Mark, the Mormon

 (click picture to enlarge)

Well, it's official.  The word is out.  Mark is the token "Mormon" on campus.  Let the miracles begin!  LOL!!  It's simultaneously nerve-wracking and exciting.  Nerve-wracking because we are Mormons in a predominantly NON-Mormon area of the country, and sometimes locals are known to not take kindly to strangers.  Exciting because the possibilities are endless.  Even the woman in charge of the lecture series wrote a really heart-felt thank you note to Mark saying that she is enthusiastic about reading the Book of Mormon.  This is good stuff y'all.  I am so proud of Mark! He did a great job!  He's really got such a gift for public speaking, he has a way of making people laugh, feel comfortable, being direct, and real.  It's so neat to see him shine.  It's also neat to see how a section in his p-blessing is coming to pass...that he will be an emissary of the gospel wherever he and his family go...wow!  So true!! 

My Birthday Girls

September is a special month for birthdays in our family!  We have Parker Faye on the 5th, who turned 3 this year.  And we have Avery Jane on the 15th, who turned 10 this year!!

For Parker's birthday, we went to Chuck E. Cheese.  She absolutely loved it!  She loved the rides, the pizza, the life-size Chuck E. Cheese who wanders around like the Pied Piper...she loved all of it!!  It was pretty fun for the rest of us too!!

 We also had cake and presents at home for her too.

For Avery's birthday, she had her BFF for a sleepover, and we took them to a football game at LaSalle-Peru High school.  (That's the school they would go to if we're still here at that point...please pray for us that we won't be here at that point.)  We also had cake and presents for her at home too.  Aunt Erin and Uncle Ben had given Avery all the accessories for a cake pop set. She couldn't wait to churn some of those puppies out...they turned out great and were sooo yummy!! 

For both of them, we had a fun visit from Grandma and Grandpa Day, and the Griswold's.  It was such a treat to hang out with them!  We got to swim at Grandma and Grandpa's hotel pool, and on Saturday we took them to a local orchard that has fallish fun activities, and had a bbq in the backyard.  It was great!

 

  

 

Needless to say, September has been an exciting month for our girls!!  It really reminds me of how blessed I am.  Love my birthday girls!!