Us in Autumn.....

Our traditional family fall drive was long overdue. So much in fact that we had not taken a drive to look at the pretty colors since we moved to Indiana over 2 years ago.....and boy have we been missing out!

We really enjoyed driving through the White Mountains every October while living in New England.  This past month we were happy to discover a beautiful area with lots of color, not far from our home.  Somewhere we will visit each year I'm sure.

We drove through a state park, stopping along the way so the kids could run around and explore.  When we pulled into the first lookout area, Nate shouted, "Look...it's a real Lincoln Log house!"  They were all so excited...and were slightly annoyed that I made them sit so I could get a group photo before we released them.

Of course Noah tries to give me a heart attack within the first five minutes we are there.

Nate is our leaf man....he has been raking leaves in our yard and playing in the pile for weeks. He was overjoyed to play in some while we were out.

Some photos of the sweet men in my life....

Inside the Lincoln Log house...a steep staircase, which was very much appealing to the boys....of course.

Here's the cute sister to all of these boys.

Me and my sweet baby boy....well, not so much a baby anymore as he is a full fledged toddler these days.

This was the view from the lookout.....gorgeous.

I am in love with the colors this time of year!

All of our kids are curious and enjoy checking things out wherever we are. 

This is how Adam hitches a ride with his big sis....so funny how she manages to carry over half of her weight on her hip.

This little man had a blast exploring, climbing and jumping off of everything he could.

Nate's infamous wink with a thumbs up...someone is having fun.

The above is one of my favorite photos of our kiddos.

Daddy with his boys...

Mama with her girl.

I was losing light as the day was coming to an end, but I was happy to capture a pretty view of this lake.

Finding this playground made the perfect end to our little trip.  The longer we live here, the more we love it....it has to do mostly with the people we've gotten to know and love.  We certainly do appreciate our surroundings, with plenty of beautiful areas to enjoy. God is so good!

We all love this time of year and are looking forward to the upcoming holidays, a couple of trips to PA to see our family, and yes we are all excited for the snow!!

Good Times.....

So this year we had a Football Player, Spider Man, A Snow Princess, A Ninja, and Winnie the Pooh....

After traveling through our neighborhood with some of our closest friends, the kids managed to acquire a ridiculous amount of candy.   Jared charges them what he calls, "The Daddy Tax" each day, where they have to pay up with the sweet stuff....smart man.

And So The Fun Begins.....

Happy Birthday Adam

One year ago, on October 15, 2012, God blessed our family with our 5th child. I can't imagine life without this little guy.....and I can't believe that our baby just turned one. Such a joy he is to our family. I dedicate this post to our son....Adam Jared.

.....you had many siblings very excited for your big day

.....you are on the verge of becoming a full fledged toddler

(taking lots of steps and letting go of things)

.....you have the sweetest smile

.....you were given the nickname "Fuzzle Wuzzle" by Noah which is now shortened to "The Fuzz"

.....you have 6 teeth

.....you cling on to your big sis's hip like a little monkey

.....you have the least amount of hair at this age of all of our kids

.....you have dimples

.....you love to play with cars, and make the cutest car noises

.....you are obsessed with the phone, and try to snatch it any chance you get

.....you love books

.....your first word was Mama

(actually it was the word Abba...which means Daddy in Greek. But I am claiming your first word in English as Mama :)

.....you wore your first pair of shoes last week

.....you are still nursing

.....you shake your head when we ask you if you are silly

.....you babble quite a bit

.....you can say "ball", "book", "Mama", "Dada", "what's that?" and "Uh Oh!"

.....your favorite foods are bananas, cottage cheese, PBJ and spaghetti

.....you have such a sweet laugh

.....you love to play ball

.....your crib is the same one that your four older siblings have slept in

.....you fall asleep in my arms everyday for nap time

(and I wouldn't have it any other way)

.....you have a little monkey that you are attached to

.....you use a pacifier when you sleep

(we call it your nucky)

.....you have a special bond with each of your siblings

.....your big brother Noah gets you out of your crib each morning and after your nap everyday

.....you and Luke play cars together

.....you love it when Lauren carries you around the house on her hip

.....you like to lay on Nate and make him laugh

(he is so ticklish)

.....you wrestled with your big brothers and Daddy for the first time yesterday

.....you still stick everything in your mouth

.....you love going for walks around the neighborhood in your stroller

.....you absolutely love to be outside 

.....you like the taste of crayons

.....you have a superman shirt just like your big brother Luke

.....you give out a yell if you want someone's attention

.....you loved loved loved your birthday cookie cupcake

(I think you were surprised that we were actually letting you eat it)

.....you loved to be pushed in your swing

.....you get the most compliments about your big blue eyes

.....you look most like your Daddy out of all of the kids

.....you just started trying to climb up on things

.....you still wake up about twice through the night

.....you get so excited when Daddy comes home from work

.....you are our latest walker

.....you like to rummage through the lower kitchen cupboards

.....you are oh so cuddly

.....you like to pull out all of the clean laundry from the basket

.....you like to pretend your calculator is a phone

(so cute how you hold it up to your ear and babble)

