Praise Him for pumpkins.

Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might. Psalm 21:13

This has been a crazy, busy week...what's new? Right? Tuesday was Brian's birthday so we went to Chili's for dinner and then came home for dessert and presents. The cake was one I had never done before called "Divine Chocolate Raspberry Sour Cream Cake". It tasted great, but I probably won't make it again...it has cream cheese icing and raspberry jam filling, and whenever I was trying to ice it with the chocolate icing, the top layer kept sliding all over the place because of the jam. Also some of the jam and cream cheese icing just squished out and was dripping down the sides while I was trying to ice it. Kind of frustrating.



Wednesday was "Fall Party" day. Avery and Emerson's preschool parties were from 10:30-11:30. Their classes are across the hall from each other so we (Owen and I) went back and forth throughout. I read/sang the book There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat to both classes. Then from 2:00-3:00 my neighbor watched my napping kids so I could go help at Sydney's party. I taught the craft to her class. Then I had choir practice that evening. Basically my voice is now just hanging on by a thread and it literally hurts to talk. (Of course, I still talk too much anyway.)

Emerson as Buzz Lightyear and Avery as the Toy Story 3 Barbie.


Owen as a Toy Story alien.


Sydney as Jessie (minus her hat). This is when they are having a relay race with bubblegum that looked like eyeballs.


Today I took Emerson to the doctor to confirm my suspicions that he has a sinus infection. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in quickly and he will be feeling better soon. After Brian got home we all went to Sam's. This is always fun because we get to sample food! After dinner, Brian helped the kids with their pumpkins. He carved the biggest one into a spider. Sydney, Avery, and Emerson colored two of them with markers. I poked Mr. Potato Head pieces into the smallest one.







Late tonight, Grandpa comes in for a whirlwind visit on his way back to PA from a business trip in LA. We're all very excited to spend time with him tomorrow and Sunday morning before he has to leave.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Praise Him for fall fun.

...[He] brings forth the wind from His treasuries. Psalm 135: 7b

Today we went to the pumpkin patch. Last year it was chilly, really muddy from a very rainy month, and very crowded. This year it was about 75 degrees, really dry (dusty) and windy, and still very crowded. We went with friends of ours and their little girl.

Each child's highlight:

Sydney: pulling the red wagon with Avery


Avery: pulling the red wagon with Sydney


Emerson: dancing with the entertainment


Owen: sitting on Daddy's shoulders


Our friend's daughter: playing in the dirt (I won't include a picture because I don't have her permission, but it was really cute.)

It was a fun time. I'm not sure when we'll actually get around to carving our pumpkins this year, but we will do it...even if it's the day before Halloween. I'll be sure to share pictures of that later! Until then...


HAPPY FALL!!!

Praise Him for growing up...but not too much.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3

Tonight I took Sydney to her school's fall festival. She seems so grown up when she's with her friends. She was flitting around with them as though I wasn't even there. I guess that's good, she's getting more independent. She didn't even want to eat her nachos! (So of course, I ate them...along with my chili and hot dog.) It made me kind of sad to see her getting so big and seeing a glimpse of her school "life".

It's good to see her growing up.

It's right to see her growing up.

It's HARD to see her growing up.

Sydney did a lot of the games and the bounce house and then she wanted to do the "Haunted Hallway" upstairs. I know Sydney. She gets scared easily. I asked her about 5 times if she really wanted to do the "Haunted Hallway." She insisted that she did.

Before I describe the hall, let me just say, it really was not scary. It actually sounds scarier when I describe it than it actually was. I mean, seriously, it's elementary school. Plus, many of you know that sometimes I can be a little overprotective, but I really thought it would be fine. Basically the fifth and sixth grade hall was decorated and dark. Before we even got in, there was a warning sign that said there would be loud music and strobe lights. There was bubble wrap on the floor to make surprise popping noises as we walked through. There were also people dressed up in costumes (nothing that scary, just dark clothes, and some people had on plastic masks...not scary ones). They would step out in front of us and say things like, "Don't go on," or, "Turn back now."

Halfway through, Sydney got scared and started crying. I felt bad. I wanted her to have a good time. I should have convinced her that she wouldn't like the "Haunted Hallway" beforehand. I picked her up and carried her the rest of the way through.

She's still my baby.

Praise him for "childish" encouragement.

The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 1 Samuel 2:7

Owen was up crying all night long...needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. I took him to the doctor, just to make sure his new tubes weren't clogged. They were fine, and a strep test came back negative. I guess it's just a virus. Hopefully tonight will be better.

This morning, Owen pulled on my necklace that has my little gold/jewel people to represent each of the kids. (My mom made it for me...THANKS MOM!) Anyway, the little "Owen" came off when he pulled on it and I couldn't find it anywhere. Avery and Emerson were helping me look for it. I looked in my shirt, all over Owen and in his clothes, and every place I had been since we got home from preschool and couldn't find it. I was really trying not to cry...I was so upset that it was missing. Emerson kept trying to scold Owen, "Owen, you don't be crazy and pull Mommy's necklace. That's expensive!" It was cute, but I told him that it was OK, Owen didn't understand. I gave up looking after a while and went to put Owen in the high chair. I think Avery could tell I was upset. She said, "Mommy, never give up." I said, "Thanks, honey, you're right." I'm not kidding you, 2 seconds after she said that, the necklace fell on the floor from somewhere on the high chair! Isn't that COOL!

