Time With Daddy

Our kids love time with Daddy.

On one of the nice Autumnal days, Rachel and I went to a rummage sale while Daddy, Joshua and Madelynn had a donut run. This was (I think) Madelynn's first and last bike ride this year:

This week Daddy ended up staying home for a couple days due to a bad storm. We made the most of it, getting some stuff done (like lots of baking-yum!), some Bible study, and of course, some snuggle time with Daddy:

We enjoyed our time together, it was a treat to have him home. The storm is over now, so Thursday Daddy went back to work. Thank you Jesus for a little surprise weekend!

Welcome November!

Here along Lake Superior November winds (yes I know it's still October...) remind all of us how powerful God is and how powerful wind and water really are. And how helpless we are in comparison. The wind picks up, our electricity goes out and we can't do much about it. So what does our family do? Well, we are one of the fortunate ones who did not lose electric power but we did hear the rain and wind all night just like everyone else. Joel's been home from work for two days now. Today we decided to bundle up and take a stroll (a hike?) downtown to look at the damage done, the wild 20 foot waves, and feel the wind on our faces:

The waves out in the lake (beyond the break wall) were supposedly 20 feet tall, a record. When they finally rolled in and crashed into the wall the spray would rise far beyond the lighthouse, higher than what you see here. Then the waves would keep coming in and crash onto the shore, onto the sidewalk and land upon the side of the road. We couldn't walk on that side of the road!

There were also a couple of boats that had been beached by the wind and waves, here is one:

A smaller boat was on the west side of the harbor. It was almost in the parking lot of a local restaurant!

Our town's municipal pool, though, I think had the worst damage that I could see:

The rubber roof was torn right off along with the white insulation. It's a pretty big mess, with chunks of insulation strewn about, and the rubber roof hanging over the side. Josh wanted to go inside and see if the roof was leaking. I asked Joel what would happen if it leaked and Joel replied "The pool would get wet!"

Good Marriage Book

I (Renee) just finished reading the best marriage book I've ever read. It's entitled "Created to be his Help Meet" by Debi Pearl. I was a little wary of the book due to the extreme conservative beliefs the Pearls hold. But it came recommended so often and from trusted friends that I finally picked up a copy. Wow! Such a great book, it is so refreshing and so, so very biblical. I highly recommend this book for every Christian wife out there. Even if you have a great marriage, there are great nuggets of wisdom about the kind of man you have married (because you know not all men are the same!!) and how you can meet his needs with a joyful heart.

(Order it through the library if you don't want to buy it.)

The Earth is Yours

Joel and I have a new favorite band. This doesn't happen very often. Perhaps we're picky. Perhaps we're too busy. Perhaps there is a shortage of quality, God honoring music. Whatever the reason I highly recommend their album: Band's name is 'Gungor' (the lead singer's last name) and the album's name is 'Beautiful Things'.

Enjoy!

Getting Ready For Bean Sprout

The arrival of a baby always comes faster than I think, even though the 38 week mark seems so far off. I've learned to use the 38-40 weeks God has given me to prepare myself, the house, and the children for a new sibling. A type of "spring cleaning" becomes a normal thing around here, though much more laid back. Like washing the futon covers and curtains or cleaning out clutter in the closets over the course of a few weeks.

At the moment I am working on preparing Madelynn for a new sibling. The first step was to arrange her new bed in a way that four children could sleep in a small sized bedroom. We have a set of bunk beds- Joshua is on top, Rachel is on the bottom. Now the two girls share the bottom bunk and Bean Sprout (when he's outgrown the bassinet) will sleep in the pack n play. Below are some photos of how we did the girls' bed. Rachel is sleeping normally with her head at the top (right side). Madelynn is perpendicular (on the left) with a blanket divider.

We've been doing this for a few weeks now and it's worked out really well. Of course the first night was rough, but that's to be expected. The second night the kids were so exhausted they fell asleep right away!

The second step to preparing Madelynn was to arrange her clothes in the closet so that she could reach them and also to make more space for one more person's clothes. We have one wardrobe and one narrow dresser for four children! God is so great in how he has helped us conserve space.

The third step, in which we are currently wrapping up (hurrah!) is to wean Madelynn off of the pacifier (Nuk, soother). It's been over a week now and I believe she does not remember it anymore. Two young boys in the church nursery had them and Madelynn didn't seem to clue in. She's stopped asking for her soother before her nap and bedtime too, so that is why I say we're "wrapping up" that step.

Autumn Hike and Picnic Lunch

We hiked the first mile of the eastern end of the Border Route Trail. The kids did great most of the way. We hiked along a creek, through a cedar forest, a birch forest, alongside an old cut-block and up some rocky bluffs to the overlook where we had lunch.

To the north for 180 degrees was Canada across the Pigeon River just below us. To the East were the fire towers on Mt Maud and Mt Sophie on the Grand Portage reservation. To the south was the Swamp River and wetlands, one of the largest wetlands in MN.

Joshua had a brand new diamond willow hiking stick to try out. Rachel had her baby doll in a sling.

Apple Picking, a Birthday Costume Party and Nana's Sweater

We managed to find an apple tree in town and picked a good number of apples to turn into sauce, leather, pie, crisp and other delightful applicious treats. The kids did a great job picking, sorting and catching the ones rolling down the driveway. Madelynn was content to sit and munch.

A little friend had a princess birthday party and invited her friends to dress up. Joshua of course was not a princess but a cowboy. That's his horse he's holding in the picture! Rachel was in her element to dress up as a princess, she loved every minute of it!

The next picture is for Nana especially, though of course all can enjoy it! Nana (Joel's mom) made this sweater when Rachel was a baby. Here is Madelynn ready for church:

Visit with Friends

A few weeks ago, our friends Alfie and Maria made their way up here and stayed the weekend. It was so much fun! Below are pictures from a hike we took with them while they were here.

Alfie and Joshua

Joel, Rachel, Renee, Joshua

Rachel and Maria