O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

We've been enjoying our tree for a couple of weeks now. We had a great (and very cold!) time making the trek to Home Depot to pick it out. And as you can see from the middle set of pictures, I had some very valuable decorating help from Viviane :-) And now we get to sit back and enjoy the finished product!

We love reading together!

Catching Up!

Well, alot has happened in the last 3 1/2 weeks, so I'm going to do a general "catching up" post. We've been on the road for 2 missions conferences and leave again tomorrow for another conference in Charlotte at the church where Michael grew up.

So, here's our last few weeks in a nutshell:

Missions conference at Morningstar Baptist Church in Rockford, IL:

First Row (L-R): 1. The Millers, our gracious hosts; 2. Dear friend, Joy McCarnan, with Viviane; 3. Viviane ready for a cold day in Chicago; 4. Michael speaking; 5. Corban and Patience Bixby with Viviane

Second Row: 1. Dr. David Hesselgrave, missiologist; 2. Shannon Brown (our prayer card, website, and display banner designer) and Bob Bixby (pastor); 3. Nancy Hunt and Linda Lee, ladies who served us lunch one day; 4. the Brown family; 5. Bill Hunt (Nancy Hunt's husband and brother of my fifth grade teacher!) with Michael

Third Row: 1. Dr. and Mrs. Hesselgrave; 2. View of Chicago from the Sears Tower Skydeck; 3. on the Skydeck; 4. the Foster family; 5. Bob, Jennie, and Corban Bixby

Fourth Row: 1. Viviane, Liz, and Joy McCarnan at her apartment; 2. Cheesecake Factory in Chicago where we had a delicious lunch; 3. Anouk and Jeremy (part of Morningstar's leadership team) Scott, our hosts for a day in Chicago

Time with Friends and Family in IL after the missions conference:

First Row: 1. Liz's Aunt Clora and Uncle Junior with Viviane; 2-4. at the Merkles'

Second Row: 1. The Merkles; 2. Liz's Aunt Polly and Uncle Nick; 3. Liz's Aunt Janet and Uncle Dave; 4. Liz's cousin Jim with Viviane

Third Row: at the Luttmanns'

Missions Conference at Maranatha Baptist Church in Ashland, OH:

First Row: 1-3. Talking to kids in Children's Church; 4. Pastor Grover and his family

Second Row: 1-3. Hanging out in Lehman's Hardware Store in Amish Country; 4. Bob and Kathy Wolfe, our gracious hosts

Third Row: 1-3. Nursing home ministry with Bob and Ula Newton (1. Mr. and Mrs. Newton; 3. Mrs. Guegold and Liz)

Surprise Date Weekend with Michael!!!

Michael has been secretly arranging an overnight date for us for a couple of months and he treated me to it this past Saturday! Nana and Poppa came down from Charlotte and babysat Viviane at our house overnight while we went off. We had a wonderful time getting Baskin Robbins ice cream, staying at the Radisson, going to hear the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra play in Twitchell Auditorium at Converse College, and eating dinner at Zaxby's! Thanks, Sweetie! I had a wonderful time!

P.S. to Elder Retreat

Here's the waterfall, me walking back to the boat soaked (followed by Michael who is probably wondering whether I'm laughing or crying :-) ) and yours truly on the tube! For the full story, see the post below, "Elder Retreat Weekend."

Elder Retreat last Weekend

The men went down to a borrowed lake house on Lake Keowee Friday night and had a profitable time of meeting and planning. They spent a few more hours meeting together on Saturday morning and early afternoon, and then the FUN began :-) (Well, I'm sure their meetings could be defined as fun also...just not the same kind!) The families trickled in throughout the afternoon and there was opportunity for tubing on the lake. I hadn't taken my swimming gear because I assumed the water would be too cold. I was a little disappointed about that when I realized how much fun it would be to tube and that the water really wasn't bad. Well, let's just say that Michael accidentally gave me the opportunity to get wet in spite of my lack of proper gear! Here's the story: We stopped at a little waterfall, and Harry pulled the boat up close enough for us to wade to shore and explore. (Michael carried me through the not-so-shallow part until it was shallow enough for me to wade with my jeans rolled up.) On the way back to the boat, Michael assured me that he could carry me through the section of water we were in--different route than the way we came--and that it wasn't deep enough to necessitate swimming. He was WRONG :-) He went down and I went down right after--yes, fully clothed and completely soaked! It was actually quite humorous and gave me the opportunity to go tubing after all since I was already drenched. Thanks, Sweetie! It was tons of fun!

