pop pop in the house!!

So...the one and ONLY Pop Pop came into town! Hallelujah! Pop Pop is our hero. Big time. Not only did he let me have some fun with my girlfriends while he was here....BUT TOOK ALL THREE OF MY KIDS TO A FALL FESTIVAL, A PUMPKIN PATCH AND WILD WEST DAYS. Oh yes he did. ALL BY HIMSELF! And are you still wondering why we call him Superhero Pop Pop?? He has no experience in all of this...I was his only child (and hello...i am a girl!). He rocked this weekend...the boys had a BLAST...they did some super fun stuff and as always...Pop Pop spoiled their guts rotten! Love that crazy mustached man :)

here the babies are at Aue Gatorfest.

Stop for a moment...not only did Pop Pop take them here...BUT HE TOOK PICTURES TOO?? Again...Superhero Pop Pop is in the houseeee!

So fun!

special

this picture gets its very own post.

what is your favorite part?
a. brody licking the stroller
b. bryce possibly choking braxton
c. all of the above...

Pop Pop rocks!

hoooo are you tues.

1. How many times a year do you get your hair cut?

3-ish. i get my hair colored quite often though. could totally get my hair cut everyday just to spend some time with my sweet friend that makes my hair pretty :)

2. Where is the worst place to be stuck waiting?

in the car...with babies that don't want to be in the car.

3. What are your favorite pizza toppings?

pepperoni and jalapenos!!

4. What's your favorite thing about where you live?

oh so many things! the MOST fave thing would have to be the location and how crazy convenient everything that we would ever want to do is!

5. What's your favorite fruit? Veggie?

apples and asparagus

beadforlife

BeadforLife eradicates extreme poverty by creating bridges of understanding between impoverished Africans and concerned world citizens. Ugandan women turn colorful recycled paper into beautiful beads. Women in Northern Uganda gather shea nuts and press into shea butter for cosmetics and soaps. And people who care open their hearts,homes and communities to buy and sell both products.

The beads and shea butter become income, food, medicine, school fees and hope. It is a small miracle that enriches us all.

Our goal is for our members to be independent of BeadforLife within 18 months by being able to support themselves within the Ugandan economy. To assist members in launching their own small businesses or in creating new revenue streams, we provide entrepreneurial training, facilitate savings accounts, and make business funds available. In the rural areas our program focuses on agricultural development.

BeadforLife sponsors Community Development projects in health, vocational training for impoverished youth, affordable housing, and business development. These projects are financed with the net profits from the sale of the beads and shea butter products and support not only our members, but other impoverished people living in Uganda. See how many people we have touched in our first years.

visit www.beadforlife.org

Then come to my Open House on Wednesday, November 3rd from 5pm-7:30pm!!

hoo are you tuesday!

1.What was your favorite meal growing up?

beef stew. i could not wait for it to get cold so my mom would start making it. i used to even request it on my birthday (which is in may). thankfully my mom taught me how to make it before she moved to heaven and now its a family fave around here.

2. What's your favorite month?

i think may...its my birthday, its usually when we have some type of vacation, its when we can start swimming and its before it gets too crazy hot.

3. What store is most represented in your wardrobe?

hmm...maybe express or old navy

4. How many times do you go to the movie theater each month/year?

maybe 4

5. Fill in the blank- I've never been able to __go to target without spending too much money__

I told you I love fall...

My precious little hineys at the pumpkin patch for a bear moon bakery breakfast picnic with friends!! What a way to start the day!!

Braxton and his friend Xander!

Brody checking to see if there is any breakfast left...

Showing the pumpkins his belly!

cuteness

my sweet slew of boys

cannot stand how big he is getting :(

donuts and pumpkins...can it get any better?

Those McElhannon boys...

Fall-licious!

Fall is in full swing! Our house smells like cinnamon, we have the harvest cookie cutters out and the pumpkin patch is calling our names! We have been busy busy busy bees (whats new). We have been having the most insanely beautiful weather which makes me want to just take the roof of our house. We have had some amazing playdates at the park, lots of dinners with friends on the patio, a perfect zoo trip and lots of "nature" walks. We successfully made it through our own birthday crazy month of september and now we are in the midst of everyone else's birthday crazy time. We have a birthday party every weekend for the rest of the month. We are making preparations for Chris and Brittany's Wedding (which we are both in!) which includes showers and bach parties and all those exciting things! The calendar is full and the next few weeks (actually its pretty much filled for the next ever and I LOVE it) are filled with more and more and more fun with friends.

In the middle of all that our family is going through our own season change. It is such an awesome time for us and I can't wait to continue to share this awesome growth. We are in the beginning of the most incredible Bible Study (as a couple) and have been enjoying our new Sunday School class so much! I have remained obedient to our precious Father and it is really paying off. It is so incredible how things go when you let God do things in His timing. I am so very yucky bad at waiting on Him to handle it...I am getting better at it...things are rockin'...and I am giving Him ALL the GLORY!!

Please begin praying for Justin and I as we begin the planning process for our trip to Peru. We will be going with a few other couples in the spring and we need YOUR prayers. God laid this trip heavily on Justin's heart and I am so excited to see what His plan is for us!

It may not seem like it, but I have really slowed down. I have learned that right now is my season to be fed God's word. I am serving a little less in certain areas, trying my super very bestest to say NO more and definitely squeezing in as many pajama times as possible with my babies. They are all just growing way too fast and I can hardly stand it.

And now some pictures of the Buddy Walk!! LOVE my precious BUDDY!

Hooo are you Tuesday!

1. If you could add one room to our house, what would it be?

a catch all room. i want a room just full of shelves and bins and storage space for crafts and sewing and puzzles and messy toys that need to be hidden. plenty of desk space and spots to do play doh.

2. How many pillows do you sleep with at night?

one or zero

3. What is the best costume you've ever worn for Halloween?

i don't really get to dress up anymore because of all the excitement of dressing up my little men...i have been all the girly things like a fairy and a queen and a bumble bee. this year we are having major discussions about the fate of our own little dresser uppers. the boys were going to be alvin and the chipmunks...then bryce decided he wanted to be a sandwich, brody a pizza and braxty a taco. i am waiting for him to think of something else...

4. If you could erase one item off the face of the earth, what would it be?

Taylor Swift. Yeah...I wrote that.

5. Where do you do your best thinking?

On the treadmill full speed ahead. Or in the car when the babies fall asleep and Bryce has his headphones on.

Lunch

Nothing is better than coming home from church and preparing a super quick/easy and YUMO-LICIOUS lunch while the windows are open and the boys play football outside! Here is one of our new favorite recipes:

There is not an exact science to this because I made it up and change it everytime...but here is something to start off with...

Cut chicken breast into strips and cook on the stove with olive oil and garlic (I used three cloves today) (I made this a few weeks ago and used a rotisserie chicken to save time).

Boil pasta (we use whole wheat). When the chicken is just about done add in asparagus that has been cut into one inch pieces. Cover and simmer for a few mins. When your pasta is done toss it in with the chicken and asparagus. Pour 1/4 cup chicken broth over, sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes (the more the merrier) and shredded parmesan cheese (i buy a bag of it). Stir it up and serve. Delish.