Cozy

We quickly transitioned from barefoot kiddos in a creek last Sunday to a rain/snow mix Friday. October is moody, but still my favorite month. We spent our weekend with a pot of beef veggie soup on the stove, much to my son's dismay. Coloring books have resurfaced on the dining table and Christmas lists are being created, later than I appreciate. Thank God for Amazon Prime because Holiday shoppers are not my favorite people

I took my smallest two to hang out with the oldest in her apartment; however I won't be calling Kate one of the smallest much longer. At 5 feet 1 inch, she is quickly catching up to Makenna's 5 feet 2 inches. We try not to point it out often, as it is a bit of a sore subject to the seventeen year old. Kate on the other hand, is thrilled with this development.

Makenna has been at the theatre past my bedtime every night for the last two weeks in anticipation of opening night this next weekend. She is more than ready to wrap Newsies. But we saw her briefly last Sunday before she headed out to complete her Senior photos.

Lauren is requesting a full Thanksgiving menu plan ASAP. Sister is hungry and dreaming of the feast already! But before we can finalize those plans, another festivity awaits us this week. My little ninja cannot believe he has to go to school Tuesday. His teacher can't believe she has to go on Wednesday.

Apple Picking

Greg joined us for a quick trip to the local apple orchard last Friday evening. He usually misses out on these little excursions so we were happy to have him along. Any excuse to be outside and together is good enough for us on these beautiful October days. We are storing up sunshine and sweet memories for winter.

Gorgeous Weekend

If only all the weekends could be this amazing.

Cheer Mom

One thing I have learned in the last couple of years is that God is patient. Very patient. When I was in high school a few hundred years ago, I had no tolerance for cheerleaders. The ones I encountered wore a giant hair bow that perfectly coordinated with their outfit each day. When they were called on in class, they pretended to not know answers they clearly knew and it irritated me. Seeing girls play dumb still annoys me to this day. But in my typical teenage superiority phase, I called them "Bow Heads". Obviously I was creative as well as condescending. Sigh.

And now this has happened. I redirected her attention several times the last few years from cheer to gymnastics but much to my dismay, she is officially a cheerleader for the elementary basketball team. I honestly didn't think she would enjoy it once she started. I was wrong. She loves it.

I am a cheer mom. And God is laughing.

Celebrate Fall

The Week

All my little friends returned this first week of fall break. I took advantage of their photogenic faces to get some camera time. I missed this.

The week wrapped beautifully. Three out of four of them were sporting food babies after Greg's grilled chicken and homemade mac-n-cheese tonight. That fourth belly though, is our little grandson. I happen to think he is already adorable.

A Birthday

Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. The toilet is spraying, the children are bickering, the toddler is screaming and the preschooler arrived in his underwear and peed on the floor. Also, rhyming is hard.

I wrapped up with this crew in time to host bible study. Birthday bible studies include wine because if it was good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for us. Being carded for said bottle of wine was a bit of a birthday highlight.

Greg took Kate and Ty to see his parents today because Kate has been pretty insistent she wanted to visit Grandpa's farm over fall break. I have taken more than enough time off in recent weeks so I stayed behind with the little ones and enjoyed a very relaxing evening with friends. As far as 44th birthdays go, this was a good one.

Sunday Funday

September In Review

After six weeks in a brace or cast, my right arm is free. It is weak, sore and some swelling remains but it is so nice to hold tea cups in that hand again. It's the simple things in life they say that redeem the hard moments.

When I entered this latest season of life, I was tired. Really tired. The year has been full of challenges and changes and I haven't weathered the storms as well as I should have. Lauren's move, Makenna's surgery and recovery, the sudden loss of the kid's friend and the brutal and painful way I lost Jen left me depleted. Those were just the big stories, with lots of little themes woven throughout. Life with five kids is always full of additional stressors. I no longer found joy in the things I used to and felt I was simply surviving. It was time for me to rest and I resisted.

Rest doesn't come naturally for me but as I navigated these past weeks with more quiet time than I can recall ever having in my life, Greg and I started dreaming of our empty nest. I am not in any hurry to grow my last babies out of our home but there is something sweet to anticipate in those days. In addition, I found I appreciated the peace and embraced time alone with my own thoughts.

I picked up my camera again today. I missed it. The sprinkle coated caramel apples bribed the most reluctant eight year old into cooperation and of course, my Kate Bug was an eager participant. Very recent changes to Greg's work schedule eliminated my handsome husband as my date to a friend's wedding so I have a stand-in. Ty says he isn't dancing with me and isn't old enough to get me a glass of wine but he is pretty cute. And then he also has a bedtime so we won't be having too much fun while his Daddy works.

Once again, we are learning to roll with the punches and making the most of the moments we have together.