Living an Intentional Life
Daddy loves to make the outside of our home look like a castle. Aahh…just look!
Look closer!
Exquisite and festive! Ready to decorate for Christmas.
This little guy made his way into our backyard…he’s NOT part of the decorations
In the meantime, Tatum and I wrote in our MOM and ME journal.
Here is the prompt:
She wants to be a teacher!
I shared a bit about my past….
We love sharing together.
Saturday blessings!
Our final day….alas.
Tatum and Daddy would build rockets. You heard me…ROCKETS! Yes, this would be a fun activity to do later on, but first, we must build, glue, build and glue. Daddy needed his cappuccino to make this all work.
Oh, and also, right along with this, Tatum earned a HIGH FIVE in Rocket Math! (her online Math tutor) So this was the theme of the day.
I think they are just about ready to launch!
In between all this fun, Tatum and I made GRATITUDE bags for her teachers.
She also worked on her story….
She is all ready to go back to school tomorrow. They’ll also celebrate her birthday in class. (She wanted to give back with these bags…love her heart)
This staycation was a great family bonding opportunity. Daddy, being home from work, had a chance to hopefully relax a bit and laugh. We all needed this time together. Next week? Her 10-year old bday and THANKSGIVING!
Would we do the bike ride? Or the hike? Again, the wimpy gals asked Daddy for another walk…to the coffee shop of course!
But first, Daddy and I headed to the gym. Tatum loves to send texts to Daddy.
She is so full of love..just like her DADDY!
Then, I got one….we had had a minor hiccup, and her conscience got to her. (This is one of her amazing qualities…she cannot go two minutes without making things right) I love this text because it made Daddy laugh…he had to read it to realize he WAS NOT Mommy!
heehhee
I responded…
Love this gal to PIECES!!!!!!!!!!
More to MAMA
More walking to Starbucks to get a bit of movement…
COOPY said: DON’T LEAVE!!
and when we got home, guess what I made!?
HEALTHY DONUTS! No, this is not an oxymoron; they can exist. These are “KETO” so sugar free and filled with GOOD fats!
It made them soooo happy!!!
Then the Tot got to work! (since she should be in school).
Math…..Shurley (grammar) and History. Guess what is her FAVORITE subject? HISTORY!
She asked for a History textbook for her birthday. OH…and a SHURLEY one too. SRSLY.
Later, guess what we did? We went on a bike ride to the park to play basketball with our soccer ball. Oh, and soccer with the soccer ball. Killin two birds with one ball. (not literally)
Finally…the park! (School was in session, so we found a bball court and field which was EMPTY!
Ok off to play soc-b-ball. The soccer ball barely bounces, so we ended up shooting more than dribbling. But, this way we could show off our skills. HA!
GO TOT and DADDY! Look at that arm, baby! SWOOSH!
Ok, time to kick. Much more fun on the field anyway. Daddy and Tot had a one on one. They wished the goals were closer together because they wore out after just a few kicks. But, hey…I was ready to retire by then.
All that running made me tired! (just watching wore me out.) OK, kiddos, let’s ride!
What a fun day. We ended with a nice dinner and gratitude. We are loving this time together. COOPY sure is!
First, we had our potential schedule mapped out.
So, Monday, we realized it was a bit chilly out for our Squaw Peak plans, so we decided to go for a neighborhood walk and then off to a jaunt to Starbucks.
First, Doug and I went to the gym and left Tatum home for the first time by herself….practicing for more trust later. I left her with my phone, and as usual, she sent some lovely texts to Mama.
I love her heart. Mama responded…
I just love their notes to each other.
Ok…we got home to our walk!
All bundled up!
Guess who joined us? Her new bundle: MAGGIE!
She pushed that baby for two miles! Finally, she decided to put her in her pouch. AH! And guess who carried the stroller? I didn’t mind…that’s what Grandmas do, right?
Finally, we reached our coffee/destination/cake pop/relaxation… place!
No, Daddy, you can’t have one….he just wanted to hold it.
We did our devotion, had a good chat, and headed back home.
Tatum and I had our schedule of work she had to accomplish!
We set up our “times” to accomplish, and off we went!
In the “in between” times, she worked on her new story!
