Called to Shore

Tomorrow marks a very special day.  Exactly one year ago, February 28th, 2011, was the official start date of Wade's new job.  For those who are new readers, this day was the beginning of an incredible journey that God took our family on and totally redeemed our situation.  I find it interesting that I wrote these words just a few days before God MOVED in such a radical way...

As Wade and I tackle this time in our lives, it is important for me to LEARN while I am waiting. I need to remember what God has shown me through all of this, so that when things turn to "better" that I don't forget all of these monumental moments. Sometimes when things get "good" we forget about the ones that are hurting... the ones that we should show compassion and love towards! Although I want to get out of this "place" of want and need, to a place of abundance, I don't ever want to forget how it feels to truly NEED God! So many times we call upon Him in need, but never when things are going good. Let's praise Him while we are being blessed and while we are WAITING to be blessed. We will always need Him... (read the full post here)

My family has now spent almost a full year here at the coast and I hope that my words have stood true.  Things have been great and I hope that my praises have been greater.  I hope that the favor of God that is bestowed upon me has been used to glorify His Kingdom daily. 

I know that God moved us here for many reasons.  Financial stability, the beach that we have fallen in love with, our friends that amaze us, our Church that we are so blessed to be a part of... the list goes on.  But with all that said, I can't help but to think that there is an even GREATER PURPOSE for us here.  A purpose that surpasses all understanding and glorifies the Lord in a way that immeasurably blesses our family and the lives of others. 

So after a year of reflecting back on God's goodness while enjoying the future He has for us... I have decided to change the name of my blog.  I have wanted to do this for sometime, but until recently I wasn't sure what to name it. 

But God has shown me that we were "Called to Shore" for a reason.  Therefore it is my hope that God will use this blog to record all of our journeys and speak to you in some way.  And of course, I will still use it to keep you posted about our crazy family and growing girls.

I don't know why God has chosen us...  I sometimes find myself asking myself this question because I know my past, my short- comings and my failures.  But the truth is that He has CALLED all of US.  He has a greater purpose for each of us and it's up to us to surrender to His heart and His desires for our lives.  When we can overcome this challenge then we are in God's territory... and we cannot fail. 

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You should also know that this new name, Called to Shore, will be debuting with a new design as well.  Yay!  Thanks to Catherine at Constant in Chaos, our blog will be beautiful.  Also make sure to skip on over and read her blog... it's a wonderful read!

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Embracing age.

The other day I was on my way to a doctor appointment, enjoying the quiet ride and the hour break that I had for myself the doctor.  I was at a stop light and looked over at the person next to me.  Young guy, probably in high school or college, driving a Nissan SUV, chatting on his IPhone.  As I wondered if he were in college or high school, I asked myself... I wonder if he thinks I am in college?  I came to the realization, as I rolled down the packaging on my Tums, grabbed the steering wheel of my minivan and drove off to the thyroid doctor, that this theory was ridiculous.  It was at that moment that turning 3-0 in just 4 short months, didn't seem so frightening.  It was reality.  And it is a good one. 

Here's why...

Beach weather in January.

Sneeking a peak at Ej's dance lesson.

Enjoying the beach while big sis is in preschool.

Reading some Word... while Lela played in the sand.

special laughs...

Lela rockin out with her BFF.

The hilarious personalities we've created. :)

One evening after church.

Ej's daddy daughter date... she was so excited.

Valentines Morning... heart shaped pancakes and Reese's Peanut Butter hearts!

They barely made it to 7pm...

All a girl needs is a good pair of shoes.

And more babies to come...

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dreaming and waiting

We all have dreams...  the kinds of dreams that range from material possessions to spiritual and physical breakthroughs that we need in our lives.  I believe that God values BOTH.  Determining if and when these dreams will come to pass, is the real issue.  How do you dream BIG without getting lost in the results of your desires?  How do we learn to value the process we must walk through when we don't see the purpose?  And why does there always have to be "a process"? 

