MIA- September Update

- September started with the annual Fantasy Football Draft on Labor Day.  Ugh.  That's about all I can say.  I do try to be supportive, and I honestly am glad that Lincoln has something he enjoys doing outside of the family, but it feels like the computer is always open and I just don't understand how something that has zero eternal impact can be so important!

- Lincoln also started playing in a Disc Golf League on Tuesday nights with Nick.  It's a 6 week league leading up to their annual Disc Golf Road Trip.  

- The annual Grape and Fall Festival was the first weekend in September.  Thanks to our two mothers the kids got to go ride the rides again this year.  They always look forward to this day and are completely worn out for the two days following it!

The kids ready for the parade to begin

 

-  The boys started soccer again.  They moved up to the 3rd and 4th grade league this fall.  They are practicing on Sundays for an hour and a half, and their games are on Monday evenings.  They are playing a full field this year, which is probably the biggest change!  We are very proud of the teamwork that they have developed and their passing skills are getting better by the week!

Fletcher and Sissy at one of their games.  It's really hard to get pictures of them now that they are on a full field!

-  We took the kids to our first homeschool event this month.  We attended the homeschool skating time at the local skating rink.  It was lots of fun, and we can't wait to attend every month!  School is going really well.  We are constantly changing up our approach...not sure if we'll ever find one way that works really well for us...we think it might be a constant change as the kids change, as the subjects change, etc.  We're okay with that, and are trying really hard to have a more student led learning enviornment than we've had in the past.  We're working on teaching the kids time management (by giving them all of their work first thing in the morning and letting them know we expect it by the end of the day), while still doing some teacher led activities. 





free journaling

Fletcher and Henry.  Just a few weeks apart playing at the skating rink. 

- Graysen also started dance in September.  She is taking ballet, tap, and tumbling again this year.  She has mastered her cartwheel and her one handed cartwheel.  She has a great bridge, and now she's working on her backbend so she can move on to her walkover! 

She is in class with Madi, Lily, and Kate.  I'm not sure how Megan survives each Thursday night!

Graysen showing me here bridge. 

-  Bart and Erin got married on the 22nd in Springfield.  It was a beautiful wedding, perfect for them!  It was wonderful to see so many members of my family in one place, and we really enjoyed the afternoon out. 


-  Fletcher is really learning to go with the flow.  With four older siblings, he pretty much gets drug around!  He is sitting up on his own - he still tumbles once in awhile, but it's rare.  He's rolling all over the living room.  We started giving him just little bits of food here and there, a squished piece off our banana, a jar of baby peaches.  Not much, but he seems to be handling it pretty well!  He had a double ear infection again this month.  High fever, cough, no sleep, it was soooooo sad.  I took both he and Graysen in to Dr. After Hours this past Sunday and he had a double ear infection, and she has one ear infection and the start of pneumonia!  So glad I took them! 

Graysen put her sparkly eye lashes on him!

Always so happy!  The only two times I can ever say he's been really unhappy are when he's had his two ear infections. 

 

-  The biggest news this month is that Kara and Chad got engaged!!  We are so excited for Chad to officially be joining the family!  They are planning a beach wedding for next summer. 

 

The picture announcement!

 

-  We had made new friends.  This is a precious couple who very recently moved to town.  They have been over for a dinner a few times, and then joined our bible study on Wednesday nights!  We're feeling so blessed to be creating a friendship with them!

 

 

-  We celebrated Ethiopian New Year on the 11th of this month with Doro Wat.  I didn't even get to eat any...guess that means it was good!  I really need to make an effort to cook Ethiopian food more often...it's not that hard, just out of my comfort zone.  

 



The boys with one of their favorite babysitters.  Hilarious, let me tell you!

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MIA - August Update

- Hunter turned 8 on August 5th.  Eight.  I say it every year, but I'm still in shock.  I did his birthday interview, but alas, he's that age where he made it very clear he did not want it posted on my blog OR facebook.  My first priority is that he knows I am trustworthy, and that I respect his wishes, so unforuntately, I will not post it here this year.  He had a birthday party at the Bowling Ally this year.  It was really fun!

His birthday and party were on the same day, so he didn't get to spread it out at all! 
We did practice the night before with a little cake!

Lunch at Pizza Inn after church before the party!

Picking out this cake was hilarious.  When we went he thought he wanted a fishing cake...not quite what we ended up with, but he loved this one!

Hunter's good friend from his 1st grade class was able to come.  He really enjoyed having B there!

- August 6th Ally got baptized.  It was such a precious evening with family and close friends celebrating her decision to follow Christ.

Love these two.  Can't wait to see how they change the world for Christ together!

- I started back to work full time the beginning of August as well.  This year, in an effort to work a more regular summer schedule, I am taking off on Mondays.  I can't express how grateful I am to work for an employer who values family and understands that I need to be home with my children on Mondays.  I'm so thankful that they are supportive of our decision to home school and have offered to support us in any way that they can.  It was a rough to get back into the routine of working, but I think things are smoothing out and I feel good about our routine.

- Kara and I took the 3 big boys to Six Flags on August 12th.  I'm always proud of them when they earn their tickets each year, and going has become a much anticipated tradition each summer.  

