Rae Rae

I wanted to take a minute to brag on our sweet Rae Rae. Every day I am blown away by how smart, thoughtful, funny and helpful she is. Here are just a few things that have stuck out to me lately.

• At the age of two she completes a number various chores around the house. She can feed the dogs, clean the windows & mirrors, dust, clean up her toys, swiffer the kitchen floor, turn off lights, help with laundry, and help with Ruby, among other things.
• She can correctly identify the letters M, R, O, X , B and sometimes A. That may not seem like much, but I am impressed!
• She loves to pretend to be a mommy. She takes wonderful care of her dolls and tucks them in every night before she goes to bed. She also loves to dress up and "put on makeup" with me. Sometimes that backfires (see picture below).

• She is very polite (please, thank you, excuse me, etc.), kind and encouraging. The other day, after a looooong day, we were snuggling and she looked at me and said, "Mommy, I'm so glad you're always here at home with us." When JP's truck broke down, she told him, "Don't worry, Daddy. I can help you fix your truck. We can do it together!" Talk about making it all worth it!

I could go on and on about her and all the cute things she says and does. God fashioned her to fit perfectly into our hearts, and the place she holds there is far beyond precious. Thank you, Jesus, for our amazing, adorable first child!

Weekend in Voyager

This past weekend, we made a 2-hour hike to Danbury, WI and spent two nights at JP's grandparents home. They keep a summer home there, tucked into the beautiful woods in a community known as Voyager Village. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. It was autumn's paradise, the maples competing with the oaks for the most brilliant colors.
Quarters were tight. We went up with JP's parents, Ava and the twins. Four adults and five kids under the age of three were crammed into a one bedroom house. Our family stayed in the bedroom upstairs, and everybody else slept in a cement brick den area in the basement. But the memories and the scenery were well worth it! Ava & Rae enjoyed going for walks on the trail behind the house, playing at the park, and swimming in the indoor pool. We also made a trip to the pumpkin patch. I love autumn, and I'm thankful it returned at least for this one weekend so we could enjoy it!

View more photos here!

October 16, 2004

Five years ago today, I said, "Yes!"
And I'm so glad I did!

Revisiting the spot where he proposed on our honeymoon, Taylor's Falls.

Seasonal Dyslexia

We are experiencing a case of seasonal dyslexia here in Minnesota. We're supposed to be at the peak of fall, but instead the snow has come. Trees with green leaves in fields of white. It's very confusing.I almost cried when it first snowed. But today, after the second snowfall, I'm feeling more at peace with it. The flakes fell so softly and peacefully this morning, it was hard not to enjoy it. And with the promise of more fall-like weather ahead, I can accept this early taste of winter.

Nobody was more excited in our household than Rae. She is rediscovering a world of snowballs, snow angels, and snowmen. Here is our little snowman. She is so proud of him, and as he melts she continues to build him back up, packing snow here and packing snow there.

Ruby's 1-year Stats

Ruby finally had her 1-year checkup today. She was 22 pounds (70th percentile) and 30 3/4 inches (97th percentile). The funny thing is that she didn't grow in length at all from her 9 month appointment. Last time she was off the charts; this time she was 97th percentile. She is walking everywhere now, and is very happy about it.
Israel has a new favorite activity that she plays every day now. Every morning she "wakes up" her dolls and puts them in their "seats" in the "car." In reality, this consists of her taking them off the shelves and lining them up in rows next to each other on the steps. Every day she picks a new place to which they will journey. Popular destinations are Ava's house and Elijah's house. Sometimes it's the library, McDonalds, etc.
The dolls stay on the steps all day for us to trip over, then at bedtime Rae tucks them all in to their respective sleeping quarters. She's a good little mommy to all of them.

Ruby Can Walk!

Ruby has been able to take a few steps here and there for a couple weeks now, but on her birthday, she started walking in longer segments and with more control. I wasn't able to catch a good example on camera, so this is all you get for now!