Happy Heart

Seeing these two together just makes me happy.

Leaves

No fall blog is complete without pictures of darling girls playing in a big pile of leaves (that somehow never ended up getting collected and are still blowing around the yard! Ah...life with busy girls. Wouldn't trade a thing!)

Thanksgiving List

Several factors kept me from getting our family tree of Thanksgiving put up this year. One big reason is the adjustment to Annie in our home. Things below eye level just aren't safe around here! (And some things above eye level, as the girl learns to climb!)

But each family member contributed 3 of the top things on their Thanksgiving list. Annie's did take a little prompting (and maybe some recollection of common prayers at mealtime and bedtime.)

Dayna:

• God
• My family
• Adoption

 Annie:

• Jesus
• Food
• Family

 Dan:

• Safe arrival of Annie
• House
• A job he loves

 Alaina:

• Family
• Grace
• Giggles from little girls

Thanksgiving Pictures

Dayna was so excited to make turkey cookies for everyone on Thanksgiving. She was such a patient big sister as she helped Annie.

Football!

It's been a great month for football. Annie is really starting to enjoy the excitement of the game. Our hometown high school football team has had an incredible year. Each game of the state playoffs just got better. We maintained our home team advantage right up to the final game. Several years back, the Bluejays made it to the state quarterfinals - the furthest they've ever gone. This year...they just kept winning. In some pretty nailbiting games!

Last Tuesday, the entire school district was shut down so the town could support our team for the State Finals. Early that morning, other brave people lined the streets downtown to cheer the team as they left. (I was snug in bed, but a friend's husband posted this video.)

Dan took the day off work as well. To Lincoln we went to cheer our team in Memorial Stadium (home of the Cornhuskers.) I would say there were about 5,000 fans on our side. Impressive since the population of our town is half that. The temperatures were in the 20s. The wind was fierce. Annie wouldn't keep mittens on her hands. And yet we all cheered! It was a lopsided loss, but we're proud of our Bluejays, nonetheless.

Orphan Sunday

This year for Orphan Sunday, Dayna was asked to share a Scripture verse at church. This brave girl got up in front of both services. With her new orthodontic device in her mouth (and difficulty with speech), she very clearly shared Psalm 68:5-6:

A father to the fatherless, a defender of

widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets

the lonely in families. 

So proud of our girl!

Secret Keeper Girl

November started with a bang for Dayna and I. Along with about 10 other girls at church and their moms, we attended the Secret Keeper Girl event in Lincoln. Secret Keeper Girl is geared for girls age 8-13 as they face their tween years. This was a super fun night with live music, fashion shows and the message to our girls (and the moms, too) about just how valued they are in God's sight.

Our group is continuing the fun by going through the book 8 Great Dates for Moms and Daughters. Over the next two years, we will go through 8 dates together to reinforce the message of their value, the importance of modesty, being beautiful inside and out, and build our relationships together. We started with a great tea party at the church. It was fun to spoil Dayna with a hand massage, drinking tea from a fancy china cup and eating tiny delicacies. I can't wait for the next 7 dates.