This time change can be a good thing!!! The sunshine in the mornings is just heavenly right now!!! The kids are up a little earlier because it's now daylight earlier and they feel rested and ready for a new day! Ashlyn was up three mornings in a row, already dressed for school, before I came in her room to wake her up. This gives her a head start and leaves her some extra minutes to go enjoy some outside time with Austin before heading off to school!!! Here they both had plastic bags on their backs pretending to be flying in the air catching falling leaves!
I just love this kid and the stage he is in right now!!! He's giving me my independence back little by little! He still takes a nap every day but if he does skip now and then, he can make it!!! His speech is like a little man! He says big, new words all the time!
This tree. It's a special tree here on our property! It's the one each of the children climbed all over and played in! It has low branches. Austin loves ropes and loves to climb on it as it hangs on the branches.
We had a big pile of leaves that now lay in the neighbors field and I hope they all stay right there!!!
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Christmas is coming and here are my favorites already!!! And it's still November!!! Yikes!
I'm telling you … previous years I've always kept November to be the Thanksgiving moth and December to be Christmas but I'm struggling to not rush it this year!!! The other night we swung by Starbucks and I got my first peppermint hot chocolate plus a first time peppermint cake pop! Both were very delicious but the only thing is now, now I think I have to have one of each if I"m at all close to a Starbucks. Peppermint flavors are so good and we've got a full bottle of syrup in the kitchen ready to be used up!!! (I'll let you all in a secret. The other night Matthew and I ran out for a pack of underwear for the boy because he's on a school missions trip ALL this week! He needed a few more pairs to get by! I knew he would love a Chick-fil-a peppermint milk shake, well me too! So I called Chick-fil-a and asked if they are being served yet? "No. We start with that drink on the 12th!" See you then I thought!) Christmas coupons are coming through the mail daily! I bought my new 2019 calendar and already put ink on it. The mailman is lucky to not have had me waiting by the mailbox yesterday because I would have given out a very huge hug for brings me my new Magnolia Magazine .. all filled with Christmas photos and recipes and great reads! I've already burned through almost a full Fresh Balsam Candle because I love it so much! Plaids are my go to over the holidays and Austin's little man feet are going to be in style with some adorable socks! I also received some more happy mail today with a selection of new books for me to read during the holidays! Ashlyn even got to give the first Christmas gift today!!! It's all good news folks! Christ was born to save the world! Now, I'm still trying to balance my leaf piles with my other Christmas things but how can I help myself? There's a holiday open house I want to attend today and a Christmas in the Barn I want to peek at tomorrow! How do I stay in the pilgrim and turkey mood with so much holly and peppermint around me???
I got Ashlyn to tell me some wish list items!
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We are so thrilled to meet this little guy! Our friends, Matt and Marlene just came back from the Midwest with their new baby adopted son!!! Cayden is so adorable and Austin thought this was big stuff to hold such a tiny person!
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A new light for Hadassah's room!!!!
And just last night we wrapped up Hadassah's volleyball Junior year of volleyball with Linville Hill. There was a banquet prepared and we went to honor the players!!!
Drew is the coach and had some really nice words to say about the girls!!!
Here's the team and they played so well this season!!!
And we couldn't be more proud of Hadassah receiving this award!!!! Good job girl!!!
I don't understand this all but Linville is now in a school group of volleyball players. It determines who we play and the levels we play against. Last year they played so well and had NO LOSES! This year we played a tougher group of teams but we still played exceptional!!! This conference at the end of the session then picks a few girls out to make an ALL STAR team. Linville was honored to have TWO girls from our small team picked!!! Hadassah is one of them!!! Again, so proud of her!!!
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I usually try to keep my focus on Thanksgiving in November but I just seem to keep thinking about Christmas this year!!! We CANNOT WAIT FOR IT!!!!!
Here are some new books and a candle I am loving so far!!!
Ashlyn was also so VERY excited to go shopping for her shoe box gift!!! We filled it to the very top and she proudly took to school to give to a young girl that will maybe only receive this only gift for Christmas this year??? Other's in our world have so much less than we do. I loved her excitement to give!!!
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The washer and dryer are going non stop and cleaning Matthew's dirty clothes from his week in West Virginia!!! He came back home late last night and I can't wait to hear his stories!!! I finally woke him at 11 AM because I have a few things I want to get done outside of the home today and I really want to talk to him before I head out!!!
We are so excited to have a weekend at home being together as a family! We also have communion and feet washing coming up and I'm sure my heart will be filled with gratefulness to my Lord as I reflect on the story of Him dying on the cross for my sins!!!
Have a great weekend folks!!!
