A Storybook of Grace

  OK, OK I promise this is the last post about Fall time around here!  Well, I may have a Halloween post, but after that I promise, that’s it.  I had been looking at my old blog this past week, A Little Peace in Our Heaven, and I was looking at all the pictures I used to post of my photography.  I used to love to do that.  I miss it.  I really enjoyed taking pictures of our kiddos and of scenery.   So last weekend we went to our downtown area and did Treat the Streets and Harvest Fest.  We love our little downtown.  They opened up all the local businesses so kids could come dressed up and get candy.  It was soooo busy down there.  I was a little surprised, but I was so glad.  At Harvest Fest, we ate lunch and watched wiener dog races.  Yes.  I said that!  They really did have races for Dachshunds only and they were funny to watch.  I don’t know how much the Dachshunds actually raced; they really just ran aro...

 We drove to McHenry last weekend to surprise Andrew on one final really late birthday thing.  He has done something related to trains every year of his life and we trying to keep up with that.  So, we took him to the Windmill Pancake Parlor, where they serve your food and beverages from a real train.  It’s pretty cool.  They had it all decorated in there for Halloween, too, so the kids really enjoyed the whole experience.  The food was good, too.  I felt bad because there was only one server for the whole restaurant, but he managed to do a really good job still.   We had gone there after a church Western Bonanza thing, but it was too early to eat an early dinner so we took the kids to a coffee shop with us, which was interesting and somewhat of a fail when Jessica and Hailey were playing on a really old typewriter that was just for decoration and the store worker came over and snatched it up and carried it away after mumbling that they were not a...

  https://youtu.be/GQ4MIJmCdKs She’s starting to take her own steps unassisted!  And she is 16 months!  She has taken the longest to walk, well, of course besides Lucas.  He is 3 and not walking.  

 It was a busy week with pediatrician appointments for Lucas and Andrew and dental appointments for Ryan, Hunter, Andrew, and I and a cardiologist appointment for Lucas.  Sean took off Friday and we went to the apple orchard and today we went to the pumpkin patch.  The Lord gave us great weather, even though forecasters had said otherwise on both occasions.  I think we have done a good amount of fall stuff this weekend and we also enjoyed some pumpkin spiced lattes from Dunkin!  Some of the kiddos started a midweek church thing so Ryan is staying home with the littles and Sean and I get a mini date each week.  :)  Other than that, we have been enjoying football and baseball, going on a few dates with my love, fall and winter wardrobe shopping, and hair appointments.  :)  Jerry Smith Farm in Wisconsin near Kenosha; I think Sommers, WI. Apple Holler in Sturtevant, WI Pumpkin patch (of course :) They had painted pumpkin scenes throughout the far...

  Morning!!!!  We are getting ready for a busy Saturday, Lord willing.  Sean is at his Men’s Bible Study right now, then Addison and Jessica have swim, and then we are hopefully finally going to Six Flags to celebrate Andrew’s birthday.  We’ve had to wait because of feeling yucky from COVID.  I do, however, think we are doing much better from all that.  So yay for that.  My health issue seems to be getting better, too, so I am really thankful to God for that.  Through all of this with COVID, a move, a miscarriage, and this health issue, praise the Lord, Sean and I have been able to rediscover each other and our love for one another and we have greatly improved our marriage, all with God’s help of course.  It’s pretty exciting.  We are acting like newlyweds, ha, so others may find us super annoying!  :). It’s been so nice to just spend time with each other and cuddle and share life with one another.  So nice.  It’s amazing ...

 So, I had to have a procedure yesterday for an issue that has come about probably  because of COVID.  We are praying that this procedure worked and the problem doesn’t come back again and that the Lord will bring physical healing.  Other than that, we are doing well thankfully and feeling much better.  Shortness of breath is gone, energy has come back, coughs are getting better.  I think Sean can taste and smell some stuff, but not everything yet.   Here is a picture of the girls, thought that would bring smiles instead of talking about nasty COVID.   Too bad Natalie isn’t in the picture, too.   And probably in even BIGGER news, Lucas started school.  For those of you who may not know, we home school our kiddos, but Lucas has Down Syndrome and some significant developmental delays so we have decided to put him in public school.  He started on Monday.  He gets on a school bus and goes every afternoon for a few hours and then th...

 On August 27th, Sean and I started feeling sick and by Tuesday we decided it would be best to go get tested and because his work told us to.  A couple of the kids came with us and all four of us tested positive, but we believe everyone has had it.  All of the kids had either really mild or no symptoms so we are so thankful for that.  Sean and I have basically had every non emergency COVID symptom there is.  Sean went back to work today.  I think we are feeling better, although I definitely don’t feel back to normal.  I am trying to remain grateful, since we didn’t have to go to the ER or anything like that, but we have definitely not felt well.  But enough of that.  More importantly, we got to celebrate Andrew’s 9th birthday yesterday!   Andrew wanted a taco party  Hunter was the one to break open the taco piñata  Taco cake from Wal-Mart.  They said they had never made a taco cake before, but they did a good job.   D...