Our dream is to build a house.  It's been our dream since Wade and I were gallivanting around without much care in the world and just enjoying the fun of dating.  What couple in love doesn't dream of these things?  This dream has been a burning desire in our hearts for a long time.  There have been times when the dream was pushed back, buried deep and even doubted at many points in our married life.  But it has always been there.  It has never left.  I am not going to explain my reasoning for this desire, but I will say that it goes much deeper than the house. 

Dreams look different for everyone.  Motives vary, pure and impure, and the waiting period may be lengthy or prompt.  Regardless of the process, one thing is certain...  The outcome will be GOOD.

This blog is what I needed to hear today...  Maybe you do too.

Did I Shave My Legs for This?

"Turning Disappointments into Discoveries"

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Possibly Overboard...

So Wade Nagy read my last post and told me that although he admired my boldness, that I may have went a little over board with my need to state... "if you are waiting for him to change, then you will be waiting for an eternity."  He reminded me that I too underwent a "change" and that jumping to the assumption that the other person in the relationship probably won't change was discrediting what God had done for me. 

So I thought I would explain my heart better...

My heart leaped out of my chest when I read the status update of a young girl (college age) stating that she was broken hearted on Valentine's Day because of the way she had been treated.  This status update lead to a public argument between her and the boyfriend on Facebook.  Although I know absolutely no background on the relationship, nor do I need to, I related to this girl all too well.  I remember those moments of sitting back in my own tears wondering why I was always dating someone that did not complete me.  I just wanted to be happy.  I spent years trying to conforming myself to my relationship, rather than finding out who I really was. 

I was not judging either party in this conversation, I did however think to myself...  you both are too young to be putting yourself through this??  If I had just dated Jesus, found my true identity and allowed God to show me my special someone first, then I would have saved myself from many heartaches.  Thankfully, God's grace gave me that someone special even when I wasn't seeking Jesus first.  (That was the part Wade Nagy agreed with).

So with that said...  There is hope for change.  But allow God to do the changing in someone and you worry about what He wants to do in YOU.

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L.O.V.E.

I am 29 years old.  Some may consider this ancient, while others may consider me "just beginning."  Either way, after 4 years of dating, 5 and half years of marriage and 2 (almost 3) kids later, I feel like I have enough experience to at least bring up the topic of L.O.V.E

Today is Valentine's Day... the day of LOVE.  But as I scrolled down my Facebook page I noticed a few of my younger "facebook friends" who instead of celebrating with chocolates and flowers, they were left feeling lonely, unwanted, and unappreciated. 

As I was taking a shower, I thought about these posts and I begin to pray for these young women.  I was reminded of my own story.  Without going too much into my testimony (which I may share one day), I begin to think back to the days before God sent me Wade Nagy.  I wasn't the same person in college that I am today.  I made a lot of mistakes and most of those being in the guys I dated.  I was left feeling confused, dark and depressed a lot of the time and I remember those Valentine's Days when you showered yourself with tears, rather than chocolate.  Even though I wasn't living a good life at the time, I always knew to pray.  I prayed for a soul mate.  I prayed to just be happy.  Thankfully Our God helps us even when we don't deserve to be helped.  I didn't.  But His grace covered me and He sent me Wade.  Wade literally came out of no where and saved me.  I didn't realize his impact on my life until later, but looking back, he was exactly what I needed at that time.  God knew it.  He had a plan.

If you are dating and sitting around this Valentine's day sad, then my point is this...  If he doesn't treat you good now, then he is probably not going to treat you good later.  If you spend more days confused and crying than laughing and loving, then he is probably not the ONE for you.  If you are waiting for him to change, you will be waiting an eternity.  You most often have to change yourself first.  If you are not seeking the Lord in who you date, then you are not setting yourself up for a forever marriage.  The saying... "date for a mate" is true.  I denied this truth for a long time.  Find yourself first, then allow God to show you your partner.  He doesn't disappoint.

The saying, "You must kiss a lot of frogs before you find your Prince..." is a bunch of bologna.  God already has a that special someone for you... just be patient.  Save yourself for that someone.

Love is always kind.  Love is not selfish.  Love NEVER fails.

