Wrapping it up

And the fun must come to an end. The boys are learning how to change the oil on the dirt bike. A must if you are going to have toys! Kim and I are remembering why we enjoy living in our 5th wheels so much as we were getting everything washed, cleaned and stowed away at the house so we can all head back to our "real" home. We definitely are going to need a nap after this! Good thing Randy & Joe are driving home!

And more riding

Another day of amazing riding. However today Kim started the day off with nothing less than ... throwing fire crackers in the fire pit! Can you say corruption?!?! But they all sure had a blast. Joe got to get his "toy" out to clean up the fire cracker mess. Boston was so much fun watching as he spent time exploring only the wonders children can see. Randy even gave Slinger (the dog) a ride on the 4-wheeler when he wasn't working with the bigger guys on jumping and how to properly ride the pond area. Joe (Papa) gave Kallen his first Gator driving lesson and Kallen was amazingly good at listening and following directions. He was so serious and picked up well. It was such a wonderful day though a bit chilly. Mimi and Grandpa Larry spent the evening with the boys while Joe, Kim, Randy & I went and spent an evening with Monty, Tammy, Zachary and Whitney. Amazingly enough that was Randy & I's first time to go out with just adults. It was a lot of fun but Randy needs a lot of practice on the pool table ... unless he was just trying to be a good guest and allow Joe to sweep the table to build him up ... NOT!

Country Fun

After a night of sleep the boys were up and ready to ride before breakfast ... go figure! It was a whole day full of riding with occasional breaks for food but only when forced. They even got some bike repair experience when Dakota ended up picking up some wire while he was riding and it got wrapped around his rear sprocket which also messed up his brake but it was still ridable. Randy totally had a blast when he got to ride by himself. Kim wasn't to sure she wanted to watch though (so Kim - don't look at the pictures if you are reading this!). Malachi & Josiah were excited when they got their first chance to ride a dirt bike. They did pretty good for first timers! When bedtime came ... they were all exhausted from all the outdoor fun!

Post Thanksgiving Celebration

After stuffing ourselves at Zachary & Whitney's we headed out to Joe & Kim's to enjoy some down time at their home in the country. What a blast we had. The boys got to play with Dakota and get to know and play with his cousins, Kallen & Boston. It was a pleasure for us to get to chauffeur Mimi & Grandpa Larry and get to know them better over the weekend. Who knew neighbors in a Georgia campground could end up continually blessing our lives with a wonderful friendship and added family.

Enjoy the pictures of our post Thanksgiving dinner exercise plan ... Ha!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were blessed to be invited to Zachary & Whitney Myers first Thanksgiving celebration at their home they are remodeling in Smithville, TX. We got to celebrate with Mimi (Bobbi), Grandpa Larry, Joe & Kim & Dakota Myers, Zach & Whitney & Kallen & Boston Myers. What a beautiful home with so much amazing wood work and potential and a delicious meal. The boys had a blast playing in the yard, on the trampoline, playing football and riding bikes. Randy & Zach even got in on the bike action with trying to do bunny hops and other tricks! Small town life has a lot of wonderful advantages and we were thankful for getting to be a part of them today.

Happy Thanksgiving! May your blessings bestowed upon you be plentiful and appreciated by you.

Bonding

They grow up soooo fast! Having a Dad who grew up without a positive father figure has been a challenge but with lots of prayers and God's loving assistance, Randy is doing a pretty fine job of learning how to connect with his sons. Times like these warm my heart like a warm cup of cocoa warms you up after playing in the snow. Thank you God for a Dad who cares and tries.

Family Break

Sometimes you just need to take a break and ... breathe. Since taking this new job we haven't found a "new" normal yet. The Bible doesn't say it's going to be easy to follow in God's will and we're living proof ... it's a massive step of faith. Randy has been working almost 24/7 and trying to figure out which homes God wants him to help get new roofs and how to put food on our table and keep a roof over our head and ground under our feet. So ... I praise God that Randy decided to take a break and take the boys to do something they ALL enjoy and dreaming is FREE!

Creation

Isn't it great that God put some of His creation genes in us! The boys have had fun with the Dixie cups building different configurations. It's nothing like what God did when He created the Earth but I'm sure the boys pleasure, pride and satisfaction they experienced with their building was just a small window into how God felt when He created all we have and are.

Sleepover

Reilly & Benny got to spend the night. We played in our back room, got Josiah's kite stuck in a tree (took our neighbors 30+ minutes to get it down), played with the dogs, Reilly helped Uncle Randy work on the van's headlights and we ate waffles and more waffles. It was a great time for bonding.

League City Skatepark

One of the blessings of where God has us right now is that we can walk to the League City Skate Park. Josiah's leg has healed enough that he is starting to venture out and try to standup to skateboard. Malachi's skill is increasing the more he rides.

Reilly's Thanksgiving Meal

What a pleasure! We were priviledged to be able to get to eat lunch with Reilly at her school's Thanksgiving meal. It was a treat for the whole family, but the boys definitely prefer mom's food over the school's. Guess some things just don't change over the years!

Cousins

It's such a joy to be close enough for the boys to get to play with some of their cousins. They're still trying to digest the fact that we are here to stay in the area for a while and not just a week or so.

Hurricane Ike Pictures

Wow the amazing things we have seen while riding with Randy and praying for him to discern the homes God wants him to help. God's power and protection are apparent every where. Imagine the winds and waves that lifted the above huge house boat on to shore!

Safari RV Park

God has opened up a space for us at Safari RV Park. There's not much there and no playground area but ... it's a place to park our home until we find where God wants us next. And it's near Corynn, Tyrel & Chelsey's families. It's nice to know He's going to have us in South Texas for a while. Didn't realize after being on the road and moving almost every week how nice it would be to be in one place even if it doesn't have much to offer.

And we're heading to Texas!

Okay, nothing like up to the last minute. We thought we were going to be going back to Kansas however God has laid it on Randy's heart that we are heading to South Texas to help the Hurricane Ike victims. During our prayer time right before we left Kansas our dear friend Kim, called us and said she had a job for us. So Randy called and talked with Mike and has been praying for God's will. Thus, we are heading to Arlington TX so Randy can meet with Mike who owns Mike Huddleston Roofing, do some training then head down to South Texas to help people get quality roofs from a company built on integrity.

We both have quite a peace about this. We had been feeling that God wanted us down in the coastal area helping we just weren't sure of his precise plans yet. After meeting Mike, I have an even greater peace that this is a company we can work for and represent. Now just to get through the training curve as it is a continuation of our financial muscle building exercises ... it's a straight commission job. God is ever faithful though even in finding a campground in the middle of Arlington that had an opening for us!