Fall Cleaning and illegal picture taking.

Yesterday started my FALL CLEANING. Do people have FALL CLEANING? Normally, I don't. BUT, my MOTHER-IN-LAW is coming. Therefore, we clean!

I'm excited to have her for a week. She has yet to meet Easton and he can't wait to meet her! ;)

Next Sunday we are having him dedicated at church so she will be there for that occasion.

Til then...we clean!

HAPPY CLEANING!

 

My mother-in-law

Her church doesn't believe in taking pictures...so I snuck this one in last summer when we were in PA. Trust me when I say...WE WILL have pictures when she gets here. LOTS of pictures of her and Easton. What the bishop doesn't know won't hurt him! I'm just the wild-worldly daughter-in-law with a camera. Don't mess with me!

Whew! I'm back. What a week it has been! Let's see, when I last posted was a week ago! Time flies when you are having fun! A week ago, we received some sad news. My mom's uncle passed away from cancer. He had been fighting it for a year. With funerals come FAMILY! Although we were very sad to lose a family member, there is NOTHING better than getting to see your cousins! AND in my book...SUMMER=COUSINS it was a nice "ending" to my summer.

In no order...I give you some pictures from this weekend and last week. They are ALL over the place so TRY to keep up! ;)

Sunday night we had our church baptizm...and our church has never fancy-nope. Backyard swimming pool works for us! We use to do it at the river...but thankfully, a family has a swimming pool we enjoy. Easton enjoys a swim after the service is over. (Frankly, I was sad I couldn't jump in! That night was soooooo hot!)
During the baptizm Tristan loved to put his hands in the water.

Pastor Paul (my daddy!) during the service. I was moved to tears several times during the service!

My good friend Ruth Ann and her family all getting baptized. They were horse and buggy Mennonite and got saved after they left that church. Powerful how their family--TOGETHER--got baptized. (they do have 2 more children who are 2 and 7 months.)

One of my most favoritest cousin--Sarah. Love her so much and hate it that we live so far away! She got to meet Easton for the 1st time and they really do love each other! My childhood summers were spent with this girl! So many memories. Her parents would bring her out for two weeks and OH THE MEMORIES WE MADE! She's stay at grandma's house those two weeks and we'd watch movies, go swimming, and play in our playhouse. (and so much more!)

Summertime=BOOKS! As a former teacher I use to spend MOST of my summer catching up on some good reading. My mama and Tristan having a good time reading book!

My baby boy asleep in my arms. Bliss! He loves to sleep in his bed. So, we don't get to do this very often...but when we are out and about I love when he falls asleep in my arms.

AND, what summer is not complete without homemade icecream and fresh peach pie?

More jumping time (still in our rainboots) in our newest and favorite toy! From Aunt Lois!

Dr. visit for Mr. Easton. His 4 month checkup...weighing in at 15 lbs. and 25 3/4 inches long. Happy baby.

He loved being able to stand and hear the "crunch" of the paper under his feet.

A little taste of Farmer's Market...

Waking up early to watch daddy clean the fish he caught.

Loving on daddy.

We have been busy. Lots of fun and great memories were made this week. Lots of cousin time and stories of yester-year were told.

Yesterday we celebrated my mom's birthday and tomorrow we celebrate my husband's birthday. We are having a blast!
Loving the last few weeks of summer!

There's no place like home!

(my whole family this past Christmas at my childhood home!)

Greetings from my CHILDHOOD home!


My father and husband went fishing this week up north. I felt NO reason for Easton and I to live by ourselves for 4 days so, we packed our bags, carseat, wipes, computer, bumbo seat, stroller, scrapbooking supplies, and favorite blanket and headed back to my childhood home.

AHHHHH. Home. There is NOTHING quite like it.

This home is special. God gave my parents this home. Yes, G-A-V-E. Years ago, my parents moved to Iowa and LIVED in a DUMP. Great memories were made, but a dump it was. My parents were/are pastors' of a small church and money was tight. We rented two other houses besides the dump, before we got a phone call.

See, a man who had lived in our town years before, called my father and told him he NEVER told my father this, but, he had made a deal with God and was FINALLY able to make it reality.

This man was married and had a wonderful family. The only thing was--their marriage was in trouble. At that point, God led my parents into their path. My parents led them to Jesus, and they started coming to our church. They worked on their marriage and their lives were changed forever. Their marriage was saved, and they found a church home and great friends along the way. A few years later, they had a job transfer and moved to another state. Such a blow to ALL of us, we were such great friends!

When they still lived here, the man told God, if God would bless his business, and he could afford it, he would buy my parents a HOUSE. BECAUSE, they brought him to Jesus and cared enough to help his family when they were at their worst.

They moved to another state when I was about 4 and we got a phone call when I was about 11. He called my dad. Told him to start looking for a house. He made a deal with God and HAD to keep it. Because of that MOVE to another state, God blessed him and his business and he could FINALLY buy my parents a nice house.

We found the PERFECT house.

We moved in and have ALWAY been thankful for this house. Always. It's PERFECT for our family. And now perfect for my parents!

God was SO faithful.

He still is, even after all these years!

So, my friends, whatever you are going through, BE sure to remember this TRUE story. God works in His OWN time and in His way. If it's a HOUSE, JOB, MONEY---WHATEVER---He will make a way!

Just remember the little house on Washington St.
He provides.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day...

Today was PERFECT weather to be outside! Last week it rained for days...but today, Iowa once again redeemed itself and here are pictures to prove it!

