handsful

Where did it go?

We just finished the first week of December.  Eeek.

In the interest of just wanting to catch up, below you will find lots of photos.

We loved our day trip to Boone, where we hiked up Elk Knob in the snow.  Some of us in shoes that had no business trudging through deep snow and slush.  Ahem.  We had a great time, nonetheless.

There are also pictures of the Testify drama team at our house…with Randy writing and directing the plays, we held two practices for the drama alone, and had a blast doing it.

Pics of Testify Too (the Jr. age choir that Lainey and Dylan are in) in their first Christmas concert.  Too cute.

I wasn’t able to get photos of the first Testify concert, but I’ll get some at an upcoming concert for sure.  Stay tuned.

I’ve also got before and after shots of our house painting project.  I should say our friend Doug’s painting project, since he did all the work! And, did an amazing job, too.  We LOVE it.

Finally, pictures of our Thanksgiving dinner here (just us this year), and our traditional Thanksgiving afternoon trip to our quaint little downtown for family pics.  It was COLD, but we had to grin and bear it.  Heh.

Enjoy :)

Elk Knob trip…

The fabulous Testify drama cast, 2014

Lainey and Dylan are in Testify Too (1st-6th graders) and they had their first concert.  Lainey plays a townsperson, and Dylan plays King Herod!

Let’s see what else…oh yeah, our switch from drab beige to gray paint!

I know the bottom wall looks kinda blue, but it’s really not.  After sweating choosing the color, I’m THRILLED with how it looks.  The browns in our furniture, etc. really pop against the gray.

Lastly, we did Thanksgiving this year with just us.  We still got the big turkey, and I cooked all the usual sides that are totally expected.  We ate (too much) and then headed downtown for our picture session.  We started this a couple of years ago, and I just love it.  We have so much fun running around the almost empty streets, finding fun places to take pics.  It was a bummer that we couldn’t get a full family shot (no one else with us, and couldn’t find the tripod!), but we got some good shots, I think.

Now?  On to all the fun and blessings of Christmas…

This year is a first for us.

We’re used to being crazy busy with the big kids Testify Youth Choir.  That’s the norm.  Begins in January with practices, concert season ramps up in the spring, tour to Ohio in July.

This year, Lainey and Dylan joined in and became members of Testify Too.  Yep, Susan (the director) has another choir that’s grades 1st-6th.  They just finished up their concerts and did a great job.  No tour for them, though :)

Here are some shots of both choirs in recent concerts.  Did I mention that my thespian husband plays the dad in the play…that he wrote?  Payton plays Seth, and Abbey plays Paige.  Abbey also has a solo.  Ethan plays the cajon (drum box), and has a solo.  Marley was content this year just being a choir member…no extras this time!

So, Payton plays a slightly inebriated teenager at the beginning of the play.  I’m so proud.

Paige (Abbey) is less than impressed to have Seth’s friend, Eli hitting on her.  Seth (Payton) says “Dude that’s my SISTER!”  Which cracks me up because Paige is Seth’s sister in the play.  And, in real life.  Get it?   Ha…

That’s Daniel in the blue shirt, Abbey’s boyfriend, who plays Chase.

Ethan’s solo “Meant to Live”

Marley, front and center.

Randy, aka Mr. Bill Thomas.  My friend Kelley plays his wife.  I’m okay with this.  :)

Seth makes a surprise visit to the Thomas home…

EJ playing the cojone during their theme song “Testify to Love”

And, Abbey has a solo part in that last song!

Next up…Lainey and Dylan!

We’ve told L she needs to work on her facial expressions…she loves it up there, but still has her shy face on.

Dylan, on the other hand…

This play is set during a gym class, so some of the kids (Lainey, Dylan, and their friend Gracie) jump down and do a quick tumble at certain parts.  Here’s L doing her easy-peasy back handspring.  Later on, she did a one-handed back handspring.  She was born to tumble.

L also had a short dance number with 2 other friends.  She loved that.

D played the part of the Big Cheese during one song.  He’s making the money sign here….it’s hillarious.

Here are a couple from another concert, too…

Group shot!  From my phone, so not great quality.

The big kids have one more concert this Sunday, and then they’re off on tour to Ohio next Tuesday.  Me and the littles will have a nice week together.

We love Testify :)

“The Least of These”, Testify Youth Choir Christmas musical drama…

They performed for 5 local churches this month, and it was awesome.

Marley is 3rd row from the front, 2nd person from the left.

Abbey played Kris, and Payton was Marshall in the drama.

Kris and Jason arguing…

Ethan had a solo, he sang “Celebrate the Day”.  Randy wrote the drama again, and I had a tiny part in one scene.  It was a family affair!

As usual, the end-of-season celebration happened at the bowling alley…

Randy is already busy writing the drama for the spring/summer season.

Which begins in January.  Not much rest for these guys, but they don’t mind one bit.

Testify has been a huge blessing for our family, in so many ways.  And, knowing that it blesses others, and brings the message of Christ to those who need it most?  That makes it just perfect.

