30,000 Reasons

Our church has been going through a building campaign over the last year and a half, and our slogan/ prayer is 30,000 Reasons. We have done research on our county and we have found about 30,000 people in Harrison County do not have a church home. We pray that through Christ we can make and impact and show Christ's love to these "neighbors". 

For the last three years we have put on a festival on our town square and invited everyone to come play with us for free. We have the entire square blocked off for fun, food and music.

Since I have been the children's director I have not been able to come and roam the square. I had been pretty locked down to making the children's area work for the day. But this year I worked my part and then took the kids around to have fun. What a fun day! We have estimated 2,500 people on the square in years past. I don't know what they said about this year. It seemed a little less crowded to me, but Harvest Homecoming was the same weekend.

Here is the little princess with her peepaw. I think she could ask for peepaw to do about anything and he would gladly comply.

Aunt Gracie walked around with us. Yes, she is now a black haired beauty. You know those cosmetology girls always experimenting.

Lizzy was a huge help with three little ones. She even walked around with them while I helped work. Our friend Jordan Hubbard being silly. I love the story of him as a little kid saying french fries. He said it so cute and Mark and Kara wanted to video him saying it, so while the camera is rolling he pouts and says, "I don't wanna say frenf fry" So funny

Trying to get a self portrait of me and my permanent attachment.

Gracie helps out to get a better pic. I love this little sweetheart.

The loved their balloon swords.

Can't beat a day of free festivities with your church family and the entire town. God is so good. I love to see Him work through our people, because church is not in a building it's us!

Our goal is to be in the new part of our building by the new year. Not long.

Fall Break

Well, we had our Internet down for a week and so I have gotten out of the rhythm again of blogging on a more regular basis. 

Yet life is full of new beginnings and second chances so I'll strive to get back onto my blog again. :)

For fall break we enjoyed the amazing weather by spending most of our days outside. Monday and Tuesday we played around the house and rested. Addie constantly wore her skirt and boots while Corbin didn't bother combing his hair or matching his socks. We had a free spirited two days with no rules of schedule or structure. The screen door was constantly going smack against the back of the house while yells became louder and softer as Aiden's eyes grew larger with wonder and then broke into smile whenever the kids ran in. Aiden loves his brother and sister and watches them all the time.

Wednesday we made a play date with the Rader family. Corbin's good buddy Tayden is not in Kindergarten this year and whenever our fall break showed up we wanted to make plans to play. We decided to make a crazy day of it and go to the Puzzle Fun Dome. Upon arriving (45min drive with 5 kids) the Dome was closed for a random reason with a note on the door. The lady failed to mention that to Maryanne when she called the day before. So off to the park to have a picnic and possibilities of Chuck E. Cheese later.

We went to Brown park and Cherekee

Aiden loves to swing. He was smiles all day.

Addie was the only girl, but strangely about all of our friends are boys.

We were having so much fun outside we did not have time Chuck E. Cheese.
Here we all are hiding in the leaves. Adaline, Aiden, Corbin, Micah and Tayden

Corbin and Tayden played in the water fountain, which Corbin thought this deserved to render him shirtless.

We tried jumping up in the air and throwing leaves but I am not fast enough to get the event. Aiden is crawling away and Corbin thought it was hilarious to throw the leaves in my face every time I said one, two, three....throw your leaves up in the air!

We all had so much fun!

The boys exploration mode was on full alert.

 

 Here is the red headed son of Daniel Boone

Aiden loved being on the ground crawling around in the leaves. My worry was him putting sticks or any small object in his mouth.

 All the kids loved the slider.

Then of course no nap does have its consequences

 Thursday was another day at home.
Friday we went to Nana's house to play (and I got to have lunch with Tracey)

Saturday I planned a family day.

Matt and the kids finally carved the pumpkin that Corbin picked on his field trip. They went in the pantry and shut the door to get the light and dark effect.

Corbin wanted Matt to carve a dragon into his pumpkin. thus the scary face

Addie all full of sunshine and rainbows liked the happy face.

