Halloween 2010

with Ben the dino
with Jack the lion and his momma, Logan
Hmm...I think I'll take this taffy out for awhile...
What do I have in here???
pretty Shelby cowgirl.


So I have been absent from the blogging world for quite awhile, my apologies to any of you who are faithful to reading my blog. I'm glad the world didn't stop. haha... I was gone for week to visit my sister and her family and this past week I have not been feeling the greatest and barely got all the laundry done and dinner made each night. But tonight at decided it was time for some fun updates. Just some extra info this evening: Griffin is still awake. It is 10:30 pm and he is in his bed talking to himself. It's my fault. He had WAY too much sugar today, the most sugar that that little man has ever had in his entire 18 months of existence. We have found that he enjoys candy, cookies, cranberry soda, and blackberry cobbler a lot. Of course he does, right? Just maybe not all in one day, huh? This I will keep in mind next year on Oct 31st.

On another note, I took Griffin to our churches Trunk or Treat Sat. night and we had such a great time. Griffin did not like all the people dressed up, though. He would not go up to any of them. He did like his cowgirl friend, Shelby, though, and his best friend, Ben, and his buddy, Jack, who was a lion as well. The only thing that was missing was Tyler. We missed him, since he went with us last year. He took his student leadership team to Angelfire this weekend for a leadership retreat, but got home today and boy were we glad to see him!
We hope everyone had a fun Halloween!

Are we dancers?

Griffin definitely is. Tyler was playing this song one day and Griffin just went wild. Such a funny kid. Gotta love him.

Corsicana bound

Tomorrow Griffin and I will fly to Dallas where my sister and kids will be there waiting to pick us up to head about an hr. south to where they live in Corsicana. I used some of my bday money to purchase a flight to go stay with her for a week. So Griffin and I will be gone from a Monday to a Monday. PLEASE PRAY FOR TYLER. lol. Thank goodness his family lives so close. He will go see them on Thurs. and technically will only be alone Monday, Tues. and Wed. nights, which are busy work days for him anyways. Thank you, Tyler for being willing to let us go away for a week to visit my family. I never get to see my sister, and when I do go home to visit we usually only see each other for just a day or so while passing through, so this trip is so exciting for me! I am even more pumped about the fact that Griffin will get to spend some quality time with his cousins! I know he is going to love this! We are planning on doing so many fun things too, such as going to the Ft Worth Zoo and Aquarium, a pumpkin patch, and my brother-in-law's football game on Friday night. My mom is coming to Corsicana on Thurs to see us too so that will be so special as well.
PLEASE pray for Griffin and I as we make the quick flight from Lubbock to Dallas tomorrow and then back on the following Monday. He is so full of energy now and isn't very happy unless he is allowed to roam around to explore wherever we may be, so being in the airport alone with him might be a tad tricky. I thought about seeing if I could borrow one of those leash things from a friend just be on the safe side. Does anyone have one of those? And if so, how did it work for you? would you recommend them? I'm just not sure. anyhoo, I know this trip will be very fun and a time to reconnect and bond with my big sister and her family. So very thankful we get to go see them! :)

momma's shirt

griffin loved wearing my tshirt the other day. He is always taking our clothes and putting them on his head trying to put them on himself. so funny.

Dancing

North Korea

If you are into documentaries, and if you are into learning about the world and what is going on in the world(which my dad instill in me to do so), or even if you're not, you should really watch the documentary "National Geographic: Inside North Korea". It will get you interested into what is going on in the world, especially what is happening in North Korea, or should I say what HAS BEEN happening there for a long, long time. Tyler and I watched it last night and are about to finish it. If you don't know anything whatsoever about this small country, about the size of Mississippi, it is a Communist country which worships their dictator in a godlike fashion which is almost mechanical and robotic. The schools brainwash the children from a very early age to worship the dictator, Kim Jong-il and only sing his praises. If you do not or try to leave the country you could be, and more than likely will be, punished by being sent to live in a concentration camp for the rest of your life, basically starved and worked to death. If just one of your family members tries to "escape" the country, as I see it, or go against the government, then the whole rest of your family will be punished even if they were not part of it.
I am very heartbroken over North Korea and its dear people. To live in fear your whole life and forced to worship a imperfect man is devastating. The crazy thing too, is that no one is allowed to have cell phones and the internet is banned. North Koreans have no idea what goes on in the rest of the world. There is no outside news or information about anything offered to the people. Kim Jong-il wants it that way. Can you imagine? Can you imagine one single human controlling your life like that? controlling everyones lives? It's just so sad, so very, very sad. No Americans are allowed in North Korea. There are literally no Americans there at all. They are very anti-American and teach all their children to hate the U.S., which is scary to me. They still blame us for splitting up North & South Korea during the Korean War which was years ago! Talk about a grudge!!

BUT, I know God is bigger than a single man. I know God can tear down this dictatorship and can bring liberation to this desperate nation. Will you pray for North Korea? Will you ask God to not only break your heart over just North Korea, but other countries in desperation like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Burma, etc? Countries that not only need political freedom but spiritual freedom as well. We should be praying for them, but also for our own country as well. The U.S cannot save every country, but we can pray for them and for missionaries to have the courage to go to them, taking the great news of the gospel of Christ to them.

If nothing else, watching this documentary will awaken in you a sense of patriotism. A sense of gratitude for the country you are blessed to live in, for the freedoms we have, especially the freedom of speech and religious freedom. We should all be very, very thankful.

My buddy, Jack

My friend, Logan, seriously has one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. His name is Jack and he is such a sweetie. She took this picture of them in the nursery this morning. Griffin likes to hold or just touch your hand while he sucks his thumb. I guess Jack was right there so he thought, why not? Or maybe he just likes Jack a lot. :)

Pumpkin time

pumpkin launcher





We decided to go to this pumpkin patch here in Clovis yesterday. Despite some minor disappointments (false advertising on their webpage-if you're thinking about going just so you know, you do not get a pumpkin to take home with you unless you pay $10 per person, which we did not) we ended up having a really fun time. Anything is fun when Griffin is with us! The pumpkins were just beautiful. I love pumpkins and how their orange brightness stands out against anything. We walked through a small maze made of them and then a small maze of hay bells, and walked around some. They had a pumpkin launcher so we watched two pumpkins that were launched very far. Griffin really liked that.
Here are some pics we took..

28 years and counting....

Well tomorrow I'll be 28. Two years from 30 if you have a hard time with math. It has been such a remarkable year! Last year on my birthday Griffin was just 5 months old. This year he is 17 months old. I am so thankful for so many things in my life. Here are just few in honor of this 28th bday I shall celebrate tomorrow.

-I am thankful for God's grace and forgiveness and the relationship I have with Him through Christ.

-I am thankful for Tyler & Griffin and that they are healthy and happy.

--I am thankful that God has allowed us to live in the U.S.A., the greatest country on earth, and for our military that sacrifices so much so we can continue to have the freedom that we have.

-I am thankful for the time I get to spend with Griffin each day because God has allowed me to be a stay-at-home mama.

-I am thankful that God has blessed Tyler with a job and for the job it is. He is the best student pastor in the world!

-I am thankful for my own parents and inlaws, who love us, support us, and are there for us no matter what.

-Lasty, I am thankful for this past year of being a wife and mother. God has made all my dreams come true by allowing me to be these two things in this life. They are such honorable roles to bear, that I do not deserve to serve in. I will always be grateful for another year of life. I pray that each new year will be used for His great purposes and glory.

using a spoon