Double Digits

 Timothy turned 10 this year! He is officially in the double digits! He always enjoys having a birthday! He is such a sweet and loving young man. All of his siblings are crazy about him and they like to spoil him.

 Grandparents came up and helped us celebrate! We always have the best time when grandparents are here!

 Our family gave him "art" supplies. He loves to draw and is really good at it.

 When your sister likes to bake you can have your own personal cake for your birthday! SPOILED!

Sarah made him a soccer cake for everyone to eat and enjoy. She enjoys making everyones birthday cakes. Timothy told her he wanted cool ship on his cake so she made him his own personal cake with cool whip on top.

Timothy loves playing soccer and basketball. If he ever has a free moment we can hear him out on the driveway shooting basketball. He is very special and we are all very thankful that God gave us Timothy. Praying for the great things God has planned for him!

Fall Soccer Season

This weekend we finished up our fall soccer season with games on Saturday. Grandparents were able to come up and spend some time with us.

 My parents came up on Wednesday evening and were able to be here for soccer games on Thursday night. Elijah, Timothy, and Joanna had games on Thursday night while Isaac and Sarah refereed a game.

 Bryan's parents arrived on Friday afternoon and Gigi (Bryan's mother) brought supper for all of us. She is an amazing cook. She made chicken and dumplings and red beans and rice. Elijah, Timothy, and Joanna helped make the banana pudding, and they enjoyed licking the spoons and bowls.

 Soccer games started early on Saturday. Isaac and Sarah had the first game at 9 and then the other children played games after that with the last game at 1:30. It was a hot and exhausting day. Sarah and Isaac had two games and in between their two games they refereed three games (they were busy and tired).

 Do you recognize these two soccer players? This was one of our first soccer seasons when they were younger... much younger. They began playing Upward soccer when they were 5 and 7 years old.

Here they are all grown up! (Makes my heart melt!) In the fall of 2014 they began playing soccer at the local recreational league. It was a whole different game than Upwards. We had to get use to the rules and plays of soccer at this level. They have had some great times playing soccer. Our family is very blessed to have the physical ability to play a sport and we often remind the children that we never should take that for granted. Thank you Lord!!

Youth Camp 2018

Our full month started off with our family attending Youth Camp the first week of June. This was the first time we all were able to attend and it was a blessing to be together. The week started by leaving our church early Monday morning and traveling by bus to east Tennessee. Bryan and our youth minister have been doing this youth camp together for 9 years! Isaac and Sarah have been attending for a few years and always look forward to camp! There were a total of 8 worship services, a breakout session each day, games, devotions, and much more! The theme for the week was "He in Me", we learned that its about daily denying ourselves and allowing Jesus to live in and through us. Galatians 2:20 Wanted to share a few pictures from our week.

 Here is a picture of Sarah with one of her friends from another youth group. These two were excited to see each other and had a hard time leaving each other at the end of the week. On the day I took this picture they decided to dress alike. Love these two godly young ladies and can't wait to see all that God has planned for them.

 Elijah and Timothy actually got sick on Tuesday and ran a fever for a couple of days. They both were troopers and I was able to take them and rest most of those days they felt bad.

 Timothy thought this rock was cool! It was right outside the chapel and it had a place in the rock that looked just like a sit. Just had to get a picture of him sitting on this special rock.

There was another family at youth camp and Joanna was able to play with their little girls. They really enjoyed the play ground. It was also great to have another family there and we could help with each others kids. 

 Here is Isaac with a buddy from church. Isaac had a great time at camp and did a great job of making the younger youth boys (first year at camp) feel welcome and apart. I can see this young man maturing.

 On Friday morning the group hiked up the mountain. It was a big hike and these two did a great job of keeping up and trucking along. Proud of how well our three younger children did at youth camp.

 Here is the view from the top of the mountain we hiked up. When everyone arrived at the top we had biscuits and then our final worship service. It was amazing!

Bryan and I start the hike back down the mountain. I think our family would enjoy hiking together often. Makes us remember all the missionaries that have hiked up and down many mountains to get the gospel message to those who have never heard of Jesus. Praising the Lord that we are healthy enough to make hikes like this.

Look Who Is 9!

This big guy is 9! We moved to Tennessee in March of 2010 and he turned 1 in April 2010...so when I look at him I think that he has lived in Tennessee his whole life! We have been in Tennessee a long time! :) This big guy is special...to lots of people! Timothy brings joy to our family and we are crazy about him. He is a great brother to all of the other children.

We celebrated his birthday with grandparents on the Friday before Easter while we were in Alabama. Then of coarse as a family we celebrated on his birthday with a scavenger hunt for his presents, scones made by big sister Sarah, and chili for supper. He is one spoiled boy! Timothy loves all things green and spider-man.

