Happy Thanksgiving!!

Just wanted to post a link to a project that Maggie and her firends did at school this last week! Unfortunately, this link will only be up through the weekend...please try and check it out right away!!! Maggie's is the first picture of a hand traced turkey. :) She is really enjoying all that she is learning in Kindergarten...for this we are thankful!

Please comment with what you are thankful for...

G-G

I have so many posts that I have been meaning to put up...
"How Morgan is doing without Maggie"
"Apple Picking in Ohio"
"Dumplings in NC"
"The end of an era: Garden update"
"Bonita Chiquitas"
"First Quarter of Kindergarten"
"Dance, dance, dance"
"Fun in school...for Mommy!"
"Yellow Lambs of CBS"

...but alas, our new routine has had me running in circles and very busy! My time has been my most precious commodity, and now the most in demand! The post though, that couldn't wait, and is breaking my silence is to announce the fact that our family is growing again...Lesley and Ty are expecting Baby Siscoe #2!! (ETA: June 5ish, 2010)

Sweet Little One, I pray that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. That His commandments will be impressed upon your heart at an early age. I promise to talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7) I pray that one day you will know these words to be true and that they will be the prayer of your heart (Psalm 139):

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Amen.

We love you already,
G & Grandpa

Kindergarten Pattern Day

More information to follow...

Softball Weekends...

So, this weekend, Fred played with the rest of the Faith Baptist Church Men's Softball Tournament team at Nationals here in Cary, NC. We were happy to have the games be local instead of in GA like they have been the last few years! Fred was really excited about their prospects going in, unfortunately there were a series of events (including going 2-2) that prevented them from recognizing their full potential that day. Regardless of the team's standings at the end of the tournament, I am always proud to be associated with this great group of men...to be a witness to their witness on the field, and a part of bringing glory to God in the stands! How AWESOME it is to know that "all things are possible with God!" (Mark 10:27) Even playing softball...!



Maybe Fred's performance had something to do with the "warm-up practice" that he had earlier in the week with the girls... (just kidding...we all know that every little bit helps!!) :)


Strike 1, Strike 2, and Strike 3...


Maggie's next "At Bat!" :) At least there is progress being made...!

It is hard to end the year with a bad taste in your mouth about how we performed, although there may still be oooonnnneee more tournament here in September...in the words of Cubs fans everywhere..."There's always next year!" :)

Morgan in VBS Performance

Morgan was so excited to finally be able to go to Vacation Bible School! (You had to be 3, so this was her first year.) It worked out perfectly that it was during Maggie's first full week of kindergarten, so that helped ease the transition a little...both girls were headed off to "school!" (I had some adjusting to do, not having any children all morning, but thankfully, I survived!)

Morgan had fun making new friends in her week long class. She colored, "went fishing" and played outside. When she brought home the cd with the music for the week on the first day, we diligently played it at home (as much as could be tolerated on repeat!). The closing ceremony was on Friday, and we even got Maggie out of school to come support her sister...what fun that was to see the tables turned! :)

A 20+ minute long performance is a lot to ask of a 3 year old...this song was the first one that they performed...this is as good as it gets! LOL!! :) My favorite part had to be when a few songs later Morgan turned around and "watched the big kids sing" for an entire song! Hahaha...I can't believe that she is on her way to becoming one of those big kids herself!

Post Script...Morgan is still asking for "her music" almost every day and enjoys singing more and more of the songs each time...maybe I will video a "private show" in a few weeks and call this one the dress rehearsal!!

This Is Me...a Kindergartener!

Maggie is in her third week of Kindergarten and wanted to recite this poem that they are learning in Mrs. Hunter's class. She is doing so well...we are very proud of her!! More fun stories to come...

Von Canon Farms! First Season...

Happy Birthday Anthony!

Have a safe trip back to the USA!!

Gardening 101

Maggie, Morgan, and Daddy at Walmart picking out seeds for our garden.

Getting busy preparing the soil...picking out rocks and wood chips.

Measuring and laying out the third row of corn (the first two are to the left...) hoping that they will provide some shade for the rest of the garden.

Morgan on her "Knee Pad" playing in the nice dirt. Thanks Jay, for bringing in the "good dirt" and setting up this great plot for us!!

Maggie had just tugged the hose to the backyard and is now poised and ready as soon as she is given the command...she tried to jump the gun a few times! :)

Fred getting the first "mound" ready for planting.

Morgan is SO excited about helping in the garden!!

