Halloween/Trick or Treat 2010

Halloween was a really fun night for us this year! The girls loved just going through some dress-up clothes that we got from another family in church and choosing some costumes for the year, and of course Addyson was able to fit into the infamous LION costume that is just too fun to dress a little one up in!One nice thing about planning your trick-or-treating in Orange City is that the college always opens their doors to the community and you are able to take your kiddos up and down the hallways of the dorms and trick-or-treat. This is just SOOOO nice when you have young kiddos! We didn't have to worry about bundling up or choosing a neighborhood to hit, you can just park and walk the halls and finish up with plenty of candy for all!We were able to meet up with the Fernstrum's and made it through 2 of the girls dorms before calling it a night. The girls are still a little overwhelmed by all of the people that end up being in the hallways at once, but were still able to choose the candy they liked and report having a good time ;)We did make one stop at a house...Karys' preschool teacher, who was also Gracie's teacher last year...invited all of her students to stop by in their costumes for a special treat! The girls both said this was their favorite stop! Thanks Mrs. Starkenberg!Everyone was tired at the end, I even determined Karys probably had a fever most of the time too, but I did manage to get a good picture of the tree of them all t/g
We had a GREAT night! The girls were exhausted when we got home and my big girls even asked to go straight to bed! Happy Halloween!

Carving pumpkins

One Saturday, I had just gotten home from a cross country meet and we were planning on heading out to Pumpkinland to get some pumpkins to carve that evening after the girls woke up from their naps. However, a thunderstorm was starting to brew, so Gracie and I jumped in the car quick, ran out and grabbed a couple of pumpkins, and made it back home just in time before the rains came. Carving pumpkins is ALWAYS a good time! Both of the girls really got into it this year and really got down inside their pumpkins to clean out all of the goop (Last year, Karys would only scoop stuff out with a spoon...and even then thought it was pretty gross ;)Addyson was so excited to watch the girls get so messy!Karys was so proud that she was getting down and dirty ;)We eventually had to give Addyson a marker and her own pumpkin b/c she was getting tired of watching sisters have all of the fun!The girls both cleaned out their own pumpkins and then sat down with Daddy and helped create the design that they wanted cut out on their pumpkins...It was so fun to see their different personalities and styles come through on their pumpkin designs and just watching how they worked on it t/g with RobKarys is definitely the goofy one ;) Her pumpkin design was nothing short of fitting for that!The girls were so proud of their creations and were eager to get the candles in them and set them on the front step (They didn't even get smashed this year!)We had such a GREAT time doing this! It is such a great fall tradition and a fun way to spend an evening as a family...I don't think carving pumpkins ever gets old nor are you ever too old to carve a pumpkin!
Someone asked me if Addyson was the one taking the pictures ;) Nope, we just got a late start and she was already in bed for the evening by the time we took the final pictures :) She still had a GREAT time!

Looking back to fall...

The fall was an exciting and busy time for our family! It was a transition to school getting underway for everyone but Addyson (although she did start at daycare 3 mornings a week!), and there were also lots of events, weekend trips, and activities that we were involved in as well. Despite the business, I really do feel like we tried to continue to make time for each other and to enjoy the small moments that we had together around the house--dancing in the kitchen is always a big favorite! The following are just some pictures of the small moments we captured this fall ;)Karys loved wearing my marathon medal around the house...she made a comment to me that next time she really wants to go with and cheer again ;) What a proud mama moment, was so worth the hard work to see her pride in wearing my medal and the accomplishment!I got a call one day from the school office, when I saw the number on the caller ID I was pretty worried...the secretary told me that Gracie had fallen on the playground. She explained that she had been in a full out run and fell unexpectedly and didn't have time to catch herself. She told me her face was pretty scraped up, but she was doing really well and to her knowledge Gracie didn't even cry! (She did tell me later, "Mom, I know everyone keeps saying I didn't cry...but I did cry just a little...")I did forget to tell Rob about Gracie's fall, so needless to say he was a little shocked when he picked her up from school :( All in all though she was such a trooper and it really healed up quickly and nicely! What a BRAVE girl!The girls just messing around one weekend morning...Karys always seems to end up in a swim suit ;)Future cheerleader by chance?She is our little model....always posing ;)Were having a great time "bumping bellies" and then just laughing giddily about it!Addyson was just watching her sisters be silly from her high chair....all cozy with her fuzzy slippers on ;)Rob really spoiled me this fall too! I got these beautiful flowers and this necklace "just because". I am so blessed and it was REALLY special to have my husband bless me in these ways for no reasons at all!One of the other things that occupied our time this fall was Friendship Bread...it is an Amish bread that you keep in a zip-loc bag and add ingredients to over the course of 10 days. Our family loved the bread but it got to be a lot to constantly keep track of what day the bread was on, who you were going to give it to, and what day to bake! However, we all looked forward to the smell that filled our house every 10 days, and we were sad when the trend came to an end!

the JOURNEY of fall...

My last post has been two months ago and even then if was attempting to catch up on all the pictures and events of the summer that I so wanted to share with you! Well with school starting for everyone but Addyson this fall, we have had a lot of adjustments to make to life, our schedules and just what everyone needs and expects from each other! It has truly been a journey! Everyone went through their rough patch with me being back in school....rob, the girls, myself! And in the past few weeks I feel like I have really hit my groove with knowing how to provide my family with the things that I need and still be able to study well and get done what I need to for school.

I ran the Chicago marathon a couple of weeks ago (still hope to blog a little on this ;), XC is coming to an end this weekend with the conference meet (hopefully we will have some runners head on to Nationals at the end of the month!) and I only have three labs left to teach for the fall!!! Things just continue to look up and up! I just have lists of things I am wanting to do with all of my free time...scrapbook, make plans for dutch costumes for the spring, catch up on all my blogging....the list is endless--paint a couple of rooms, organize the ominous corner in my bedroom, make plans for finishing the basement...and that list would even come after coloring with Gracie, making up songs and reading stories with Karys, and playing babies and reading books with Addyson ;)

People come up to me all of the time and ask me how I am. So many of them make comments such as, "I don't know how you do it all!" "I really look up to you for balancing things so well" And I 99% of the time respond with "I don't know how I do it either...and this is a season I would never choose to repeat (merely for the sake of not being able to be more devoted to being home with my family).

There came a time a few weeks ago where Rob and I just had to sit down and really ask each other if this was worth it? Is there hope that we are going to survive this and if there is is it worth the fight to make it to May? We both decided that it was...and we both decided that the only way through it was to trust God for His strength and His provision....PROVISION....He will provide everything I need! Not necessarily what I need for next week, but manna and grace for each day. I wake up every morning thanking him for another day to walk hand in hand and praising Him in advance for filling in in the places that I fall short. I don't think there has ever been a season of life where I have ever trusted God's provision and His guidance in my life more! So I continue on the journey, not making lists or placing expectations on myself...I am never going to be caught up on this blog or my scrapbooks, I may never complete the sewing project I had such good intentions of starting...but I will continue to be the best Mom I can! That is something that I know God has called me to...he showed me that mission field when I was pregnant with Addyson; and makes sure to remind me often that that is my priority!!! So as we anticipate the birth of VL #4 I will continue to trust God for that manna and daily provision, and I PRAISE Him in advance for all He has done and is yet to do in my life and the life of my ever-growing family :)