Old Video(s)

Evie is too cute as she concentrates so fully.

She is "healed" and we now have plenty of dirty diapers.

I never thought I would be thankful for that ...

Evie is just seven weeks old in the above video.

Wow, they grow so much in one year!

Evie has a birthday next month!

Weekend Pictures

Simon hanging out in our tree.

We've been enjoying this weather and our "second" living room - our porch!

It seems like I can't remember what it was like when Simon didn't have a cough!

When will these seasons-induced allergies end?

We started our our weekend with a "child swap" with the Foxes.

Brad and Maddie dropped off Ruthie and went out to eat, and when they came back, Matt and  I left them with Evie and Simon and went for a jog (I could only last ten minutes) then a nice couples only walk/talk.

Ruthie looks like she is getting ready to be a helpful big sister, come late January.

Simon and Evie accompanied me for a fall pedicure.  

Their behavior was amazing; I was so relieved.  

That's not always the case (children can definitely be lessons in humility as well as just about everything else), but I thank God for those times everything flows seamlessly.

At the airport greeting Alex and Sally who returned from India.

It was the oddest sensation, I actually felt like part of myself was in India while Sally and Alex were over there.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe because we love them so much, maybe because we know them a little better than some of the staff who go to India; I don't know.  Maybe because God put it on our hearts to pray for them so much as a team and so we literally felt connected somehow.  I haven't even seen pictures from their trip, but I feel like I was there.

This past month has just felt surreal almost, with all of the persecution in the Indian state of Orissa.  On one hand, it is hard to comprehend and digest, and on the other hand, I sometimes also literally feel like we are there with them and kind of carry around a sense of heaviness.

It just reminds me of what Apostle Paul says in Romans 8.  It feels like "birthing pains" and I can almost sense that we are one contraction closer (sorry for the imagery) to Jesus coming back.

Pancakes one morning this weekend.

Evie's first pancake.

Matt surprised us with pancakes one morning - from scratch!  Yummy!

Matt is such a wonderful servant-leader for our family.

I have saved three fun Craigslist stories for your enjoyment.

1)  A lady from Frisco bought something from us, and she was a believer, so we gave her a copy of Revolution in World Missions.  We usually either give people a copy of that book (if they are believers) or a tract if they have not come to trust in Jesus yet.

So, this lady actually emailed us a few days later to tell how much she loved the book and how her dad was "chomping at the bits" waiting for her to finish the book so that he could read it!

Recent Craigslist Story #2.

We have these new stories, because Matt recently sold some things to buy an ipod.

2)  A gentlemen that Matt met at the Apple Store -- to buy his old ipod was a Christian and was really into Gospel for Asia, and Matt has since communicated with him thru email.  

So, that's kind of fun.  Maybe something will come of that.

My FAVORITE Recent Craigslist Story.

Maurice - who bought an old router or something from Matt.

Anyway,  this gentleman was so personable.  He asked Matt where we were going to church that night (Matt had mentioned we'd gone to church for a couple of hours) and Matt said, "Prestonwood."  So, Maurice simply said, "Oh, okay.  I"ll just go with you."  Seriously.  He was just going to tag-along with us and our kids (we were going to meet at Prestonwood)

It actually didn't end up working out; he did meet up with us to buy the computer thing from Matt but he had picked up someone who needed some help and was giving the stranger a ride to somewhere.

The whole thing was very random.

Me to Simon:  You're so cute.  How did you get to be so cute?

Simon:  I didn't mean to get cute.

More Yummy, Edible Faces

All Aboard

I snapped this picture last Wednesday, after our Bible Study.

Simon is wearing his "Tim's Tots" T-shirt.

And Evie is wearing ... part of her "take-home" outfit from the hospital!

Seriously.  We "rediscovered" a few 0-3 months tops and are using them as 3/4 sleeve additions to her Fall Wardrobe!  

Well ... I just received a phone call from Janet (with H.R. at GFA) with an answer to prayer.  We have someone willing to watch my kids an afternoon a week so that I can volunteer IN the office.  Trying to squeeze time from home with these two little kids (and one who doesn't nap!) would be next to impossible,  especially for phonework, which might be a big part of what I will be doing for Kris in the Creative Giving department.  (Besides, God has already closed the door 2 times from different at-home volunteer opportunities).

