Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  There truly are so many things to be thankful for.  This is a wonderful holiday to just take a minute and really be thankful.  It is so easy sometimes to focus on problems that the blessings of life can get overshadowed.  I pray that I will have a thankful heart at all times.

We were able to share this holiday with some wonderful family.  Alex and Ivy came here for the week and it has been so wonderful to share time with them.  We are so blessed to have the apartment at the end of the house where they can have a little more space and I hope they were able to have some rejuvenation for their busy life.  Brent, Latisha and August were also able to spend the holiday with us.  It is so fun to have a baby around again and August is such a sweet baby it is all the more special.

The holiday had almost gone but I snapped a couple quick pictures.  Enjoy and God Bless
Alicia

Alex and Ivy

Latisha, August and Brent

The kiddos, did a little performing for us.  Danika is getting quite good on her new instrument
and even had her first recital that her teacher held just for her and our family a couple weeks ago.
Cassandra has quite the smile here and Isabella was having a great time playing on the piano.  She
just kept laughing and applauding herself after she hit some keys.   

Fall Pictures

I feel blessed that I was able to take some pictures of one of the most beautiful families I know.  My lovely daughter, Latisha asked me to take their family pictures for their Christmas cards.  I was a bit nervous but am very happy with how they turned out.  It was a beautiful day and my subjects looked lovely so it was easy.   They decided to take the pictures at Brent's college as this time next year he will be graduating!

Tomorrow is August's 5 month birthday.  How fast it goes but he is getting so handsome and big, we are so blessed to have him in our lives.   We tried to get pictures of him but he was not wanting to smile, he was too busy exploring his environment.  He would smile for grandma then by the time I had the camera up, lost his smile.  It would have been wise to have brought a helper to keep him smiling, but the pictures are still great.

Such a sweetie!

he just started sitting up, here he is slowly falling :) 

Fall Trip

We just got home from our weekend getaway to see Alexander and Ivy.  The weather was lovely fall weather.  We were able to spend a few days with them and we really enjoyed our time.

It was so good to see their cute home and how they have decorated it.  We all stayed at their home, they were very brave.  Having our busy little family at your home can add much excitement.  They were such a blessing as they took care of planning and making all the meals and showing us the sights.  We really enjoyed spending time with them, seeing Alex’s office, and going to the park where we got to play in the leaves and see the lake. The girls also got to have a fun tea party, paint nails and make leaf rubbings.  Not all my girls are tea enthusiasts, but they try.  Cassandra just kept adding more sugar until she finally gave up and traded it in for apple cider.  

I especially enjoyed going to the Sunday church service.  I did my best to keep my emotions in check as I watched our son leading the church in worship.  Memories of him as a little boy of about 3, playing on the piano and walking back and forth telling us all to praise the Lord, kept coming to my memory, and it was well with my soul.   Later that evening they had their youth service.  At the end of the service they began singing "Happy Birthday" to Ivy.  Aidric and I were in another room and he heard them and started shouting, "Cake, Cake!" Bummer there was no cake.  We enjoyed seeing Alex and Ivy interacting with the youth and ministering to them.  Being both the Music and Youth Pastor makes for a busy Sunday but Alexander is in his element and doing a great job.  Many people complimented us on our boy.  We are just so blessed to see him using the call God has placed on him to minister to others. 

The morning we left, we woke to the men making breakfast.  It was Ivy’s birthday.  We are very blessed to have a caring daughter in law who is so very much in love with our son and does a wonderful job as his wife.  It was great to share her birthday morning with her and watch her opening gifts.  Happy Birthday Ivy and thank you so much for all you do. 

God bless and have a great day.

Alicia

The lovely couple and their church

Here we are in front of their church

This is Alex's office... window office :)

This is the piano he plays during worship service

The youth room 

The youth Bible study/hangout room

ohh... the beginning of the leaf pile

Aidric wanted to be immersed in the leaves

Getting ready for the big dive

Add caption

Yeah, leaves in hair

our version of a kissing picture with leaves softly floating down.

Aidric climbing a tree

Isabella was so excited to go play on the toys

Danika looked so pretty under this gorgeous tree

Passing was leading everyone on a obstacle course 

The Dinosaur

Cute picture

Isabella tried out the dinosaur

Cassandra felt everyone should get on the dinosaur together

poor dinosaur

They were all walking holding hands, photo moment.

David and I

I feel so loved.