Happy Halloween!!!

Our little monkey and her banana sidekick!

Chili-lympics

On Saturday, our church had the Chili-lympics and it was a great time! Mark started working on his chili the night before and once again found perfection in his creation. It was absolutely delicious! This year they added a category for a fall fruit bake off, so not only did we get to taste some great chili, but we also got to sample some amazing desserts.

I think that out of all of us, Kaley had the best time. The church was able to get a bouncy castle and a huge obstacle course with a slide for free- the company that owns these needed a gym to air them out and asked if they could use ours. Krista and her quick thinking was able to work a deal and get them for free. The great thing is that Kaley was the perfect age to enjoy both, although she required some help for the obstacle course. Let's just say mommy got a great work out going through a blow up obstacle course, trying to hold onto her while climbing up "stairs" and then jumping in the castle with her. It was great fun. Although, we added daddy into that mix a couple of times going through the obstacle course, and daddy just takes "fun" to a whole new level! Kaley LOVED it and laughed and giggled her way through. She even found time to relax a little and paint a pumpkin. Lovely afternoon spent with a great church community and friends.

Kaley and mommy in the jumping castle

Kaley in the obstacle course determined to find a way up the stairs!

She was actually able to get up to the second step, and then that was it.

We had to figure out a way for her to try the slide, so Tracey and I teamed up to get it done. Tracey was such a trooper and climbed up to the top and I climbed in and lifted her up to Tracey (which by the way-neither of these things is easy to do on a giant balloon with a toddler!) But, as you can see-it was well worth the effort to see the smile of Kaley's face...thanks Tracey:-) You are the best!

Last but not least, a little fun with the three of us (and Megan)!

Learning new things every day

We have been learning the Head & Shoulders song for the past few months, and in true Kaley form, she would just stare at us as we sang the song and bob her head back and forth. And then, one day as we were driving in the car (to distract her from thinking she was uncomfortable and unhappy) I asked her where her head was...and she pointed to it! So I asked her where her eyes, nose and mouth were, and she pointed to them :-)

She now knows all of the parts except for her shoulders and knees! We thought this was pretty cute the other night after supper and pulled out the video camera to capture it. Enjoy!

What a cutie!

I couldn't resist putting these pictures up. Kaley got some really cute dresses from Helena at our church and one of them was this Scotty dog jumper. She looked so cute in her dress, pig tails and shiny black shoes. They were the kind of shoes that clicked as she walked on the floor, so she would run up and down the hallway with this big smile on her face:) However, the thought of getting her picture taken didn't quite fit into her plan of "fun activities" to do at church, so this was what we got!

Mark's New Toy!

I get this call from Mark on Thursday night and he tells me that he is at the car dealership getting his oil changed. He tells me that he is talking to the car salesman about car deals and what our budget is for when his lease is up next year. We talked about it and that was it. I remember when I hung up the phone thinking that he is probably going to talk his way into a sweet deal and come home with a new car. Well, I was almost right! He didn't come home with a new car, but had signed a lease on one and was going to pick it up on the weekend. Not only did he get a great lease, but he was able to come within $4 of our figure that we talked about!!! Yeah:-)

So, to celebrate, we took a drive in his new car to Arby's in Orillia! It was pretty neat. Kaley got in the car and ooohed and aaahed at everything. She even sat in the drivers seat, played with the gear shift and the turn signed and moved the steering wheel. She especially liked the sun roof which we had to have open most of the way (not exactly the most warmest thing when it is 7 degrees out.) So, we compromised by having it open when we stopped. Mark sure enjoys his little car- and so do we!

Kaley admiring the new car

Mark enjoying his new ride

Kaley jammin to the tunes!

Happy (Belated) Birthday to Dad and Mom Coulter

At the end of August, Mark's dad and mom both celebrated their birthdays within a couple days of each other. It was a very special birthday for both of them this year! They have blessed many people throughout their ministry with their never ending love and generosity. They love their family and place great importance on spending time together and cherishing those relationships.
It has been quite a blessing for me to not only find an incredible man to spend the rest of my life with, but also to have a great set of parents to go with him! Riley and Karen are both very loving, caring, supportive, wise and encouraging. They have been a constant source of encouragement and guidance in Mark's life and have made him into the man of God that he is today.
Another blessing to both Mark and I has been to see them transform into grandparents this last year and a half. They both absolutely love and adore Kaley to pieces. They so enjoy being able to come and spend time with Kaley and be a part of her life. You will usually find them playing outside or sitting on the floor in a sea of toys and it is as if there is nowhere else they would rather be! We thank God for the incredible gift that Riley and Karen are to our lives. Happy belated birthday dad and mom. May God richly bless you this coming year.

Into Your Presence

I heard this song on Life 100.3 today during their praise and worship Sunday. I had heard it a couple of times before, but only caught the very ending and could never find it because I didn't know what the song was. Today I heard all of it and then found a video online for it. I love this song!

Into Your Presence
My heart longs for You, My soul thirsts for You,
Show me the place where I can go and meet You,
Underneath Your waterfalls, Deep will call to deep,
Rapids and breakers will wash over me, I long for You in a dry and weary land.

Take me into Your presence, into your courts, Lord I'm longing to worship,
Face to face, I will bow at Your throne, I was made for this alone

Why so downcast oh my soul, put your hope in God
For I will yet praise You my God and Savior
At night Your song is with me, By day Your love surrounds me
I lift up a prayer to the God of my life, I long for you in a dry and weary land.

Take me into Your presence, into your courts, Lord I'm longing to worship,
Face to face, In the holy of holies I will say that You only are my God.
I long for You in a dry and weary land
I will say that You only are my God.