Pumpkin Patch Pictures

If I counted correctly, there are 27 pictures in this post...don't say I didn't warn you! :) We had a blast yesterday at a local pumpkin patch/farm.
The kids loved running through the hay bale maze that was just their size.

They both enjoyed the giant sand area, but Josiah enjoyed it most of all! He spent a lot of time playing with the trucks and buckets in the sand.

Mackenzie loved the pedal cars and went numerous times around the track even though her legs were just barely long enough!

Josiah loved the pedal cars, too. His legs just weren't long enough!

Mackenzie flying out the end of the long slide.

Josiah flying out the end of the long slide!

Both kids running back toward the stairway up to do it all again!

Mackenzie in the corn or maize pit.

Josiah making a corn angel?! :)

Enjoying life in the big bucket of corn. Very fun to play in and a neat texture, too!

Well, if you look close you can see the back of Josiah's head in the green hole, beside Mackenzie's in the brown one! I almost got them both at the same time, but not quite!

My family!

David, Mackenzie, Josiah, April

My Little Pumpkin. :)

Little Sweetie in the hay waiting for the hayride wagon to board.

Little man waiting for the hayride to board.

My two precious kiddos, excited about the hayride!

My babies and me on the hayride.

I love this one of Mackenzie. The lighting was good, too.

My little pumpkins, sitting on pumpkins.

(We didn't get any there this year as they seem old and don't last as long as the fresh pumpkins from a small area nearer our home, but we enjoyed the photo op!)

David and Mackenzie on the return hayride back to the main area.

Mackenzie in the foreground and Josiah in the background, getting their faces painted! We let them each pick which "face" they wanted...

Mackenzie chose Rose Princess.

Josiah chose Skeleton Pirate!

Here's the finished product.

Josiah's just cracked me up. I think he looks like he has black eyes today, even after our attempts to wash it off! All of it is off except the bruised appearance of his eyes. Ha.

Mackenzie proudly displaying her Rose Princess paints.

We had a great time at the pumpkin patch, and the weather was so perfect, too. Fun times and fun memories. Happy Fall Everyone! :)

Funny Kids

For your entertainment:

As David and Mackenzie played a game with cars a few days ago, I sat nearby and listened. Mackenzie began naming the color of each car. "Green, Red, Purple, Gray, Mold, Blue" and as she named the colors of each car, I fell apart in a fit of laughter. I have never heard of the color "mold," but she was right on with her description! The car was a olive green or army green color. Just like mold. When I asked her about "mold," she was quick to reply, "Well, Mom, I don't know what that color is really called, but is sure likes look mold to me, so I called it mold." Too funny. What's sad is that my kid knows what mold looks like! He, he. (Yes, you should check the loaf of bread before eating from it when at our house-Ha.)

A sweet story:

As I woke Mackenzie up one morning this week to get her ready for school, I sat in the floor of her room with her in my arms. I gently rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And as I did I said, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living my baby you'll be." (I'm quoting verbatim from the book Love You Forever. I give the author the credit for the words of the above paragraph!) I had barely gotten those words out of my mouth when she replied in a gentle whispering voice of the early morning hours, "Momma, I'll still be your baby even when you're in Heaven." How precious is that?! I, of course, wholeheartedly agreed with her. Then we had a fun conversation about Heaven and how we'll all be there together one day. Pretty cool start to the day.

Random:

As I tucked Mackenzie into bed last night, she asked me, "Mom, if you're still alive when I get married, will you come to my wedding?" I assured her that I would love to come to her wedding. Then I asked how old she planned on being when she got married. She did not miss a beat in replying, "I'll be 99, Mom!" As we talked some more, she kept changing her age from 99 to 6 to 31. Then she announced that she still intends to marry Grant Miller, and their wedding would be at the mall so everyone could have fun. Kids and their ideas just crack me up.

Josiah ran up to me earlier this week, completely out of the blue, and announced, "Mom, I'm gonna marry you!" To which Mackenzie informed him that I was already taken. Exactly why my kids are so stuck on these ideas/thoughts/questions regarding marriage lately, I have no idea! It's pretty cute, though.

Embarrassing:

Josiah was sitting in my lap watching TV earlier this week. He ran his hand over my ankles. Stopped. Looked up and said, "Mom! What are those spikes?" Yep, I know I need to shave when my 3 year old notices!

