Happy Halloween 2012

 Set up Josiah's party in his class and then headed over to get Callie's party ready to go.  Mrs. Stewart had these cute cute out posters and the kids had to give clues for the person to guess what they were :)  I remember doing this when Jacob was in her class too!

 Judah slept through part of it!

 Kindergarten is pretty fun!

 Callie's spot on the mat is in the front - and her eyes are GLUED to Mrs. Stewart all the time.  This girl LOVES school.  Every part of it.  I ask her every day what her favorite part was and her answer is always the same - "MOM! I love ALL of it!"

 I didn't realize it until we got there, but Callie and Caleb looked like twins!  :)  (Caleb was feeling a little shy...don't know why....except that he was supposed to be taking a nap at this time and was instead in the middle of a kindergarten class party!)

 This was the sight that Judah woke up to!

 Callie was a pumpkin :)  She guessed it!

 Since he cancelled choir practice (!!), David came home a bit early to work on the pumpkins.  Beth sent me a super cute idea that I totally copied.

 Josiah was a football player

 Callie was a princess

 Caleb was a dragon

 Jacob was a ninja

 and Judah was batman!  Squeezed him into this outfit one more time :)

 

 Josiah and Noah...the two football players :)

 David's finished handiwork!  Beth's idea was the polka dot pumpkin - isn't it adorable?  I was making dinner and came in to discover David working on the John 3:16 pumpkin...pretty impressive work I'd say!!

 Football in the court since all the parents said it was still too early to start trick or treating!

 Patiently waiting...

 Our neighbor Max was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle :)  These two are adorable together!

 And they're off!  David took the kids around while Judah and I stayed home to pass out candy.

 Melodie, our lovely accompanist, lives towards the back of the neighborhood.  She is a HOOT!!

After David and the kids did the back half, they came home to bring me Caleb and the rest of them went back out to do the front half.  Caleb stayed with me and sat on the porch and handed out candy to the kids.  Sweet times with my sweet (sticky) boy!  :)  It was a fun night!

My littlest and my biggest

Just some cute pictures of my cutie pie :)  Getting so strong and holding his head up!

 This is when one of those big fancy cameras would be nice!  :)

 This is Caleb at 3 months (Judah is just about 2 weeks younger than this).  People are always saying how much Judah reminds them of Caleb but David and I just don't see it!  Are we crazy?  This picture is Caleb wearing the same sweater that Judah's in today.   What do you think?  We still say he looks much more like Jacob.

Josiah has been saying for weeks that he wants to be a football player for Halloween.  In a real football uniform.  Since we don't have a real Gamecock uniform, David saved the day and was able to borrow a Northside Crusader uniform from the academy :).  Josiah was SUPER excited and wanted to try it on right away.

 My heart skipped a beat when I saw my baby boy in this big uniform.  Not ready for this. At all.

This is one excited kid about his costume this year!

Football!!

Josiah has totally gone bonkers over football this year.  It's been hilarious and quite fun to watch.  He is good at sports mostly because he works so hard at it - whereas Jacob is just very naturally coordinated.  I think part of the reason that Josiah enjoys football so much is the intellectual part of it.  He reminds me of a Peyton Manning who loves to study the game so much!

Anyways, he had to do a pumpkin project (basically a book report) and decorate a pumpkin to look like a character from the book he chose.  He picked this book (it's one of 5 or 6 books that Tiki and Ronde Barber wrote) and made his pumpkin look like Tiki!  :)  Isn't it adorable?  Mom and Josiah went to Michael's when we were there last weekend to get some of the supplies and I think Josiah did a great job with it!  (I'm not the crafty parent...would much rather fill in blanks on a worksheet than come up with something like this!)

 And then a very sad thing happened during the USC game on Saturday.  Marcus Lattimore, our running back, got hurt.  Messed up his knee really badly.  Had just come back this season after being out all of last year recovering from ACL surgery.  Poor guy.  He is a remarkable player.  But even more than that, a remarkable Christian with a powerful testimony and great character.  He is an amazing role model and leader in this community.  When he got hurt during the game, both teams all came out on the field to surround him.  Unheard of.  So Josiah wanted to make him a card and send it to him :).  I hope Marcus liked it!

