Some might say I am a glutton for punishment, even considering the thought that we could Take 5 kids on a multi-state road trip and 12 concert music tour. But, stop your Snickers. We have finally crawled out from under the Mounds of laundry and are eager to report our adventures! This is like the longest post ever so grab a Kit-Kat and hang on!
It all began on October 12, when I flew down to Austin, TX to attend a three day music conference with my sister, Heather. Leaving our Junior Mints at home with both dad's and grandma's, we enjoyed some quality sister time together. It was Bar None one of the best weeks ever!
We savored our one-hour private music session with Joseph Martin! He is the Director of Sacred Publications at Shawnee Press and has over 1200 published musical arrangements.
Heather Sorenson was another guest clinician!
We got to know this really sweet group of ladies.
This conference is normally held each year in Georgia, where they allow 60 musicians to gain entrance. However, there were so many applicants last year that they decided to offer a second conference in Austin. Being the ground-breaking year, there were only 13 of us in attendance. With the smaller crowd, Joseph Martin invited all of us over to his home on Wednesday evening after classes, where we enjoyed desserts in his beautiful backyard garden.
And, without all our little Runts, there was plenty of opportunity for two stay-at-home moms to get a little crazy.
To view more of our Texas adventures, check out these short video's that my sister created.
We know - we're Nerds.
We said a sad good-bye to the sunny south on Thursday, October 16. Having progressed from Dum-Dum's to musical Smarties, we ventured north, where we met up with all the little Peeps and began a nine-day ministry tour to the Swedish Fish of Wisconsin. Rather than Snow Caps, we enjoyed the Starburst of autumn colors and the Crunch of fallen leaves.
Obviously, the primary purpose of our trip was ministry! We served in 9 locations and performed 12 total concert's. This picture was taken at Calvary Baptist in Watertown, WI, where they also recorded the program via live stream. Click here if you are interested in watching. (Click on the "Forever Be Sure" tab on the right side.)
The four oldest kids were also involved. We are hopefully teaching them young that there is truly joy in serving Jesus!
There was also plenty of time for fun....and MORE SUGAR!!!
Would you believe that one church gave us almost 40 bars and boxes of chocolate that were left over from a fundraiser? Talk about a Pay Day.
If that wasn't enough, we ran into an old friend from college who actually works at a chocolate factory!!! Yup, he brought bags for each of us to load up on even more tasty treats!
The kids were literally climbing the walls. Did I mention LITERALLY???
There was never a shortage of hands to help with babies!!! There were 2 grandma's...
...two grandpa's...
...cousins...
...more cousins (first cousins once removed, to be exact)...
...great aunts...
...and great-grandparents!!!
Finally, on October 25, we said our farewells and headed home with our little Sugar Babies. Our work may not have earned us 100 Grand or a shopping Spree on 5th Avenue, but it was indeed rewarding! We will hopefully reap the benefits both Now & Later, as we hold tightly to great memories and trust that the truths of God's Word were indeed planted deep inside the hearts of the listeners.
How could I possibly end a post about candy without shining a brief spotlight on Halloween? First, we had Mike & Ike who went as ninja's.
Then, there were my little 3 Musketeers.
Lastly...and I mean it this time...the babies had their 6 month check up and shots this past Tuesday. Here were their stats -
Taerik Andrew
26.25 inches (20th percentile)
15 pounds, 14 ounces (15th percentile)
Drake Alexander
26 inches (13th percentile)
15 pounds (6th percentile)
Keira Ashleigh
25.5 inches (65th percentile)
16 pounds, 3 ounces (45th percentile)
*Note that girls and boys use different charts.
Well, that's a wrap for today! This exhausted momma is going to go and attempt a nap! While my five little Goobers definitely keep me busy, I can think of two tremendous benefits they offer. There is Zero chance for boredom and abundant Hugs and Kisses!!! We are blessed!!!
These pictures were delightful! I am so glad you had such a fun trip and got to spend time with extended family and friends. Now I am going to start clicking on the videos. :)
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