Autumn Happenings!

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above: 1) Impending storm clouds 2) Dan, Jen, and Hannah at Cracker Barrel 3) Jen's parents, Bob and Rita 4) Jen, Dan and Sarah Hope 5)Tim and me 6)Drew and Brooke...and Brooke does not look 5 months pregnant with my little niece Emma, due in early Jan. 7) Mom laughs over the birthday sack incident...read below 8) Tim takes the little ones into the fairgrounds 9) Sarah and Hannah ride the cars at the fair

Well, Fair Week for us has come and gone. It was quite an active week, but we had a lot of fun! We went to Chattanooga and met Daniel's girlfriend and her parents and had a leisurely meal with them. We enjoyed getting to know them and hearing about her father's work at the Weather Channel! The kids had a good time all getting aquainted and playing in the toys at Cracker Barrel.

We drove back to my Mom and Dad's house with threatening weather, which always puts me on edge. Tim is an excellent driver, though, and he can get us through just about any type of conditions. I took some pictures of the clouds out the window of the car.

On Sunday, after worship, we had a birthday dinner for my mom. We all got a big laugh when it was time for the grandchildren to present their presents to her. All the little gift sacks were back in a bedroom where we also change the babies. Littlest granddaughter Lauren came bringing her own special "sack" for Meme, but it did not have what her grandmother expected! Lauren had retrieved a dirty diaper, tied in a sack, out of the trash and brought it along with all the rest of the presents. Everyone laughed so hard and so loud that we scared her and made the sweet little thing cry and run for her mother's arms. It was really cute!

Jennifer stayed with my folks for the better part of a week, and then we returned for a day at the fair! The kids enjoyed it immensely, even though there were wall-to-wall people. I was the designated adult to get an armband, too, and ride the rides when the kids needed to be accompanied. I managed to get myself on a couple of the hairier rides that I wished I was not riding! I learned that many things we can do when we are 10 or 15 or 20 years of age should not be done by 44-year olds!

Finally, on Saturday, we made the return trip to Chattanooga and put Jennifer safely back into the hands of her parents! Our little "Romeo and Juliet" were sad to part company, especially not knowing how long it would be before they could meet again. We came to love Jennifer in the time she was with us. She is a joy to be around, and I hope she enjoyed her time in Tennessee as much as we enjoyed having her!

This week, it is back to the grind---school in full-swing for everyone including Daniel. He is adjusting well to college and his new job, and we can't believe how the semester is flying along! History is going to be his hard class this time, but luckily, his Uncle Dan was a history major and should be able to help if needed. It is great for him to have uncles who have such diverse degrees and can tutor him in just about any subject if he needs it!

Now, we wait for my dad to get news about when and if they will schedule his heart valve replacement. We all have a lot of hope that this is going to help him feel tremendously better in the long run. God has blessed several of their friends in the church who have had serious issues lately, especially David with mouth cancer. They have a wonderful active and praying group who really stand behind one another in tough times.

That's the update! Enjoy your Fall season! We celebrate 5 family birthdays this month, and the kids are already counting down the days 'til "Trick or Treat" time. It looks like I am going to have to wait for snow to slow down!

Below: 1) Uncle Dan collects parking fees at the fair for the Rotary Club 2) Mom, Steph, and the kiddos at the fair 3) Hannah, Kelsey, Sarah, and Ben go for a ride 4) Jen, Micah and Sarah at Cracker Barrel 5) Sam and Micah staring into the sun as I try to take at least one picture of them at the fair 6) We ride the carousel 7) Ben and Sarah take on a pretty tall slide 8) Ben tackles the rock wall 9) Sarah, not to be outdone by her cousin, tries the wall. My camera died right before Kelsey made it all the way to the top!