November is here and I can hardly believe that in just a few short weeks we will be sharing Thanksgiving dinner together with family and friends and then start the shopping for the holidays and go to school parties and hopefully be able to drink enough of coffee to help us through the business of the next two months!!!
In a way, I'm ready!!! I'm ready to listen to more Christmas music because I just love, love it!!! I'm ready to start doing some fun baking and check off the Christmas list items. I'm ready to decorate the house in tinsel, bows and lights. But first, I'm ready to go through the Thanksgiving Season and remembering all that God has done for me. For us as a family. For bringing us through another year with good health, laughter through some tears and protecting us in our daily tasks. Thanksgiving is a holiday that I appreciate so much and I'm going to try hard again this year to remind the kids and myself to not go through the Thanksgiving "thankfulness" only to be jolted with the "give me this" or "give me that" thinking for Christmas! It's easy to expect gifts at Christmas and so teaching our children how to be thankful every day is perfect timing, since this Thanksgiving Day comes first. I know that being truly thankful comes from the heart and diffidently not something that just happens once a year. No, it's about living grateful and being an example to the children!
Yesterday, I picked up Ashlyn at school. Matthew was invited to stay after school to take part in the basketball open gym. Hadassah was already on her way to play volleyball in districts. When I approached an open pumpkin field, I asked if we should stop to take a few pictures. Ashlyn was all into it. We've been noticing a lot of pumpkin patches this year. We pass some every morning on our commute to school. There seems to be so many pumpkins still lying around in the fields!!!
I walked with Ashlyn and Austin in the field and just left them have fun. This is how photo shoots work best for us!!! We had a fun, short time in the pumpkin patch!!!
Take a look ...
We left the pumpkin patch inspired and intrigued at the massive balls of orange lying all over the ground. Some of them were bust open and seeds hanging out of the rinds. Some looked good from the eye but when Ashlyn bent over to pick one up it was rotten. There can be life lessons learned by just walking through a patch like this. Do we live lives that look good from the outsiders but inside we are wasting away in fear or doubt or hurts or bitterness that we just can't seem to get over? I left the pumpkin patch in hopes of some good photos and with some good pondering thoughts!
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We picked Matthew up at the open gym just in time to swing by Chickfila on our way to Hadassah's first ever districts volleyball game!!! I was excited to watch this match all day and so after gobbling down our chicken and greens, OK and a few fries, we met Mike at LMH gymnasium. My parents came to watch Hadassah too and I hoped the girls would have fun playing against higher competition. And higher competition is exactly what they got.
Linville Hill Varsity Team met up with a much bigger school that gave us a good fight for victory. They played so well and every time we would give a hard spike, they turned around and bumped it right back to us. It was three tough games for us and even though we lost the games, the girls were privileged to make it to the districts level!!! It has been an amazing volleyball season!!!
It was so much fun watching these girls play volleyball each week together. I will honestly miss this but we are ready for a little sports break and enjoy some extra evenings at home!!!
The leaves are changing colors. Some have already fallen to the ground. Fresh pressed apple cider is being stored in the fridge and tastes so much like autumn yumminess. The pumpkins are being picked and cooked and made into pies. November ... we welcome you! Please be kind and gentle as the colder weather arrives. Remind me to pray for the homeless and let warming, encouraging words come forth to my children day in and day out!!!
Autumn is here folks!!!
