An Awesome...Exhausting Day...

So, our day began at 6a.m. when we got up to be ready for our Blow-Away 5K. The boys did a great job, and I was glad I was running it with them...it was the only way to stay warm.

The CC Flyers that were running today.

This weekend, our Sunday School class was having a camp-out at one of the family's homes...they have an amazing house located on a private lake with tons of land...it is beautiful, especially right now with the leaves changing color. I love being outside - I could be outside from sun-up to sun-down, I love to hike, run, play at the beach...basically you name it, but I don't camp. We have one tent (which I have never slept in), and I know that Coleman sells camping gear. That is the extent of my knowledge. So, we decided to head out to Lake Providence right after the race, enjoy all the fun activities, have a picnic, and head home for our beds :-)

Emily was thrilled with the rope swing over the lake...until she saw a water moccasin. :-) We all screamed and ran like the girls we are.

Abby - simply enjoying watching her sister swing out over the lake. She and Maggie were sitting on the over-turned boat that Emily and her friend were using as a launch to swing farther out over the lake.

Maggie really, really wanted to do the rope swing, but since I was the only supervision at the time, I didn't think that was such a good idea.

The boys were moving so fast the whole time that this is one of the only pictures that I got of them that isn't blurred.
It was a truly awesome day enjoying His creation...seeing all the brilliant colors of fall reminded me of the Lord when He says that if we remain silent and don't praise Him "even the rocks will cry out". I pray that we won't forget to praise Him for everything.

A Hug When I Might Have Needed a Spankin'....

This past Saturday the boys and I ran the Race for the Cure for my Aunt Jan and my friend, Laura, who has been battling metastatic (probably spelled that wrong again) breast cancer for over 4 and a half years now. She has been fighting hard. She is amazing. She is strong, smart, courageous, full of faith, and full of the love of Christ. She is also a woman who believes in the power of prayer.

Here is where I take my little "aside"...on Thursday, I was feeling so discouraged regarding our adoption paperwork and not having Landon's foster brother's file yet. So, I sent out an email to a few friends/family who I knew would pray. Thursday night we had our pre-race party. When I saw that Laura and her family had arrived, I went out to say "Hi". The first thing she says to me? HUGE hug, and, "Hey, Nikki! I got your email...I am so sorry that you are discouraged!" No judgment (thanks for teaching me how to spell that Laura). Just love and compassion. Seriously? This girl has been fighting in every way for over four YEARS, and I am discouraged after 6 months...and, still, there was compassion. I felt like it came straight from the Lord. I felt like He was saying, "Nikki, I know you are discouraged. You know you need to trust Me, but I love you anyway...I have this under control, and I am sorry you are discouraged. Focus on Me. Not the circumstances."

So, thank you, Laura...for ,once again, being an inspiration. For reminding me to pray through the discouragement. Keep fighting. We are all praying for your complete healing.

Laura (in the middle), Marie (our team captain in the pink), and me

Luke and Drew ready to run (the crowd really stressed Luke out...
all he wanted to do was run :-)



Emily...somewhat enjoying the velcro wall?

Laura's celebration tag...oh, and I didn't get a picture of her daughter Gracey's tag (she is 7)...it was precious...it said, "My mom is the best evin with canser."

Our Little Man Stands!!

I am so, so thankful for the home and the staff that takes care of our little man, Landon, and his buddy, Joshua. Check these little boys out - they are standing! Joshua's spina bifida was so severe that he wasn't supposed to ever be able to stand...But God.

Landon very carefully standing :-)

Both boys seem pretty proud of themselves...boys, we are proud, too!

Roadtrip to Montgomery...

The kids and I took a little road trip to Montgomery to have our documents state-certified. A friend of mine told me about this great park called Old Alabama...when I asked her where it was she said, "I don't know...we just normally drive around until we find it." :-) Gracious, this could be interesting, I thought.
Fortunately, I have a child who doesn't follow instructions exactly to a "T". I told Luke, "When we walk into the Secretary of State's office, go to the couch and just sit down and wait for our documents to get done." Well, we walk into an office that has a "lobby" of sorts with THE couch that I was speaking of. Offices have glass walls off the lobby...well, the private offices have couches, too. :-) Luke walks RIGHT into this lady's private office and plops right down on her couch while she is in the middle of discussing some documents with a co-worker. UGH - Oh NO! She says, "Um, may I help you?" Oh. My. I run in and grab him and say, "Wrong couch. I am SO sorry, Ma'm." Well, we proceed to get our documents notarized and that nice lady who was interrupted by my son was SO sweet to tell us exactly how to get to the park - she probably figured that we needed to be at the PARK, not the Secretary of State's office. :-)

We found the park.

Born in 'Bama

Of all 5 kiddos, I have one born in Alabama, and she is Bama to her toes. She and "Mista Wichard" (that's Mr. Richard) are die hard Bama football fan buddies. When she woke up this morning, she was thrilled when Daddy told her the outcome of the Bama/Gator game (sorry, Grandpa :-)...Anyway, Daddy helped her put her shoes on this morning...

Maggie said, "Daddy! I will have to wear these, and me and you and Mr. Eddie will have to go huntin'." A true Bama girl...able to be concerned with fashion and hunting all in the same thought process.
Practicing shooting a pellet gun with Daddy...

She's so proud.