Togetherness

With the leaves at their peak of colored glory, we ventured out again to one of our favorite places~the bike/hike trail! The path was camouflaged into the forest by a blanket of golden leaves. The kids wondered together exploring fall's greatness and natures wonders of sticks, bugs, nuts, and fallen leaves. The afternoon was an awesome opportunity just to spend some quality time together.

Watching our kids grow closer together is a gift I cherish more every day.

Beloved, Baby Jane

We have another new baby in the house by the name of "Jane". Jane's soft body and clumsy hard arms, legs, and head are lugged lovingly around the house. She is plunked down on her head numerous times a day and never sheds a tear. Her little blue eyes are picked and gouged at with every loving snuggle session, but she doesn't mind. She's even surprisingly okay with having her fingers chomped upon and being force-fed Cheerios. She is loved by our little Cupcake. To watch her mother our new friend Jane is priceless and I'll cherish every moment of this "tenderness"...

Enjoying a fall afternoon...

The leaves are so beautiful this year! Cupcake loved having Supergus throw the leaves up into the air! She liked it so much that she tried doing it herself! Her efforts were sincere, but all she did was end up stuffing them down the back of her shirt! Later, when we changed her diaper, there was quite a deposit of red & yellow leaves! Perhaps she was saving some fun for later!

Mud Boggin' (A.K.A. Soccer)

Supergus helped his team win last Saturday's game~in the freezing rain, mud, flurries, and wind! Are we crazy or what for going out there!? Honestly, yes.

The laundry should have gotten bonus points for even beginning to restore that uniform!

His last game of the season is tomorrow... We'll miss all the fun, but enjoy the warmth of being indoors on freezing Saturday mornings!

Great Birthday!!

It was a perfect day of hiking on the bike trail, admiring the leaves, picking out pumpkins, eating deep-fried dill pickles, playing board games, and snuggling by the fire with Super Daddy! It was fantastic~so much so, that I don't even feel a year older! I love you guys all very much! Thanks for a wonderful day I'll never forget! Perfect.

Camping out!

Well, the boys are officially breaking in the Tree House tonight! They are camping out there all night! They plugged in two heaters (It's in the 30's here!)! I packed them some some hot cocoa, marshmallows, a candy bar, tissues and a lunch box full of football cards and sent them on their way with hugs and kisses! They are having a blast out there...me? Cupcake and I enjoying this toasting warm fire inside!

Big Corn!

Cupcake enjoyed corn on the cob for the first time tonight!

~ Sadly, the corn season is coming to an end, and even freezing the fresh crops never really taste the same... Savor the flavor, baby!

Open House

Supergus got to show off all his hard work so far this year at Open House!

He was very proud to show off his room and even let us sit at his desk! What a great night!

Fun Forecasted!

Supergus’s birthday party (months too late!) was great!! The kids (about 16 of them) had a good time and got terribly messy! There were lightning races, thunderstomping (balloons tied to ankles~then stomped by others), foggy feedings (blindfolded partners feeding each other bananas), and a downpour (of water balloons)! It even snowed as we dumped flour into a high powered fan! I think the kids really enjoyed the marshmallow fight of mallows that had been soaked in water! The winner of each game got to wear a crown of shaving cream!

The weather theme (weather or not we were ready~supergus turned 8!) worked out so well and the kids learned that weather can be a lot of fun and quite messy! After all the fun, we dried off and cleaned up and enjoyed gifts and cupcakes inside where it was dry and warm! The local TV weathermen even signed a photo for him so we could display it the day of the party!

What a fun day!

Less than a year until we get to do it all over again!

Homecoming Tailgating!

We cheered on the home team after tailgating with Supergus's class!

Face paint, brownies, and cheering, oh my!

Field Trip Fun!

The kids got to explore a local town and enjoy learning about history, court systems, and state jobs. Supergus's favorite part was shooting the fireman's hose at the fireman! The fireman got a chance to get his revenge by spraying the kids back!

I even got in on the fun by trying out the "fatal vision" goggles that are used to explain what it is like to drive impaired and try to pass the sobriety tests. Okay, so you can tell by the picture, I failed. It's a good thing that I don't drink.

If you love something...let it go?

We had the awesome opportunity to watch the miracle of monarch butterflies! We were blessed by a friend that gave us three little caterpillars that munched their way into fatter bodies. They hung in the "j" shape and overnight spun magical cocoons! We watched them daily as they hung there. They tolerated us, kids, the dog, and even a tumble off the stand by a gust of wind. ~But today, when we went to check on the little hanging bags, they were gone and in their place were two beautiful butterflie...Slowly pumping their wings and exploring. A male and a female both emerged! How did they know it was time to come out or go into those cocoons? How do they fit in there? Are they dreaming inside there? We have lots of questions, and now have two little answers.

Once outside, Cupcake screamed at the poor little bug in horror! I figure the butterfly was just as afraid of her as she was of it! Very briefly they stuck to our hands and then as if saying thanks for the place to stay ~they fluttered away... It was almost sad to see them go...

We laughed because they both flew North. We figure they just needed to get their bearings about them before taking a vacation to lovely Mexico!

Thank you, Oh Lord, for the opportunity to witness even small miracles as we are thoroughly amazed!

Shpadoinkle Day!

Perfect day for starting a new life together!

Wedded Bliss!

We were so excited to help celebrate the love of Uncle BBard and Aunt Shpadoinkle! It was the most beautiful wedding! Supergus did a great job doing a reading from the book of Romans, too! He was really nervous and read it at lightning speed during the rehearsal. He did a much better (and slower) job during the actual ceremony! Everyone looked fantastic!

It was just such a great day of family and friends ~and a deep love of Christ!

We pray they enjoy every moment of married life!