Merry Christmas…

Summer is going quickly, it seems.  And, we’re busy…no surprise there.

Last week, Dylan did something he’s been DYING to do.  He went to soccer camp!

He had all the gear.  Shy of one shin guard that…well, didn’t need guarding.  Maybe the other kids should have toe guards?

It was really hot all week, and despite putting sunscreen on him everyday, he’s now sporting a mad tan.

Yes, I’m a little jealous.

I took some shots of his last day…

Her name’s Katie.  And, yes, he’s holding her hand.  He had three blond haired girls surrounding him, taking turns hugging him goodbye at the end.

The coach is the director of our area’s recreational soccer league…he said Dylan was (1) fearless and (2) had incredible balance, even compared to the “two-legged” kids.

We’re signing him up for soccer in the fall.

Last Sunday was Father’s Day, and we were blessed to have Randy’s dad and my dad here with us.  The big kids had their last local Testify choir concert that same day, so they were able to attend with us.  What made it even better is that all the kids were scheduled to do their “parts” that day (all the acting parts and solos are double-casted so they take turns with performing in concerts).

Pictures first, of course.

Father of the Year…

“Hey, jump in and hug”….boys, that’s not what I meant.

I’m pretty sure some heads got clunked here.

The big kids were at rehearsal…

Randy and his dad.  My mom took a picture of me and my dad, but I didn’t get one with my camera.  Ugh!

Soon, it was time to head to the concert.

Payton plays Mason, a highschool junior struggling with his commitment to his faith.

Payton’s about to get tagged…

Abbey is Toni, a “groupie” to the highschool bully.

And, she dances.

Marley sings with her friend Kylie, they each have solo parts in the same song.

Ethan has a solo and…

plays a drum box.  I’m told it’s called a cajone.

Randy gives the invitational message each night…and, did I mention that he also wrote the script for the play?

At the end of the concert, all the dads of the students were invited up to sing along with their theme song “Testify to Love”.

The whole crew, after the concert…see, I was there that day!

As of this morning, Randy and the bigs are on tour in Tennessee for the next 6 days.  It’s just me and the littles, which is weird!  But, we’re taking advantage of our time together to do fun stuff and I’m tackling a few projects that I never seem to get around to.

Here’s to another fun, and busy week!

Last week was…how shall I put it?  Busy times infinity.  And, given Randy was out of town for a lot of it, the brunt of the comings and goings (and comings and…) were on me.  I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see the weekend come.

Not that things slowed down much.  Or, at all.  But, at least my sweet husband was home, and we could tag-team like usual.

I’ll start with Friday.  That afternoon, Dylan went to the birthday party of his best buddy.  I picked him up afterwards and we rushed home so that I could curl Abbey’s hair.  Her friend Aaron arrived from Raleigh just a little before I got home…he and his mom made the special trip so that he could take her to the prom.

Abbey and Aaron have known each other for years, his family was in a church small group we hosted back when the big kids were little kids.  Since moving to FL and then moving back, the’vey re-connected through FB and now Skype all the time.

They had a great time.  We’re thankful that our kids get to experience things like proms, despite being home schooled.  This one was planned by a local homeschooling group, and they went all out with beautiful invites, engraved glass mugs, and gorgeous decorations.

Saturday morning came early, and we had somewhere to be.  Our annual Easter egg-hunt at Gram and Pa-Paul’s house.  Yes, we know it’s past Easter…but, finding a date where we could all make it was a little tricky.  As usual, it was all 8 of us, along with Randy’s brother’s family…minus Caleb and Samara who couldn’t get away from college.  Gram’s Sunday school teacher, his wife, and their two little girls joined us this year, too.  And, Aaron, who was driving back to Raleigh (same direction we were going), decided last minute to stay as well.

The required pre-hunt picture on the porch

Ready, set, go!

The older kids, who graduated to “hiders” instead of “hunters” quite a while ago, goofed around while waiting for their turn…Gram does a scavenger hunt for them to find their treats.

Even the big, big kids goofed around…

Payton lends Micah a hand at getting the highest egg…

Gram’s system…find eggs, dump them into the big bucket (by the way, she had about 40 eggs per kid, for 6 kids).  Then, we go inside and divide the eggs based on the sticker on the egg (i.e. red smiley=Lainey).

Time for the teens…

Read the clue, run all over the place, read the next clue, etc.  This year, she had all their goodies hiding in their car trunk.

Back inside to open the eggs…it gets a little crazy, as the adults divide up the eggs and toss them to their owners.

We left around 8:30, getting home at 11ish.  Head to bed, tired from a great day.

Sunday.  Randy took the big kids to church, while I stayed home with the littles.  I seriously needed a little break from the going and going, and me being home meant I could cook lunch for them rather than spending money on fast food (like we tend to do too much on Sundays).

