Fall in St. Albans

Fall in St. Albans

Friday, October 19, 2012

Jumping in the leaves!





While we were gone this past weekend to Dallas, Olivia took some really cute pics of the younger kids playing in the leaves..........















Friday, October 5, 2012

More pics from our trip to Branson!


Fun boat ride.

One of the many beautiful falls in the park.

Pretty girls!


Swimming in one of the heated pools at Big Cedar.

Picnic time.









Cutie Pies!

All smiles in this one!

Monday, October 1, 2012

The most wonderful time of the year...

It's here! The most wonderful time of the year! At least to me it is... I love Fall. I love everything about it: The colors, the smells, the temps, the decor, the food, the clothes, and all of the things it represents....
A time of harvest. A time of family. A time of worship.
Worship and gratefulness.  We should always find a time to worship and be grateful in every day in every season, but my heart is especially full at this time of year.   Many times I revert back to childhood and all of the excitement that this time of year used to bring! I see that excitement in my children now too, which is so fun. It is so important to have our own traditions in our family that the kids can look forward to and to make their own memories: Apple picking, leaf pile jumping, pumpkin patches, hot chocolate and wassail, spice scented candles, trick or treat costumes, chilly mornings standing on the heating vents in their Jammie's, bonfires with s'mores, and the anticipated visits with grandparents over the next few months as the holidays approach.
These are all such special things, but more and more I find myself looking to find the small things in life to celebrate. The every day things that I would normally not think twice about, but try to find a praise in and to be grateful for. One of those things is when our family gets to have quality time together....
This past weekend we went to Branson with some friends and spent some time at Dogwood Park. We all went for a about a 3 mile bike ride through the park and just took in the beauty of God's Creation. We stopped for a picnic, and took lots of pics. (Some with smiles, some not...) It's so easy to get caught up in the daily routine of school and homework, baseball, volleyball, gymnastics, and piano that we can let weeks go by without some good quality family time. God is also showing me that good quality family time doesn't mean that everyone is going to be happy, in a good mood and getting along with each other all of the time. Once I let that go.....thinking that every family outing or event should be perfect and everyone should be grateful and happy, then I was able to live in the moment that we were all together as a family, and I was able to find the Joy in my precious yet imperfect family!! So when the inevitable argument or ungrateful attitude pops up in the midst of our "quality family time", I am learning to discipline appropriately, roll with it and move on to the next thing. It's not always easy, because emotions can be a powerful and distracting thing at times, but we are ALL learning!!!
My prayer is that as they grow and think back on these memories as a family, that they will mostly remember them as sweet and fun and hopefully with fondness, love and grateful hearts.

Some of my fall decor!



Hope I can remember to water them!

Just starting to change color!





The most important!


My little indians in a teepee at Dogwood Park.

Love my Caroline's fashion statement!

Hannah and Nathan enjoying the ride from daddy!

One of the many beautiful falls in the park!

Loved this sweet little "Hope Chapel" in the park. This would be a perfect spot for a wedding!





Caroline getting baptized

Caroline getting baptized

Caroline getting baptized

Caroline getting baptized

Caroline's musical at school

Caroline's musical at school