Trust, Pray and Watch what God can do for you.  Embrace Jesus today.  He will never let you down.

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Happy Valentine's Wade Nagy. 

You are God sent and I look forward to the next 90 years together. :)

(Wade says we will live till we are 120)

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Perspective.

Tonight, as soon as I finish typing this post, I will begin to get ready for the Thrive Marriage Conference that is taking place at LCC for the next two days.  This is a special event for Wade and I that goes well beyond just making our marriage "thrive."

But before I explain, I must tell you that I did not awake with this excitement.  I actually awoke around 12pm, along with everyone else in the house to a very sick baby girl. After a night of consoling and breathing treatments, our next obstacles came quick and soon I had lost perspective.  Wade and I both did.  My world came crashing down in lots of tears, words of question and doubt.  I was then reminded of my own words.  The words from my own blog that I had written exactly 1 year ago.  The story of how God came through for us in such a radical, supernatural way that put our family in our own "heaven on earth." 

Last year, at the Thrive Marriage Conference, Wade and I experienced the hand of God come down and do a miracle in our lives (our miracle).  Reading the raw emotions, the excitement, the joy that was taking place in our lives at that very moment reminded me of who God really is.  I should always know this, but when you lose perspective the way that I did this morning, you sometimes lose sight of what God really wants and has for you!  Pastor Tim Blevins spoke about drawing from our "well" one Sunday and today that's what I needed.  When I was dry, I needed to be reminded of my own testimony.  My own miracle that God had done just for me.  I needed to be reminded that MY God will do it again.  And again. And again.

Reading my own words brought back the perspective that I needed.  God gave us a breakthrough that we needed at the last hour this time last year and He will continue to do so.

Looking forward to sharing this experience with you.

Now let's THRIVE.

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I've just been tagged...

So it's Monday and even though I don't have the complaints as some people... Monday's are still kind of hard for me to get going.  I wake up Monday Mornings to the aftermath of a crazy, chaotic tornado that seems to pass through my house extra hard on Saturday and Sunday's.   Not sure if the kids are full of extra energy or if it's the fact that the idea of a weekend allows me to have the excuse to let it all go...

This Monday was a little different.  I woke up to no preschool, which would have normally led to a "what do we need to do today" kind of feeling.  Instead I decided that the answer to that question would be nothing.  Let's do nothing.  The immediate feeling of urgency to do something left and it was like it was a Sunday afternoon all over again (without the nap and loud football of course.) 

By 9am, I had both kids fed, dinner in the crock pot (Wade did this... But it was still a relief), kitchen cleaned and both girls content watching a little morning TV and to top it off... I looked half way decent.  I had my hair pulled back in a pony tail and actually had suitable clothes on that if the door bell rang, I would probably answer the door instead of hiding behind the couch.   With all of this extra time and a peaceful spirit, I decided to sit down and read my Bible.  I always read.  I make it a priority.  But sometimes I just read.  Other times, the Word speaks to me.  I hope you know what I am saying.  There are those times when you read and you may comprehend or maybe you forget what you just read and then there are those other times that His Word provides revelation to your life and you find yourself sitting with Jesus.  I had that moment this morning.  I had that moment in the midst of a loud TV with Oswald, two kids sometimes sitting, sometimes dancing and a cat that was constantly meowing for some food.  I used to think that in order to be in His presence, I had to be in a quiet house with lots of free time... but today just proves that You can approach the Throne of Jesus in the midst of chaos.  Some of you are in real chaos.  I challenge you to get in His presence.  Some of you may ask how to do this?  First set your mind to hearing His voice.  Once that is clear, get ready.  Read His word, listen to some great music or just start praying, allowing for those quiet moments for His still, small voice to speak.  I promise the reward is great.  My Monday, was my Sunday.

So back to the purpose of this post...

I was tagged in my first blog post by Constant in Chaos to participate in a fun Monday game!  I know this may not be a big deal to some of you, but just knowing that my name is on someone else's blog makes me smile and want to do a better job with my own writing!  Her fun, happy post... you can read here.  And be sure to visit her a while... she has some pretty awesome stuff going on!