-  On August 15th I stayed up until 11:00 to register for my 3rd Annual Created For Care Retreat (you can read about my first year here, and my second year here).  I ended up registering two of my friends as well because 100 slots were gone in the first 15 minutes!  I'm so grateful that all 6 of our group got in this year...and as always...if you want to come next year PLEASE let me know!!


-  Fletcher had his first ear infection.  Poor baby.  He handled it fairly well...just wasn't sleeping (as if he could get any worse!).  He got big enough for an exersaucer.  The Smiths were kind enough to let us borrow theirs, and Pikie can't get enough of the pink teapot that it attached to a string.  He chews on it constantly!  We also moved him in with Graysen in her room.  She doesn't sleep in there because he still wakes up in the night, but he started doing better out of our room for sure.

Thank you to Jessica for letting us borrow her crib!

-  We soaked up the last few pool days available!

- We have lots of August Birthdays.  Obviously Hunter's is the 5th, then Mom's is the 19th, Charlie's is the 24th, and mine is the 26th.  We love August and all the celebrating we get to do (and all the cake we get to eat!)

Mom's birthday

Papa's birthday, down at the new firepit at their house

My birthday breakfast in bed from my wonderful husband.  After this surprise he sent me off shopping for the day with my mom, and then to the movies with my sister and Chad!

-  Graysen started back to pre-school.  I can't believe this is her last year at Solid Rock.  We just adore them.  She is loving being back there with her friends.

First day of pre-school 2012

MIA - July catch up!

- My last real post was July 9th.  Wow.  Life has gotten busy I suppose!  I'm going to try to write an update...hopefully this will spur me to blog more regularly again.  There are tons of pictures here!

This little guy continued to get cuter and cuter!

- Fletcher had his first taste of baby food.  We started with cereal (in this picture) and then moved on to green beans for dinner and bananas for breakfast.  All of it upset his tummy...and we are still not eating anything!!



 

 

-  We did a lot of house improvements in mid July.  We painted the living room, trimmed out all the windows in the house, framed the world map on our wall, painted the front door, painted the shutters, painted the microwave cart in the kitchen, and put up corner trim in the kids rooms.  

 



In the middle of painting the living room.  Lincoln worked inside while I painted the shutters outside! 

 

- Thank you so much to all of you who have questioned me about where I've been.  It makes me feel so good to know I've got people checking in on me and my family!



Anytime I get a decent picture of my husband and I have to post it! 

- We went to Branson over July 4th.  We actually spent two days with Mom and Charlie and then went (literally) across the road to Lincoln's family reunion for a few days.  We had lots of pool time and Fletch did really good considering the extreme heat and lack of routine.  The trip ended rough, as Hunter got heat exhaustion and ended up with a migraine   We rushed him home and to Dr. After Hours.  After a week of no sun and lots of fluids and rest he was totally normal again.  Thanks be to God!  

There were tons of fun pool games at the resort with Mom and Char!

Pikie's first time in the pool!

Cousins meeting for the first time!

The last morning...without Hunter.  

Lots of sibling bonding!  

Time to relax!

Still such a baby!

Fun digging for dinosaur bones

Snuggle time with Great Grandparents

Cousin time
Hunter holding Olivia, London, Hayden, Silas holding Fletcher, Blake
Graysen and Keaton

first 4th of July!

Girl time...it's so fun to be silly!

- My trip to Asheville was wonderful!  We got lots of Sole Hope work done, spent lots of time with great friends, and got to see a new part of the country!  The only negative parts to the trip were Pikie crying basically the entire car trip there and back, and me losing my phone (which ended up okay because I got to upgrade to a new iPhone!).

Asa, Quinn, and Fletcher

 

Asa, Dru, Asher, Kara, me, Quinn, and Fletch

 

Asher, Fletcher, and I hanging out in the Sole Hope Office in Asheville, NC

- We've had a few Sole Hope Shoe Parties at the Firehouse Coffee Shop.  I have enjoyed them so much!  We had about 80 people at the first one, and around 60 (many new faces) at the second.  I've loved sharing Sole Hope with people in my home town!  

A Sole Hope Shoe Party at the Firehouse Coffee Shop.
It has been such a blessing to me to see people come together and work for a common cause
over generational gaps and everything else!

Pikie at a Sole Hope Party sporting his Sole Hope Shirt!

 

- We made the very difficult decision to home school our kids this year.  I would love to talk more about it here, and hopefully I'll find time to do that!  We've been blessed by lots of support from our friends and family.  We are finding that our views on education are being challenged, and our faith in God is being strengthened.  We are grateful that He wouldn't let us go, and that He is walking us through this adventure.  As you can imagine spending that much time together is messy and challenging, but we're sure that it's what He wants for our family, and we are seeing the rainbow on the other side already!

 

One of our first days of homeschooling.  We did a Math Olympics which included sports and measuring.
The kids are showing off their medals.

 - The last week of July we had some very dear friends come visit.  We met them in Ethiopia while we were getting our kiddos, and although we only see them once a year, I'm very grateful that God put them in our lives!  We went to visit them last year, and we had a fabulous visit with them this year at our house!

Lincoln and I with Kim and Ken...
our first time out as just adults...ever!

The big kids minus Jake and the "babies" Fletcher and Eliza 

I think that just about sums up our July 2012!  Here's to becoming a semi regular blogger again...