Thankful Thursday

1.  online shopping
2.  My "Honey Do List" is getting shorter, down to one thing actually!  Thanks Lance!
3.  Mara, the mother hen
4.  the beautiful fall drive to Winterset
5.  open mouth, slobbery kisses  - from Micah of course, not Lance!
6.  family wrestling
7.  the smooth transition between Lance's job change
8.  Micah's head growth - He's halfway to his goal measurement for one of the measurements
9.  staying in our jammies until lunch - just because we can!
10.  Grace (getting something you don't deserve)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

Carving Pumpkins

We brought home some pumpkins from Grandpa Alan and Grandma Janet's.

She wasn't too sure about sticking her hand in there which was unusual because her hands are usually in to everything!

 

She finally decided to go for it.

 

 

We headed outside in the dark to light the pumpkin.  We also tried out this lighted propeller toy that Grandma Janet brought back from Italy. 

 

Mara thought playing outside in the dark was the best thing ever.  Guess we should do it more often!

 

Helmet Stickers

This guy is up to 5 helmet stickers.  He has "first tooth" and "second tooth" stickers.  On my birthday he earned two more stickers - "Dada" and "So Big."

 

 

 

This week he earned his latest sticker - "crawl."

 

It's really starting to hit me how fast he's growing!  I love to watch him learn, but it's also bittersweet since he's my baby.  His new freedom with crawling is much more intriguing than playing with Mara or me at the moment.  Yesterday he pretty much refused to listen to or look at us because he was busy digging in tubs he hasn't been able to get into or just doing his own thing across the room.  Hopefully he'll remember how much fun we are in a few days!

 

 

Fun Fall Weekend

We are trying too see how many pumpkin patches and apple orchards we can get to this fall.  So far we're up to 4.  Lance went to the Cambridge orchard without us, so that doesn't really count.  We headed up north to Deal's Orchard in Jefferson.  We pretty much had the place to ourselves, and we took full advantage of it.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had never been on one of these huge jumping pillows.  Hands down the best part of the orchard!

 

Grandma even got some video.

 

Lunch at A&W.  Mara's first experience, and I think her first sip of root beer.

 

Diggin' the cheese fries.

And to top off the day...

Sleepover with Landon at Grandpa and Grandma's.

New Elmo jammies from Grandma (which are only for Grandma's house by the way).

Ice cream after bedtime because Uncle Jacob said so.  This would be the reason I couldn't get a good picture of these two because they were running around on a sugar high!

The next day we talked Grandpa into joining us for Pumpkin Fest at the Christian camp at Twin Lakes.  Grandma was excited for the horse rides, but they didn't end up having them because of the unstable weather. 

 

 

 

 

Look out, Grandpa!

Zzzzz...

We were definitely worn out!

 

Birthday Festivities

My family definitely went out of their way to make my birthday special.

Lance made up a story about having to be at work early but ended up bringing us McDonald's breakfast! 

 Mara was pumped about burritos and cinnamelts!

 Can I PLEASE have a burrito, Daddy?

Grandma showed up and decorated with balloons and streamers.

 She also brought us lunch and birthday dessert!

Caramel apples are my favorite treat in the fall.  Lance brought home a few from the orchard.  He wasn't sure the lady who made this one had much experience with the specialty caramel apples, but it was delicious!

 We headed to Los Tres Amigos for dinner.

 

We finished the night with some DQ ice cream.  And no, I didn't eat that entire container myself - but I could have!



Thankful Thursday - Birthday Style

So I'm not 30 and JUST out of my 20's anymore.  Being 31 means I'm definitely into the 30's now.  Yuck.  I really struggled with turning 30 and I'm still wrestling with turning 31.  My number hasn't bothered me at all until the 3 appeared.  Not sure why.  I definitely don't want to be 20 again, or even 25 for that matter.  The 30's have just been hard for me to swallow for some reason.  I started reflecting on the last 31 years.  Where has the time gone?  It's crazy to think about what life will look like in another 31 years.  More wrinkles and body aches, retirement talk and hopefully grand kids.  Craziness.  Anyway, here are the things I'm most thankful for in my 31 years of life. 

1.  The Holy Spirit lives in my heart.  I "Stand in Awe" when I think about how things have changed since I started living my life for Him rather than myself.

2.  my husband - He was the puzzle pieces I was missing.  Even after a hard day at work, he still has plenty of love and patience for me and our kids.  I can't imagine what I would do without him. 

3.  my babies - Healthy, happy and full of life.  True blessings.  A birthday nap was my plan, but instead I rocked one to sleep and am now cuddling another who woke up early.  I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

4.  my parents - Thank you so much for everything you've ever done for me. It's so true that you have a much deeper appreciation for your parents after you have your own children.  Thanks Mom for the birthday party visit this morning. 

5.  staying at home - I have the best job in the world.  I appreciate that my husband makes this possible.  He earns the bucks during the day and gives me a break when he gets home.  I know it's not always easy for him, but he pretends to love every minute of it!

6.  my education -  I am thankful I had the opportunity to earn a bachelor's and master's degree in elementary education.  Although honestly, I have learned more about life in my last 2 years of parenting than I did in my 6 years of university education!

7.  friends - childhood, high school, college and mommy friends.  They have all played a special part in my life.

8.  sports - loved playing them in high school and still enjoy playing volleyball

9.  farm life - Oh how I wish we could raise our kiddos on the farm.  Maybe someday our grand kids will be able to visit Grandpa Lance and Grandma Nicole on the farm!

10.  technology - Email, texting and online shopping make a mommy's busy life a little easier!  I just looked over at Mara playing on the iPad, and she's watching Bert and Ernie videos on YouTube.  She's two!  I definitely didn't download the YouTube ap for her, so I am going to have to blame Lance for this one.  Lance's sense of humor appreciates the old school Bert and Ernie episodes.  Guess Mara may have inherited his sense of humor.  Her favorite episode is "Here fishy fishy fishy!"  I don't necessarily enjoy the episode but love to hear and watch her recite it.  Hilarious.     

Howell's Pumpkin Patch

We headed to Howell's with some friends. 

This is our second patch so far this year, but it may not be our last. 

 

 

She must have had a flat tire because she ended up falling off.  Not pretty.

 

 

 

They got a little off the path.

 

Definitely could be a farm girl!

Red, just for you, Grandma Janet!

 

In about 20 or so years down the road, this would make a great engagement picture. 

Don't you think? 

Hopefully they would be sitting a little closer!

Definitely a fun day at the pumpkin patch!