Killeny Glen...getting on the GREEN!!!

We have had plenty of rain and sunshine...we came home from Pennsylvania to find this beautiful green carpet!

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Bob got some tickets to the OSU/Penn State football game last night and we decided to take off for Happy Valley and watch cousin Ben play some ball!! What a treat! Although Bob had hoped the Nittany Lions would give the Buckeyes a run for their money the BUCKS came out on top BIG TIME....37-17!! We had a BLAST! We got to eat lunch at CHAMPS Sports Grill too and loved our 36 hour whirlwind trip!

A couple DIVIDED! Bob joined the State "white out" despite sitting in the BUCKS section.
I love the marching band.
After the game the guys all came over to celebrate with song!

The photo is not clear enough to see Ben but he is in the far left toward the back.
Check out that FINAL score!

**** VERSUS****



Thanks to Gram, Gramps and Ericka for making the weekend so much fun for the kids!

Partying at school...

Halloween School Parties!

Grace and Madeleine partying in Kindergarten!
Madeleine joined Mommy to help with Emma's third grade festivities!
Mitchell (he is a jazz musician-you can't see his saxophone) and some of his friends posing at the fifth grade party.

A perfect night for a BONFIRE!

The Kinney Klan enjoyed a lovely evening at the Price's the other night. Perfect night...just cool enough that when Howie got the fire going it felt perfect!

What a crazy crew! Emma, Dora, Trae, Madeleine and Ariel!
Sam LOVES this truck!! It is as big as he is!
The girls had such a blast playing in the yard! Hide and Seek was a hit!
Ummm, this is the beginning of the roasted marshmallows...it got WORSE!
YUMMY!!!!! Ahleya was enjoying her perfectly toasted treat! FINGER LICKING GOOD!

Dora had so much fun with the kids...see how BIG she is smiling?
We had a great feast before it got dark...the kids table was lively!
Mithell the cool dude!
A game of football broke out and Ariel proved to be quite a good tackle. Watch out Mitchell!

Photos

Bob just downloaded a bunch of photos and I thought I would just post a few miscellaneous shots of those Kinney Kids!

Emma dressed up as a Cowgirl for Spirit week at school.
Two of my C-ville Indians ready for school
Red and white day at school. Madeleine is funny...she likes to participate but on HER OWN level...she did NOT want to wear her C-ville t-shirt but still wanted her red, black and white!
Madeleine wanted me to post this photo. She LOVES Qian (pronounced "Kway") and Qian has on her Halloween costume and is winking at the camera!

Sam's fabulous smile!

Sam has a beautiful smile, his teeth are just so white and pretty. We suspected when we brought him home last year that despite how pretty his teeth are that they are not in the best condition. So, when Mitchell, Emma and Madeleine had their teeth checked, polished and flouride treated I took Sam along too. Our dentist, Dr. Jerry, is a saint in his own right, our children ADORE him. They actually LOVE to go to see him. No, he isn't a magician he is a REAL dentist!

Before the appointment I explained to the older kids that we were going to demonstrate to Sam that having Dr. Jerry examine his teeth is a cool thing despite his mask and visor type magnifying head gear! :) Each time a new kid sat in the exam chair we would place Sam in his or her lap and say, "YEAH, it is Emma's turn!" and so forth and so on. Sam was having a good time and enjoying the banter between Dr. Jerry and his older siblings. Well, Sam is JUST learning to talk in sentences and they are hard to understand. After Madeleine was finished I said, "Sam! It is your turn!" and he said VERY CLEARLY:

"No FANK YOU! I don't like it!!"

Can't say that I blame him!

Kinney Kid Kentucky Countdown

LeMaster Family? Ya want something to smile about???

Only 18 days until...

KENTUCKY DAYS!!!!!!

Loving and serving

Christ is present when the weak are loved and served.

Lately, I feel that I have been like one of those church bill boards that change their encouraging, yet trite sayings each week to reach those of us that drive by on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong...it sounds as if I do not like those billboards but quite honestly I do and have been provoked to deep thought by more than one of those "catchy" sayings.

