Talent show song for Matthew - "Sing A Song"

Matthew breaks his first wooden board - video

The Gift

Every year on the 2nd Sunday of November, our church, Cottonwood Creek Baptist, devotes the day to missions - "The Gift."  We do "seed packing" which involves labeling vegetable envelopes, filling them with seeds, sorting, and packaging boxes ready to send to Africa.  We also put together 150,000 dried meals consisting of a nutritionally balanced mixture of rice, beans, vegetables, and vitamins.  These meals will be taken to the Dominican Republic, and mission teams from our church will help distribute this aid next year.  We also collect Operation Christmas child boxes, have a blood drive, and have a haircut station for girls and ladies who can donate at least 8 inches of hair to Pink Hearts.

Children can participate in Mix A Meal when they are in kindergarten.  Ryan spreads out the edges of the packaged meal, and Matthew gets to press down the heated sealer.  They are a great team!  Matthew also takes a break from his second grade class (since there is no Sunday School for kindergarten and up that day) and gets to be a helper in preschool.  The Gift is his favorite Sunday all year!

 Having big brother in her class is a special treat for Hallie Claire!

Nathan is one of our favorite little boys.

Every week Caroline asks us to read a book to her, and she loved having Matthew read today.

Happy 8th Birthday, Matthew!

Yesterday we celebrated Matthew's birthday at the Natatorium in Allen and had a great time swimming with our family and friends.  Matthew had a wonderful birthday!

Halloween

We always have a great time on Halloween getting to visit with our neighbors, and it is so much fun to see how the children are growing up.  Here are Matthew, Harrison, Cheyenne, Ava, and Hallie Claire.

 The knight, the marksman, and Tinkerbell are ready to trick or treat.

 Emma and her friend are Mario and Luigi from Mario Brothers.

 The best part is when Daddy comes home from work and helps us hand out candy to the last trick or treaters.

 Having a warm, purring kitty on your lap is a good way to end the night.

State Fair of Texas 2014

We had a wonderful time at the State Fair again this year.

It was in the 40s and windy, but I'd rather have that weather any day than be too hot.

Ryan came with us this time which made it lots more fun!

 You always have to start the day by taking your picture in front of Big Tex.  He is new and improved!

 The Fletcher's Corny Dogs with mustard are the best.

We always eat them PLUS the sack lunches I bring!

 The ladybug ride goes pretty fast if you're a grownup!  (I think Ryan may skip it next year.)

 The hot air balloon ride is always a favorite.

 Can you see 2 extra baby hooves sticking out of this mama's pouch?  Arghh!

 This was our first time to see the pig races.

 Matthew rode the big swings for the first time this year...WOW, did he swing high!

Hattie Lately

Hattie's been busy lately!  She took Jeremy and I around Grace at the Student Showcase night (Open House), and she was SO proud of her work!

She is often completely unaware of how much she is adored by her baby sister.

But she adores her right back.

She got to come to Cisco Grill on a Friday when she didn't have school, and she loved getting to see Tom and the gang again!

She adores playing dress-up with her sweet cousin Hallie Claire.

She is so patient with Georgia and sometimes surprises me with her grace!  Here she is, letting G brush her hair with a whisk!

She looks so grown up in her Sunday best.

And even in her Halloween best!

She's thoughtful.  She makes pictures and paintings for people (these are twin sisters in her Sunday School class), and gives them away because she loves them.

She's independent!  We went to Chick-Fil-A and she decided to eat at the table beside us!  She was SO happy with herself!

Hattie, we love watching you grow, Sweet Girl!  Grow in grace!

I Love My Church

About a month ago we had a special day at church where everyone posted pictures of reasons why we love our church...it was so much fun!  The kids in the children's ministry all came home with a special invisible ink pen and a fun cup, and we had a great day.  It was such a blessing to just sit back and think about all the reasons why we love our church.  We love our pastor, our friends, teachers, the music and the special time we spend at church every Sunday.

Hattie's bestie, Kinley

And our precious friend, Riley

Hattie "takes notes" during the sermon and draws pictures...I loved what she wrote on this day.

Georgia loves being at church, too.

Her teachers love her so much, and she loves them right back!

We have so much to be thankful for, and so many reasons we love our church!