Basketball hoop!

Adley tried basketball this year and I still need to get those pictures together for another blog post.  But first, I thought I would share that our sweet neighbors just happened to ask us if we wanted their very nice basketball goal! Why, yes! Here we are trying it out as soon as they brought it over.  The girls have been playing out on it every day.  They love it!  TJ may have already made us play two on two and a round of horse. :-)

New Cousins Coming Soon . . .

Mark, Shannon, and Malaine are heading out right now to China.  We are super excited for their trip to bring two more kiddos into their family.  Pray for them and for Syler (age 8) and Mercie (age 2).  Their lives are about to be turned upside down!  Shannon's travel blog for the trip is www.2china4sylerandmercie.blogspot.com.

Grandma Foster’s 90th Birthday

Grandma turned 90 this past June!  We had a family party at the Sherman’s, and had our friend come do pictures to capture the event.  We had her do pictures of everyone in every configuration we could think of. (We had everyone there except for Angela’s husband, Chris, who was sick.  Poor guy!) Then, Amber put together a photo book of all of the pictures for Grandma’s present.  Here are a few of her photos – all done by Adelfia Photography.

The whole gang!

Just the grandkids and great grandkids

Cake

  It was a great day of celebration!  We love you, Grandma!

Flashback: Random Summer Fun

Fun at the lake. 

Park with friends:  Older girls walking the wall.

Park with friends: Snack time

Park with friends: Being silly   

Mailing in last adoption paperwork!

Friends!

TJ got picked at the circus to do pushups!

Magic House: carriage ride

Magic House: Giant bubble 

Magic House: riding the boat! 

Magic House: water fun

Magic House: Silly Leighton

Leighton’s checkup and shots!  That ice cream helped get rid of the pouty lip

Mini Golf: Jaylyn made a hole in one!

Mini Golf: Everyone needs to golf with a Hello Kitty purse

Mini Golf: This is fun!

Zoo with cousins

Movie time with cousins

Cooking with cousins

Movie making with cousins

Spa time with cousins! 

Fine Arts Camp: Jaylyn ready for the art showcase.  She did jewelry making, cooking 2, sewing 2

Jaylyn with Mitzi, the jewelry teacher

Jaylyn’s jewelry she made

Jaylyn’s apron she made.  It is even reversible

Slip ‘n Slide fun   

Flashback: Trunk or Treat

This year’s (ok, it is last year now) family trunk theme (back in October. . . ) was “Alice in Wonderland”.  Lot’s of fun!

Here’s Diana’s “Down the Rabbit Hole”

My room with the little door ( and table with the “drink me” bottle)

They opened the door to see the rabbit running away and the basket of candy.

Debbie’s Tree with all of the signs that say “this way” and “that way”, etc.  (I didn’t get a very good picture!!)

Shannon’s car as the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

The Laxton crew (Mark & Shannon as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Makenna as the Cheshire Cat, Sawyer as the Mad Hatter, Malaine as Alice, Sage as the Queen of Hearts, and Mavery as one of the flamingos.)

My kids . . . (Jaylyn as the White Rabbit, Adley as the Rose, Leighton as one of the Spade cards)

All the kids together

Flashback: Jaylyn’s Baptism

Back in October, we were able to celebrate a very special day.  There is nothing more exciting than seeing God’s saving grace at work in the life of your child.  Jaylyn really had started this journey back when she was five.  We had lots of conversations about sin and our need for a Savior.  One conversation with TJ was where God really began working personally in her heart.  She knew she needed God’s forgiveness and prayed that He would give her a new life in Christ.  Since she was only five, we continued to pray and discuss and guide and teach her about salvation.  After some maturing and seeing some friends baptized, Jaylyn finally said that she wanted to be baptized too, to show what God had done in her life.  Our great friend, Travis, was able to baptize her and we had a great celebration day!  

She’s ready!

Cheese!

Here she goes!

And up she comes!

All finished!

Celebrating lunch at Breadeux

Family and friends came to celebrate too!

Enjoying some sweet cards and gifts