Two Holidays

We're a little behind on our posts. So here's a little catching up.

Halloween was big fun again this year. Anna dressed up as a dog, complete with our real dog's collar. Luke was a ninja, and Caroline was a lion but didn't really know it. All she knew was that when our neighbor stuck a stick with a ball on the end of it in her mouth, she was in toddler heaven.
We started right after school and toured the neighborhood. I'd like to take a moment to thank our neighbors for being so kind to our children. We received some really nice treats including lots of yummy sweets, Halloween bags and buckets, books, puzzles, and special toddler friendly treats. We are blessed with such kind neighbors. Thank you!
Then we traveled out to Jonesborough to some family members where we were greeted with some very special home made goodies from Mammaw and Pappaw.
From there the guys and the gals split up.
Ryan took Luke to a Science Hill football game. Luke was excited to be able to be on the field helping Dad and PawPaw video the band. Anna and I put Caroline to bed then had a girls' night with games, books, and an American Girl video. Lotsa fun.

Thanksgiving was full of way too much food and lots of family time. We all enjoyed the Thanksgiving Feast at Anna and Luke's school. This is a super meal provided by the parents of the multiage classes, and boy is it a feast! My tummy is still feeling that one.
We woke up early and did the Turkey Trot (a family 5K) which was lots of fun when Caroline wasn't crying. The rest of the day was spent with my family in Jonesborough, which is always filling and relaxing.
The day after Thanksgiving was spent with Ryan's mom, aunt, uncle and cousins and some friends in Johnson City. My favorite part of this day was going on a nice long walk with everyone through Ryan's mom's neighborhood.
Needless to say, we have SO MUCH to be thankful for.

Lovely

I had the privilege of teaching a beginning ballet class at church this semester. I love teaching ballet, but I must admit that I've never enjoyed a class as much as this one. These are such precious little girls. They LOVE dancing. Our class times were full of chatting, giggles, smiles, hugs, and watching one another express our emotions through dance. We had a wonderful time together. To finish off our fall semester, they performed a worship dance that we've been working on each week. They were beautiful. They truly worshiped God through their dance. Maybe I'll have a video soon.

Bride and Groom

My niece is now a lovely married woman. She and her high school sweetheart had been dating for five years and decided it was time to tie the knot! They got married in the church where they met and have been attending for years. It was such a sweet little country church out in the middle of some beautiful farm land. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive and the serenity of the church setting. Anna and Luke were ring bearer and flower girl which was just adorable. They did a great job. Congratulations Nicole and Michael! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day. We love you guys!

Still celebrating

The year 2008 has been a big year for many of my friends and myself. When I use the term "big," I'm not meaning physically large. No, be ye not misunderstanding. What I'm trying to communicate with the word "big" is a feeling of sadness, anger, confusion, disillusionment, regret, and an altogether sense of depression. Why so downcast, you ask? Unfortunately, I was born in the year 1978. You might be saying to yourself, "Hmm, what's so unfortunate about 1978?" Well, I'll tell ya. 1978 was exactly 30 years ago. Which means I'm now 30 myself. Last year I was a babe in my 20s, now not so much. Fortunately, I age at the same rate as everyone else and my friends and hubby are experiencing this right along with me. We'll get through it together. Maybe.
Just joshin'!. I really don't care that I'm 30. I'm actually kinda glad because I've celebrated this birthday for 6 months now, and it looks like I'm gonna keep on celebrating 30 till I turn 40!
So far, I've had a trip to Vegas, a weekend with Ryan, dinner out, a party with family, a day with Ryan (for his big 3-0 day), and an evening with Siena and Rachel for Siena's big day, and a party with Rachel for her's. Next is a day at the spa with these same gals.
When I turned 29 I think I maybe got dinner and some gifts. Is it just me or is 30 like the best age ever?

Our Children Across the Globe

When Ryan and I were dating, we decided to sponsor a child through World Vision, a mission organization committed to helping ease the pain of poverty and disease while communicating the love of Jesus Christ. We chose a precious little three year old girl from Lesotho, South Africa. Here is the first picture we received of her.

Isn't she precious? Well, this little girl grew over the years.

She is now a beautiful 14 year old young lady.

Several years ago, we decided to sponsor two more children, one for Anna and one for Luke.

Here is Betinha. So cute. Every time I look at this picture I want to take out a tissue and wipe her little nose clean.

Maybe she's a little handful.


And here is Baphelele. Precious. . .

. . . and maybe a little shy.

Here are some shots of Anna and Luke holding their pictures. We took these to send to the kids so they would know we received their photos.

All three children are from different parts of South Africa which is a total coincidence since World Vision works with kids all over the globe. I think that's God's way of telling us we need to go visit all of them one day.
They all live in communities plagued by famine and disease. Mostly we receive positive updates of all that is going well in their communities: wells being dug, schools being erected, food, clothing, and health care being provided. We receive their pictures and personal notes and drawings. They always look very healthy which is such a victory itself. We have occasionally received letters of sadness informing us of the deaths of fathers, mothers, and grandparents. We suspect these are deaths from preventable disease, deaths that may not have occurred had they lived in different circumstances. They seem so far away, theirs lives so difficult and unfair.
But lately I've been feeling their closeness. When I hold their letters and pictures in my hands I realize I'm touching something they've touched. The physical distance between us is not really that far. We're a part of the same world. We have the same needs. We're watching them grow just as rapidly as our own children.
Aren't they just wonderful? It really is amazing to be a part of their lives.
We would like to ask you, our friends and family, to remember them in your prayers each time you remember our own children. And if you would like to know more about child sponsorship, visit worldvision.org.

Mmmm Fall!

WE LOVE FALL!!
Each time the weather changes and a new season begins, the Baders welcome it with open arms. (Except for nasty winter, of course, which is the season to celebrate all things dead and brown.) We always look forward to the changes: the changes in weather, the changes in activities, the changes in nature. In winter, we look forward to the warmth and flowers of spring. In spring, we look forward to summertime swimming and barefeet. In summer, we anticipate fall's cool (but not cold) evenings, pretty leaves, pumpkins, Halloween & Thanksgiving, cuddling up under blankets to read, and making s'mores on the fire pit. I love taking pictures of the kids in a big pile of leaves or cuddling up with some big, fat, pumpkins! Of course, we all know what comes after fall, but we'll not dwell on that.

To the Zoo

Our fall break consisted of a couple days to relax, a day for play dates, a wedding, a church picnic, and a trip to the Knoxville Zoo. It had been a few years since Anna and Luke had been, so they were super excited. Caroline had no idea what the long drive was all about but she did enjoy the cool animals and catching a cat nap in her stroller. Anna and Luke loved EVERYTHING. They excitedly ran from each area to the next until we had seen everything (and none too soon since our enthusiasm had thoroughly been drained after several hours.) This was a very nice day trip for everyone and helped add a little excitement to our fall break.