September Fun, Part 2

 Our homeschool group visited Har-Ber Village for their Pioneer Days one Friday morning. They kids enjoyed exploring and visiting all the booths.

This early 1900s magic show was a hit. 

The kids spent a long time learning about weaving and clothing manufacturing in the Pioneer Days. 

Katherine tasted some delicious butter. 

The even peeked in an outhouse :)

And washed some laundry

We finished up our day with some roping skills

and print shop.

Sam and Elisabeth split off from the big group and explored some with their friends. 

Such a fun day! Learning through experience is the best learning. 

We had a triple date with the Shondelmyers and the Davises, and landed at an ice cream shop in Broken Arrow. Matt was very happy with his ice crema flight. 

While we were out on the town, we left the kids at our house to entertain themselves. Sometimes I still can't believe we've reached the point in parenting, where the kids can stay home alone on our date nights. 

At the end of September, some dear friends and I traveled to Dallas to attend Allie Beth Stuckey's Share the Arrows conference. I've been a huge fan of Allie Beth for years. She is gifted by the Holy Spirit to speak the truth in love in such a clear and powerful way. When I heard she was hosting a conference, I immediately invited some friends to join me for the weekend. 

We left town Friday afternoon to travel down to Dallas. We laughed along the way with how many stops we took and how many hours it took us to arrive in Dallas, but chatting with these Ladies sure passes the time quickly. 

We arrived at the church for the conference early Saturday morning. 

We were all so excited to see Allie Beth!

There were incredible speakers who left us challenged and encouraged. This was no fluffy conference, but we left empowered.

We heard from Rosaria Butterfield and Abbie Halberstadt that morning. 

After lunch Alisa Childers spoke, followed by a last minute surprise- Candace Cameron Bure. Such fun! I kept telling the kids I was going to hear DJ Tanner speak at my conference. 

And finally Allie Beth spoke and closed out the conference. 

We also had several worship sessions. It was powerful listening to 4,000 like minded women worshipping the Lord together. 

I videoed Allie Beth's introduction because I wanted to show Elisabeth. 

As I was at the conference that weekend, I felt the Lord showing me that the boldness, stubbornness, strong willed, determined traits I see in Elisabeth are similar to the characteristics I see in Allie Beth. At times parenting Elisabeth is a challenge (same with my other three kids who all have unique personalities, gifts, and struggles). I reframe those challenges by saying that someday because of her determination to push every boundary I set, she's going to change the world, and as I witnessed Allie Beth host this amazing conference, and listened to her speak boldly, unapologetically, and strongly, I realized that I think Elisabeth has some Allie Beth in her. I've heard Allie Beth speak often about how she got in trouble often as a child usually for talking during class. As we're in a season of regular discipline with Elisabeth, I wanted her to know that her personality and gifts are going to be used by the Lord someday. It was a lesson she and I both needed to hear.

Experiencing the conference with these ladies was such a gift. Their friendship is a precious treasure in my life. 

We all left the conference changed and our friendships strengthened. We're already looking forward to next year. 

Nathan attended his friend Jax's thirteenth birthday party with an outdoor movie. So fun!

We closed out September with a few more Spirit days at co-op (team spirit day and favorite color day)

Katherine's Seventh Birthday

 We had a wonderful few days celebrating our favorite SEVEN year old!

Ever since she tasted alfredo sauce for the first time, Katherine has chosen Olive Garden as her favorite restaurant. When Grandma and Grandpa came up to visit, we treated her to lunch to celebrate her birthday. 

She happily soaked up all the special attention and especially enjoyed the free dessert. 

For her birthday party this year, she chose to invite a few of her co-op friends over for an afternoon of fun. Because most of her friends have older siblings in the same robotics group, a Wednesday afternoon while the bigs were at robotics turned out to be the perfect time to celebrate!

She baked a cookie cake with homemade icing for her birthday celebration. 

She also chose a few snacks to enjoy with her friends. 

These sweet girls all played so well together during Katherine's party. 

We sang Happy Birthday to our favorite birthday girl. 

After snacks, Katherine opened her gifts from her friends. 

The hair accessories were a hit. I'm thinking this will be in the CHEER senior slideshow a few years from now. I hope these girls all stay friends and treasure growing up together. 

Laura gifted Katherine with gummy bear earrings. Katherine was very excited. 

After snacks and gifts, the girls painted rocks outside and played in our backyard.

Katherine's actual birthday fell on a Thursday this year, and she was pumped to celebrate at co-op. Her dad was kind enough to bring her lunch on her special day. 

The sweetest moment of the day was when all the kids sang to her. I got teary eyed watching all these kids of all ages celebrating Katherine. Our co-op is such a gift. The kids are all so encouraging, friendly and uplifting to every child at co-op. 

Having dad visited was a highlight of her day for sure. 

For dinner on her birthday, Katherine requested homemade waffles. 

After a few more family gifts,

We were off to the Birthday Girl's favorite treat spot- Cherry Berry. 

We rarely visit Cherry Berry, so it was a special treat for her and her siblings. 

The kids gifted Katherine with a pink penguin onesie. She had to try it on as soon as we got home. 

Katherine sure is easy to celebrate. We love our feisty, friendly joyful SEVEN year old!