The Pumpkin Patch

Just some pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch!

Halloween...

Please know I am not judging those of you who do celebrate this day, I am only expressing my own thoughts and opinions because this is really on my heart tonight. I know that there are some out there who don't have a strong conviction about this and that's okay. This is just me...

I have been researching all night because, although I am not torn in my beliefs of this holiday, I am torn as to how and why it has become such a huge thing in our culture. It almost breaks my heart as I read the origin on Halloween. As a Christian I realize I could never support this holiday. I am feeling strongly convicted that this is not just innocent fun. Though many may be disagree, I feel that, for our family, it is impossible to separate the innocence of trick-or-treat with the origin, and the evil surrounding Halloween. (I am posting a link with the origin and history of Halloween, and the Christian view of this at the bottom of this post.) I understand that these days there is "no harm" in allowing children to go door to door dressed as scary or even not-so-scary characters and going door to door to get candy. I just cannot support this tradition and have a clear conscience in doing so.(I also just never know when there is going to be someone who gets a kick out of scaring my kid by jumping out as an awful scary looking zombie or something, and I have known people who do this) As I looked through the history of Halloween, and Christian views of it I found verse after verse telling me this is NOT okay. I almost dread this time of year. I would like to lock myself inside my house with Tori and not have to face all of the Halloween stuff everywhere, but I realize that is unreasonable. I have to take my little girl out of the house. I have to go into the grocery store  at least once a week and I don't know how to explain to her why there are scary faces, blood, skeletons, spiders, ghosts, witches, and so much more all around her. Why does our culture say this is ok?? Why do they put these things everywhere larger than life for my baby to ask me about, and be worried over, or maybe even have nightmares over? I know that ultimately it is mine and Adam's responsibility to teach Tori that these things are pretend and that there is nothing to be afraid of, but how hard of a concept that is to grasp for a 2 year old. I wish I could run away from it, but I know I can't. I do realize I have taken the more "bold" approach to this day, but when I am tempted to just relax about it, or let her be a kid and go trick-or-treating, or walk through the Halloween stuff with her in the cart I am reminded of these verses:

Romans 12:2
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

"2 Corinthians 6:14, 15"
"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?" 

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22
"Test everything. Hold onto the good. Avoid every kind of evil."

I also wanted to include Romans 12:1-2 in the Message because I just love this paraphrase so much...


Romans 12:1-2
 "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."


This is the link for alot of the info I have been ranting about.
Halloween Origins and Customs


All this to say,
Yall I so dislike Halloween... 
Just walking into Walgreens this week to get one little thing I was bombarded with huge awful creatures hanging from the ceiling with black robes hanging off of them and arms reaching out to grab you. There were skeletons, zombies, and some of the famous horror film characters all hanging by rope from the ceiling. It freaked me out a little and I'm an adult... No matter where I went in the store we could see them and Tori spent the whole 3 minutes in there with her eyes buried in a stuff animal I grabbed off an end-cap... I was pretty upset and asked to speak with a manager. Yall may think I'm nuts, but seriously I feel like I should at least have a choice in the matter... It was almost impossible to find a spot in the store that we couldn't see the scary stuff. I mean it was hanging from the ceiling I felt almost forced to look at it. I just told nicely asked the manager that I just wanted him to know how upset I was over this, and that my only request was that it be kept contained in the aisle so that I could make the choice to avoid it. I also told him I would not be back in Walgreens until this season was over. He was very apologetic and said he would see what he could do, of course nothing was changed... It was absolutely horrible.


