The Way to Bring Autumn In:

Apple Butter, straight from Mom's kitchen to my little family's heart.

Thanks for your labors Mitch and Mom.

Hard at Work

Colson Quotes +

For about a week or so, I have made a little list of some of the wonderful things that come out of Colson's mouth. It's constant but here is a snippet for you to enjoy and some recent snapshots:

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Colson: The grasshopper disobeyed me.

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Colson: I don't like to sleep in my room at night with the light off. Do you know why I don't like the light off? I don't like that because Jesus tells us to 'walk in the light.'

Me: Good thing you don't sleep walk.

C: What?

Me: Nothing.

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Colson: Mom, Don't you want me to draw you a skull?

Me: Yes, that's exactly what I wanted you to draw for me.

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Colson: Lewis, Sometimes we obey Jesus. And sometimes we disobey Jesus because obeying Jesus is hard. Right Lewis?"

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Here is Colson's backwards 'Z' and his Zebra:

I love these monkeys!

This is Lewis

This is Lewis showing his budding piano skills:


This is Lewis showing how seriously he takes eating Sabbath treats, namely donuts:


This is Lewis showing frustration that he's not as big as big brother. He wants in on the crafting action just as much as the next man:


And these next two are Lewis showing how he can be irresistable to his Mama:


Stop looking at me like that Lewis. You know, you won't be the baby forever. (I think this is more of a pep-talk for me, not him). OOOOOOOOoooooooo, I love him!

roundin' up ornery rustlers, in style

Yes, another update. Shocking, no doubt...

Colson is into dress up. It's not dress up of the feminine nature, however. Just take a peeksy for yourself of his latest garb:

Church Picnic Done Well

I have to say that we are loving Eugene and particularly the Church Body here. God's grace in our lives abounds, and it's with thanksgiving we reflect his will in our lives by bringing us to the Saints in this community.

We celebrated two baptisms and had a great time a couple weeks ago eating and playing at a nearby park. Here are some fun shots from the day:











Awwww, I like this bunch of folks. :)

It's official: The Josephs are now Mr. and Mrs.

One of my oldest and dearest friends, Jenni got married to a Mr. Jeremy Joseph a few weeks ago. I was in the wedding and, to my dismay, was unable to participate in taking pictures of the bride and groom. I was so pleased to be able to do a private bridal session with the two of them. These two were smokin'. I've been having a ball looking through them, and am not even close to being done, but here's a little sample of our session.

Maybe more later, but for now, I have to get to the Ina Garten Turkey Meatloaf that's ready to get in the oven and the garlic/rosemary roasted red potatoes! YUM!

I know I'm way behind on the blog. I've got some fun pics of the boys to share too. And a few from our awesome church picnic! Until then...

"rejoice in the Lord always..."

Waiting on Baby Girl

We're a rowdy bunch.



I think we may need a tad of delicacy. God knows this mama needs some pink in her life.



Baby is due around thanksgiving. She's letting me know that she's part of the party by kicking and punching....wait....no, not kicking and punching, I meant dancing. Yes, dancing in my baby bump. I wonder what the learning curve will be like when we've got a baby girl to take care of?

Oh, summertime. We are loving it. Finding my son outside looking like this is just perfect:



There are so many new things the boys are getting to enjoy, the warm weather together this season has opened up a brand new world. It's a pleasure to be able to see them do things like this:

Dear Lewis, I know you are going to be a tuff little bro. Look at that good-natured face while getting shoveled over by your big brother. Keep up the good work, child. Your Mommy is proud.


That's it, RUN, my pigeon toed toddler, as fast as you can!



And down he goes again:



But look at the joy:



And so it goes until someone get's hurt, or else finds a ladybug in the grass. Jackpot:


We had Colson's cousin Q over for a few days last week. He loves my boys and they love him. In fact, having him freed me up so much to be able to do things around the house that I normally don't get a chance to do. Look at this handsome boy:





And this photo, to me, is perfection. Not because it's technically perfect, by any means, but because it sooooo fitting. Colson, what am I going to do with you?



A dear friend is getting married soon, very soon, hence the tux. A 4-year-old in a tuxedo is irresistable.



Speaking of irresistable:



Lewis, oh!!!! Why do you charm me so?



I am enjoying this age tremendously with him. I am thankful for the camera and the ability to capture some of this magic, in part, at least. It will help me remember later.


These are good times. I am a full mama and wife. I can feel the Lord's blessing on us, by His grace, no doubt, and I'm filled with thanksgiving.