Happy Halloween!

We went to Meijers this afternoon for some early trick-or-treating. Because you know we need as much candy as possible. Grace was a witch, and Avery was a pumpkin fairy. Grace said that Avery was her personal fairy and she could tell her "fairy, go get me a latte!" It's something she heard on a kid's show. I asked her if she knew what a latte was, but she just got a blank stare on her face. Silly girl!

Avery was having a good time with the bowl of candy. We were trying to mix it up before we got some trick-or-treaters. She liked making noises with the nerds.

Scottie's mom and dad came out to visit and were able to see the girls in their costumes. I didn't have a picture of Penny with her eyes open. Oops! I should have paid better attention.

The Scott Family 2009.

Trick-or-treating with our girls. It was getting really cold out so we wrapped Avery in a blanket. We only took her to a few houses and then we went back home. Scottie took Grace out for the rest of the evening. It's hard to believe that last year I was nine months pregnant. What a difference a year makes. We've really enjoyed living in this neighborhood. I hope we have as much fun next year in our new neighborhood!!

Halloween Party

Gracie walking in her school's halloween parade. It was the only picture I got of her during the parade. I got there two minutes past the time her teacher said to be there to get them dressed, and Grace was already in a panic because she thought I wasn't coming. But she forgot about it as soon as I pulled out her costume.

Sweet pea came along too. I was worried about bringing her since Gracie's teacher last year was very vocal about not bringing siblings to school functions. But I didn't want to miss out on her party, especially since I missed so much last year. So I just sucked it up and took Avery anyway. I almost laughed when I walked in and saw two other babies, one of them belonging to the teacher. She had her mom bring the baby and her four year old daughter. So I'm not worried about missing out on things this year. Thank goodness!!

Grace loved having her little sister at school. Can you believe that Grace wore that shirt five years ago? The only difference is that Grace's belly made the shirt really tight, and I put her hair into two full sized ponytails. I was just happy that a clip actually stayed in Avery's hair. It's funny how different they are as babies.

Spooky snacks!!

It's a good thing Grace is going to the dentist on Monday, she has green teeth!!

Beauty For Ashes

Isaiah 61:1-3

^1" The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
² He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
³ To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory."

I have had this scripture in my head for a few days now. As a lot of you know my cousin Amanda and her husband Brian lost their baby boy Gabriel Elliot on Monday. I was blessed with the chance to go see them in the hospital and hold their precious little boy. He looked so handsome and had the softest hair. I couldn't stop touching it, or kissing him. It was a bittersweet visit. I took some pictures, but I'm not going to post them or give details of his birth. Those belong to Amanda and Brian and I wouldn't want to post either without their permission. But I can tell you that they were able to spend some time with him before he went home to the Lord. I know they were thankful for that time, even though I'm sure it didn't feel like enough.

When my aunt told me about how sad his sister was when they had to say goodbye, I just couldn't stop thinking about how it isn't fair for a five year to know this kind of sorrow. But then this scripture popped in my head, specifically the part about giving them a crown of beauty for ashes. I was washed over with a peace and confidence that God is going to bring something beautiful out of this tragedy. It may take a while to see it, because losing a child has got to be one of the hardest storms to weather. It isn't something that you will ever "get over" but I know that they will continue to live their lives serving and loving their God. I've already witnessed Amanda and Brian living out the verse " In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory." I know they are beyond devastated and heartbroken, but they are living out their faith and showing everyone the power of God's peace. There was so much peace in that hospital room, even while they were grieving. They believe, as I do, that this world is not the end. They will see their little boy, along with his brother Felix, in heaven one day.

I will continue to pray for them and their three living children. While they have a strong faith, they aren't super hero's, and there are sure to be tough days ahead. They have a lot of family and friends lifting them up in prayer, I just wish we didn't have to. But that's a whole different post and debate about why God allows babies to die. The bottom line is: I don't know and I probably won't know until I get to heaven and ask Him. But I do know that He will bring something beautiful from Gabe's life. He's already touched my life, and making me seek out God's word and truth more.

I put some songs on my blog that have really touched me lately. I wouldn't be a true member of the Jenkins family if music didn't speak to me. The first one has a verse from Isaiah 61. It's one that I use to listen to in college. The second one is by Natalie Grant and I have to warn you that even though this song has been on the radio for a while now, I have yet to listen to it without crying. Grace calls it the sad song. It gives me hope and makes me sad at the same time. The third one really drives home a fact that I've been realizing lately. That even after walking with the Lord for almost eighteen years, I have only reached the tip of the ice burg in my knowledge and understanding of God and His holiness. He is a big God, and His ways are not always my ways. But in the end His way will lead me in the best direction.

