Trunk or Treat

Last night our church hosted Trunk or Treat. I hear they have done this in the past, but it was a first for us.

Wesley was skeptical about whether or not it would be any fun.

The first order of business was to find an acceptably cool costume for him - this is always a challenge because we won't let him be anything evil or overly scary. I usually sum this up by telling him he can't be a "bad guy"

After perusing the Spirit Store, he found something he thought he liked: a gangster.

After adding a fedora from wal-mart, we both thought he looks dapper :)

After modelling for these pictures, a couple hours passed and Wesley finally asked what a gangster was. Ha! I explained as best I could and he seemed ok with it because he finally said, a little in awe of himself, "So, I'm like a bad guy?"  yes. You are like a bad guy. This satisfied him.

Oh. and gangsters rarely smile:

Next up, I wanted Brad and I to wear matching costumes.
I approached the topic somewhat hesitantly because I just knew Brad would be far too serious to ever dress up.

So, I was utterly surprised when he agreed to dress up AND then chose his own costume!

I merely dressed to match.

At the Trunk or Treat, I told everyone he was out on good behavior and was serving 4 years into a life sentence :)

When it came to our trunk, Wesley was all too happy to decorate. I wanted to stick with things that would be ok for the church grounds so we opted for a spider theme (sorry, dad)

We stocked up on fake web and streamers, etc. Then I just turned Wesley loose:

It's hard to see, but check out that 5 o'clock shadow!

With a little help from adults, Wesley whipped our trunk into shape just before it got dark.

Didn't it turn out wonderfully?

Wesley used a snowflake technique to make those spider webs out of paper.

If you're really nice, he might teach you how next time you see him :)

I took a few pictures before the kids arrived ...

Here's our Youth Pastor as Linus and his wife as Sally from Peanuts.

Our Associate Pastor as ... well, basically himself plus a mask.

He already owned all the components to his costume except for the cape.

And, last but not least, our Pastor and his wife as Tacky Tourists!!

They handed out hot cocoa at their trunk and became a very popular stop once the sun set!

It was a great evening and a great opportunity to meet people from the community.

We had a huge turn out and are already looking forward to next year!

Sunday School

August 2010



We have VERY MUCH enjoyed our 11th grade Sunday School class and we were sad to see them move on to the 12th grade class this month.

I feel like we've had a great time, we've learned alot and we grew pretty attached to our small group...

We averaged about 4 or 5 kids each week and were able to really get to know them.

We attempted to go on a Ski Trip with some of them and then actually MADE IT on a ski trip with one... We saw one rise up and accept the call to ministry... We saw one get baptised alongside his entire family when his little brother accepted Christ... We saw another baptised when she realized she had never taken that step in her walk...

We didn't know what to expect when our new batch of students arrived this past Sunday.

 We were in for a surprise!

I knew we were getting a few really great kids because I knew some of our 10th graders and I was excited to see them coming...

What I didn't know was that we'd have SO MANY!


August 2011



Please pray for us this year as we try to reach and teach a larger group of kids. Pray we'll have the discernment to teach them the lessons they each need this year (even when we're not IN class).

Thanks for any and all prayers :)

Awards Abound

It's that time of year again.

The end of another school year.

I have been very thankful for this year though, because in comparison to previous years, 4th grade has been a wonderful experience! Wesley is really coming into his own and making friends. He finally got to participate in the gifted program and was able to spread his wings through that avenue.

And this has been an excellent year in AWANA. Last year, you may recall, he received the Book One Award... which is the award given to kids who have completed the first book (huge surprise, right?)

This year, he received the Excellence Award... which is for children who have completed THREE Books!

He was so proud of himself! He puffed out his chest and told me his goal next year was to win the Timothy Award, which is the highest award reserved for kids who complete all of the books for the T&T program (3rd-6th grades)

I think he is on track to accomplish that goal!

Monday night, Wesley emptied out his book bag and discovered all sorts of things he had been meaning to give me (haha) Some of the forms had deadlines back in April... including the school photo order form! Another form was a permission slip for Fun Day this Friday (we barely got that turned in on time).  And one other tiny little slip of paper was stuck in with the bunch. It was a paper I had never gotten from this school before.

