Fall Pictures

Spouse Day

Today was spouse day at Nate's squadron. I was supposed to get a ride in a glider, but it ended up being too windy :( I was really looking forward to it, maybe next year.



Falcon. Pretty cool to see close up



The cockpit. I actually got in the glider thinking we were going to be able to go up. The glider in front of me was cleared to take off and then a big gust spun it around. So that was the end of that. They tried again later but it was still too windy....




Tow plane pulling the glider on take off. They release the rope between the glider and the plane in flight and then it just glides down to the ground. Pretty cool.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch on Saturday. They don't actually grow the pumpkins there, they just dumped them on the ground. I guess pumpkins don't grow well here. It was a little cold and windy but we had a good time. Alyssa loved the hay slides. We went on a tractor ride, climbed the hay tower, did the hay maze and picked out a few pumpkins. A nice festive fall day.

Some thoughts

I have been challenged lately in my mothering. I feel like I'm being reminded all the time how quickly time goes and how we have this one chance to be with our kids, teach them, play with them, love them. The thing that is hard for me is balance....How do I balance my marriage, my children and myself and be the best wife, mother and me for all. I love my family, my husband, my kids, I really wouldn't want to be doing anything else than be here with them. But there is that pressure, that feeling that I'm not doing enough for someone. Am I living up to my potential? Am I doing enough as a mother? Am I teaching Alyssa enough? Do I hold Mason enough? Am I neglecting Nate? Am I spending enough time with the Lord? I feel challenged to be more aware of what God has called me to. What are God's dreams/desires for my life? I want to "live a life worthy of the calling you have received."(Ephesians 4:1). I know that being a wife and mother is what God has called me to and I want to do my best job at it. But ya know, it gets mundane sometimes and I take everday things for granted. I want to make the most of my time with my kids and Nate, not waste it or wish it away. One thing I remember my sister saying is she loved being four. She loved that year being home with my mom. The one thing I remember her saying is that she loved folding sheets with my mom. It wasn't the many activities she did, or pre-school or even DisneyLand (which we did do when she was 4), it was a simple, everyday, mundane task that my mom made fun for her. Thats what she remembers, or at least what I remember her saying. It really stuck with me and helps me remember how important it is to be all there, even in the ordinary. This poem "Time is of the Essence" brought all of this to mind today. It's in a book called A Mother's Heart, it's been good for me.

Now is the time to get things done...
wade in the water,
sit in the sun,
squish my toes
in the mud by the door,
explore the world in a girl just four.

Now is the time to get things done...
flowers,
snails,
how a cloud looks;
to ponder "up",
where God sleeps nights,
why mosquitoes take such big bites.

Later there'll be time
to sew and clean,
paint the hall
that soft new green,
to make new drapes,
refinish the floor-

Later on....when she's not just four.

I have an almost four year old who is about to get up from her nap. I can't wait to make the most out the afternoon with her :)

Mason 6 months

My little man is 6 months old! Time has just flown by! Mason brings so much joy to our home, we are so blessed to have him. His smile is so sweet, he's starting to scrunch up his nose when he smiles.



He is getting really close to sitting on his own. He did pretty good for these pictures, but most of the time he tips over after a few seconds.





He would rather stand than sit at this point. He's pretty stable on those little legs.



He is starting to do this scooting thing....already. He can get to toys that are just out of reach. He pulls his knees up a little bit and pushes off. It really won't be long until this guy is mobile. I need to start baby proofing my house!



I know the next 6 months will fly by even faster than the first 6....they just grow up so fast.

*A little update on Mason's sleep. He is doing better. Still not where I'd like him to be at this point, but it's better. We went back to letting him cry it out in the night since the other methods weren't working and with some advice from a friend. He was waking up at 2am and 4am so we started with the 2am wake up. He cried at 2am for 4 nights and on the 5th night he didn't wake up at 2, he slept til 6am! He is now fairly consistently sleeping until 5am and then sleeping til 7, except last night, he was up at 3am:( But I feel like he is making progress. The next step, after I feel like he is consistently sleeping til at least 5, is to cut out the 5am feeding doing the same thing. He's close...I feel a full 8 hours of sleep coming very soon!

Happy Birthday Grammy!

Family Fun Day

We try to have "Family Fun Night" every month or so, it's usually simple like ordering pizza and watching a movie of Alyssa's choosing. It's funny how ordinary things can be so fun for kids when you give it a fun name like "Family Fun Night". Saturday we tried to make a day of it, but it was really pretty ordinary for the most part.



Nate and Alyssa being silly. I forget what the were doing but Nate was making funny noises and Alyssa wanted to do it too :)



We had mickey mouse pancakes. Mason didn't get any but he was still as happy as can be.


We ran some errands to get firewood and some other supplies. Then we went to the park to play. This park has a merry-go-round! Haven't seen one in years.




Alyssa helping to build our first fire. It was a little smokey, but it was fun. Anyone have any advice on wood that doesn't stink up the house?



Getting cozy before the movie.




Mason was very intrigued by the fire.



Making our first s'mores in our fireplace.



We learned Alyssa isn't a huge fan of s'mores. She took one bite and was done with it. She did like the chocolate and graham crackers by themselves though.



Our little pumpkins:) This was before we tried to go the pumpkin patch. We got there and it was cold and very crowded. There were at least 3 bus loads full of kids, so we'll try it again another day. We saved the day by going to Focus instead. A great family weekend!

Mason's First Haircut

Nate had been bugging me for a while to cut Mason's hair. I really wasn't ready to do it but Nate convinced me it was time. I have to admit it looks pretty good.




Before



What's going on?



He chewed the cape the whole time. He sat there unfazed, even when she used the razor...



So handsome!



I can't believe I just cut my 5 month olds hair!

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