Christmas Day

We had a wonderfully relaxing Christmas Day. We decided to buy one large family gift this year instead of lots of little gifts. The girls had drawn names and were excited to give their gifts to each other. Rachel made Abigail a cape for her to play dress up. Elizabeth gave Rebekah a sports watch to time herself running. Rebekah gave Rachel a cosmetic bag to carry her toiletries. Abigail gave Elizabeth a book light so that she can read in bed at night. The rest of the gifts were given as group gifts to all the girls. We had a slow morning opening a gift and then allowing the girls to play with it for a while before opening something else. We actually had very few gifts to open but no one seemed to care. We have had a great time playing our new Wii game system. The girls especially love to beat Daddy in boxing! On Christmas evening the Franklin family came over for some food and games. we are thankful for friends to spend the holidays with.

Tim enjoys the Wii more than anyone!

Rachel has great bowling form.

Abigail in her new cape! Anyone who has been Abigail long knows how much she will enjoy this gift.

Visitors

We had a great visit with Bebe and Pop. They were able to see the girls sing in our annual church Cantada. Bebe helped me rearrange furniture and hang pictures in our home. Pop spoils us all! We also had lots of fun seeing the movie Bolt, eating out, and just being together. We are thankful for time with our families during this holiday season!

Decorating Christmas cookies is always fun!

Christmas Traditions #2

Another Christmas tradition here at our house began when the girls were young. We did not want the focus to be on gifts but on celebrating the birth of Christ. So instead of placing our gifts under the tree, we have our manger scene under the tree. Each morning one figure arrives with Baby Jesus arriving on Christmas day. The girls love rushing down to see who has come each day. We have a great memory of one Christmas morning when we finished reading the Christmas story and I told them that I would get the presents. One of the girls said in a surprised voice "we get presents?" Oh, if we could all capture that attitude about the season.
Abby is proud to show everyone that she lost her first tooth this week.

Christmas Traditions

Our first Christmas tradition was handed down from the Ross family. As a child, I have great memories of selecting a Christmas tree. Of course we could not go to the grocery parking lot like all the others - we wanted a FRESH tree that we cut ourselves. I am not sure if this tradition began as a financial plan to save money or if the smell of a freshly cut tree was a draw to my parents. Anyway, many memories surround these outings. As a young child, my perspective was that Dad would see a nice tree on the side of the highway and he would jump out and chop it down. Now hopefully we were not destroying property that belonged to the highway department but actually had permission from someone to take a tree or two. I also remember as I got older complaining to my Dad that our Christmas trees were not pretty. They were cedar tress with little or no shape of the traditional Christmas tree. So one year we actually had two cedar trees tied together to give them a little "fuller" look.

We have continued this tradition with our family. We have a great tree farm right outside of Little Rock. It is a lot more sophisticated than my memories from growing up and it is something my girls look forward to every year. The farm has a hayride, hot chocolate, Santa's workshop, and new this year - pig races with pigs named after Santa's reindeer. We found the perfect tree and are enjoying the first of many Christmas traditions.

Thanksgiving

We were privileged to spend Thanksgiving with Tim's parent this year. One of the things I am most thankful for is the time that the kids have making memories with both of our parents. We stay in a lovely condo in Branson, MO. The kids had a great time swimming in the indoor pool, playing shuffle board and playing lots of board games. But two unforgettable highlights of the trip really stand out. Gray Gray and Granddaddy took us to see the Noah Musical at the Sight and Sounds Theatre. The staging was incredible and at one point you were actually in the ark with animals (some alive and some mechanical) on three sides of you. Needless to say it was quite amazing. The show also brought to life the struggles that Noah and his family faced as they were ridiculed and as those they loved chose not to enter the ark. It was a moving performance. The second highlight was a trip to Silver Dollar City. The kids loved the rides and shows. The entire park was covered with Christmas lights and they had a very festive tree lighting. We have much to be thankful for.

In the lobby of the Sight and Sound Theatre

We had great seats for the Noah Musical.

Gray Gray and the girls out for a spin.

We enjoyed the small crowd on Sunday. The girls were able to ride many times.

The Swing Carousel was a favorite.

Rachel and Grandaddy stay warm as the wait for the Sing A Long Train.

A Delicious Meal

After reading about how her cousin, Sarah, had prepared a meal for her family, Rachel decided to try this for herself. She planned her menu, went grocery shopping, and served us an excellent meal. We had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, rolls, corn, mandarin orange salad, and brownie sundaes.

Elizabeth helped Rachel by setting the atmosphere. She used the good china, lit candles, and even had a little mood music.

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and hike Pinnacle Mountain.

Enjoying the beautiful views from the top.

