abilene 2014

We went to Abilene for the last few days to attend the ACU lectures. There were a few people Chris wanted to hear and meet up with, and I wanted to attend the children's ministry sessions. The kids got to meet TJ McCloud, to whom they love listening. Chris showed us his house that he lived in when he was a kid, and several other places he had memories of.

We wanted to check out some fun places with the kids between sessions. We went to the Abilene zoo, and Elle fed the giraffes some bread. I was surprised she got so close. Todd was terrified, and of the peacock too. He kept yelling at it saying, "go away mr. -ea-ock!" It's a little zoo, but it was really fun!

The next day we grabbed lunch and took it to the Children's Storybook Garden that had these neat statues of Dr. Suess characters. The kids loved it!

Even though it ended up being rough with Reese on the way home, the trip was successful. I loved the sessions I attended.  I met several other children's ministers, learned a couple new songs, and got lots of ideas and resources to bring back. Several sessions focused on the same topic of intergenerational church. Some questions that we discussed were: Are we connecting children to God? Are we ministering to, for, or with children? Are we listening to what children are saying to us at church?

And a picture of Reese at the hotel to prove she was there!

Guymon Trip September 2103

We got to make a trip to Guymon in September to see Chris' parents. One thing we did while there was  check out their fun park and lake. We fed the ducks, played on the playground, paddled on the paddle boats, and even rode the cute little train around the lake. It was a fun trip! But I think the kids enjoyed being at Grammy and Granddad's and playing with all of Chris' old toys the most.

pumpkin patch visits 2013

We were blessed to get to go to several pumpkin patches this year. First up was Orr Family Farm. It was neat to see how they had recovered from the tornado damage, but we probably won't go again next year. I would say this is more a fall amusement park than pumpkin patch. It's fun, but expensive.

We also went to Carmichael's in Bixby, which we've done several years now, and I've gone a lot since I was little. Lots of fun memories here and it's free, besides the pumpkins.

I found WINGS this year, which I didn't realize was a cute little patch in Edmond. I think it's a fundraiser for a special needs organization. Todd loved milking the cow and Elle loved the bunnies. They had great prices and this is where we got our pumpkins for our pregnancy announcement picture.

Last, but not least, we went to Pumpkinville again this year. It's so beautiful and unique. It was cold, but the kids loved it! Makes it worth getting the yearly pass to the Myriad Gardens.

halloween 2013

Elle and Todd had several chances to wear their costumes and get candy. First, they did Trick or Treat the dorms here at OSSM. We had a small, but good turnout from other faculty and alumni families. And the students enjoyed dressing up and the dance afterwards.

They even found Waldo!

Trunk or Treat at Mayfair was a big success! We had wonderful weather and the kids enjoyed trick or treating, playing games, and the inflatable haunted house.

They also wore their costumes at school to get some goodies, and we did Storybook Forest again. They had added a few new fairytales, but it was really busy this year so we didn't get to go around with half our group. Elle's really into reading fairytales with Chris so this was a good treat for them.