Attempts at Christmas Pics!

This is one of my personal favorites...although I don't think that we'll use it for the Christmas card, it sure does capture the authenticity of the moment!:)

Joshua and the Gingerbread Man

As we decorated and marveled at our Christmas tree, this seemed to be Joshua's favorite ornament...he had quite a bit to say about it!

Joshua: "Wow, that's a nice ornament. It has hair on it. I think it's kinda white. I think the gingerbread man needs a diaper change." ...hmmm, interesting.


This is the first year that I've really "decorated" a tree. It was really fun...usually we just use a bunch of lights and random ornaments. This year, I bought two packages of "pretty" ornaments and three kinds of ribbon. My friend Alison (her husband is the high school pastor) inspired me. She has the most beautiful Christmas tree I've ever seen! I'll try to remember to take a picture and stick it on here. Although the tree had plenty of decor already on it and probably looked prettier without, I couldn't leave our special ornaments in the box. There are so many memories from each special one. I also consider buying a fake tree every year during the after-Christmas sales. I don't think I can bring myself to do this either. Although it would be more economical in the long run and less of a hassle with all the dropping pine needles, I love picking out a tree. I love the imperfection of a real tree and how Fred has to hold it up and turn it until we find the "prettiest side." There's just something about it. I suppose that there are some traditions that although there's no biblical mandate to them, you just hate to change. I've been thinking about this a lot this season...how we always say that we hope that when we're older, we won't be wrapped in tradition. Yet, here we are; age 28 and clinging to the way we've always done it!

Anna Bell Makes Some Funny Faces

Jesus and the Little Children

Today was baby dedication at Ingleside. We got to participate with both children, which was both meaningful and nerve-racking! I really had no idea what to expect from Joshua. Not only is he two (which is enough to make a mother worried in and of itself) but he also has virtually no fear of crowds/people he doesn't know. It was actually really good for me: I had to come to the point of realizing that it's not about my child acting "perfect." It's about participating in a sweet time of commitment on the behalf of our church family to come along side of us as we strive to carry out the weighty responsibility of training our children to love the Lord. Anyways, it was a really special time. Our pastor prayed with each family (16 children in our service) and then preached about having the childlike faith that Jesus speaks about in Mark 10:13-16. Joshua did great. He did make me a little nervous when our seats on stage happened to be right next to the baptistry and he told me several times that he "wanted to go swimmin'"...oh boy!!!! Thankfully, we were able to redirect his attention with the mini marshmallows that I stuffed in Fred's pocket!!!! Ha Ha!!! Kind of ironic that here we were making this public commitment to discipline and training in righteousness and I'm bribing my kid with sugar! Oh well. We are so thankful for our church and the commitment they have to the family!

Our New Park

One of my favorite activities to do with the kids is go to the park. We found a really great one here in Macon. It has plenty of slides, ramps, stairs for Joshua to play on and its kindof in a "valley" of sorts, so I don't have to follow him around the whole time. On this particular day, Fred was able to come with us. We packed a pb&j lunch and played before and after. It was great. Anna Bell is mostly content to sit and watch her brother, but she also likes to swing next to him. Joshua likes this too: he says "I want Anna Bell to swing with me!"

I Wanna Be Just Like My Big Brother

As Anna Bell becomes more and more mobile, I'm realizing what a challenging stage of parenting we're entering into: sibling rivalry/conflict has begun. This is a whole new territory that we have so many questions about. Please pass along any wisdom that you more experienced parents have gained...we'd greatly appreciate it:) Other than Joshua adjusting to sharing and loving his little sister, this is a pretty fun stage. Anna is learning so much and becoming much more independent. She's able to eat pretty much anything now and seems to like just about everything. We shared a pomegranate at lunch today! (Joshua wasn't interested) Joshua is talking up a storm these days. His latest really cute phrase is "mmmm....that's good mac n' cheese, mom." ha ha!!! I am quite the gourmet cook! We're all really excited for Thanksgiving. My parents, Becca, Ashley, Pa Pa and Mi Mi are all coming! It'll be great to have everyone at our house.

