Disney Vacation ~ Day 1

We took a family vacation at Disney!

We stopped over in Valdosta and stayed (of course) at a Holiday Inn Express.

We hit the road Friday morning and eagerly awaited our arrival at

Walt Disney World.

We were there soon enough.

We stayed at the All Star Sports Resort.

The kids were welcomed with much fanfare.

They had balloon pirate swords and flowers before we'd even made it to our rooms!

Daddy survived the balloon sword fights in our adjoining rooms, and we were eventually able to make our way to our reserved dinner location.

We had to take a bus to the docks, where we caught a boat and traveled across the lake to make our reservation.

The kids were enthralled.

Then they spotted it!

Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom!

There it was!

er, wait...

Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom!

THERE IT WAS!

OK, that's more like how it really was.

So we enjoyed dinner at

Trail's End Restaurant.

We were joined by Lanette Behiry and her friend Brenda Roseberry.

We left the Restaurant on another boat.

Julia found the boat horns rather loud.

Lanette & Brenda stayed with the kids,

and Sylvia and I went to Treasure Island.

The lights were kinda neat, but it was not our kind of atmosphere.

We walked around a little, but we felt rather uncomfortable.

We made our way home after not too long,

but not before we took a few pictures.

It was a fun evening to start our vacation!

The Pedestrian Bridge

Sylvia and Jon enjoyed a date night and a nice walk through downtown Rome.

A new pedestrian bridge and downtown plaza had recently opened up.

So we too a walk across the Oostanaula River on the new bridge.
It was pretty nice, and a beautiful night.

The downtown plaza with its shooting fountains was fun to watch.

And we could also see the old train bridge downstream, which was lit up in celebration of Rome's 175-year anniversary.
It was a fun and relaxing evening.

Riding Bikes

Our kids love riding their bikes!

And they took some time before fall arrives...

...to get out and take their wheels for a spin.

Jules isn't yet on a bike, so she rode her fire engine.
With a little little flair!

Syndi and Junior like to zoom up and down the street.

Stephen is still on training wheels.

Goodbye summer...bring on the fall!

PVN Stuff

So much of our lives centers on our church and our involvement in some of its many ministries.
The picture above is of the group of women from our church who went to a Beth Moore conference recently.

Awana has started up again this fall, and we had a name tag night for the kids.

Some of the kids went simple on the name tags..

...while some went for the stand-out name tag.

The Awana program has seen a lot of growth these past couple of years.
We're beginning to run out of room for them.

Some of our fearless leaders got involved.

It's always good to have leaders get involved.

And, of course, Miss Sylvia!

The Snot Monster

This is the Snot Monster.
Not very intimidating looking.
But BE AWARE!

Many years ago in Michigan, Syndi and Jon began a flashlight game where they'd turn off all the lights and go from room to room in the house with flashlights, looking and making sure everything was clear and safe.
(Here the Snot Monster makes a mess in Syndi's room and scribbles on her stuff with crayon!)

After we moved to Georgia and as we added kids, we turned it into the Snot Monster game...where we all hunt down the Snot Monster.
(Here the Snot Monster is in Syndi's bed jamming on her microphone!)

The last time we played, in August, The Snot Monster took shape in the form of this innocent-looking stuffed bear-rabbit-thing. He's hideous, simply hideous!
(Here the Snot Monster steals a few sips from Mommy's glass of water!)

We received a secret package in the mail, with information on the suspect...the Snot Monster.
(Here the Snot Monster makes a mess in the bathroom, where he unwinds some toilet paper!)

The packaged detailed crime perpetrated by the Snot Monster.
These pictures were enclosed as evidence.
(Here the Snot Monster squirts toothpaste all over the sink!)

We carefully searched each room, making sure everything was clear.
We eventually found the Snot Monster in the rec room closet, hiding for his pursuers!
(Here the Snot Monster trashes the trash!)
The kids love it and beg to play (far too often).
Even Julia gets into it...or especially gets into.
She loves yelling "ALL CLEAR" as we prepare to enter a room.

PVN Musical 2009

Again this year PVN did a summer kids musical .
This year it had more of a ranch feel.

The kids had to learn a routine where they had to spin and dance and use a bandanna as part of the choreography.

Syndi and Junior were both part of it.
Junior was partnered with Caleb, and
Syndi was partnered with Harrison.

Syndi worked with Junior for weeks at home helping him to get his bandanna movements right.

He was a bit perfectionistic about it and was set that he couldn't do it right.
But in the end he did great.

The kids did very well, and it was a good gospel presentation.

Their teachers do such a marvelous job putting these musicals together and getting our kids coordinated.Some of the kids did solos, and they did wonderfully.

It was a great program!
YEEHAW!