First "Real" Haircut!

We took Josiah to get his first "Real" haircut!! He has had several from his Mama, but I wanted him to get a good cut and also watch how they did it. He was very umimpressed, but stayed completely still so that Ms. Kim could finish. I was amazed by the little boy that came from underneath all the hair!

A Busy, Busy Boy!

I have decided that I think the "terrible two's" are during the second year of life, from 12-24 months! :) Josiah is into EVERYTHING!! I'm sure that snapping a picture of the little cutie really discourages the behavior, doesn't it?? :) I also think though, that this time would be considered the "terrific two's" because it's so much fun to see them learning and discovering the world around them. They change so much during that short 12 month span. From being such a baby and still so dependent on many things, to a little boy who is becoming independent and able to do things for himself. I see the transformation a little bit more everyday and it is very exciting... and brings tears at the same time! :)

Ladies Tea at Church

In October I was very excited to help a friend of mine plan a Ladies Afternoon Tea at our church. The ladies loved it, and I think were very encouraged by it. It was a refreshing time to sit and sip tea and fellowship with other ladies. Here are some pictures from the special event!

Bonfire Time!

We love having bonfires and had such a fun time at Chris' mom and dad's house this past Fall. Sitting around the campfire is always such a fun time, and Marilyn always makes some delicious food to go with the hot dogs and roasted marshmallows. We look forward to this every year!

A- A- Apple

Elliana has had a hunger for learning ever since she was just a toddler. When she came to us and said she wanted to learn how to read, we decided to go ahead and start her with a reading program. The more we looked into the different curriculum choices we decided we really liked a unit study/literature-based approach and that would work well with Ellie's learning style. We have enjoyed using "My Father's World" curriculum. Ellie is doing very well, and has enjoyed it much more than I thought she would! We have school-time three days a week, and it takes us close to two hours to get through all the curriculum. When we're finished Ellie says... "Oh, do we have to be done with school now?" I am so happy she loves learning, and pray that this continues as she gets older and we move forward with homeschooling. I'll try to post our pictures from each unit. I missed the first couple of letters, because my camera was broken and I didn't get any pictures! Oh well... we have the memories, I guess! :) During our "A unit" we learned all about the short vowel A sound, ate lots of apples, read lots of Autumn time/apple books, and visited the Fairmount Apple Orchard on Signal Mountain with MiMi.

Grandmother Tea

Ellie and I were so excited to host a special tea at our house... Mimi, Granna, MaMaw, and MaMoo came. We had tea and enjoyed a fun time together. Hopefully we can do this every year!

Virginia Trip

We were excited to take a trip to Virginia to visit my grandparents, Nana and Poppy, and other family around that area. Chris had to work, so we were sad that he couldn't come with us this time. We had such a fun time and are looking forward to our next visit.

Birmingham Trip

In September, Chris had an appointment with a liver specialist at UAB hospital in Birmingham. The visit went well, and we are thankful that we have our foot in the door there. Ellie stayed here with Mimi and Papa, and Chris' Mom and Dad were able to make the trip with us and help out with Josiah. That was a blessing, and we enjoyed their company so much. We were also able to spend time together and do some fun things as well.

County Fair

We enjoyed a fun time at the 2009 County Fair. The kids love seeing the animals, and this year we were excited to see our niece, Katie, as she showed-off her horses and participated in her 4-H program. We looks forward to the Fair every year!

Happy First Birthday, Josiah!

God has blessed us so abundantly, especially with giving us such a sweet little guy like Josiah. He daily makes us laugh, gives great hugs, loves his sister "Ana", and just brings so much joy into our home. Ellie wanted to give him a gift, so she found a box and filled it with things for him. We had no clue what was in it but when she presented it to him inside was his favorite pacifier, his curious george that he sleeps with, the car he always plays with, and a few other toys he really likes. She also got into my card box and "wrote" him a "birthday note!" Elliana is such a thoughtful big sister and Josiah was thrilled with her gifts... more than the ones we bought for him! :) We are anticipating this next year with Josiah, and know that God has great plans for his life!

Campfire in the Backyard

This past Fall we enjoyed making campfires in our backyard. It gave us a chance to burn some of the brush we have accumulated, and the kids really enjoyed roasting hot dogs and marshmallows!! We used an old wheelbarrow and it worked really well!! I'm sure our neighbors thought we were crazy! Josiah wasn't thrilled to eat the marshmallows, but enjoyed getting his hands very messy and then running them through the grass... lots of fun to clean up!!

Wicked Step Sisters!

I was excited to find out that the cast of "Cinderella" would do a short musical at the library. After church, Ellie and I headed downtown to see them and she was absolutely thrilled! Well, while all the other little girls were lined-up to have their pictures with Cinderella, Ellie said "Oh, Mama... Let's go see those wicked step sisters!"

Hiking

We enjoyed a fun trip to the Pocket Wilderness Hiking area in Dayton on Labor Day. Elliana loves hiking, and Josiah enjoyed riding in the backpack, although I think Chris was pretty exhausted by the end of the trip! We enjoyed seeing a beehive, a "bear cave", a gorgeous area where the kids could wade, and God's amazing creation in general. What a fun day!