October gifts

 On a trip down to Rochester, I said to Derrick, "I think you connect with Micah more because you're a boy. You can talk video games, intelligently about football and you know who the superheros are." I think that got him thinking. He may not have boys, but he has nephews and he can do boy things with them. Here they are playing Mario Kart. Again, it is such a joy to be close enough to family to capture these moments with siblings, parents, nieces and nephews.

So, all I know is princesses and crafts. Honestly, it's what I'm interested in and my girls totally follow suit. So, while the boys Mario Kart race (Derrick would probably want you to know that he can still beat the boys...for how much longer will remain to be seen) the girls watch a movie...cousins snuggled together. Love it!
These pictures were taken the night we went to Litchfield to say goodbye to Micah. And while that was really hard, God is still good and you can begin counting His gifts to us just by looking at these moments captured in picture.
Aliya is doing well in preschool. And honestly, I'm really enjoying teaching her (minus the moments she decides she doesn't want to be teachable). Last week, we make a water xylophone. And while we were at it, mixed the primary colors to make secondary colors. Totally cool.

 Carving jack-o-lanterns is getting a bit more creative around here. Breanne spent time googling jack-o-lanter carving ideas to come up with a plan...a witch, a flower, a scarecrow...so many options!

Aliya had to have a princess jack-o-lantern. (Still not really sure how you're suppose to do that one, but she was content to top the pumpkin with a crown and "wig.") She tried to gut the pumpkin, but that was grossing her out, so daddy had to intervene. What a guy! Always willing to do the dirty work.

Madison is (surprisingly) very traditional in her pumpkin carving. She and daddy are a good team.

The costumes and decisions were not set until trick-or-treating arrived. Day to day (or hour by hour) decisions were difficult. To be Belle or Sleeping Beauty, that is the question.

We ended up with a Tinkerbell...complete with a bundle and wings,

a good witch (because, "what the munchkins want to know is, are you a good witch or a bad witch,") with a wand because the good witches like Glenda have a wand, not a broom,

 and the queen of the fairies with a sparkly wand made by Miss Creative herself.

After the candy is gathered and you're all sugared up, there's nothing like a warm bath and then wrap up in your bathrobe, slipper socks AND slippers. Time to cuddle. I love being a mom!

Tough

I've never had difficulty posting to our blog. But now the words escape me and this is tough. Micah, our nephew has ran the race, fought the good fight with his eyes fixed on Jesus. And now he sees Jesus, not in part, but the whole. As I just finished watching this video again, I am thankful for the terrific parents God gave Micah as he walked this earth and am inspired to point my girls to Jesus as Mike and Traci do their children. One of Micah's favorite verses was James 1:2-4:

Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds. Because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. And perseverance will do its work to make you mature and complete, not lacking anything.

As Mike said at Micah's memorial service, Micah is mature and complete now. May we be inspired to adopt this as our own prayer.

Feel like a birthday

 "It doesn't feel like a birthday," was the repeated phrase on September 28, Aliya's 4th Birthday. "No one is coming to my house!" It's a hard thing for a four-year old to wait for a party, two days after the birthday. I tried my best to let her pick all her favorites throughout the day. She started with chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Apparently, it was really Breanne just talking her into the pancakes idea because after she blew out the candle, she asked for a bowl of cereal. She enjoyed a new favorite: storytime at the library in Farmington and we came home to read birthday books and make birthday hats for our little "party" after sisters returned home from school. Her activity of choice? "I want to play games...like Candy Land." And wouldn't you know, Breanne won. Shucks!

 We woke Saturday morning and headed to Grandma and Grandpa DeWilde's where a new tire swing and playhouse awaited them. They had the greatest time that day! Aliya and Breanne were convinced to ride in the tractor with Dad for a little bit, but the real icing on the cake was when the DeWilde cousins came over to play: Bailey, Trevin and McKenley.

Sunset on the farm

It was truly a picture perfect weekend and the party finished it off. This picture is really fun, but a bummer that we're missing the oldest cousins: Micah and Daniel. The kids played at the park but in retrospect, I should have had water games..it was quite warm. Funny, I wasn't even sure we would be able to have the party outside!

There's nothing sweeter than being surrounded by cousins you love and adore!

A bonus...

Just found this treasure taken with Derrick's phone from Breanne's play, The Wizard of Oz this summer. The cutest munchkin EVER!

The Pumpkin Pie

"That girl's been asking for pumpkin pie all month," Derrick notices Aliya's repeated request. When my sidekick noticed the pumpkins at the grocery store this past week, I couldn't resist her much longer. (However, now I seriously question my sanity...why not just talk her into buying the canned pumpkin?)  But an almost 4-year old doesn't comprehend that a pumpkin in itself is not miraculously turned into a pie by a wave of momma's wand. So, we bought the whole pumpkin and on Friday, the day had finally arrived to excitedly, "Make the pumpkin pie!"