Sweet:

Josiah was getting ready to pile into the van yesterday morning. It is early when we load in to take Mackenzie to school. He looked outside and with wide eyes said, "Wow! Look at that pretty sunset!" (Did you catch it? He was seeing the beautiful sunrise, but had no word for it other than sunset. We used to not be early risers here at our house. ;))

Well, that's all my updates on what the kids have said this week that I just don't want to forget. I figure if I record them here, I can reread them someday later in time. :)

Inservice

I received a call about a month ago regarding our annual in service at work. My manager requested that I attend, if possible. Okay, no problem. I'm excited to be included in the meetings. I like to stay current with my information as much as possible. That said, I made arrangements for Josiah (thanks, Mrs. Susan!), and while Mackenzie was in school, I headed to the meeting. Realize I'm on a PRN (as needed) basis. That means I really don't work very often. (Except for two weeks during the year while I'm working for Employee Health giving flu shots and flu mist to all the hospital employees.)

I arrived at the meeting at 8:00am. As I stood around visiting with fellow employees, our manager came in and double checked to make sure everyone was on the clock. Yep, we were all clocked in and going to get paid for attending the meeting. Pretty cushy if you ask me! Then she made sure we had all enjoyed the breakfast that was provided for us! Nice. Free food is always good. That's when we saw it.

At least a dozen girls filing in the doorway to our "locked" lobby. (We closed our doors today and had no patients scheduled at all.) They were dressed professionally in black and carrying some things. Wait. They are setting up in our lobby, making themselves quite at home. That's when our manager announced that instead of a meeting, today was a surprise day of appreciation from our management and providers to all staff. We were to enjoy manicures, pedicures, 15 minute massages set up in our exam rooms, and a free breakfast, and a free lunch, and even door prizes, too. All these luxuries while being clocked in and getting paid. One of the doctors had even written a letter of gratitude to the staff.

I am truly stunned. She had kept it a surprise from everyone for fear that someone might have chosen to not make arrangements for their kids in order to come in on a pampering day. She wanted everyone to receive the day of appreciation. I, for one, can truly say that I am appreciative! What a nice gift. What a fun day. And I know it came at a cost for our doctors and office as we were on the clock and not seeing any patients at all today. (Realize no raises were given this year in order to allow everyone to keep their jobs.) I am grateful to be included in such a fun day, and so very thankful for a wonderful job.

Happy Birthday, David!

Happy Birthday, David!!!! :) We love you, and we are so proud of you. We've had fun celebrating your birthday with you today. My favorite part was the cake that the kids helped decorate! He, he. It was made with love. ;) Thanks for being just exactly who you are. We love you!

Ober Gatlinburg!

We spent the day yesterday exploring Ober Gatlinburg with armbands, which gave us access to everything! (Since the kids are under age 6, they were both FREE with our paid adult admission. Nice!) Here's our attempt to get a picture of the four of us. Josiah would not look at the camera. Oh well! We were at the top of Mount Harrison. Gorgeous view from up there! It is hard to understand how anyone can even attempt to deny a Creator God.
I love this picture of Mackenzie with the Smoky Mountains in the background!

This is the only picture Josiah cooperated for, but I think it turned out to be pretty cute! :)

Mackenzie rode beside me on the ski lift to the top.

Here's a picture David took of Mackenzie and me on our way up.

I snapped this one of Mackenzie beside me!

Here's one of David and Josiah as we were just beginning our upward journey.

This gives you an idea of how few people were there today...notice the other empty lift chairs! We did not have to wait in lines hardly at all. Very nice with small kids. :)

David and Josiah going up, and you can see the Ober Gatlinburg area in the background. Ober Gatlinburg is high above the town of Gatlinburg.

The main reason we went up to Ober was to do the Alpine Slides! You ride the lift halfway up the mountain, and ride the slide down. The kids both giggled all the way down. They LOVED it.

Since they were under age 7, they got to ride in our laps. We all completely enjoyed the Alpine Slides.

Here's David and Josiah, having just finished a fast ride down the Alpine Slide. Josiah thought it was great! :)

The kids enjoyed the park area with jumping balls at the base of a slide!

Josiah went head first! He is all boy, and he was fun to watch as he played.

Josiah in the jumping balls.

Josiah climbing the ropes up to the top of the playground area.

Mackenzie climbing the same ropes.

Mackenzie and Josiah on the kiddie rides at Ober. (Also included in our arm band passes!)