Now I'm off to clean (yay) and try to take a little nap so I can manage the rest of the day without falling asleep.

Praise Him for mole hills.

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Psalm 43:3

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today. It happens at least once a week, usually on Thursdays. I think I've got it figured out...it's a busy day, plus it's Brian's last school night of the week. TGIF has taken on a whole new meaning for me over the last few months. I think typing up a list of the things that are overwhelming me will help me to put it into perspective, so here goes:

1. dog hair
2. clean laundry to fold
3. haven't eaten dinner
4. bills
5. Avery's preschool journal
6. banana bread
7. I stink.

Now....let's see if I can explain each one, and in the process, relieve the "overwhelmed" feeling:

1. dog hair - The dog is so overdue for a grooming that she's starting to leave little pieces of herself all over the place. It's disgusting. I'm especially aware of it because Owen is always on the floor. Also, when Emerson put his clean shirt on this morning, there was a ball of dog hair stuck to his back. I try to keep up with the vacuuming, but Bonnie is shedding so rapidly that I can't keep up. However, I have a dog grooming appointment for Saturday. That's only 2 days away!


2. clean laundry to fold - Hey, at least it's clean!
3. haven't eaten dinner - True, but I did eat a pecan pumpkin cheesecake concrete from Culver's at about 4:00 this afternoon, so maybe I just need to skip dinner tonight!
4. bills - This one's always a biggie. I may as well just ignore this one altogether because there isn't anything I can do about it.
5. Avery's preschool journal - Avery got the class "mascot" this week, an elephant. She also brought home 3 extra elephants for Sydney, Emerson, and Owen to play with. The "homework" is to write about their visit together. I always feel pressure to make this enjoyable to read, because I know the teacher reads it to the class. Also, everyone else gets a turn with the elephant and the journal (more than once a year), and I'm sure the parents read all the other entries...I know I do. It's amazing what you can learn from these entries, so I just want ours to be good. This is just my "nerd" coming out, as my husband would say. I will relax and write a brief summary of our week with the elephant herd. No need to make mountains out of mole hills!
6. banana bread - Ever since I read a friend's blog where she gives a great recipe for banana bread, I have had a craving. I also have some way over-ripe bananas so I might as well make good use of them. That being said...I'm too tired to do it tonight. Instead, I will wait until Sydney and Avery are in school tomorrow and Owen is napping. Then Emerson and I can do it together. Oh wait, I just remembered...a friend's coming over for a playdate at that time. AAAAHHH! I'm thinking about all that dog hair again! Breathe, Erin. She has two dogs. She doesn't care.
7. I stink. - I will make this a priority. I need a bath. But, hey, at least I got some exercise today!

I do feel better!

Praise Him for His patience.

The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. Psalm 145:14

I was just thinking about Owen and how hard he has been trying to crawl. Something about his struggle really made me think of myself. First, let me explain what he's been doing...he's been trying to crawl for over a month now. He gets into almost a perfect position and gets really excited. He just can't get his one foot to come out from under his tush. He struggles for a while and then ends up on his stomach. If I help him get his foot out from under him before he does the tummy flop, then he looks like he'd be ready to go. However, in a matter of seconds he picks that foot up so that he's on one knee and the toes of his other foot and then pushes backwards into a sitting position. Then he yells in frustration, because not only did he not crawl, but he has pushed himself further away from where he wanted to go. This is the part that reminds me of myself. Sometimes I think I'm trying so hard to "get" somewhere in my life (figuratively speaking). I can even feel the Lord nudging me in the right direction and whispering to my soul, "Do it this way." Unfortunately, a lot of times I am so stubborn and determined to do it my way that I just end up further from where I want to be. Thankfully, God is patient, and eventually I figure out what He's been trying to show me all along. Having said that, I know Owen will get the crawling thing one day, and then, there will be no stopping him!

Praise Him for strength.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7

Yesterday night Brian took Emerson to see Team Impact at our church. This is a group of very muscled men that use their strength to do amazing things as they lead others to Christ. They have been here since Wednesday doing nightly shows through this coming Sunday. Emerson has been looking forward to going to see the "strong men" for weeks. Brian's friend, Josh and his son, Austin, joined them. Apparently they had a great time, and both the show and Austin left quite an impression on Emerson. The first thing he said this morning was, "I saw strong men last night." Then he told me he was sad that Austin wasn't here. Brian said last night when he tucked Emerson in for bed, Emerson said very matter-of-factly, "Daddy I'm not a strong man." Brian told him, "You will be." It's just so funny, because we always tell Emerson that he is a strong man, and now that he's seen these huge muscle men, I think he's questioning our honesty.

