Happy 5th Birthday Sweet Kamryn

Kamryn's birthday was the celebration that just went on and on.  We partyed at school, home, and Chuck E Cheese.  She even had the added bonus of Grandma Carol coming to visit.  I'm not sure who loved that more, Kami or mommy.  My precious mom-in-law did all of my laundry, which was backed up down the hall! I had no idea how much I needed her here until she came and worked her magic all over the house.

My friend Megan helped Kami make her beautiful butterfly cupcakes.  They were a big hit!

Krisy Kreme doughnut cake.  Nominations for "mother-of-the-year" are now closed :).

Kami in the ticket booth was probably the most entertaining part of the event.  She totally froze and I don't think she was breathing.  She didn't catch a single ticket with her hands as she was gripping the side of the little torture chamber in fear, but her skirt caught a record 1,000 tickets.  When they finally let her out she said, "Well, that wasn't too bad."  She cheered up when she went to cash in her tickets and could actually afford the prize on the top row.

To Our Little Grand Finale:  You truly are the icing on the cake!  You bring our family so much love and laughter.  We are so thankful to have you as a daughter. You make our family complete and we are so proud of you.  Happy Happy Birthday! Love Daddy and Mommy.

Hustle and Bustle

Our holiday season kicked off as soon as our feet hit the ground after Thanksgiving.  It has been an exciting and busy few weeks.  Here are some pictures of all of the things we have done and seen this advent season.

Joshua and Kami were is the Christmas play at church.  Joshua had a leading role as the bellman at "Hotel Bethlehem."  He was a little nervous, but did a great job and remembered all of his lines.

We made a beautiful gingerbread village with the neighbors Hensley and Heston.  I'm not sure which was more fun, making them or eating them.

Kamryn and I visited the enchanting Linda Summers at her home in Summerville, Georgia.  Linda is a missionary to children all over the world.  At Christmastime she decorates her entire house and opens it up to visitors.  Her home is full of treasures from all over the world and we were able to hear some of her many amazing stories of how God works through her ministry.  It was a precious afternoon and Kami was mesmerized by all of her wonderful toys!

Cousin Eddie??  Geof played the unlikely role at the neighbors' "Christmas character" holiday party. He was quite a hit!

Kami also did some role play-as Mary in her school Christmas program.  She was a very protective mother and made sure those wisemen put their gifts in the right place and didn't mess up her manger.  It was very sweet.

The last week of school was full of class parties, crafts and cookie decorating.  A chocolate covered Kate made chocolate covered pretzels for all of her teachers.

It has a been a great month and now that school is out we can finally relax and enjoy this special time of year.  Merry Chirstmas!

A Blessed and Busy Week of Thanksgiving

What's better than going to see Rome, Paris, and London?? WASHINGTON DC!!  The kids had the whole week of Thanksgiving off so we did a "speed tour" of DC, Virginia Beach, and Greensboro, North Carolina to hit all kinds of family.  Everyone loved seeing their own capitol city and staying with Uncle Phil and Aunt Linda, who get the "most hospitable award" for the year.  They took great care of us, pointed us in the right direction with maps and directions and fed us like the royal family for 2 days. We were able to visit with Grandma Carol and the Voorhees and Grandad and the Lowder family at the beach and we wrapped up week at Amy and Kevin's house for a fantastic feast and black Friday shopping.  We had a great week and have so much to be thankful for.

Kami and Josh in the butterfly house at the Museum of Natural History

We had the huge privilege of visiting the National Cemetery in Arlington.  Here we are with Grandpa Tom and Grandma Bette's grave.

We also found Jason Workman's grave.  Jason was husband to my sweet cousin, Stacey and father to 3 year old Jax.  It was a bittersweet moment to get to honor him and pray for his family. 

Finally we visited Jay's dear friend, John Pratt, who died earlier this year and left behind a wife and daughter.  It was such a hard but important reminder that we can be thankful for our freedom because of men like these who served their country!  We pray that God would bring peace and blessing to their families this year.

Kami is thrilled to be in Chinatown.

We saw the Space Shuttle Discovery at the new Air and Space Museum Annex

All the Voorhees Cousins minus Jake

My Dad treated the whole family to the VMI vs. ODU Basketball game where VMI  proved the underdog still pulls it off sometimes!

A great meal at the last stop with Nana, Papa,  Amy, Kevin, Jason and Elizabeth and their  sweet kiddos.  It was such a fun week of blessings!

And although Kami can't quite figure out this whole "Santa" thing, she likes the idea of someone bringing her presents.

And now begins the busy month of December!