OCTOBER EVENTS CALENDAR SUPPLEMENT

October 18^th from 10AM – 3PM St. Richard's Fall Festival

Location: St. Richard's Episcopal Church - 1420 E. Palm Valley Boulevard, Round Rock, Texas Cost: Free

Children's activities including a free petting zoo, bounce house, pumpkin patch and other games. Local vendors will be selling arts and crafts. We'll have live music and great food. For more information, please contact Mary Jo Davis, (512) 255-5436.

October 18th—MOPS FAMILY DAY OUT AT THE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL IN ELGIN 11AM

October 18^th from 6 – 7:30PM Main Street Baptist Church’s Tot Town Masquerade Bash

Location: 1001 S Main St Georgetown, TX 78626 (512) 869-7854

Costume party for little pumpkins (pre-k to kindergarten) with cookie decorating, puppet show, bobbing for apples and more!

October 19^th from 2:30PM - 4:30PM Chili Cook Off

Location: 22 Chalice Street, Round Rock, Texas Cost: Free

The Old Settler's Service Unit of the Girl Scouts Cook Off features game booths for the kids and chili created by Girl Scouts. Entry is free and games are 25 cents. For more information, please contact Vicki Wolf, (512) 341-3065.

October 25^th from 10:30AM - 3:30PM Palm Valley Lutheran Church Fall Fair

Location: Palm Valley Lutheran Church - 2500 East Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock, Texas Cost: Free

The Fall Fair will have live music, a classic car show, games, puppet shows, food, booths, arts and crafts, plant sale and bake sale. For more information, please contact Russ Peterson, (512) 238-8216.

October 26^th from 5:30-7PM Faith Lutheran Church of Georgetown’s Trunk or Treat

Location: 4010 Williams Drive phone 863-7332 www.flcms.org Cost: Free

Outdoor trick or treating from trunks of church members’ vehicles and games/activites with prizes -- kids dress up or not.

October 30^th from 6-9PM 14th Annual Haunted Hayride and Carnival.

San Gabriel Park. $2 (5-12 years old), $3 (13+ years and adults), children 5 and under are free. www.parks.georgetown.org

SUPPORT GCN TEEN MOPS AT CHICK-FIL-A—Have dinner between 5-8PM tonight.

October 30^th from 7 - 9PM Hutto Treats on East Street

Community Halloween event Location: Downtown Hutto, East Street, Hutto, TX

Contact: 759-4400 or www.huttotx.gov/currentevents.asp?EID=354

October 31^st from 9AM - 12PM Fall Fun Fest - Children's Halloween Carnival

Location: Old Settlers Park - 3300 E Palm Valley, Round Rock, Texas 78664 Cost: Free

The Fall Fun Festival is a spook-free, fun Halloween event for toddlers and preschoolers. Event participants receive a goodie bag and a book! Climb onboard a real fire truck and play age-appropriate carnival games including haystack hunting, cookie stacking, spider ring toss and hayrides. Costumes are encouraged. The theme this year is Dr. Seuss. Admission is free, however please bring a canned food item for the Round Rock Serving Center. For more information, please contact Michael Selvera, (512) 671-2704.

October 31^st from 5 - 8PM First Baptist Church of Georgetown Fall Festival

Location: 1333 W. University Avenue (512) 686-4568 www.fbcgt.org

Trick or treating indoors -- kids dress up or not-- carnival games/activites -- moonwalks and other inflatables, come and go, it's all FREE! There is also a pre-activities meal catered by Chick-Fil-A for a nominal fee.

October 31^st from 5:30 – 7:30PM Georgetown Church of Christ's Bright Beginnings Preschool

Location: Annie Purl Elementary School Playground 1700 Laurel Street in GT (512) 863-9503 www.georgetowncoc.org

2nd Annual Family Fall Festival, FREE! Hot dogs, prizes, candy, carnival games, register to win a free bicycle.

October 31^st from 6 - 8PM Grace Bible Church of Georgetown’s Fall Festival

Location: 302 Serenada (512) 863-3232 www.gbcgt.org

Outdoor trick or treating, kids dress up or not, carnival games, photo booth, 2 moonwalks, door prizes, carnival food -- it's all FREE!

October 31^st from 6:30 - 8:30PM First Baptist Fall Festival

Location: First Baptist Church of Round Rock - 306 Round Rock Ave, Round Rock, Texas Cost: Free

The free family event features food, fun, candy, inflatables and games for ages preschool to middle school. Wear your costumes! For more information, please contact Barb Swetman, (512) 255-3454.

Nov 1^st from 9AM-4PM & Nov 2^nd from 11AM-4PM Hill Country Arts and Crafts Fair

Location: Sun City Social Center Ballroom, 2 Texas Drive, Georgetown, Texas

12th annual Hill Country Arts and Crafts Fair. 90 vendors and emphasizes handcrafted, homemade products of all sorts (jewelry, pottery, clothing accessories, hand-carved wooden items, stained-glass products, ceramics, silk-flower arrangements, and Christmas ornaments). Admission is free. For information contact: Dick Baker, (512) 864-1209 or E-mail dick.baker@pulte.com.

