Braden The Builder

Rebel For a Cause Giveaway

A blog that I have been following for awhile is doing an awesome giveaway that I wanted to share with everyone. Mycharmingkids.net is collecting money for raffle tickets. Each ticket is $10 and you can buy as many as you want to enter yourself in the drawing. All of the proceeds will benefit three different charities (see below). It is a worthy cause and a great prize if you win! You can donate on the blog, just click on the Rebel For a Cause button the left. Check it out and see all the cool things you can win.....

All proceeds of this Raffle-Way will be donated. Proceeds will go to String of Pearls, a beautiful ministry that offers a nurturing and safe place for families as they navigate the path following a fatal prenatal diagnosis that will result in the death of their baby prior to, or shortly after birth. String of Pearls provides guidance, compassion and practical suggestions as plans to honor the life of pre-born babies are crafted.Proceeds will also go to benefit No Hands But Ours. No Hands But Ours is a China adoption resource site, specific to special needs adoption. It was created to provide information, encouragement and support for families of the children who wait and for those who wait no more. It is their hope that God would use this organization to encourage and equip ordinary people to do an extraordinary thing in the life of a special needs orphan, to give the gift every child needs and deserves...a family.The Elison Project helps to provide grants to families adopting special needs children from China, and collaborates with No Hands But Ours. Proceeds of this Raffle-Way will allow families to make an incredible difference in the life of a child. Your donation will help to bring His children home.If you'd like to be a part of our Rebel Without For A Cause Raffle-Way, jump on in. The winners will randomly drawn (Wait for it...we're even thinking of videotaping the process to prove it was fair and random.) and will be announced within a day or two after the Raffle-Way ends on December 14, 2008. Go win yourself a Rebel! And a whole heckofalotta other goodies! For a cause!

Girls Dinner at the Tompkins

Almost all the kiddos! Braden, Sofia, Avery, Sydney, Grace, and Jacob

Graham decided that he didn't want to be in the picture and leapt off the couch. Poor thing!

I think the boys were trying to corrupt sweet Sydney away from all the adults but I caught them!

Dr. Williams and his nurse, Sydney examining out Braden

Thanks for having us all over Sara and Andrew! We had a great time and dinner was yummy!

Halloween '08

We had a great time trick or treating on Halloween with Daddy, Aunt Julie, Ian, and Bailey. Braden loved going from house to house but wanted to ring everone's doorbells and go inside their houses. He didn't quite understand that we had to move on to the next house. He had fun admiring everyone's pumpkins and costumes too.

We got to go trick or treating a second time with Aunt Tracy and Devin at their house. Thanks to hand-me-downs from Ian and Devin, Braden was able to be a lion AND a cow this year! He loved both costumes and played the part well, roaring one night and moo-ing the next.

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Get your own

Halloween Cookies

Braden and I made Halloween cookies together this year. He ate sprinkles while I did everything else! We had a great time together! Braden was very proud of the cookies he "made".

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Get your own

Windmill Farm '08

We had our annual outing to the pumpkin patch at Windmill, our favorite pumpkin patch. They have the best hayride. Braden loved the bumpy hayride and playing on all the trucks and tractors! He found the perfect Braden sized pumpkin in the pumpkin patch too.

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Get your own

Ian's 8th Birthday

We had so much fun at Ian's Halloween birthday party. All of Ian's friends had a blast with the silly string war, limbo, and bobbing for apples. Braden did his best to keep up with the big boys, showing me what's in store in the next few years. Thanks for the goodie bag too- Braden is covered in tattoos again!

Playdate with Cora and Lily

We had a great playdate with Cora and Lily. Braden and Cora had a great time playing together and Lily had fun watching!

We Miss You Daddy!

Daddy will be out of town all week. We really miss him and we're counting the days until he is home! Here are some pictures for you Daddy!

Check out my new shoes Daddy! I'm having fun with my new truck. Thank you!

Braden's new favorite thing is watching movies, he loves Toy Story. Of course, now we are all learning that you can't watch movies every hour that you are awake even if you want to. It's a bummer. Mommy must admit that it does make getting dinner ready a little easier though!

Birthdays

We celebrated Devin, Drexell, and Kenneth's birthdays at my mom and Gene's house. I can't believe the twins are going to be 19 and Devin is 8, they are all getting so old!

Thanks for dinner Mom and Gene! We had a great time but Braden is still coming down from all the blue icing he ate!