Happy Falloween!

     The Force was with us this fall season, and I was able to have the Fall party that I wanted. I'm not big on Halloween...if there's one holiday I am not so sure about celebrating it's the one that's characterized by the dark, scary and not so holy things. However, I do love the idea of dressing up and this holiday is about the only time to do that. So this fall we went all out and celebrating Fall and Halloween. It was great! We had so much fun at the party..and I think the guests did too. I think it's the first annual Pitcock Fall Party....here's the fun time in pictures.

The Lion and the Lobster..their expressions say it all : ) 

Nurse, Patient and their Indian friend

A chef and lumberjack came too

 The Flintstones were there...and tied for first for best costume

All the kids had fun playing in the yard

 

The chef caught my lobster but only to release him into the wild. 

 The homeless man...I mean lumberjack helped feed the lobster.

This is what I started with....

Tada...it magically turned into a fall dessert table!

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

 We were also visited by toy royalty...Barbie and Ken! 

They brought a TCU player and Shirley Temple.

                                 Chicken Farmers                  

 Flo gave insurance quotes to those in need, including her expectant friend. : ) 

April and Raphael took a break from fighting crime to stop by. 

They tied for first in the costume contest.

 Pin the patch on the scarecrow was the first game....super fun!

 The nurse and chef fought over April's microphone

 Game number two...Pinata!!!

Our happy family...I'm going to go bigger and better for mine and Dalt's costumes next year; 

I was disappointed in how ours turned out.

 

The afterparty...PJs 

The party really wore us out!

We thought the fun couldn't continue but it did. On Wednesday we met up with some friends and trick or treated in the neighborhood. Now I had never really trick or treated before (unless I was too young to remember) so it was an adventure for me and the boys. 

 Our lion's first house

Strolling around the neighborhood

 Ace was looking really comfortable.

Cooper was roaring to go!

"I think I'm getting the hang of this."

 The crew by the wagon...it was amazing how many people were out and about.

A special treat was being able to trick or treat with Carrie and her kids!!! 

Phoebe and Ace weren't too impressed by this point.

 Cooper loved the wagon and didn't want to get out.

Loading up to head to the next stop

When it was time to leave the wagon he was upset. 

His consolation was getting to pull it for a little bit.

      By the end of the night we'd visited lots of strangers and friends and had a great time. We are so blessed! I think it was even more fun getting to go with friends. We're so blessed to live where we are and to have friends in town so we can experience it all!!

     Now onto Turkey Day! Thanksgiving is next week...wow! I love the holidays (if you can't tell by all the exclamation points) and am just so ready to celebrate all the things I'm thankful for and then celebrate the most important birth of all...Christ's!

"The Lord is good to all" Psalm 145:9 ...This is Cooper's first memory verse and he's about got it. It's a precious thing to hear the Word of the Lord coming out of my 2 year old's mouth. I pray he understands it soon and lives for the true blessings and gifts that God has to offer and not the tricks and treats of this world.

Town Cousin, Country Cousin

     Karper came to town to visit this past week and we were able to have some fun cousin time. I won't say that they all played together...still too young for that, but they did play around each other and interact some. It was great to see Karper and we hope he comes back to visit soon!

     Last Sunday we went to Mere Mere and Popsey's for the afternoon to hang out. Here are a few shots from that visit.

"Ok guys, this is how you do it."

"And then you do this..."

 I tried to get a picture of the two facing us, but they wouldn't cooperate. 

They both loved the trampoline though

All the Pitcock men and Nana

     Thursday night Karper came to our house so we showed him the sights, a calf, horses, chickens and the garden. He wasn't overly impressed with the animals, but he did get on Dandy for long enough to take a picture.

 Waiting for Karper to get here

 Wilbur meet Karper, Karper meet Wilbur

Karper wasn't too interested in feeding Wilbur. 

There was too much other stuff to see.

 Cousins are great for stress free transportation

 Discussing important 'man-stuff'

Karper did like one animal a lot....Boots. He's a hit with all the kids.

Karper followed him around, picked him up and squeezed him.

Boots is a very good sport.

 A roping lesson..Karper wanted to get up close and watch

 Karper on Dandy

 My boys...in need of haircuts

Mere Mere, Popsey and the boys

     Thanks for coming to visit us in the country Karper. We'll see you at Christmas!

Hope and Depression...and Resolve

     Our presidential election was Tuesday night, and I'd regret it in years to come if I didn't write a little something about it. This has been a big election. It was basically a decision between someone who is opposed to all Christian and family values and someone else who would fight for family...albeit not as much as we would hope. Unfortunately the first candidate won...President Barak Obama was elected to a second term. I was shocked, confused, sick, shocked, angry as we watched it unfold on the TV.

