Family Time

Here are a few pictures of us at the pumpkin carving contest. When we were walking back to the car, we ran into this clown. I was so excited to see her again. She had hired me earlier in the day to do pictures of her dressed up as a clown for her Christmas Cards. She was still dressed up and headed to the pumpkin viewing. We thought she was adorable!

Every year the architecture and design school at Auburn puts on the great pumpkin carve. It is amazing to see how creative and talented the students are. The viewing of the pumpkins always draws a large crowd. They are amazing. I put pictures of a few of my favorites. They are not allowed to use any kits, they all start at the same time, and there is a finishing time. It is amazing!

D.A.R.E. Hat Day

Noelle had a hat contest at school last week. The had was supposed to have an anti-drug them. So, we came up with, I'm filled with glee cause I'm drug free. So, Noelle's hat said that going around the middle, and was decorated like a party. She was so cute when we were putting it together. She was quite confident that she would win. The next morning, at breakfast, she said, "I sure hope I get to hear who won for the 5th graders." I said, "Why wouldn't you?" Then she said, "Because I'll already be on the way to the office to get my prize." Paul and I both started laughing. Well, at the end of the day, her vision had come true, she was the winner, and she didn't get to hear who won for the 5th graders! We are so proud of Noelle! It takes a special person to pull off a hat like that!

Costume Contest

This year, we decided to have a costume contest for our college students. It was really alot of fun for us and for our kids. We were missing so many of them though. However, I don't think it would have mattered if everyone was there, I think Tiffany still would have won. She was dressed up as Lucille Ball, and she looked absolutely adorable!

Halloween is so much fun! I love seeing kids dress up and have fun. This year the girls both wanted to be lady bugs, and Hunter desperately wanted to be a frog. I made the girls costumes, but I really didn't want to attempt to make a frog costume. I was about to give up, when I found this one on Ebay. I was so excited to pay my $7 and be done. Hunter has been living in his costume ever since it arrived. I'm hoping it makes it to Halloween night. He has even slept in it a few times. LeeLee on the other hand, won't keep hers on. I'm not quite sure what to do about that. I'm starting to try and figure out how duck tape might help the cause. I love the picture of Hunter playing with LeeLee's antenna. He just couldn't help himself.

The 3rd Annual Sanders Family Pumpkin Carve

This is a highly anticipated event in the Sanders Family. You are not allowed to use any pumpkin carving kits, or bring any designs with you. We start the carve in the front yard, with a race to get your pumpkin and get inside the house. Once we say go, you have 45 minutes to clean out your pumpkin, get it carved, and get it on the front porch for judging. We bring in outside judges, and conceal their identity, because bribes and death threats could come their way. My college students really get into this, they want the prize, but more importantly, they want the bragging rights. I couldn't believe it as the judges went straight to DJ's pumpkin. DJ came in last place last year, and he was really upset about it. The rest of the college students have loved making fun of him, so now they will have to deal with the consequences. Several people told the judges that they just didn't understand what they had just done to our family by letting him win. I think it's great though. By the way, DJ's design is what Noelle told him to do, it accidentally ended up looking like the solar system. Oh yeah, we missed you Wes, Anna Ruth, and Lauren. We shall see what happens at the costume contest in few weeks.

My Football Buddy

Hunter has really become our little football buddy this year. He loves going to the games, and always picks out what he is going to wear. He is so funny. I found him these orange pants at a thrift sale, and now, they are a definite part of his game clothes. He will alternate between Carnell William,s jersey, and Aubie's jersey. We've noticed alot of other kids are still wearing their Cadillac jerseys as well. However, Hunter's favorite player is Quintin Groves (#54). We love Quintin, he is a special guy, and he has impressed me this year by publicly taking responsibility for some of our losses. Unfortunately after making some big plays in the Florida game, he was injured, but we expect to see him again soon. I am so glad Hunter has taken to football. However, now I will feel bad when we don't take him to these last SEC games that we be hard to get tickets to.

