Merry Christmas from Caroline, Lori, and Galen

"On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Matthew 2:11

The Accidental Tourist?

Caroline takes her tourism pretty seriously. As you can see by the picture below, while she was recently on her way to North Carolina to visit her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for Christmas, she stopped at a visitors center in Virginia to see if she could find her way to historic Jamestown. Once she figured out from the map she's holding that it would be too much further to drive, she proposed simply shipping herself, saying that she had once seen Bugs Bunny do something similar.But once we convinced her that she would have more fun staying with us and opening Christmas presents from her relatives, she decided to tag along with us. And she was so glad that she did!But now the whole family is getting ready to travel again, for Daddy has a conference in Chicago right after Christmas, and the girls want to come along. It looks like they're ready to go!

What We're Thankful For

Little girls on princess chairs

Napping dogs with little hairs

And the love of Jesus everywhere

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

"Taking Chances" Tour

I am so excited!!! I'm finally going to get to see Celine Dion in concert!!! She is coming to Tulsa for her new "Taking Chances" Tour. Unfortunately, I have to wait until November 13, 2008. Yes, you saw that right...2008!!! Long time to wait, but definitely worth it. I am so lucky!! The internet wasn't working at first, but I was able to get in. I know they aren't the best seats, but they're not the worst!! Again, did I say I'm so excited!!! I didn't get to see her when we were in Las Vegas, but I'm going to see her in OK!

Woo Pig Sooie!!

We got to "call the Hogs" in Fayetteville on November 3rd on the 50-yard line!! We were very fortunate to go to the game courtesy of our friend, Coach Alex Wood. He is an Assistant Coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. He coaches the receivers for the team. Coach Wood was at Wake Forest coaching for our other friend Jim Caldwell, who is now with the Indianapolis Colts. It was a wonderful night, but just a little chilly! It was also Senior Night and the night they named the football field after former coach and long-time Athletic Director, Frank Broyles. Of course, the highlight for me is the Hogs beating the South Carolina Gamecocks and Steve Spurrier!! We were also fortunate to have our neighbor's oldest daughter watch Caroline for us. So, it was kind of a "date night" for Galen and me. It was great, but did I say cold!! Caroline did great for Corina, but was happy to Mommy & Daddy the next morning. I guess we are official Hogs fans now. Woo Pig Sooie! Never thought I'd say that!

Happy Halloween!!

This year was Caroline's second Halloween. She dressed up as a Colts cheerleader. We already had the outfit, thanks to Aunt Lisa. I wanted to get another wear out of it! We bought some decals and a pom-pom at the Colts game so that she would look authentic. She was so cute!! Galen gave out candy to all the kids in a Colts tub we got at the game. So, it was a complete Colts Halloween! I took Caroline to the First Baptist Church Harvest Festival. They had games and candy. She had a great time! I was really surprised because she so timid, but she just jumped in and loved playing next to the other kids. Everyone was happy to see Caroline. For some of them, it was the first time! She got some candy and "made" Daddy a cookie with icing and M&M's. We had a really good evening and it was such a special memory!

Go Colts!

Years ago, Galen led chapel services for the Wake Forest University football team while Jim Caldwell was the head coach. Now Jim is the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach for the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. We went to see Jim the last weekend of September, and Galen was able to give a devotional message to the Christians on the Colts roster. We also were able to see the Colts defeat the Denver Broncos 38-20. There are a lot of great guys associated with the team, and it's a shame that the news media doesn't give more attention to professional athletes who strive to live their lives for the Lord. Just a few of the guys who come to the prayer service in the team hotel are well-known players like Jeff Saturday (center), Hunter Smith (punter), Dallas Clark (tight end), and Bob Sanders (safety). We were very appreciative that Tony Dungy, the head coach who published a great book this summer called Quiet Strength, took time to visit with us as a family and to take the picture up at the top. Lori was still recovering from her foot surgery but still managed to get around okay. Caroline stayed in the hotel with a babysitter during the game, but she still wanted to wear her Colts cheerleader outfit and watch the game on TV to show her support.

Land of Lincoln

It seems that once a year or so, we find ourselves needing to drive across Illinois either to get to some sort of conference or to come back home. Over time, we have been able to drive near and visit a number of historic sites related to the life of Abraham Lincoln. This year, on our way to Indianapolis to see the Colts play, we had Caroline with us for the first time as we visited Springfield, where Lincoln lived and raised his family before he was elected President, and where he was laid to rest after his assassination. This was also the first time that we had been to the newly opened Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield. We also visited the cabin in eastern Illinois where Lincoln moved with his father and stepmother when they first arrived from Indiana. So for us Lincoln buffs, this was an enjoyable trip.

So Long to Summer

Summer is almost gone, but we've had some good times, and Caroline has really grown. She especially loves running and being chased around the living room. Lori, however, has had to cut back on playtime for a little while: in early September, she needed to have her second surgery of the year, this time to remove a growth from her right foot. But hopefully she can fully recover before a scheduled family trip to Indianapolis at the end of the month, during Galen's fall break at JBU. So, while we are waiting for Lori to feel better, and are also looking forward to seeing the world champion Colts play football, we thought we'd take a nostalgic look back at the summer with Caroline modeling some of her favorite t-shirts (click each photo to enlarge). Enjoy fall weather, everybody!

Love Me Tender

The 30th anniversary of "the king" Elvis Presley's passing has been in the news a lot this August (about which Galen is still all shook up), but Caroline reminds us that there's some new royalty around!

A-dora-ble

It seems like the cartoon character Dora the Explorer is everywhere when it comes to children's toys these days. Caroline even has a little Dora telephone that her grandmother gave her. So it was no surprise that Caroline wanted to meet Dora in person. Don't ask how daddy got in the middle of this; let's just say that Dora is a lot taller in person than on TV, so Caroline needed a lift. Dora was actually very nice and told a funny joke to Caroline about the two of them being surrounded by monkeys. Hey, wait a minute . . . .

One Year Old!

Our sweet Caroline has turned one year old,

And the stories of its celebration will long be told.

She had a big party, and received some new books.

Her cute little dress got plenty of looks.

She rode in her wagon, and went to the zoo.

But she's growing so fast, next she'll be turning two!

Seven-Eleven

To help Caroline celebrate her eleventh month "birthday," we're sharing seven of her prettiest pictures. It doesn't seem possible that she will soon be turning one year old. We are planning a birthday party for her at our church, and we want to take her to a nearby petting zoo. She has been a very good baby. She sleeps well at night, usually doesn't stay fussy for very long, and has found a way to share the house with Winston. She has recently discovered how to walk around the living room. There are plenty of falls at this stage, but it's both joyful and funny to see her try her hardest to perfect this new skill.

Perfect 10

At Caroline's 10th month, she weighs 20 lbs., 6 oz., and has really started to develop a personality. She lights up every day with a wide smile and a giggle. So we are very thankful to the Lord for our little "perfect 10."