Fun-filled Weekend(s)

Weekend before last, Michael and I got to go on a date AND visit both of our sets of parents! My niece Claire was a Munchkin and Poppy in Wizard of Oz down in Anderson, so Mom and Dad Mann babysat Viviane Friday night while Michael and I went out to dinner at Matty's Downtown and then enjoyed the play. After a nice breakfast and visiting with Mom and Dad on Saturday morning, we headed up to Charlotte to spend the rest of the weekend with Mom and Dad Cole. We had a great time! We returned home to "recover" from that weekend before another fun-filled weekend at Lake Keowee for the church elder retreat...pictures of that will come later.

My Paintin' Man

Michael painted Viviane's room last week and did an awesome job! It's now a nice, warm, cozy tan with crisp white trim, baseboards, and doors. I told him it's currently my favorite room in the house :-)

Here's my man in action:

And here's the finished product:

We're also grateful to the Lord for providing a trundle bed for a really good deal. Its versatility makes it a great guest bed since the trundle that's stowed underneath rolls out and pops up to be used as a separate twin bed or pushed up against the "permanent" bed to make a double. And it will be Viviane's first "big girl" bed when she's ready for that step!

Here it is:

Praise the Lord for the strength and ability He gave Michael to complete the painting job and for His provision of the trundle bed!

"Water, Water Everywhere...

...nor any drop to drink!"

I awoke this morning at 1 to the sound of running water. My first thought was "Is someone in our house?!" so I jumped out of bed to figure out what was going on. (And what would I have done if it HAD been someone in our house? Hmmm...didn't think about that at 1 AM!) I walked into the hall and found water spraying out of one of the pipes under the bathroom sink. I ran back into our bedroom to get Michael and he awoke with a start thinking that an intruder was trying to get into our house. I quickly told him it was okay...it was just water :-)

There was water, water EVERYWHERE (nor any drop to drink!). It was pooled on the bathroom floor and had soaked the rugs; had flowed out into the hallway and soaked another rug; had sprayed all over the toilet and up into the toothbrush holder and basket of washcloths on the top of the toilet; had dampened the bath towels on the shelves above the toilet; and had moistened everything in the trash can!

Michael couldn't get it stopped in the bathroom, so he had to turn off the water outside. It was quite the adventure! Our friend Dave--who knows everything about house "things"--graciously came over today and fixed it (with Michael as his trusty assistant). While he was at it, he also redid the seal around the toilet to improve that situation. (That's the repair step pictured below...sorry, no photos of the spraying water or pools it created or the actual repairing of the sink pipe.)

Thanks, Dave!

Happy Birthday, Daddy! (a week ago :-) )

Viviane had fun giving Daddy his birthday gift last Tuesday night, but I think she wanted to keep it for herself! (See picture on the right.) Grandma and Grandpa Mann joined us for a small dinner celebration for Michael's birthday, and we all had a good time!

Off to school?

Lunch with a Dear Friend

Viviane and I got to have lunch yesterday with my friend Sarah. It's always a pleasure to spend time with her and talk about what God is doing in our lives. Hope to see you again soon, Sarah!

What can Daddy do with a little baby wash, some water, and Viviane's hair?

Family Fun in Greenville

Last Saturday morning we took a little family excursion to Downtown Greenville and had a great time. Viviane loved walking everywhere! It was a cool morning, so we really enjoyed our time at Falls Park on Reedy River and then ended our family fun with a picnic lunch and a short trip into Mast General Store on Main Street.

Perky Pigtails

The Fam

If the Shoe Fits...