It said, "Congratulations! Your child will be receiving an award on Wednesday at 10:30 AM."  I jumped up and down and cheered! It has been a couple years since we've gone to an awards ceremony and it was just a tremendous confirmation that all the struggles with homework and assignments were worth it! Wes had no idea what the award was so we waited for the big reveal this morning.

Granny even came over for the big day :)   ... and I didn't manage to get her picture :(

So, what award was it?

Wesley made the President's List! That is for the students who maintained all A's and B's for the year!!!

I couldn't be prouder! Granny and I spent a good 10 minutes taking turns hugging and bragging on him!

It must have made him stand a little prouder... and a little taller... because according to this picture he's almost up to my chin!!

I guess he's not my Little Man anymore!

Now that Wesley has finished elementary school (*sniff sniff*) I can see big things on the horizon. Wonderful times lay just around the corner!

Just like our back doors on a chilly May day... the future is wide open!

AWANA Ice Cream Olympics

Every year, AWANA goes out in style by hosting the Ice Cream Olympics. It's basically field day with Ice Cream in every activity... Oh yeah, and the kids get to eat a Sundae with all the toppings they can stand :) After everyone is good and sticky, they get rinsed off on the Redneck Water Slide.

This year was just as much fun as last year, despite the chilly weather.

And we had a massive turn-out. Take a look at this crowd:

Here is Wesley trying to warm up after his umpteenth trip down the slide. He thought he'd warm up and eat some ice cream!

After grabbing some sundaes, Wesley found some friends to hang out with.

He looks like he's Up To Something, too!

Here is his pal from across the street, Clare :) 

And, for a small taste of the fun, Check out this video of Wesley going down the slide for the first time.

Judging from his reaction at the end, I'd say he loved it!



AWANA Grand Prix

Orange Lightning struck the Collinsville area yet again last Saturday!

Since he was racing the same car from last year, Wesley was running in the Unlimited Class instead of the general matches.

And, much like last year, he left a wide path of destruction in his wake...

I was the official photographer again this year, so I had a front row seat to all the action.

We had a new track this time and the cars were zooming so fast that a pillow had to be added to the end after a few cars went all the way off the table!!

As the matches went on, Wesley knocked other cars off the charts left and right!!

Even the car that beat him last year eventually fell by the wayside...

Soon, it was down to two cars.

Wesley's Orange Lightning and Payne's Maroon MSU Car...

It was a close race and everyone was on the edge of his seat!

Would Wesley achieve Victory this year after being edged out last year??

.....

Sadly, no. 

In the final match, Payne beat Wesley by a full car-length :(

In the winner's circle, Wesley proudly received another 2nd place trophy and was just as happy for Payne as he could have been. He simply said he'd like to try again next year with Orange Lightning and maybe another car in the general races...

And THAT winning attitude made Wesley #1 with me :)

At the close of the afternoon, it was pointed out that next year LEADERS can submit a car to race among themselves....

I can see it now... zooming down the track faster than the human eye can follow ... it's ... Purple Passion!! Stay tuned Race Fans!!

D Now 2011 ~ Wow!

By now you may have heard that we were a host home for D Now this year :) We had 6 eleventh grade girls plus their college-aged leader staying with us for a whole weekend and we loved every minute of it! Even Wesley enjoyed having a captive audience and when he had performed all he wanted, he disappeared across the street with his friends :)

The weekend began Friday evening...While the youth were at another church taking part in the first worship session, we brought home all their supplies and luggage...

We should have known we were in for it when all their belongings slowly took over the house...

First it was the snacks:

Then the sleeping bags and pillows and blankets and the luggage were brought in... You can already see Baylor is alarmed:

But aside from the sheer amount of STUFF it takes to house 7 girls, we didn't have a single complaint.


We let the leader girl have the guest room. We had 3 girls on Wesley's futon mattress in the office floor. Two girls took the couch and love seat / ottoman and one girl slept on the living room floor.


Friday night they were up late, but they didn't bother us one bit. In fact, Baylor was more difficult to sleep through than the Giggle Fest in the living room! He whimpered in our room all night!


