CyleAugusta

I was made to be UNIQUE – one of a kind!

We have just completed the third song in our kids virtue collection: UNIQUE

To listen to Septembers virtue: Respect click HERE

To listen to Octobers virtue: Initiative click HERE

Before proceeding, please allow me a short disclaimer: After a long sabbatical from the blogging world, I am back! We have been stranded and stuck in a plethora of new website implementation problems. It was like a snowball, one thing after another. The main obstacle is that Shannon and I combined with our creative ideas make using templates a nightmare. Or rather, we are a nightmare to the tech friends trying to help us. We always want to manipulate the template to do something just a little different!

So on to more productive things… Our November Virtue song : UNIQUE is just that – Unique. It is so unique in fact that we chuckle at the realization that it is kind of a country song fuzed to a rap number. I have to admit we did put this together with a little haste. This song may very well make the rewrite list at the end of the year!

I dropped Kenimer off at choir the other night and the director used the word unique in a sentence. Kenimer stated “I know a song about unique” and proceeded to sing the whole song to him. It was really neat to watch! Anytime I start to think “maybe I’m a little weird” or “I don’t do things like everyone else” I hear this song running through my mind.

Because I WAS MADE TO BE UNIQUE! And so were you. Please give it a listen and be encouraged!

Unique – Hope Farm Kids by SaintLewis

The Nasty Fair and all its goodness

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Family time is sort of like a present, except that you never really reach the bottom of the gift bag. The more time you spend with the gift the sweeter it gets. As the fall /winter holidays are approaching, I am realizing the blessing of my little family and intentional times spent together.

The Fair has been special to me since I was about eight years old. It always came around my birthday and seemed to be a field of sensory goodness set up just for me! I have enjoyed it year after year. Our family bought advanced wristbands on discount. Being able to ride over and over and not have to bother with tickets was awesome!

We lasted a while, the bright afternoon through to the late night.

I think the boys are so cute on this dragon ride right at dusk. Their expressions were priceless.

Taking turns with the boys on the carousel!

The best thing about the fair is the cotton candy of course! I have heard many people mention the nastiness of the fair and how dirty it is, maybe so but it’s the best funnel cake you will ever taste! The fair is ever magical for me!

October Fun

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It is no secret that October is one of my favorite months. The changing leaves and fall scents are enough to evoke major motivation to craft and decorate!

The fall inspiration definitely benefited my kiddos. We made lots of fall trees. One of my favorite memories was collecting fall leaves with the boys. They were in awe as they picked the leaves up and observed the different colors and shapes unique to each leaf. The boys loved comparing and matching the leaves to the ones in one of our Autumn story books. We also discovered dot paint which is loads of fun!

I discovered sculpey- a clay that you bake. After one pair of these fun earrings my creative juices got rolling and I cranked out about two dozen pair. I gave some of them away and sold the rest!

I started a new tradition this past summer. I realized how quickly the summer would fly by and I wanted to make a list of all the fun things to do in the summer. The list was titled ” Summer Fun”. The boys really enjoyed checking off the list each time we completed a beach or pool trip. We made another one for September and another for October. It is so cute how Kenimer will tell me specific things he wants in his lists. For instance we made the November list together. Kenimer said that since we didn’t drink apple cider while carving pumpkins ( I forgot to buy some at the store) in October, he wanted to make fall leaf cookies ( like the ones in the books) and dirnk hot apple cider in November. He also told me he wanted a playdate with Bramm at the park. I loved how specific he is about it! All the stores are out of fall cookie cutters so I made a fun purchase from wilton.com last night!

I love the traditions we are incorporating into our family. For now the boys love these family fun lists. I am open to traditions changing over the years. It’s just really nice to have regular things that you do together as a family! and things that are fun! You can’t forget the fun!

Living Waters 2010

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The Lewis family took a trek up to the North Carolina Mountains a few weeks ago. Shannon and I led worship for a middle school camp. The site was called Living Waters and was just a few miles outside of a cool tree-hugging town called Brevard.

This trip was such a refreshment to us in many ways.

