Tricking and Treating

My Cuties!

The Football

                                My Gumball Machine

Bears Player

The Artist

Replacement Official

I never want to forget.

But I do. I forget how tiny babies are. What it feels like to see them for the first time. To hold them for the first time. How much I love them instantly. How fragile they are, yet strong. How delicious they smell. How soft they are. How sweet their noises are. What a wonder birth is. How amazing our Creator is. How our family just wasn't complete without them. How tiny their toes are. How chubby their little hands are. 

With each new child I have pondered and treasured how perfectly God designed the whole process of birth and life. I am reminded anew of the parallels of my Christian walk with that of a newborn baby. I almost shudder when I think of how very dependent these brand new people are on me. I provide their care, nourishment and protection and they are absolutely helpless to do anything on their own. They are so desperate to get the food they need and once they have had their fill, they are so completely content. Oh that I would remember. That I would truly "crave pure, Spiritual milk" as intensely as a newborn baby. That I would fully rest and rely on my Father to care for, nourish and protect me. That I would fully trust and rest in Him. That I would understand perfect peace comes after trust. After obedience. He is my perfect Father. Always seeing, always loving. Desiring me to seek Him first. He is my sustenance. May He always be "the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" I never want to forget.

Random

Just a few random pictures from this week:

We spent some extra time at Chuck's football practice. The weather has been absolutely beautiful. The days have been mild - some warm, some cool, and the nights have been down right chilly. Perfect for open windows and long walks outside. The sky was so pretty during practice, I had to snap some pictures. 

               If you look real hard, you can see some helmets. :)

Lydia made Anna's night by letting her try on her "princess crown."

The High School Homecoming was Friday. Lydia was on the court (still can't believe these girls are getting so old). Another cousin was on the court for her school as well and was crowned queen. I'm praying for these amazing kids in our family that the Lord would use them in mighty ways. What a chance to influence their worlds for the Gospel!

11 Weeks

I was down on the floor trying to get a picture of Ethan to remember 11 weeks.

When all of the sudden he flipped over.

"What just happened??" 

I was glad to have some pictures for the Grandmas to see. He had rolled a few times before, but I had only seen a couple and had never caught it on film. Such a big boy.

Sweet Times

 I have always said that one of my very favorite things about having more than one child is watching them love each other.

 I had to take Jake to the Dr. Friday for a check up, so he had some rare alone time with Ethan. They were having quite the conversation.

Anna woke up from her nap and wanted to practice her numbers. She needed some assistance. :)

I'm so thankful for our children and their built-in best friends.

Ten weeks old.

What Happens When You Give An Eleven-Year-Old the Camera

Lesson learned.

A Fun Fall Saturday

We had a pretty full day Saturday. Ethan and I got to go to our first cross country meet.Our niece, Ashlynn is in college in Hutchinson this year running cross country and track. She had a meet in Hutch so I figured we would take the opportunity to see her run since we were driving past there for Caleb's game.

She did great! 7th place. It was very chilly and raining AND she ran forever in what looked like a pasture! 

Ethan was all bundled up to try to keep him warm and dry. I loved how he was peeking out. If only I knew what he was thinking. 

Caleb & Aly had a lot of fun cheering her on. I'm glad I got this picture. Caleb's pants are still so shiny white. 

Then we went on an hour and a half more to Caleb's second football game of the season. My dirty #86. Caleb scored a touchdown and got filthy. His idea of a successful game!! They did win ~ 37-12. :) So far they are 2 and 0.

 I tried to get some video for Chuck (and Dad) who hates to have to miss any games but I didn't do very well. In this short video, Caleb is going for the quarterback. He said he fell down since he wasn't supposed to sack. ;) 

One of the only pictures I have gotten at a Warriors game (not a very good one of Ethan)! Ethan loves playing with his cousins. The Warriors have yet to win a game, but despite the loss, they played a lot better and it was a good game. The score ended up 11-14. Maybe we'll get our first "W" next week.

Fair Time

 The Kansas State Fair has become an annual event for our family. Since we live so close, we try to take advantage of the fun at least once each year.

The petting zoo has been one of our favorites at the fair for the eight years we have been going. They usually have fun animals like zebras, llamas, ostriches and giraffes.

For the last two years we've gotten to go with Grandma Lambert. This year Grandpa had the first event picked out. We got to watch a sheep shearing show.

The lamb was trying hard to get away until the man plopped her on her backside. She settled right down and let him shear away.

 Everyone was completely enthralled. It was pretty amazing. Grandpa especially liked it since he had sheep on his farm for years.

We split up and I took Jake & Anna on their rides.

 They all had so much fun. Especially since the men kept letting them go on rides for free. :)

Ethan even got in on the fun. His first fair experience.

Thanks for the fun, Grandma and Grandpa!!!

Two Months

Ethan is two months old today. My, how time flies. Faster with each child, I think.
He is such a happy baby. He is on a pretty good schedule right now, sleeping 7-8 hours at night. I know that could change, but I'm sure enjoying it for as long as it lasts. He wakes up smiling and brings lots of joy to his big brothers and sisters!
A giggle. :)

My favorite thing about Kansas Summers is definitely the wild flowers! For the last couple of years though, it has been too dry. I am so thankful we have finally gotten some rain and the ditches and pastures are once again decorated with splashes of color! Oh, how I've missed them.
As I was driving around doing errands the other day, I just had to take a detour out in the country and take some pictures of the beauty. The road I ended up on had yellow flowers on both sides. They were taller than me. I felt like I was driving through a tunnel of flowers. BEAUTIFUL!
So on the way home from church, I had Chuck take us by to show the kids.
They had as much fun as I did.
This picture of Anna reminds me of "Little House on the Prairie."
They wanted to play "hide and seek!"
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." ~Romans 1:20