 "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." Proverbs 16:33

     The last  4 years has seen an increase in everything anti-Christian and anit-family; abortions, homosexual agenda, persecution of any who oppose those two, and an overall pandering to the religion of Islam..which is a dangerous thing. In addition, there has been increasing pressure on Christians to just get along and stop being so picky about issues. Of course you wouldn't know most of this unless you are tuned in to the right sources. I listen to a lot of American Family Radio and Christian news, which helps me to stay informed. Unfortunately most Americans don't..even most Christians.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9

      As the campaigns unfolded, leading up to the election, it was a tight race....which shouldn't have been the case. The saddest thing about the campaigns to me was that it was focused on the economy. Social issues weren't even discussed that much and for Christians those should be top priority. We have a president who said that he didn't want his children 'punished with a baby' if they made a mistake...and that should have been brought up by every pastor in America, encouraging his congregation to vote FOR the unborn. The day or two before the election, all of the conservative 'big wigs' were predicting Romney would win. I was a bit relieved but somewhere in the pit of my stomach I felt like it just wasn't going to happen.

"For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and udnerstand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them." Matthew 13:15

     Tuesday came and that evening Dalton and I went to do our civic duty and vote. I've always loved voting. I feel such pride and responsibility when I do, and I so enjoy seeing all of the others come out to vote as well. It's one of the few ways that we are all unified; voting brings people from all walks of life and all areas out to do the same task. We voted, went out to eat and headed home to watch the coverage. We were watching Glen Beck at the time of the announcement and I must say the shock on his face was evident. Actually, the shock on everyone's faces and in everyone's voices was easy to see/hear. I couldn't believe what had happened. How could people vote for a president who had made the economy worse, the social values worse and even lied about a foreign disaster? I went to bed a bit depressed and scared. I had bad dreams.

"God reigns over the nations. God is seated on His holy throne." Psalm 47:8

     The next morning I woke up with a weight on my shoulders. We listened to AFR and got the Biblical perspective, which really isn't that much more comforting. You see, we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is sovereign and that nothing happens without His knowledge and consent. So we know that He allowed Obama to win a second term. This scares me more than comforts, as Bryan Fischer said. Why? Because I'm afraid that God is using Obama to judge the nation. Judge it for allowing 50 million babies to be aborted (I'm sick just typing that). Judging us because we've let the true Biblical family be distorted. Judging us because we have taken God out of schools, holidays, and much more. Judging us because we've turned to our idols of money, sports, comforts, status, the American dream instead of turning to Christ and living for His kingdom and His purposes. Judging us because our churches have become so weak that they don't even stand up for what's right and urge their congregations to vote for specific issues. Judging Christians and the churches for not holding believers to the high standards that Jesus set in the Bible...people cannot be true followers of Christ and vote pro-choice; it's just not possible/scripturally sound.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made....my frame was not hidden form you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me...." Psalm 139:13-16

"The Lord said it is not good for the man to be alone. I will create a helper suitable for him....'this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh'...that is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife and they become one flesh." Genesis 2:18,23,24

     Maybe the fact that I'm currently in the middle of reading the Old Testament is skewing my view and increasing my anxiety. Right now I'm at the point where God's people are about to be taken into Babylonian captivity. Why? Because they had repeatedly forsaken God, turned to idols and done evil in His eyes. Sound familiar? Yes, sounds like the mainstream culture of America. I used to read the OT and be so disgusted by the heathenism of the people; now I read and realize that our culture is doing those same things; they are just dressed up a little different.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

     Are you good and depressed yet? Well, there is a positive side to all of this. Now is the time to stand up, prove that we are Christians and fight the good fight of faith. We must repent of our idos and TURN from them. It's time to devote ourselves to the Kingdom, not the country. I believe God is using this president and this culture to start separating the wheat from the chaff (Luke 3:17), the goats from the sheep (Matt 25:31-46), the real believers from the lukewarm in heart and spirit. And for some reason this encourages me because now the confusion and hypocrisy in the church can be addressed.

"I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." Revelation 3:15-16

     Yes, I'm terrified of what may come...I know Christian persecution is coming...its' here but it's going to increase. But I'm excited to get to have my chance. To prove to God that I will love Him and will serve Him and will obey Him even when my life is hard. The American Dream has protected us for too long and I think that we are going to have a great opportunity to stand in the gap and be Christians whether it's the 'cool' thing to do or not.

