Treat!!

Meet Baby Mario and Superman's dad. Bet you didn't know they shared a dad. Or that he was quite so handsome. He has mad superhero skills...

On another note, it seems that young Ethiopians don't hold their sugar well. Even after their non-superhero-mom closely monitors their candy intake because in the past, sugar has done bad things to our tummies. Let's just say the carpet in the hallway may never be the same. But Sam slept great last night! Now y'all know why I have a strict "one doughnut rule" on Sunday mornings. His tummy just can't handle more than that!! And neither can the carpet. Or his mommy who was also on the receiving end of that fun.

And as promised, Trick-or-Treat on Main Street via pictures. And check over here for more details of the night. Let's just say we're lucky I still have all 10 fingers. And cotton candy machines are not meant to have your hand stuck inside of them...

Trick...

Halloween at our house has become a Daddy-duty.

Don't get me wrong. I get the costumes together, but the task of dressing them and bringing them out for Trick-or-Treat falls to Daddy.

Our church participates in a community-wide event called Trick-or-Treat on Main Street, so while I run around in chaos, pretending like I know what's going on down on Main Street, Daddy brings the boys down to the mega-Fall Festival event. Hopefully I'll have pictures of that soon...maybe here...

We did dress up on Wednesday night for AWANA's, so here's a few shots of Superman, Baby Mario and Mario & Luigi (aka, Nicole & Jana). We had a Halloween costume meltdown in Target when we couldn't find the right Spiderman, which is why Sam ended up being Baby Mario. That was fine with me, because I think I spent less than $2 (plus a boat load of glue) putting together his costume.


If you are local, see ya tonight at Trick-or-Treat on Main Street!!

Multi-tasker

I'm sure I'll get in trouble for this later, but I just wanted to make sure you all knew how to make sure you don't miss any Alabama football while simutaneously grilling dinner for your family. Both can be done at the same time, as Kenny demonstrates for us here.


Now, next weekend can you clean the bathroom while you are playing golf, please?

Soccer Mom Status?

Okay, so I have a kid that plays soccer, but I don't have a mini-van, so that doesn't make me a full-fledged soccer mom, does it??


Either way, Charlie LOVES playing! We had a slow start to the season. Read as: I just kicked the ball, now I'm gonna stand here until it rolls back past me. We finally got him to understand the concept behind the game and now he is right in the middle of the action the whole time. He even scored a couple of goals this year! Go Charlie!!





Until next year, I'll work on my soccer mom status. But I would rather not drive a mini-van until God blesses us with so many children that I don't have an option.

Join me.

The last of the Lynch posts have been added to the Spencer County blog and I thought you (all 3 and a half of you that read) would like to see the pictures from the last day. You are going to want to turn up your speakers for this one!

And this is random, but I read this verse the other day and I just keep coming back to it. I'm also going through the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan with our women's group at church. It's definitely a book that will put you in your place and I have enjoyed it, but this verse seems to some up what I've taken so far from the book.

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11 (ESV)

I'm still a tad bit (OK, a lot bit) overwhelmed that there is such poverty just a few hours from my own home. And I'm sure it's also as close as my backyard, just not as widespread as entire counties. I'm pretty sure I saw people living better in Ethiopia than in Lynch and that's just shocking.

Please join me in keeping the city of Lynch and the surrounding counties covered with prayer. From what we've been told, people just feel hopeless, as if they can't shake the devastation that they feel they live in. It's disturbing to know they feel like they have no hope, when hope is so close. If they would only embrace it. Specifically, pray that the people there open their hearts and are receptive to those that are trying to share the love of Christ.

Lynch or BUST!!

Sorry to have been MIA for the last few days, but we have been in Lynch, KY (Eastern Kentucky for you Alabamians) on a family mission trip with our church this week. Think Black Mountain's coal experience at its finest!

A little synopsis of what we were doing and why Lynch. Back in it's day, Lynch was the coal mining capital of Kentucky. While most of the country was going through a depression, Lynch was a town full of employed coal miners and their families, all living a pretty great life in houses built by the coal companies, enjoying the perks of living in a city that was seeing great economic times. But sometime in the 1960's (don't quote me on the dates), the mine closed and the city just went downhill from there. Houses and building were abandoned and for the ones that stayed, there was no work. No means to support their families. And so begin a cycle of poverty that seems to have spiraled out of control. The mine still basically owns the whole town, but is doing nothing with it in case they want to ever come back and mine in Lynch again. Buildings sit empty and basically falling down around the ones that do still live in the little town. So, we are here working with the different ministries that have been set up to help support the people of Lynch. Things like helping with house repairs, working at the clothes closet or working out at the horse farm where they encourage the kids to learn about horses, but also hope to share the gospel with them, too.

It has been exhausting, rewarding, frustrating and enlightening all at the same time. I have loved introducing the boys to missions early on, but it saddens me to realize that a mere 4 hours from our comfortable home are people who live with out running water, heat or a stove to cook their food on. Their houses are held together by cardboard and they have trees growing through their living rooms. They are excited about getting free hot dogs or having plastic put up on their windows so that they aren't quite so cold through the winter. And I sit on my comfy couch in my heated home with more appliances than I know what to do with and complain that my cable bill is too high. Have to say that it knocks you down a step or two to see people so close to home living like this. I'm not talking about a third-world country. This is our own state!

