Madelyn's Choir Debut

Madelyn sang in the choir last Sunday. It was sweet and quite entertaining:

Weekend getaway

In a little under 24 hours, John David and I will get to experience more than 48 hours without the kids. I'm getting pretty excited and I'm thankful that my parents are able to take care of the kids during this time. One of John David's cousins is getting married in Charlotte, NC and we're making a weekend of it. We're going to stop off in Heaven (a.k.a. Blacksburg) to visit the Virginia Tech campus. We haven't been there in two years, and I'm excited to see all the changes that have occurred. Hopefully, we'll remember to take the camera.

Madelyn on the Tooth Fairy

Camping with the dads and cousins

Once a year, John David and as many of his male cousins that can head down to the farm with their kids. They camp out for the night and rough it with 3-10 year olds. The kids had a great time and both of ours agreed that the best part of camping was eating doughnuts.

Hayride:


Snacking and sharing grins on the hayride:


Playing with fire:


Fishing on the farm pond:

13 Months Old

Here's an update on our 13 month old: She has 8 teeth. She's trying to run. She can climb steps very quickly. She has about three words--more, here, this. These actually sound like mo, heea, and desh. She's still taking two naps a day and usually eats like a horse. She's also developing some opinions. I just have no idea what those opinions are. She can string together so many sounds in such emphatic ways. We'll be getting earfuls when she actually starts stringing words together.

In other news, my house is a disaster. I am not the most fastidious housekeeper; however, I do appreciate some semblance of organization. I'm having to let that go. Isabel finds anything that isn't a toy and moves it to a different place. I've lost makeup and makeup brushes. I'm missing cups, bowls, papers, food packages, etc. I think she's the most inquisitive of the three, at least at this stage. Of course, we're going through the normal stuff like rolls of toilet paper on the floor instead of on the roll and shoes all over the floor instead of in the closet or shoe basket. She's such a delight, though, and we love her so much!

The kids are camping with some of their cousins

and they got a hayride out of the deal, too:

Thanks to Jay for the picture!

MOPS Harvest Festival

On Saturday, I took our kids to church for the MOPS Harvest Festival. We had a good time and the kids got to reuse their costumes from last year. Pierce remembered how much he liked his Mickey Mouse costume and has decided he wants to be Mickey Mouse this year.

We played fun games--like fishing at the "Fishers of Men"game:



They also got to help an injured man by being a "good Samaritan":





Madelyn helped him blindfolded:


They helped animals get on Noah's Ark:





Got their faces painted:






and joined a costume parade. They got their treats and really enjoyed them:







Thanks to everyone who helped with this! The kids had a great time!

Madelyn Update

I feel like Madelyn has been a little neglected on the blog, so I'm doing a Madelyn Update. Kindergarten is going well. She's pretty tired by the end of the day and it tends to lead to some headbutting with me, but she really loves it. At bedtime we share what our favorite part of the day is, and she always says "going to school." We should probably start digging a bit more and ask what her favorite thing at school was. We had "back to school night" a few weeks ago, and I really like her teacher and the aide. They seem to love their jobs and the kids.

The school is doing a Serve-A-Thon next week, and they focus on the importance of serving others because Christ was the ultimate servant. Her class will be planting flowers and picking up trash at the school and planting trees at a nearby park. Madelyn's initial comment to me about Serve-A-Thon was, "But, I'm gonna get all dirty." I reminded her that Jesus would want us to stop thinking about ourselves and to focus on who we are serving. I think she's changed her attitude a bit. At first, I was frustrated with Madelyn, and then I realized that she was just being honest. I feel that way, too, sometimes, when it comes to helping others. I'm just conditioned to not voice my true feelings. A good lesson from a kindergartener!

She's also taking dance lessons this fall. She really wants to play soccer, but I think that dance is very important, too. I think we'll compromise with soccer in the spring.

AWANA has started back up at church, and she loves that, too. She's in Sparks this year and feels so much more grown up than when she was in Cubbies. (I'm always amazed at how easily kids can remember Bible verses. It really does seem easier for them than me.) Plus, in Sparks, you earn "shares" which is kinda like money, and you can use it to buy Sparks awards. She's put a down payment on a nail polish kit. It's also pretty cool because you earn jewels to put on your vest after you've completed a section in the book. What little girl doesn't want jewels?

Madelyn's newest adventure is being in the kids' choir at church. It's nice because it meets during regular church hours, and she will get to sing for "big church" a few times throughout the year. You're all invited to see the choir perform on Oct. 24:-)

Oh, she would probably want me to tell you that she's dressing up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz for Halloween. I'm sure you can guess what her favorite part of the costume is--ruby slippers!

The kids at 12 months

Madelyn:


Pierce:


Isabel:


It's hard to tell in these pictures, but when I look at old pictures of Madelyn, I have to remind myself that I'm not looking at Isabel. Isabel's hair is a bit darker than the other kids at this point, but she also has much thicker hair. We'll see what happens in the next few months to her hair color. Isabel is definitely the most smiley kid at this point but she's also my most...ahem...determined (read:opinionated). That's really saying something since I'm comparing her to Madelyn. She's also still so cuddly, but since she's walking, she's less likely to spend a lot of time in my arms. She's got stuff to do! What a blessing to be a mother to these three!
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3