So some highlights from September and October.
Ben takes Ted out to breakfast every other week. This was a chocolate chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP. Not so sure how feel about it.
We had a day off school in October (I really don't even remember why at this point). Lily and Wyatt spent a beautiful fall day with us. We decided to try a new trail near Cooper's Rock called the Hemlock Trail. We LOVED it and can't wait to go back in the summer. The trail followed a pretty cool creek and the kids talked me into letting them play in it for awhile.
It was all fun and games until Sophie slipped, cracked her head on a rock and got soaked. The water wasn't warm and I had 4 kids with no cell phone service and a kid that hit her head on a rock. So that ended all the fun and we were out of there!
We had a run of 3 Young Life banquets in a row. The first was the 40th Anniversary Banquet of Kanawha Valley Young Life. All the former area directors came back to celebrate. It was an amazing evening looking back at 40 years of ministry and looking forward to 40 more years of changed lives.
These were some of my favorite pictures of walking down memory lane.
This is one of my favorites. These girls. Oh my gosh! This picture makes me cry. This was the first day of school. Half the girls were seniors and half were sophomores.
Em writing thank you cards to donors at camp.
In order of their time in Charleston. The couple that brought YL to Charleston even came back for the weekend. What a blessing to meet them.
Don McKelvey, Bill Quiglely, Dane Alphin, Jay Teodoro, Ben Tuel & JB Ward
If you have a second you should watch this CARPOOL KARAOKE Ben, JB & Sam did. If you need a little laugh today this will be fun for you!
Lisa and I had on semi-matching dresses (it's the same pattern at least).
Sophie and BA taking the dogs for a quick spin.
I can't even describe our 9 years there. We are beyond grateful and blessed to have been a small part of this legacy.
The following two Sundays we had our two annual banquets. The Morgantown one was our best ever and I'm so thrilled with it. Both banquets were great and a great start to the ministry year. Although three in a row nearly did me in.
In other news, Ted has started leading worship at church for the preschoolers. He loves it and is quite good at it. I feel like he's a prime example of using your gifts and talents to serve the Lord.
WVU Homecoming Parade with his dance studio. He didn't want to actually dance in the parade (he is a 5th grade boy). Unfortunately basketball is now the same night as hip hop so we have temporarily given that up.
We hit up a volleyball game on Friday evening. We hadn't seen the Kozels in a MONTH - which is far too long. And we met the new Mountaineer.
Ted and Wyatt are both playing the trumpet. They aren't bad. They are also not good. Here's hoping we can pull off a little Christmas something or other.
Our sweet friend Emily (gray shirt) was in WV for a quick visit. So Bethany, Janny & I met for breakfast one Saturday morning. We missed Carissa for sure. But it was so good to see our friend! We used to do a girls weekend every year but we're all just in busy seasons of life with kids and work and life. Hoping we can start those again in the years to come.
Chad, Emily & Will
Ted. I don't know what to say about this.
We inherited some fun play-doh equipment. So that's been fun.
The fall has been so warm! We've spent so much time outside and have LOVED it.
I came downstairs to these two having a very serious conversation. Sophie said, "Mom, I asked Jesus to be Millie's friend forever so she can go to heaven when she dies." How thoughtful of you, Soph.
This is the little free library in our neighborhood. Sophie checks it quite regularly. She hasn't made the connection that a lot of the book in there are her old ones.
The kids had an intruder drill a couple of weeks ago. Sophie wrote this at school for no real reason. It makes me sad - for the fact they have to practice these these things and the lack of punctuation and capitalization.
Carving Pumpkins: One of my most hated of all holiday traditions. This year, I just sat it out. I don't know why I haven't done that anytime in the last 11 years. I would like to announce and be patted on the back that we actually did carved pumpkins BEFORE Halloween this year. I mean, by Halloween they were shriveled and rotted. Hey, you can't have it all.
This kid KILLED IT with her pumpkin. She carved the entire thing herself and it was great, and hard. Ted was too impulsive, went too fast and didn't do so well. So he carved the word "poop" on the back of his. I didn't even get a finished one!
Sophie also made and iced cupcakes for Ted's birthday.
Ted had some buddies over to play after church a couple of weeks ago. They all do the 5th & 6th grade small group together at the 9:00 am service. Love these boys.
And trick-or-treat. This is Ben's most hated of all Halloween traditions.
The annual cousin Halloween pic. Napoleon Dynamite (Wyatt) for the costume win. I still giggle every time I see this.
Sorting the loot. The boys went on their own this year.
Ben and Ken give out fistfuls of candy and are the first out of candy in the entire neighborhood. Then they go inside and play x-box. Tradition is tradition. Don't mess with it.
Sophie made the morning announcement team! She tried out earlier in the school year and didn't make it. But when a girl in her class moved, she found out she was next on the list. She's so excited!
- Ted had the most amazingly horrendous case of poison ivy ever. He missed 3 days of school, had 1 steroid shot and 2 rounds of oral steroids. We took him to the ER once and urgent care twice.
- Fun date night with the Bergs.
- I went to my standard one WVU football game of the season. It was 65 degrees and sunny. We won. I'm good for the rest of the year. Ben and Ted have been to all the others except the first weekend of November.
- I picked up some extra hours working with the fundraising department of YL for the new camp in West Virginia.
- Millie is still kicking. (I feel like that's important to note.)
- Basketball has started back up for Ted. He really does love it. The break from activities in August and September was a real blessing.
- My dad had surgery to remove a tumor in his leg. My mom had surgery to fix a nerve in her arm.
- Two friends have had their children diagnosed with cancer. It is heartbreaking. They are amazing and strong families.
- October is a very excellent month with the World Series and football. Ted and Ben have been in straight up sports mode around here which includes two tv's every Saturday. Sophie is managing. (For when I read this again someday, the Cleveland and Chicago were in the World Series. The two teams who had gone without a title the longest. It was a great seven game series!)
- I'm ready for political commercials to be over. Today is election day. My kids and I were talking in the car today and Ted will only have to sit out one more presidential election. Then he'll be old enough to vote. (Insert emoji with the big eyes!)
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