Loving Jesus, Loving Life
Today, I’m thankful for…
Our annual trip to the orchard, even if it was freezing.
Four sweet little helpers in aprons…
This little contraption that makes apple prep SO MUCH EASIER!!!
A tiny part of our bountiful harvest…
Hot chai latte in a new mug…
Beautiful fall flowers on my table…
What are YOU thankful for today?
It has been brilliantly beautiful here this week. I am thoroughly enjoying this grand fall weather. In fact, I think fall might be winning in the “My Favorite Season” contest.
How could I not LOVE looking out into my backyard and seeing this?
God’s creative handiwork!
So, anyway, the kids got all excited to rake the yard. (FYI – We have about 1 acre of actual yard…it would take FOREVER to rake all the leaves. This was just raking “for fun.”) They got out the new lawn rakes that Luke bought, and stayed outside for a looooooong time.
This was their self-imposed reward:
We had fun.
I’m so glad they did all that work.
These are the moments I love to remember.
This past weekend, we celebrated my nephew and niece’s birthdays. For their birthdays, I sewed reversible tote bags and crayon rolls (bet you wouldn’t have guessed that from the title of this post – duh). It was not as hard as I expected it to be – at all – and I’m pretty happy with how they turned out.
If you want to try making a tote bag for yourself, I referenced the tutorial here, though I didn’t use her measurements.
On to the pictures of the final products…
I think Emma liked hers! She wore it around the party the entire time after she opened it. 
Remember this picture, from July 2008?
Now look at her!
Ava got in on the fun, too…
We are L-O-V-I-N-G the beautiful weather around here this week. Thank you, Lord!
8-day-old Ava Joy (2007)
1-year-old Ava (2008)
2-year-old Ava (2009)
3-year-old Ava (2010)
4-year-old Ava!
My dearest Ava Joy,
As you are turning another year older, we are celebrating what a sweet blessing you are to our family.
I love that we chose a name for you that really fits. AVA means “sings like a bird,” and your uninhibited giggle is musical! And JOY…well, you bring such joy and laughter with your smiles and silliness.
Your carefree spirit is so refreshing to me. Even at 4 years old, you still don’t spend much time worried about what others think. You are caring and sweet, but also spend a lot of time in your own little world.
You’re a smart cookie, too! We’ve done a little bit of pre-school work this year, and you surprised me when you could already recognize numerals. What?! How did you learn that on your own? Smarty-pants!
I’m learning that even though you’re carefree, you are also my middle child. You need to have some extra attention to be sure that we know you’re there. You need extra hugs and snuggles often, and you seem to feel like you get lost in the crowd sometimes. (“Everyone’s talking over me!”) I don’t want you to feel that way, but want you to know that we value you and we love hearing from you.
Don’t ever forget that the reason you are valuable is because God made you in His own image, and He loves you very much! I pray that you will embrace this truth as you grow, and that you will be a girl who loves God with all of her heart.
Happy 4th birthday, Ava Joy! I love you!
Mommy
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