I was just praying for this today, while walking with the kids, so I'm really excited!

Another shot of Evie in her "take-home" outfit!

(She actually ended up wearing another outfit home, but this is the one I had bought for take-home)

Evie making a phone call.

Maybe to wish her friend Ruth a Happy Birthday!

Ruth will turn one this week!

(For us, this means just 5 weeks until Evie's birthday!)

I have realized I have certain pockets of disorganization in my life.

My closet:  is either all-together (I'd let anyone walk in and take a picture.)

or completely a mess (You would literally be stepping on mounds of clothes)

Currently, it is a mess.

Another area I've let go and don't even care about:  my inbox.

I have over 7,000 emails.

I don't even THINK to delete them.

I kind of like having them there - they are a source of knowledge (when I use the search mail feature)

Simon eating one of his FAVORITE foods.

A Frozen Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich.

I either make these ahead for fast-fixes

OR, if he wants one, I just pull out frozen bread and make a sandwich with that.

Matt loves these, too, especially with a tall glass of milk.

This was hilarious - an icy, icy cold water competition.

Sharon won by an "iceslide" (as opposed to a landslide)

I think it was approximately 2 minutes that she submerged her foot in the water that was left from the homemade-icecream ventures.

We were seriously worried about frost-bite.

This was probably taken around 11 p.m. or so.

Evie had woken up (I was planning on this as she had skipped 2 meals that day, due to our busy schedule)  I kept her up for a while to enjoy the bonfire.

Terri brought the fire-pit.

 Funny --It looks like Matt is the only guy here, but to the left of the camera there was Matt S., Nathan, Preston, and Jon.  (I think Sam was inside playing the Wii)

Oh, and Jon brought a bunch of SMORES ingredients, so we had smores around the bonfire!

Evie might be officially crawling, if you count the "Army" method.

Mom calls her G.I. Jane.

She can pretty much get anywhere, so I guess it is crawling.

She is also gaining incredible upper-body toning.

Blaize and Evie playing on Saturday morning.

Matt kept Simon, Evie, and Blaize while Mom, Kelly, and I went out for lunch.

(Alex was napping at my parent's house, under my dad's watch).

It was nice to have girl-only time and conversation.

Oh, Evie is also getting her top-two teeth!

Dad entertaining both boys after church.

If you enlarge the picture (or have good eyes) you can tell the ball says, "He's got the whole world in his hands."

Taking after his dad ...

Matt was in charge of the pork-chops.

Matt is super-organized now!  He sold his old ipod last week (and other possessions of his) to buy the new ipod touch.  He is using all of the organization features on there, and it has proven to come in quite handy!

Blaize just hanging out outside with all of us.

Simon and Pops picked a pear from a nearby tree.

Simon:  Mom, I found a gold rock. (We were outside at the Arboretum)

Mom:  Simon, bring it over here.  That might be an answer to prayer.

(It was just a piece of, well, shiny rock, but you never know how God might surprise us!)

Here is something quite articulate that I read in today's passage from "Streams in the Desert."

********

"Paul rejoiced in three things...he had 'fought the good fight,' he had 'finished his course,' he had 'kept the faith,'  What did all the rest amount to?  ... Why do we not act as if it paid to lose all to win Christ?  ...  Ah, we haven't his arithmetic.  He counted differently from us; we count the things gain that he counted loss.  We must have his faith, and keep it if we would wear the same crown."

Kool-aid stain around the mouth (from children's church)

Some things never change ...

Kelly checking in on us patio-loiterers.

(Sidenote:  We watched Brian Regan's new DVD yesterday - hilarious!  We gave it to my dad for his birthday, and, bonus, we got to watch it!

We celebrated both my mom's birthday (very end of August) and my dad's (very beginning of October) yesterday.

Evie bonding with her uncle....they  need more "bonding opportunities!"

Bride-to-Be Tania, Blaize, Groom-to-Be Scott, Evie

Blaize and Evie will be going to Kindergarten the same year, graduating the same year, going to college the same year...maybe they'll go to the same college.

Simon exclaimed, "Gigi has a million monies!"

So, our payment of not watching the boys as well as we could was that Kelly, Matt, Scott, and I spent a good 15 minutes cleaning up this mess WITH Simon and Alex.