Apples of Gold

A few years ago while living in Arkansas, I tried to start a mentoring program for women called, "Apples of Gold" at the church we attended. Unfortunately, the older women never seemed to have enough time to participate. We were recently going through our bookshelves to sell some back to a used bookstore. I saw the book and thought, this study will never happen, so we sold it. A few weeks later, it was announced that our church was going to have an "Apples of Gold" class. I knew I had to sign up for it. We met for 3 hours during the evening for 8 weeks. Each night we were greeted at the door with hugs from the mentors. We enjoyed appetizers as we watched a cooking and homemaking demonstration. We were led in a Bible study and then enjoyed discussion over dinner that was prepared for us. These women invested so much time and energy into our lives. It was evident that each of the women were passionate about mentoring, not one of them was pressured or guilted into being there. Our class of mentees enjoyed each other and have been keeping in touch since the end of the class. I'm so thankful to have been a part of the "Apples of Gold" program and hope to be able to serve in another class.

Papa and Memaw's visit

Memaw and Papa, Elijah's parents, came for a visit. We went to visit the Cheekwood Botanical gardens. It was beautiful! I brought pictures of springtime flowers so we went on a scavenger hunt for the flowers. We also met Elijah's Uncle John and Aunt Sue at Cracker Barrel.

Daddy & Daughter Dance

Abby and I have started to have special Daddy and Daughter dates, but this is our first dance together :)

Fellowship Bible Church organized an event just for Fathers and their daughters. Abby got to dress up in one of her pretty dresses, I dressed up in a suit (which is a rarity), I bought her a rose, and then we headed to the dance.

I think Abby's favorite part of the whole night was the chocolate fountain that they had with strawberries, marshmallows, and pretzel sticks. She also was very fond of going to the ice cream store afterwords.

Two of Abby's close friends were there as well, Bethany Guinness and Grace Talley. Us fathers and girls danced the the hokey poky, joined in the conga line, motioned to the makarana, and participated in other such dances.

We both had a great time and made some very good memories that I think we will both remember for a long time. I hope to make this a yearly tradition.

Monkey's Tree House

There's a great place to play in town called, The Monkey's Tree house. It's perfect for a rainy or hot day. They have a section for little ones to crawl around in, an indoor tree house, a sandbox, dress up clothes, an art section, a pretend grocery store and more. We met the Guinness family there this time.

Ugly Bug Ball

The Ugle Bug Ball is an opportunity for the children at Mustard Seed Preschool to come dressed up as “ugly bugs.” Abby dressed as a bumble bee. They've been discussing creeping animals in creation at school. Several stations were set up to play as and talk about what insects and creeping animals can do. The children also participated in an “Ugly Bug Parade” down the hallways of the preschool.

Enoch @ 8 Months

Enoch cut his first two teeth this month. He's usually such a happy baby, but cutting teeth is rough stuff. He's also had several ear infections that never seem to clear up after the first antibiotic. He loves to swing on the back porch

Down by the River

The community we live in has a paved trail that runs by the river. There's one place we're able to get down the river. We love to throw rocks in the river. This was Enoch's first time to join us, he loved riding in the back pack!

FPU Game Night

Our community group has been going through Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace" course. We took a break one night to have a taco and game night. We played Apple's to Apple's and Catch Phrase. The kids played a Disney Bingo game. Fun times.

Pawi's 90th Birthday

We were honored to attend my grandfather's surprise birthday party. Pawi was celebrating his 90th birthday and he was definitely surprised. My Aunt, Carole, and my Dad did a great job planning the party. Many of his friends were able to come and those who weren't sent cards and letters. We are so blessed to have Moni and Pawi and have learned so much from the wisdom they have shared with us over the years.

Dr. Seues Birthday

They celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday at Abby's preschool. The children dressed up as characters from Dr. Seuss books. Abby dressed up as Horton the Elephant, from the book, "Horton Hears a Who." It was fun to see all the creative costumes.

Brotherly Love

Enoch is getting big enough for Abby to start including him in her play. She invited him to come to her tea party along with her other animal friends. He sat right there with her and listened closely to what she was telling him. He also played the part of baby Moses while she was Miriam. We've re-enacted this story before, but always had to use a baby doll for Moses. It was fun to use a real baby this time! He didn't want to stay in the basket for too long, though. I've also overheard Abby making the two of them a "secret hideout." I love to see them playing together!

Feburary Home Preschool

I haven't been keeping up with doing our "home preschool" activities as much as I had planned, but every now and then we do some pretty fun things at home. I've found a great website with some great simple activities to do at home. Abby enjoyed cutting beads from a Mardi Gras necklace and gluing them onto her name. Enoch won't be able to be that close when he starts crawling! She also practiced her cutting skills using small strips of cardstock, which is less flimsy than printer paper and the narrow strips are easier to handle.

Expanded Snowmen Family

We only had one snow day this winter and there was hardly any snow. Enoch and I watched from the window as Abby and Elijah made a miniature snowman family like last year, only this year, there was one extra snow baby!