October 2015

We kicked off October with a visit to Priddy's Pumpkin Farm

Hay ride to the pumpkin patch

Hannah found her perfect little pumpkin

Hannah's Pumpkins 

We had fun decorating them with buttons, googly eyes, and things from our nature walk

Benjamin's Pumpkins

I love how both sets of pumpkins mirror the kids' individual personalities

October = CANDY

My kids were excited to bring home a bag full of candy from their Halloween parties at PDO. We let Benjamin pick out several pieces he wanted to keep and we took the rest to make goodie bags for some of the residents at Town Village (An independent living facility where I work). Benjamin and Hannah both got into the giving spirit by coloring some pumpkins with a poem to go in the candy bags. We delivered them to residents and put smiles on many faces. I am proud of my kids and how they have servants' hearts (even if it means giving up their beloved candy).

Mimi came to visit! We always have a good time with my mom in town - she knows just what to do to make life easier and more fun (which is always a blessing, but especially when you are pregnant) 

My kids get new shoes/clothes, we cook new recipes, play games, and when she leaves my fridge is always full...but not as full as my heart : ) Thanks mom for making the trip between Kingsport and Memphis a frequent one! Next time you and Dad come you will be meeting grand baby #3!

The girls in my life group had a shoe cutting party for Sole Hope. We cut out patterns for shoes out of our old jeans and plastic bottles. Our patterns will be sent to Africa and sewn by tailors and then given to kids who don't have shoes. This keeps them from getting "jiggers" in their feet- Don't know what a jigger is? Just trust me - it's bad and you don't want to google it! 

Want to host your own party? 

Check out their website for more info http://www.solehope.org 

I had a nice dinner downtown at the Majestic with my good friend Maria

The Memphis Botanic Gardens is one of our favorite places to play

The kids always have a fun time exploring : )

We pack picnic lunches

and meet up with friends which makes it even better!

Benjamin and Elisha

Date night girls ready for bed

(Looks like Hannah needs a princess gown for bedtime)

Benjamin checking out the train tracks near the playground

Don't let all the pink, bows, and love for accessories fool you...

Hannah LOVES to put on her boots and play in the dirt,

and with dump trucks,

and ride on (parked) 4-wheelers,

and tractors,

and loves to feed our chickens. 

Basically, Hannah loves the outdoors and doesn't mind getting dirty which I think she learned from her brother. She also loves her baby dolls, purse, necklaces, and the color purple : )

I learned something new this month. You CAN hard boil fresh eggs! The secret is you don't hard boil them, instead you steam the eggs for 20 minutes. Result: Perfectly peeled eggs that make delicious deviled eggs!

Frank has already harvested two deer during bow season (yeah for meat!)

This 8-point buck will be joining our home soon - and I don't just mean in the freezer. 

Yikes!

Frank built a top for our new dining room table

The Crafted Classics shop at Frank's work built the bottom

Turned out beautiful! 

Perfect for our larger dinner parties (and future large family)

These two have been playing together so well this month.

Good timing since baby #3 is coming in 6 weeks (or fewer)

Painting a "Car" together

We pray that they will always have a strong bond and friendship as they grow

Benjamin has also really enjoyed doing his activities this month. This was a fun numbers/dice game I found on pinterest. 

Here he is working diligently to color a birthday card for Pops.

"Look Mom, a letter B for BENJAMIN!"

As much as we desire our children to learn their ABC's we want them to learn about God. Benjamin memorized two more catechisms this month and once he said all 5x he got a reward...

Ice Cream with sprinkles : )

As I am about to have boy #2 this is a good reminder for me. 

I'm glad our sons will grow up with a loving Father like Frank. This picture captures it well. He fiercely loves our kids - He intentionally plays, leads, prays for, and loves on them. He never acts as though they are a nuisance or an inconvenience because they are truly a part of his heart. The only thing that would make this picture better is more kids!

September 2015

On the Roberts' Homestead:

Benjamin's favorite part of the day is going to get eggs from the chicken coop

He is always proud of his findings and is careful to place them gently in the carton

We have been getting more eggs then we can consume so Frank posted our eggs for sale and we got an overwhelming response from those in our neighborhood! I think Frank might be dreaming about being a chicken farmer now

Hannah helping figure out how many cucumbers can fit in a quart jar

We have a TON of cucumbers from our garden so I made an attempt at making sweet pickles...They look pretty in the jar but taste AWFUL. I'm sure it's not due to the recipe but operator failure. 

Round 2 with the my sous chef

We will have to wait a few weeks to see how these dill pickles turned out

Best. Watermelon. Ever.

I can honestly say that because in 30 years I have never eaten a full slice of watermelon until this month. It was so sweet and juicy. Might have something to do with being pregnant...either way, home-grown is always more delicious!

I started a learning board this past month and have been surprised at how excited Benjamin gets about doing the calendar and activity each day. I made extra calendar cards using my laminator for weekly activities such as church, date night, PDO, and even Frank's hunting days. 

Red toy round-up activity

I took Benjamin to the store and gave him $1 to spend. He methodically went through the toy section and picked out a butterfly net. All month he has been catching and discovering new creatures. So far he has caught: 5 Butterflies, 4 Crickets, 2 Grasshoppers, and a Frog. 

We made him a nature journal where he has been journaling/coloring his discoveries, such as painting with rosemary

Making nature observations at the park

Feeding birds at the zoo

We have noticed LOTS of butterflies this month

So we made butterfly art with their feet

(Benjamin wanted to match the butterfly we saw at the Zoo)

I love how Hannah always picks out the "girly" colors

We went to Delta Fest and to be honest it was a waste of money. We missed the demolition derby which was the main reason for going. Benjamin rode 4 rides (3 of which ended in tears). Hannah was too small and I was too pregnant to ride on anything else. 

We convinced Benjamin to go on this slide with Frank. 

He had no idea what he was getting into!

Final ride of the night that went a little better because Frank was able to ride beside him.

The following evening was members night at the Zoo. All the rides were FREE, Hannah could ride too, and there were NO tears! Next year we will be skipping the Fair for the Zoo : )

Frank made the kids a "Zoo" with the block and animals

Hannah is doing more building then tearing down of the blocks these days.

Our friend Elisha with Hannah playing on the church playground

Last swim of the summer

4 kids under 4 loaded up and ready for a night of fun

We had the blessing of providing a night of respite care for our sweet friends after they added baby #4 to their family.  

These two are peas in a pod...

and these two are trouble - ha!

Got all four kids ready for church on time!

Hannah wearing a smocked dress that I wore at her age

Hannah is now joining us for Bible time which makes it just a little sweeter. 

We love the Jesus Storybook Bible and would highly recommend it to those with small children. Each story points to the birth of a Child, the Rescuer, Jesus.

We now have HVAC in our guest house

and plumbing and electric...hopefully it won't be long before we have interior walls up!

The hole in our dining room has been patched. Guess we will be doing our dining room remodel sooner than expected. 

Nothing sweeter than a little girl with pigtails and goldfish

Hannah insists on wearing her back pack anytime we go somewhere. 

She is not a baby anymore - which is good since we have another one who will be here soon!

29 Weeks

4D comparison pictures

We got a sneak peak at Judah's sweet face (bottom two pics). I think he is going to look a lot like his brother and sister. 

My Nanny passed away at the end of September at the age of 90.

I was unfortunately unable to attend her funeral, but I wrote a tribute post on her life and legacy that you can check out.

The kids and I worked on making "hugs" to mail to my mom since we could not be there in person.

Mimi loved getting these hugs in the mail.

We are looking forward to giving my mom REAL hugs in just a couple of weeks when she comes to visit in October!