The Fun Monday Game...

{the rules}

1. post the rules
2.post 11 fun facts about yourself
3. answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 11 new questions for the people you tag
4. tag 11 people and link them in your post
5. let them know you’ve “tagged” them

{facts about me}

1.  I have wonderful husband and 2 beautiful daughters and we are expecting #3 in July.
2.  I dream of having a topless Ford Bronco (redone of course) so that Wade and I can go four-wheeling.  Of course the dirt won't be on it long because I am OCD.
3.  I secretly go in the girls room and rearrange the furniture in their Loving Family Dollhouse and I find full pleasure in doing so.
4.  I could eat Buffalo Dip everyday for the rest of my life and I firmly believe that Heaven will have this waiting for me.
5.  I want to travel.  I want to travel to a different place every year and see the world with my family.  And when they get married... I want to be able to afford to tag them along (if they want).
6.  Wade and I talk about getting re-married again, just so that we can enjoy the food.  Seriously.
7.  I am an only child so I didn't learn how to share until I lived in a dorm room at ASU.
8.  I love watching Joyce Meyer during the girls nap time.
9.  I am obsessed with my new iPhone and I consider daily tossing my PC to the Goodwill and just letting my sufficient phone do the rest.  I am now a MAC lover even though they are way over our budget.
10.  I have really short toes and Wade loves to laugh at them and joke that they got cut off at birth.
11.  You should know this, but just in case you are a new a reader... I am IN LOVE with Jesus.  He is the reason for my being and the saving grace that allows me to wake up in the mornings with a renewed purpose.  I am devoted to raising little Jesus Lovers... 5 if Wade will let me. :)

{questions from Cat, Constant in Chaos}

1. What part of the country do you live in?  The South.  All I have ever known. 

2. How long have you been blogging?  I started blogging when my youngest daughter turned 3 months old.  I figured I needed more to do in my nursing, non-going out, stay at home mom life, so I decided to give it a try.  It went from being photos and blurbs of what was going on, to a place where I could come and just be me.

3. What’s your favorite blog?  Constant in Chaos.  I discovered this blog when I googled "Vintage Kitchen Set" (funny, right?) and I found much more than the perfect kitchen.  I found someone that sounded just like me with one major difference... she was bold enough to put it all out there.  She inspired me to write about our toughest challenges while being in the Wilderness.  I am forever grateful.

4. What’s your favorite book of all time?  Believers Authority by Kenneth Hagin.  Although it is a little charismatic... it was the turning point of my walk with Christ.  It opened my eyes to the authority that I have because I am a child of God, which in turn made me desire to be with Him at all times.

5. What did you and your spouse do on your first date?  We watched a Hickory Motor Speedway Race and played Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo.  Yes.. the original.  We left that date knowing that we would get married. 

6. Your favorite holiday and why?  Christmas... because it is Jesus's birthday and that gives me the reason to eat Peanut Butter Balls.

7. What is the greatest parenting advice you ever received?  ummm...  That is a hard one.  I have taken little pieces of advice along the way and when an issue or a "moment" arrives... it always seems to come back to me.  My greatest advice is found in the Bible.  It reminds me that my children are ultimately in His hands and that my job is to show them that.  It relieves a lot of pressure knowing that.

8. Favorite vacation spot?  For now... where we live.  We just moved to the beach, so I am on a permanent vacation.

9. What is one thing you want to accomplish this year?  Alignment.  That was the word given to us. Not quite sure what it means, but anxiously waiting :)

10. Your favorite hobby?  I love to paint.  I never have the time and when I do I have an excuse.  But I love to paint.

11. What is a secret talent you have?  I am actually very good at Watercolor painting.

{questions for those I'm tagging}
1.  Who is your favorite person in your life right now?
2.  How would you describe as a good weekend?
3.  Favorite dessert?
4.  Favorite time of the year?
5.  What is one quality you love about yourself?
6.  What would you change about yourself?
7.  What is the purpose of your blog?
8.  Tell me something crazy that you have done, that no one knows about.
9.  Your best "mommy moment" (good or bad)?
10.  What do you do during your child's nap time?
11.  What is the boldest thing you have done?

