Sleepover with the BFFs

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have 8 children ages 8, almost-7, 6, 5, 4, 4, 2, and 2?

I’ll tell you. It’s a little crazy. And oh-so-fun.

This is what the table looks like at meal time:

(from August 2011)

Recently, we were blessed to have the Perry kiddos join us for an overnighter so that their parents could have a little time alone to celebrate their anniversary. (Go, Craig and Kathy! Thirteen years! Woo-hoo!) We had a splendid time!

Five sleeping girlies

Snuggled up tight

Zachy sleeping in the boys' room

Megan and Ava playing dress-up

Karisa and Grace playing dress-up

Jaden and Zach coloring in the school room

Jaden and Zachy at the piano, taking after their parents' love of music

The big kids playing a rousing game of the Angelina Ballerina memory game

We are so thankful for fun friends!

The Diabetic Duo

If you’ve been reading here long, you know that Luke and Grace both live with Type 1 diabetes. Thankfully, things are going well for both of them. They’re both on insulin pumps, and Luke also has a continuous glucose monitor, which is pretty cool.

Well, a little over 5 weeks ago, we were at a celebration for some friends. Our dear friends, the Perrys, were also there. Kathy mentioned that she had recently noticed Zach (their youngest) drinking a LOT and wetting his diapers a LOT. Like, he was desperate for his sippy cup. And he was wetting through his diapers in the middle of the night AND in the morning. So, she wondered about using our blood tester (glucometer) to check his sugar. Just to ease her mind.

I think both of us expected the numbers to be normal. I mean, he’s only 2, right?

Long story short, his numbers weren’t normal. He went to after-hours pediatric care in town that night (a Saturday evening – when the endocrinology office was closed), and then back to the endocrinologists’ office the next morning.

Our sweet little Zachy is also a Type 1 diabetic.

Thankfully, his mom (Kathy) is a nurse, so she has a leg up on this. But it has been an adjustment for their family, of course. They are still adjusting as his sugars are still being regulated. I’m sure they would appreciate any prayers as they continue to figure out all the details of his diagnosis.

He’s such a champ. He didn’t cry once when I had to poke his fingers the first night. And still, the crying for finger pokes and shots is minimal. (Correct me if I’m wrong, Kath!) :-)

Anyway, while we had the Perry kiddos overnight recently (more pics to come), I took some cute pictures of Grace and Zachy with their JDRF Rufus bears, which they both received from their endocrinologists’ office. I wanted to share them here. Aren’t these kiddos precious?!



I’m thankful…

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?

These Leaves are Made for Jumping

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.



Flying High

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!

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