New Friends

We did Camp Create this summer and I met Melanie Weaver and her three kids.  They just moved here from Washington State and left family and friends behind for a job for her husband.  They have a girl Piper's age and a girl Christian's age and a little boy in Kinder.  Our kids seem to hit it off especially our two older girls.  Melanie has always had family around so has never had to have a babysitter ect.  So she called one night just asking if the kids could come over and we watch them as they got free tickets to a Redskin's game.  I said sure and we had dinner and watched a little movie and everyone went to bed and Melanie and Jesse picked up their kids late.  It was a fun time and love that my kids are getting to know some people. I think Melanie and I bonded just out of moving for our husband's jobs.  This first one which happened in early Sept. has lead to use switching kids a couple of times and makes life a little more fun when you have someone you can trust your kids with them.

Stop Whining

I have been in a funk lately about moving and everything.  I was really struggling last week and I have been getting up before the kids to be with God for a little while before they get up.  My study that I was doing was in the basement and so I opened my Bible app to just read where it takes me.  The verse of the day for You Verison was John 16:33-
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world."  I then read John 16 and just seeing God overcome the world and I have a house and family and everyone is well.  I have friends who have lost a spouse, lost a child, don't have a job, and really struggling.  I then went on my morning walk and listened to a message that was based on this verse without me knowing and my walk turned into seeing God and turned into 3 miles of praising my God.  I just realized God was telling me to stop whining just like I tell my kids!  So I praised God and told him that I will go through all of this and I don't understand, but I will go and trust him with all of my heart.  If I power through this then I pray for how mighty he will be on the other side.  I will stop whining and praise Him for all that he has given me and I thank God for texting, phones, facebook to be able to see the lives of so many I love and can see their smiles everyday when I miss them.  I pray for those really struggling-so I will stop whinning and praise him that he overcome this world and He is amazing and his creation is awesome.

First day of school

We had a great first day of school. We had shaped pancakes and bacon in the morning and the kids even rode the bus and have enjoyed riding the bus.  It was a good start to 2nd and 3rd grade!

 

 

 

Coming off the bus at the end of the day and Christian slipped on the stairs.

Meet the teacher

 

Well, we met Christian and Piper's teachers. Ms. McAtee is Christian's teacher is a quiet person and I think Christian will do well in her class. Mr. Moore is Piper's teacher. She was worried about having a male teacher, but he is funny and loves to teach as this is his 40 plus year. I think it will be a great year and so thankful. I now pray for great friends in their classes.  We went and got ice cream after meeting them.

 

 

Brian's first time playing bass at New Life

Brian loves to play his bass to worship God and has now gotten the opportunity to do it at our new church.  He misses playing with Nino Elliott, but still enjoyed himself.  He is in the back in between the 2 ds.

Virginia Beach

Brian has been working a lot lately and working late night.  His project is finally over and he took a week off of work.  We celebrated 13 years together at cheesecake factory with the kids and introduced them to the cheesecake.  We always have cheesecake on our anniversary since we had different kinds of cheesecake at our wedding not cake.  We also got to use some of Brian's hotel points and go to Virginia Beach for a couple of days.  We rolled into Virginia Beach and Piper and I saw a Sonic and it was happy hour so we had to get something.  The closest Sonic to our house is 42 miles away so it was a great treat.  The kids had a great time on the beach and had a lot of fun riding the waves especially the day a storm was blowing in.  It was a great and relaxing vacation.  I tried to take some really good pictures at the beach, but no one was cooperating so I will post those later.

 Got Sonic!!!

 Playing games at Cracker Barrel-their first time we can remember

 The view from our balcony

 How much can we carry

 Breakfast on the balcony

 Christian kept writing his name all over the beach in probably 10 different places.

 We rented a family bike and went up the boardwalk

 Piper paid her own money to go down the giant slide once

Serving our community

The church we are going to each Saturday in August helps Fairfax county to put on a Drive-In movie. New Life owns some bounce houses and many carnival games. So before the movie, New Life has games, crafts, face painting, bounce house for the kids for a few hours before the movie starts. Our small group was volunteering on a Saturday and we went out to help. Our kids had fun doing some of the activities, but we were every excited to see them serving. Piper helped Brian hand out balloons to the kids and Christian helped me do giant tic-tac-toe. It was a great night to help our kids have fun serving the community.