November 8^th from 9AM – 4PM Rockin' Around the Holidays Bazaar

Location: Clay Madsen Recreation Center - 1600 Gattis School Road , Round Rock, Texas 78664 Cost: Free

7th Annual Rockin’ Around the Holiday Bazaar, with more than 90 vendors for your holiday shopping enjoyment! Jewelry, candles, toys, pictures, holiday décor and feature unique gifts and arts-and-crafts for everyone. Concessions by Big G’s BBQ. Admission is free. For more information, please contact Dawn Moonan, (512) 218-3216.

2ND ANNUAL TEEN/YOUNG MOPS CRAFT BAZAAR

When: October 24th (11AM-6PM) & October 25th (11AM-4PM)
Where: GT Church of the Nazarene
Please join us on Friday, October 24th (11AM-6PM) and Saturday, October 25th (11AM-4PM) to help support local young moms in the Williamson County area. Both days will offer 30 plus craft vendors and lots of food. Be sure to bring the kiddos on Saturday - we will have moonwalks, face painting, cotton candy, snow cones and more! Admission is FREE. The craft bazaar will be held at the Georgetown Church of the Nazarene, 4051 E State Highway 29. From I-35, go east on Highway 29, just past Toll Road 130 and we will be on the left.

FAMILY DAY OUT: ELGIN PUMPKIN PATCH

Pumpkin Festival in Elgin
Join us for a great family outing!
When: October 18th @ 11AM
Where: 120 Nature's Way, off Roy Davis Rd. Elgin, TX
www.elginchristmastreefarm.com
We will meet at 11AM for pumpkins and activities then, break for lunch around noon. Afterwards, they are open until 5:30PM so, stay as long as you’d like! Bring daddy!
For those who cannot make it on the 18th, they are open from Oct. 3 - 31 for pumpkins, farm activities and hayrides. We hope to see you there!

OCTOBER EVENTS CALENDAR

Sept 6th thru Nov 30th—Dinoland at Zilker Botanical Gardens; daily 10AM-5PM. www.zilkergarden.org
Sept 27th thru Nov 16th—Harvest Fall Fun at Sweet Berry Farm
October 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th—Women’s Bible Study @ GCN 6:45PM. TO LIVE IS CHRIST: The Life and Ministry of Paul - a Beth Moore video bible study. Childcare provided.
October 3rd—MOPS Mtg 9:30-noon @ GCN (Six Flags Stars)
October 3rd thru 5th—Mommy and Me Children’s Consignment Sale. Palmer Event Center. October 4th and 5th are the public sales; October 3rd and 4th are special presales. www.mommyandmesale.com
October 3rd thru 29th—Georgetown Art Works Fall Art Hop. Art will be featured at The GT Library, 402 W. 8th St.; 8th Street Studios, 308 W. 8th St.; Annarella, 800 S. Austin Ave.; Framer’s Gallery, 610 S. Main St. www.georgetownartworks.com
October 4th—The HD Kids' Workshop - Whistle Fire Truck 9AM-NOON
Austin Family Music Festival at Pioneer Farms. 10AM-4PM. Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison, in concert, plus the Biscuit Brothers, Mr. Steve, PBS' national host and Super Pal Universe. Plus 24 other acts. www.pioneerfarms.org
KIDZ FALL FUN FEST - 9AM - 2PM at the Arbor Walk, 10515 N Mopac Expressway, (right off of Mopac N next to Home Depot). www.kidzaustin.com/KidzFallFunFest/index.asp
The Knack Saturdays at Michaels: Make Your Own Book. 10AM -Noon. Kids age 5-12 will create their own fun craft. Only $5 per child, including supplies. 30-minute sessions at 10, 10:30, 11 and 11:30. Project especially designed for ages 3-5, all ages welcome!
October 6th—Last day for voter registration!
October 7th—National Night Out 5-8PM. City of GT and Williamson Co. host this event to meet neighbors. www.nationaltownwatch.org/nno
October 11th—Lowes Build & Grow - Skeleton 10AM-11AM
Great Pumpkin Event at Michaels. 10AM-3PM. Create your own craft pumpkin. $5 includes supplies & pumpkin. Bring the whole family!
Hill Country Book Festival at GT Library. www.hillcountrybookfestival.org
Archeology Day—10AM-3PM. Archeology Day at Berry Springs Park & Preserve. www.williamsonmuseum.org
October 17th—MOPS Mtg 9:30-noon @ GCN (Disney World Darlings)
October 18th—MOPS Family Day Out at the Pumpkin Festival in Elgin 11AM
Hutto Olde Tyme Days 9AM-5PM. Downtown Hutto, East Street. Parade, children's activities, 5K race, pony rides, an antique tractor show, hippo Olympics, rock climbing wall and more. www.hutto.org
The Knack Saturdays at Michaels: Haunted House Frame. 10AM -Noon. kids age 5-12 will create their own fun craft. Only $5 per child, including supplies. 30-minute sessions at 10, 10:30, 11 and 11:30.
Oct 24th & 25th—MOPS CRAFT BAZAAR
October 25th—Lowes Build & Grow - Pumpkin 10AM-11AM
The Knack Saturdays at Michaels: Mini Scrapbook. 10AM -Noon. kids age 5-12 will create their own fun craft. Only $5 per child, including supplies. 30-minute sessions at 10, 10:30, 11 and 11:30.
October 30th—14th Annual Haunted Hayride and Carnival 6-9PM. San Gabriel Park. $2 (5-12 years old), $3 (13+ years and adults), children 5 and under are free. www.parks.georgetown.org
SUPPORT GCN TEEN MOPS AT CHICK-FIL-A—Have dinner between 5-8PM tonight.
October 31st—Halloween
Fall Fun Festival—9AM-12PM. Old Settlers Park, Lakeview Pavilion 3300 E. Palm Valley. www.roundrocktexas.gov
Halloween on Main Street—6-7PM. Main Street, Pflugerville. Greater Pflugerville Chamber of Commerce members provide a safe place for children to trick or treat and play games.
Central Baptist church fall festival—6:30-8:30pm. 301 N Lake Creek Dr, Round Rock. www.centralbaptist.org
November 1st—The HD Kids' Workshop - 9AM-NOON
Nov 1st & 2nd—Texas Book Festival "The Children's Chapter". State Capitol Grounds (11th & Congress) www.texasbookfestival.org
November 4th—VOTE! Gather all your girlfriends and make Mom’s voice count! Note: early voting from October 20th-31st.
November 7th—MOPS Mtg 9:30-noon @ GCN (Sea World Sweeties)