"If you insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." 1Peter 4:14

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." John 15:18-19

     So what does this look like? I think it looks like believers sharing the Gospel often and with everyone...something I'm guilty of not doing. It looks like standing up to the educational system, including the university system, that has started indoctrinating students with liberal and anti-Christian ides (as an example: 157 empoloyees of Yale contributed to campaigns; 152 to Obama and 2 for Romney..a janitor and visiting professor); there are many more examples. If we are sending our kids to school for 8 hours a day they should be learning about God and the values that matter eternally and that is not currently the case. It looks like showing the government that we don't need them to take care of hurting people by doing what we should as a Church and looking after the widow and the orphan. It looks like praying every day, raising our children to become believers, and living for Christ daily Deut 6:7. It looks like seeing all other religions as they really are, counterfeits of the true Gospel and learning about them so we can inform others about the truth....there is only one path to Heaven and it is a narrow one.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

     I could go on and on because God is showing me more and more each day how this looks and where I'm lacking. The bottom line is that we can no no longer straddle the fence between this world and the eternal world. I've seen this as a theme in Christian blogs and shows I've been following. God is drawing an eternal line in the sand and we must stay on the right side.

"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."Luke 9:23-26

   The first step we must take is to devote ourselves to prayer...if we aren't in communication with the Father, how can we have a deeper relationship and know what he wants us to do. Pray often, pray hard and pray sincerely. And don't forget to pray for Obama...a great glory could come to God if he repents and turns to Christ.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

     The second step is to get in the Word! The Word is our only offense against the evil of this world and the next. We must know our scripture so that we are prepared for those difficult conversations.

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword..." Hebrews 4:12

     The third step is to join together with other believers for accountability.. if we are going to be the salt and light we must have help keeping ourselves salty and bright. Take a real assessment of our lives and see where God's calling us to change; are we honoring him with the way we spend our financial gifts..look where we're spending our money (I confess I spend too much on junk at Walmart); are we honoring Him with what we watch and listen to "Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place..." Eph 5:4; are we honoring Him with how we dress and present ourselves; are we honoring Him with our words to each other "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" Eph 4:29. As I write this I'm convicted myself. I know I have many things to change in myself, but I'm committing to work on it..well to let the Holy Spirit work on it in me.

"So then each of us will give an account of himself to God." Romans 14:12

    The final step is critical...we must LOVE others as we share with them, call them to repentance, live with them and strive with them. And we must love other believers as they call us to repentance and take to heart what they have to share with us.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but I have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal...if I give away all I have and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing....So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 12:1,3,13

     So go out there, share the Good News about Christ...our knight in shining armor, take care of the orphans, widows and those in need, teach your children the true values to live by, love the sinners but address the sin, be advocates for the unborn, families, children and Christian values, and live for Christ alone!

"And he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15

     I don't know about you, but now I have enough things to do with my own life thad I won't have time to be depressed and angry about Obama being reelected.
   

"All kings will bow down to Him and all nations will serve Him." Psalm 72:11

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Boots Goes to Town

     Yesterday was play group. I was super excited because our former pastor's wife (not to be confused with our pastor's former wife) from out of state was going to be there with her kids. Because visit time is limited, I was determined to be on time. Aside from the fact that both boys were still a little sniffly things were going good. I had Cooper dressed, pumpkin scones made (new recipe I had to try for the girls..turned out pretty good), and Ace bathed and ready to go.

      Just as I was about to load Cooper I realized that he had wet his pants. Now normally I would have been a little frustrated but a deep sigh and quick change would have done the trick. Not yesterday. Between the desire to hurry and be on time and the irritation of yet another wet pair of pants I snapped, I'm embarrassed to say. I snatched him up, spoke to him very rudely and hurried to change his clothes. Then I loaded him up even denied him a toy that he wanted to take because I didn't want to go back in. I know, I'm so horrible! I have repented though and pray that God will use that to remind me of how I don't want to act when I'm tempted to.

     So we pulled out of the driveway on time, but with Cooper sad in the back and me mad in the front. Thankfully God knows how to diffuse a situation between two very stubborn individuals. As I'm stewing about the situation halfway into town and wondering what I'm going to do about my repeat wetter, I hear Cooper say something about Boots, and as I turn to listen I see a black furball jump up onto the console. I had to laugh because of the situation, and Cooper started to laugh too. Whew...thank you Lord for not allowing hurt and anger to continue on to the playdate. So we laughed, I let Boots in the front seat and then I reached back to squeeze Cooper's knee and tell him I loved him (had to include that so you don't think I'm totally mean).