Of course, Nicole and I have the whole trip documented on our Spencer County Children's Ministry Blog, complete with a mini-movie for each day's adventures. So, instead of me rehashing it all here, take a little time and check out each day and what we where up to. We had a blast, but will be heading home tomorrow. Pray for safe travels!! And enjoy the pics...

Day 1: We have arrived!

Day 2: Freedom Center -- We made it out alive!! (video)

Day 3: Need your prayers! -- Update -- Uses of Mayonnaise (video) -- Lessons learned today...non-mayo related

Day 4: Our Last Day -- Gotta love the kids!! (video)

Seis

Six years ago we made our best friends and family miss the Alabama homecoming game and forced the ostracized Auburn fans to sneak in a TV and watch their game in a tiny room in the back of a church.

I make no apologies for planning a wedding smack in the middle of football season. I just wasn't going to wait any longer. And I refused to schedule a wedding around a football schedule, so I didn't even look at that when we picked a date.

So, October 16, 2004 may have been the day we were hated by many football fans, but it's the day Kenny pledged to the world that he would put up with me for all of eternity. Plus, my dad told him their were no refunds in the Hill House, so he was just stuck with me.

Six years of maritial glee later, we do still like each other and love each other most of the time, too. I know we have a long way to go to be like those with 50 years under their belts, but I just hope the next years are as fun as the first ones! We by no means have a perfect marriage, but we know how to have fun. Mostly due to my tendency to take nothing seriously and Kenny's ability to keep me in line.

God knew what he was doing when he brought us both to Tuscaloosa, Alabama 11 years ago! Love you more, Pookie!!

Turtle Cheescake Pie? Yuck.

Even though we've been home for over a year, we still have a most difficult time with some words. And even if we know a word, we may not know it in the context used. Which makes for some hilarious conversations!

The funniest part is that Charlie usually thinks that he is right and you are wrong, even though I am the one that has lived in the United States all my life and he just got here. Sometimes makes you want to pull your hair out when you have a 10 minute conversation trying to explain that you take a backPACK to school, not a backTACK. He still thinks I'm wrong and he's right. Whatever.

So, here's Charlie's latest antics, taken from the Spencer County Children's Ministry Blog. He has had some really funny conversations with Nicole lately, to the point of getting frustrated with her when he doesn't understand what is going on. Sorry Nicole, but thanks for putting up with him!!

So I'm taking the kids to school this morning, and Charlie Cook is in the back seat with my girls. They are all looking at the pie sale forms from their school and reading about the pies. This is what I hear:

(Insert Ethiopian accent here)

"Turtle cheese cake pie? What? You eat a turtle, and a pie, and a cheese on it? Oh, no, I can't eat a turtle and I don't like cheese. I can't sell any pies."

Oh, my. I know I should have clarified. But, it was just too funny. I just left it alone.

If you think that's funny, try explaining DVR to an Ethiopian. He still thinks I have movies TAPED (as in scotch tape) to my TV that are now stuck, therefore I can't let him borrow them.

Hmm. Never did really figure out how to fix that one.

Oh, my.

The Dot

Some things are just better seen in person. But some things are worth repeating, even if you just have to create your own mental image.

You remember back in the 90's when those red laser pointers came out and you spent hours torturing your dog or cat or little brother, watching them chase an inanimate object all around the room, just for your own personal kicks and giggles? Well, the same hilarious, pee-in-your-pants type action happens when you introduce a 3-year-old Ethiopian to one of those little red laser pointers.

While playing outside in the spectacular fall weather a couple of nights ago, our friend Dwayne decided to mess with the kids a little. Let's just say that Sam thought the red light was some kind of fear provoking creepy-crawly and induced a terror filled scream and a panic driven dance until he could get as far away from the dot as possible. I would be lying to say that we didn't continue to shine the little light near him just for our own entertainment. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

And before you call CPS for us torturing our kids, we did show him that it was just a light and it could do nothing at all to hurt him. Didn't matter. He was in flight-or-flight mode until he was assured that the dot had been put away.


Funny Sam face! Sorry. I think you can see his tonsils via his nostrils.

Pumpkins

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Especially this year since we've had an extended (and extremely hot) summer. I was done with being hot around the end of May.


Me trying to be creative. Did it work?

So, to kick off Fall, we painted the baby pumpkins that Charlie and I picked while on his field trip yesterday to Boyd Orchards.

We started out with paint brushes, but soon abandoned them for our fingers. Charlie's pumpkin was work in progress and had many faces along the way. Displayed at some point or another was a monkey (of course), a volcano with red hot lava, a snowy mountain, and an actual jack-o-lantern face. The finished product looked nothing like any of the above. I'm thinking he went for a more abstract look.

Sam just kept wanting to use orange paint, which of course, didn't show up on the orange pumpkin. He had the same problem with a white crayon and a white piece of paper the other day. He's just gonna have to figure that one out on his own...


Notice the tongue. Such concentration.



This painting pumpkins is serious business!


The finished product! We had to take a bath to get all the paint off. Of our bodies.