A WHOLE WORLD:
Chapter 1 “ Washington” ( an epic story about a little boy named Charlie)
“ I don’t want to go “ Charlie whined as they drove to the Dr’s office. 👩🏼⚕️As they pulled up to the door 🚪Charlie saw a big lawyer 👨🏻⚖️stare at him. The lawyer wore a long black coat 🧥, shiny ✨ black shoes 👞, a white shirt 👕 and tie 👔, and a big black hat 🎩. The lawyer stopped at the car 🚗 as his mom walked to the door 🚪. His mom’s heels 👠 were really really loud. Charlie tried to get the door 🚪 open but the man 👨 blocked it. Charlie started crying 😢,so the man 👨 was really really mad 😡 . His mom had started to go into the office. As Charlie cried 😭the man 👨 opened the door 🚪, and he shoved Charlie out. “ sir I am so sorry 😣 “ Charlie said as he wiped his tears 😢off . The man 👨 sneezed 🤧, then he pulled out a bit of a donut 🍩. Charlie ate it , then he broke off running 🏃♂️ really fast 💨. As he stopped wheezing his mom grabbed him , then told him “ bud , are you hungry 😋 “ . Charlie nodded, but he looked at his mom and started crying 😭. Just then a big man 👨 doctor 👨⚕️ came out. “ Charlie “ the fat man 👨said,his voice booming 🤯. As Charlie walked into a big room, the doctor 👨⚕️ handed him really big clothes. Charlie closed the door 🚪, then he locked 🔒 it . As Charlie changed , he told himself that he was playing a dress 👗 up ⬆️ game 🥸 . When he came back out, the lawyer 👨🏻⚖️looked at him . Charlie started to cry 😭 , then he screamed out of fear 😨. His mom rushed over to him , but the lawyer 👨🏻⚖️ ran away. Charlie stopped crying 😢 as he was carried over to a bed 🛏. The doctor 👨⚕️ walked into the room, and he set his computer 💻 on the table. “ how old is Charlie “ the doctor 👨⚕️ asked. His mom started to say 2 but then said 6 . Charlie started to move on the big bed 🛏. Just then a Beautiful 😍 woman 👩🏽 picked him up 🆙. Charlie stared at the woman 👩🏽 as she walked into another room. She set him down on a big hard bench. Charlie started to move, but the woman 👩🏽 grabbed his arm . Charlie started to cry 😢 when she put a big fat needle 💉 in his arm. When she was done ☑️ she watched as Charlie cried 😭. When he walked out of the room, she gave him a little mask 😷. As he put it on a big copper robe 👘 was put on him . He was really really scared 😳 , and his cheeks were really really red . He was put in a dark room, and told to take off his clothes. He stood as still as he could. But he obeyed. He took off the big robe 👘, then his blue …….
She’s got talent, folks!! I love watching her grow.
Tatum and I headed to the park later:
Her favorite….SWINGING
Later, we headed to the pool and had a nice dinner.
I love playing board games, and I bought one from the maker of EXPLODING KITTENS: It’s called “Poetry for Neanderthals,” but this night we played another: “Mantis”
Day one was a success!!!
Originally, we were going to go to CA for me to see Dr. Pimentel (I made the appt one year ago…he’s that much in demand) for my gut issues. We would go to the beach and also have a vacation for which she’d miss three days of school. Then, I postponed the appt. and we’d go to Coronado. Well, I found it best to stay home since I really need to take care of myself right now.
We decided to make a staycation of it, but Tatum would still have to do her work from school. So….here we go!
The Sunday night before, we did our usual readings; we are so enjoying this biography of Corrie Ten Boom and her surviving the Holocaust. She is a bold follower of Jesus!
Tatum had her nightstand filled with Lego Friends too.
We cannot wait for our restful and active (HA!) time.
About 10 years ago, I took classes on becoming a foster parent. Little did I know I would become a parent to Tatum, a brand new beautiful baby girl. However, I never lost my passion to help in the Foster Care system.
Fast forward to now, Scottsdale Bible has become very passionate about this cause as well. Here in AZ, there are over 16,000 children in the system. It’s overwhelming, and there is so much that can be done. Gigi’s Cottage is for girls in the Arizona foster care system that are ages 7-18 and provides housing for up to nine girls. Through new combined efforts, SBC will provide administrative and operational support to assist the Gigi’s Cottage team to help these girls move in a positive direction and experience the love of Jesus.
Our small group decided to adopt this cottage and help them in any way. The first way we could help would be to make gift baskets for the girls.
We had so much fun making these! Delivery would be on November 11th, Veteran’s Day. Tatum and I would deliver. One of our small group ladies, Julie Miller, joined us. We couldn’t wait!
We loaded up Brady, headed to Einstein’s to meet Julie, and headed out.
We arrived at 9am at this adorable little home.
We met three of the girls and two of the volunteers. They were overjoyed!
We loved the living room and dining room! So cozy and comfortable for them.
Thank you for allowing us to help you all. We have so much more to come.
Every year, they have a school picnic, but this year it was postponed due to rain. Since it was moved to November, it was a bit more chilly! That didn’t stop the Tot from running around.
First stop: NOAH (and a HUGE icey fruity freezy thingy)
Oh, Hi Mrs. Denmark.
And a unicorn on her face. A winner!
Now, she is ready for SPIRIT WEEK!
She had it all logged in her journal:
Monday: Crazy sock day.
Now, I’m not sure how crazy doggies are, but this doggie is pretty crazy!
Tuesday: Decades Day; Gotta go with the 70’s!
As we drove away from home, look at the moon! Just wow!
It was also voting day, so she joined me at the polling place. Go Kari Lake for GOV!
Day 3? Character Day; Tatum is into Pikachu right now which is a Pokeman character.
Cooper guarded her shirt before the big day.
I love that she made most of her costume (the ears and the face).
Her BFF, Isabel, was also Pikachu!
Finally the last day was Patriot Day (the day before Veteran’s Day. Red White and Blue.
What a fun week! Tomorrow we celebrate our Veteran’s.