Awana Costume Night

This past Tuesday was Awana costume night. The kids had so much fun in their costumes and they looked so great! I had to capture the moments so here are a few :)

Nathan wanted to dress up as "preppy people". So here we are... Mr. and Mrs. Preppy.

I asked Elanna if she was a princess and she was so upset. She said "No, I'm Alice in Wonderland" I don't want to be a princess. What little girl doesn't want to be a princess?

Hannah was Sharpay from High School Musical.. complete with the hair and glasses :)

This is Rick... and he is great. He's one of the Elders at our church, and he is probably only about 5" tall. It was so fitting for him to be dressed up as an elf. He probably played a part in the movie Elf and never told anyone.

House Sitting

We are housesitting for our pastor and his wife for the next 2 weeks or so. This is our 2nd experience housesitting, and it has been much better than the first. The first time we housesat, the house itself was really something else; their male dog named Brandi stayed under the bed the entire time. The whole thing was pretty interesting. This time, however, we get to play with the Welch's dog, Toby. He is so fun, and never goes under the bed. And the house is 100% normal. Plus we enjoy being away from where we live for a little bit... its a nice change of pace.

Announcing Mr. Fred Pumpkin Head!!

Here are the pictures you all have been waiting for. This was my experience in pumpkin carving for the first time in a very long time. Let me just say again that I didn't design the pumpkin, so I cannot really take credit for this great work of art. On the flip side... the end result is something that only its creator can really love...

There was much debate as to whether or not the pumpkin was going to be a girl or a boy. It's a one of a kind face with beautiful eyelashes, bushy eyebrows, and a gigantic mouth with 2 small buck teeth. Nathan and I decided he should be a boy and Nathan named him Fred. I think it is because of the eyebrows. But he is so handsome!!

New Blog Layouts

I came across a new website with some fun layouts today. Check it out if you are interested :)

http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/

Pumpkin Carving

I carved a pumpkin. This is a major step. First, I absolutely hate the smell of pumpkin innards. And I hate having to touch that nasty slimy stuff inside. I don't remember carving pumpkins much as a child. But on Wednesday, I started a new tradition. I carved a pumpkin with a few friends, and I was able to manage the smell and the nasty stuff inside! It was so fun! My friend designed my pumpkin for me, so I cannot take credit for the great work of art. All I have to say is that only the creator of the pumpkin could love it so much :) Pictures of Fred (yes, Nathan and I named the pumpkin Fred) will be coming soon. He is so cute. Don't be jealous.

So many good things

I'm not exactly sure why, but I just feel like I need to post something. I am in Nathan's office right now because our internet at home isn't working. Thats probably just as well otherwise I'd be on it all the time! Nathan is in an elder meeting tonight, and I was in taking care of a few things for AWANA. I had a brief conversation with my good friend from Wisconsin, Angie. Last night I got to talk to my dear friend from Washington, Stacey. I am just sitting here feeling so blessed by the wonderful things the Lord has placed in my life. Even as I was working on AWANA stuff, that has been such a blessing! While Nathan's and my life are a bit busy right now, we are so thankful to be so involved with our church! I mean, if we have free time and desire to be involved in something... what better involvement than ministry within our church? We normally have Bible Study on Monday nights but tonight was cancelled. That study has been so great to be involved with people who are our age on a more personal level. It is so awesome to get together and dig into God's word and learn from each other about what the Lord is teaching us through His Word. We just started AWANA last tuesday, and what a blessing that was! We had such great and positive feedback from people involved! Praise God! AWANA is a large undertaking for Nathan especially, and the Lord has used it to continue to bless and minister to people not only in the church, but also in the community! And of course, He would use it to minister to our hearts as well. Then on Wednesday, we get to be here for choir... and while that is a completely different dynamic, how awesome it is to just be able to be with other members of the body of Christ in a different setting! I just feel so very blessed by our involvement here, and for the time the Lord has allowed in our lives to be involved. I also feel so blessed as I sit here and reflect on the wonderful friends the Lord has placed in my life. They are so faithful to encourage me, to challenge me, and to hold me accountable. They are also so faithful to listen, offer advice and wisdom, and even just laugh with! I am so blessed by the flexibility of my job to be able to have time to invest in Nathan and in our marriage. The Lord has been so faithful to provide for our every need. I was reminded and challenged in church on Sunday to be constantly thinking upon the faithfulness of God, and as I purpose to think on that, I see His faithfulness abounding in every area of our life! He is always so near to me, I often just need to focus my eyes on Him to see that. Praise God that despite my selfishness and complete unworthiness, He is faithful to me and faithful to pour out his love, grace, and blessing on me and on us. Thank you Lord for your steadfast love, grace and blessing!!

Unbelievable!

If you ever thought your mouth was big...

So many names

Never before have I gotten so many different versions of my name! Maybe I shouldn't have gotten married... things would have been so much easier! Today in my 2nd grade class... a new class that I hadn't taught before, I wrote my name on the board and before I even had a chance to pronounce it, they had already determined that "Mrs. Fogde" was Miss Fudgey. So, for the rest of the day, I was miss fudgey. I think I wont even try anymore, I will just got with Mrs. F from here on out.