Josiah found a HUGE caterpillar. Both kids enjoyed seeing and touching it. People nearby were stunned that he picked it up! :)

We all had a GREAT time and really enjoyed the day together. Most definitely some wonderful memories made on the mountainside.

Our Little Soccer Girl!

Mackenzie has asked to play soccer for quite some time now. Funny part is that I really don't think she knew anything at all about soccer! That said, David happily signed her up as she is now old enough for local leagues. The two of them picked out soccer gear (in pink!) for her. She was sooo excited! She talked about her first practice for 3 whole days before it actually occurred. These pictures were taken the first day of practice.
My soccer cutie all decked out!

She was so excited that she wanted to wear her uniform to practice the first day, so she did!

Even her shoes have pink on them! (And, of course, we had to pick #24 for her jersey!) ;)

Here she is at the first practice with her teammates. She had just kicked the ball and still has her foot in the air.

She is just about to kick the ball in this picture.

I took these pictures today, two practices later, at the first game. I thought the pic of the pregame huddle was cute! You can see Mackenzie's profile on the far right, as Coach Chris talks to the team.

Here she is after the game, totally worn out and hot.

When I asked her, today, if soccer is all she had hoped it would be, she shook her head no. When I asked her what about it surprised her, she said, "Well, you just run after the ball. All you do is run. I'm worn out!" That cracked me up. We decided we'd finish out this season (only 2 months total) and then let her decide whether or not she wants to play in the future. Just from watching her on the field, I'm guessing this is our first and last soccer season for Mackenzie! He, he. I do think she makes a cute soccer player, even if the sport's not for her. :) I'm proud of her for trying something new. (Speaking of which, she's also taking violin lessons at school!)

Thanksgiving

Yeah, I know it's not really "Thanksgiving" time just yet...but my heart is overflowing with thanksgiving and praises this week, and I want to record a few thoughts. The most glaring thing that I am thankful for this week is my health. This may sound funny as I cannot even lift my children yet, but I am incredibly thankful for my health. I know that I am continuing to recover from the emergency appendectomy a little more each day. I am thankful to be alive. I realize the appendicitis could have ended so very differently, either in rupturing and not being identified in time for treatment, or in unplanned surgical complications. It is totally possible that I would not be here, able to type this post at all. I am thankful.

I am thankful to be able to hug my two precious children. I am thankful to be able to hear their excitement as they tell me all about school. I am thankful to be able to "breathe them in," so-to-speak. I am thankful to be able to watch my children learn and grow.

I am thankful that the kids are enjoying school. I am relieved that they made the transition to Kindergarten and Mother's Day Out so beautifully. I realize that many children struggle and cry during those kinds of transitions. I'm so thankful that mine marched right on and are embracing the new opportunities before them each day. Josiah could not wait to get to school. He is so excited and loves it. Mackenzie does, too. They are both blessed with wonderful teachers. Josiah announced proudly on Tuesday, "Mom, Mrs. Missi taught me the days of the week! And we learned about the letter A." I have loved hearing his thoughts about school. And, Mackenzie loves Mrs. Haluska and school, too. I am thankful.

I am thankful for my precious most wonderful husband, David. He is a blessing beyond words. He has stepped right up anytime I cannot (like during and after the surgery) to tend the children and take care of our family. He goes willing to work each day to provide for us. He comes home and jumps right in to our busy activities, excited to be with us. He helps around the house far more than his fair share as I am not healed enough to do my usual chores. He is a source of encouragement, love, stability, and friendship for me. I cannot imagine life without him. I am so very thankful for him.

I am thankful for friends who have also stepped right in and helped out when our family needed so much more help than usual! I am thankful for the extra help with the kids that friends (Cindy and Tina) provided. I am thankful for the meals that friends (Cindy, Sara, and Geri) so generously provided. I am thankful for all the other friends who have continued to offer help anytime it is needed. I am thankful for all the emails and facebook messages from friends. I am thankful for friendship.

I am so incredibly thankful for a Lord and Saviour who loves and cares for us. I am thankful for a God who we can talk to and trust. I am thankful for a God who provides and heals. I am thankful for a God who orchestrates my world and who knows my needs even before I know them myself. I am thankful for His Sovereignty. I am thankful for His blessings. I pray that I can do my best to live each day for Him. I pray that I use the opportunities that come my way, and that I will hear His voice when He speaks.

The list could continue on and on, but those were the burning things on my heart this week.