Thanksgiving Week

Wow! We have had such a busy week! My family had a great Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for.

We started celebrating on Sunday by going to my Dad's house. We spent the afternoon there after morning church. After eating, all the kids went outside to play. They tied Mamaw's new puppy to the wagon, and she pulled it around the yard. The little kids took turns riding in the wagon, also. It was so hilarious because Pixie is so little. The bigger girls were helping the puppy pull, so it wasn't hurting her for those worried we were abusing the dog. My sister took some pictures. I'll have to see if she has a good one I can post.

We didn't have Wednesday service this week, so we decided to get together with some of my family. My sister Libby was the gracious hostess. She does have the new house after all. My sisters, mom, and grandparents all cooked, so one person didn't have to do all the work. We really had a good time together.

Libby got a pretty good group shot using the timer.


She also took this cute family pic.

Thursday, we met Jerry's mom and his brother's family at the Cracker Barrel for lunch. We had good fun and fellowship with them. His brother's kids live in Louisville, so we don't get to see them very often. It was nice to sit down and catch up with them.

That afternoon, we went to our adopted family. I was told not to call them church friends anymore because we were a part of the family. The Cricks have really made us feel welcome, and Madelyn loves them like her real grandparents. She is always asking for her Papa, Gran, and MeMe. We had a great time, and we appreciate being made a part of the family.

Madelyn spent the night with my mom on Thursday night because Jerry and I planned to go on our ritual Black Friday shopping spree. We woke up at 3 am and were at Walmart a little after 4. We go every year and think it is so much fun. It was even more fun for me this year because I didn't have to go to work. After we hit all the stops in Madisonville, we picked up Madelyn for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel. We ate with family who are also Black Friday shoppers. After breakfast, we headed to Evansville to hit more sales. We got almost everything we went after.

My family had a really great Thanksgiving week. We are so very grateful for all the blessings that God has given us. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving also.

God bless

Conversations with a 2 year old...

Talking with a 2 year old can be quite interesting (and humorous) at times. Here a couple of conversations I've had with Madelyn this week.

We went to Walmart on Monday and decided to have lunch at the McDonald's inside. She really wanted to go to Cracker Barrel, but that's a whole different story.

Me: Madelyn, do you want a hamburger or chicken nuggets?

Madelyn: Fries!

Me: That wasn't a choice. What do you want with your fries? Chicken or hamburger?

Madelyn: Fries!

Me: I'll just get you a hamburger.

Madelyn: No. I said chicken!


This week Jerry had to go to Louisville for training for his new job. Madelyn asks me constantly where he is. I think she doesn't understand why he isn't coming home at night. We really haven't gotten to talk to him very much due to his classes starting early in the morning and ending late at night. So she asks me several times a day about his whereabouts.

Madelyn: Mommy, where's Daddy?

Me: Daddy is in Louisville.

Madelyn: Daddy in trouble.

Me: No Daddy is in Louisville.

Madelyn: Oh. Daddy in trouble.

Me: Louisville. He had to go to school.

Madelyn: Oh. Daddy in school.

Me: Yeah, Daddy's in school.

I should have said school in the first place. I have her saying Louisville now and it sounds really cute!

Hope y'all have a great week!

God bless!

Falling for you

We've been enjoying the beautiful fall weather as much as possible by playing outside in the yard. I dread the cold winter where we'll have to stay inside.


Madelyn's new "friend", the ball, joined us. She asked the ball if it wanted to swing, slide, and jump on the trampoline. I thought it was hilarious, but she was really using her imagination since she didn't have any kids to play with.

On the trampoline, she told the ball to chase her. It was really cute because the ball did "chase" her as she bounced around.

The ball also played in the leaves with us. I tried to get her to jump in a pile of leaves, but she just laughed at me. The ball jumped in though. haha

We were kicking the ball back and forth. I snapped this as she was kicking.

Yesterday we rode the combine with Pappy again. She loved it so much that she cried whenever we had to go home. She wanted to stay on the combine, and get more beans. Her favorite part is when we dump the grain into the wagon. She just watches with fascination.