Zucchini seeds...it's hard to look because of the bright sun!

The girls are using the tools God gave them to push the zucchini and squash seeds into the mound! Notice the discarded gardening tools...thankfully they were only $1!

Standing back to admire all of their hard work today and ponder what is yet to come!

"Thank you God now that we have a job to do in our garden..." ~Morgan today in her prayers at lunchtime

...and the fun had only just begun! These items will (hopefully) NOT be on the Grocery List in the coming months...the girls will be gathering them from our garden!! - corn - carrots - peppers - watermelon - cantaloupe - cucumbers - zucchini - tomatoes - green beans. Fred really wanted them to see how it all grows. We are "praying without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:16) over our "little" family project!! I will be sure to keep you posted on the progress over the new couple months!

Thank you Grandpa Jake for sharing your time tested wisdom on what seeds to grow and how to plan/plant our garden! We can't wait to see what the seeds you sent us produce!! Glad that it all got planted before the rain comes over the next few days...

Dancing Queens

We have had so much fun this year at Destiny Dance Studio in the factory! We have made so many new friends and the girls have really learned a lot of ballet moves and terms! We are looking forward to their first performance on Wendesday, June 10th!

Men's Retreat Weekend

This weekend was the Men's Retreat at Church...the girls had some fun pampering on Saturday while Daddy was gone. We were pleasantly surprised by how cool the new chairs were for the little girls! As if they didn't already love getting their nails painted! It was priceless though when Morgan looked over at Mommy's tub of water and wondered aloud, "Where is my water?!?" ...maybe someday...for now, the cute polish with flower is plenty!

Monday afternoon Lesley, Ty and Alex all flew back from Arizona and then spent the night. We missed them and were glad to be able to have some "hang time" before they headed back home to Wilmington! It is hard to believe that Alex is almost 4 months old!!! I see teeth coming in his near future...! :)

Strawberry Picking

We had such a good time with some old friends and new friends this year at Vollmer Farms! We ended up going straight from dance class on Wednesday and brought Brookelyn with us! (Thanks for sharing her with us, Rebekah!) :) April came along from dance too. We met Lindsay there who had gotten a jump start on the picking...or at least the eating!!

Praises In the Storms...

Well...it isn't always easy, but I try to have the strength to praise the Lord in all things...especially in the storms.

I was talking with the girls tonight about how we have to trust God and know that He promises "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) Tonight's dose of Morgan's Pink Eye drops (where I had to "papoose" her with my third and fourth arms) was a prime example that they could understand. The drops are something "nasty" (Maggie's word!) but are working for their good. They get that...they trust Mommy to know that although the drops are horrible, I wouldn't do anything to hurt them...they have to hang on to that trust in faith to get to the other side of each and every dose.

I hope that one day they will be able to look back on this teachable moment and realize that if they can trust their sinful imperfect Mommy, how much more they can trust their infallible Heavenly Father who loves them infinitely more than I do. There will undoubtedly be times in their lives full of doubt and pain, but I hope and pray that they cling to the truth of God's promise to them that He is always working things for their good. No promise of all things BEING good, but WORKING FOR their good...two totally different things, but I think that even my young daughters have a better grasp of what now lies ahead for them in life.

This post wasn't supposed to be all about my girls...but it is funny how it all runs together when we are all connected! I have been following a "Caring Bridge" site that I found out about through a friend at church...here is a short video of how far reaching and all encompassing God's plans are...how truly "'My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" (Isaiah 55:8-9) The second half of the video is a song by Casting Crowns that pretty much sums up my modus operandi. May God give me the courage and strength to always praise Him! Amen.

Universal Landing: Day 2 and 3!

Soooo much fun! Enjoy all of the pictures! Saturday we spent at Islands of Adventure and then went to the Nascar Cafe for dinner where we were able to see the Kentucky Derby on a television screen right at our table! Sunday we got up with the intentions of going to the Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues, but unfortunately they were unable to accomodate our group of Mavericks with the late notice...we ended up eating breakfast at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe (eventually...note the boat ride necessary to the other side of Downtown Disney!) and then headed back to the hotel for naps so that we were all rested for a special group dinner at Pastamore (where we celebrated Eli's birthday one day early) and then the Blue Man Group Show. Morgan loved it!! Maggie didn't...! :) What a fun weekend...too bad we had to leave and Fred and the rest of the Maverick Gang had to work the conference!

090501 Universal Studios:Day 1

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090408 Maggie's 5th Birthday Celebration

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Maggie's 5th Birthday Celebration(s)!

