Fall up North

Here we are in October already.  The leaves are changing and there's a chill in the air.  I love the cooler temperatures, only because I like an excuse to wear jeans and sweatshirts every. single. day!  I might need to buy some more sweatshirts, though.  I digress.  

Jenna is doing great in third grade.  She has started learning how to study and got an A on her first real 'test'!  There's something so heart-warming about seeing the excitement in her demeanor when she has succeeded.  It's like she doesn't believe me when I tell her she can do it.  What she lacks in self-confidence, she makes up for in intelligence.  She's always caught on quickly.  She's also always loved to be outside, which has just been amplified since living here.  It's so good for her to be out in the tractor or in the silage pile with her Daddy!  There were so many times he was absent in Missouri; this has been a bonding experience for those two!  She's is so happy.  

Carrie is learning her letters in Kindergarten and is left handed.  Let me just tell you, her brain works differently than everyone else's.  She does great if she starts on the left, but if she starts on the right, it's like you're looking at the letters in a mirror.  One of the craziest things I've ever seen.  Totally blows my mind.  She had homework for the very first time today.  Also today, we got her eyes checked and we were thrilled when the dr said her eyes are fine and don't even need any kind of special exercises!  And as much as Jenna loves to be outside, Carrie loves to be inside.  She loves to play inside by herself with no one to bother her, and then when she's done making a huge mess, she's ready to watch tv (but don't worry, we don't let her watch it all day!).  She is seriously a happy little bundle of joy, unless her switch is turned to meltdown, in which case she's crying or whining.  There's really no middle ground with her.  She's a fun girl.

Amelia is a mess.  Always has been.  She's a beautiful mess, though, and we love her just as much as the other two.  She's been sick recently, but I think she's on the mend.  Her fever went down, but her mood hasn't improved as much as I'd hoped.  I think her teeth are bothering her.  All four of her eye teeth are coming in at the same time, and I'm sure it's aggravating.  She really just wants to be held a lot.  And I'm trying my best to be patient and just sit and enjoy the snuggles, but there are times that supper has to have attention, and laundry must come out of the washer.  She talks a lot.  Says the CUTEST things, and repeats everything (so watch what you say around her!).  She creates a lot of chaos, but melts our hearts when she says "WUF YOO, MOMMA" (or Daddy, Carrie, or Jenna)!  And she loves her cap.  Can't forget her cap.  "Cap On!" she says before going out the door.  Then she says "Bye Momma!"  She loves to be outside, too!  She's our little stinker of a sweetheart!  

Preston is busy harvesting corn right now.  I hope we can get it done so we can go back to Missouri for a visit next week.  I'm ready to see our family and friends, and just get a little taste of back home!  I hope it doesn't make moving more difficult when the girls see their friends.  They have been such champs!

While there are days when we miss our family and friends, we are still confident that God has placed us here for a reason and at this time.  There was a day a couple weeks ago that I was really missing home, and not wanting to get up early and go to work, and He handed me a beautiful sunrise.  On the hard days, I have to stop and be thankful in ALL THINGS!  Thankful for a job, thankful for my family, thankful for my husband, thankful for my girls, thankful for a warm home, thankful for a reliable, warm vehicle, and thankful that I. am. redeemed.  Wow.