Bare Bickets

Riley got home from TX late Friday night & it has been wonderful having him home. Ellie is once again her Daddy's shadow following him everywhere. Saedi now claps when Riley comes in the room & she's almost as comfortable around him as she is me (which says a lot since she's a momma's girl). While Riley went back to a regular work schedule immediately, we've been able to meet him for lunch almost everyday, and having the nice weather to enjoy together over lunch has been a bonus. We're trying to simply be together as much as possible these 10 days that we have together, so we've cancelled a lot of our regular evening activities and said no to some new propositions...and I'm proud of us for making time for each other (it's not easy to do). Our exception was last night whe I went to a much-needed girls' night out military coffee and had a blast while Riley took the girls on a date to Chuck E Cheese & Cold Stone Creamery. Other than that litle bit of excitment, I've been power washing the house & Riley is adding onto our deck...both large projects that are helping keep our attention at home this week. I haven't taken many pictures or been very good about updating the blog since Ry got in...but here's a picture of Saedi's bare bickets that I just couldn't resist tonight.

Christian Way Farm

Yesterday we went to Christian Way Farm with our friends, Natalie, Brooke & Meadow. It was the nicest pumpkin patch/farm that I've visited. Ellie's favorite part was preparing the corn for animal feed & then feeding the mule & calves. We lugged the girls through the corn maze, but it was worth it when they were able to pick a pumpkin from the patch. We also enjoyed storytime, laughing at the pigs & goats (lots of babies), swinging, hayride, tricycles, tractors, picnic lunch, and getting lost on the way home...that's right. Brave Nat ended up knocking on someone's door to ask for directions(I followed her incase she got kidnapped)& we got directed back home again. It was a full 5 hours outside & worth the $6!

Tuesday

Storytime at the library with our friends.Audry & Ellie playing at the park...gorgeous day today!
Ellie, Saedi, & Audry eating lunch by the Cumberland River.

At the Potter's House

Sunday's sermon at church was exceptionally good & I'd like to share a bit about what I got out of it. The passage that spoke most directly to me is from Jeremiah 18:1-6.
The background: Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet at a young age. A prophet is not necessarily a calling most people want. It often requires one to be the bearer of bad news. God had something he wanted to teach Jeremiah so He sent him to a potter's house for his field-trip lesson.
The text: "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it AS SEEMED BEST TO HIM. Then the word of the Lord came to me, "O house of Isarel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel".
My thoughts: While there was a ton that I gleaned from this sermon, what spoke to me the most is what I emphasied above. God created me as He thought best. That means I'm who I'm supposed to be- faults & all, strengths & weaknesses, likes & dislikes. So many times I get caught up in my world of perfectionism that I get bogged down with the impossibility of "measuring up" or ever "being good enough." Our world has created a fascad of what a beautiful woman should look like & how a lovely woman should act. What I find comfort in, however, is that I am nothing without Christ & that I'm exactly who I should be in Him!

Ellie & Brooke

Last week we had Brooke over to play for the day & we had so much fun together. Ellie & her friends are at a fun stage where they generally play well & are willing to do almost anything...good or bad. I enjoy seeing the girls explore their world & experiment with life. We spent the morning at a retirement center where the girls read books, colored, and had cookies & milk with the elderly. The girls behaved and really enjoyed themselves. Even Saedi did well- she was fascinated by all the wheels from the walkers & wheelchairs. We came home & had lunch, naps, baked cupcakes, & then ran around outside for the afternoon. The combination of awesome autumn weather combined with playful friends & the fact that Riley will be around this fall is making the upcoming holidays even more exciting! Praise God for so many blessings in our lives!

Time with Mimi & Papa

Ellie & I had a lovely break from one another. Mim (pronounced Meeeem...Ellie's new nickname for Mimi) & Papa wisked Ellie away for several days & took her to their Michigan home. Ellie had a blast in Michigan & didn't get homesick once (although she did ask for me once after a brief spanking episode). I think Ellie's highlights were feeding the chickens, playing with her cousins (Ty & Asher), baking cookies with Mimi, visiting Papa at the sawmill, collecting pumpkins, reading Peter Rabbit, watching Charlotte's Web...& that's only from her first day home trying to tell me about all she did.

With Ellie in MI & Riley in TX Saedi & I had some nice alone time for the first time since she was born (almost 8 months ago). Everyday life with only Saedi felt easy & we couldn't seem to get enough of one another. She's such a laid back baby & I was able to find a bit of myself back again: I pulled out my sewing machine & had fun with new creative projects, I baked, & best of all I got on track with my morning quiet time again...refreshing!

Here are some of our pictures from the hotel during our pick-up session last night/this morning.

PIXIE