. Now I really get frustrated with all these trains I must wait on in the morning either taking my boys to school or coming home from school but this just made my day. If you haven't realized it yet....almost twenty minutes of doing nothing is not fun for me. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Blogging! What's that?

That's how I feel this week. I have been soooo busy I haven't even had time to blog. To boot.... the things I've been busy with would probably not be of much interest to you if I had blogged it. But I've been busy never the less.
The thing that jumps out to me that I was "busy" doing but truly enjoyed the most is that fact that we all got in the floor and played "Dora" games as a family. It was totally not a planned thing and I think that is why I loved it so much. I know we can plan these types of things too but it is sooo hard for me to stop what I'm doing and sit down to do anything. That is probably why it made me so happy because I defeated one of my failures and got to do something fun with my kids and hubby. What a blessing it is to have a great family like mine.

Pastor's Wife...Very Important People

I hit me as I was looking over my blog that I totally left Sister Mowery and Sister Johnson out. And so I wanted to add that they are very much appreciated also. If it were not for them and their support their husbands may not be able to handle all the responsibilities that they have to. Pastor Johnson has mentioned before that Jody is his biggest cheer leader. If I know Sister Mowery her husband can say the same thing about her. These are two ladies who do many things that many of us may never know about because they carry the title of Pastor's Wife. But you never hear them complain. Thank you Sister Mowery and Sister Johnson for everything you do.

Pastor Appreciation

How do you even begin to tell your pastor and assistant pastor how much you appreciate them and what they do? I really have no clue. I have been planning for a while to have them over for dinner some time and haven't got around to it for months. So this week I decided that there would be no better time then this month. (Considering it is pastor appreciation month.) We had a great time last night and I am so blessed to of had them in my home. There really isn't any words to express the gratitude you feel for two of the most influential men in our children's lives. I can not tell you how wonderful it is to have a pastor and assistant pastor who will stand up for what they believe and not change with every turn of the wind. When I think of all the responsibility these two men carry it gets a little overwhelming. I'm sure at times they feel like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Sometime this month as well as through out the year please be sure to let your pastor know how much you appreciate them and what they are doing.

Fun with Friends

I am extremely late getting this on my blog. We had a lot of fun last weekend at Dan and Rhonda's house. The kids always enjoy riding their horses. And of course the fellowship with friends is always nice. As you can tell this is the kind of place my kids love to be. Isabelle really loves Kim and the horses so where they're at she is happy.
Thank you Dan and Rhonda for sharing your friendship and your horses again. We really have a good time when we come out there. PS...Rhonda so sorry I didn't get any pictures of you to put on here. I'm sure that really disappoints you!!!

It's a snake!!!

Okay, I'm out on the playground with children from Kindergarten to third grade and all of a sudden I hear the girls let out a loud screeching scream I have never heard coming from so many girls all at one time. I look up to see a group of children swarming in to see something. At the same time I hear it's a snake, it's a real snake, it's a live snake, you get the point. So I am picturing this huge snake on the school playground. I get to the children and have them all back up and there lies the snake and all one foot of him. He is about a foot long and as thin as a pencil. This looks more like a worm than a snake. But I have to admit, I had the kids run in to get a different teacher to take care of the snake. I know this shows what a wimp I am but I don't care how big or little the crazy thing is I am not picking up a snake. So Miss Angie comes to save the day but before she can pick it up little Connor Davis picks up the snake and takes it to the field to get rid of it. Now I really felt like a wimp. This was quite exciting to a group of young children. Not so exciting for a scaredy cat like me.

Ken Davis Concert

We went to a Ken Davis/Bob Stomberg concert Saturday with some of the church people. It was such a blast. They had me laughing so hard I was crying. I could not stop. One of the jokes Ken told was... now mind you that I will not be able to tell this joke near as funny as he but....he says "I was sitting in an airplane reading my new USA Today. I was getting tired and thought I would rest but I didn't want to lose my USA Today. So I get up out of my seat and sit on the paper. The guy sitting next to me ask, "Are you reading that." Ken said now I believe in letting people make themselves look stupid. So Ken says, "Pardon me? " The guys says, "Are you reading that?" Ken says he gets up out of his seat, turns one page, sits back down on the paper and says, "Yes, I'm reading it."

I know many of you have probably heard that joke before. I have too but it's still worth repeating.

This Bob guy is really good at doing shadows. He has unbelievable talent. This last picture he turns into a shadow later but we didn't get a picture of it. Anyway, this is a gorilla. Ken rubs his arm and it looks like he's rubbing the gorillas chest. Then Ken looks like he picks the gorillas nose and sticks it in the gorillas mouth. I'm sure it doesn't sound near as funny reading it as it was to watch it but I still felt the need to share our fun.

I've been tagged

Okay everyone read closely because I will probably not be doing this again. I don't like to do this kind of stuff.


1. I have lived in GA, Ky, FL and IN.

2. I like to go camping with my family.

3. I love to have candles burning in my house.

4. I take a nap every Sunday I can fit it in.

5. I work better at night.

6. I like Italian food.

7. I've been up in a hot air balloon.



I can't hardly find anyone who hasn't already been tagged. So here's a list of the one's I've tagged sorry if you've already fulfilled you duty guys....Catrena Durgan, Jennifer Martin, Kelly Keys, Sarah Fry, Lisa Gardner, and I tagged back Janiece Cooper, and Jody Johnson.