We've had a great week with beautiful fall weather to enjoy. Hope y'all have had a great week too!

God bless!

Halloween

My family doesn't usually celebrate Halloween, but we were invited to a dinner party thrown by a family in our church. Jerry was sick, but Madelyn and I went. We had a great time. Madelyn had so much fun that she asked if we could go again today. Thanks again for inviting us!


This is Madelyn with a couple of her church friends, Carolyn and Elizabeth. I let Madelyn dress up like Minnie Mouse. Carolyn is a witch, and Elizabeth is a deer hunter. None of them would look at the camera, so this was the best I could do.


Most of the adults dressed up as TV sitcom characters. I thought they did a really good job portraying the characters. See if you can guess who they are. Real identities will be concealed to protect the innocent. ha




Dr. House...

Roseanne and Dan....

Not sure, but its funny.

Sophia and Dorothy from the Golden Girls...

Peg and Al Bundy from Married with Children...

Lucy from I love Lucy...



We also went to Covenant Community Church's Kidz Fest. Every year they have carnival rides set up and its free to the public. They pass out candy and have other activities also. I think it is a great outreach to the community. When you register, they find out if you have a church home. They follow-up with the ones who don't normally attend church. Its a great way to find the unchurched people in the community. I mean, who could resist a free carnival?

Madelyn loved riding the rides. We had a pretty great time.

The weather was beautiful for Kidz Fest.

We even got to ride the carousel with Aunt Carrie.

Here we are riding the giant strawberry. She thought this was so cool!

Going down the giant slide was so fun!

Madelyn and I had a great day out with our friends and family. I hope everyone had a great day also!

God bless!

Jeff & Sheri Easter concert

If you have never been to a Jeff & Sheri Easter concert, you are missing out on a blessing. They are an awesome southern gospel group who kind of have a country bluegrass feel. We have known them for quite some time, and the best thing about these people is that they are genuine and real. As Jeff says, "What you see is what you get". I have found that to be very true. The next time they are in your area, you should make an effort to go. It will be worth your while.



We had a really good time with them last night at the River in Nortonville, KY. Mannington Baptist really appreciate them allowing us to use their facilities. I thought we had a great crowd despite the rainy weather.



Here are a few pictures from the concert. Sorry for the picture quality. I only have a point and shoot, so they are a little dark.

Jeff and Sheri singing one of their love songs. They always record a love song on their project which I think is awesome. They have been married over 20 years, and they are still truly in love. They make sure their marriage is a priority in their lives. Jerry says they call each other several times a day just to say "I love you". Isn't that sweet!

Their older daughter sings with them, their son plays the guitar, and their younger daughter, who is 4, comes out and tells a joke and plays the drums. They truly are a family group.

Our whole church has been so excited about this concert ever since it has been planned. I hope they weren't disappointed. I know that I wasn't. It was a great night of worship, and good gospel music.

We were even able to get their new CD which isn't available in stores until January.

It was a great concert, and I can't wait until they can come back again!

God bless!

The Best Day

I had the best day today.

I didn't go anywhere special.

I didn't win a million dollars.

I didn't get any special gifts or surprises.

Madelyn wrapped her arms around my legs and gave me a huge hug. She simply said, "Mommy, I'm so happy!"

That just made my day.

Hope y'all had a great day, too. God bless!

Fun on the Farm

We visit my Granny on a weekly basis most of the time. Madelyn loves to spend time there because they live on a farm. She loves to see all the animals, and she loves being spoiled by her great-grandparents.

This is the puppy my Grandad got just for Madelyn. His name is Duke, and Madelyn loves to give Duke instruction. Sit, get back, stop...


I think Duke likes her, too. He is really gentle with her, and he always has kisses for her.

She got to hold the new baby kittens on this visit. They are so sweet.

This is my Granny with Madelyn and Duke in the swing.

Playing in the yard with Duke. She was trying to get him to fetch a stick.

She loves to go see the cows.

Probably because she gets to take an awesome ride. This is always a highlight of our visit riding in the Kubota.

We love to visit Granny and Grandad, and we hope that we have many more years with them.

Hope y'all have a great day!

God bless!