Blessing!

I am overwhelmed by the blessing of my new friend Cindy in letting us enjoy her horses for the past 4 months. We first went out to the barn late August and we have enjoyed every minute with her beautiful horses. I have missed being around horses so much over the years and have dreamed about my kids getting the opportunity to be familiar with horses.  What a blessing this has been to care for and ride Cindy's horses. We are so thankful and just love heading to the barn to enjoy these sweet horses and explore the trails! Thank you Cindy! 

Glink MidYear Retreat - Boone, NC

We had a great time in Boone, NC for the Generation LINK Mid-Year Retreat. This is always a sweet time with the Glinkers as they all take turns sharing ministry and personal updates and then the rest of us get to respond with encouragement. I'm so thankful for Jeremy and Abbey and their faithful leadership in Generation Link. It's a joy for our family to be around such amazing people who love Jesus and others so well! 

Family Pictures 2016

Thanksgiving 2016

We had a great time at Papa & Nana's house for Thanksgiving this year. The first night there we loaded up in Kevin's truck and drove through Hollywild to look at the lights and see the animals. It was fun!

Thankful for family and time together! 

Family Visits

We had family come visit back to back weekends in November. I'm so thankful for this time with family! My sister and family live outside of Richmond, VA so it's not often they make it down to our house. It's a big deal when they can come. We had a fun weekend just being together around the house and then heading to campus for the game and lots of time around the campfire. 

Thank you Clarke Family for coming to Clemson! We love you!

 The next weekend my parents came and then my aunt & uncle also came for a couple of nights from Lake Lure during the fires. We loved having them all! Sadly we didn't take many pictures. 

I'm so thankful for these family fun-filled weekends!

Virginia Visit

Because Jeremy had to be in the Raleigh area for a conference last week we all decided to head north to see family and do some educational touring. While he was at the conference the kids and I went to see my parents in Virginia and spent a day visiting Jamestown and Yorktown because we are studying early American history right now. We had a great time and I'm so glad my mom was able to join us! 

We also got to see my sister and her family a couple of the days. One afternoon Mom, Dad, and I took all 9 kids to the botanical gardens in their area. 

Can you find all 9 monkeys in the tree?

Here are some pictures from our time in Jamestown.

And here are some pictures from our time in Yorktown. We also enjoyed meeting up with my brother for dinner after touring Yorktown. I graduated high school in Yorktown so it was fun being back in that area and bringing the kids there! 

We also enjoyed some slow days at the lake before and after our time in Virginia.

Thank you Mom & Dad for having us! We loved every minute! 

Homecoming Weekend & Andrews Visit

We had a great weekend with the Andrews! They came in town last Thursday for 2 nights. We enjoyed an adult dinner on Thursday night after feeding the kids. Friday we loaded up and went to the river for a picnic and fishing. The dads and kids caught a ton of trout!! Our families have so much fun together. So thankful for these friends! Friday night we enjoyed gathering with the Reeves, Finleys, and Andrews at the Reeves house for dinner. It was a great time with our friends!

Jeremy and I had a great time going to the game sans kids!

September Recap

Where did September go!? No, really, how is it already gone!?

Here are some of the things we've been up to this month.

My Spencer is doing a great job reading his chapter books! Most days he does a great job, other days he's in tears as if I'm asking him to run a marathon (keeping it real!). He must be 5!

I can hardly believe my big boy is 12! We are entering new territory, that's for sure! Please pray for us as we navigate these years! This stage immediately makes the baby/toddler years feel like a breeze! I'm so thankful for our Carson and how he is growing (ever but surely) into a man!

I've enjoyed time with Catilyn as we walk perimeter and share life and talk of God's faithfulness! And this particular night we were basking at the sunflowers (of which these photos do not do justice!).

Bryn has been playing rec league volleyball and is enjoying that (except when she loses….where in the world does she get that competitive nature!?).

We enjoyed watching the First Friday Parade and a Clemson girls volleyball game with the Finleys. 

Carson was pumped about his new scope for his gun and insisted that I try it out! 

Not the best pictures, and not the final finished product, BUT here are our girls in their new and improved rooms after getting a paint job! I just love their rooms now!

We gathered at the Reeves house to do our frog dissections. Not sure which is more fascinating….the frog anatomy or watching how each kid responds differently.

We enjoyed a field trip to the Botanical Gardens to learn about Backyard Habitats. 

And we enjoyed a field trip to learn about the monarch butterfly.

We've watched lots of football! 

Sadly, our hamster died:( 

We've enjoyed lots of meals on the screen porch. 

While Jeremy and Carson were out of town for a few nights I took the kids to Toccoa Falls.