The Moon Festival

In addition to volunteering on Tuesday, it was also the Moon Festival. This is a Chinese Holiday. Families will go out under the moon, and look at it, barbecue, and eat round snacks including moon cakes. You are supposed to think about those that you love, including those that have passed on. We learned alot from Emily, she said that you are not supposed to point at the moon because then the God of the Moon will cut off your ear. So, being the rebellious family we are, we pointed at the moon to prove that our God is the God of the moon, and that he wouldn't cut our ears off. Anyway, Emily also had moon cakes for us to share. They definitely are a required taste. They are very dry, and have red bean, or green bean paste on the inside, and in the center is an egg yolk. We all tried them, but none of us asked for seconds. Emily was so happy to have the moon cakes. I'm so glad that she was able to share this holiday with us, and teach us what it is all about. We are really learning some invaluable lessons from her.

The Humane Society

Noelle is involved in Keepers at Home which is kind of like girl scouts, except is grounded in the word of God. Her group volunteered at the Humane Society on Tuesday to help the animals. My fear was that Percy, a dog that my children, especially Noelle, have fallen in love with would still be there. When we pulled in, I saw Percy up on the hill, someone was walking him. We of course played with him for awhile, then went in to do our service project. The girls, and their brothers made decorations for the Humane Society to hang up, and they fed the dogs some treats. Of course Noelle gave all her treats to Percy. We had a fun time volunteering, but our hearts were sad again to leave Percy behind. We met Percy about a month and a half ago, and Noelle walked him for a fundraiser for the Humane Society. He was the sweetest dog, and he never pulled on the leash. He loved on all three of my kids by giving them big kisses. I could really sense that Percy was a special dog, and that he deserved a great home. I'm not the only one who sees this, the shelter staff can also see how special he is, but for whatever reason, families just keep passing him by. I mention him all the time to my friends, but so far, no one has come forward to get him. If you might be interested in Percy, please take a look. I promise, you won't be disappointed, he is that one in a million dog that people dream about! http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=8720080

Happy 16th Emily!

Emily turned 16 last Tuesday. She didn't want to have a party, so we fixed a family dinner, and Tricia came over and we celebrated. Emily wanted an ice cream cake, so of course we got one from Dairy Queen. We presented Emily with her gift. We wrapped it in lots of boxes til she finally got to a small box and unwrapped the new ipod nano. She was so excited. I was just glad the box made it from Shenzhen, China as quickly as it did. Tricia gave her an itunes gift card, so she could download songs and movies. After dinner, some friends from church came by and kidnapped her, and took her out for more dessert. I hope she had a great birthday, seeing as she didn't get a car! Happy 16th Emily, we love you!

The Wedding

It's kind of funny, Becca actually brought Tig into our family, but as soon as he arrived, it didn't take long before he was part of the family. My kids took to him right away, and they have always loved Becca. So, Saturday was a special time for all of us as we watched them make a commitment to one another. There were times when we worried that the details of the wedding wouldn't work out, but in the end, it all came together perfectly. I have been worried for awhile now about Eleenah walking down the aisle. I wasn't worried about Noelle, she is a professional flower girl that started her flower girl career at 20 months. If she could do it so perfectly then, then we knew she could do it now. Hunter worried me a little, but we talked alot about it and he was clear as to what his job was. Eleenah though would just say, "Flower girl, Yeah!" So, orginally when I stared at the $395 dress that the bride loved for the girls, I was really wondering about Eleenah's status as a flower girl. However, thanks to Debbie we got the exact same dress for alot less! (Debbie is my dress hero!) So, we talked about all the worst case scenarios with Becca, and she didn't mind, so LeeLee was to be a flower girl. I was so proud of all three of them! They all did an amazing job and LeeLee loved all the attention she got. So, on Saturday, my son, Tig and my daughter, Becca were married! It was really sweet as she began to cry while saying her vows and he reached up to wipe away her tears. It was at that moment that I could really see the love that they have. I am so proud of both of them, and I'm really glad that they won't be leaving the family yet! There are so many great pictures I could put on here from the wedding, but I will limit myself and put a few of my favorites.

