A Few of Our Favorite Things ~ Fall Fun

We love Fall!  

A few of my Favorite Things!

Here are a few of my favorite things!

A Few of My Favorite Things - Favorite Places to go with kids

As a parent, packing up kids and taking them on an outing can be frustrating sometimes!  Preparation is a key to a happy ending!  Sometimes we run over to the bike path to bike or walk.  Other days we may plan a grander outing.  Snacks, matching clothes (so I can spot them easily!),  comfortable shoes, extra diapers and a backpack are just a few of our must haves for a good experience!  That is another post!  Our top 10 favorite places to go are:

1. Zoo!
2. Pittsburgh (Museums, Sidewalk Dancing Fountains, Farmers Market)
3. Maple festivals
4. PBS - Plant A Seed to Read Day
5. YMCA Healthy Kids Day
6. Washington, DC (Museums, White house, sidewalk artists)
7. Local MOPS meeting (Mothers Of Preschoolers)
8. Library (Music and Movement Classes, Story time)
9. Air Balloon Festivals
10. Local Bike path

A Few of Our Favorite Things - Christmas Edition

A Few of Our Favorite Things - Christmas Edition

 Pistacios!

 The tradition of Christmas Eve PJ's and Games!

 Healthy Festive Food!

 Our Christmas Tree Angel!

 Jesus

Tradition of Our Family Ornaments each year (here is year #1!)

 The Reason for the Season

 Nativities

Our Thomas Kincade houses and our Berrywood school 

(My Momma saw Berrywood and had to get it for us!  I love it!  Thanks Mom!)

A Few of my Favorite Things: Stopping to Smell the Roses

There are some moments in life that I wish I could save forever.  He's not a baby anymore, yet, he is not a big boy.  Everything is a new exciting experience. The phrase "Stop to smell the roses", really rings true. This is one of those peaceful quiet moments. I love to just watch him explore and learn on his own. He is an amazing life that I am honored to have been entrusted with.  

Every moment, I thank Jesus that he is my little man!

A Few of My Favorite Things: Thanksgiving Reads

A Few of our Favorite Thanksgiving Reads!

Over the River and Through the Woods
Illustrated by Lynn Cravath
This was a favorite as we broke in to the classic tune!


Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks
by: Margaret Sutherland
We loved this book because it is about being thankful for everyday things.  Our favorite page in the book said "I am thankful for lollipops that turn my tongue purple...or green or orange or red or blue."


The First Thanksgiving (board book)
By: Dana Stewart
This is a super cute and simple book.  Our favorite part is at the end of the book when the indians and pilgrims sat around the table. "Then everyone joined hands and said, "Thank you God!" What a happy first Thanksgiving day!"


This First Thanksgiving Day - A counting Story
By: Laura Krauss Melmed
Illustrated by Mark Buehner
This book show the Indian and Pilgrim children doing their outdoor chores as it leads up the the big Thanksgiving feast.  The children work together and  have such a fun time doing their chores. It is illustrated beautifully.



I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie
By: Alison Jackson
The girls loved the repetition and "reading" along with Mommy!  The story itself was a bit disappointing.  We know and love I know an old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and that story made sense.  This one on the other hand, didn't seem to have a good order.  from last to first she swallowed bread, 10 layer wedding cake, a pot, turkey, salad, squash, roll, cider, and pie.

Family Night with Sanctus Real and Casting Crowns

Family Night with Sanctus Real and Casting Crowns!

Our kids have grown up singing and dancing.  Music is a favorite thing in this house!  I remember my first concert was Michael W Smith and Amy Grant.  That was when Amy Grant was being discovered!  My hubby surprised me many many months ago with tickets to the Sanctus Real and Casting Crowns concert.  He had bought 5 tickets with the thought that this would be a great first concert for our girls!  How Great is Our God has been a favorite song in this house since the girls learned how to talk!  

Big Sis is headed off to school but is SUPER EXCITED 

about family night as soon as she gets home!!!

 Middle Sis said she was going to color this all day because she was so excited!

Knowing that the first concert is the most memorable one for life we wanted to make sure they saw Sanctus Real  I know most people would say that 7, 4, and 3 years old may be a bit young but we knew we would have a blast! Our 3 year old is excited to see "the guy in Mommy and Daddy's wedding photo album", our 4 year old can't wait to see "Sanctus Reals Talent Show" and our 7 year old can't wait to dress up and dance and sing their songs in real life! I on the other hand am excited to see my friend on stage who, after worship practice, once told me that his dream was to be a drummer in a band!

 Here is Lil Sis doing some backpack activities while we wait for the concert to start!

 Woohoo!  Sanctus Real!!!

 It was so great to see the girls dancing and singing along with the bands!

 There is Matt! We have been praying for Matt's little boy Bowen and his family since before he was born.  The girls pray for him at meal times and bed time.  We know that prayers by the faith of a child can do amazing things. We wanted to go to his birthday party a few weeks ago but were not able to make it. The girls were disappointed. Two nights ago Little Sis prayed for Baby Bowen's heart to be "strong and healthy and that he wouldn't get any broken legs"!  This amazing lil boy has a great family, grandparents, Aunt and Uncle, and cousins. We know that Little Bowen doesn't weigh just on Momma and Daddy's hearts but the whole family.  We love the Hammitt family and our prayers are with Sarah's family too! The girls were so excited to see Bowen's video on the screen during the concert.  Please click here to check out the link and keep him and his family in your prayers.

 Mark!

Big Sis having fun!

Middle Sis...loving every minute of it!

Lil Sis danced so hard that she fell asleep for the last 2 songs.  

Understandable since the concert lasted from 7:00 p.m - 10:43 p.m.!

The people behind us said their favorite part of the concert was watching her dance!

Here we are catching up for a quick minute during the intermission.

I cannot believe that the girls are so old!

What a great night!  My hubby and I felt like we went with grown up friends since 

the girls were so great and had such a fun time!

One more song!

Family pic at the end of the show! (Someday Lil Brother can come too!)

We got to spend a few more minutes catching up with Mark at the end of the show!  It's been a few years  (15 years...man i'm old!) since our worship team practices!

If you haven't seen or heard these bands check them out at the links below:
Sanctus Real
Casting Crowns
Lindsay McCaul
The Afters

What a fabulous night!
Here are a few their songs!


Forgiven by Sanctus Real

Lead Me by Sanctus Real

Courageous By Casting Crowns