Robin's Birthday & A Driving Lesson

Happy birthday, Robin!!!

Today started out with some sleeping in..... because Saturdays should always be that way. Right? :) 

... By sleeping in, I mean 8:45am. Watch out, I know. :) 

Anyway, we loaded up and headed over to Eckert's to meet up with the Pages and Robin and her boys; Joe and Adam had decided they would take the kids out to the farm for the day while we took Robin for brunch and a movie to celebrate her birthday. Well, the guys taking on five kids for the day was a large part of the birthday present as well, so I wouldn't dare detract from that value ;) 

I've never had breakfast at Eckert's, but after today, I certainly will again. Deeeelish. From there it was off to Wehrenberg, where we met with Rachel and headed in for a late morning showing of The Words, starring Zoe Saldana [who I adore!] and Bradley Cooper [who Robin adores! haha.. ]. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from it, but whatever that was, it wasn't that. I definitely liked it; very unique. I'll probably have to re-watch this one at some point. Either way, it was a fun little outing and we even snagged a shot of us.... with Bradley Cooper. It was definitely by chance, lol. 

cori. rachel. cathie. robin.
...... & bradley. hahaha.... 

We found after the movie that the guys had finished the fair and apple picking at Eckert's, and had moved the party to Chuck-E-Cheese. We rendezvoused there for a short bit before heading back home for some family-wide nap time before making with it onto what is now an open driving range, literally. Remember a few days back when the Alexanders' birthday gift for Sydni arrived at our house and we weren't able to take it for a spin?

Well......

She's DRIVING!!! :-O

uh-oh..... driving already!

She had a BLAST. Holy cow. I loved every second of it. Love love love love her. A million x million thanks to Gerald & Leslie for their incredible generosity and for being so thoughtful!

Time now for some dinner with the fam....

See you tomorrow at the Tower!

xo | cmd

It's a Good Day to Praise!

Amen? Aaaamen!

So today was one of those days that was a blessing from top to bottom.

adam baptizing carlee! :)

First, we started with church [as always!]. We are home this weekend, a welcome return from visiting my parents' church back in Ohio. Adam had asked Joe to lead Sunday school, since he was tied up with another obligation for the 9:00 hour.

At the start of the service, the projection screen lifted to reveal Adam, dressed in baptistry garb, in the water ready to do his first baptism. We excitedly watched as he baptized their youngest, Carlee, into the church and into Christ's family. It totally melted my heart to be a witness to that moment; how awesome to baptize your own child! :) Welcome, Carlee!!

dan & robin
dan, we'll miss you | robin, we love you!!

On a slightly more somber note, today was Dan Werner's last Sunday with us for at least 1 year. He leaves for a 1-year deployment on Tuesday this week. We surrounded Robin & Dan before the service and prayed over them. I know how tough it was some days when Joe was gone for a year, but we were free to coordinate Sydni and I visiting on average once a month. Not only will Robin be void of that luxury, she'll be with two children here. My heart goes to them, along with all of the military families who face the challenges of deployment. Either way, it was wonderful to see them together at church today and to be a part of Dan's church family send-off. I pray this time will pass quickly!

rebecca & nick | new towerview members!

It's that time of year again for graduations, and today we honored our high school graduates. Congratulations to all of them!! :)

Lastly [but certainly not of any lesser value!], Nick and Rebecca took to the aisle during the invitation and joined the church. They are now official members of Towerview Baptist!! It's been nothing but fun getting to know them through the Sandvens, and seeing them get more and more involved with us - like our small group Friday - made me thrilled to see them join up with the ranks of the rest of us Towerviewers. Welcome!! :) :)

After the service, we gathered downstairs for lunch and a VBS kickoff of sorts. Joe gained a whole new level of appreciation for childcare workers after it was said and done and we'd left him with the kids for nearly an hour. Hah. Back at the house, Joe and Syd settled in for a nap and I took to grocery shopping and some other miscellaneous Sunday things.

Now we're all back here, settling in for the evening, and I can't complain one bit about that. :)

This is the way to start a week!

xo | cmd

Dinner Play Dates [Dills.Babot.Page]

Dills, Babot, & Page.

Sounds like a law firm, yeah? Not so much.

Anyway, the Babots were so kind to invite Sydni and I over for a dinner playdate tonight along with the Pages. Not long after we strolled in the door, the Pages pulled in, and it went from Landon's castle to a mini playground of four kids playing to their hearts' content.

Halfway through the evening, Carlee and Loralye emerged dressed in two of Landon's halloween costumes: Batman and Spiderman. Sydni and Landon followed suit with a fireman's hat and cowboy hat, respectively. Lara managed to get a few shots of that action, which may follow a bit later depending on how quickly I remember to get them up here.

Also, an update on Joe:
They've held their third round of cuts for the AF team, and he is still in the running! Praying constantly for him to stay there through the end. We'll see!

Dinner. Friends. Kids. Fellowship.

I'm one heck of a blessed girl.

It's the weeeeeeekend!

xo | cmd