Thursday, September 27, 2018

September


September has been really good to us, and I can't believe it'll be over in just a few days. We've been in our new house for a month and a half, and every day, it starts to feel a little more like home. The boys never had any trouble transitioning to it, but I've been a little slower to love it. There are certainly some quirks to living in a home that was built in the 50s. We turned on our furnace today, so the cold weather is definitely approaching. Sunday is a high of 79 though, so we aren't doing too badly yet :)


One afternoon after church, we went to our friends Tim & Ann's house for lunch with a big group of people. The boys went fishing for bluegills, and they each caught one!



This month, we started school again! Nolan is in first grade, and Ephraim is in pre-K. The public school here started on August 2, so we are happy that homeschooling granted us another month of summer.


And August is always along for the ride :)



Another Sunday after church, we made a trip to IKEA. This was my balanced lunch of French fries and a mini princess cake.


We still don't know our neighborhood super well, and one night, we found this quiet little street just about a block from us. There's not much traffic, so we can walk down the middle of the road and admire the houses.


Our container garden this year was successful! It wasn't as great as years that I've had big garden beds, but I'm pleasantly surprised how well you can grow tomatoes and green beans and cucumbers and peppers in pots. We started everything from seeds in April. Two months in, the tomato plants were eaten by something, so I replanted them, and they grew quickly. I'm happy to still be picking handfuls of cherry tomatoes in almost-October.


With Nolan's birthday money, he really wanted to buy a backpack. We went to Target, and of course he chose the Incredibles! Ephraim was dying to have one too, so Nolan bought a second one for him. They wear them around ALL the time, and it's adorable.


Nolan is quite the sponge for facts and names and details. At dinner the other night, he's eating, and says, "Did you know a catfish has taste buds all over its body?" I love being his teacher because I get to be the one to see his face light up every time he learns something new. I get to use my rusty elementary ed degree, and I even learn a lot alongside him.


I am happiest outside, away from the dishes and the laundry, away from TV and wifi. I think God intended us to feel so much closer to him when we're in sight of trees and water and blue sky.


Wally the Swallowtail turned into the most beautiful butterfly! I'll get that post up next week!


I think I've converted my Pennsylvania boy into a Cubs fan. :) Yay for the post-season!



August's cheese face makes me so happy.

This weekend, we're looking forward to a visit from Steve's parents and brothers! We're praying the rain holds off for the kids' soccer games on Saturday. It'll be so great to see everyone.


I wrote a few posts the past couple of days, so keep scrolling down to read more.


xo
Rachel

Golden 31 and Lucky 7


My oldest baby and I had a great birthday week. Nolan was due on my birthday, but he was born nine days late, and I'm always glad there's a little bit of separation between our two days. I actually was born nine days after my mom's birthday - so there's a trend there!

 

"This way to the beach, guys!"


On my birthday, we drove up to the Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan, one of my favorite spots in the world. It was a perfect day, and it was right before the Labor Day weekend rush.


It was hot hot hot that day, but the kids didn't seem to mind at all as they dug in the sand and waded in the water.


I love the view of the steel mills and the far-off Chicago skyline. It's home to me.



We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and goldfish, and we made a mental note to buy a beach umbrella so that next time we have some shade.

 


I wish I would have had another hour on the beach just to search for sea glass. Can you spot the little green piece I took home with me?


When I was a little girl, my mom used to tell me that my special golden birthday would be when I turned 31. It sounded forever away. And now that I'm here, I think it was worth the wait so I could celebrate it with my four guys.


I didn't get any photos of it, but we had dinner at Greek's Pizza with my Grandpa and step-Grandma Gayle and Aunt Sally. Afterwards, Grandpa brought out a little vanilla cake for me. We also took home some pretty cupcakes from Designer Desserts.


The next Saturday, we had a Lego party for Nolan. My mom and Don were visiting, and we invited the rest of our family here in town. It was the rainiest weekend ever, but we didn't let that get to us.


We feasted on hot dogs, chips and dip, pineapple, chocolate cake, and candy Legos.





Nolan fittingly received a big Lego set from his cousins, so all the kids (+ Steve) got to work at building a Coast Guard helicopter :)


And the younger ones were happy just to play toys together.


My mom and Don stayed with us through the weekend. On Nolan's actual birthday, we went to church and everyone in the congregation sang to him, while he just beamed. We had lunch at the Original Pancake house and he played with his birthday gifts the rest of the day. I hope 7 is the very best for him!

xo
Rachel

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Summer, please don't go


I'm sorry I've been missing-in-action lately. My computer turned into a complete dinosaur this month, and it was so slow to do anything. I spent some time clearing space on it, so hopefully it's fixed now. Plus, moving houses is not for the faint of heart. We're still getting used to the new house and trying to find a place for all of our belongings. My goal for the week is to get some decor up on the walls so that it feels more like home!

It's always nice when a stranger offers to take a photo of the five of us!


Nolan's second tooth fell out! His adult teeth were already popping through the gums so he didn't have that gap for long. Any day now, he'll probably lose the top two!


I promise to get a post up about our whole butterfly adventure this summer. We just released our twelfth (and last) butterfly this morning!


August giving me smiles as we waited at the doctor's office.


My sister-in-law Dana took me to a fiesta for the women's group at her church. We had a great time and I ate way too much chips and salsa. :)


This little sunflower patch was at their soccer field, and I'm so glad I thought to get this photo. I love it so much.


 Ephraim looks so grown up here!


A friend of mine from college moved here recently, too, so we had a playdate! She has three girls around our boys' ages. There are some stables behind their neighborhood, so we took a peek at the big horses!


When I planted our peppers in April, I used a seed packet that had a mix of purple, red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers, so I didn't know what color we would get. On the plant, they were a lime green until I picked them, and then they turned a deep orange-red! Yum!


Some of my favorite summer memories were at Stan & Colleen's pool. THE best!


Forever stealing my drinks :)


This is our new kitchen after we widened the doorway, moved the stove (off to the left of the photo), and rearranged the island to fit. It's a work in progress, and we'd love to paint the cabinets and add a new backplash. Does anyone know how to get an old musty smell out of the inside of cabinets? It smells like a cabin in the woods that hasn't been aired out in 40 years, and I can barely stand it anymore.


Watching baseball with me. Go Cubbies!


I took the boys to the zoo, and we had so much fun. We saw the dolphin show for the first time, and it was amazing! We all came home saying it was our favorite part of the day.


These sea lions put on a good show for us too!


We tried to pet the dog sharks but were unsuccessful. Next time!


In the butterfly garden, August was very interested in the fish! He didn't want to leave.


And once we got in the car, he was out like a light.


While we were at the zoo, Nolan made a list of every animal we saw (without me asking him to)! He wows me with how smart he is.

xo
Rachel

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