2008 Pumpkin Carvings

Madison, Mackenzie, and Zach's pumpkins!
Zach's "Wolf with Moon"
Kenzie's "Stitch / Woo Hoo!" creation
Madison's "Castle with Bat" creation
Mackenzie's "Pumpkin Face" on the other side (she uses every square inch)

Here are the kids pumpkins for this October. Even though we do not celebrate Halloween, it has been our tradition for the last few years that the kids get their own pumpkins and carve their own creations. They either do it freehand (mostly Kenzie) or use a stencil. This year Kenzie did both because she wanted her favorite character, Stitch, on her pumpkin. Zach worked hard on his 'not so scary' Wolf with the Moon. And Madison worked very diligently for an 8-yr old (with a little help from Daddy) on one of the more challenging stencils, a Castle with a Bat. I am very proud of all of their creations every year! They are getting quite good at pumpkin carving. Maybe one day they will get to display some of their creations in public. Hmm, maybe Tom and I should think about starting our own pumpkin patch!
We even got to roast the pumpkin seeds from our pumpkins! I used to love eating roasted pumpkin seeds when I was a kid. I tried it a couple of years ago with another recipe I found on the web, but they burned. :( This year, I found a recipe that actually worked!! I was so proud of myself!

Living Proof - A very good movie

This movie truly affected us. Both from the women and their families who are wrestling with breast cancer, to the Doctor and the significant challenges he faced. (Living Proof on Lifetime) Dr. Slamon's hard work and diligence was a long, heart wrenching labor of love and we need many more medical professionals like him. He is an example of dogged determination and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Doctors and nurses over the years have lost their human touch. They are not just dealing with illnesses and medications. They should listen to each person and treat each patient as an individual who needs an answer to why they are sick. Not just throw drugs in our general direction and tell us to call them if we have any more "problems". We are people who need answers and some kind of human connection - a smile, a reassuring voice, eye contact, some kind of communication that says 'I'm listening and I am here to help you.'

Fall is Here / Spyro Gyra / Trusting in God

We are enjoying the beautiful fall weather! The only thing is we've been opening our doors and windows and it's been wreaking havoc on Kenzie and my allergies. I love breathing in the fresh air, but then we pay for it later on in the day with stuffy noses, clogged head, and itchy, irritated eyes (the "I want to scratch my eyes out" kind). :)

The kids have been playing outside till it gets dark, which is wonderful (for both them and me). Earlier this week we went to Epcot's Food and Wine Festival to listen to one of Tom's favorite jazz groups, Spyro Gyra. It was a wonderful outing and we got to listen to the concert twice! We ate across the way at Liberty Inn and listened as we ate. To quote Madison and Mackenzie, "The sign says Eat to the Beat!" That's exactly what we did! We also discovered that Mackenzie likes jazz music. She isn't fond of loud noises, so the first concert up close wasn't very enjoyable to her. But while we were eating, we were an enjoyable listening distance for her and she was really getting into it. As we were driving home that night she asked me to find a jazz radio station for us to listen to. And when we got home she asked me to tune her clock/radio alarm to jazz music for her to wake up to the next morning. She is quite a hoot! We are continually learning more and more about our children and their interests.

This year God has been teaching our family what it means to trust Him. God gave Tom the scripture from Isaiah 40:28-31 (New Living Translation):

28 Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

We are being reminded and learning daily what it truly means to trust in the Lord. I am so grateful for his grace, forgiveness, and love for us. As Tom and I say, we would be toast without it!

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

Full Hunters Moon

Did anyone see the Full Hunters Moon last night? It was so cool and very bright! We went outside and were enjoying the cool, fall air - YAY! More to come...

It's Paddington's 50th Birthday :)

Amanda & Drew's Wedding

Here we are at Amanda & Drew's wedding, April 5th, 2008. Just wanted to have fun and post a picture of the whole family. As you can see, I'm getting shorter and the kids are getting taller. :~)

Cutting the Tree Down

In September, we started cutting our tree down. Tom wasn't too pleased to start this process, but seeing that it is ruining our driveway and now our garage, we need to get the roots to stop growing. It is a team effort and I do love handling that chain saw! Check back to see our progress as the months go by.