Birthdays are Big Time!

It is the end of October and we have survived the birthday frenzy.  Cate turned 15 on October 21 and Josh turned 16 on October 22.  Here are some fun pics from those couple days.
Grandma Joan had her 86th birthday a couple days before these guys so we did some celebrating with her.

Some fun presents arrived from Aunt Dawn.  That's always a treat.  

Thanks Aunt Dawn for going shopping for us.  We love your suprises!

Cate started her day off with getting her ears pierced.  It is something she has thought about for awhile and wasn't quite brave enough last year but this year she decided to do it.  We headed to the mall and did the birthday treat at Claire's.  Cate was very brave and actually didn't even feel it.  She was thrilled.

 We had some prep work to do in the kitchen to get ready for the party.  Josh and Cate are always good help.  The volleyball girls started arriving right on schedule and we had a fun afternoon of carving pumpkins, playing yard games and celebrating Miss Cate!

                                         

Here she is!  Gorgeous and 15! 

Miss Cate Ramona Clark.  

 We had a family lunch at their favorite Chinese restaurant, Yen Ching's.  

We are thankful for the family that supports our love for Josh and Cate.  

Next up is Josh's 16th party.  He invited his Cross Country gang over to celebrate with him during the evening.  He had 15 boys attend and it was a great group.

  Josh and Cate love family.  They love seeing cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents plus of course the older brothers and sisters and their littles.  Family is the best thing ever for Josh and Cate.

We are Cubs' fans in our family.  It has united us for generations.  We believe in the Cubs through thick and thin.  Our family loves them whether they win or lose but of course it is fun to win.  Our love for the Cubs makes me think of Jesus' love for us.  He loves us whether we are obedient or not but of course it is more pleasant if we are obedient to Him.  If we fail Jesus he still loves us and wants us to come back to Him. We want the Cubs to win the World Series but if not we will still root for them.  Win or lose with the Cubbies, we will always still have our Jesus.

Zephaniah 3:17.     The Lord your God is in your midst,
                                 a mighty one who will save;
                             he will rejoice over you with gladness;
                                  he will quiet you by his love;
                             he will exult over you with loud singing.

Thanks for reading the blog and praying for us.  We appreciate your prayers.
Choosing joy,
Chris & crew