Timothy with a couple of his birthday presents. He had a great time celebrating and we enjoyed showing him lots of love. Our prayer is that not only will he know we love him but how much more God loves him! Praying that Jesus would deposit Himself into Timothy and that Jesus would mold him into the man that God has created him to be.

Fun With the Younger Three Children

Back in June while Isaac, Sarah, and Bryan were at Youth Camp the rest of us had our own "Camp". The younger children and I decided to do some fun and interesting things. Each day we went over some of the verses that the others were learning at Youth Camp, The book of Philippians. Then one day we made these delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. 

The cookies were very yummy!

Timothy and Joanna cleaned up their John Deere gator ride. Looks like she is being bossy but I really believe she is waiting her turn to wash. :)

We made this Tic-Tac-Toe board out of a cut of stump and rocks. I let them paint the wood and rocks. Lots of fun to make and play!

Then our last activity was to make Tye Die shirts. We picked out the colors they wanted, purple for Joanna, green for Timothy, and blue for Elijah. It was exciting to watch their faces light up as they unrolled those shirts and saw the patterns. I thought they did a great job!

I always enjoy spending time with just these three. They are lots of fun and love doing new things! I am a very blessed mother!

Timothy Turns 8!

Yes I wrote that correctly...he is 8!! This little man will steal your heart! He is always melting my heart! We had the best time celebrating his birthday with grandparents. This past weekend both sets of grandparents were able to come up on Friday. We had supper Friday night and then had cake and ice cream followed by presents from grandparents. Saturday morning Timothy and Joanna had a soccer game that we were able to watch, then we took Timothy out to eat to his restaurant choice. We spent the afternoon riding around to see the Amish and then back to our house for supper and presents from us. The weather was so nice that we were able to spend the evening outside watching the kids play. 

 Here is a picture of Timothy driving the gator around Pop and Gigi's pasture.

Here is Timothy helping with the dishes. He is a huge help around the house.

We are very blessed that God has given Timothy to us! He is a joy to our family! Timothy has a special bond with each of his siblings. Him and Joanna love to play together in her little kitchen. Timothy and Elijah have a great time playing Legos together or having an adventure outside together. Sarah and Timothy enjoy being silly together. Him and Isaac enjoy picking on each other. It is a blessing to watch each of the kids interact with one another and enjoy their siblings! Praying God will change Timothy's heart and that he will be the man of God that God has created him to be. May Timothy's life bring glory to God and cause others to glorify Him. We love you Timothy!!

Fruit Salad

One night while I was making supper, Timothy and Joanna decided they would make us a fruit salad.

With my supervision they chopped up apples and strawberries. Then added those to a bowl. Peeled an orange and separated the pieces. Then added the oranges to the bowl and mix them all together. A very good fruit salad! They have made it a couple of times since then and it has become their "specialty". :-)

Timothy Was Hungry

We had a man in our church to pass away. As a family we went to the funeral home to love on the family. Our plans were to go straight and grab a bite to eat when we left the funeral home. While waiting in the line at the funeral home Timothy informed me that he was hungry, I simply let him know that we were almost done and then we would be going to eat. A few minutes passed and Timothy looked up at me and said "There's going to be another funeral mom...I am so hungry." :) 

Timothy Turns 6!

Our Timothy turned 6 in April. He was very excited about his birthday! Thought I would share a few pictures of him.

Here is a picture of him doing school with his taboggin on. Cutie!

Bryan's dad and mom (Pop and Gigi) came up for his birthday and brought him this wagon. He loves it. Him, Elijah, and Joanna have the best times with this wagon. Thank you Pop and Gigi for such a fun birthday present. :)

He also lost his first tooth at the end of April. He has lost another one since this picture.

We had cupcakes with sprinkles for his birthday. He wanted white cake with vanilla frosting and sprinkles...so that is what he got.

This is after a soccer game. We went to eat lunch at Dairy Queen and he got a kids meal with an ice cream cone. That is his favorite!

This little man is a huge blessing and joy to us! We are very thankful that God saw fit to loan him to us for a time. Our prayer is that he will grow into a godly man that loves and serves our Lord with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. 

Race 2014

These three were in the Kidstock 1-mile race on August 2nd in Anniston, AL. Isaac was in Tennessee with Bryan and was not able to make it. 

Last year Sarah ran the race in 6:44 and placed 1st in her age group. This year Sarah ran the race in 6:32 and placed 2nd in all the girls! 

Elijah ran last year also and did a great job. We are so proud of him for completeing the race this year!

This was Timothy's first race and he ran it in 8:52. He placed 2nd in his age group!

Training for the race was a little more challenging this year considering our living situation. :) God is good and gave us some days to train on the coarse while we were in AL the week before the race. Thankful that our children are healthy enough to complete a 1-mile race! Thank you God! 

We are so proud of them but our goal is that they will achieve greater things for The Master!

1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. 

Timothy is 5!!