Saturday morning, the breakfast fairy (aka Joann Walker from our church) arrived to make scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and biscuits for the whole gang! A dozen eggs and 24 biscuits later we were stuffed and happy :) Just in time to head to the 2nd worship session.

The music portion was lead by Scott England and our girls were Instantly Mesmerized to say the least. The band was alot of fun and had some pretty powerful songs to sing. 

Then, the speaker got up and posed a series of eight questions centered on whether we are giving our whole heart to God or if there are parts we are holding back. The questions included things like "Do I have bitterness in my heart?" and then he would follow up with scripture that would explain why we ought to change that part of our heart... Then he'd move on to another question and a scriptural answer. It was really thought-provoking and if we were honest, we were answering YES to far too many of the questions :\ definitely gave us things to work on!

After that it was time for lunch and a little relaxation. The girls had a follow-up Bible study with our leader and then they watched a few movies and declared their love for Scott England, Justin Beiber... and Baylor!

All in all it was a WONDERFUL weekend and I know it's only because we had a GREAT group of young ladies! I can't wait to see how they internalize the lessons they learned and then to see how their bonds grown in the coming months! I am very thankful that my family got to be a part of the process!



Back Row L-R: Jessi, Lexi, Haley, Lauren, Kaitlin, Noel
Front Row L-R: Brad, Me, our college leader Meredith and Wesley!



Back at church on Sunday, the majority of our group sang in the worship service... I'd say it was an impressive group, wouldn't you?

Happy Halloween

It's that time again! Halloween time! aka Wesley's favorite holiday :)

In keeping with a Smith tradition, Brad's parents joined us for a fun-filled, jam-packed day!

The first stop was the Fall Festival at church! (You know, home of the free bulbs!!)

I only have a handful of other photos so I thought I'd do a top 5 list from the day.

(Unfortunately, I managed to NOT get any pictures of mom and dad smith!)

#5

I love this picture because it really shows how much Wes has grown lately!! He's gaining on me!!

2010

2009

#4

Wesley was really good at all the games - I think we were most impressed when he played putt putt because he scored a hole in one on the first try!! Naturally, I didn't have a camera ready for that shot... SO, here is a photo of another game he played.

#3

Wesley dressed as a vampire this year. My favorite part of the whole outfit is his shoe selection...

Really completes the look, don't you think??

 

#2

I really do love this picture because it is Wesley completely in his element. He was more excited about setting up the lights and fog machine than he was about trick or treating. I snapped this picture because I think it will be one of his favorite halloween memories :)

 #1

This is MY favorite halloween memory :)

After the lights were unplugged and the candy was all given out... Brad and Wes sorted through the loot together and had a great time giggling at the weird ones ("Who gives out PRETZELS on Halloween??") and splitting up the "good" from the "bad" (Wesley still doesn't like Snickers??)

It's no trick, seeing my two guys getting along and being buddies is quite a treat for this Mom :) 

AWANA Grand Prix

The city of Collinsville was overcome by a terrible storm as Orange Lightning lit up the night! Ok... the weather was clear, but Orange Lightning was still out in force tonight!

I'm talking, of course, about Wesley's pine car :) Brad spent countless hours getting the Block of Wood into a perfectly aerodynamic shape. Then, Wesley worked to get the color scheme just right. In the end, the car looked fast even when sitting still.

We headed to the church where the car was weighed and checked in. The weight limit is 5 oz. - Orange Lightning weighed in at 4.93 oz. :) Before the races, I was asked to man the AWANA camera and act as paparazzi for each racer - Meanwhile, Brad was a design judge. Needless to say, we were busy well before the races began.... And once the races were underway, the pace only picked up!



The younger children got to race first. By the time the older kids got their turns, the crowd was on the edge of their seats!



Finally, it was Wes's turn. He was placed with 2 other cars and they all 3 whooshed down to the finish line - Wesley's car WON! And in the following rounds as Wesley's car was sent down the ramp with the remaining T&T kids, he knocked them all out of the running... Here's one example of the anhiliation:







And here is Wes, playing it cool after his first victory:







Throughout the rounds in Wes's division, only one car racked up as many victories as his. In the end, it came down to Wesley versus Lauren (from down the street)


Boy vs Girl


Orange vs Pink


First Place was on the line....