{bloggers I am tagging}

Megan, Team PFanny

Kara, The Road Home

Alysha, The Dertings

Emily, Runner for Cupcakes

Tori, Running Motherhood

Lynn, Life as a MeMaw

And through this post... I realized that I don't have many blogger friends.  Need to work on that.

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A tour of the Holidays...

Here is just a few snapshots of how the Nagy's do Christmas...

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Our first Christmas party at our new house!  It was so much fun entertaining and being with family!

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And this what the girls thought about Santa...

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Then we traveled to Statesville for Christmas with my family!

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Then it was back to the coast to enjoy some warm weather before the New Year.

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Then it was out to eat for a fancy, New Years dinner.  The kiddos did so good!  They loved getting dressed up and spending the evening together.

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And this is our little girl sleeping in her big girl bed for the first time.  I decided to break her in while daddy was at home from work... but she did so well that we didn't have to wake up at all!



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The List

This year, I said that I wasn't going to make a long list of resolutions and just focus on "Our Daily Bread."  Well, as I laid on the couch to take my daily pregnancy nap... I realized that I haven't even glanced at last year's resolutions to see how I did.  Being the competitive person that I am, a nap no longer took priority and the need to see how many "check marks" I got seemed more important. 

I have to say... I did pretty good.  Most years, by the second month I have already forgotten my resolutions.  I am not sure that this year was any different... after all, I don't recall even looking at this list of "goals" after the 1st part of the year.  So what made this year more successful than others? 

I recall praying about my 2011 resolutions and as I look back today on the list, the ones that I "completed" were not just goals that I set for myself.  They were dreams and desires of my heart.  Things that I was earnestly praying about.  Things that were so meaningful to my heart, that it was more than just a resolution.  It was a prayer request.  So really I didn't complete the "checklist" at all.  My mighty Savior did.  He is the one that made this past year a success and took my requests farther than I could have ever imagined.  So He gets the credit this year... I just made the list. 

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Well, now that I am awake, I might as well go ahead and make a new list. 

God... here you go.  May you take the desires of our heart and multiply it as you see fit! 

1.  Achieve Perfection. 

Not me, but my heart towards the Lord. 

May He mold me and guide me as He has perfectly planned.

2.  Buy a house.

Whether that means renting another year or venturing into home ownership, I pray that God will guide us.

3.  Teach Ej how to ride a bike.

Yes Lord, I need help with this.

4.  Debt Free.

This will come in due time, but I know God has a plan for this in our future. 

And the result... blessing the socks off of people.

5.  Clean less, Play more. 

Especially at the beach. 

6.  Learn how to fish. 

My husband loves it.  So I want to love it with him. 

7.  Build enough courage to pray for strangers. 

Like actually pray with them.  Out loud.

8.  Expand our family.

This should be easy since we are expecting baby #3.  But I want to go deeper...  I want to watch each other expand in our walk with Christ.  Encouraging one another and watching each other grow.

9.  Do a half marathon. 

This one transferred from last year to this year.  Keep trying right?

and finally...

10.  Be healed and whole from Hoshimoto's disease. 

I am firmly believing that God has me on a path of educating me physically and spiritually and that I am already a over comer.

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There you have it! 

What are you seeking the Lord for this year?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Love,

The Nagy Family :)

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Some NEW news!

Writing is like exercising.  You set your mind to something and you go strong for it.  Your excitement surpasses all of the other business you have going on and you make every effort to succeed.  But then... something comes in to your path and knocks you out of routine and before you know it a few days has turned into a few weeks, months even before you recognize that your once excited passion has been bombarded with other life moments.  So what is this thing that has come into our life and suddenly rearranged my days...

Pregnancy. 

Yes... we are expecting baby #3 around July 19th of next year.  We are super excited and the girls are even more excited about the news.  We are still very early, so prayers are always appreciated.  This pregnancy has been very different from the others.  I have been really sick and even more tired, but I honestly feel like the Lord is using this "trying time" to mold and shape me before the baby comes.  I am going to have to learn how to slow down and breathe in life. 