First our children were able to accompany us. The camp operates on parental volunteers in addition to their paid staff. Each middle schooler who attended camp also had a parent who came to work the kitchen snacks etc. While we were having morning and night meetings the parents were having their own worship and intercessory prayer meetings in the cafeteria. The parents did not room with their children. They stayed with other parents. I saw neat bondings happening as parents prayed with others parents for their children. The benefit for us was that their were many adults who took turns caring for my children while I led worship and attended practices with Shannon. 2nd we stayed in a three story house. The bottom floor housed female campers and counselors. The middle floor housed the camp director and his wife along with two children (the same ages as mine!) and another married couple. We stayed on the top floor which had two bedrooms and a full bath. These couples became dear friends. We stayed up many evenings eating snacks processing the day and enjoying rich fellowship with like minded people.

Other highlights:

A golf cart was the primary means of transportation for staff. We got up every morning dressed and rode the cart to breakfast…and lunch…and dinner… and at snack time. ( I got really spoiled!) While we were at meetings the sitters & my kids (and their friends) would ride the carts all over camp to explore. (I have a stinking suspicion they spent most of that time throwing rocks – which brings me to the next highlight.

Rock Throwing became a favorite pastime for my boys. They searched for the perfect rock then promptly threw it in the river making different sized splashes. I think they could have done this for hours.

Everywhere you walked at camp you could hear the rush of the falls. It was like having a sound machine on all the time- except this was the real thing. The mere sounds of the falls reminded me of God’s love constantly- the roaring rush and neverending waters. The afternoons were spent in the river. The camp schedule went like this: river time snacks then nap time before dinner. We pretty much followed this schedule. The counselors split up and went to different river locations different times of the day. The counselors were very trained on safety and did a good job of life guarding the area. Shannon rode the rooster tail with both boys. The rooster tail is like a water ride the slope of the rock resembles a tail that has a high jump at one point. The boys were in heaven!

If you were not riding the rooster tail you could go to the Chalet area which is the waterfall in the front picture. There were several small rocks to slide and lots of areas to wade and swim. Shannon took the boys under falls and even climbed up the rock side of one waterfall with Kenimer.

Tucker’s not so sure.

I Think we look like the Tarzan family in this one!

I really can’t describe how special this week was for us. The counselors were some of the most outstanding high school and college kids we have ever met. They truly ministered to us in many ways. Singing original songs and having the kids ask to sing them really increased my confidence that these songs come from Jesus and he has a plan for them. The only job we have is to be good stewards of the songs he gives us.

We left Camp Saturday night after some tears and heartfelt conversations. We headed down to Atlanta and woke up early Sunday morning in order to get to GRACE FELLOWSHIP by 7 a.m. We were leading for all three services. Although we were energy depleted at the end of Sunday- I can’t think of any better way to spend eight days! A friend of mine stayed with the boys Sunday morning for the first two services and we brought to the afternoon service. She reported that Kenimer cried at breakfast saying that we had to go to the white building to eat breakfast (I think he was a little spoiled also). He was asleep when we got into ATL and was quite traumatized that we were not at Camp! The Lewis Family was completely rejuvenated and encouraged by our eight day adventure!

Oh Baby…

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Babe parties. The last two weekends have involved two of them. One was a traditional Saturday women’s shower and the other happened to be a couples shower.

It seems that there is a trend… when I get a baby party invite…there is usually another. The same occurrence with weddings. One wedding invite and soon another and the same with showers. This confirms my theory that clusters of babies are born around the same time. AND. There really might be something in the water…ditto for marriages as well. I fully heart the institution of marriage and the practice of baby making.

I also adore present making.

Though it does take some time and effort. Lately I have been too busy and thus recipients of my baby shower and wedding attending have gotten store bought gifts. I feel that I have done someone an injustice when I buy a store-bought gift. I don’t know why…but if I purchase a gift I really want it to be unique. You guessed: It is nearly impossible for me to buy from a registry. With the ever increasing absence of “extra money” I have resorted to making gifts again.

For the baby showers I make hospital signs. They are signs that record the date time weight and height of the baby’s birth and can be placed on the wee one’s nursery door later. The first one I made was for my baby (two and a half year ago)! It was made from a small slate chalkboard. I have made them with wood cut outs of animals or whatever the room theme. These two are a bit simpler as the nurseries were not specific themes- just colors.

This one is for Cassie May. The font is Jane Austen.

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This one is for Cannon Van… which is such a smart name. The font is traveling Typewriter.

They were made from two thin pieces of wood ribbon and acrylic paint…all items in my art boxes in the shed. Never pass up an opportunity to create or “make something” out of your resources. Your mood will thank you later. I promise. It does a body good. Kinda like milk.