I don't want to forget....

It is crazy to think that we've been doing this pumpkin patch thing for 7 years now. We tried a new pumpkin patch this year. AC is sad that we didn't go back to the one with all the characters, but I knew EK would do better with one that wasn't as busy. Now that she's in school all day, we had to go in the evening when more families go. It was nice and I think we'll go again in the future.  It was the warmest trip to the PP. I used to dress the kids so they kind of looked like it was cooler weather. Tuesday was almost 90 degrees so I put the kids in t-shirts and shorts. :) Not typical late October weather.   So, I try each year to get a picture of all three kids. I'm not sure why I try, but I do. :) Attempt #1 Attempt #2 Attempt #3 (and the best we got!)  Sisters AK was very interested in it all! Riding a tractor Sitting on a real tractor Such a boy! LOVED it! :) EK was happy the entire time. Inspecting the...

We dedicated AK this past Sunday. Our church has a parenting class called Deuteronomy 6 Academy that all parents need to take before they can dedicate their child. The class started right after we had AC, so we had not gone through the course. With Keith's busy Sunday schedule and it only being offered a couple times a year, we finally were able to attend a couple Sundays ago. It is a great course on biblical parenting. A lot of what we know, but need to be reminded of and challenged to put in practice.   AK was dedicated with two other pastor kids. :) I know we all are praying that the Lord will grow our boys into mighty men of faith!   Here is the verse we chose for AK: Ps. 119:9 "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word."   He behaved himself very well. He was so curious about where he was. I brought him in during the offertory and he was mesmerized by the lady playing the flute. I worried...

One of our favorite babysitters is interested in photography. I told her that anytime she wanted some practice, she could take pictures of my babies. :) My kids are tough to get pictures of. EK rarely looks at the camera and AK won't be still long enough for you to get a picture! HA! AC makes up for it b/c she's always ready to pose. ;) Thanks Jamie for some great shots! Can't wait to get more in the future!

Most of you read this blog b/c you want to see pictures of my babies. :) This post will not disappoint you. Here are some random pictures from the past couple weeks.   I wish I could tell you that I asked AK where his eyes are. That would be impressive. Instead, I'm really not sure why he pointed to his eyes. This is a scene that takes place several times a day. EK loves to come swipe AK's food. He has learned to swipe her food. :) This is one of the benefits to putting Andrew on the same diet that EK is on (no gluten, dairy or egg for now). Dairy definitely bothers AK. He gets congested within a few hours of eating something that has dairy in it. Cannot imagine what would happen if he had straight milk or cheese! Little man got his first black eye a couple weeks ago. I knew he was in the study b/c he was playing the piano. The next minute, he was crying in pain. Poor baby!! It is amazing how quickly they heal though. It was completely gone in about a week! Thi...

I hope this is a post that no one needs, but since autism is common today (1 in 88 children; 1 in 54 boys) I thought I would post a couple links. I have had 2 moms in the past week ask about autism. It probably isn't anything to worry about, but I always caution moms to take their concerns to their doctor and share specific examples. Early intervention is key with autism. EK did a lot of things appropriately when she was young, but there were a few things I wish I had known were "red flags". Things like sensory issues (chewing things, walking on toes, high pain tolerance, etc). EK was verbal (until 3 1/2) although some of her speech after 2-2 1/2 was echolalia...she repeated what we said. I didn't realize it until a professional pointed it out. On one hand, imitating what an adult says is the way they learn, but you don't want them to always imitate. Learn the Signs of Autism Developmental Milestones by Age: Look this over before your child's next doctor ...

About a month ago, I heard a message on Revive our Hearts that really resonated with me. It wasn't a program that made me feel good about myself, but it was definitely something I needed to hear. I was convicted of the way that I speak to my husband. Sometimes I am so critical and unkind. Maybe that is something you struggle with from time to time? The Lord has a way of showing me areas that I need to address. I am thankful for His timing and that the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin. If you want to listen to some of the messages (there are 6), here is a link. Click here . As I was listening to LeRoy and Kim Wagner's story, I saw a link to a 30 day challenge to encourage my husband. I knew it would be good for me to be intentional about encouraging Keith. We all need encouragement! For 30 days, I received an email each day that had way to encourage a different area of my husband's life. It made me realize that there are so many qualties that I admire and am grateful for...

Two Saturdays ago, Keith was out of town. Saturdays are LONG days for us. Most families like having a relaxing day. Lack of structure doesn't go well in our home. If EK doesn't have school or we don't have church, it's hard to find things to do to fill the day.  I tried to mentally prepare myself for the day and decided that since it was a cooler day than we'd been having, we'd go to the park. Yes, I might be a tad crazy to take 3 children (one being 12 months old and another being special needs) to the park. AC was so excited though and I knew AK would enjoy more than last spring. EK loves being outside. The hardest part was keeping up with both EK and AK. We only lasted about 40 minutes before I was worn out. Next time I'll bring help or I'll wait until EK's at school so I can just chase after AK. :) We did have some fun though before we left. AC wanted to push him. Look at that happy girl!    Sweet sisters! AK loved...