Randomness

Here is some of the fun we've been having lately:

Painting:

Sitting by the fire:

Lots of reading:

A new chore chart!:

A "chopped" lunch:

Beautiful fall flowers and decor:

Learning to fold:

Grown up leg crossing :)

Learning to set the table:

Too tired to eat...

Cowgirl boots!:

Thoughts....

My mind and my heart are being challenged and inspired and moved by the words to this amazing song:

I'm laying down my life, giving up control. Never looking back, I surrender all. 

I'm living for your glory on the earth. 

This passion in my heart, this stirring in my soul. 

To see the nations bow, for all the world to know, I'm living for your glory on the earth.

For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me. 

Light a flame in my soul for every eye to see. 

For the sake of the world, burn like a fire in me.

For every knee to bow down. For every heart to believe. For every voice to cry out.

Burn like a fire in me.

For every tongue to confess you alone are the king. 

You are the hope of the earth.

I look around me, at the world, my community, my friends, my church, my family, myself. We are all so easily caught up. Recently I've been feeling such a sadness as I see people backing away or becoming so busy in the midst of their own lives that they (and myself) fail to see the suffering or joy or the moments, good and bad, that are happening all around them. I want to throw away the phones and the computers, the TV's, the schedules and to-do lists so that people can see each other, themselves, Jesus. HE is really all that matters anyways. After 28 years of being a Christian, I'm finally getting it. The past couple years God has been working on my heart and my mind, molding and shaping me and for the first time, I can feel it, see the change, desire it. All I want is to be what HE wants me to be. The reason we are all here is to glorify God and serve one another. In the end, all that will matter, is what we have done for HIM. How I live matters. People are watching, with expectations and needs, desperate for hope. Desperate to know that their pain and suffering has a purpose, that it's not all for nothing. The words to the song haunt me. I desire to be a light, a FIRE that burns with such intensity that everyone I love, everyone I meet would be drawn to it. I have so far to go but I am so glad for the desire. Burn, baby, burn...

For the sake of the world

What does it look like?

Emotions

The girls thought it would be fun one night to have me take pictures of them doing different emotions. Some of them are pretty hard to decipher!


Here is silly:

Scared:

Happy:

Surprised:

Sad:

LLC - Apples

I'm attempting to start Little Learner's Club over for the group of siblings that are around Millie's age. My plan is to go back through some of the topics we've used the past 3 years with the older siblings. So far, it's a pretty small group so we will see how it goes!

Apples was our theme this time. The kids painted apples on their trees with corks,

Then did some apple stamping,

And finally, the always trusty Apple Smiles! :)

Fall

Fall is finally here!!! We love this season and can't wait to get started on all the fun things that come

with it. Here are a few of our plans:

Carve a pumpkin

Go trick-or-treating

Decorate the house

Make caramel apples and candy apples

Play at the Fall Festival

Make pumpkin treats

Host a fall party...or maybe a couple :)

Progressive Dinner

Navigate a Corn Maze

Visit the pumpkin patch

Fall crafts

Make Pumpkin Soup

Make apple cider and pumpkin spiced lattes 

Our first fallish thing was an apple tasting:

Millie liked Granny Smith

Avi liked Golden Delicious

Happy Fall!

Big Bear

Last weekend, my parents treated us to a mini vacation up in Big Bear. The weather was beautiful and the cabin was cozy. It was a great chance to get away. Thanks mom and dad!

This was our cute little cabin. We stayed at the Grey Squirrel Lodge and it was great!

Our first meal was pizza from the local pizza place:

A little ping-pong, volleyball, basketball and swinging:

Next we played with our giant bat and ball, built a fairy house and made decorations with all our nature finds:

That night we had stew and cornbread and roasted marshmellows by the fire :)

The next day we visited the Big Bear Zoo. We all loved the bears and wolves.

Later on we got ice cream and headed to the lake:

 The morning after Avi built the fairy house, we came out and found this. The next day the fairies brought her a mini bouquet of wild flowers. She was so excited!!