I was once told that the days will seem long, but the years will fly by. After becoming a parent I now see how much truth there is in this statement. Raising kids isn't easy, but it sure is fun!(Well, most of the time.) Through our blog we hope to keep our family and friends up to date on how our little ones learn and grow.
Yesterday we went to Tuttles Apple Orchard. Emma LOVED IT! She is very into apples right now....pretty much everything that is round and red is an apple to her. They had a great play area for kids. The swing was her favorite.
She didn't like the hay once it stuck to her....
Swinging like a big girl...
Driving the tractor.
She really did like the caramel apple the first time around...however we didn't get a picture that time. So once she discovered the beehive she didn't want to sit still long enough to eat. And therefor acted like we were torturing her to try another bite with the hopes of getting a cute picture.
Hanging out with a pumpkin...
She had to get one last swing in before we left. :)
Ashley and Pete came home a couple of weekends ago and we all went bowling. Afterward we grabbed dinner at Chick-fil-a. Emma played in the playground area for the first time and loved it! She was so brave and even went with me through the upper tunnels. (A nice benefit to being so short.)
After I took this picture I wanted to cry because she looks so old here. Such a big girl these days.
When we first got to the bowling alley Emma didn't know what to think. She sat in our laps for awhile and just observed everything around her. It wasn't long before she wanted to help everyone bowl.
In this video she is helping me bowl.
In this one she is breaking it down on the dance floor. She had a blast just running around it.
In late August we had Lindsay, Chad and Addi over for dinner. We set up our tent in the backyard for the girls to play in and roasted s'mores. It was great fun and the girls had a blast in the tent!
As many of you know this has been a tough week for us. We found out on Monday that our sweet baby number two has gone to heaven to be with Jesus. I was almost 12 weeks however after talking with the doctor it seemed the baby passed away just a few days after our first ultrasound which would have been around 9 weeks. While this is difficult to understand and took some time to sink in we are doing alright. We have been surrounded by such loving people. We want to personally thank you all for the meals, nice phone calls, e-mails, texts, and cards. They have meant so much to us. We could literally feel your prayers this week as there is no other explanation for the peace and comfort that we feel. I went back to work on Thursday and had a big day filled with school pictures and Meet the Teacher night. It was a long day and night as I didn't even get home until 8:45. The Lord carried me through and made it the best it could have been given the situation. My classroom parents this year seem to be so easy going and my students are the most caring bunch I have ever had. God knows how much we can handle.
I have also had a huge lesson on perspective this week as we experienced loss in another way. A former student of mine lost his younger brother on Monday morning to a long hard fight of a rare lung condition. His name is Luke Butler and he was just 8 years old. They have been through so much over the years raising their 3 boys. Their oldest son, Samuel,(the student I had) has autism. Luke has had health issues since he was a baby, however this lung condition began when he was 2 I believe and had gotten more severe within the last 2 years. And Benjamin is the youngest. This family is expecting their 4th child, a girl, in two weeks. Luke was given the opportunity to name her, Sarah.
This family has my utmost respect. Through all of their hardships they have always glorified God in everything they do. Please join me in praying for healing for this family. They have a long journey ahead and with a new baby on the way anytime I can't even begin to imagine the range of emotions they are feeling at this point.
I have included a video below for you to check out if you are interested in seeing and hearing sweet Luke. He has always been so full of life! He truly never wasted a second. This video was recorded just under a year ago on a local radio station during a Make-a-Wish fundraising event. Luke was very involved in Make-a-Wish and was able to go on his own Make-a-Wish trip in January of 2010. His wish was to see pineapples grow(he loved to garden). So Make-a-Wish sent his whole family to Oahu. Needless to say this gave them an experience of a lifetime that they would have never been able to do otherwise. They were able to make memories together that will last a lifetime.
Please check out the video and pray for the Butler family. Your prayers are powerful and while selfishly I would love them to keep coming our way I know this family needs them WAY more than we do. Enjoy this amazing boy and praise God for your healthy children tonight.