Mr. and Mrs. John Forys

Saturday morning, Mom had to play for a choir rehearsal (real life does have to continue sometimes!)  We had a low key morning, focused on some behavior issues that always tend to rear their ugly heads when on a trip and single-parenting, and headed out for a walk to the park!

  Mom had these little boxes of pretzel sticks that were leftover from her choir retreat a few weeks back - the kids LOVED them!!  :)  Makes me wish I had a Costco in SC!

 One of the best things about the area that she lives in is all the walking trails that are EVERYWHERE!!!

(See the kids' adorable sweatshirts - Mom got them each a new Washington DC hoodie or sweatshirt!  Love them!)

 Looks like fall doesn't it?  It was so gorgeous!  Our leaves hadn't started falling like this yet so it was fun to see!  And her leaves are so much BIGGER than ours!

 Walked down to a little playground nearby

 The little two were on the tire swing, and the big two were giving high-fives on the swings.  Then they wanted me to try and capture them jumping off the swings so we could text it to Daddy :)

 It took a few attemps, but I finally got them!  Here's Josiah...

 and here's Jacob!

 And here's me and Judah just to prove we were there too!

 Yep, I really did walk down to the playground in my pajamas.  I'm not from around there so who cares!  :)

 Josiah said "Mom!  We need one of these chairs - this is so cool!"  (Meaning a recliner - we don't have one.  David would agree with Josiah!)

 Judah had his first big boy bath in the tub!  He liked it!  I think :)  (He's been in the little bathtub but is quickly outgrowing it....)

 Mom had his towel there for him!!  I can't tell you how special this is.  My kids LOVE that they all have their own towel at Tutu's house.  Absolutely precious.

 Callie had her first piano lesson from Tutu.

(It makes me so sad that I haven't been very consistent with teaching the kids lately....sigh...)

I gave everyone a kiss, and Judah and I headed out to go to the wedding!  Mom was so gracious to volunteer to stay home with my kids so that I could go!

 It was gorgeous.  Hannah was absolutely stunning.  The weather could not have been more beautiful.  The wedding was outside at a manor overlooking the mountains.  Totally gorgeous.  And there was a little hurricane coming through (Sandy) but you wouldn't have known it.  God must have delayed it a few days just for Hannah and John!

 Hannah and Mr. Smith (her dad) as they walked down the aisle.  I remember SO clearly standing behind Hannah at Courtney's wedding.  Hannah was the maid of honor. She was 12.  As we were waiting in the hallway to go down the aisle she burst into tears from the emotion of it all.  Now here she was getting married!  I adore her family.

 Picture is lowsy in this tent, but Courtney and Pat were reading a blessing for Hannah and John during the ceremony - so special.

 I stayed through a little bit of the reception and loved getting to catch up with some dear friends.  This woman.  Lisa.  Poured into my heart for so many years.  I really don't know what I would have done without her.  And that's not an exaggeration.  She discipled me.  Counseled me.  Laughed with me. Taught me. Corrected me.  Showed me how to make roll out sugar cookies for the first time ever.  Her husband was my youth pastor.  She and Tim did the premarital counseling for David and I. Tim married us.  It was SO so good to get to talk with her a little bit.  Not NEARLY long enough.  When I left my heart was sad and I realized how much I have missed her. And how much I WISH that we lived closer so that David & I could be more of a part of Tim and Lisa's life.  Would love for them to mentor us in ministry.  Oh I am so very very thankful for God placing her into my life.

And these girls.  I have many a picture of the three of us.  Me, Courtney, and Jenny.  Didn't get to talk with Courtney much - she was a little busy as the matron of honor :) - but got to see her precious children and husband and hug their necks.  Got to talk with her a bit and tell her instead of just text or email how much I love her!!!  Jenny and I got to catch up more at the reception - her husband was doing the video for the night so when she wasn't being his assistant, it was GREAT to get to hear about all that's going on with her.  I am so thankful for the memories that we have made throughout the years and to get these little glimpses to catch up with!

Saw lots of fun friends from the church that I grew up with.  Precious ladies that knew me as a young child and that just marvelled at Baby Judah and hearing that I had 5 kids of my own!  Sweet friends.  It was a really special night.  Congratulations Hannah and John - would NOT have missed your special day for the world!  I was a tired girl heading home that night...knowing I had a LONG drive the next day that was going to start very early....but WELL worth it!!!