He got home with the four big kids, as well as three extra teens (it’s the usual).  We ate, and Randy was soon off with a few of them to Testify drama / dance practice.  I hung back, and took the others (having added even one more teen in the meantime) to the practice to meet up for their first performance of the year.

This was just a mini-concert…only a few songs, a little dancing, and no acting.  But, Marley and Kylie got to sing their duet, and they did a great job.  Happy to have that first one under their belts :)

After the concert, I dropped Marley and Ethan back at home, and drove to church for another drama / acting practice.  Payton and Abbey both have acting and dance parts, so their Sundays are always full of practices.  Their first full concert is May 12th!

That was our weekend.  After an exhausting week, it was still busy but lots of fun.

And, this week so far? Blissfully boring.  Ahhhh…..

If you’ve been visiting my blog for any length of time, you know that Testify Youth Choir is a big part of our kids lives.  Made up of 7th-12th grade kids from many area churches, Testify puts on Christmas concerts each year.  With song and dance, they perform in local churches.  In the spring, the kids do a full (song, dancing, drama) concert singing locally and on tour (last year they went to Atlanta and Ohio).

This year, the concert is called “Cradle that Rocked the World” and we’ve watched them perform twice…so far.  It can get complicated, since all four of them are in two separate Testify choirs…one large, one small.  Which makes for double the number of concerts they’re scheduled for.  We make sure to attend at least one for each choir.

I forgot my camera for the Mooresville choir last week, but remembered it this past Sunday for their North Meck concert.  Good timing actually, since Abbey dances and has solo/duet, Payton sings and has a speaking part, Ethan dances and has a solo/duet, and Marley sings!

It’s funny really.  When the kids were little, we spent our weekends watching them play basketball, baseball, and cheer.  Weeknights were spent at practices.  With all good intentions, Randy “tried” to foster a love for athletics and sports…it’s what he grew up loving, afterall.  And, of course I had visions of my girls doing cheerleading for years.

God, in his wisdom and sense of humor, had better ideas.  Ethan is very musically inclined…he sings, and plays guitar and drums.  Payton loves the choir, but he’s in it for the drama…and, he’s good.  Abbey is very comfortable on stage, loves to sing and dance, and wants to try her hand at acting in the spring.  Being on stage doesn’t come naturally for Marley, but she’s grown into it and is a joy to watch sing.  As far as sports?  Abbey plays a mean game of volleyball; she’s the only one still in organized sports.  And, all six of the kids take tumbling/fitness classes….5 our of 6 are on their way to doing back handsprings.

Truthfully, it’s been such a blessing, watching each of our kids unique God-given gifts take root, grow, and blossom.  We could never have planned them so well.

Here a few (ahem) shots from their last concert…enjoy :)

Abbey, far left, with pony tail.

Marley, with her new dark underneath hair color that she loves!

Payton in the middle, he does a salsa type dance…best shot I could get, they moved fast!

Abbey, far left, and Ethan (hidden by the girl’s arm!) in the hip hop dance.

Payton had a speaking part, he did a great job….lots of emotion, and I love how he made it conversational instead of “here’s something I memorized”.

More dancing…Abbey far left, Payton behind her (hard to see), and Ethan in the middle.

Better shot of Abbey and Payton

Abbey sang so well, she had solo parts and then sang together with her friend, Aaron.

Ethan was in the final song.  It was a duet, but he had a large part of it.  He was actually subbing for someone else who couldn’t do it, and only had 1 practice.  He nailed it.

Very thankful and proud mama, here.

Abbey, Marley, Payton, and Ethan are in two youth choirs under the ministry of Testify Youth Choirs…confused yet? One choir has about 35 members (this being their first year) and the older, more established one has more than 100. They each have their own local concert series this month, and they both go on tour (one to Georgia and one to Ohio) at the end of this month. Testify season is fun, crazy, and very busy.

This past Sunday, the North Meck choir (smaller one) had their first concert.

Look hard and you can see all four of them in this shot. This concert was at a Presbyterian church in Charlotte.

Same here :)

Abbey has a solo, and she did a great job.

This has been Marley’s first year doing Testify. She’s really enjoying it, but still isn’t completely comfortable being on stage…she’s working on it.

See? She’s even in an ensemble piece…

That also includes her brothers. The guys are also in one of the hip-hop dance routines. That’s hard to catch in a photo, though.

This looks a little wild, but it’s one of the choreographed pieces that I just love.

After the concert, the kids (including the guy in black) had to take a turn on the spinny thing.

Too funny.

Now, on to tonight’s concert. The Mooresville choir performed at a Children’s Home in Barium Springs.

We only had the zoom lens for this one, so no wide shots of the whole group.

The kids don’t have singing parts in this choir, but the boys are in the same dance routine. Again, hoping to get some shots of that at a future concert.

Caught three out of four kids in this shot…

As busy as this time is, the kids are collecting so many memories and experiences that they’ll have with them forever. Not to mention the impact that they are undoubtedly having for the church. We are proud of their commitment and hard work!