Fall Fun

Menu Plan Monday

The kids painting the chapel shed

Something about fall makes me enjoy cooking and baking all over again, so my menus recently have been a little more inspiring. I'm going to try to save them here, so I can look back on them for inspiration when I get stuck in a rut ..... in oh, February or so.

Breakfasts
Banana Bread (from the freezer) and OJ
Cereal x2
Homemade Granola Bars (Mom's recipe, with honey instead of corn syrup)
Fruit Smoothies
Pancakes, eggs and bacon (on Saturday)

Lunches
Leftover Soups from last week: Sherried Tomato, Taco Soup, Chili
Leftover Meat and Potatoes
Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches
PB & Honey, Carrot Sticks
Apples and Swiss Cheese Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Dinners
Broccoli and Cheese Soup, Crusty Bread
Chicken Parmigiana, Green Beans
Leftovers
Hearty Beef and Noodles
Corn Dogs, Tator Tots, Fresh Fruit (per Bloom girls' request :)
Smoked Salmon Chowder, Crusty Bread
Marinated Roast, Baked Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, House Salad

Fall soccer

Another season down. The boys played fall soccer, and they had their last game on Saturday. I have to admit, I'm going to miss it, even the early Saturday morning games (maybe). I have loved watching them play together on a team, learn to be leaders and listen to their dad as a coach. Lots of lessons to be learned in sports!

Ethan is getting so much better - we can see a definite improvement from last season! He has a lot more focus this year, and he can control the ball a lot better, keep it in bounds, etc... I think he scored at least once every game, so he was pretty excited about that!

At the beginning of the season Dave had lots of talks with him about being a leader among his teammates. They were a sweet but silly (and easily distracted) bunch of kiddos - and we noticed right away that Ethan usually just followed the crowd and joined in on the goofing off. It was neat to see him take his dad's advice and try to lead by example, to put his best effort into everything, and to encourage the other players to get into the game.

That is something we've been praying for the Lord to produce in Ethan's life. Every morning when I drop him off at school, we pray together and I ask the Lord to help him stand up for what is right and to make right choices even if other kids aren't. And sometimes, when it's his turn to pray, he prays for this too. :)



Simon was able to play this season too - a year early (usually they start them at 4 in this league), and only because Dave was the coach. He was so excited. And honestly, for a 3 year old, he is pretty good - he made a few break aways with the ball, and did a good job as goalie. Mostly he just followed Ethan around.

Which I thought was just super sweet. :)

Apple Festival

Sunday was Topeka's annual Apple Festival. We hope to make this a fall tradition - it was so fun!

Watching a pioneer make apple fritters over the campfire.


Petting zoo.


50 cent rides on the hand car.


Sasparilla faces. :)


Clare was just happy to sit and observe!

Lil' Update

It's the fourth week of school, and we are settling into a routine, I think. As nervous as I was about getting everyone ready and out the door by 8 am every morning, it has gone surprisingly smoothly. Even with a nursing baby. She usually eats around 6:30 am, and then goes back to sleep until we leave. After I drop Ethan off, we squeeze in a quick feeding in the parking lot. And it works - she is very flexible, most of the time. I am so, so thankful for this!

Ethan's teacher is a gem - just one of the most patient, positive people I've ever met. She adores every student in her class, and is quick to point out the positive aspects of their personalities. And very, very forgiving of their wiggles and tendancy to chat. :) Every time I hear her talk, I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 13, where it says that love "believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things..." A kindergarten teacher is love by definition!

Each week they are focusing on one letter of the alphabet. Last week was the letter G, and Mrs. Jorgensen took the whole class on a walk to G's Custard for a treat! And today Ethan informed me that he had a hamburger for "H" week. Kindergarten snacks have really improved since I went to school!

I have been enjoying my mornings with Simon. Clare usually sleeps the whole time Ethan is at school, so he "helps" with laundry and cleaning, or we read or play together. And sometimes we get out the watercolors, but that is not always a good idea. :)




I feel like I've been able to get to know his heart a little better these last few weeks. It has been a special time, our mornings together.




And Clare is growing like a weed - she is the chubbiest baby we've ever had. Double chin, thunder thighs, and all that. Poor girl! :)

Swagbucks

Have you signed up for Swagbucks yet?

Its a search engine (like google.com) that rewards you with points that you can redeem for cool prizes. I just heard about it the other day, and just by doing my normal searching, I've accumulated 8 points. When I get to 45, I can redeem them for a $5 Amazon gift card! So that might take awhile...unless you sign up too! If you sign up using my referral code here, you can earn extra points, and I will earn a point for every point you earn! So I'm shamelessly promoting myself here! :)

I am excited to see if this program works - I'd love to buy diapers on amazon, that would be amazing. From what I've read, other people have been able to earn quite a bit from Swagbucks, so lets give it a try!

4 months

My little girl is growing...





All of a sudden, I'm not holding a newborn anymore. She wants to wiggle and kick and make happy baby sounds at me, instead of being content to snuggle in my arms. In some ways I wish she would just stay small - I have loved every minute of these last 4 months!



Clare is still loves to be on her tummy - whether she's awake or asleep. She can scoot around a bit now and get the toys she wants. And she adores it when her big brother will sit on the floor and play with her. She just laughs and laughs at him...it cracks me up - she already has such a personality!



Clare has been such a delight - I often find myself silently thanking the Lord for her little life when I'm holding her. The longer I am a mother, the more I am cherishing each and every moment. The Lord has truly blessed us!