Pumpkins in the Park

Tonight was Pumpkins in the Park at our church, Parkside Baptist. We are so blessed to have a great wide open space near our park and tonight it was transformed into a kid's wonderland! There were so many awesome events for the kids to do. We rode on a hay ride with entertainment (magic tricks by Mike Alexander), there was a football toss and a soccer station (of course the Reed boys LOVED these!), there was a cake walk (we came home with cupcakes and brownies), face painting, a bubble gum bubble blowing contest, a petting zoo!, bobbing for apples...the list goes on and on. Needless to say it was a lot of fun. Of course, we also made the rounds to see all of the grandparents. Here are some pics from the night's events.

First stop: Pap & Gran's house.

Next stop: Grammy & Granddaddy's house.


Cake walk-our friend Celeste ran this booth and she was dressed as a chef.

I can't believe I didn't take her pic. She was SO cute!!

Basketball. We spent A LOT of time here.

Football Toss

Face Painting by Sarah-Peyton got a

baseball & Preston got the Superman symbol

Preston wanted to stand on the pumpkins all night.

Feeding the goats. There were also pigs, rabbits and a miniature horse.

Last stop: Poppy & Nana's for trick-or-treating in their neighborhood

Now, it's off to bed so that we can be ready to cheer on our Bears tomorrow in Waco. It's homecoming weekend and kickoff is 2pm. We're looking forward to getting back to BU for a day full of fun!

30 lbs and counting

Woo-hoo!!

Pumpkin Partying with the Ps

Tonight was the 2nd Annual Lipscomb Family Halloween Costume Party. Our sweet friends Jennifer & Jody Lipscomb and their kiddos Jackson, Savannah Grace & Lilly Claire hosted a fabulous party out at the Elves Christmas Tree Farm/Pumpkin Patch. And let me tell you something...that Jen Lipscomb can sure throw a party!! There was tons of food, a chance to get your photo taken by a haystack (with a souvenir photo given at the end of the night), a hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick your very own pumpkin, marshmallow roasting by an open fire, pumpkin decorating (with easy-to-use stickers), a costume contest and then a very cool magic show to top things off! The Ps had so much fun. And because it was a costume party, you'll all get a sneak peak at what they're dressing up as this year.

Preston is a state trooper and Peyton is his prisoner, complete with a ball & chain (not seen here).

This is the boys "dressing" a scarecrow.

Posing with their guy!

Peyton working on his cyclop pumpkin...seriously...one eye!

Preston with his alien pumpkin (and a mouth-full of a gummy eyeball!)

Peyton assisting Jamie the Magician. This balloon ended up in 2 after P karate-chopped it.

Mom & the boys...Preston was pretty tired of having his pic taken about this time. (BTW, Peyton's holding the marshmallow roaster...in case you're wondering)
Big Fun tonight!!!

Nut Fest Weekend

It's officially fall! The festivals of all local festivals was held in Whitesboro this weekend and for the Reed family means that pumpkins, scarecrows and all things autumn are in full swing. Since we've moved back to Texoma, the Whitesboro Peanut Festival has been a tradition. David grew up in the "boro" so this annual adventure is like Homecoming. It's remarkable how every year there is someone new to meet that had some connection to his past. Of course, we always hook up with David's good friend Jason and his wife Angela. We were excited to find out that they've moved closer, so hopefully we'll take the time to get together more often.

We generally get to the "Nut Fest" early enough to enjoy the parade but with Flag Football this year, we didn't get there until 11:00, but there was still plenty of fun to be had. We enjoyed a lunch of corn dogs & funnel cake (what's more traditional than those delicacies?) and walked around to view the hundreds of booths. This year we took in the car show. With Preston's love of vehicles, we thought this would be a good addition. In general most of these car enthusiasts only want you to look (and certainly NOT touch), but we met one very kind couple that encouraged both boys to climb in. They also got to see the Oscar Mayer Weiner-mobile and a local fire truck.