Gramma and Grampa scheduled a quick visit for birthday celebrations of Gramma and Maggie. Alex was able to make an appearance, too! On Maggie's birthday we celebrated with a "Princess Tea Party" at the Von Canon Castle! Lots of fun was had by ALL! We had fun party games like pin the princess on the castle, a scavenger hunt for royal treasures and of course a delectable afternoon tea with lots of friends!!! Thanks Lesley and Ty for sharing the pictures that you took also...you captured so many sweet personalities of our little friends...and of Maggie actually blowing out the candles on her cake!!

The Latest Arrivals to the Von Canon Clan!

We would like to welcome Andrew and Oliver Von Canon who arrived Friday, April 24th at 11:50something am! Fred's brother Jon and wife Jenni officially now have their hands full...we can't wait to get out to Missouri and see the newest Von Canons! We thank God that Mommy and Andy and Olie are all doing well...we love you guys!!

Lineman Rodeo

Lots of fun was had by the Von Canon girls with our friends the Wilsons at the Lineman Rodeo last weekend. Jeramy works for Progress Energy and did well in the comptetions with his team!! We enjoyed a beautiful day and free food!!

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

I just posted lots of pictures to the shutterfly site!

• Easter and "Palm Sunday" CBS fun
• Maggie's Birthday
• Bath Time with Alex
• Evan's Birthday
• Judah's Birthday
• Fred's Birthday
• Lots of fun with Friends

Check it out...http://www.voncanon.shutterfly.com/

Two distinctly different little girls...right down to the way that they gather eggs! Notice Maggie's "grab every egg in site" method vs. Morgan's "I want the Purple eggs" method! Love them both!!!

Haircut!

"I love my haircut! It looks very nice. I can donate my ponytail to Pantene's hair drive." says Maggie.

The day before, Maggie had decided that her hair was, "too long" and decided to take matters into her own hands. Fortunately, it wasn't really a noticeable amount that she took off, but I still had to stand on principle. Short of banning her permannently from scissors, we discussed that this is not a do-it-yourself project...and that we will always go to have her hair done.

Just Another Manic Monday!

Morgan, Maggie and I had a fun but busy day! We were able to visit with Lesley, Ty and Alex in the morning and then us girls went for a special lunch to The Olde English Tea Room in Wake Forest! Quite a nice day for a spot of tea! We were looking for any good ideas for planning Maggie's Princess Tea Party...mostly we found some sweet times together!
Later, that night we went out to the ball field to join Fred's softball team at the early game even though he wasn't there...these pictures are from last week when it was almost 70 degrees! Notice both the girls playing in the dirt pile...I don't know where they get that from! Welcome Spring...it's time to PLAY BALL!! WAHOO!!

Catching up on March!

Well, here we go again! Thankfully we have been home (well most of us! Fred is in CA as we speak at a conference.) for the better part of March, but still having lots of fun! Birthdays, birthdays and 3 more birthdays this coming weekend! (Not to mention Maggie's birthday coming up the beginning of April!!)

Fred's birthday is (and Lisa's, too!) on the 8th! We celebrated at home with Brownies, with friends at a local Thai restaurant, with Banana Bread in our Sunday School and then with a surprise celebration at Golden Corral (no, not his 60th!) where Lesley, Ty and Alex really took the cake by being the biggest "surprise" of the day! It was great that they were able to make the drive up for the afternoon!! One celebration for each decade completed!! Thankfully, we won't need to extend the party another day for a few more years!!!

Our normal routine has us on Wednesdays at Dance class for both the girls back to back! We have a long standing practice of lunch with Maggie's friends after class, and just last week we tried meeting one of Morgan's friends for breakfast before hand. Okay, it was donuts! (There has to be some motivation to get going earlier than required...for Mommy!) Morgan and her dance friends (Kadence, Sarah and Elena) are really enjoying their class with Mrs. Cora!! It started the middle of February, so at this point they are experts at "Animal Actions" and getting on their "Princess Jewels!" Morgan is doing a great job learning new things every week!

Maggie and her "dance friends" (in no particular order: Avery, Becca, Brookelyn, Ellie, Everest, Gracie, and Sophia) are really bonding very nicely!! They all do such a wonderful job and work so hard to help each other learn new things every week!

Just because...

Who doesn't love flowers?!? I felt bad about my cynical response to their arrival when the answer was, "Just because!" YEAH! I am sorry for doubting your motives...I love you, Fred!