First Grade & First Food

Labor Day came and went, and Emma headed back to school as a first grader!  She didn’t miss a beat and couldn’t wait to get back.  We are so thankful that she attends a school that has great teachers and a great academic standard.  First grade means more homework and more responsibility for her, but she has done wonderfully so far.  There is even a member of our church who works in her lunchroom, so we are grateful to have an extra set of eyes watching out for her.

Last year, Ethan wasn’t too thrilled for her to leave us all day.  This year, that first day couldn’t have come soon enough for him.  It has been a joy to watch him spend time with Eli while she is gone.  Lest you think he has lost some love for his big sister, he is right there with me at the end of each day, waiting eagerly for her to get off the big bus.

We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for Emma this year and pray that the Lord would use this year to draw her to Him!

They're getting so big!

 Ethan was ready for her to go this year:)

We also had another milestone in our house - Eli started solid food.  Just oatmeal for now, but he is getting the hang of it and pretty soon we will start trying some vegetables and fruits.  It is hard to believe he is 5 months already, but it is great to see him grow!

 My boys!

 

 

My happy baby boy!

End of Summer Round-Up

You wouldn’t know it by the warm weather we are having, but we are nearing the end of summer!  School has begun, but before we leave summer in our dust, we wanted to share the last of our summer fun!

One of our favorite things to do this summer was to spend time with friends!  Locally, we had a great Sunday School BBQ and were hosted by the Ball family at their family’s cabin in Lexington (about an hour from where we live) on the shores of Port Huron.

 It was a beautiful day!

Emma and Ashley had fun burying each other in the sand

 Our friends Jim and Tonnie with Eli - they just got married last weekend!

 Ashley, Emma, and Ethan flexing

JUMP!

We also got a visit from my college roommate and best friend Wendy and her family.  Her boys are about the same age as Emma and Ethan and they had more fun than they knew what to do with.  They were only here for a night, but there were many tears when they left.

 All those crazy kids in the garden!

We played at a park near our house that is right on the lake!

Titus & Emma, Ethan & Silas

We almost missed it this year, but in August we headed back to the Armada Fair!  This is one of the highlights of summer for the kids because they get to pet farm animals, watch tractor pulls, and eat great food.  We even stopped at Papa’s Family Restaurant for dinner, which was delicious (I sense a return trip this fall)!

Ethan was a bit nervous about feeding the goats

 Emma was just as nervous, but they eventually got the hang of it!

 Ethan loves the goats

 Eli checking out the roosters

Emma also took swim lessons again this summer, and, no surprise, loved it.  It was amazing to see how confident she was this year with starting a new class and meeting new friends.  We decided to continue swim lessons this fall, so more to come!

Eli was out like a light!

 Ethan came along to every one of Emma's lessons!

Finally, I celebrated my 29^th birthday this August.  My favorite thing to do on my birthday is spend time with my family, so we spent the day at the Detroit Zoo!  We also went to dinner with my parents, and even had a dairy-free cake that was delicious (thanks again, Mom and Duncan-Heinz)!  This year, Chris let the kids pick out their own presents for me, and I their choices were so cute!  Emma picked out some purple, sparkly nail polish, and Ethan picked out a Supergirl t-shirt to match his Superman t-shirt.  I loved their gifts because they reflected their little personalities and it is hard to believe they are old enough to even pick out gifts!

 I had a great birthday at the zoo with my family!

 My beautiful older babies - Eli isn't much for group photos yet:)

Whew!  As I finish writing about our summer, I am reminded that it been a fun summer, but it has also been a blessed summer.  God has been incredibly gracious to us, not just because we were able to do a lot of “stuff”, but because he has allowed us to live and breathe and have our being in Him.  Even if we had stayed home all summer, I would feel just as thankful for my salvation in Christ and my wonderful family.  Stuff and even people can be taken away, but we are most thankful that our life in Christ that will never perish, and we rejoice the most in this.

On to Fall!