Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Tonight was Halloween, so we did the traditional soup dinner before the kids headed out for Trick-or-Treat. Both sets of our parents and Nathan's grandma joined us for the occasion. The kids wore the same costumes that they did to AWANA, but the girls decided to trade dresses. For Ellie, the highlight was getting her princess make-up done by Aunt Katie.
Jacob
Ellie, all made-up
Emmy Kate
Family Photo
Katie sorted the candy for us

Outflow

Recently, our church has been studying the book, Outflow: Outward-Focused Living in a Self-Focused World. Basically, it compares life to a fountain. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you can't help but have God flow into other areas of your life, namely, your family, your community, and then the world.

This Sunday, instead of regular church, we did a service project with Lifeline Christian Mission. The project consisted of filling food bags that would then be shipped to Haiti. It amazed me that one bag consisted of 6 meals and during both church services today, we were able to fill thousands of bags. Today was such a small gesture on our part, but I'm praying that it will go a long way in showing God's love to the people of Haiti.Ellie added the chicken stock powderKaiya added the vegetables
Jacob added the soy and then the bag was topped off with rice

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Pumpkin Carving

Today was pumpkin-carving day. This is one of my least favorite parts of fall...I hate the sticky, gooey pumpkin guts that stick to your arms and make you itch. However, since I love my children, I suck it up for their sake. Jacob and Ellie had fun drawing out their designs before we started the actual carving. Thankfully, they didn't want anything elaborate!
Ellie draws her pumpkin design
Jacob scoops out the pumpkin guts
Ellie with her princess pumpkin complete with heart eyes, nose and lips
Emmaline imitates her pumpkin
Jacob and Daddy came up with this cool design

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Dermabond = Not for finger wounds...

Poor Jacob! We took the bandages and splint off last night, per the ER doctor's instructions and did not like what we saw. The Dermabond did not hold on one side and his finger was red, puffy, and swollen. This morning we took him to the pediatrician to get her opinion and she was not happy. Apparently, you aren't supposed to use Dermabond on things that move (i.e., FINGERS!), and it is too late to stitch the wound closed now. Jacob was starting to get an infection due to the open wound, so he is now on antibiotics. We also have to keep his finger wrapped and splinted for at least another week, in hopes that the steri-strips will help the wound close. We put a complaint into the hospital for the improper treatment Jacob received in the ER and someone called us back within an hour. Who knows what will happen, but I feel sorry for Jacob who can't participate in martial arts and other activites because of his injury.

AWANA Trunk-or-Treat

Tonight the kids had Trunk-or-Treat at AWANA. Conveniently, their costumes all went together this year. Jacob was a templar knight and Ellie and Emmaline were princesses.
Princess Emmaline
Knight Jacob
Princess GabrielleIt didn't take Emmaline long to get the hang of things

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Parting Shots...

We always try to take a few family shots in the beautiful fall foliage. Jacob's finger injury cut this sitting short, but we still got a few pictures worth sharing.Sai and Katie
I love the fall colors behind Ellie
Jacob in a tree

Cowan Lake 2010 - the Playground

Today starts the beginning of our annual fall trip to Cowan Lake. This year we have two cabins, so we can spread out more and not have everyone and everything crammed into one small space. Each day I'll be posting pics. from favorite things while we do or see while we are there. Today we celebrate the playground and the joy the kids find while playing there.Ellie can swing so high now that it makes me nervous
That's one way to go down the slide
The girls tried holding hands while they went down
Ellie has turned into quite the poser for pictures

Saturday, October 23, 2010

ER Visit

Jacob is fairly careful with his knives and we haven't had to deal with any injuries to this point. Today, however, was a different story. While we were out walking, he was wittling a stick and didn't pay attention to what he was doing. Instead of cutting the stick, he sliced his left index finger leaving a 1" wound. He and Nathan spent 5 hours in the ER in Wilmington this evening waiting to have his finger treated. We've been through the stitches routine twice before with him, so we prepared he for what would inevitably be coming. For some reason though, the doctor decided to use Dermabond (glue for your skin) instead of stitching. We'll see how this holds up. In addition to the Dermabond, he has to keep his finger splinted and wrapped until we go see the pediatrician next week. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as it could have been and he was still able to enjoy an ice cream sundae when he got back to the cabin.

Walk-About

The weather was absolutely beautiful while we were at the cabin. It was a bit chilly in the mornings, but then it would warm up enough that you wouldn't need a coat in the afternoon. We had fun walking to the lake, watching the blue heron and turkey vultures fly about, and looking at all of the fall colors that abounded in the trees.
On the beach with my hubby
Sai and Katie in the woods
Papaw and Emmaline
Emmy loved playing in the sand
Sai and Jacob skipping rocks

Friday, October 22, 2010

In a Cabin in the Woods

We've been renting a cabin at Cowan Lake for as long as I can remember. This is the first year we had two cabins and it worked out well. Our cabin became known as the party cabin and we spent the evenings (after the kids were in bed) "discussing", playing games, and having a great time.
Playing dominos with Daddy
Snuggles with Emmy
Sai learned to play "Peanut"...a must in our family!

The girls in matching Buzz Lightyear jammies...both pairs belonged to Jacob at one time or another
Have you ever seen "The Office" episode where Michael and Jan host a dinner party and he brags about how he installed his flat-screen tv by himself? This tiny tv (quite a down-size from the one that was there last year and the only one in the cabin!) reminded me of his!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

For the love of S'mores

It's not a trip to the cabin if you don't make s'mores. We've experimented making s'mores in various ways. My favorite is pictured above: a perfectly-toasted pair of marshmallows sandwiched between two fudge-stripe cookies. Who wouldn't love this chocolate-covered smile?!Katie worked the assembly line
Jacob used his knife to help cut sticks for the fire
Sai, Katie's boyfriend, roasts marshmallows for his first-ever s'more experience
Mom likes her flame-kissedEllie sports a marshmallow moustache

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Happy Sweetest Day!

What better way to celebrate Sweetest Day than with books?! Of course our kids get Usborne Books, the best children's books around. Check them out on my website. We always have great hostess specials, so if you'd like to get some friends together and earn books for FREE, let me know. I'd love to do a party for you!