       My heart melted a little and I quickly prayed for forgiveness and had, once again, a moment of shock at just how selfish and mean my heart can be when I leave it to myself instead of surrendering to the Holy Spirit daily. I can never let myself think I've got it under control, because just when I think I do, something like this happens. Thank goodness we serve a God who isn't like us. 

"Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly." Proverbs 14:29

"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."Colossians 3:8, 12-13

      Back to the furball on the console....since we were already halfway to town I decided not to turn around and go home. Instead we took Boots with us to the playdate. Imagine Val's surprise when we show up at her door with scones and a kitten. We put him in an upside down laundry basket with heavy pillows on top and went to play. He must have gotten pretty cagey because when I went out later to check on him, he'd pushed the basket off the edge of the porch and escaped.

     Now don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind getting rid of another cat, but Boots is the only one I want to keep, so I was kinda bummed. Not to worry though! About 20 min later Kelli spotted Boots in the tree next door...woo hoo! We called him down (he had found a lady friend up there) and put him in the yard. After the next 1/2 hour he might have gone back to the laundry basket if he could. The kids were constantly holding him and passing him around and possibly pulling him in multiple directions (I was inside). He did good though...no scratching!

     When it was time to leave we were heading out the door with Cooper carrying Boots. A mom, who'd gotten there late, stopped me to let me know Cooper had a cat. I told her it was ours and we moved on. "Oh...." she replied. Not too often someone takes their cat to playdate....

     I needed to go by Walmart and decided to leave him in the car while we went in. It was only 65 degrees so I figured he'd survive. Besides, maybe having a living thing to get back to in the car would help me avoid the time warp that I usually enter once I go through the automatic doors of Wallyworld.
We made it out in good time (not record though) and Boots was doing ok. He was moving slow...but I think that was because of all the handling.

     Hunger pains had started in my belly and I wanted to get lunch before we headed home so I decided to drop Boots off at the in-laws, where Dalt could pick him up that evening. I didn't really want to be in an enclosed space with a cat and good smelling food....dangerous. When I pulled up to drop off pumpkins and a kitty, Jake the dog came around the corner and I thought twice about my plan. Still, I set Boots out of the car. He immediately went under the car and then I heard a couple bumps and weird noises...great, he hopped in the undercarriage! I guess he's not Boots the Brave. I abandoned my plan, called him, put him back in the car and headed to the eatery. By the time I got my food he was curled up in the front seat asleep. I wonder if the drive though person saw him and what her thoughts were......

     As soon as I got my burger and the smell wafted through the car Boots perked up and started sniffing. Both boys were sleeping, so we squared off and I gave him a 'Don't even think about it!' look. He paused and then attempted to come over. One good swat sent him back to his seat and he didn't come over again. He did watch me eating my burger though, with hungry eyes.

     When we got home, I woke all three passengers and unloaded them. Boots trotted off to his buddies...I'm sure to recount his eventful morning. I have a feeling he won't be hitching any more rides to town. I'm thinking this story would make a cute children's book, from Book's perspective....hmmm.

THE END

"Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is His glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11

Random Cuteness

     With all of the goings on around here with trips, parties, etc. I haven't been writing about the cute daily things that the boys are doing and learning. They are growing so much...a little wiggle worm and a little sponge. Because I want to make sure and get this posted but have many distractions, I'm going to  post in more of a list form, trying not to forget all the cute sayings and doings of Cooper and the big feats of an ever-moving Ace.

Holiday Inn -- I say "What do you think this is? The Holiday Inn?" a lot, usually to Dalton when he asks if I've gotten something in particular done or if I'll do something for him. Well, apparently the sponge has heard it one too many times. One day I said "What do you think this is?" and before I could I could answer Cooper said "Haday Inn." It was super cute and now I wait for it each time I ask the question.

 Strawberries didn't make it, but the bed makes a great digger hole.

BBQ-ing with leftover pancakes

It'll be Ok -- I'm a little too emotional sometimes and get sad at movies, TV shows, thoughts, etc. A couple of times when I was sad Cooper came up to me and said "It'll be Ok Mama." Sweet right? Of course it is....until he starts using it against me. We are still in the process of potty training. I know what you're thinking, "Didn't you start that back in the summer?"Yes, we did. And no we aren't giving up. Apparently we have a very lazy, busy stubborn boy that knows what to do but doesn't quite have it high on the priority list. One day it'll be finished.... But back to the saying. When he does wet his pants we tell him that it makes us very sad. It worked for a little while but the other day when Dalton said that to him Cooper replied "It'll be ok, Daddy" and walked away. Of course we were caught off guard and had to hide some laughs. Now he says it often. Little stinker!

