JBQ Weekend

I am feeling a little better today. I laid low all weekend at home and have been getting a little better each day. I should be back to myself by the end of the week.

Sarah had her first Junior Bible Quiz meet of the 2011-2012 season this past Saturday. This is her 5th year doing JBQ. She did a great job and came in 7th place out of approximately 40 kids. She is doing 20 point questions this year. JBQ consists of all different questions from the bible that kids learn and memorize. There are 10, 20 and 30 point questions. We are super proud of her. Her next meet is January 7th.

That time of year...

With so many changes in our weather I think my body is not sure what it should be doing. I started with a sore throat last weekend and it has gradually worked its way into a cold despite my efforts to fight it off. Yesterday afternoon is when I started to feel the worst. I have laid low today and plan to tomorrow as well unless I am feeling better in the morning. Kleenex, vitamin C and decongestant have been my friends although I will be glad to trade them in for energy and a chance to breath through my nose again. I am DECLARING that this will be my one and only cold for the fall/winter season! Let's hope my body listens. The kids both have sniffles, so hoping for them it doesn't turn into anything more.

Hearts full of thanks...

I know I have been keeping you in suspense with the outcome of our nor'easter this past weekend. Well, we SURVIVED. It snowed pretty heavy through Saturday night and by the time we got up Sunday morning the sun was shining bright. As we drove to church it was amazing to see all the trees and their limbs weighed down by the heavy snow. Lots of tree limbs were down everywhere, even in our yard. The picture below is what our yard looked like yesterday. You can see most of the snow has melted. Today it was in the high 50's and should be the same the rest of the week. We did not lose power like so many in our area. My in-laws lost power on Saturday and still don't have it back, hopefully tomorrow.

We are so thankful that our home stayed safe over the weekend and no damage other than some tree limbs down. We made our traditional "Thankful Tree" today and started adding a few things we are thankful for - Family, God, a great church, iPod games (gee, I wonder who came up with that one).

It's only October!!!

I am sure many of you have heard of the "nor'easter" hitting the East coast. Completely unexpected! It really is crazy. It isn't even officially winter yet. The snow started around noon and we have already seen lots of tree limbs fall because the snow is so heavy and most of the leaves are still on the trees. We are praying for protection over our home because one of the trees to the side of our house has already had several limbs fall. You can see the pictures below. They are forecasting for the snow to continue through the middle of the night.

October activities...

I am still here, just a little behind. October has been a BUSY month, but enjoying a week of reprieve from all the activities. October included PaPa & MeMe visiting, two parties to celebrate Brayden's 4th birthday, our church turning 100 years old with a big weekend celebration and now our church missions convention taking place. All exciting things, that I am blessed to have and share in.

We took our little Brayden bear for his 4 year check up yesterday. He is not so little anymore. He now weighs 42 lbs and is 43-1/2" tall. In comparison to other kids his age he is still at the top of the charts ranking in at 97% for both. He got a thumbs up from the doctor along with 2 shots. :( He was a brave boy though and only cried for a second.

Below are some pictures from his second Cat In the Hat birthday party with the rest of the James family. We enjoyed Green Eggs and Ham sandwiches for dinner along with another Hat birthday cake. I am for hire if you anyone needs a Hat cake. We played pin the hat on the cat. Opened lots of fun gifts including a McDonald's gift card, Star Wars Playskool hero toys and a toy piano. Brayden had fun being with his cousins and big sis. They each got a Cat goodie bag at the end of the night.

PaPa & MeMe visit...

Dad and Mom came to visit last week. We did a little bit of everything playing, helping PaPa fix things, celebrating birthday's (PaPa's & Brayden's), mini trip to Boston to visit my Grandma, a stop for an amazing Lobster Roll and Ice Cream, shopping and just being together.  We enjoyed our time with them.

Grandma Prather

This past weekend while my parents were visiting we took a 2-day trip to visit my Grandmother who is living in a nursing home right outside of Boston. It has been 8 years since she has seen Sarah and she has never met Brayden. It was so special for the kids and myself to be able to see her again.