Serving at our church that is poor and lacking in many things has been tough, a challenge at its very best. There have been SO MANY times that we wonder WHAT we are doing and WHY we are doing it. Yet, God has made it abundantly clear to Bob and I that we are where he wants us to be. When I think of all the things we do to serve our neighborhood friends...the meals, rides to work, a listening ear, childcare, etc. I realize that WE are the ones being served...it is our pleasure to serve these dear friends. As we spend a Saturday evening after church circling the same four block radius of a section of the city looking for "Andy" and hear one of the kids yell, "THERE HE IS!!" It is our privilege to bring him dinner and have a chat with Andy who is homeless yet has joy in his life that he generously shares with the seven of us.

Christ is present when the weak are loved and served.

A gift

Life is God's gift to you

The way you live your life is your gift to God

Make it a fantastic one

~Leo Buscaglia

Post Op Boy!

Here is that cute little dude, WeiLong....he is home from the hospital!

He continues to do well. We are praying he will avoid any infection and will heal completely!

Mom Mumblings...

I much prefer the more stylish streamlined shoe below don't you?

So, we are building a new house right? This involves a great deal of work, money, effort...etc. And, we are building a new house 'cause we have a big family and the Lord has blessed us with this awesome opportunity to have a bigger house with more bedrooms and BATHROOMS right? Well, why then, will you tell me are we building a bigger house when all my kids are asleep together in ONE ROOM!!!????? AAAAAACKK!!!

A prayer for today

Saint Theresa's Prayer:

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let His presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Wei Long! UPDATE!

Oh, I am so thankful to report that Wei Long survived his very difficult brain surgery and is in recovery!!! I thank each of you that lifted his little life up to the Lord...the great physician! His parents are exhausted but jubilant that he has done so well. He needs continued prayer for a long recovery and that there will be no infection but he made it through the first 24 hours with flying colors!

A request for Wei Long

This is our dear friend, Wei Long. (pronounced WAY-LONG) He is very special to Bob and I as we got to travel with his mom, two sisters and new brother last year in China. Wei Long and his brother, Wei Fu, both came home to Texas (at ages 7 and 8) to be a part of their wonderful forever family. Wei Long is an amazingly resilient kid that charms everyone he meets. Just look at this photo...see that GLEAM in his eye?? Wei Long is having very serious surgery on Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. Will you pray for this dear little one and his family as they look to the future and what God has planned for him. ..his parents covet every prayer. THANKS!

Kentucky Days COUNTDOWN!

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For family members that check our blog

the kids want to FORMALLY announce the KICK OFF to the

KENTUCKY DAYS COUNTDOWN 2007!!!!!!!!!!!

Once the calendar turns over to October we begin counting down the days till

LeMaster Family Reunion...so as of today there are

33 days until

KENTUCKY DAYS!!

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Moon Festival

Emma starts the dough for our Moon cakes.
The girls enjoy "stamping" the design on each Moon cake.

The Chinese Moon Festival is on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. It's also known as the Mid-autumn Festival. We celebrated a bit later this year but still enjoyed the fullness of our beautiful mid month moon. Chinese culture is deeply embedded in traditional festivals. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese.

The Moon Festival is full of legendary stories. Legend says that Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. That is why the Chinese are so fond of the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival is also a romantic one. A perfect night for the festival is if it is a quiet night without a silk of cloud and with a little mild breeze from the sea. Lovers spend such a romantic night together tasting the delicious moon cake with some wine while watching the full moon. Even for a couple who can't be together, they can still enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so it seems that they are together at that hour. A great deal of poetry has been devoted to this romantic festival. I hope the Moon Festival will bring you happiness.
The moon cake is the food for the Moon Festival. The Chinese eat the moon cake at night with the full moon in the sky.

Moon cakes are a crusty cake filled with sweet, red bean paste and stamped on the top with an ornate design. At our house we have adapted this moon cake to our liking (we don't really care much for red bean paste around here) and substitute strawberry jam in our Americanized Moon Cakes. Part of the fun is making them and you can see that Emma, Madeleine and Sam had fun putting them together. We also enjoyed Chinese noodles for dinner.