3 Boys + 3 Pumpkins

Here are my 3 boys with their pumpkin masterpieces. Moose was a little sad because his pumpkin wasn't scary enough, but he was still able to smile.

Devin's pumpkin was tall, skinny, and very heavy! He was excited to be able to hold it all by himself for the picture.
And here is Noah's pumpkin. He carved it all by himself this year from start to finish. What an exciting year for him. He is getting so independent...sometimes it scares me!

November

I cannot believe it is November 1st. What happened to June and July? I cannot remember what we did. It feels like this year has gone faster than any other year. I don't know if it is because my kids are getting older and more dependent, or if it's the fact that we are just busy. Either way I am not ready for this year to end yet. I need a little more time. I need five more minutes, then five more minutes (like what my kids beg for whenever we have to leave someplace fun).

One of the highlights of October was getting to meet Matthew West. I am now addicted to his newest CD The Story of Your Life! I went with a group of friends and volunteered at his concert. What a great night we had.

My oldest son Noah is growing!! Every week he gets taller and has to get rid of jeans that are now too short. For some reason he wanted me to post this picture of his muscles. Just so you know, I have never had muscles like this a day in my life. This is all his dad's genes! Yes, I married well. Haha!
And to end the month, I got to hang out with two of my favorite super heroes, Iron Man and Spider Man! What a lucky mom I am. Iron Man (Moose) is fully recovered from his femur fracture...hallelujah! He went to see his orthopedic surgeon over fall break and was told "can't even tell where your leg was ever broken"! And Spider Man (Devin) had to get his ear tubes replaced over fall break, but is fine. Actually he was fine an hour after the surgery. So next year (which will be here before we know it), we plan to make up the lack of fall break fun for the boys!

We need a pitcher!

~Noah's first year of baseball~

Last Sunday was the last game of fall baseball. We kept calling it Noah's career-ending game. He tried baseball in 2nd grade and really hated it. But this year, he decided to try baseball again. Like a lot of things we try, Noah started out really excited and tried really hard to get better. Then after 7 weeks, the enthusiasm died down, we skipped a practice, and drug ourselves to the final game.

So at the last game (hooray!), Noah decided he was going to try pitching. I was busy chatting with a few gals when Noah came over and told his dad the plan. So you can imagine my shock when I saw what was happening. What?!? My son has never pitched a baseball in his 10 years of life. The kids who do pitch in his league are really good. I told my husband this was not a good idea. I wanted to crawl under my collapsable chair for that inning. I wanted to walk out to the pitching mound and ask him what in the world he was thinking?

But I didn't. I sat there and watched him pitch to 4 players. I watched him through 16 balls in a row. No player was able to hit any of his pitches. He got 4 players on base in a row. I was starting to sweat bullets. Then the coach called time.

He went over and talked to Noah. Noah told him he must not be cut out to be a pitcher and was ready to go back to 3rd base. Where he spent the rest of the game. (which I was very thankful for!)

So Noah was brave enough to try something brand new. It didn't work out. But he was not afraid. He literally stepped up to the plate, and it is a lesson in courage that I hope I will not forget!

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.

~Casting Crowns Voice of Truth

Fall

"I'm so glad I love in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? Look at these maple branches. Don't they give you a thrill - several thrills?" ~Anne Shirley ~Anne of Green Gables

Last week I was talking to some gals at work and I was lamenting over the fact that my laundry has grown. As the weather gets colder, the shorts turn into jeans, the bare chests start wearing sweatshirts, bare feet must be covered with socks (lots and lots of socks), and very quickly the laundry piles turn into Colorado sized mountains! I realize anybody who lives in a place where there are 4 seasons goes through this. I am not being singled out by the evil laundry empire. But I can choose how I respond to this.

My friend at work turned to me and simply said, "I think there will always be something to complain about".

My response.....silence. Yes, for once I had nothing to say. No smart comeback, no witty reply. Because she spoke the truth. Yes! There will always be something to complain about. And mountains of laundry in the big scheme of things really isn't that big of a deal. So for today I am going to embrace my laundry. Be thankful for my working washing machine and dryer and for fall and the extra laundry it brings my way.

Just Another Day in Paradise

We have added another member to our beloved family. Meet Rufus, our new bearded dragon. He is Noah's new pet. So far everyone loves Rufus. It is very exciting every night when Rufus gets fed his nightly snack of live crickets. Rufus does not mess around when the crickets are tossed into his cage. Although the boys fight over whose turn it is to feed him, they enjoy seeing how quickly Rufus takes care of business. Bearded dragons have a life expectancy of 10 years, so Rufus may end up in a college frat house with Noah one day.

Here is the other new member of our family (I wish!). I got this giant, bigger than life poster of Tim Tebow from our local sporting goods store. The last time I was in there, I asked what they do with their window posters when they are done with them. The cashier said they usually end up in the trash. GASP! I could not let Tim Tebow end up in the trash! So I left them my name and number (thinking I would never hear back from them). Well, last week they called and said to come pick Tim (the poster, not the real Tim) up. So, now I have to decide where to hang this ginormous display.

If you have not read Tim Tebow's new book, I highly recommend it! You will not be disappointed. He is a great man with an even greater message. He would be an inspiration to any aspiring athlete you may know.

First Grade Times Two!

Every time I take a picture like this, I can think of only one thing. Senior year slide show. This is the kind of picture that you put in the slide show at the high school graduation open house. This is the kind of picture you want to remember when your kids are driving you crazy. This is the kind of picture you want to remember when your kids are taller than you and giving you sass. They grow up so fast. Don't blink. Enjoy them while they're little. You're gonna miss this. The days go slow, but the years go fast. All those mantras you keep repeating to yourself when the days aren't all that great!

So for now, I will enjoy having 2 first graders, even if that means two homework packets a week, two family projects a month, and two extra books to read each night. Because the years do really go fast!

Random Ramblings by Denise

So I've been going through old pictures on my computer and trying to decide how to organize my photos. I once was a scrapbooker. Back when I had time to work on scrapbooking. Now I'm doing good to get the kids fed, homework done, and laundry put up. I found this adorable picture of two very little boys and had to share. They grow up fast!

I have also been working on MOMSnext. We are starting this awesome ministry at our church this fall. Sadly I graduated from MOPS last spring, but this is a whole new exciting world for me. September 28th is when the fun begins!
Several weeks I posted about Dalton breaking his leg. Last week he went to the doctor, got re-xrayed, and all his restrictions were lifted. He can now walk, run, bike, jump, fight with his brothers, and climb on the counter to reach the candy. All of which he did the first day.
Have you seen the website PINTEREST? Oh. My. Word. I don't even know how to describe it. It's like a digital magazine with the search option. Are you looking for a yellow front door? They have pictures. Want to plan a barn wedding? They have pictures. I love pinterest!!
And lastly I did a little dance in the dairy section at Aldi last evening! Why? Pumpkin spice creamer is back!! And you know what that means? Candy corn, pumpkins, apple pickin', mums, sweatshirts, and Fall!! LOVE IT!!