Starting Nov

We got a new bench!  It was actually an old bench that our neighbors were throwing out.  Sean went with The Carrascos to a saw mill and got the wood cut for it and James did something to the wood and then gave them to us and Sean put them in and scrubbed the green stuff off the iron and repainted it and voila! 

We went on a field trip last Friday with our umbrella school and with our friends The Carrascos to Marble Springs in Knoxville, which is the home of the first governor of TN, John Sevier.

Devon and Peanut at the saw mill getting our wood for our bench :)

We are well here.  Well, not well well.  Sean and all the kids, but Ryan, have colds.  And Hunter threw up twice on Monday.  Me and Ryan are well.  Well, I've had poison ivy on my lips (yikes!) and the side of my nose near my eye, but it is healing so yay for that!  November has started out big with The Cubs winning The World Series (Sean's fave baseball team) and the presidential election and then Veteran's Day.  We took advantage of the blessings on that day and got a free car wash, free haircut, and free dinner at Calhoun's for Sean.  THANK YOU VETERANS!  I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving!

Family

My mama emailed me some pictures that she took from her visit with my aunt a couple of weekends ago.  :) 

Things here have been good, well, except for Tuesday's election results. 

After lots of prayer, we decided to change churches and are now going to the Bates church in Clinton, called Bible Baptist Church.  We are really enjoying it and meeting lots of sweet families.  The Sunday school is really neat because it is geared towards the children, but parents and kids all stay together.  Ryan really likes it and is still talking about the lessons all week.  We also have monthly character qualities, memory verses, and hymnals that we do at home as a family, but also at church.  It helps to keep us motivated to do family Bible time at home.  Sunday evenings the kids go with Mrs. Bates for children's church and Sean and I (and Andrew) are going through the Basic Seminar.  Wednesday nights we have an hour service and then usually most of the families go out to eat afterwards.  We were joking about the crazy lives of Christians because we closed down the Zaxby's last Wednesday!!!!  ha ha!  We also did our first monthly field trip with the church and headed to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge to the Ripley's Aquarium last Tuesday.  I took the boys by myself (well, Michaela Bates rode with me) because Sean had school that day.  We had a blast and I LOVED seeing Gatinburg for the first time.  I'm ready to go back already and explore it more.  They were starting to put up their Christmas lights, too.  Sunday we went to the Harwell's house for food and fellowship (they are a sweet family at our new church) and really enjoyed spending time with them.  She is an amazing woman......home schools 7 children, is the CEO of her sewing business, and works out every morning to that workout called Insanity!

We do miss our newly made friends at our old (but really was still so new church), but will keep in touch. 

Andrew got his first shots on Friday. :(  He made the biggest boo boo face; it was heartbreaking!  He is 13 lbs and 24 in. 

We won tickets to last Saturday's UT football game, but took those over to the Bates house on Friday and some of them got to go. 

Today Sean is leaving school early and we are taking him to Red Robin in honor of Veteran's Day.  Free burger and fries for those who have served/are serving.  Thank you to all who have served for our country!!!!!!