Happy

I have been reflecting the past couple days on things that make me happy and things for which I am truly thankful. It's so much easier to focus on what makes me crazy (which is sometimes a lot), that I am trying to deliberately focus on the many current blessings in our lives!

So, in no particular order...

1) I am reading this book titled The Female Brain. It is a fantastic, intriguing, thought-provoking read! Anyway, it states that the female brain actually physically shrinks during pregnancy & childbirth, returning months later to it's normal size. Thank you! We baby mamas are not crazy or "losing our minds" - there is a physical, scientific reason why we can't remember anything or feel like we're walking around in a daze. Our brains are truly smaller! But only for a little while...

2) Sadie Jane is a smiling machine these days. Her smile brightens up her whole face and my day

3) We have sung different hymns to the boys at bedtime and unintentionally landed on a specific hymn for each of them that we repeat. Honestly, I think each hymn represented words and truth we needed to hear at their bedtimes, more than words for their benefit! Anyway, they now request these hymns, but know them as "the Cooper song" or "the Siah song". Cooper's is "O Love That Will Not Let Me Go" and Josiah's is "Be Thou My Vision". I love that they love these, request them, and think they were written just for their little ears! I'm thinking Sadie Jane's might be "Jesus, Lover of My Soul", but we'll see.

4) I've been able to start running again and am so thankful for our Chariot double jogging stroller! It allows me to have 2 very cute training partners...

This past Saturday was the Apple Festival at our Farmer's Market, which leads to several happy things...

5) I love our Farmer's Market

6) I love apples, especially fresh ones off the tree that can now be made into applesauce, apple pie, apple butter, etc.

7) There was a very good bluegrass band playing at the market on Saturday morning. The boys were dancing fools in front of the band - we must have listened for an hour! It was hilarious to watch them dancing...love their lack of inhibition and their love for music!

8) Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back at Starbucks!

That's enough for now...hope you're having a fabulous Wednesday!

Andy's Installation

Not only was this past weekend Sadie Jane's one month birthday and the first VT football game, it was also Andy's installation as the RUF Pastor at VA Tech! The installation was a ceremony where he was asked some questions, given a charge, and officially granted his position as RUF Pastor. It was a great ceremony and celebration.

Some of our favorite people from Raleigh were here - Mary-Brooke and Dan Seale! Dan preached at the installation service and Mary-Brooke came for the App State game and stayed for the weekend. The boys LOVED having them around.

Man, we really miss those Seales...and not just for their superior arm strength :) I can't believe those are the only pictures I got of them all weekend, but they are.

The "commission" crew - pastors/elders who installed Andy

RUF students!

Gram & Pop were here for the festivities!

A family picture to mark the occasion

I'm still getting used to seeing us as a family of 5...

A fun-filled weekend, thank you everyone!

1 Month Already!

Yes folks, Sadie Jane is 1 Month Old already! What a fast month!

Her 1 month birthday coincided with the first VA Tech football game. She was so excited thousands of people descended on our town to help her celebrate :)

Her stats:

She is now 10 lbs 5 oz (77%) and 22 1/4 inches long (85%) - a growing girl!

Go Hokies!

by the way, I am really awful at taking pictures of babies...oh well...

In other news - it has been raining here ALL WEEK! This mama is going a little crazy with her 2 "energetic" boys in the house all week. No children's museum, indoor playgrounds, not even a mall to run around in. It's going to be a long winter! We've been coloring, painting, stickering, reading, building with legos, etc. but they need to run & jump & climb! Let me know if you have any creative ideas for active indoor play.

On Tuesday I sent them out in rainboots and jackets to play in the downpour...here they are modeling their boots (with pj's , of course).

Hoping for a break in the clouds soon!

Lots of Attention

The boys are still enthralled with their little sister. They are always asking to hold her, kiss her, see if she's awake, etc. As you can see below, she is definitely not lacking for attention around here! These pictures are a week or two old, but I thought I'd post them anyway...