{iPhone Rewind} :: October

I'm thankful for this sweet sister, neighbor, and friend...we just happened to be matching this Sunday! :)

Our hymn for the week was A Mighty Fortress is Our God, so naturally, we had to build some fortresses...

We got to enjoy a hike through E.C. Lawrence Park with our Co-Op!

The neighborhood cat thinks we're in her house

I don't think we'll have any problems picking out what we want for birthdays and Christmas...

We signed up for the Adopt-A-Cow program with Discover Dairy, and they have a cool app with an interactive AR cow, and the kids are loving it! #meetclover

#justbecauseflowersarethebest

These sweet boys are learning from the best, and they picked out flowers to bring home for their sister!

We got to try out some light up rockets before bed time, and the kids had a blast! #punintended

Love this sweet boy of mine

Hehe...he walks around the neighborhood with his hands in his pockets. He's 6 going on 40 :)

Our sweet friend Becca painted this lovely piece for us!!

Every day at rest time, I have the kids pick out a few things to play with quietly, and every day it's a challenge for this sweet girl. "There's just too many choices!!"

Deep in imaginative play #brothers

Last big planning meeting before the women's retreat!

Fun fall mail from Granny and Grumpz!

This is homeschool: dress up, Adopt-A-Cow on the wall, a dry erase board in the dining room, a fort in the middle of lessons. And I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Fall came in all it's glory, and the kids couldn't wait to play in the leaves...and the tree in our front yard did not disappoint :)

Preparing the Bride

I helped again this year with our annual women's retreat at church, and this year we went to the Potomac Park Retreat Center in Falling Waters, West Virginia. Our theme was "Preparing the Bride," as we wanted to talk about the church preparing for the coming King.

There was months of planning, many meetings and helping at the registration table. But it finally all came together, and we had 90 women who made their way to the retreat site!

In order to bring the theme to life, I wanted to create the doors of heaven opening to reveal the marriage supper of the Lamb. Which sounded great in theory, and then I realized I would have to drive the church suburban and trailer haha. But my mom was my navigator, and the Lord graciously provided the right people along the way to help ensure I didn't have to personally back up the trailer at any point...so it all worked out just fine. We had wonderful volunteers to help set up at the retreat site, and it all came together in the end.

I was also a small group leader, and I really enjoyed spending time with the ladies in my group. We got to dive deeper and discuss each speaker session, and pray for one another.  Friday night, we had a bonfire with gourmet s'mores {because regular ones just won't do!}, and Saturday afternoon was filled with varying workshops and free time activities. My mom and I chose to go to dance lessons, visit the little shops on site, grab some ice cream at Potomac Perks, and then go to the skincare workshop. Otherwise, the rest of the weekend was spent connecting with the other women. There was no lack of something to do or someone to connect with, but it was a good weekend.

My heart is full. I am thankful for these beautiful ladies. and that I got to introduce my mom to them. They instantly embraced and loved her. Three years ago, I never could have imagined the relationships that would have been built; and God has just been so kind. It is a blessing to serve and laugh alongside them now; what a gift it is to know that we will one day be in the Kingdom together as well.

Cox Farms Fall Festival 2023

My parents came into town for a week, and we packed it full of fun activities! They came just at the right time: the fall leaves were at their peak colors! So everything was beautiful, but the weather was uncharacteristically hot. We had several 80 degree days, so it didn't really feel like fall, but at least it looked like it :) And my Texas parents didn't really seem to mind the heat wave.

We were able to catch the tail end of the Cox Farms Fall Festival, and it was so fun to share the tradition with my parents. The kids had a blast {as usual}, and it was special to have Grandma and Papa with us. 

We got to enjoy the hay ride! And then there were slides, the corn maze, and a rope swing. And then there were tractors, hay bales, and a fire truck to climb, animals to see, apple cider donuts to eat, and pumpkins to take home.

The only reason we left as early as we did is because we were all melting from the heat haha. But it was a fun afternoon, and we are so glad we got to go! Until next year, Cox Farms!