Friday, September 28, 2007
Bye-Bye Water Table, Hello Soup
Fall is my favorite time of year! There are many, many reasons I look forward to this season. Let me name just a few…
1) Casseroles, soups, stews, meatloafs… all those wonderful dishes that I rarely make in the summer because it’s too hot to have the oven or stove on for that long. There’s just something about having a bubbly Taco Soup on the stove while some cornbread is baking that makes the world feel right.
2) Candles. I know some people light candles in their homes all year long, but I don’t. No real reason, except it just doesn’t occur to me when it’s warm out. So I love when the evenings start to get chillier and I think. “Aha! Candles!” So cozy and inviting.
3) Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks.
4) All the lists I get to make! People I need to Christmas shop for, gifts my children would like to receive (for the family members who want to know), the dishes I’ll be serving or taking to a holiday meal, the groceries needed for aforementioned meals (especially things like cranberry sauce that I hardly ever use the rest of the year), clothes I need to get for the kids as they enter a new season and size…I really do like my lists. =) (Notice that this post is a list? Yes, fall has begun!)
5) Bubble baths with the latest magazine that has arrived in the mail. I especially like when the pages get kind of wet and wrinkly. And if these baths happen while Tim is putting the munchkins to bed? Even better. 
6) Taking a walk and needing a light jacket.
7) Gray, drizzly-rainy days. Tim says these are his favorite kind of day because they fit his personality - quiet, stay-at-home, kind of melancholic. I like them too. And Tim.
8) The beginnings of holiday decorations in public venues. It’s fun to see pumpkins and twinkle lights make their debut as the fall progresses. I will be tired of them eventually and yeah, I think they come out too early too, but for now, I enjoy them.
9) Footie pajamas that hold clean kids right out of the bath. I know of no sweeter smell.
10) Sweatshirts, long sleeves, jackets…
11) Cleaning out and putting away the water table. My kids love it, and I love the enjoyment they get out of it, but it’s nice to give it a rest for awhile.
12) Unpacking holiday decorations. Pretty much every year Tim will hear me say at least once, “Hey! I forgot we had this!”
13) Entering a season that makes me think on the things I’m thankful for. Friend, this includes you! =)
Monday, September 24, 2007
Evolution
If evolution really works, how come mothers still have only two hands? (Ed Dussault)
Once a week I receive a little Mops email that includes a quote and short story of encouragement about motherhood. This was the quote for today and it made me smile. But it also brought to mind Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.”
I need that restful place to turn to when I realize, once again, that I just can’t do it all on my own.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
SuperJack
Tim overheard Jack talking to Abby the other day. Apparently he was annoyed with his little sister because he said, “Abby, I’m draining all your superpowers!” Then 30 seconds later Tim hears, “There! All your superpowers are mine!”
Friday, September 14, 2007
Summer Fun
Jack has been asking for the last 10 months when the pumpkin patch is coming back to town. Well, this past week the tent started going up and he is thrilled! I suppose this marks the end of summer, even though the temperature is still quite toasty. Here are some random pictures from the past three months. We had a fun summer playing and visiting with friends and relatives!
“Can we play in the water, Mom? Pleeeease?” I heard this phrase countless times this summer!
Our budding artists - I finally got brave enough to open up the fingerpaint. They LOVED it. Abby made colorful, sweeping masterpieces on her paper while Jack was mostly content to mix colors to make purple “gloves” on his hands.
One of the best things about this summer was seeing friends and relatives. Some friends of ours, Chris and Amy, came over one evening with their two children. It was great to visit with them and the kids got along really well. Always a plus! Here are Jack and Alicyn - what a cute couple!
Another fun visit was with a friend of my mom’s who came to see us last month. Suzanne is always so fun to talk to and very sweet with the kids.
Jumping off the couch has never been so safe…
Time with Daddy
Ahh, a very happy summer was had by all! We are blessed with good friends and family, and I feel especially blessed by the joy my kids bring me. They are turning into such fun and funny little people!
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Making a Plane
Next February we are going to Hawaii. Tonight Jack decided he was ready to go but Kari told him that we had to wait for the plane to be ready to take us over there. He thought about it for awhile and then asked us if we could bash the car into pieces and make an airplane.