Halloween Party!

We had some of the kids' friends over for a pre-Halloweeen party.  I really could have died of cuteness.  That many toddlers in big fuzzy costumes was almost too much for me.  Daniel raked a huge pile of leaves in front of our climber and let the kids slide into them.  So much fun!  This might have to be an annual thing. :)

Cupcakes!

  Yum!

Love this little kitty!

 Playing in the leaves with Shaurya.  They had a blast.

 Pretty lil  Lia!

 Jack, the climbing machine.  :)

 Jack's little brother Calvin.  Cute little monkey.  :)

 The toddler version of a hayride.  :)

 Jack (aka-Bumblebee)

 Trying to catch the falling leaves.  

Tim surprised me by loving his costume.  He's in a "love it" or "hate it" kind of phase, and I was expecting "hate it."  When he came down from upstairs with it on, he pointed emphatically at himself as if to say "Aren't I the cutest little puppy dog ever?"  Yes.  Yes you are.

 Group shot.  As good as any group shot of toddlers ever is.  :)

Nana and Poppy's Visit

My parents were just here for nine days.  It was so good to see them and so good for the kids to have some Nana and Poppy time   We did lots of fun things with the kids--Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm, the Children's Museum, the park, a fall hike,  and lots of special treats.  In between, they entertained my fantasies of eradicating my "to do" list (ha!).  Loved having them. 

Goebbert's

Pony rides.  Unfortunately, Ava was too distracted by the haunted house adjacent to this to enjoy it.  :(

Hiking at Deer Grove Forest Preserve.

Took advantage of my Dad's presence to actually be in a picture.  :)

Motorcycle chick.  :)

"Playing chess" with Poppy at Oberweis Dairy.

She has him stumped!

Tee hee!

Hmmmm...

A balloon for the boy!

More Ballet

      Me:  Ava, did you have fun at ballet today?
      Ava: I didn't do all of the things.  I did some of the things.
      Me: Why didn't you do all of the things your teacher said?
      Ava (with a twinge of shame in her voice): Because I'm not a good listener.

A little heart breaking, but true. Observe:

Moraine Hills State Park

Daniel's parents were up for the weekend, so we headed to Moraine Hills State Park to do some fall hiking.  Ava stuck pretty close to grandpa, insisting that he carry her much of the way.  He was a good sport about it.  We spent quite a bit of time making use the of the playground there as well.  It's good to be outside. 

 

 

Can you tell these two are newlyweds?

  

 Fun with static electricity, part 2.  (Here for part 1). This slide had a static force field; we got a little zap from just getting within 4 or 5 inches of it.  

 

It may look like fall...

But it's an Indian Summer.

You are Here

It's been a particularly hard year for our little family.  I've mentioned it before.  Daniel spent 5 of 9 weeks in India this summer.  Even aside from the travel, work's been hard for him.  We have two little kids, and are about to have three.  And at times, my heart aches for the people we love best.  They are the same people who love us best.  I want to be able to see my family without driving for two days.  I want them to come over and play with our kids when they feel like it.  I want to do community with the many people that we love that are scattered all over this country.  I want to not feel so alone in all this.  We love Chicago, love our church, really love the life God has given us here, but some days it's hard to feel like so much of myself is somewhere else.

Then we decided to refinance.  Nothing big, but interest rates are low and we thought we could shorten our term for not much more money per month.  In the process, we had to have our house appraised, and our appraisal came in lower than what we paid for it.  A lot lower.  And the realization hit, that we are here for the long term.

It's not that I had an exit plan.  It's just hard sometimes.  It would be comforting to know that we had an option of moving.  But God hasn't given us that.  Through this appraisal, God has very gently said to me: You are here. 

One night last week I was having trouble going to sleep. Thoughts swirling, anxiety rising, sadness overwhelming me.  And since I'm pregnant, I got up, came downstairs, and got a snack.  I sat on the couch and wrestled with God. 

I'm tired.  I'm lonely.  I'm hurt.  I miss my family.  I miss so many people.  

And I felt God gently pressing back: You are here.

Even though Daniel's job is hard and sometimes takes him halfway across the world...

Even though you are lonely and hungry for community...

Even though your children are exhausting...

Even though you are beat up, tired, and hurt...   

I have you here, and I am enough.

Schedules

I'll just come on out and say it:  I hate schedules.

Every part of me bristles at the thought of doing the same thing at the same time each day.  Structure is not my forte.  If we are too scheduled, I feel boxed in.  I like flexibility in our day, so we have time to see people we love, go to the zoo on a whim, or run a last minute errand.

We do have a routine, but have historically held it loosely, because life happens.  There are doctor's appointments, play dates, church events, and all manner of things that keep my children and I from sticking to a schedule.  And mostly I think that's good for them.  It means that we can have dinner with people that stay up later than 7.  It means that they don't fall apart if we go to a good friend's birthday party.  It means that we get to be a part of a community group.  These things don't just benefit us, but them as well.  They are invited into the community of people we love just like we are.  Our friends love our kids, and it means a great deal to them that they have aunties and uncles here.

Not to say that this is the way everyone has to go.  Admittedly, our children are flexible.  Some of that is nature, some of it nurture, to be sure.  Not everyone can do what we do and have some level of sanity in their household.  Better or worse, though, it's how we roll.  Two type B personalities plus 5 years in Hawaii has made us pretty laid back.

But back to schedules.  I am discovering that we need one.  It's not that we need structure for structure's sake. What I'm finding is that without a schedule we get to the things that have to be done (eating, laundry, basic hygiene) but we don't get to the most important things (playing, crafts, walks, going to the park).  By the time we are ready to do something in the morning, it's practically lunchtime.  Then naps, and quiet time and our day is shot.  And if the kids don't get into bed by 8 or so, Daniel and I have very little time left to talk and connect before we have to go to bed. 

So we are working on getting up earlier, getting Daniel to work earlier, getting ready earlier, reading Bibles before the kids are awake, and having more time for fun in the morning.  We are working on getting Tim down for his nap earlier, getting the kids to bed earlier, getting chores done earlier, spending more time together, and going to bed earlier.  So that we can then get up earlier...

I think we will still hold it loosely.  We'll let our kids stay up too late on occasion so they can play with aunties and uncles.  We'll spend more time at the park than we should and push Tim's naptime a little too late.  Sometimes I'll sleep in because it's been a hard night, or because, hey, I'm pregnant.  It's just our way.  But I'm hoping this new routine will give us a loose structure to help us fit in the important things that we are missing.  Maybe it won't be so bad.