Colby James

Colby took three steps today. Right after he was hit in the eye by a flying book. Ty went to time out and Colby quit crying before I quit shaking. I feel badly enough when it is one of my own children, but one who is trusted into my care? It hurts.

And yesterday Colby quickly discovered one of the cabinet locks was broken over the weekend.......

The lock has been replaced and he now shakes the heck out of the cabinet doors in hopes of making them open again!

Oh Kate!

Remember the post about how strongly Kate felt about her school photo? Oh my goodness! We got the results today.....think Ramona and Beezus. If you've not seen the movie, you must. It's adorable but this shot makes me think of poor Ramona and her attempt at a great school photo gone wrong.

First, I'd like to point out the last name? And then I can't help but laugh at the creative little sales pitch, "last chance to order. Pictures this good would be a shame to miss!" Ya think?

Theresa's Annual Boo Party

Lauren Ellis....finally!

Lauren has a friend who lost her mom to breast cancer two years ago this month. Lauren has mentioned dying her hair pink in honor of her friend's loss a few times. She's pretty amazing.

Updates and A Photo Dump

Paige has recovered beautifully thus far. She is home today, two days earlier than expected! Go Paige! She will be spending a few days with us this week recuperating (as much as one can recuperate with a bunch of kids running around!). For those of you not in the loop, she had to have her top right rib removed because she had circulation in her arms cut off by a condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. She will have the same procedure done on her left side in two months. The surgery required her lung be deflated and five small incisions. It has been quite a journey for a 13 year old! Ongoing prayers for her recovery and upcoming procedure would be appreciated as we just adore that girl.

Kate went to the zoo with Jennifer and Shelby to trick-or-treat and as usual, had a great time.

He was trying to convince me he needed a no-bake cookie....evidence indicates he'd already had one!

 

Lauren is camping with her class this week. We hope she has a great time and is able to stay warm! She is struggling with her decision to try an alternative school. We are still impressed with the program and want her to continue learning in that environment. She made a really good friend in her studio who moved away rather suddenly and that set the stage for complaints about not liking it. We hope this week proves to be a bonding time full of fun so she once again realizes how blessed she really is to be there.

Mom and Dad came down for a visit this weekend since Dad couldn't make it two weeks ago. We took them to see Paige which took a few hours thanks to the bridge issue. Let me just pause here and say I would be on blood pressure medicine if I had to make that commute on a daily basis. But we all know God is working on me and my lack of patience. I didn't think to grab my camera at all this weekend but realized I have quite a few photos that need off the card which MAY explain the random shots among random statements.....it's been an interesting couple of weeks and my thoughts are a lot like this post. ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE.

My sister lost her beautiful dog, Kenya suddenly on Monday. She was a healthy 11 year old Rottweiler who laid down at Theresa's feet and passed away. So very sad for their home and quite a blow to Lauren who always tried to puppy nap her.

I have been struggling once again with the upcoming season. Why do I do this to myself? I really don't like it and would love nothing more than to turn the calendar from October to January but clearly, I can't. I have been praying for a lady who is friends with my friend Anne for several months now. Her son Levi was born with health issues detected in utero. Levi passed away this weekend after a six week fight for his life. Watching that heartbreaking situation unfold has weighed heavily on me. It just takes me back to the NICU where we loved Ryan and said goodbye. No mother should go through that pain. I just wish I could take away her grief. Anyway, I am sure that has triggered my feelings, scattered and unreasonable as they may be. So, I started a dialog with the older kids about their favorite Christmas traditions and what they don't consider important. Their answers surprised me. Baking with me was at the top of the list. Stockings and sibling gifts were next. They don't find the tree and decorating necessary? And they'd like to relax more as a family once Greg is finally off work at the end of December. All in all, I'd say their priorities are quite reasonable and it helps me gain some perspective on how thinly I should stretch myself during a time I typically crave solitude. I can't believe Ryan would be 8 this Christmas. There are times I get caught up in "life" and don't think much about it but then moments like this make it seem like yesterday.

A classmate of Erin's wrote this book and is working on another.....pretty impressive?

And this little stinker is as busy as they come right now! He and Ty make up quite the demolition crew! You never know what he'll be into next and I suspect he'll be walking all too soon as he's attempting it with concentrated effort now.

I'll leave you with some shots Kate found important. She likes finding things that look like "Fall".....

For Paige

Because she harasses me for not updating the blog often enough and because I love her, a post for Paige. Paige feels like a member of our family. She always compliments my cooking (because she picks and chooses what days to eat here) and makes me smile with her constant antics. Paige has a rough couple of days ahead of her and I want her to know we are praying for a speedy recovery and can't wait to have her around again. We love you Paigie-Poo!

Apple Picking Adventure

My friend Anne and I took the kids to our local farm to pick apples today. We rode a wagon out to the orchard and watched our little busy farmers pick apples to their heart's content although I suspect the highlight for them was tossing the spoiled apples. And by tossing, I mean hurling them as far as they could.

Once we rode back to the market, Kate took over as photographer and here's a sampling of what she considered worth recording.

This pumpkin was grown locally and weighs an impressive 1080 lbs!

This one is now my screensaver.

I need to include one quick shot of our current foliage. It is gorgeous around here!