It's Beginning to Smell like Fall

Fine. I'll admit it. I do like Fall... I like the leaves changing color and the crispness in the air. I absolutely love the color palette of Fall and don't even get me started on yummy Fall dishes. The only inhibition I have to throwing myself into the full celebration of the season is simply this: after Fall comes Winter. For now I'll just push that thought to the recesses of my mind and focus on the smell of apple pie baking, pumpkin candles, roasting squash and apple butter simering in the crockpot.

On that note, yesterday was a perfect Fall day. Trees shedding their leaves while I read a book and the kids played in the yard was a great way to spend the day... and did I mention that my brother and sister-in-law came to visit?!?! They flew up to Vermont to visit her family and then decided to come up for a visit. We're so glad they did! The kids warmed right up to them and really enjoyed their time together.

Caylyn with Aunt Sara and their matching Patriots t-shirts!

Thank you Aunt Sara!

They LOVED Uncle Scotty... because he tied their toys together and pulled them around.

I feel spoiled to see my parents and brother/sister-in-law with a few days!

Thank you Scotty and Sara for coming to visit!

We love you!

Out on the Lake

It was a great plan. We would have everything loaded in the boat so that we could get out on the water as soon as Chad got home at 4:30 (it's usually 7 when he gets home).

If there is one thing we can count on it is that plans always change.

First of all, Chad almost ran out of gas in the truck on his way to work so that would be an extra trip into town before we could launch the boat.

Then Chad had to work late and didn't get home til after 5.

So it was about 5:30 before we got the boat in the lake, but we still had a very nice evening. We took our supper with us and the kids loved just riding around the lake. We didn't stay out very long since the sun set at 6:30, but I did get a few good pics.

The Captain

First Mate

The guy who sits in the crow's nest.

Caylyn's favorite part of the trip... chocolate chip cookie crumbs.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalm 97:6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

Nana and Papa's Visit... Unabridged

We had such a wonderful visit with my parents last week. During their visit last fall we drove all over the state of Maine (it felt like it anyway). So this year we stayed home almost all week. It was heavenly!

Dad worked on lots of projects throughout the week. I kept saying "Dad, you are supposed to be relaxing" only to be met with the same response every time. "I am relaxing... I'm not doing anything that I don't want to do." Here's a list of projects he accomplished:

Fixed our chimney (replaced a pipe/damper/straightened the chimney)

Cleaned the ashes out of the woodstove

Bought a chainsaw!

Cut wood, split wood, stacked wood (2 1/2 cords stacked)

Fixed the boat

Played with the kids

Fixed the washer

Changed spark plugs on the car

Helped Chad put in doors at the church

I don't think my mom EVER slows down. Every time I turned around she was washing dishes or picking up something or helping with the kids. It may have been their vacation, but it certainly was relaxing for me! Every time we are together Chad wants her to fix brisket and ranch potato salad... so yummy! This time she also made pulled pork... delicious.

This week mom and I worked on two cakes together: one for a 90 year old man in our church and one for Caylyn. It was SO special to work along side her on these projects and I will cherish those memories forever!

Happy 90th Birthday, Mr. Staples!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were days of shopping, relaxing, working at the house.

Caylyn- the novice tiara wearer.

Headed out to play... or work.

Little helper

Yummy new apple recipe... definitely making this again!

Hauling wood.

Thursday, we took off for a ride and drove to Medway/Millinocket. We had a great time enjoying the scenery and looking at houses. We had lunch at a yummy little "hole-in-the-wall" place in Millinocket then walked around downtown.

Posing in dowtown Millinocket

Trying to get a picture of the matching girls!

Sweetest picture of Papa and Trent. :)

Nana kisses are the best!

Papa sure knows how to entertain a hungry boy waiting for his lunch.

Penobscot River (I think) in Medway.

Earlier in the week we'd been given a box of oranges. Dad bought a little hand juice squeezer (or whatever they're called) and we started squeezing orange juice. Mom, Dad, and I took turns and 2ish hours later we had a full gallon of freshly squeezed orange juice! It is SO much darker and tastier than store-bought!