Reformation Celebration

Last night our church had our annual Reformation Celebration. Joel Beeke came as a guest speaker and then the children had games, food and skits in the gym. We are thankful that our children are able to learn a little church history in such a fun atmosphere. Here is Rachel pinning a bow tie on Dr. Spurgeon.

The girls are nailing the 95 theses to the door in Wittenburg.

Tons of candy make this event a huge hit!

Tim and I have thoroughly enjoyed running with Nike+. This morning Tim reached the 1000 mile mark. The girls were waiting for him in the cul de sac with signs and pom poms to cheer him on.

Enjoying Fall

Elizabeth has been busy working extra jobs around the house to earn some money. Here she is busy raking with a little "help" from Lila.

A Great Opportunity

Today the girls had the privilege of singing and playing the piano at a local nursing home. Our piano teacher is wonderful about reminding the girls that they are learning to play so that can minister to others. Most of our recitals are at The Good Shepherd Nursing Home just for that purpose. These people are always so eager to see the kids and so patient to listen to our simple songs. The crowd is particularly fond of any song with hand motions and familiar hymns. The girls recognize many of the people and the residents always comment on how they have grown. I am thankful for the opportunity for the girls to be comfortable around an older generation and to begin to see the skills they are learning as tools for ministry.

Camping at Tyler Bend

We had a wonderful week-end camping with our Care Group at Tyler Bend on the Buffalo River. The weather was perfect and everyone enjoyed being together. The kids had a great time playing in the large field next to our site, playing hide and seek in the dark, going on a snipe hunt, and swimming in the river. The adults enjoyed cooking and visiting around the fire. We are so thankful to have friends who enjoy camping.

Out for a nice hike along the bluffs of the Buffalo River

Views from the hike.

The girls caught 21 fish - or maybe it was one really hungry fish?

Broom stick bread over the fire.

Our site was wonderfully flat with lots of room for the kids to play.

The girls enjoyed swimming in the cold water.

After we left Tyler Bend we went on a beautiful hike to the Indian Rock House Cave. The hike was not easy but we enjoyed the amazing cave.

Hiking with friends is always fun!

Rachel is 11 Years Old

Today is Rachel's 11th birthday. We celebrated her birthday last night by going to ride go-karts and eating at On the Border. Gray-Gray was here to watch the girls while Tim and I were on our youth Fall Retreat so she was able to join in the festivities. Rachel is growing up very fast. It is hard to believe that she will be in the youth group with us next year. Rachel is a great helper. She often gets up early to make pancakes or eggs for the family. She is very responsible and trustworthy. Rachel LOVES to read - especially Nancy Drew Mysteries. She is also very diligent in managing her money and thinks that some day she might like to be an accountant. Rachel loves her American Girl Doll - Samantha - and was thrilled to get some clothes for her from Bebe and Pop. Rachel comes up with lots of ideas for what the girls will play and if she is finishing school or reading a book the other girls often have "nothing to do." Happy Birthday Rachel. We love you!

#4 kicks up some dust on the track

We enjoyed having these cars all to ourselves.

Rachel's special birthday breakfast.

The girls were excited to give Rachel a Nancy Drew Computer Mystery.

Rachel loves the Jonathan Park Cds and book light from Gray-Gray and Granddaddy.

Rachel decided on a special dessert rather than a birthday cake -Yum!

Ready to ride on her new bike.

New Members of the Family

About a year ago we were given six fish as a gift. Reluctantly we purchased an aquarium, filter, fish food, and all the paraphernalia fish need to survive. The fish were all named and were enjoyed for about 3 months and then the newness began to wear off. No one really cared for our poor fish and we were often surprised to find that they were surviving. Well over the last few months one by one the fish began to die. We had all talked about the fact that we did not really pay any attention to the fish and that it would be okay if they were not around. We were under the impression that everyone was okay with this fact until Abigail's fish, Tiger, died. He was the largest of the fish and was easy to identify. We were surprised at the tears that poured forth when Tiger was found floating in the tank. In a moment of weakness, Tim promised Abigail that we would get another fish. So here we are with six new members of our family. For a total of $1.68 we restocked our fish tank. Welcome Squirt, Tiger #2, Goldie, Sherbert, Bruce, and Jaws. Jaws, Daddy's fish, has already made his way to the great ocean. I am sure he will be replaced soon.

Soccer Saturdays

During the months of September and October we spend our Saturdays on the soccer field. The girls enjoy their teams and it is great exercise.

Abigail is showing the number of goals she made in her game. Her team is called the "Golden Chicks." We love their glow in the dark shirts.

A strong Senn defense.

Rebekah has been on the same team for the past four years. The girls have a great time together and are learning a lot. This is the first year that they have real goalies.