Singing, singing -- It amazes me how much Cooper can absorb, retain and regurgitate (for lack of a better word). He knows all of his letters, numbers 1-10, shapes and several songs. His favorite is "Bless the Lord Oh My Soul" It is precious to hear him sing the few parts he knows, and what's even more funny is the number of boys that love that song too. His favorite song to sing to people is Jesus Loves Me. He sings it really well, and even played the drums while singing at GG's. We're learning The Lord is Good to Me, which he calls Garrett's song, because we'd told him that Uncle Garrett really liked that song when he was little (he remembered that even though we only told him that once or twice). Now my goal is to download songs that we sing in church so we can start practicing those. I always admire those kiddos that can sing the songs too...Cooper will soon be one too.

 He always gravitates to the ropes on the saddle. 

Ready to ride

Crawling Machine -- Ace is officially a crawling machine! He's been on the move for quite a while but in the last few weeks he's really started crawling 'in good form'. He's all over the house and entertains himself quite nicely. A lot of mothers dread the day when their kiddos can move but I love it. It means they can move to whatever toys they want, can escape big brother, or follow him. Of course he does get into stuff he shouldn't, but with the second it's not as bad because you are already pretty kid safe from the first one. He does seem to gravitate towards Cooper....we call it the crawl attack. He sees Cooper, crawls super fast to get to him and then grabs whatever part is available, usually hair. Coop's not a big fan, but he's learning to move to higher ground.

Playing together -- One of the most precious things that's happening around here is getting to watch the boys play together. Mostly in 'wrestling' activities. Cooper is pretty patient and let's Ace crawl on him, then escapes and waits for him to come again. They also share some toys. Cooper's learning how to have two toys available so he can distract Ace with one and play with one himself. Ace loves his brother and watches him intently all the time...not sure if that's good or not, but it is so endearing.

 Cooper doing a puzzle, Ace watching

 Puzzles, cones and a big ball...fun fun!

"Nooo Acey-poo" -- Even though they play together well, we are having more little frustrations when Ace gets into Cooper's activities. Now that he can crawl, Ace follows his big brother all over the house, trying to join in with whatever Cooper is doing. This is not very fun for Cooper and often I'll hear Nooo Acey-poo!! from where ever they are around the house. It's really cute to hear, but I also know to get moving because Ace might get pushed out of the way by a frustrated Cooper. Coop is learning how to move to higher ground to escape little hands and teeth, but he can't do that all of the time. Sharing is going to be pretty important pretty soon!!

Animal Growls -- Ace still loves to growl and scream when he feels like it. Sometimes it's happy, sometimes it's mad, but always it's to get attention. The other day he was playing in Cooper's room  and I heard some growling coming from there and asked Cooper if there was an animal in his room. It was pretty funny hearing the growls coming from such a little guy.

Happy boy -- I know I comment about this all the time, but I just have to mention it again...Ace is soooo happy! He is the happiest little guy. He just smiles as he crawls around the house, what a blessing.

He doesn't like green beans, so I let him 'paint' with them.

I think he got a little in his mouth. 

Oh Popsey -- A couple weeks ago we went to lunch with Popsey and Mere Mere. Cooper was telling Popsey stories about the zoo and kept saying "Oh Popsey" before he told another tale. I'm afraid we might have a little embellisher in the family. He tends to exaggerate the truth a bit, and oftentimes when his pants are wet he says it's water....clever but worrisome.

Hippo -- Ace loves to take a bath. He gets excited when I turn the water on, and if he's in the other room he starts fast crawling to get to the bathroom. We started putting him in the big tub with Cooper (don't worry I keep a hand on him at all times) to save time and water. He likes to splash around and chew on bath toys. But now we have a problem because he's gotten really brave really fast. He now wants to flop on his belly and crawl in the tub...not good. The other day I put him on his bottom and before I could stop him he moved into crawling position and was full speed crawling toward the spout. He looked like a hippo...not because of his size but because of the way he moved in the water. Needless to say, his baths have gotten a lot shorter.

I know, I know, I wrote too much again! But in 20 years I'll want to remember these details, so forgive me. My little blessings just knock my socks off every day. Since Cooper turned one I keep thinking that whatever age he's currently at is the best, but then 6 months later I change my mind. What a fun adventure. Exhausting, but fun.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10