Team Schuurman: Sorry for the wait

     Sorry for the blog hiatus (if you can call it that), but we've had a busy, yet wonderful few days. As many of you know, Thanksgiving is Mark's busiest time of the year. His dad came down for 8 days to help him (specifically with stuffing), he had 2 employees all week, AND I helped out on Wednesday. Needless to say, it was great to take a few days off from the route and focus on family and feasting.
     On Thanksgiving Day, we took Grandpa back to the airport and headed to Mt. Airy. We had a few hours of fun at Grandma and Papa John's house before heading over to my aunt & uncle's home where all the Webb's gathered for supper. The supper was amazing and Marcus LOVED Ellie's green beans. That is, once he actually tried them. He spent the first half of supper throwing rolls, but once we got a TASTE of it into his mouth, he couldn't get enough! We also had a fun question/answer game that my cousin Ashley brought out after we all ate that was enjoyable.
     Friday morning, Mark, TJ, my step-brother Josh, and my dad all went hunting. Although TJ was the only one to see any deer, no shots were fired. We spent the day cooking, relaxing, and playing with Marcus. The men went back out that night and both my dad and Mark killed does. We're thankful because our freezer was looking a little bare! My dad was gracious enough to get the meat processed & will bring it up here for us in a few weeks.
     Saturday morning, they went hunting AGAIN while I packed up our belongings. Not many deer were moving, so Mark was back by 9am and we left around 11. TJ and Olivia went with Mark, Marcus, and I to my cousin Shad's home. I've blogged about them before, but in case you're unfamiliar, he and his wife live probably 20-30 minutes from my dad's home, they have eight wonderful children (ages 19 months - 18 years old), and they are full-fledged born again believers in Jesus who actually LIVE IT OUT. They're such inspirations to me! All five of us enjoyed a few hours at their home just talking and checking out their property a little more than before. This time, we got to see their garden, green house, chicken pen, and cows. Marcus had an absolute ball exploring and I love learning how to do new things that promote a self-sustaining lifestyle like they have. Shad was wonderful about teaching and encouraging Mark and TJ to be Godly leaders of their homes and both he and Lauri give great advice about child rearing. My latest question was about how to get your child to stop whining. So far, so good, but we're only 2 days into "Operation Ignore the Whining."
     Saturday afternoon we made one last stop in Mt. Airy to see my mom and John. Olivia, Mom, and I took Marcus to a nearby park to play for a few hours until we got our car back, up and running. We finally made it home, late Saturday night, but we we so THANKFUL for the time spent with family and friends. I was PATHETIC at taking pictures at either of my parents' homes, but did take a few at Shad and Lauri's. I hope you can forgive my scatterbrainedness (yes, that's a word) and I'll try to do a better job next time. Until then, enjoy the pics below. :)