Fall Break- 2 Weeks of Fun

We were able to squeeze in a lot of activities over Scott's fall break.  Jon was able to take some days off so it was fun to be able to do things as a family.  Scott's already talking about his summer break...:/

We got Kate this little chair for her birthday.  I pictured her reading little books in it, playing school with Natalie in it, rocking her stuffed animals in it, etc. 

It didn't take long however for Kate to find a real use for her chair.  She drug it infront of the tv and requested, "SHOW!  SHOW!  SHOW!"  Bad for her eyes...yes.  Bad for her brain...probably.  Nice break for her mommy...maybe.  :) 

 Scott and I teeter-tottered.  He spent most of the time in this position for some reason.  :/

Morning zoo trip...

Happy Birthday, Kate!

Today Kate turned 2 years old!! She's our sweet little handful.  I'm still trying to figure her out.  She can be such a sweetheart and such a stinker (perhaps this comes with the age).  Kate brings lots of smiles to our entire family.  It's wonderful to see her play with Scott ("COTT") and Natalie ("NANNI") and call for them across the house.  She's full of energy, is thinking of giving up naps (eek!), always thinks she needs a snack, and would listen to the Wheels on the Bus on repeat if we let her.  Everytime we get in the van, we hear "BUS!  BUS!  BUS!" until we turn it to track 18 to hear her song.  She's afraid of the vacuum and of spiders (a bad duo since lack of one leads to more of the other).  She loves to cuddle and read books over and over.   We're so very thankful for Little Miss Kate and for the blessing of these past two years!

CHUCK E. CHEESE!  Her favorite sleep friend right now is a stuffed Chuck E. Cheese mouse which she affectionately calls "Chuckie" or "Cheese"...I smile inside every time I hear her say either.   We made a trip to Chuck E. Cheese for her birthday to see her first love. 

 She makes the best expressions...usually during meal times.  It always makes us laugh. 

4, 2, and new...the beginning of beautiful friendships...

2, 4, and 6...

Then...

Now...

My, oh my, how time flies!

Homecoming!

Last weekend, the big kids and I took a roadtrip to Cedarville!  It was my 10 year class reunion...where has the time gone?  I enjoyed showing Scott and Natalie around my old stomping grounds and loved seeing some of my college buddies.  I'm embarrassed to say that the kids have never left Indiana, so Scott was very excited about crossing the state line and asked me to get a picture.  :) 

 Their first parade...(yeah...we don't get out much)

We toured the new nursing building...same freaky mannequins.  Brought back butterflies to my stomach...didn't miss my time in the nursing lab. 

 It snowed while we were there.  CRAZY!!

One of my college roommates and I have little girls very close in age.  They are so cute together!

 Long time, no see...

I bought the kids Cedarville shirts while we were there since that may be the only thing we can ever afford from Cedarville...

 Go Yellow Jackets!  

Good memories!

September's Hodepodge of Kid Quotes and Pictures

One month until Kate turns 2 years old!  (She's hoping that I expand her hairstyle options once she becomes a big, bad two year old.)

Scott recently read a long passage from Isaiah during his school's chapel.  He did great and his fan club was so proud!!  I'm not sure who was more relieved when it was over though.  Whew! 

Camping Time!  So much fun to talk about!  So much fun to set up the tent!  So much fun to get into the sleeping bags!  So much fun to read stories by flashlight with Daddy! 

Then it came time to sleep and the kiddos begged to come back inside the house.  They said they were hearing too many nocturnal animals.  Maybe next year...

Speaking of backyard animals...look at the friends who stopped by to swing and slide one morning before school. 

Great garage sale find of the month...now who could resist that?!

"I played the duet all by myself!" bragged Natalie.

Kate and her Michael Jackson glove. 

Not a good sign when you fall asleep BEFORE dance class! 

The goal was to build a tower taller than Scott.  So close!  Kate squirmed off a lap shortly after this picture was taken and you can guess what happened next. 

Watch out for Kate-zilla!

Natalie in the backseat of the van:  57, 58, 59, 80...

Me:  No, Natalie, it's 60.

Natalie:  You messed me up!  Now I have to start all over!  1, 2, 3...

(Jon and I go back to talking and tune her out.  After our conversation, which wasn't THAAAAT long, we tune back in to hear...)

Natalie: A billion 7, A billion 8, A billion 9...

Jon: Wow, Natalie!  Your teachers will be impressed that you can count that all the way to a billion.

Natalie:  Yeah, I just get a little mixed up in the fifties. 

The kids were pretending to hold their usual church service.  Scott was attempting to play the piano, Kate was in the audience, and Natalie was standing on a chair belting out Amazing Grace.  She sang loudly and sincerely, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch, like you..."

Jon and I recently started teaching the Perky Penguins class at church again.  Scott warned us on the first Sunday about some of the children in his class and suggested that Daddy bring his handcuffs.  We laughed, but after teaching, we totally understood Scott's suggestion.  (Gulp)

Evolution Buster #346

We've been loving on caterpillars for the past few weeks.  Our first two (named Owen and Anna by the kids) were well loved.  The kids watched and reported about their activities often.  They sure do make a lot of waste which the kids found entertaining! 

Look at how small they started out!

A little bit creepy...don't you think?!

It was disturbing to Scott when his first pets formed their chrysalises.  (It seemed liked the plural form of chrysalis should be chrysali, but I looked it up!)  Anyway...he had difficulty falling asleep on the night he lost his pet to it's new form.  

After a couple of weeks, a beautiful butterfly emerged!  Only our Creator could design something so amazing!

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  

2 Corinthians 5:17