The Farmer and the Ladybug

Happy Halloween! It's always fun to dress up! The kids loved seeing lots of other kids in fun costumes too, and handing out candy to all the "chicka cheaters". We had a mild evening weather-wise and enjoyed being outside, talking with new friends and eating too much candy. :)

A glorious fall afternoon

Both kids love being outside. Cassidy still has a lot of fun with her slide and sandbox (as does Travis) but today she mostly wanted to runrunrun! Travis loves to watch his sister, try to catch up with her, and eat fistfuls of dirt. Boys will be boys! We are grateful for every sunny day and are really enjoying being outdoors, especially for walks with the kids in the stroller. We're getting to know our new town really well on foot.

Pumpkin loves to bring me "surprises" from outside, often leaves. Here you go, mama!The trees in our backyard and many in town are still very colorful.

Cassidy running around her favorite tree, in our sideyard.

Sweet Travis

It's almost impossible to get a picture of Travis NOT smiling.

Cassidy would really like it if I would let her jump from the top of the slide. Here, she's asking me to catch her.

Alfalfa joined us for breakfast today

Beep beep! Toot toot!

I think we could've stayed at Fareway all day. The kids were sooooo happy in their car! Travis held onto both steering wheel horns the whole time and Cassidy didn't complain. :)

And just like that, he's ONE!!!

One year ago today our son was born. It was a cool autumn day with little sun peeking through dark clouds over Lake Michigan. We headed to the hospital in the early morning for my scheduled C-section, feeling excited and full of love for the little guy we were about to meet. He was born before 8:00 that morning; a perfect, no-complications birth, thanks to the skill and compassion of many fine folks. I vividly remember the feeling of him being pulled from my body, the first breath I took after he took his own first gasp of air, and the sweet cry that pierced the room: the tiny sound that we waited nearly 40 weeks to hear. Travis is the best surprise we can ever imagine receiving. To say he is a gift from God is an understatement. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13The birthday boy wearing his birthday shirt!

Look closely - there are two more bottom teeth in there.

Travis loves his birthday gifts! From daddy and mommy: a push toy with a removable front that has lots of fun activities. From Cassidy: a firetruck!

Our almost-always smiling guy.

Okay, this time YOU be the princess!

Travis is such a good sport. Actually, he's thrilled to participate in whatever Cassidy will play with him. The movie Tangled is a favorite in our house right now and Cassidy is very intrigued with that "baby princess". Here they are, her dressing him up as Baby Rapunzel with her crown (aka Trav's old teething ring). It stays on for a few seconds...

...but falls off a lot so she has to readjust the crown."Sit still, Travis!"

"Here, let me show you how it's done."

Suggestions, anyone?

So I have this beautiful girl and I want desperately to get some beautiful pictures of her but she is in some sort of phase where she just does NOT want to smile for the camera! Now, admittedly, I've pushed the camera on her almost every day of her life since birth, so maybe she's just sick of it. But how do I convince her to smile instead of running away? This was the best I could do today. Help!

Chugga chugga, choo choo!

These days, Trav's constant companion is the toy train FarFar made for him for his first birthday. He loves pushing that train all over the house! Thank you, FarFar - your handcrafted work is much appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed!

Getting Settled

We keep getting the same question: "Are you getting settled?"

I'd say, yes. Though we're not in our permanent home here yet, we do feel at home. Our new congregation is welcoming us with love and excitement. The kids seem to be doing just great. Our vehicle is registered and I am a registered voter and licensed driver in the state of Iowa. We've figured out how to get around in nearby Ames and even been exploring in Des Moines twice. It's pretty wierd thinking about our home (still up for sale) back in Michigan, but we're hopeful that God will bring buyers soon so that we can move on and buy a home here in Story City. This week we made new friends; got some more unpacking done; Kurt had lots of meetings; the kids and I visited lots of wonderful ladies at the quilting day event at church; and we had a fun day celebrating my birthday, including a breakfast b-day party for me at church, organized by some very sweet and generous women. Here's a picture of a common activity at our house: the kids watching the world go by out the front door. There are lots of trucks, buses and cars to watch, and the older kids walking home from school often say hi to Cassidy and Travis, who love the attention from their "new fwends"! Travis smiling at Mommy at her birthday lunch in Des Moines.

Big Guy Baby Guy

I've been saying, "Travis will be one next month" and "his first birthday is at the end of October" for a while now. Today I looked at an actual calendar and it hit me. My baby boy's first birthday is next weekend. This afternoon in particular he looked so big to me, in his tennis shoes, shuffling across the floor. (He is still taking steps but not officially walking. He often stands firmly, then quickly runs about 6 steps sideways before happily flopping to the floor!) I have a lot of names for my boy: Travis, Trav, Travi, Sweet Guy...but lately I've been calling him Big Guy Baby Guy because that's just what he is. A little of both, and just perfectly so. We couldn't love him more.