Life is all around us and it is not always found in the cleanliness of our home or the healthy food that we present to our children.  Life is found upstairs in a play room that you cannot see the floor or in the moments that you see one child pray for another child to feel better.  Life is found in the moments you get to spend with the people that you love or when you get to pray for someone unexpectedly.  Life is found even in those moments when you are so nauseous you cannot get off of the couch.  You feed your kids breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner while laying on the couch cuddling with two precious love bugs that don't seem to notice your sickness because that are so enthralled with their time with mommy. 

Besides the sickness and fatigue being different, the news of this baby was presented in a really cool way.  I had never been able to take a home pregnancy test to show that I was prego.  Never worked.  A dear friend of mine prayed one day with me over the phone after I told her that I may be pregnant.  Her words were simple.  She prayed that Wade and I would get the simple joy of reading a home pregnancy test and that we would not have to go to the doctor for blood work.  That very next day, we sat in the bathroom with jaws open looking at those two pink lines.  We were so shocked that we did what only two parents would do.  We went to the doctor to confirm.  I wonder if God was laughing at us... thinking "there I just answered their prayer and they have got to go and get another confirmation."  Thankfully the Lord made us with a sense of humor, so I know He has one. 

We then had some issues with insurance, which caused us to have to postpone our first appointment until we could get things figured out.  I found myself stressing about this and really in a not so good kind of place.  Just before Thanksgiving, I decided that we had to simply give it to the Lord.  He quickly revealed steps to take after the holiday and before we knew it we had our first appointment.  Now waiting.  The appointment was so far out, that I was having a hard time dealing with all the sickness and all I wanted to do was see that precious baby.  I thought about Mary.  How difficult it must have been to know that as a virgin, she was pregnant with a child.  And not just any child, but the Son of God.  I know for myself, I usually do not start showing until week 16-18 (except this time around), so can you imagine having to rely completely and whole-heartily on the voice of God and believe with confidence that you are indeed pregnant??  I mean she didn't even have a mirror to compare her belly from day to day... such faith. 

Then came the ultrasound...  It was funny how Wade and I did not need any direction in seeing what all of the "parts" were of the baby.  I guess after 3 times, it begins to be natural.  Let's just pray that the delivery works out the same. 

So that is the NEW news in the life of the Nagy's.  I am going to try and write more, but until some of the fatigue wears off, I am going to say that if I get the bed made, it's been a good day.  Until then, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  By the way... I plan to look over my last year resolutions.  I may have to squeeze some in before the ball drops.  How about you?

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By the way... I had promised a few of you readers that my lovely husband Wade, was going to share a really awesome story with you about the Miracles of God.  Just one of the many miracles.

But getting my husband to sit down and write a blog is even more challenging than getting a pregnant wife to cook dinner.

So hopefully soon... you will hear this amazing story.

This is a birthday present to Jesus. 

She cracks me up.

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Our 2011 Christmas Card

I hope everyone has a JOYOUS Christmas season and a very happy New Year!

Love,
The Nagy Family

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Finally... A BLOG!

So you may have noticed that I have been out of the "blogging world" for a few weeks... Maybe that's because my life in the "real world" has been moving pretty fast and very busy!  I have lots to catch you up on, so this may be a long post.  So bare with me.  Then again, I have been distracted my "duty" diapers and the tugging of my shirt to come and play already, so it may just be a "coming soon" post...

