Two Wonderful Weeks with the Popes

In November my sister Kari and her four beautiful kids came to stay with us for a couple of weeks while her husband Justin was in training for his new job with the Air Force. We enjoyed every minute with them.

The fist day was very warm and we went to the park.

We celebrated Kacie and Jake's bdays with the Pope cousins and the Karsak cousins. It was fun having these families together. It doesn't happen too often.

These are some pictures from going to make ginger bread houses. It was a lot of fun. For 5 dollars you got all of the items needed to make a house. And the best part was we left and didn't have to clean up the BIG mess we made :).

Some random pictures.

The kids loved our pooches

Chillin watching TV

Playing a board game

Derby Christmas Tree Lighting.

The kids waited in line for an hour to see Santa. Gideon would not have anything to do with him, so we got a picture of the kids who were not afraid of the scary man in the red suit :).

Pinkalichous: Aunt Kari and Jordynn took Kacie to see this play for her birthday. The girls had a blast!! Here they are before the play all dressed in PINK!

Kansas Cosmosphere: we were able to watch the scientist blow things up, look at all kinds of neat space shuttle exhibits and gaze at the stars. After the museum we ended the day with a yummy dinner at Carriage Crossing. Homemade food by the Amish.

I personally enjoyed the cousins hanging out and getting to have coffee in the morning with my sister. Starting out the day chatting with her was always encouraging.

Thanks for visiting Popes!!

A Bead Birthday Party

Kacie was able to celebrate her 7th birthday with six of her friends at Born to Bead. This is a beading place in our hometown. The girls had a lot of fun and were able to take a cute bracelet home.

 Showing off their bracelets

Concentration 

Girls working hard 

Happy 7th Birthday Kacie!!

7th Birthday Surprise

Kacie turned 7 on November 11th. For her birthday I planned a surprise trip for her and her friend Faith to see Kacie's favorite singer in concert...Britt Nicole.

Faith and Kacie ready to head to Kansas City to see Britt!

 This is me with Faith's mom, Beth. She has been a wonderful friend since my college days. The Lord has truly blessed me in so many ways through Beth! I was so glad that her and Faith were able to make this trip with Kacie and me.

Girls being goofy cute 

 Hey cuties

 Highlight of the night...getting to meet Britt Nicole!

Having McDonald's ice cream and fun...cheers to a great trip with great friends!

ay

Pirates!

In early November, Jake's 4th grade class performed in a pirate musical. The kids did a great job. They were very entertaining and fun to watch.

The End of 4th Grade Football--Derby Bears

After starting out the season 6-0. The next couple of games gave the Bears their first two losses. Heading into the Newton Bowl Tournament, the boys were hungry for another win. However, they lost the game 0-6. It was tough, especially for Jake. He was playing quarterback and our team was driving with a minute or so left in the game. Jake was running the ball trying to get to the outside so he could get out of bounds to stop the clock. He turned his head to see the tackler and the ball slipped out of his arm and the other team recovered the ball. My heart sank for Jake.  He was so upset and blaming himself for the loss. Oh this is why I love sports...it teaches us so much about what is in our hearts (motives, idols etc.) and about life (how to handle failure, defeat etc.) After the emotions of the game began to wear off, I thanked God for sports and that my son enjoys them. Mostly because it is such a wonderful tool for us parents to help Jake in his growth with Christ.
Because they lost their first game, the Bears played for 3rd place. Jake decided to move on from the game before and they finished the season with a victory. Great season Jacob!

Jake with his good buddies, Grant and Aaron

Jake receiving his trophy at the end of the year football dinner