Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We had a very Happy Thanksgiving! Did you?

Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes

These are pictures from last year 2009. :-)

We are filling Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes tomorrow night at Forest Park!


We have 24 pre-paid shoe boxes and all the supplies we need to fill several more than that!


They have a great new way to give online with a Credit Card and now you can follow your box all the way to its destination!

Operation Christmas Child, the Shoe box ministry of Samaritan's Purse, is collecting their gifts for children all over the world these next two weeks. Let's pray for lots of boxes to be filled, for the right gifts to get to the right kids, and for all the people filling boxes, wrapping boxes, driving boxes, and shipping boxes! Let's pray that the kids receiving Christmas boxes will learn that God loves them and He sent His son Jesus to die for the forgiveness of their sins.

Here are some specific things they've asked for us to pray over for these next two weeks:

• That the Lord will give protection to the National Leadership Teams, the churches, and organizations that are distributing the shoe box gifts, and for protection for the project as a whole from spiritual attacks.

• That the shoe box gifts will arrive at their destinations safely and in a timely manner, and will provide effective opportunities to share the love of Jesus.

For the upcoming Connect Conferences being hosted in March and April in Atlanta, GA; Denver, CO; and Cincinnati, OH. There are many details to come together in order to be able to offer an experience where volunteers can be equipped in their ministry role, connected with other ministry partners, and spiritually refreshed and renewed.

• For recruitment, selection, and training of OCC volunteers and staff, both domestically and internationally. Please pray that the Lord will move in the hearts of those He has called to serve in specific ministry roles and that we will follow His leading to be able to continue to effectively multiply His ministry.

• That the Lord will give our international staff and volunteers wisdom and discernment in how to use the gift-filled shoe boxes to spread the love of Christ throughout their countries.

Here is a link to a page where you can commit to pray for 30 minutes or more during next week for the National Collection Week. www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/1khours

Here is a link to find out more about Operation Christmas Child:

www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

I will try to post pictures when we are done!!!

 

Esther and Eivaen getting married TOMORROW!

Counting Down to Esther's Wedding.....

Esther and Eivaen's wedding is October 10th, 2010!

We are all nailing down last minute details before next week's rush to start packing!!!

Still to do:
Buy Thomas and Tyler a new suit.
Catch Thomas up on missed homework from sick days before he misses homework for the trip.
Dry Clean Sam's Suit.
Figure out rather to mail MJ's giant fluffy slip or stuff it in it's own suitcase...
Pack Pack Pack
100 Things I can't remember right now.

Mom had Surgery Saturday!

9/17/10 MJ - My Mom found out today that she has to have her gall bladder removed tomorrow! She had been having stomach pains and nausea for awhile, and this past Tuesday she was up all night long with pain and getting sick! Finally today she went in to the doctor, and he sent her to get an ultrasound of her gall bladder. They've kept her overnight.


Update: 9/19/10 Mom had her surgery Saturday morning and it went great! They said it was just in time! She got home at 8:30pm last night and doesn't even have to go back for a check up until 2 weeks from now!

Thomas Read a Book

So, Thomas read his first whole book! Tuesday night actually. 9/7/10. It was one of the little BOB phonics books. It was called, "Sam". They've been working on site words in school, so it was fun for him to see words he knew, and be able to sound out the rest. He had been reading little parts of other books I was reading to him, but this was the first one he read all himself.

He's pretty proud of himself!!!

I tried to upload a video of it, but it was too long! :-) It takes a while to read a book when you are 5!

:-)

MJ

Back to Reality

St. Simons More Pictures

Thomas had a Reading Party on the Beach for his Summer Reading Program!

Grace Twirling on the Beach!

This is the GA Sea Turtle Rehab Center.

Here are Thomas and Grace in their own little room!

Day 1 & 2 of the Beach Trip!

This was taken at the wedding on July 31st of Graham and Sarah. They had tiny bubble containers and the kids loved blowing bubbles while the Bride was having dinner. She seemed to enjoy it too. There were several other kids there also blowing bubbles. The only real problem was that she had also provided tiny cardboard boxes with red bows that she intended her guests to fill with whichever candy they liked -either mints or Hershey's kisses. The kids ate the candy and then filled the boxes with bubble solution! You can just imagine had that went..... But they never figured out that it was simply not going to work. So, between the 5 of them, they emptied all the bubble bottles on the table!

This picture was taken on Aug. 2nd! This is the first time David has seen the ocean! He loved it! Thomas and Grace enjoyed being at the ocean with their Aunt Leslie and Uncle Bob and of course Uncle Jon! They didn't quite understand the concept that their cousin was really too little to play, but that's ok, he didn't seem to mind!

Little bitty Gracie, and the Great Big Sea.

I sent these back with my blackberry, but it posts them in random order! This one is at the wedding again. Grace was wearing my hat. It was hot, but not too sunny, so all in all a great day. She is showing Grammy here how her Princess, "her name is Sleeping Beauty" is sitting in her chair getting ready to watch the wedding.

Working hard on those sand castles, it takes a lot of sand you know. Especially when Grace keeps flattening the thing over and over!

Here are 2 more wedding photos! We initially sat down on a whole row on the Bride's side. It was agreed that we should probably move, so we up and switched sides. One of her family thought it was funny, and as I passed, I said, "Well, we wouldn't want the bride to think we like her or anything..." She laughed. But poor Sam had gone to the car to get the wedding card we left there, and when he got back, just as the Grandmas were being seated, he had to look all over for us. Then I elegantly waved like crazy, and he had to walk around the back and come sit down. :-)

Now, the best part of the wedding is when the pastor said, "Graham, you may kiss your wife" and then when he did, Grace (in row 3) yelled, "Ewww Yucky!" He didn't hear, but Sarah did and looked out and giggled. I was soooo embarrassed and it was soooo funny! Sam and I both put our hands over our mouths and I mouthed "I'm sorry!" to the bride. She enjoyed it I think. Graham's Mom heard and loved it.

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I Printed My Blog

I have printed out my entire blog! It was soooo long. I didn't know I'd written a book!

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Packing for the Beach & School Supplies

I figure now that I've put a password on this dumb thing, no one will ever read it again, ever. But oh well. Still makes a great journal!

So Here is my Packing List for the Beach:

Bible, Journal, Markers, Paper, Sunday School Curriculum

Thomas's Summer Reading Paperwork

Books for both kids

Pillows and Car Blankets

Dressy Clothes for the Wedding (Wear them down there?)

Toys for Grace

Toys for Thomas

Swimsuits

Food for the Condo Kitchen

Food for the Car

To Do:

Pack for Thomas

Pack for Grace

Pack for Sam

Pack for MJ

Pack Toiletries

Renewal of AAA

Print Trip Tik from AAA

Return Library Books

Pick Up Audio CD we ordered from Library that finally came in

Get Mom's Car in Ship Shape

Done:

Sunscreen

Get Mom's Car's DVD Player and Radio in Order (Bill is doing now)

Refill Medicines

Move $ for Gas

Buy School Supplies (due as soon as we get back!)

MJ is Cleared and the Brumback Reunion!

I'm a Free Woman! Dr. Dutton released me Tuesday and said I can do "anything I want, no restrictions, but take it slow!"

So, looks like I'll be in great shape to go to the beach at the end of the month! Not so sure how much I'm looking forward to the 12+ hour drive, but you can't have everything! Might be fun... Mom, Dad and Gannie are letting us borrow their car for the trip (w/DVD for the kids) so that will be nice.

Then when we get back from the beach, it's back to school!

Here are some pictures from our recent Brumback Family Reunion!