MOPPETS...Let the Adventure Begin!

Dear Moms,

I hope you have been enjoying your summer! Is anybody else ready for cooler weather and a great breakfast sitting amongst girlfriends? I know I am.

Our Moppets program is in full preparation and we have a great group of volunteers. The program this year will involve puppets, music, art, outside time, and curriculum focused on hands-on bible adventures. To get your child(ren) prepared, I have included our supplies/snack list, a letter welcoming you, and also the proposed schedule for each class. If you could bring the supply items to the Open House that would help greatly in our preparation for the first few meetings.

Looking forward to seeing everyone. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Blessings,
Sarah

MOPS 2008: Adventures in Mothering

Dear Mothers of Preschoolers,

Mothering can feel like a combination of the many carefree and, at times, anxious or thrilling feelings we have on rides that loop up and down and around and around, screeching to a halt or spinning faster and faster. Mothering is one great adventure! Our theme for MOPS this year is "Adventures in Mothering" with the backdrop of an amusement park. The adventures of a mom have the great highs of a rollercoaster and at other times can feel like the constant around and around of a carousel.

Our Steering Team met recently for a retreat to pray and plan for the coming year and I am very excited about the year we have planned! Each meeting will feature an informative and/or inspirational speaker, discussion time with other moms, and good food. In addition, we will have craft projects approximately every other meeting that I'm sure we'll all enjoy creating and keeping!

We will meet on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month (with the exception of January) from 9:30am to noon at Georgetown Church of the Nazarene. The dates are as follows:

September 5th and 19th

October 3rd and 17th

November 7th and 21st

December 5th and 19th

January 9th and 23rd

February 6th and 20th

March 6th and 20th

April 3rd and 17th

May 1st

We are also planning an open house on Thursday, August 21st, from 6-8pm at GCN. Bring your children to meet their new MOPPETS teachers, invite friends who would like to join our group, and get reacquainted with friends made in MOPS last year.

Registration is open until all MOPPETS and MOPS space is filled. This is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration is $60 per semester. This covers childcare, crafts, and supplies for MOPS and MOPPETS. It also covers your MOPS International dues which entitle you to encouraging weekly emails, a bimonthly publication MomSense Magazine and the new 2008 theme book The Mommy Diaries: Finding Yourself in the Daily Adventure. Registration can be split into two payments of $30 with payment in full due by October 17. We will reduce the semester dues to $55 or the yearly dues to $100 (best deal) if paid by September 5. Scholarships are available upon request.

I have attached both the MOPS and MOPPETS Registration Forms. Please fill out one MOPS form for you and a MOPPETS form for each of your children who will be attending this year. You can bring the forms and your registration dues (checks made out to GCN MOPS) to the open house, our first meeting, or you can mail them to me (Wendy Mery, 1710 Fallen Leaf Lane, Round Rock TX 78665). I also ask that you please respond to this email if you are planning on attending MOPS this year. We need an accurate count of moms and kids to make sure we have enough MOPPETS teachers and to plan for crafts. Please provide your name and your kids names and birth dates. You can also inform me of other moms who wish to join our group.

Also attached is our Teen MOPS Sponsor Letter. If you know of a person or business who would like to advertise with us to help fund our Teen MOPS group, feel free to pass on this letter. We need checks by August 15th. Any questions can be directed to myself or Sarah Brown at sarahbrown5@suddenlink.net.

In our adventure, we will find out we are not alone, ever, even on our worst days. Even when we are sick and the kids are sick, too. And when our husbands or other supportive people in our lives are away from us. I invite you to connect with other moms and to see how our adventures in mothering shape us.

Let the adventure begin!

Wendy Mery

MOPS Coordinator 2008-09