A Note From a Boy

I was going through Noelle's paperwork from school this afternoon when I came across a note that said "Jacob" on the outside.  I asked Noelle what it was and she answered "Oh, at one of our stations we could write a note to whoever we wanted and Jacob wrote to me.  I wrote a note to you, mom, but I forgot to bring it home." 
I'm flattered that she wrote to me, but I'm rather curious about this mysterious Jacob.  I quickly opened the note so I could examine it for ill intents.  Well, here it it...let me know if you see anything inappropriate:

In defense of Jacob, Noelle's spelling is only slightly better, but I have NO idea what he is trying to say!

What's in that Trailer?

I keep meaning to write a post to describe Sadie's funny phrases, quirks and habits for posterity sake, but for now, here's an amusing conversation we had today.

We were driving on the highway when I saw a horse trailer a little bit ahead of us.
Me: Sadie look, I think there's an animal in that trailer.  Can you see what it is?
Sadie:  What is it?
Me:  I think it's a horse.
Sadie:  No, I think it's a camel
Sadie:  Or maybe a deer

(I give her points for creativity, but I really think it was a horse)

Noelle's First Day of First Grade

Yesterday was Noelle's first day of 1st Grade.  She gets on the bus shortly before 8:00 and gets home shortly before 4:00...it's a long day for a 6-yr-old.  When she got home we asked her what her favorite part of the day was.  She said "Lunch!".  They had chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, green beans, roll AND a cupcake.  Not bad for $1.50...I guess inflation rates don't effect school lunch like everything else.

Getting on the bus

Getting off the bus

Sadie was not so sure about a day without Noelle.  By 9:00 she asked "Can pick Noelle up from school now?"  This morning, again around 9:00, Sadie thought we should go outside and wait for Noelle to get home.  Poor girl...mom's just not the same as a big sister.

Last Day of Summer Break

Today was the last day of summer break before Noelle heads back to school.  We enjoyed the beautiful day by riding bikes at a nearby park and doing something we've never done before as a family...we went to a movie in the theater.

   

 

 We saw Toy Story 3, which I highly recommend if you haven't seen it yet.  It had it all; comedy, adventure, action, romance and drama - typical Pixar quality.

A Trip to VA and Fun at Home

Brad's grandfather passed away in July and we went home to VA for the Memorial Service this week. It was a wonderful service and a good reminder that life is not about our accomplishments but how we invest in other people's lives. Grandpa Rayburn was a true man of God and a great example of how to finish well.


In other updates, we put Noelle's hair in tight curls to sleep in one night. It's been several months since we've done this so it's always fun to see the results. Here she is with 2 headbands in her hair to tame down all the hair.
Not to be outdone, Sadie got 4 headbands for her hair:

This afternoon we had the perfect plan for spending our hot afternoon. We were headed to the Covington splash park for our final visit of the summer. I remembered that they always close for the season when school starts so our days were numbered.

We suited up, liberally applied sun screen (or scun screen as Sadie calls it) and headed to the splash park. Well apparently they decided to close before the first day of school because there was no water and no people at the splash park.

I know Walton started school today, but come on...Covington and Walton are a long way from each other. Maybe there are other schools that started today. I'll just assume so, so I don't have any hard feelings.

So with my afternoon plans popping like a bubble, we came home and created out own water fun. Here are some of the scenes from our redneck splash park:

Farewell to Aviation Life

This morning the girls and I went along on Brad's trip to Washington D.C. so they could experience flying with Daddy being the pilot. Brad's 10 year career with Comair is wrapping up next week as he says good bye to aviation. On Sept 1st we embark on a new chapter of life in which Brad is the Pastor of Worship at our church, Grace Fellowship.
We're very excited about the career change and we're anxious to see what God has in store for us. Here are some highlights from our memorable trip with Brad today.

Brad and his airplane

Sadie at the controls (she didn't fully appreciate how few people get to sit there)Noelle, swooning over her favorite person

We got an extra treat on the way home. We were given first class seats (which technically you should be at least 6 years old) and the Captain gave us some Belgium chocolates. Sadie was so exhausted that she fell asleep.

Noelle was living it up with her first class goblet and fruit juice.

We've enjoyed the pilot life (mostly), but I'm so proud of Brad's new position in full-time ministry.

When I told Noelle that Brad won't be flying anymore she wisely asked what he would do for a job. I told her he would work at church. She asked what he would do there so I simply said "well he'll have an office and do his music work there." She replied with an incredulous "You mean they're going to pay him to sit in an office and talk to people all day!?!"

Lake Vacation

This past week was the Spence Family Lake vacation. We met up with Brad's parents and his Brother and family at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland. It's a fabulous lake in the mountains. The high's hovered around 82 and the low's were a nippy 53 at night...in other words, perfect.
Here are some of the highlights:

We started off with a fun surprise from my MIL and SIL - coordinating aprons. How fun.

The cousins: Noah, Ethan, Noelle and Sadie

Enjoying our mini-beach a brief walk from our house

Brother, Dave and Brad, enjoying the mini-beach in a style of their own

A nearby waterfall - Swallow Falls. The extreme version
Swallow Falls - the tame versionBoating and tubing for a day

Taking a chairlift to the top of a local ski resort for a picnic and site-seeing

The Happy Spence Family