Fall Family Festival

As ya'll can see, we decided to go with the lion...better stay on the safe side and save the elephant for Anna Bell:) She was some sort of bug for the festival...it's pretty silly-she was called a boy all evening. I suppose that's better in some way than people thinking that our son looks like a girl:)

Break Out Night with Ingleside Middle Schoolers

Our dear friends Josh and Tasha Via came and led worship for an all-night event that we had with the middle schoolers a couple of weekends ago. We had such a blast! As far as the event goes, we ended up having to put kids on the waiting list because we had more sign up than we could take. Praise God...what an incredible "problem" to have! Josh and Tasha were such a blessing as they led our group in worship- it's so great to be able to be a part of worship through music when it's led by people who have an authentic and passionate desire to honor God with their whole lives! We had a wonderful time hanging out with them and their two precious children; Areyna (2 1/2 years) and Zeke (15 months). Thanks, guys...we love you!

"ABCDEFG....amen"

This was Joshua's prayer today while we were sitting at the table eating lunch...what a little theologian he is becoming.

The Broomes Love Fall!!!

A couple of weekends ago we went to a place called the "Rock Ranch." It is a big farm that's owned by Truett Kathy (founder of Chick-fil-A) that he opens up several times during the year for families to come and visit. It was a great place for our family to hang out: there were tons of things for Joshua to do. He got to ride a pony, steer his first powerwheel, (which was a super-cool John Deer by the way) jump on those inflatable things, watch a pig race, get his face painted, and a bunch of other great stuff. One really fantastic attraction (Fred's personal favorite) was that several times throughout the day they shoot pumkins out of a cannon into a pond. Oh yeah...it was pretty stinkin amazing!!! Anyways, we had a great family day. It was a perfect fall activity. The season of fall really is so exciting: anticipating cool weather, fires, sweatshirts, beautiful leaves, pumkins, ... good job, God.

what do ya'll think?

...so- i bought joshua this adorable fall festival elephant costume last week. fred thought it was a bit too girlish with the peach ears and belly. so we went back to the store and agreed upon a much more masculine lion. however, the problem is that the elephant really is pretty stinkin cute (fred agrees that the elephant is a lot cuter) ...please let us know what you think. honestly; will joshua look back at pictures and think "why in the world did my dad let my mom put me in that sissy thing?!"

More Pics

Update

Our computer is doing some funny things these days...that's why I haven't been keeping up with the blog. I'm hesitant to write too much because I will most likely loose it before I post.
Here's what's basically going on with the Broome fam:
We moved to Macon, Georgia at the end of September- Fred is the middle school student pastor at Ingleside Baptist Church. We are loving it here! The entire transition process has been completely God-blessed. We sold our house in Evansville before putting it on the market (we love you, Ryan & Christine!)...we found a house after only one day of house-hunting and closed on it only a few days after moving (we got to stay in a family's pool house for those days--it was great!)...the kids love their new home, friends, and church family (Joshua talks about his church all the time!)...Fred & I are overwhelmed with both peace and excitement about where God has us serving!

Back to Bloggin

Evansville Life

Well, Evansville life for the Broomes is quickly coming to an end. Fred is formally giving his resignation to the church this evening in the service (even though he already told the students last Sunday). We will finish up at First Southern on September 16th and move sometime during the following week. Fred's first day at Ingleside is the 24th. Needless to say, life is going to be a bit hectic for a while. We are really excited about the transition. We're pretty sure we sold the house here; we hope to get a purchase agreement signed this week. Fred, Anna Bell, my sister Laura, my dad, and I are going to drive to Macon this Thursday to look for a house there. It would be wonderful if it all worked out and we were able to move directly into our new home. If not, we'll just do the apartment thing for a while--we really don't mind that possibility except for the whole double move thing. Anyways...as I sit in Joshua's room and watch him play as I type, I'm reminded of the great things about our life here for the past two years that I'm sad to leave:
One of those things is this house. It's been a great first house for us. We love the neighborhood. I'm definitely sentimental when it comes to these kind of things. This is the first house that Joshua and Anna Bell have ever known. So many memories have been made here. I can look around and remember where Joshua took his first step or where Fred and I sat and prayed for Anna Bell during my pregnancy. It's a great place that we will always look back at with great thankfulness. We are so incredibly blessed.

