Tents...

Jeremiah has been in to making tents lately! He loves to make a tent with Daddy when he gets home and they take a flashlight in and read stories in their tent. On Reformation Night- I tried to make some special gluten free calzones and we built a tent and sang- A Mighty Fortress... And after the kids went to bed, we watched our annual movie- Luther- such good reminders how the Lord was at work in the church!

Our little friend!

We have been enjoying this fall watching our little friend Katy. She is a little over 18 months and usually comes to visit us on Tuesdays and Thursdays all day- sometimes Wednesdays. It has definitely given me a better workout during the day pushing 3 kids around! And the kids love dressing up in each others hats. Our weather here has suddenly turned cold as we had some snow on the ground today- we may need those hats! We are enjoying having Katy in our home- though I admit- I am glad I don't have 3 kids under 3. And for those that do- I admire you so much more! :)

Fall Fun!

We have been enjoying some fall fun- playing in the leaves and taking lots of walks before the winter cold weather hits! Along with the fun and beauty of fall, we also have hit a few challenges this week. We have seen the stubborn will of our son in battling with food issues. Monday night- he sat at the table for a very long time while he blatantly refused to eat even a bite of his broccoli and the food set before him. It was a battle of the will- and thankfully my dear sweet husband fought this one after a long day of work. I honestly don't know if I could have fought it after a long day I had had with a whiny boy and a very fussy baby. It is amazing how a child can stand his ground in these ways. Seeing glimpses of stubborn rebellious sin in your child is not pleasant. It is a reminder to pray for these little souls and a reminder to preach the gospel to them daily! They cannot obey on their own without the mercy and grace of God! We are great sinners yet we have a great Savior! Praying our children call out on the Rescuer- the One who can redeem them from their sin!

Anniversary Getaway

Last weekend, we went away for our anniversary- a month late but it was still nice to get away! We went to Columbus to stay in Michael's aunt's guest condo. It was a beautiful condo and we had fun visiting with Aunt Janet and going out to P.F. Chang's Friday night. We also got to see Michael's sister in Columbus and see her condo that she is fixing up! And she made us a most delicious lunch on Saturday- pork chops, peas, au gratin potatoes and fruit and apple crisp! It was sooo good! We feel so honored Beka that you would take the time to feed us such a wonderful meal! You are a great cook! The whole weekend was refreshing- even with our little traveling companion Lydie! We even enjoyed listening to some Focus on the Family Radio Theater Narnia Prince Caspian on the drive!

Lydie 8 Months!

Lydie is 8 months old. Though she had a rough 7 month mile marker- she seems to have turned a corner this month. Just the other week- she seems to get her smile back and her laugh. She loves to laugh and smile much more. She is starting to really Babble and say Ba Ba and Da Da and blow bubbles. She also loves watching Jeremiah's every move. She is still content sitting but when she is lying on her back, she loves to try to reach things and often rolls from back to tummy and then get stuck on her tummy. This is often a battle at bed time as she likes to sleep on her side but will often roll to her tummy and then screams so I have to go in and roll her back. :) Some day she will learn how to roll herself back. She is loving getting baths with her brother and loves to splash and try to reach objects. She is still eating food really well- so much better than Jeremiah ever did. I have dropped her to about 4 feedings a day and 2 naps. She is still waking up some at night so sometimes I add a 5th feeding. Jeremiah is a few short months away from 3 years old- I can't believe it! Just this week, he has begun a new season in our home- one that I knew was coming. Jeremiah has begun to ask questions. They have started just this week- with Where's Daddy, Where's Katy, Where's Mommy- all the time! And he also asks "What this mommy." We have a Spider and Creepy Crawlers book and he goes through each bug and asks what is this? I have a feeling this is only the beginning of the 3 year old questions that I hear come and become incessant! I am thankful for a husband who this morning gave me a break and took Jeremiah to a train display and they had such a fun time together! So thankful that I have such a sweet caring husband who, a midst a busy schedule will take time out to spend one-on-one time with his kids and give me a break too! Thanks so much honey! It definitely refreshes this Mama's spirit!

Friends and the Zoo

The other week- we had a few friends from Cedarville visit us- Mike & Lisa W. and their sweet baby Noah. And we also got to go to the zoo in October on a beautiful fall day!

Pumpkins & Hiking

A few weeks ago, I took the kids to a pumpkin patch in College Hill because Daddy had to finish working on a SS lesson. Jeremiah got to ride his first pony and he was super brave! I walked beside him but he did great! And then the weekend was so nice that we went for a hike at Shawnee Lookout- Jeremiah thought he could be like Daddy and carry a big walking stick! We love hiking as a family- it is honestly one of our favorite things!

Neighbor Get Together!

We have been enjoying these last remaining days of warm and sun before the cold winter months with a fire almost every Friday night in our fire pit in the back. Gotta love some s'mores- Jman loves them! A few weeks ago we also had a neighbor get together which was really nice! I am so thankful for these neighbors and how they love to get together and this time, instead of meeting in our small little apartment- we met in our neighbor's beautiful English tudor house- it really was lovely! Sometimes it is so hard to get to know neighbors in our American culture- people tend to keep to themselves and do not want to get together but we really are thankful for such great neighbors- most of them we met through our many walks near neighbor's houses and bringing them some yummy goodies when we moved in. :)