Praise Him for bedtime.

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6

As you can probably guess from my post title, I'm beat! This has actually been a pretty typical day for me, but I didn't sleep that great last night, so I'm even more wiped out than I usually am at the end of the day. It was a good day, though!

I got my flu shot this morning. The nurse at the Walgreen's took mercy on me waiting with 3 kids. She asked the two "sick" appointments that were ahead of me if they wouldn't mind waiting for 5 minutes more while I got my flu shot. Both the young girl and older lady that she asked were happy to oblige. I'm guessing they realized that it would probably be to all of our benefit to have me in and out of there with my entourage!

The weather has been great, maybe even a little bit warmer than I like this time of year, but I won't complain knowing that soon enough we'll be freezing! Avery and Emerson spent much of the morning outside on the playground. Owen loves it too, but he has almost outgrown the "sitting on a blanket" stage. He isn't quite crawling yet, but he tries. Also, he spends his entire time pulling the blanket closer and closer to him until he can reach the grass. If I get distracted for one second (which happens often), he ends up with a nice mouthful of dirt. That being said, today I lugged our older pack and play outside and put it in the one shady spot in our yard, right next to the playground. I gave him a few toys, but he was just so happy to be outside, I'm not sure he even needed them. Avery and Emerson would climb up the playground and stand on the deck above him and talk to him. He thought that was hysterical.

This afternoon, I decided not to go to the YMCA before the kids' swimming lessons to work out like I usually do on Thursdays, mainly because I haven't felt that great today and my arm is sore from the flu shot. I know...excuses, but I think those are pretty good ones. Instead, after Sydney got home, we went up to Target, and I let everyone get a snack. (This is a big treat for them.) Then we wandered around looking at the Halloween decorations and trying to find red hairspray for Sydney to use when she is Jessie (from Toy Story 3). No luck. All we found were fluorescent colors. She can't use it at school anyway.

Side note: This year for Halloween everyone is going to be a Toy Story 3 character. Emerson will be Buzz Lightyear, Sydney will be Jessie, Avery will be Barbie (in her Toy Story 3 exercise outfit), and Owen is going to be one of the little green alien squeaky toys. Emerson got his costume for his birthday, and I bought Owen's, but otherwise we are just using stuff we already had. That's always nice on the pocketbook!

Back to our day: After our Target window shopping, we went up to the YMCA for swimming lessons. Avery and Emerson are in a class of just the two of them in the baby pool and Sydney is in a class with four other kids in the bigger pool. It's great because their classes meet at the exact same time, and while they swim, I feed Owen dinner poolside.







After that, we raced home for a quick dinner, bath, bedtime. Whew! As I type this it is after 8:30. The boys and Avery went to bed a little after 7:30, and Sydney went to bed at 8. This may sound early, but it is normal for my kiddos. I have been thinking that everyone is sleeping soundly since then, but about a minute ago, Emerson broke out into his nightly concert. Usually this includes, the "ABC" song, "Holy, holy, Hallelujah, He reigns..."(sung over and over), and "Jesus Loves Me". Wait....he just stopped. That was a short one.

I might go eat some dinner now. Then I'll probably read while I wait for Brian. This is an earlier school night for him. (He should be home by 9:30.) As tired as I am, I know it's probably worse for him, so it's pretty much lights out after we catch up for about 30 minutes. Aaaah, bedtime...zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Praise Him for hobbies.

Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. Psalm 57:8

It has been over a year since I last posted. Getting pregnant with Owen and the ensuing months of morning sickness and exhaustion derailed me. Since then it has been almost impossible to fit it back into my life. What changed to allow me to try again? Loneliness and boredom! Brian started law school 2 months ago. He goes 3 nights a week, not to mention all the work that he has to do outside of class. It's been a major adjustment for me not to have my best friend around as much.

Aside from the obvious change of not having as much of Brian's help with the kids, I just miss him! After two months, I do think I have fallen into a good pattern...it's called CRAZY BUSY! It seems we have something going on almost every day. However, when the kids go to bed and all the things that I have to get done have been finished (or at least the ones I can get motivated enough to do), I really have nothing to do. Recently, during a much-needed girls' night with a sweet friend, I was sharing with her about this. She suggested that I need to have a hobby. Good idea!

In the past, my hobby has been to paint/decorate a space in my house, but there's really not anything left to do...plus that costs money. Unfortunately, most hobbies do. Then I thought about my blog. It has been ignored for so long, I wasn't sure it would even be the same blog, but after a few days of using my very minimal knowledge of the blogging world to update my pics, etc. I have decided to try again! I'm sure my large volume of followers from before will be thrilled! (Insert sarcasm...I think I had 9 followers.)

Anyway, when I first started the blog the last time, it was really just to have an outlet and a way to focus on God's blessings in my life. After a stressful year, I think it's even more important that I try to get back into a good spiritual perspective. I can't promise my posts will always be uplifting, humorous, or even interesting, but I think it will serve it's purpose. Maybe someone else can enjoy it along the way!