David & I attended our first Widow's Banquet at church on Saturday night. As a deacon, David has the blessing of ministering to 2 women that have lost their husbands. One of his ladies wasn't able to attend but the other did...and I can already tell that we are going to be blessed by the bucket-load to know this dear, sweet lady. Her husband only passed away in July, so this was a new experience for her too. Please remember to pray for her.

And lastly, apparently it was "Creative Sunday" for the Reed boys. We hadn't been home from church long when Preston comes in wearing this...

Part rapper, part preacher?? He was so excited by our reaction to this outfit that he later came out with this...

And adding to the creativity was Peyton with these airplanes...

He had a substitute teacher this week that made airplanes in class...yes, I know what you're thinking, I thought the same thing...but Peyton has been quite interested ever since and came up with these today. Notice the flag on the big one? It's a flag/capital P...pretty clever boy.

At last...

This weekend was my brother Matt's wedding...and it was perfect. Because I am 9 years older than Matt, he's probably often felt like he had more than one Mom (in addition to our sister Nicole who is 8 years older). I can honestly say Matt's new bride Katy is a gift from God. I've prayed for a long time that Matt would find that special someone...that someone that would make him feel as loved as I do by my blessing, David. And how awesome that she is from a family of believers. Over and over this weekend we heard stories about how Matt's & Katy's faith has been admired by those around them. As a big sister, that is a joy that is indescribable!

Mrs. & Mr. Matt Link

Of course the Reed boys were just precious! Preston was quite the scene-stealer several times throughout the rehearsal and at the rehearsal dinner. He and his cousin Ellie Grace were the ringbearer and flower girl. During their first march down the aisle, he pumped out his chest and walked with his arms at his side...it was a priceless sight! Later that night at dinner as the sweet maid-of-honor was attempting to give a speech, Preston shouts out, "Oh Man!" as he joyfully opened the dump truck that the bride & groom gave him as gift. After the laughter died down, Brittany finally got to finish her story.

Peyton and his cousin Emma were the banner bearers for the wedding. Katy's very talented mother created these elaborate banners for the kids to carry during the processional and recessional. The first said, "Here comes the Bride" and the last said, "And they lived happily ever after". Our "big" kids looked so grown up. I was so proud.

Are these not the two most handsome boys ever? I love them all dressed up!!

Peyton took this pic of David & I after the reception. Didn't I have a handsome date? ;)

The latest

It's been several weeks since I've posted, so here's what we've been up to...

Probably the most "eventful" was a little surgery that I had back on Sept. 23rd. After about 10 years of dieting (and not!), I finally decided that it was time to have Lap-Band Surgery. Yes, I realize that it's a pretty drastic option, but after lots of prayer and research, and talking to others at TMC that have it, it seemed like a really good idea. I have to say that it has been SO easy. Other than a certain CRNA having trouble finding an entry for my IV, surgery day was "textbook" as my surgeon said. David took a "before" pic. I'm not quite ready to post it :(-, but maybe after I lose a substantial amount. We've decided that he's going to snap a pic on the 23rd of each month.

Until yesterday, I've been on an all-liquid diet and have lost 13lbs in 2 weeks...not a bad start. Now it's on to "soft-solids"...Jell-O, pudding, mashed potatoes (it's more about helping the band heal, than weight loss). I did have a little salmon with the boys for dinner tonight and I seem to have tolerated it well. Ok, enough about that!


Here's a sweet pic of the Reed boys that I snapped tonight. Check out the new haircuts! They both have important roles in Uncle Matt & Katy's wedding next Saturday, so we decided that they better get cleaned up. I'm not a fan of that "fresh from the chair" haircut look, so I'm hoping that after a week, both cuts will grow out some and look natural. They're pretty handsome though, aren't they? Wait till I post pics of each of them in the tuxes...PRECIOUS!



After a day full of Upward Flag Football, Voting, and napping & watching college ball (POOR Bears had to play the #1 OU Sooners!), I can say it was a good day. I'm looking forward to an even better Sunday!

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25