Wow!! I can't believe my deep thoughts tonight. But these are things that have been going through my mind for a few weeks now. I'll stop writing, but I think I would like to share more of my thoughts with you all. Please pray for Amanda and Brian and their family. They are awesome people and I know they would appreciate your prayers.

Party! Party!

We had Gracie's birthday party in Indianapolis a couple of weeks ago. We decided to go all out and have her party at a place called Great Times Fun Park. It was a great place for a party. The kids had a blast and I didn't have to decorate, cook, or clean up. It was money well spent! At first we thought about doing something small for her birthday, and taking a trip to Chicago. But that didn't work out, and then I thought about the fact that we may be in Mississippi next year and I wanted to do something special just in case. (By the way, Scottie goes for his interview in Dayton on Tuesday for their residency program. Prayers would be appreciated, because we really want to go there!!) I have posted A LOT of pictures, I hope you can make it through them all without getting tired.

Carol and Wyatt- my stepsisters youngest boy. He's so cute.

Grace and Gabby- We have a picture of them riding a rocking horse when they were two. They are in the exact same pose, but they are such big girls now.

Scottie and his brother Joe are having a shooting contest. Being addicted to this game must run in the family! ;)

The pizza was surprisingly good!

Grace blowing out the candles on her horse cake, which I did not bake. I decided to be lazy throughout the entire party and let her order a cake. After paying for the cake I have decided that I will always bake her cakes. It's a lot cheaper!

This is the only picture of her opening presents that turned out okay. The others are blurry.

After pizza, cakes, and presents the kids were given tokens for the arcade and a stamp for the indoor playland. They had so much fun. The play land had tunnels and slides, and several places to climb. I'm guessing that all the kiddos slept good that night!

Grace and Avery with their Mam-maw and Pap-paw.

I almost threw up when I saw this picture. I'm not sure who let her eat the pit balls, but that was not a good idea! Those things are covered in germs!!! I'm glad she has a good immune system.

Stuart coming down the slide into the ball pit. I wish they would have had something like this when I was little, it looks like fun!

All of the kids got a baggie of tokens to play in the arcade. They had a gift area where you could turn in your tickets for prizes.

Dylan hit the jackpot that day. Well, his mom Amanda hit the jackpot. You had to try and get your token into a dump truck, and if you did the truck would dump out all the tokens in it's bed. She got one that was full of tokens. Dylan was so excited because the tickets just kept coming! I don't know how long it took for them to come out, but we waited for a while. He was able to get a big prize, so he was happy!!

Mom and Steve playing old school Pac-Man. ;)

Grace got quite a bit of tokens as well, but nobody beat Dylan!

Grace with Steve and Nana.

All of the kids who came to the party, minus Stuart and Wyatt. They left before I could get everybody rounded up. It was a crazy day.

Avery and Daddy playing with Gracie's prize, a giant snake. Like we need one more stuffed animal in our house.

Grace and her cousin Chloe. Two peas in a pod!

Grace and Avery with Grandma and Grandpa.

Daddy and Grace riding the go-karts. Little did we know that Daddy's wallet would fall out during the ride. When did we discover this? When we went to pay the bill after going out with our friends Christian and Emily. I hate that we had to cut our visit short and leave with us freaking out!

We went to Uncle Joe's apartment so we could call Great Times and see if it had been found or turned in. Thankfully someone had turned it in, unfortunately that someone took all of the cash out. There wasn't much, but that's still pretty crappy to take someone's money. In the end we were just thankful that it was turned in and not thrown in the trash! It was stressful way to end the day, but I think this was one of Gracie's best birthdays. She had a lot of fun, and was so happy that everyone came to her party. This is a picture of the girls and their Uncle Joe. Grace is holding her new American Girl doll, Kit, that Joe bought her. He is always spoiling these girls! But he does it because he loves them. Grace got a lot of great presents, and we want to thank everyone for coming and showering her with gifts. I know she loves them all and appreciates everything!

Grace got bend-a-roos from Mam-maw and Pap-paw. She has been wanting them for a long time. She is posing her first two creations, and she made them all by herself. She is so creative. I was really impressed with the flower, she did it without any instructions. You can't see the picture frame very well, but she decorated it too. The painting was made by Grace as well. She did it when she went to Indiana to stay with dad and Carol for the weekend. My Grandma Pat gave her a painting lesson. It took them two days to do it, but I think she did an excellent job!! She has a real talent for art, and I'm so glad that my grandma was able to help her. She can't wait to visit again and make another picture.

** Well, if you read all of this, then you are dedicated. I had a hard time narrowing down the pictures because we had so much fun that day and took several pictures. I'm glad that we were able to have this party and hope it won't be the last one for a while. If we do end up in Mississippi then it will be a few years before we can have another family party. Let's all keep our fingers crossed for Dayton!!! Thank you to everyone who came, we really appreciated it!