525,600 minutes

As I find myself updating the blog this last evening of 2014 I am thinking about that popular song from the Broadway show "Rent".  It is a great song that I think of at the New Year........ How do we measure a year? If you haven't heard this song, it is worth the 3 minutes! Click this link:  Seasons of love   We had a busy month with more travel than usual.  Jeff traveled for work 3 times this month and we made a trip to PA for a long weekend to see family for the holidays. I will write some captions to help highlight the month. We ended the month with a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge for Sarah's birthday.

Moe's face painting night with the Wilsons

Piano Recital

With Great Granny in PA

Ryan in his Christmas sweater, eating the jello mold with cat food
 (Christmas Vacation fans will get this joke gift)

Sarah got a bike for Christmas

Christmas morning at our house

Ava Jane loves baby dolls

Uncle Brian going down our new zip line!
(Thank you Gramma and Pop Pop)

Sarah's Anna Hair for her birthday, thanks Uncle Brian

Kids all wanted to dress up for Sarah's birthday

We went to a one room schoolhouse old fashioned Christmas with the Furloughs, lots of fun! 

Staying up way too late drinking cider........

Jenna Grace and her friends went to a Christmas craft party

Jenna Grace and friends took a little house on the prairie class

Sarah and Mommy making some yummy food

Journey to Bethlehem always a Christmas Favorite

Sarah's cake at Granny Bee and Pappy's House

The kids with Gramma and Pop Pops Reindeer

Sarah breaking her cupcake smash cake at Gramma's house

Jenna Grace and Kayla horsing around exchanging gifts

Bass Pro Shops surprise Santa visit after the DPAC Christmas Show

Another cute picture from Bass Pro Shop

Happy Birthday Donuts!!

Great Wolfs .... at the Lodge

Birthday Girl

I love swimming and water slides

Ava Jane better watch out

This is how we look after 8 hours of water fun, lots of sugar, and little sleep!  

Five years ago, our lives changed as Sarah Katherine Weller came into our lives.  I am SO thankful we have had the privilege to know her, love her and watch her grow.   Happy New Year to all, run the race into 2015!  

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. 

November

We had a great November!  The leaves are falling and it is beautiful in North Carolina.  We took a field trip to Historic Yates Mill Park.  Jenna Grace lost another tooth this month, but what made it so special is that she pulled it out herself.  Basketball season has started and both Brennan and Jenna Grace are playing this year.  Jenna Grace was a cheerleader the last two years so it will be exciting to see her play basketball this year! We went to Native American Day at the history museum and it was so crowded but so worth it.  I had never seen Indians do calls and dances live before and it was a real treat for us. We packed our Operation Christmas Child boxes.  The children went and picked out all their gifts and made two boxes each.  They also wrote letters to the children that will receive the boxes. Jeff and Brennan went to an NC State Football games this month and we had some special girl time that day.  This is the first year that we put up our tree before Thanksgiving. Jeff has to travel several times in December so we thought we would put our tree up early to enjoy it a little longer. We also brought out the Christmas music and movies in November as well.  We decided that this is the year we break all traditions.  We usually wrap all of our Christmas books and kids open one a day, not this year.  There are a lot of things we usually do that we are not doing.  It is so easy for the tradition itself to become where the meaning is during the Holiday season.  We have become people that can fill in these blanks very easily "Christmas isn't Christmas unless we do this____  or eat ____ or give this ____ or get that _____  and on and on and on."  We were becoming far too comfortable in our traditions that it is the year to break them.  As much as I love certain traditions when the traditions become more than Christ during Christmas, it is just not worth it.  Jesus Christ is the gift we celebrate, his birth, his death and ultimately his resurrection. He is God and we are humbled and overwhelmed by His grace.  During the month of thanksgiving, we are most thankful for Him who is, who was and is to come!  We usually host Thanksgiving and make certain foods and do certain things but not this year, we spent Thanksgiving at a friends house and were blessed by their hospitality.
Take a few minutes to listen to a wonderful Christmas song

Jenna Grace at Yates Mill holding corn for grinding

Sarah and Ava Jane at Yates Mill trying to stay warm

A few sweet girls having a tea party 

The first fire of the season and cute pjs

Packing boxes on our NEW TABLE

Look at my tooth!

The girls were learning from the Native American women

I am in a canoe, look at me!

Huge pile of leaves in our yard

This was SO cool

October

We had a very busy October.  It started with a wonderful visit from Aunt Amy.  Sarah came down with an ecoli infection which was a pretty hard couple of days.   She had a mild case but it was still no fun .  The kids got to ride on ponies at Heritage Day at Oak View Farms this month. Brennan had his first shot at using the ax and chopping wood.  He is getting so big and so strong.  We visited the Aversboro Battlefield and we saw some re-enactments.  Brennan had a surgery that went really well. He was very brave and got an IV and made it through the whole process with no tears. He got to watch star wars and we played a lot of games during recovery.   It couldn't have went any better.  We had a great field trip at Clemmons State Forest and learned all about different trees. We also had an amazing field trip to the Aloha Zoo.  The kids got to feed a variety of animals including a giraffe.   Jenna Grace and Sarah went camping with Daddy at Jordan Lake for a Daddy Daughter Camp out. They had such a fun time.  We carved our pumpkins and went trick or treating.  My parents came and we had a nice visit.  Then we ventured to the Dunn Cotton Festival.