As we cleaned and then began cutting the pumpkin, she thought the pumpkin could also dub as a wig if we placed it on her head. I couldn't convince to try the wig on, even for a quick picture. 

Then, while the pumpkin baked in the oven, we started on the pie crust. This momma isn't the best pie crust maker...I convinced her that we needed to call in Grandma Barb next time, who is the best pie maker ever! (Take note grandma!) The pie turned out WONDERFUL. Best I've ever tasted. I guess momma and Aliya are a good team.

After Aliya retired to a nap, it was finally time for momma to play with her new toy! I don't know that it's normal to be so excited when purchasing a 50 pound bag of wheat berries.

 

But I was. In no time at all, I had my fresh wheat flour ready for baking...but what? Well, we started with whole wheat waffles. Received pretty well by my white bread family. Started some Artisan Bread souring in the fridge to bake tomorrow. Then Breanne was my partner in crime to tackled whole wheat pizza crusts. Terrific! Yumminess...come visit me to get some!

Our Best Moments

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Momma's privilege

 Isn't it a mother's privilege to be proud of her children when she catches glimpses of them headed in the way they should go? Wasn't Paul proud of the churches he planted that were growing and flourishing in Christ? With that in mind, I will share the thoughts racing though my mind lately in regards to my three golden heads.

What an amazing 3 (well, almost 4) year old we have in our family. We like to call her our favorite 3-year old. She can be quite responsible (although, she has her moments). This morning, she asked for a washcloth so she might clean up her play dough toy area. Last night, laying in bed, I prayed that she might some day ask Jesus to be the boss of her life, something she's surely heard from her sisters and I've overheard her say in her free play. She said, "When I wake up, I'm going to ask Jesus to be the boss." On second thought, "No, when I'm 4, I probably will. When it's Christmas I will ask Jesus to be the boss. Mom, when I ask Jesus to be the boss, I'm not going to suck anymore," she is confident Jesus will immediately give her the gift of self-control, until then, she immediately shoves her fingers in her mouth to suck. When sisters headed to school, she began homeschool preschool. In the week we've been at it, she's begun writing her name, loves to sing the "Days of the Week" song and following in sister's footsteps, loves to sing and dance. She is becoming quite the roadster on her bike. While she hasn't ditched the training wheels yet, she can muster up the energy to make it to the park, about a mile away.

Our favorite middle-girl, Breanne (a term coined by my dad for me...Derrick & I find it perfect for our Breanne) is quite the independent minded little spirit. Sometimes I like to call her my little Beaver because she notices details that her older sister and I may glaze over. Her heart is tender toward her friends left behind in Billings and her preschool teacher from Billings who was diagnosis with cancer. This summer, I'd often find her writing letters and cards to mail to friends and she prays for them often. She worked really hard this summer to sew together a fleece blanket and bag to carry it in. She also started a pair of pajama pants, but they are a work in progress. I'm so proud of my little homemakers! I find it amazing how lucky our girls are to be able to build a sandbox with dad one day and the next, sew with their momma. She is Derrick's little boating girl, she loves to ride in the boat with dad and on Labor Day, was right next to Derrick hooking up ropes and such. She is excited to be back in school and making new friend in her new class.

Madison is our little work horse! She often amazes Derrick and I with her already strong work ethic. She is able to stick with a job until it is completed (most of the time...unless there's a game of barbies or school that needs to be played...which is totally understandable for an eight-year old). She was able to spend a weekend backpacking with her daddy which thrilled both of them! Maybe the hike wasn't quite a Montana backpacking experience, but after all, it isn't about the destination, but the journey! She also picked up her sewing again this summer. 

As I type, our office desk is covered with the workings of her very own recipe book. She is compiling favorite recipes she can make herself. She does quite well baking...just gotta double check every now and then to make sure she added a teaspoon (not tablespoon) of salt to the batter. Again, I'm proud as a peach, watching my girls learn how a home and family works.

This past weekend, we finally got to camp now that the weather's cooled some. It was fantastic...just what this momma wanted! It was good for our family to get away together, unplug, have "no agenda" and enjoy God's gorgeous creation. (Breanne has decided she doesn't want her picture taken by me...so woohoo, maybe I'll be in some pictures now if she can use my camera!)

We are constantly praying for cousin Micah, as Traci said, "storming the gates of heaven," asking for a miracle! In the midst of it, my sister and brother-in-law take each day and recognize it's many gifts! I count it a huge gift that we've been able to see their family much and have cousin time! What a joy to be close to family...even if camping in the Montana mountains is cooler.

A fun picture of the girl cousins.