Well, hello there, ye ol' blog!

So, I'm obviously way behind on, oh... um, everything on this blog.
Consider this a scattered update on what's been going on with us the last few months.
The pictures won't even match the words... just go with it. :)

.................

I think we are finally adjusting to our new fall routine. The first Saturday after everything started up, we all took a much needed nap, and Caroline slept for 4 straight hours. Tired, much? Our schedule isn't even really all that crazy, but starting everything at once kinda took it out of us.  Sometimes I've missed our easy-breezy summer routine, but my productivity has increased dramatically since preschool started. :)

................

this girl = pure joy

................

Speaking of preschool, Elli is having a ball. She loves her teacher, Miss Amy. "My teacher is so nice, Mommy." On the first day, she was so happy to see all her friends that she gave them big, excited hugs. (I couldn't believe how much taller she is than them this year. Apparently she grew over the summer.) She especially loves when Miss Aimee takes her on bear hunts, and painting is her favorite part of school, she tells me. Miss Aimee tells me that she will sit forever working on an art project.

.................

little miss imagination

...................

Caroline remains a bit of a momma's girl. She still cries (that full-bodied, open-mouthed, alligator-teared, piercing-silence kind of a cry) when I drop her off at mother's day out or nursery, but her teachers tell me she is quickly distracted. Recently she has started to voluntarily go from me to some of her favorite people. Girl likes to be held, though, no doubt about it. She rewards with snuggles, though, so I'm kind of a sucker for it.

 

......................

some of Daniel's faves

.....................

We are smack dab in the middle of pacifier training around here, and it's going much better than I anticipated. Caroline is definitely less attached to them since I snipped the ends off of them a week ago. Next step is throwing them in the trash... oh boy. We could be in for a couple of rough nights. :) I know we'll both be better off without them, but I'm a little sad she's losing a little bit of her baby-ness.

........................

so curious about everything

...................

as is she!

.....................

If I had a penny for every "Why?" question I've answered just in the last month, I might buy a set of encyclopedias. Elli is full of questions and curiosity. I can spend an entire 15 minute car ride discussing what whales eat and how they eat it. She's insatiable for knowledge, and "I don't know" is just not an acceptable answer to her questions.

.....................

love my fam

...................

Daniel has had/ is having some big deadlines at work, but no more trips to China at least in the near future!!!!! Woo hoo!!!!! (No, that is not an overuse of exclamation marks.) We love having him home every weekend. In addition to working hard, he's been busy with several projects around the house, too. On one of the cooler evenings recently, we sat out back and remembered how much our backyard has changed since we moved here! He's put so much into our home, and it's such a pleasant place to be now.

.....................

messy buns are the best

...................

I'm feeling more at peace with my life than I have in a long time. This summer I read along with shereadstruth in a Bible reading plan called "Surrender." God used his word to reveal some areas of my heart that I had not fully given to him. I've let go of a few (still in process on some of them!), and I'm experiencing new freedom in my walk with the Lord and my relationship with others.
......................

not the greatest pic, but i love my elle-belle

....................

We are excited for our fall harvest garden - beets, kale, spinach, and edamame. I wouldn't say our garden has been super fruitful up to this point (except for our basil and kale), but we learned a lot this summer and will definitely try again next year. The chickens are growing and should soon begin laying eggs. It's fun to venture out every morning to see if there are any eggs out there.
......................

the train never ceases to delight

....................

When we moved in to our house, I had a potty-training two year old and a one week old, so basically whatever was not immediately necessary got put in a closet to be dealt with "later." Well, later arrived last weekend and our closets are finally organized! Only took me seventeen months. :) Daniel built me some awesome shelves to maximize our storage, and graciously put up with crazy amounts of clutter while I took everything out and figured out what to keep and where to put it.

.....................

and one more of my favorites

......................