the tabernacle

i don't pretend to understand the score keeping in william's sunday school class.  there are several different teams, and they earn points for different things.  i think making a tabernacle was extra credit, but william and clay went upstairs one afternoon and knocked it out.  and i have to say....it was pretty impressive!!

the tabernacle...

the priest...they informed me that his breastplate would only hold two jewels, but they knew he was supposed to have 12!

the alter of burnt offering is behind him.

the bronze basin...the blue lego is the water!  

the lamp stand...

the table of showbread...the 12 loaves were inside the table for transport purposes!

the alter of incense...

the ark of the covenant...you can't see in there, but they included the ten commandments, aaron's staff, and some manna.

props to these lego-building boys who have obviously been listening in class!!  

valentine's tea and presentation

all of the first grade classes had their annual tea and presentation this morning.  the little people dress up in their mom or dad's clothes and are presented to their adoring fans.  they draw names to see who will be paired with whom, and wes landed himself a pretty cute date!  before they made it into the gym, the boys had to escort the girls through the halls while the other classes came out to watch.  i had to smack william in the head this morning while he was telling wes about that part...."oh my goodness, wes, it's so embarrassing!"  and after it was over, wes definitely agreed with him, but there was candy to be had afterwards, so he wasn't complaining much!!

wes and mary elliott

collins, wes, whit, and sam

happy valentine's day!

hymn festival 2015

william participated in the 2015 hymn festival at the end of january.  he loves playing for people, so this is a favorite for him!  (i don't know where he got that from.  i don't even like people to look at me!)  

he played a rousing rendition of "every time i feel the spirit," and he received superior marks.  happy boy with his certificate!

the fans...

our buddy, mason, played "holy, holy, holy" and didn't miss a note!  plus, he won the fashion award with his bowtie!

and the hardware came in a few days later!

he's already looking forward to next year!

weekend in the delta

we made a trip to the delta this past weekend.  we took advantage of the sunny and warm(ish) weather and spent most of our time outside!

there was a trip to sky lake...

riding bikes all over town (conquering the entire town is much more fun than just taking on your street or neighborhood)...

and reed's personal favorite - shooting stuff...

daddy got in on the fun, too!  the hoodie makes this picture perfect, don't you think???  :)

along with shooting stuff, william got to the play the piano at church, we saw mamoo and taylor, and we got to eat catfish.  we made it back just before the bottom fell out of the sky and the super bowl started.  you can't get much better than that!

we didn't break anything.

our church rented out the bancorpsouth arena tonight.  there were a few decent skaters out there, but for the most part you could tell that we are a bunch of southern folks just trying not to get hurt.  my three are probably going to be a little sore tomorrow, and they will probably find a few bruises in the morning.  but we walked away with no broken bones or stitches, so we'll call it a good night!

getting a little help from daddy...

wes isn't sure...

rhodes, knox, william, and clay

cookie break!

reed finally figured out the safest and easiest way to "skate"....

wes and william getting the hang of it....

it looks all good in the pictures, but don't waste your time looking for us in the winter olympics any time soon!  :)

sunshine

after these last couple of cold (really cold!) and rainy few weeks, we were so, very thankful for the sunshine this weekend!!!

here's to hoping that it sticks around!!!

worthless

what better way to start the new year than with a post about abe.  if you haven't been paying attention, we got abe from the shelter back in april of last year.  it was a rough first month.  well, not for me....he loved me from the beginning.  but he pretty much despised everyone else.  chase was ready to return him.  BUT....we stuck it out, and this little thing (we don't know what he is) came around.  he is everybody's favorite!  

he is only allowed on one chair in the den.  if you sit down, abe is hopping up there with you.  most of the time, he doesn't even need you to be sitting there!

the swing out back....yeah, that's his, too!

he's good at making himself at home...

and helping with homework,

and reading.  abe likes reading!

if chase is putting on his coat, abe is ready to go with him!

he even got his own presents for christmas.

the only strike against him is the living arrangements.  i have always hoped to one day live in a george henson house.  and now this sorry dog beat me to it.  

love you, abe-ster!