Fun on Lake Lanier

Last night our good friends, the Barr's, took us out on Lake Lanier in their new boat. What fun we had! It was a beautiful, hot afternoon, just perfect for a day on the lake!

Getting ready to push out...

Jason took us to a little cove they recently found and we anchored not far from a private beach. My kids had never swam in a lake, so after a moment of hesitancy, they all jumped in. Shortly after we arrived, another family came boating by and asked if we minded if they used the picnic table that was on the beach. We didn't care, so they unloaded their things and it wasn't long before our kids were swimming and playing with the kids from the other family (they had 8 children with them). Abbi made a little friend named Esther and they had so much! Esther's is a homeschool family and we made sure to trade phone numbers before leaving.

Above - Abbi and Amelia

Amelia is the baby I've been watching 3 days a week since November.

We had such a great time of swimming, playing, eating and Bible study.

Above - Jason and Sara

I have no doubt that all of the children (and adults) were ready for bed!

Babysitting Olivia

This afternoon we're babysitting almost-3-year-old Olivia. The kids played with her in their magic tent in the living room for awhile and when I came upstairs, this is what I found.

Neighborhood Gift Wrap

Last year our church began a new outreach...we set up in a few different neighborhoods in the area one Saturday in December and people can come have their Christmas presents wrapped for free, no strings attached. This year, the kids helped with the wrapping.

Here's Abbi with her great little friend, Catherine. Catherine doesn't live in our neighborhood, but she and her mom came to help out during our shift.
Here's Jacob pushing sweet, little Olivia. Olivia is the daughter of our AWESOME small group leader, Jason, and his wife, Sara. They have become very good friends and we are so blessed to have them in our lives. We've babysat Olivia several times and she is a doll! She adores the kids and they adore her.
Here's Olivia giving Jacob a few pushes. So precious!
I love this sweet little picture of Jacob and Olivia. Olivia was having a grand time tickling Jacob's neck.

Abbi and Catherine hamming it up in their Santa hats.

If Abbi is ever missing and you're looking for her, odds are good that you'll find her if you look up. She's usually high up in a tree somewhere.