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OUR ANNIVERSARY TRIP

Our anniversary trip was WONDERFUL.  This was the first time that Wade and I was able to soak up some much needed quiet time together.  But I have to be honest, we didn't just got to soak up some rest or even beach time (because the weather was gorgeous)... We also went to a real estate conference to learn how to "flip" houses.  Before I tell you about the conference, let me say that this has always been a desire for Wade to do... I mean he is in construction and he loves to see old things turned to new.  But the passion goes much deeper than that.  His main desire is to help struggling "little man" companies and even homeless people looking for work to complete the construction on the "flip".  He has such a huge heart and I know God is going to bless him for it... SO back to the conference. We signed up and even payed money to go to a Armando Montelongo Real Estate Seminar.  Yes... you probably recognize the name from his "promising to make you a millionaire in just a few months" infomercial... the infomercial that we fell for.  We got there and realized that it was a huge effort to pounce on the emotions of struggling citizens with desires to be successful.  It was also a way to empty your pockets and put your trust in a man that made millions doing this profession.  We decided that our money was going to stay in our pocket and our trust was going to be in the Lord.  So we took advantage of the time together, learned some about flipping houses and even prayed with some couples that were eager to take this next plunge into real estate investment.  They were excited and we loved having the opportunity to talk about Jesus to several different people! 
One day... we will do this, God's way.

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FALLing in Love TOGETHER

This Fall season at the beach has welcomed us with such good times, wonderful memories and joyous laughs.  We have had some really busy moments, but not the kind where you are running around stressed trying to fit everything possible in a short amount of time.  The kind of busy that is full of family memories and sitting back watching life take place as a family. 

You know the kind of moments where you feel like you are looking downward on a bubble of pure bliss...

I can NEVER get my Wade to take a normal picture!

Riverfest...

We ventured downtown Wilmington to partake in our first River Festival!  The girls eventually fell asleep in their stroller and Wade and I enjoyed a leisure walk, had a cup of coffee and a gluten-free cupcake!  Lela must have smelled the sugar, because she awoke in the cupcake bakery and demanded a bite!

Then we went to our special picnic place to

watch the boats...

Picture Day and Show and Tell...

Emma Jane actually was the one to remind mommy of her BIG day.  She was so excited to share with all of her preschool buddies the good news...  God's Word.  She tucked her Bible in her little backpack with such enthusiasm and off she went.  The teacher said that she stood up proudly and said,
 "This is my Bible and I read about Jesus.  He loves me very much and I love Him!"

My girls...  they sure do LOVE each other...

I honestly can't believe I captured such a great picture...

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(Here is where I stopped writing due to the chaos surrounding my typing space and left this "draft" for another day, in another week, during a much more quieter nap time... I really don't know how people work from home?)

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PUMPKIN PATCH WITH FRIENDS!

We went on our first adventure away from the beach in efforts to see a real pumpkin patch.  We drove an hour and half to realize that the only way to the patch was to take a haunted hayride, which was quickly out of the question.  You don't spend years of trying to get your children to sleep all to mess them up with spooky stuff.  So we did what anyone would do... we took advantage of the Family- Style restaurant and ate until the cows came home! 

It took me back to my Daniel Boone days...

We had such a great time hanging out with friends and just being together... who needs a pumpkin when you have awesome friends to enjoy!

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But sense we didn't get a pumpkin, we decided to try again the following weekend 

at a "beach style" pumpkin patch... 

It was a fun, quick way to get a pumpkin! 

FALL ACTIVITIES...

Mommy likes to make stuff and Daddy likes to carve stuff. 

I would definitely say that Daddy did his best this year.  He worked so hard that the girls got bored with the project long before he finished. 

We made a purple, sparkly spider!

HALLOWEEN

We got together with great friends and had our first "trick or treat" party at the house!!  We had tons of goodies and treats and the kiddos... well they were dancing around and hyped long before the first bite of chocolate! 

 My little cupcake...

My little Mermaid...

Running for the door!  I mean candy!

Enjoying her friend "Minnie" and even met some new friends along the way!

I think the boys even enjoyed themselves!!

Cupcake, Mermaid and Minnie!

I could just squeeze them...

And after about a half of a mile, she was done.

We returned home just in time to pass out the last of the candy bags, recycle some candy (because we had wayyyy too much) and enjoy a nice quiet evening watching Scared Shrekless. 

I have to note...

Not only did my master pumpkin carving husband get tons of compliments for his Mermaid Creation, but one guy even whipped out his cell phone and took a picture.

Although Wade didn't say anything, his face said enough... 

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