What a nice getaway we had in August when we visited Aunt Gail and Uncle Dennis in Alabama. The kids enjoyed one of their favorite past times swimmming. We have a entire school of fish in our family! We also tried our hand at tubing. However, the highlight had to be Matt's first kill, a HUGE squirrel. Thank you Uncle Dennis for helping us make some memories!
Middle Tn is being blanketed with 5"+ inches of snow over the next 24 hours. Time for some snowballs!! The kids even got to go sledding TN style with our neighbors. We followed it up with some hot cocoa to defrost!
Today, January 7th the kids are enjoying the BIG SNOWFALL we are receiving which has closed schools. I know those of you north of us with get a big laugh at the thought of everything closing down!! 
With a wonderful and eventful Thanksgiving behind us we are enjoying a busy holiday season in our new home. We were blessed with a visit from Pop and Grandma Kathie and the Thompson family over Thanksgiving weekend. Followed close behind by a visit from the Swopes. It was so nice to see family and our Gitmo friends (who might as well be family!!) Most of the boxes are unpacked, but I have to admit some things were put away a bit hastily. It will be one of my New Year's resolutions to get it all sorted out. Meanwhile, the tree trimming traditions and shopping abound. We were out and about today for about 6 hours and I don't remember it being so chaotic-people everywhere, traffic, crying kids. It seems 4 years of internet shopping warped my memory!! We are trying to focus our attention on the real gift of Christmas our Savior Jesus and have been visiting different churches in the area. There are many to choose from and we are seeking the Lord's guidance in finding our new church home. Hope you all remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!
This room use to be bright red with lots of white metal shelving attached to the walls. Mark spent a week painting and putting up the wainscoting. Not too shabby for a first time do it your self job!!
