Life's a Blur

I know that different seasons in our lives go quick, and others go slow, and in some senses it has been quiet but a blur. Last week Kevin was gone for most of the week, and it was both easier, but more tiring. We have been enjoying doing the Wednesday night ministry at church, the kids love doing Rainbows, and we have been working on the letter of the week for the past four weeks. I took the kids out for a walk on the rail trail in Chelmsford, and here are some pictures:

Rachel truly does stop to smell the roses while...

The boys run right ahead.
The kids do love to run, often in opposite directions. I joke that God gave me all bright blondes so I could see them as they ran away from me.
Rachel had the camera here and took a great picture of the trees. I love trees.
As I mentioned we have been working on the letter of the week. Last week it was I. I put a few different stations up for the kids to work on things, and I love sitting back and seeing how the kids approach the different tasks and what they come up with.
Daniel is doing well tracing and with cutting, and Rachel is keeping up. We even did some cool crafts and science experiements. We do some from the confessionsofahomeshooler.com website, and some from starfall.com.

I did have a good birthday, by the way, and can honestly say I feel older. I will be celebrating a little more this upcoming weekend with my dad, brother and sister, as we are ready to run in the Wine and Dine half marathon. I have wanted to run in a Disney world sponsored run for a long time now, and look forward to completing it with my family, and also moving forward with them. It was a race that my brother signed up for before my mom passed away, and it has become a "lets complete it together for Mom" race. Kevin is a hero for watching the kids for the weekend, and does plan on taking them down to New Bedford with his grandparents with a little extra help.

Weekly update

My birthday month is going well. I went to the MFA in Boston this month, travelled to NY, and went apple picking so far. It was a nice warm fall day on Saturday, and the kids all enjoyed picking the apples and eating them. It was fun to see Noah enjoy eating and feeding the goats right along with the other two.

We got the game Hungry Hippo's and everyone played. It was especially enjoyable to watch Kevin and all the kids play together. All three have seemed to grow a lot in the last few weeks, like taller, and they are doing things more independently, I guess I am amazed how quickly the time does go by.
Talking about the time going by, we have lived here in this townhouse for 4 years now. We moved in thinking we were going to just stay for one, and now look where we are. We have still put out applications to NY, and no bites yet, but there are enough good rental places that are bigger that we can enjoy the winter in NE better with, so we are taking the steps to move. Actually our landlord is coming by today to see the state of the place, hopefully he is alright with how we have treated the place!

Well I knew the move was coming, but there is a sense of sadness and excitement. Two of the three have only known this place as their home, and there are a lot of good and bad, memories here. On the flip side, I am getting excited about hosting Thanksgiving this year, and it would be nice in a bigger place. As I was going though these different feelings yesterday, and praying in my heart, I noticed outside there was the perfect weather for a rainbow. I ran out the front door, and low and behold I saw this beauty right outside. Ok God, I get it. He holds us in the palms of His hand and is taking us one step at a time.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference ~ Serenity Prayer

Labor Day 2010

With everything that has happened this year, I have been very thankful to have seen my family members every month so far this year. I don't think I have done that since I left home for college.We were able to enjoy Labor Day in Upstate NY, and it was fun to smell the fall in the air, taste the sweet apples, and enjoy time with family.

Dirt. The kids love it. Here is the new pile in the backyard the kids spent hours playing in.

The kids were all in the bucket as they waited for Kevin to cut down some trees.
A man, his son, and some chaps. I think he looks pretty outdoorsy right?
Noah is so big, we brought his high chair, but he was just as happy climbing up at the table in a chair.
The boys getting ready to eat some marshmallows and enjoy some time around the fire.
So the countdown is on for my birthday, and I am thankful for the shortened work weeks the next two weeks. I began doing preschool with both Daniel and Rachel this morning, they were excited to do some homeschooling. I have been enjoying the running in preparation for the half marathon in less than a month.

Here is a video of the tree falling: If a tree falls in the wood, and kids are yelling at it, is it too much noise?