.....you try to get into the dishwasher anytime the door is open

.....you love giving kisses

.....you like to wave to yourself in the mirror

.....you are going to be a big brother

What a true blessing you are to our family. Having thought we were done after 4, we are so very thankful that God softened our hearts, helping us to understand what a gift children truly are. Your name is very special, as you were named after a close friend. We love his family and God used his dear wife to speak truth to us about the blessing of children. We are very grateful for your precious life, and prayerfully press forward each day by God's grace, trying to raise you in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Happy Birthday Adam

I Love You,

Mommy

Happy Birthday Noah

On September 29, 2003....10 yrs. ago, God blessed Jared and I with our first baby boy.  It's so hard to believe that our Noah is now in the double digits. I remember vividly the day he was born, and how I couldn't stop staring at him, this precious little life that made me a mom.  Our first born has been an immeasurable blessing to our family and we are thankful for him each and every day. I dedicate this post to my 10 yr. old...Noah Robert.

.....you woke everyone up early so that you could open your gifts before we left for church

.....you are always making us laugh

.....you really are a great big brother

.....you want to build clubhouse in the back yard

.....your least favorite subject is math

.....you like to cruise around the neighborhood on your bike

.....you are really good at playing the guitar

.....you refer to your siblings as "the kids"

.....you got a kick out of Nate's prank...he wrapped up a roll of toilet paper and a baby toy

.....you have the best laugh

.....you wrestle with Luke all of the time

.....you tell us that you would love for us to have more children

(and have expressed that you would like another brother...apparently 3 just isn't enough)

.....you rarely wear a shirt around the house

.....your Dad got you a punching bag and you like to use it

.....you really like our neighborhood, but you would love to live in the woods

.....you still love it when I make homemade granola and pumpkin muffins

(this is the perfect time of year for them!)

.....your sense of humor and quick wit keep me laughing 

.....you would love to sleep in if we would let you

.....you are really close with your father

.....you are really creative

.....you really wanted air soft guns for your birthday

.....your Dad really enjoyed picking out your birthday gifts this year

.....you are having a blast using them in our back yard

.....your mother was a bit nervous with all of the gun wars

(but now I am more relaxed...you have been very responsible so far)

.....your were sweet and let your brothers and sister help open your presents

.....you have always been so good with Adam, and he sure loves his big brother

(there is something so sweet seeing my biggest and littlest guys together)

.....you and your little sis just joined the children's choir at church and you love it

.....you attend a co-op every Friday with other homeschool families

(we all really enjoy it)

.....you are still a member of The Dangerous Boys Club

.....you love to go camping

.....you have really matured this past year

(but still have alot of room to grow!)

.....you want a pet snake

(but that is NEVER going to happen)

.....you can still have an attitude and need to be disciplined for it

.....you love watching movies

.....you share a room with Nate, and sleep on the top bunk

(you have since you were 3 yrs. old)

.....you want to become a member of our church

.....you still suffer from migraines, but are learning how to deal with them better

.....you are reading The Lord of The Rings Trilogy

.....your Dad cuts your hair

.....you often read the Bible to us during our morning devotion time

(and if Dad is away in the evenings, you lead our evening devotion time)

.....your pet hamster, Rex, died last February...you and Dad buried him in the back yard

.....you still love camo stuff

.....you absolutely love going back to PA to hang out with all of your cousins

(and also to see your grandparents of course)

.....you have lived in 4 states since you were born

.....you like to draw

.....your favorite dinner is Lasagna

.....you absolutely love it when I make home made bread

(I'm sorry that I don't make it more often)

.....you had a family of brothers over on your birthday and had an airsoft gun war

.....you are allergic to bees

.....you still give me a hug and kiss every morning when you wake up

(and I am so very thankful for this)

.....you wear your watch everyday

.....you gave your baby brother Adam the nickname "Fuzzle Wuzzle"...which has morphed into calling him "The Fuzz"

.....you tell me that you still love being homeschooled

.....you are a night owl

.....you finally got Nate out in the yard to have an airsoft gun war

.....you enjoy taking the neighbor's dogs for walks

.....you have alot of good buddies from church

.....you love ice cream

.....you are much better at memorizing verses than I am

.....you still race your siblings in the back yard, and never let them win

As time moves along, and you mature, we have some really sweet moments and some really challenging moments with you. You are expressing your faith in Christ more and are continuing to grow in your faith and knowledge of God. Daddy and I pray for your heart everyday, and hope that God will do a mighty work in you, building you up to be a godly man. We have so much to be thankful for and our blown away by God's mercies as we raise you.  Thank you for making me smile every day these past 10 years.

Happy Birthday Noah

I Love You,

Mom