Friday, Chad and dad put some new doors in at the church. We always laugh at their time estimates because you know it's going to take longer than they first think. As they were finishing up, Mom and I went over to help with cleanup.

Saturday morning we loaded up and headed to Augusta for a late birthday party for Caylyn. (This kid is going to think she gets 2 parties every year.) We had a very nice time with both sets of parents, Chad's grand-parents and two of his cousins.

Caylyn got a book from Gramma and Grampa, two dolls and home-made cards from cousin Lucy and family, stuffed animals from Nannie and Papa, and a Snow White dress and Princess beauty set (blowdryer, curling iron, straightener, brush, perfume bottle and lipstick) from Nana and Papa! She loved ALL her presents and gasped as she opened each one. :)

Giving the men advice on mechanics...

Helping Daddy do the man's work.

Visiting...

My favorite moments throughout the week consisted of watching my parents enjoy the kids and the kids enjoy them. As soon as we pulled up to the airport and Caylyn saw dad she started yelling "Papa! It's Papa!" They had such a great time together...

Thank you Nana and Papa for coming to visit!

We love you so much.

Nana and Papa's Visit

So I started this post on Tuesday and have just not been able to finish it!

We've had a great visit with Nana and Papa~ full of laughs, work, food, more work, and some relaxing. Dad (Papa) has been working on all our little projects around the house that we never seem to find time for.

For now I'll just share a few pics and captions until later when I can write everything out.

Caylyn posing in her princess outfit from Nana.

More posing...

A delectable new apple dessert we tried during Nana and Papa's visit.

Playing in the water... in her princess outfit.

More pictures and stories tomorrow afternoon... hopefully!

They're Coming Today!

Mom and Dad Pardee are coming to visit today!! We are so excited to have a whole week to visit with them... Caylyn is especially excited. This morning I told her that we were going to pick Nana and Papa up from the airport and she exclaimed, "Hurray! Let's go!"

Right now I have to hurry to finish all the last minute "details" before we leave... I will post pics throughout the week so check back often.

First Day of School

Caylyn and Josiah (a 2 year old boy we babysit) are starting "school" today. We had started a little last spring, but with the craziness of summer all organized learning took a back seat. A friend at church loaned me her K-4 ACE curriculum with coloring pages, teacher guide, activities and character development. Now, we are doing this with a 2 year old and 3 year old so it will be MUCH smaller scale and only about an hour each morning.

Tentative schedule:

8:00 Opening Prayer, pledge, Bible verse

8:10 Bible Story

8:20 Letter of the Week (A) and alphabet flash cards

8:35 Number of the week (1 and 2)

8:45 Character Development exercise

8:55 Game

I'm just looking for a little structure to teach them how to sit still and focus. It's 8 a.m. so here we go!

Thankfulness...

The Lord has blessed our family in so many ways and we have so much for which to be thankful. About a month ago, Chad and I sat down and decided to make some changes in the way we run our household. We made some challenging financial changes and decided to sit down every Sunday night, look over the upcoming events/bills/schedule and pray over them. What an INCREDIBLE difference! We have never seen the Lord bless us like he has in the past few weeks. Everytime I bring to mind each way he has provided in the last 4 weeks my eyes just fill with tears. We serve an awesome God.

I've been reading two book on child-rearing that have completely changed my outlook. I just wish I had read them sooner!

Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman

(A great perspective for moms, but keep you KJV handy as she uses another version!)

To Train Up a Child by Michael and Debi Pearl

(Still reading this one, but it offers great advice for training little ones.)

We also recommend Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp. He talks about addressing heart issues during discipline, but doesn't say HOW... Don't Make Me Count to Three is a great complement because Ginger Plowman gives several tools/passages to really reach the heart of your child.

Of course, none of these will ever replace the ultimate child-rearing manual. Read your Bible EVERY DAY for the best advice in training!

I would LOVE to hear about any books that you would recommend for child-rearing.!

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.