EKjourney Backup

The children enjoy riding their bikes on the sidewalk. Sawyer has a tricycle and Jubilee rides this Flinstone car that was Phil's when he was a little boy. On one such riding afternoon, the neighbor lady brought up this lovely yellow bicycle to give to Sawyer. Her son had outgrown it and gotten a new one. I put on his helmet and was helping Sissy with hers when he decided to fly down the hill at mach 10 with his legs sticking straight out in the same way that he rides the little trike. I thought for sure he would crash and there was nothing I could do. By some miracle, he made it down the steepest part of the hill and rode it into the neighbor's front yard to slow himself down. I think it scared the daylights out of him but he couldn't let on in front of all the neighbor kids and the adults chatting around outside. I showed him how to use the brakes and I have only seen him ride "controlled" since then.        

     

We have had some beautiful Fall weather this October. Here are a few late blooming flowers and end of the season veggies. We are even having a second crop of figs.      

  Evangeline adores her brother and he adores her! Thursday, at the football game, a mom of one of the players held Evi while I packed up our snacks and backpacks. Sawyer was quite concerned and said to me, "That is my baby!"   Oh, dear, why is it that everything can be turned into a "shooting gun".   I can't believe this boy will be 4 next month!   Sometimes Sawyer gets into the spirit of dressing up...but not often.

  It is nice to capture a real smile. Whenever I ask her to smile, she gives me this really goofy grin!   Jubilee loves to try on hats, put on chapstick, change her outfits, etc.   There is a heater under on the floor where Jubilee is sitting. I watched as she went to the hot pad drawer and put these on. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "My blanket is hot."   I absolutely LOVE this picture! Our girl runs from pillar to post with her two year old attention span! She is so funny! This morning, we were playing a game of chase and she said, "Mommy, you a fast guy!"

Evangeline is getting to be such a big girl! She is officially 10 months old. She isn't crawling yet but can get up in the crawling position and push herself backwards until she gets stuck under a piece of furniture.      

       

Sawyer, size 9 Jubilee, size 7 Pink slipper, size 2      

I just finished reading The Power of Motherhood by Nancy Campbell. Besides the Bible, it is by far, the best book that I have ever read. Nancy does the most AMAZING job of instructing and encouraging. Every time I open this book, I am inspired. I have quite a few parenting books that are blunt and convicting and I have to put aside feeling chastised at times to pull out the excellent information that is in them but with Nancy's book, I always feel uplifted and excited to put into practice the scriptures that she lays out. It builds my esteem as a person and as a mother, giving me confidence, and making me feel close to the Lord and honored to be his servant by raising my children for Him. I am so so so so excited to meet Nancy and hear her speak at the Above Rubies conference I get to attend in November. What an amazing blessing to have the opportunity to be ministered by her, sitting next to one of my closest friends (you are going to sit with me, right Michelle?), on my bir...

One of the bazillian things that I love about my husband is his absolute devotion to his family and his children. Today, happens to be a grading day (no students) but tonight he has an away football game so he will be gone (he was last night, too). As he was pulling out of the driveway (I was outside with him), we looked over to see two little pajammed bodies and sleepy faces staring through the door. Daddy stopped the car, whisked them up and into their carseats, and off they went to get breakfast out, and then to Daddy's work to play. Spontaneous, fun, memories in the making. And I get a little breather as well. Caring for 3 little ones and our home when Phil is working so many hours can be a real test of patience for me especially on those days where he doesn't come home until after everyone is in bed. I appreciate so much when I have a some time to get my brain back in focus and rest a little. Especially recently when I am more fatigued. I am 5 weeks along and defi...

As a first time parent, you are so excited at having a little one in the home that go a little crazy in toy preparation because you want them to be entertained and have fun. And then..... Your children would much rather entertain themselves for hours with the leftover chopped onions and measuring cups. The decorative gourds that you bought for the table center piece are hauled all over creation in the back of a dump truck, in a stroller, in a basket, and proudly displayed as "pumpkin shows". It becomes a treasure hunt to collect worms out of the manure mulch pile and put them in the empty cat food container. A little baby is not content to sit outside on the blanket until a big orange cat flops down in her lap and she has a watering tool in hand. Hauling dirt, grass, rocks in the back of a dump truck is an important job. The scrap wood pile waiting for a burn day provides stacking materials, bridge building materials, a bench for eating grapes, and a make shift trampoline. W...

That Sawyer is something else. The other day he asked me why he has to obey me. If we are having a training session where a stern face and voice are needed, he asks me why I am not happy. Today, he was pestering Jubilee with a cut grape vine and when I told him to stop and he didn't, he explained himself by saying, "Mom, I can't help it." Then there is Miss Jubilee...We were discussing how the kitty can't be picked up because she has an owie on her tummy (from being spayed). She wanted to know if a wolf did it. WHAT, where on Earth did that come from??? She says the funniest things sometimes! Evangeline is our little squealer. She squeals and hollers in delight making us all laugh. When Sawyer got up from his nap today he wanted to know where his baby was and if he could go get her. And new baby is making mommy tired all ready. I suspect morning sickness will really start to hit next week. I must admit, I am really dreading it. New baby, by the way, is ...

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. Psalm 127:3-5a Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17    

No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 2 Timothy 2:4 I read this verse today in my Bible study. I had to take a little side road in the book of 2 Timothy to do a mini study on being a soldier of Christ (is there really such thing as a mini study!!!) This verse really ministered to me because my job as being a homemaker can seem overwhelming at times. With 3 children under 4 and Phil working so much (sometime 16-18 hours a day on game days), getting all the everyday things done and planning/doing preschool activities is a never ending battle. I am a task oriented person and I love organization and order. I rarely get done what I WANT to get done by the end of the day and I am interrupted so many times when I try that I am easily frustrated and become impatient. What a good message for me to not become entangled in these things. I need to do what I can, and focus on my service to th...

This last post was so long, you will need to view the previous pages for the whole story!

My parents invited several families over for an apple pressing party. It is sure to become an annual tradition. It was scheduled to rain today so the greenhouse was used as the pressing station. It was certainly a job for many. Apples had to be made ready, the press run, the juice strained and stored, and 5 children under the age of 4 needed to be watched (this is what I did). It was a lot of fun and we turned out over 70 gallons of juice!      

Apples were collected, boxed, and stored until pressing day. Everyone gathered from their own trees, from neighbors, along roadsides, where ever they could find apples. We then sorted and washed them. Each batch contained many varieties, as this makes the best juice.        

The press is made by a man in Eugene. My parents were on a long waiting list to receive one. They bought it last fall.