end of the football season - the colts game

in early november, isaiah had the opportunity of a lifetime.  his mighty mite football team went to a colts football game, and after they watched the game, they were allowed to go down on the field and play a scrimmage game in full pads.  sometimes i am amazed at my son and all the things he has gotten to do in his short 7 years of life.  this is his second NFL game to see live.  and will probably be his only chance to be down playing football on an NFL field.  he and daddy were the only ones who got to do this, but matt was sent with specific instructions to document it as fully as he could.  here is some of that documentation!

walking onto the field. #14 at the end.

 

i know it's dark..but if you can see #14 in the middle, you'll see he playing is QB...on the colts field!!

happy

lyndon lightning mighty mites

thanksgiving in kentucky

even though we have lived 2500 miles from family for the past 4.5 years, we are very blessed, in that MOST major holidays we get to spend with extended family.  this thanksgiving however we were excited to be just the 5 of us.  while this was exciting on many levels, it was a bit scary for me, because it meant that i would have to cook my own thanksgiving dinner...all on my own.  turns out, matthew was all in so i wasn't on my own!  alaythia also helped a lot.  we had a great time planning the menu (from food network recipes), and then carrying it out. 

as we sat down to dinner my heart was full at those around me.  i was afraid that in that moment, i might feel lonely, or like something was missing.  but it was quite the opposite.  my heart was full and overwhelmed at the family that God has given to matthew and i.  at MY family. 

paula dean's apple pie

bobby flay's parker house rolls

matt's one request...jello with fruit! 

giada's gravy.

giada's turkey recipe

ina's mashed potatoes

rachel ray's green beans

 

table setting

sitting down to dinner! it was a fantastically beautiful day!

love, love my family!

last trip to the zoo

our zoo passes expired at the end of november and so we decided, the day before thanksgiving, to go as a family once last time.  we had a great time, exploring and enjoying.  but by far our favorite part was the polar bear.  this young bear was so playful that day, and provided us opportunity to see things we might never again!

the polar bear came into sight, walked right up to the window where we were standing, and then jumped in to the water.  caught all of us by surprise.

he swam out to a rock in the middle of the pool, and tried to decide what to do next.

jumped in and tackled a 5 gallon bucket, and then went back for more.

the best shot of the day.  he had carried his red football up onto the rock, then threw it in, and then decided to go get it.  i had to enlarge this photo so you could see how amazing it was to watch him play.

such a great last trip to the zoo!

pumpkin patch

we had a blast heading to a small pumpkin patch on a saturday in late october.  it was an overcast day which made for perfect conditions for pictures!

halloween 2012

 snow white

 ariel the mermaid

 black ninja

i think that night we gained 5lbs of candy.  isaiah and alaythia ran as fast as they could for 2 hours.  soph tuckered out and got pulled in a wagon and enjoyed her candy as we went.

Kendall & Andrew's Wedding

this post is very late in coming.  life keeps coming at me!  slow down please!  in october we put our life in kentucky aside and headed to california for the wedding of matt's youngest brother.  the last of our siblings to get married!  it was a lot of work, but such a blessing to get to see family again and be there for kendall and andrew's big day.  i absolutely love seeing the kids grow in their relationships with their cousins!

sophia and hannah are the best of friends, and although they didn't have any official role in the wedding, we got them matching dresses and called them the 'baby girls', in comparison to the 'flower girls.'

 

it was so fun for me to watch isaiah be the 'big boy cousin'.  

he loved hanging out with michael leo...and helping michael explore the house!

actually, we all couldn't get enough of michael leo!

alaythia and the bride-to-be at the rehearsal dinner.  alaythia was so excited to be a flower girl!

my handsome man!  his third wedding to officially be a part of.

he was an old pro! one benefit of being the first born grandchild.

matt shared the 'best man' role with his brother michael.

he and zay were a too much for me to take!

here she is...in the dress.  which in and of itself, deserves a whole post.

the day had come, and after much stress from mommy, she not only stepped up, but took our hearts.

michael leo was so dapper, in what we've not named, 'the family tux'.  

isaiah, wore this same tux at both adam and jake's weddings.

caleb, wore this tux at michael & hallie's wedding.

and now michael carries the tradition on!

my three loves.

kendall, with some of her nieces, after the wedding.

these two cousins were hard to keep still.  so much room to run...

the dudes.

all the godshall cousins.

my sweet girl stole all the hearts that day.

i caught her daddy staring at her through out the night.  he was completely taken with her.

not just because of her beauty, but because of who she is.  i would say that this day was 

a turning point in alaythia's life.  something changed in her...for the good.

four generations of godshall men.

isaiah and the groom, his uncle andrew.

it was a sweet day, filled with many good memories.  i loved being a bystander.  although i didn't have a official role, i had many to get ready to be a part of the day.  and i loved sitting back and watching them do their part. 

matthew...serving his brother.  sacrificing and giving to him.  loving him well.  toasting him in strength and truth.  watching matthew get out on the dance floor...his worst nightmare.  but doing it to join his kids, to enter in.  no one around us knew, but it was a HUGE moment of putting away his own uncomfortability for his kids sake.  i love how matthew loves those around him.

isaiah...was a cool as a cucumber.  seriously an old pro for the other kids.  i loved watching him talk his younger cousin through things.  how he held out his arm for his sister as the walked down the isle together.  his maturity, at every age, as overwhelmed me. 

alaythia...in that dress.  it's hard to put into words.  at the end of the night, i was standing with my brother-in-law watching the dance floor and i think he put it best.  he said, 'because isaiah is the oldest, he's had many days in the sun.  but today...today was alaythina's day to shine.'  that dress was grand and gorgeous, and up until that day it had been an absolute fight to get her to even try it on.  but the day came, she put it on like it was nothing. 

the kids do dance parties at the house and had been looking forward to the 'dance party' part of wedding ever since they found out there would be a wedding.  alaythia in fact, did not even wait for the dancing to officially start.  in her dress, alone in a beautiful barn, she twirled and twisted to the background music.  and i don't even know if dance is the right word.

as she heard the music, you saw her body move to the emotion it created in her.  unashamed.  unaware of anyone around her.  for hours.

alaythia danced to the background music and was the last one off the dance floor at the end of the night.  she and isaiah started the dancing, and kept it going throughout the night.  they danced together, they danced hard, captured by everyone around them.  the crowd chanted alaythia's name, she swung her hair and shook her arms.  all in awe of this little girl.

matthew and i watched as only parents can.  our hearts filled so much, tears spilled over.  for her beauty...for who God has made her to be...for her being so many things we are not.