...wear it! (Or, in Viviane's case, wear it even if it doesn't fit :-) )

Tickled Pink

I'm not sure if this was pre- or post-"proposal," but I snapped the picture just when Micaiah and Viviane were both tickled about something (of course, Viviane was probably laughing only because someone else was :-) ). I reached back into the July 4th "archives" to have something new to share, but I promise more recent pictures are coming soon!

Doing Our Hair Together

Viviane enjoys spending time with me while I'm fixing my hair, and she's starting to learn to use a round brush on her own :-)
I think she probably needs a smaller-sized brush, though.
(For all those wondering, yes, I do have a hairbrush sticking out of the top of my head.
It's supposed to give a little "lift" to my very fine, flat hair :-) )

Friday Family Fun

Last Friday night after dinner we went out for Cole Family Fun Night. We started by eating yummy doughnuts at Krispy Kreme and then walked around downtown Spartanburg. Viviane enjoyed being free from her stroller around the fountain and grassy area near Morgan Square, and we had fun reading the paper with that man who is always sitting on the bench across the street from the fountain :-) We walked down to the library and then headed home to put Viviane to bed. A fun evening was had by all.

Sisters by Heart

My sister sent me this Willowtree figurine "Sisters by Heart" for my birthday. I absolutely love it!

Thank you, Jenny. You are my dear friend and my sister, not only by blood, but also by heart. I love you!

Flowers from My Fabulous Fellow

In relaying my birthday adventure yesterday, I forgot to share that Michael surprised me with these beautiful flowers before we went out for the adventure. Aren't they lovely? And isn't he sweet?

My Birthday Adventure

Yesterday, I turned the big 3-0. Yes, that's right, I have entered the wonderful world of the 30's. Michael called me yesterday morning after he got off work at UPS and told me to be ready at 4:30 and to dress in "business casual." (I put Viviane in the closest thing she has to business casual...a lavendar-and-white-striped onesie with cute little crocheted cap sleeves and a matching lavendar skirt. Oh, and her white open-toed sandals with an adorably big flower on top...thanks to the Hursts for getting her these cute-as-a-button sandals.) So, as my sister and I discussed on the phone yesterday, it was a pretty safe assumption that we weren't doing any hiking or skiing for my birthday celebration :-)

Anyway, the 3 of us had a great evening together. We started by eating dinner at Fatz (Yum, yum! It was really so neat that we went to Fatz b/c I had been thinking yesterday that Fatz sounded good, and that's what Michael had secretly picked. We must be married or something.) Then, we went to Hobby Lobby to drop off a custom-framed piece that needed a correction made to it and I got to wander around and just look. I LOVE that store! Michael then took me to the Mall to pick out a watch for my birthday present (which I was very excited about!). He and Viviane were so patient with me as I tried on 87 watches and then finally made my decision. We ended the evening by swinging through the Dairy Queen drive-thru and bringing home a sweet treat to enjoy after we put Viviane to bed.

I feel sufficiently celebrated. Thank you my sweet Michael and Viviane for a wonderful birthday evening!!!

(I apologize for the picturelessness of this post. We forgot to take the camera with us.)

Early Proposal?

I thought this picture was too cute...looks like Micaiah is proposing to Viviane :-)
I'm hoping to have 30-something years before a true proposal comes Viviane's way.
That will give me lots of time to train her on proper social etiquette--that it's really
more acceptable to leave your baby doll at home.
P.S. This is no attempt to prophesy about Viviane's future husband :-)

Playing with Daddy

Viviane thinks playing with Daddy is oh-so-fun...especially when he tickles her!

Books, Books, Books!!!

Viviane loves to "read" her books. Michael found her one day pulling her books out of the cabinet in her room. This is now a fairly regular event in our house. (Although, yesterday she seemed more interested in pushing the Play/Pause button over and over on her CD player that sits on the same shelf as her books.) Anyway, back to books: first thing in the morning, she usually points at her book cabinet and says "Oooo." Shortly after that, she slides off my lap, heads to the cabinet, picks out a book, and hands it to me to read to her. It's SOOO cute! I'm thankful for her early interest in books (Michael thinks it's the greatest thing ever :-) ) and look forward to further cultivating it.