Wil and I went to the lake and while he fished, Easton and I went for a nice little...er...long walk.
The birds were singing, the sky was amazingly blue, the green all around made so happy. We walked and we walked. Such a perfect day!
This was Wil's fishing spot. I brought a lawn chair and a good book while he was finishing up this little fishing day. Easton loved being outside! He looked ALL around and kicked his feet.

Wil parked the car and walked over to the OTHER side of the lake to fish. After my hour walk, with Easton in the stroller, and a lawn chair on my back, I walked over to be with Wil. Ugh. Halfway there, through mud, and grass, and dirt, up hills, in muddy water, and the sun beating down on me, I got there. I felt like a pioneer woman, trying to live, beat the odds so her child could have a better life...The picture above is the END of our LOOONG walk to meet up with Wil. Yes, it's prettier in the picture than with a stroller and lawn chair on your back!

Changing up bait. Trying to catch a BIG ONE!

Easton slept the WHOLE walk, and on the way to the car Easton just started talking and cooing and looking at his daddy. He did look over at me to get this cute picture. *NOTE* Yes, it was 70 degrees. Yes, it was sunny and warm. Yes, we do have TWO blankets on our baby. WHY--you ask--Easton is ALWAYS (I promise) ALWAYS cold. He wears short sleeves and his lips quiver. SO...we always have ONE blanket around him...and the heavy "lamb" blanket has to be by his face when he sleeps. SO two blankets it is!

After the "trail of tears" trip to find my husband, I had Wil push the stroller back. I carried the lawn chair and we both carried the fishing pole. Yes, I did whistle the Andy Griffith tune as we walked...when I had the fishing pole. I couldn't help myself!

Talking and cooing with his daddy! Happy baby loves to be outside!

My sweet baby boy---I can't get enough of him! ;)

Talking about the next fishing trip we plan to take!

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Yesterday was a PERFECT day. JUST perfect. Wil, Easton, and I woke up early and went to Aroma's to get some coffee.

Easton's 1st time in Aroma's.
Wil---before the coffee!

Me---with my Iced chai tea. YUM!

Then, we headed for a walk...SUCH a beautiful DAY!

Easton wanted OUT of his stroller...so Wil carried him as we walked. He liked that better!

Our little family!

After coffee and a walk, we headed to a Stillwater Greenhouse with my family.

Us---at Stillwater---We WILL be back to get more flowers!

Lunch!

A wanna be Laura Ingalls....

Going back to his Mennonite roots! ;)

Such a grand day!

Monday Morning Blues...

Wedding Weekend Pictures....

At the reception...such a NEAT place!
My dad, Uncle Don, and Uncle Dennis...Praying for each other at the end of the service on Sunday. SOOOO moving!

The 3 sisters before Libby had to leave to go back to VA!

Here I sit. at 11:15am in my pj's. Yep. Easton is still in his pj's too. This weekend was WILD. Wedding WILD. My brother got married and both my husband and myself were in the wedding. My 3 week old did SOOOOOO well.
BUT, today...we are TRYING to get back to our NORMAL days...and its hard. Here are JUST a few reasons WHY.

1. Our HOUSE is a mess. Clothes. Suitcases. Gifts. Etc. Ugh. Needs to be picked up. AND I'm WAAAY tooo tired to do it.

2. Since THURSDAY....Easton has been held 12 hours straight. By family and friends. 12 hours. a day. 12. UGH. DOUBLE UGH. So...today, we are working at TRYING to get back to the OLD routine about laying him down...falling asleep...STAYING asleep and waking up HAPPY. It's been a morning.

******************************The time is now 12:30***********************************

And I have had to START and STOP this blog because of a little baby that needs his mommy. The whole STAYING asleep thing is hard for him. (Me, not so much...the staying awake thing is hard for me.)

As you can see this is a very hard morning....and now has moved into the afternoon. BUT, slowly we are working on it! SLOWLY!

Because I was IN the wedding, I don't have ANY pics of us in our dresses on my camera. BUT, here are some pics and I will post MORE as others post them and I grab (or steal) them off facebook. :)

Blessed beyond measure!

Today I helped package 14 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Our Christian School raised money and brought gifts for 8 boxes...ONLY they went ABOVE and BEYOND 8and we had enough gifts for 14! I was so blessed by all the giving!

It also got me thinking about how blessed WE are. Here is a SHOEBOX...full of mostly Dollar General gifts and this is ALL they will get for Christmas. OR, it could be their ONLY gift for the year. My heart was sad...to think that I get "shoeboxes" full of things ALL THE TIME. I can run and get FOOD ANYTIME I want. Recently, I've needed clothes (due to a growing baby boy inside of me) AND, when I needed them, I went and got them. Trust me...they are bigger than a shoebox.

We can be so selfish and look at things we don't have. We can envy others and want to be in their place. Now, I realize that people struggle with money, and trust me, I lived off of a CHRISTIAN SCHOOL TEACHER'S paycheck for 7 years. I KNOW tight budgets...Yet, God blessed me. I'm rich...not in my bank account...but in life. My dad is still living all because my brother gave him a kidney. RICH! My sister, Libby and her husband, Isaac, got to a University that they BOTH ADORE. RICH! My sister, Beka and her husband, Zach, just became homeowners and have the SWEETEST baby boy, Tristan that I love so much. RICH! My mom is living her dream of being a wife, mother, and grandmother and now writing childrens' books...something she is amazing at. RICH! Wil and I FINALLY found each other. We have a baby on the way and fall more and more in love with each other daily. RICH!!

So, tonight, as I sit in my house all warm and feeling blessed, I'm reminded of ALL I HAVE to be THANKFUL FOR and I wanted to share with my friends.

What has God blessed you with this week?