Training

Craig and I started training for a half marathon 12 weeks ago.  We finished up our training today!  Tomorrow and Friday are rest days as the race is this Saturday.  We are really looking forward to it.  It is suppose to be pretty cold, cloudy, and high chance for rain, but we will still have a good time.

We are very thankful the Lord has given us strength, good health, and only minor setbacks during our training.  We are very thankful He has led us on this journey to better health.  It's SO much easier doing it together and Way more fun!  I think we have grown a lot as a couple during this time too, and again very grateful.

So, here's to race day, Lord willing...

Purses

The sweet friend that kept the girls while we were at the Pastor's Retreat taught the girls how to make a purse.  They did such a good job and they turned out so good.  That's actually what interested Kyndal in sewing.  They already made another purse on their own and did a really good job again, but with no help.  Our sweet friend is going to give her a few lessons to learn more things too.

Birthday Celebrations

Kyndal had a really great birthday!  We took the day off from school to relax and do what she wanted.  Our tradition is, they pick where we eat for lunch and the menu and dessert for dinner.  Kyndal wanted to go to a luncheon at church, and have her special lunch today!  For dinner, she wanted chicken casserole, asparagus, Parmesan noodles, and mixed berry muffins for dessert.

Cute girl woke up to decorations and a good breakfast her sister made!

We made a trip to Orange Leaf while Daddy put together her sewing desk!

TaDa!!!  She decided she wanted a sewing machine for her birthday!  She bought the machine, desk, storage drawers, and everything she needed to begin.  Very proud of her!

We made a trip to Hobby Lobby for fabric and other things!  She doesn't like pink or anything!!!

The Big 10!!!!

Precious Girl

Love her BIG!!!

Her lunch pick was Longhorn!

10 years

Happy10th Birthday Kyndal

Today, you hit double digits.  You are a sweet, caring, smart, fun, helpful, and loving child.  You have good concentration and don't really get distracted to easily.  You work really hard at gymnastics and enjoy every minute of it.  You work hard at school and love history and reading.  You are a great big sister to Anna Claire and a great little sister to Abby.  You are a wonderful daughter and we are very proud of you and VERY thankful to have you!  We hope you have a very blessed birthday and MANY more to come.  We pray you will follow the Lord ALL your life with ALL you have.  Love you BIG sweet girl.  Mom and Dad

 

Pastor's Retreat

Craig and I were blessed to be able to attend the New England's Pastor Encouragement Retreat that Phil Waldrep Ministries does this past weekend.  It was held in Portland, Maine this year.  We truly had the most wonderful, refreshing, encouraging, uplifting time I believe we have ever had.  It was such a blessing to us.  It was so nice to get away for a few days to some place new and gather with other pastor's and their wives and just be poured into and shown how much we all are appreciated.

Phil Waldrep Ministries is in Decatur, Alabama and he has done this retreat for years.  This was our first time to go and man, were we blessed!  The worship music was a blessing, the speakers were a blessing, Phil's team was a blessing, our group leaders were awesome.  I just can't say enough good things about it.  Charles Billingsley led the music, Andy Andrews, Michael and Lauren McAfee, Phil Waldrep, Margaret Feinberg, Duffy Robbins, and Lyndy Phillips all ministered to us so much!

After we arrived Thursday afternoon and checked in, we went and had dinner and walked around a little.  Registration and our first session was that evening.  Friday, we had a good breakfast, breakout sessions, and our main session.  They gave us box lunches to go where ever we liked to eat them.  Craig and I chose to go back to our room to eat, talk, relax, and study a little.  We had free time until 7 that night.  We went for a run around the bay which was so nice.  The weather was great and the view was awesome.  Friday night was a banquet where they served lobster, chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, slaw, rolls, and a mashed potato bar.  It was great and we ate too much.  We played a game, were blessed big time, and were entertained by Lyndy Phillips.  It was so much fun.  Saturday, we had another good breakfast, another breakout session which was so good and the main session which was also SO good.  Then we grab some lunch and were on our way back to NH.

Some sweet friends kept our girls for the weekend.  It was also SO encouraging and such a blessing to know that our girls were safe, loved, and well cared for while we were away.  We are forever grateful to ALL who made this weekend what it was for our family!

This is the only picture I took while we were there.  This was after our run and the beautiful track we ran on.  I was WAY too into every moment to take lots of pictures.  The memories from the weekend will forever be in my mind and heart!  #thankful

Vermont

We took a trip to Vermont while mom was here too.  We went to Quechee George.  It was so pretty.  We walked down the trail to the bottom of the falls.  Craig and the girls walked around in the water.  We walked through the store and of course got some ice cream too. 

Hiking

We went for a hike while mom was here.  If I remember correctly, it was her first hike ever.  We really had lots of fun.  The views were great and so was the weather.  It was super duper windy up top, but lots of fun.  We even had a nice little picnic when we finished.  It was a great day!

Sweet visitor

My mom came for a visit over Labor Day weekend.  We greatly enjoyed her visit here and we were sad to see her go.  We squeezed in a whole lot of fun times while she was here!

 

Game playing

 

Shopping

Froyo

Cooking

Bike riding

Lunch dates

Ice Cream

We look forward to her next visit!!!!:)

Gymnastics

The girls began back to gymnastics a couple of weeks ago.  Anna Claire started this year and thankfully wasn't as skeptical about going in like last year.  She LOVES it.  I knew if she would just push her nerves aside and go for it, she would love it.  She's like a little natural too.  Very proud of all 3 of them.  They all work really hard.

They all 3 go at different times on different days so I failed to get pics of the other 2.

Family Pics

While my mom was here for a few days, she took our family pictures.  She did a great job and I was very pleased!

We haven't had family pictures done since 2012!!!

 

This girl will be 12 in less than a month!

 

This girl will be 10 in less than 2 weeks!

 

This girl is 5!

 

 

 

LOVE