It was a photo finish....




Sadly, Lauren beat Wesley in the final round! It was ok though because it was a close race and ...

There's Always Next Year!!






In the weeks leading up to the big race, our chairman of the deacons was often seen bragging about his car. He would be racing anyone willing to go up against his maroon race car - He claimed it had never been beaten in 42 years. Needless to say, we all eagerly awaited the unveiling of The Legend!!


True to his word, Mr. Billy beat out the competition left and right!


After the races were over, a few kids wanted to pit their cars against his - even though they weren't in the same division as The Legend!


In the last race of the evening - Orange Lightning went up against The Legend....


It wasn't even a photo finish, but I had my camera ready just in case...


See for yourself:




It was Wesley by a MILE!!! The crowd went wild! Mr. Billy stared in disbelief!


Naturally, a proud mom was waiting to grab Wes in the Winner's Circle!! You can tell that he's proud of his trophy - I am, too!


Second place for a first timer isn't too shabby ;)

Wesley already has plans to bring Orange Lightning back next year for a grudge match.

Watch out Lauren!

Happy Fall, Ya'll !!

Well, judging by the cooler temperatures, I'd say it's officially Fall! We've been keeping busy which is weird because I had expected our weekends to clear up after Summer ended. Turns out, we're still just as hectic as before :)





One thing we're really enjoying is working in AWANA. I've been working with 3rd and 4th grade girls as they learn their bible verses and Brad works with 5th grade boys. We both think our group is the best and I think we're both right :)





Here is the whole group gathered together to listen to Mr. Josh and Mrs. Mandi:








You know, I don't think this picture quite does it justice! The kids multiply when it's game time! Haha





Maybe this short video will better convey the boisterous fun we have :) After we go over verses in small groups, the boys all meet together and the girls all meet together for a devotional. Our girls sing several fun songs before we start - In this video you can see some of my 3rd and 4th graders in the foreground... Hint, they're the little ones :)











I'm sure by now you've all heard that Wes got an award in AWANA - He was the Clubber of the Month. That means he had perfect attendance, behaved well, and recited more than the average amount of verses! He has really put alot of effort into his memorization and we are all SO PROUD! We can't say enough good things about this! So, instead, I'll let his big grin do the talking:








That picture was taken right after he found out he had won the award :) Earlier that week he had also brought home several A+ papers in his school work so he was basking in the glow for several weeks. He summed it up by saying, "Lots of A's... Clubber of the Month... I've been being so good. What are you going to do with me?" :) Indeed!





We've been so blessed with how well he's turning out and I couldn't ask for more :)


Oh, and I told you about his AR goal, right? He exceeded it this past semester and he's already doing well on this semester's goal :)





Ok, I doubt ya'll can handle much more Blatant Mom Bragging!





So, I'll move right along to today's update :) I have had a lovely day even though it's chilly outside. With the drop in temperatures, it's time to start bundling up and staying cozy ... Here is Wes enjoying Granny's latest creation:




I may not be pleased with how the forecast has been going... But, as the weather has cooled and the rain increased, our roses have just gone into overload! We've had at least a dozen blooms from the white bush and a slightly smaller crop of pink roses. And each one is more beautiful than the last... Case in point, what could be more beautiful or peaceful than this:

But, back to today... After lunch, Wes and I went to a local nursery and stocked up on flowers! I had been wanting some purple mums lately and maybe a few other flowers. This particular nursery did NOT disappoint! I found lots of wonderful things for our garden:

Sorry this first one is such a blurry photo (even though the soil is in perfect focus...)

These snapdragons are going to be absolutely gorgeous and Wes approves of the fun color. I know Brad always liked them when he was younger so I think everyone will enjoy them:



For a clearer picture of how they'll turn out click here

I also wanted to add some pansies. Last time we planted pansies was at Shenandoah and they were hard to see. I think a lighter color will show up better so I got a flat of these:

Now, about those mums I wanted. Wal-mart had several around 1 foot tall and a few that were a foot and a half...

But nothing could beat the ones I found today!!! As soon as I spotted them I snatched them up!!

I think they make a lovely addition to our front porch, don't you?

Happy Fall, Ya'll !!