a merry soot mess and other delightful capers...

Hope you all had a blessed Christmas! We certainly did and we're looking forward to getting together with family this friday. A few days before Christmas, my brother and I decided it would be cool if we could open up the chiming in my room and have a fire. By the way, it hadn't been opened in probably 20+ years. Anyways, if you've ever seen the newer version of A Little Princess you'll be able to imagine what my room looked like when we were done. : )  Soot was everywhere and it took a few days to get it all cleaned up!

what are we doing? Don't ask! :P

We found some used rollerblades for Haydon earlier this month and when he came for a visit we brought them out for him.

Christmas eve was spent at my great-Grandmommie's home

Her place is so peaceful.

Grandmommie's wreath on the garage.

LOL. I love this picture. Samuel (5), Matthew (7) and Adrian (2)

A December sunset.

In Jesus,

Getting ready for Christmas

This past weekend we had a soccer tournament, got a Christmas tree and went to a Christmas concert which Benjamin and Julie played in.

First off... Soccer!

Watching the boys warm up

Julie and Uncle Matt were at the fields all day refereeing. On one of Julie's brakes she came and watched Ben's game. IT WAS FREEZING! And we forgot all our blankets. Brrr...

Aunt Emily, Mari, Matthew and Samuel came to watch the game too!

Matthew and Adrian playing a game on Aunt Emily's phone. 

Samuel, keeping warm by drinking some hot chocolate!

Go Ben!!!

Aunt Emily, Ben and Marianah

At a Christmas Tree Farm

on the way home from the tournament we saw a tree farm and stopped to get ours!

Little cage with sweet little bunnies

and goats

Adrian was watching this dad throwing his little girl and he began to smile... : )

on top of a haystack

the perfect one

Adrian saw some stumps with sap oozing out and rubbed his hands all in it before we realized it. Here he is just realizing that pine straw is sticking to his hands!

sweepy little boy

At the Concert

The pictures we took during the concert didn't come out quite right so here's some from afterwards

Julie played the flute and Ben, the violin

Me and the Maestro's! : )

What have ya'll been up to?

blessings pouring down, never ending

I've started a list of blessings, gifts, grace. My Savior is amazing, and I am so thankful that He's giving me an opportunity to thank Him with my life and my all. This is my crazy beginning of a lifetime of recording thankfulness.

Waking up to sunshine and a blue sky

Adrian, running into my room and hearing him say "Hi Ayee!"

Sore fingers, trying to remember the chords

The persistent chattering of birds

Hearing Ben singing "Do Everything" throughout the day

Warm chamomile tea in a yellow cup

The crunching sound of leaves

Sun rising, shining over a field and dark clouds

When this 2 year old gives hugs - "I missed you"

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalm 100:4-5

Fare thee well September!

September, well really this whole year, has gone by fast. We've had crazy weather down here in Georgia these passed few weeks. Yesterday and today have been incredibly windy! Wind to knock you down! (almost)

Mom bought some flowers to plant in our front yard. 

It was so windy the plants blew over!

As Mama was preparing to plant, she uncovered tons of daffodil bulbs!

^These are only a few of the many bulbs^

helping plant "fowrs"

Mama's hands.

One of the biggest worms I've ever seen.

Dylan came over for the weekend. Our shadows were very long!

Hope you all are enjoying this fall weather! I sure am.

"To everything there is a season..... a time to plant"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

P.S. Special thanks to my sweet friend, Julia, for designing a new header for me! She makes incredible backgrounds. Go and take a look at I Love It! Blog Designs

Of hay bales and dirt bikes and a determined little boy

The field, on the property that my family and I are temporarily living, was cut recently. This means hay bales! Benjamin and I road his dirt bike down to see these gloriously big golden bales.

They are bigger than they look.

He saw.

He climbed.

He conquered. : )

The smell of a freshly cut field is amazing!

Ol' Faithful. Our dog, Rusty.

A favorite mode of transportation. : )

My 6-year-old cousin, Haydon, has been staying with us for a while and today Mom took him on some errands with her. When they came back, Haydon proudly showed us his "new" bike.

He had never ridden a bike without training wheels so we thought that it would take him a while to learn to ride. Boy were we wrong! Haydon got on that bike and rode like a pro!

He was so excited, so proud that he could do it!

Alright Haydon!

Adrian, on the other hand was upset because he couldn't ride. Look at that face!

I love this boy. He is such a sweet heart, even when he pouts. ; )

He consoled himself when he saw mom's sunglasses.

LOL! Cool dude.

The determination of this little boy was so beautiful to see. He wanted to ride a bike and he rode it. He soaked up our encouragement and excitement for him. This really reminded me of something I posted a while back.

"Woo hoo!" You made it through this post! : )

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its sham, and sat down at the right and of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:1-2

In Christ Love,