Timothy turned 5 last week and we are amazed at how big he is getting. He is a real joy and blessing to each of us! Thought I would share a few pictures of him opening presents on his birthday. 

He has asked for an OK Baptist t-shirt. The picture above is of him opening his shirt. :)

These gifts were from someone that reached out to us during our time of need. 

Timothy was so excited about this birthday. We even were counting down the days.

He chose to go eat at the Mexican restaurant for his special lunch. He received Snoopy movies in they mail from Gigi and Pop. Then last weekend my parents brought him a birthday present. This boy had a very blessed birthday! 

We are so thankful for Timothy and that we have him here to celebrate another year!!!

Time with Friends!!

The Saturday following the fire we met some dear friends in Columbia. These friends we met while we were at Shelbyville Mills and still keep in touch. All our friends at SMBC will always hold a special place in our hearts. One of the friends we met that day is Timothy's best friend, Lane. Timothy talks about Lane a lot so it was supper good that they got to see each other!!! We even thought that they look a little alike. People would get these two mixed up often. :)

Lane and Timothy are one month apart and Lane has a younger sister that is Joanna's age. Here is Joanna and Rosie. We had so much fun together and enjoyed seeing our friends. Lane and Rosie's mom is my friend who gave me the tortilla maker when we left SMBC. I really liked my tortilla maker and miss it. :( 

It was good for us to see friends that day...we needed that. We always enjoy seeing friends and visits with friends. :)

Enjoying Some Nice Sunshine!

Back in December there were a few really nice days and so the kids and I took advantage of them and got out to play. We needed that outside time and enjoyed the sunshine. 

 Here are Elijah and Timothy playing with some tractors that were given to them as gifts.

 These two were having lots of fun! They even let Joanna join in the fun.

 Here is Joanna doing her part in gathering up the gravel. :)

These three play so good together and I am thankful that they have each other!

Thankful!

I am thankful for:
183) doing art with the kids.
184) warm potato soup with a hot grilled cheese sandwich.
185) the boys John Deere gator.
186) a home with two and a half bathrooms. :)
187) Jesus the Messiah.
188) a cool fall day outside.
189) the colors of fall.

Put the scissors up!!

Yesterday morning after I put Joanna's clothes on her I went to brush her hair. When I pulled the ponytail holder out so I could brush her hair all nice and pretty (she always has bedhead with that curly hair), a big chunk of hair came out too! I was heart broken! :( The culprit...big brother Timothy!

This is the curl that was cut off. :( When I asked Timothy why he did this he remarked "I wanted to make her look pretty. " Then when I told him he was not to cut anything but paper (which he knew already) he let me know that all I had to do was "tape it in the back".   

Here is Joanna this morning after I tried to fix her hair. There will be no more cute little ponytails for awhile. Thankfully I can comb it over and put in a hair bow or a headband and you can't really notice.

Yes, it will grow back out, but it really broke my heart to see that curl gone.

Buried Treasure!

A few months ago I was going through a box in the attic that I had not unpacked since we moved from Alabama. The box was one that I had pushed to the side because it didn’t have any necessities in it. The little boys were with me in the attic and what should we find....TWO toy guns in the bottom of the box! They were so excited! I think we found “buried treasure”! LOL! :)

Happy Birthday Timothy!!

 Monday was Timothy's birthday! He turned 4 and has been so excited about this birthday!! :)

 We had him a small party with family on Saturday! Pop, Gigi, Paw, and Maw came but the big surprise was that his cousins got to come!! He had asked if Jameson and Levi could come to his party so we invited Rusty, Candice, and the boys to come. They have never been to our home, this was a great opportunity for them to visit and celebrate with us!

 Can you tell that Big brother (Elijah) is helping to blow out the candles?

 Timothy requested a Spider-Man cake and Larry Boy cupcakes...so that is what he got! :)

Bryan is always a great help in decorating the cakes. He also printed off the Larry Boy characters for me. I am so thankful for a wonderful hubby!

These two could get in alot of trouble! LOL!! Elijah, Jameson, Timothy, and Levi are doorsteps in age.

 Levi is just a couple of months younger than Joanna. It was so cute to watch those two play together and talk to each other. LOVED IT!!

 Timothy's favorite color is GREEN!! He asked for green ice cream and green sprinkles on his cupcakes. :)

 The weather was so beautiful so Sarah was able to fly a kite!

 Timothy got a birthday card in the mail, he loves getting mail!!!

 Isaac threw ball with Bryan and Rusty! He is getting ready for baseball to start!

 Paw and Maw got Timothy a GREEN gun! All the kids love the gun!! Yes, it makes a loud noise! :)

 Spider web game we played as a family Saturday night. So much fun!!

Timothy enjoying his colored pencils and coloring book that Rusty, Candice, Jameson, and Levi got him!!

He had a great birthday party and birthday on Monday!! So thankful for this little man!!