  Yes, Corbin is in Addie's purple jacket- they could wear the same clothes. That's how close they are now.

We also went to the Puzzle Fun Dome. As we were tossing around ideas of what to do Corbin really wanted to go since Wed. didn't pan out.

This was the best shot I got of Corbin. He didn't want to stop or slow down. Too much fun to be had.

Addie literally didn't stop. I got her running into the slide.

 
She had no reservations running up the crazy high wall.

This is a great place to go with friends, so Addie made one on her own.

Our little buddy had a ball crawling around.

 Addie in the bouncy house

Then Corbin wanted to play some arcade games.

They had  a toddler area. Aiden is in the tree

 Slides everywhere. Addie is coming down head first here.

 here is a shot of the whole room.

 arcades

and the happy family, or should I say unhappy to leave family.

Matt is so funny. He goes, "I don't like places like this with the kids running around everywhere." I said, "You mean where it is not something you get to do. Where it is not all about you?" Matt laughs and says yeah, basically. Well, the inner child never grows up I guess. But we did all have a great day.

Corbin had a great fall break.
A couple funny moments- Monday morning Corbin comes down the stairs (we had let him sleep in on his break) he sees Matt at his desk and says with a deep sigh like it took everything he had to get out of bed and dressed, " okay, I'm ready for school" "Buddy you are on fall break. There is no school today." This smile broke across his face and he giggled. Happily came to the living room and asked to watch cartoons.
Corbin is trying to grasp days. So when something is a week or a few days away he says we are going to school tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. Four tomorrows (as he shows and counts on his fingers). Somehow this works and he can figure out what's ahead.

Oh, yesterday Aiden took his first step!

Lost on the Bus

Yes, Corbin was lost on a strange bus today!

Everyday I watch for Corbin to get off the bus. Most days I walk out to meet him at the end of the driveway. Today I was trying to clean out the garden and was pulling out the tomato plants when I hear the bus pull up and stop. It hadn't stopped long when it pulled off. I look up and no Corbin.

I am getting this uneasy feeling rising in my gut. I walk to a full view and yell for Corbin. Nothing.

I go inside and call for Corbin. Nothing. Matt was home from work early and inside with the younger two. He came suddenly alarmed and asked about Corbin not getting off the bus. My stomach sinks.

I grab my cell and call another bus driver to see if he could call our bus driver on the cb, but as I suspected he didn't answer his cell while driving the bus. I called the school office and asked about Corbin and told  the secretary that he had not gotten off the bus. She was very professional and quick about calling the bus driver. The kids with him said Corbin got on another bus with some friends.

Panic! Corbin doesn't know our phone number. How was he going to find me.

She (secretary) asked who he might go home with. I said that we only knew one other family that he has gone home with once. She called that bus driver. Nothing.

She has me on the phone the whole time and this is really a rather quick process, but slow motion with crazy thoughts running through my head.

She calls out to all bus drivers and Corbin is found on bus 13. He normally rides bus 14. I hear our bus driver friend in the background say he can get Corbin and bring him to us.

I feel myself exhaling. I didn't know I had been holding my breath. 

Corbin was okay. Wasn't crying or anything. I was way more shaken up that Matt. Our friend commented on how this was wrong on many levels. I totally agree. I am sure there were innocent mistakes here, but had Corbin gotten off the bus with a friend I don't know what would have happened. 

When I talked to Corbin you could tell he didn't know how to react. I told him he wasn't in trouble and he wasn't going to get a spanking, but I needed him to talk to me. That calmed him down quite a bit. He said his teacher told him to get on the bus. He showed me how his sad face looked when he was riding this strange bus.

I don't know if Corbin was out of his normal bus line talking to some friends and then got swept up onto a different bus, or what happened, but the bus driver shouldn't have let him on without a bus pass.

I talked with Corbin how he should have gone up to the bus driver and told him how this was not his bus and to never ever go to someones house we don't know. 

Praise Jesus he is safe and God was watching over Corbin. 

I will call the school tomorrow and see what happened.