Rehearsal Time!

My definition of family over time has evolved and changed. I used to see family as the people who had a direct bloodline to my own, or people who had married into it. Now I see family as those that are there for us, the ones who stick by you, that include you, and genuinely seek to know you and your hearts desires. Now that I define family in this way, I realize how blessed I am. Our life is full of family we love and cherish. Part of our family includes our college students. As we prepared for Becca and Tig's wedding it was as though we were giving away our own daughter. We felt honored to have them include us so much in their plans and in their ceremony. These are some pictures from the wedding rehearsal that I thought were cute.

War Eagle!

It's football time! I love Auburn football! The kids were front gating on my car before the game. They are all so cute dressed up in their football and cheerleader outfits. Joining my guys is Anna and Drew. They are great friends to our children. In spite of my enthusiasm and excitement about football, it looks like we are not going to have a very good season. I always admire our guys. We really have a first class group of players that for the most part are really wonderful role models and are of great moral character. I attribute alot of that to what the Lord does through Chett Williams. So, whether we win on the field or not, we always still have a winning season because our boys evolve into men as they learn to love and trust the Lord. It just doesn't get any better than that!

First Day of School

Noelle started school today. I have prayed about this decision so much, and strongly feel I made the best decision for her and our family. I stayed up last night designing and making her outfit for the first day. Paul said he thinks it's a little over the top, but I think it is perfect and that it shouts NOELLE! I know she is going to have a great year, and she got the teacher that I had been praying for. When we dropped her off, I felt like the paparazzi taking pictures of her out the car window. She was escorted in by our neighbor, Anna Kathryn, who is a safety patrol. I can't wait to pick her up and find out how her first day was.

Introducing.....Emily

After receiving an email from a fellow adoptive mother pleading for homes willing to take in teenagers, we knew that we would love to help out. We searched through 250 profiles of students and we fell in love with a 15 year old from Taiwan named Emily. We filled out the necessary paperwork for Forte International, and then we were matched with Emily. She arrived in the United States on July 28th. The kids were so excited to welcome in another "big sister". We have fallen in love with this precious girl. She has the best personality, and she is so cute and funny too. We will truly treasure the time we will have with Emily over the next year, and we are trying to learn as much as we can from her.

Sleeping Beauty

Paul and I went to Aruba for a week to celebrate our tenth anniversary. When we returned I left my suitcase on the floor, and LeeLee one day curled up in it to take a nap. I was gone and I returned to find everyone sleeping, I couldn't find LeeLee anywhere, and I started to panic. I finally found her sleeping in the suitcase safe and secure. We assume that she figured that I couldn't leave without her if she was in my suitcase. By the way Tricia kept me children while I was gone, and she was the best! I don't know what we would do without her!

Swing Dancing

One of our college students, Anna Ruth is an excellent swing dancer. We went swing dancing with her one Friday night, and LeeLee wanted to dance all the dances. Anna Ruth accommodated her some, but we got to see her do some really great dancing. We love you Anna Ruth, you are such a blessing to our family!

Free Chicken

Chick-fil-a offered free food on Friday, July 13th, if you dressed up like a cow. It was just two tempting for us. So, we dressed up and headed out to moo for the cashiers and get a free meal. We had so much fun dressed up like cows. Everyone else at chickfila may have looked at us funny, but they were all jealous that we were eating for free.

Tug of War

Rags and Hunter love to play tug of war. Rags usually ends up the winner. They do this everyday for about an hour. I love to watch them, and I can't wait for the day that Hunter wins.

And she's out of there

When I went to get LeeLee out of bed one morning, this is what I found when I opened the door. She has incredible balance. I told her to hold on, and I went to get the camera. She was still waiting for me upon my return. She cracks me up. She will be a great gymnast someday.

The Blessing of Rain

Everytime a little bit of rain falls we thank God for what he is giving us. When it started raining hard a few weeks ago, we went out to play. These are the sweet pictures of LeeLee playing at the bottom of the gutter. I love the one of her looking up.