Swimming At Ellie's

Joshua and Anna Bell got to go swimming at their friend Ellie's house a few weeks ago. They both had so much fun! Ellie is about to become a big sister. Baby Ava should arrive sometime around September 24th I think. We hope that we get to meet her before we move to Georgia!

Anna Bell, Joshua, and Maddie Grace

Luke, Laura, & Maddie came to visit last weekend. We had tons of fun. Joshua and Maddie went swimming in the backyard. Maddie helped out tons with Anna Bell. She is so good with babies.

New to Me

For those of you who know me, this doesn't come as a big surprise: I didn't know anything about this whole "tag" thing. I'm gonna give it the ol college try.

I've been tagged.

Four jobs I've had:
1. Furniture constructor
2. Car washer
3. QMRP (Qualified Mental Retardation Professional)
4. Nanny

Four places I've lived:
1. Nashville, TN
2. Athens, GA
3. Bolivar, MO
4. Wake Forest, NC

Favorite TV Shows:
1. Lost
2. 24
3. Those are pretty much the only shows I like.
4. However, we watch a lot of Elmo & DoodleBops @ the Broome house.

Food:
1. ICE CREAM (I miss Goodburys!)
2. Greek salad (Panara is my favorite)
3. Chick-fil-A
4. Bow-tie pasta & pesto (Girls: this is my new fav. recipe...call me if you want it!)

Places I'd rather be:
1. Any beach (with Freddy and the kids)
2. Any outlet mall (preferably without my wonderful husband and precious children)
3. A great seminary lecture (Yes, I do miss school at times)
4. Catching up with family and friends

Favorite Movies:
1. Sound of Music
2. Yours, Mine, & Ours (the old version)
3. I Am Sam
4. Patch Adams

Tag Time:
1. Shannon B.
2. Holly S.
3. Sherrie B.
4. Connie

New Deck

This is my new favorite place to be when we're at home (as long as it's not 100+ degrees out!). When we bought our house, the builder had just put a little 4-by-4 slab of concrete down. We finally got around to putting a deck on after two years of having no place to sit out back!

Busy Summer Days

I'm sure that many of you guys can relate (especially those in the ministry!) to the craziness of summer. We have definitely been on the road more than we've been at home these past couple of months! Thankfully, the kids have been incredibly flexible and easy-going. I got to go with Fred and the students to camp a couple of weeks ago. We had a blast! My parents kept the kids(a 14 hour bus ride was a bit too much for them!) and although I missed them tons, I knew that they were better off with grandpa and grandma than roughin it at camp. Joshua was great--mom said that he never cried and that anytime he asked "where'd dada and mama go?" he would answer himself by saying "big bus!!!" So cute. Sweet Anna Bell had some kind of flu while we were gone-- she spiked a fever of 102 and did not sleep well at all...my dear mother had some definite sleepless nights! Although she was tired and would quickly admit that "she's not as young as she used to be" I think that it was a blessing for her to be able to spend those wee-hours rocking Anna Bell.

Fred & I continue to learn tons about God's provision and loving-kindness through kids and ministry...we are truly blessed beyond measure.

The Prosser Family at the Beach

The Kiddos

Here are some fun pics of the kids. Joshua LOVES shoes...he is wearing his pa pa's in this picture. Anna Bell is napping in her great pa pa's arms. He really enjoys rocking the babies to sleep!

Joshua & His Buddy

This is Joshua and his good friend, Brady Herron. His mommy is Ali (King) Herron- one of Lindsey's closest friends. Brady is 6 months younger than Joshua...but they'll be in the same grade some day. Maybe they will go to SBU together. The Herrons and the Broomes will pray hard for scholarships!

Joshua @ 20 Months...What a Happy Boy!