Be Kind, Please Rewind

Do you remember that label that was also on VHS tapes when you rented them from a movie store??  I thought of it today when I was sorting through pictures and deciding about where to start.  I'm hoping you'll be kind to me today and let me rewind a little bit, back to early November.  We had so much going on in November that I just didn't have time to post much, so here are some things I wanted to share, in no particular order or common theme. 

Travis is still very vigilent about reading to the kids everynight and I really appreciate that about him.  Not only is it good for them, but by the time bedtime rolls around I am usually so tired from the day and I just don't have a lot left in me to do much more than survive.  He has been kind of taking over the bedtime routine for over a year now and I am always happy to let him.  We are trying to be very intentional about turning the TV off and doing more reading or playing with the kids. 

Happy to be reading about the zoo, what a guy :)

One of his favorite things to do however is to read some interactive books with them, from his ipad.

I get a big laugh out of one story in particular, about Noah and the Ark.  He and Ava listen to it together, but there are certain parts where the story is not totally theologically correct and as the narrator is reading it, I'll hear him say to Ava, "Actually Ava, that's not true.  This is what really happened..."  It cracks me up.  Mostly it's just details that they've left out or added, but it totally bugs him :) That's what you get when your Dad is a Pastor! 

Carty is not so into reading books yet.  He doesn't want to sit still for more than 2 or 3 minutes, but we read to him anyway, knowing that he might be listening as he moves all around his room and plays with his toys.  Either way, we're just glad to be with him :)

Just before we left for our trip, Ava and I had a fun date night together.  Our local High School was performing the musical version of Beauty and the Beast, which just happens to be one of Ava's favorite movies right now.  The student who was playing Belle, is one of our students from Church and one of our leaders in junior high, so I knew I had to take Ava to see it.

I had no idea how she'd do with it because it didn't start until 7:30 pm and it was almost 3 hours long! But, she was fascinated by the whole thing and she sat on my lap for all of it. We sang along and occasionally she'd ask me (quite loudly), "What's dat Mama?" Thankfully the people around us were very gracious and thought she did great. We got to say hi to Belle and some other students we know afterwards. Ava was totally enthralled by the whole night.

And almost the minute we pulled out of the parking lot, she was out!

She loved it and I did too. She still talks about it and I'm hoping it's the first of lots of dates we'll have together.

These make me laugh.

When you've had a recent case of head lice, this is what you do for fun, for weeks to come!  Ava got so conditioned to us checking her head that whenever she sees that headlamp, she tells Travis and I that she "needs to check your head." So funny! Thankfully, we always get a clean report.

On one particular day I went to get Carter up from his afternoon nap and found him...topless. I have no idea how he got his shirt off, but he did! I thought that was funny :)

And after a mess like this, how could we not take some pictures?? Clearly he was into his pasta and felt the need to enjoy it from head to toe.  Can you see the streaks of orange in his hair?? After we got done laughing about it, I spent a good 30 minutes cleaning up the kitchen and that high chair! I'll be so glad when this stage of eating is over!!

But as much work as this season is, it certainly helps me keep going when my man brings home some beautiful flowers like these, just because. They were just the pick me up I needed. He speaks my love language well!

I had to include these pictures because Carter is wearing my favorite jammies and he's holding his equivalent of Ava's blankie...His giraffe.  He takes that giraffe everywhere around the house and he loves to rub his face all over it while he hums some kind of loving tune :) It makes us smile to watch him and in those jammies, I could just eat him up!! He is just too cute!!

These are some of my favorite women in the world! Two days before we left for our trip I went off for a little annual getaway with the other Pastor's wives from our Church. We go on a retreat together every year and we meet once a month too. It's such a blessing to get to catch up, laugh with, support, pray together and just encourage each other. We went to a fun Inn in a little college town pretty close to us and we had the best time. We always take some time to be in the Word together and to pray for all of our kids by name. It's an incredible blessing in my life to know and love these women. There is something about being the wife of a Pastor that only other Pastor's wives truly understand.

We are so grateful to be serving the Lord together at our Church...Honestly, we are so thankful and BLESSED by our Church. It is a joy to love our husbands and support them in their callings, but it does make a difference to be supported as a family by the staff and the congregation. We do not take that for granted at Grace! I just love each one of them and the wisdom and spiritual depth they pour into my life. We got to get out of town together, do some shopping, eating and laughing together and THEN our Church graciously let us attend the Hillsong United Concert together!! It was sold out and our Church was hosting it, but they got seats for us and it was incredible.

My friends who are married to our Worship, Finance and Mission's Pastors..

...Senior, Executive, Young Adults/Adults Pastors...

and the Men's, Children's, Senior High and Junior High Pastors wives.  We were just missing our new Small Groups Pastor's wife :)

Not only did I get to enjoy the concert with my friends, but because my parents were in town, Travis and I got a bonus date night out of it too!

Honestly, I think I could say it was the best concert I have ever been to. The worship was unreal and we were on our feet with 4500 other people the WHOLE time.

If you ever get a chance to see Hillsong United, do it! They are from Australia and they only come to the US every now and then, but when they do (like now!!) make sure you go. They will lead you right to the throne of God through their music. What I loved the most about the concert is that it was not at all about them, but totally about the Lord. Not to mention, their music is so great too! What a blessing that night was and a great way to wrap up a wonderful retreat weekend.

Finally, I'll leave you with Carter's new trick.

He's a sneaky one! We have to keep our bathroom door closed now and the toilet paper off the roll, for obvious reasons.

Does this face look innocent to you???

Thanks for letting me rewind today. Those were our highlights from early November...I'll pick up with the big roadtrip next!

Happy Thursday everybody, hope you have a blessed day!