It makes me sad that this beautiful time of year has to be tainted by Halloween

After tonight I am determined to have a positive attitude about the Fall
This year it snuck up on me, and I wasn't ready for my little girl to have to deal with it
Next year I will be better prepared.
I am getting excited for all the fun that will come within the next few weeks.
We will go to the pumpkin patch
We will go to the fall festival at a nearby church
Tori will turn 3 and we will celebrate her precious life.
She will get to have a dress-up party, and all her friends can come wear their costumes to celebrate her with us.
I love the leaves changing, and the crisp air, and the beauty of God's creation as the season changes.
I love pumpkins, and scarecrows, and Thanksgiving.
I love to sit outside by a fire with the ones I love and roast hot dogs and marshmallows
I love pumpkin pie, and candy corn
I love jumping in a pile of leaves :)
I love this time of year!!

On a lighter note, we will be taking Tori to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin and for her first time ever we are going to carve it!!! We have been reading the pumpkin patch parable book a lot and she can't wait until her pumpkin will have a "new face." I will definately post some pictures of that!!

Happy FALL to all of you!!

We're still here!!

Hello all! Sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything!! I'm lacking time and creativity these days!! Hopefully very soon I will be back to writing about what we're up to!! Until then... here are some pictures from our photo shoot with Kristen Dunn... They turned out AMAZING!!! I love them so much, I don't know how I am going to pick which ones to put on the wall haha... enjoy!!

My favorite place in the whole world

Adam, Tori, and I went to Brevard, NC for a week long stay at my parent's mountain house. As always it was a perfect time to just relax, and do a little hiking. :) Adam's mom and his brother Brandon's girlfriend and her brother from Peru came with us. 

We had a wonderful time. 

We got to go to Pretty Place where we were married. It just tugs at my heartstrings to watch my baby girl walk down the isle of the chapel where her daddy and I got married... 

God is so so good! The reason that I love NC so much is because God's creation is all around me, and I'm sure you will agree, He is quite an artist!!

What a beautiful, wonderful, amazing place

Baby Fever...

These days Adam and I are both having these sudden moments of 

"OMYGOODNESS I want another baby!!" haha. 

We have been praying about it alot, and just don't feel that it's God's will for us to have another quite yet. I wish the signs could be a little clearer haha. 

I am just itching for another one, 

but another baby means things will be changing quite a bit in our lives; money, me, 1 child to 2, etc. I feel like we are finally settling into our little family of 3, and I can't figure out if that's good or bad. I don't want to get to comfortable here 

and be totally knocked over by having 2 to take care of haha. 

I'm sure you 4 children families are laughing at me now!! 

All this to say, would you pray for us?? 

Pray that we will trust in God's perfect timing, 

and just be content where we are!! 

Until then 3 we shall be!!

Family Pictures...

We had some pictures taken this week for Adam's family while his brother is in town. Just thought I would share a few with you!! As you can see there is a new picture of Adam, Tori, and I at the top of my profile. That is our family shot! Here's a few of my favorites:

Me, Tori, Adam, and his brother Brandon

Brandon, Adam, and their Dad

Necy and her Grandbabies

My little cutie

2 of the whole family shots

These were taken by Ashley Mott and edited by me... Aren't they awesome!! She did a great job :)

Roughing it.... Tennessee style

The 4th of July weekend was definitely a weekend to remember. Adam and I decided to canoe the Buffalo River and camp out over night on the side of the river. We went with Adam's brother Brandon, and some friends of ours Tyler, Paige, BJ, and Ray. We got in our canoes packed with tents, food, and a few essentials and floated down the river. We spent most of Saturday on the water, and when it was time to set up camp we found the perfect campsite. We set up our tents, made a fire, and cooked some awesome food, then we sat by the fire, shot a few fireworks, and watched the stars. The ground was a little hard, but we slept good enough and woke up the next morning to sunshine and the sound of the water. We cooked the rest of our food, and packed everything up and headed the last 5 miles home. We had so much fun!! This just proved to me that even though I'm a Mama, and wife now I can still rough it from time to time!! I can't wait to go again :)

"Sack of Potatoes"

Tori said "Yook mommy I a sack o tatoes!!" 
Haha Daddy was carrying her off to bed...

She loves her Daddy!!