...and I have not done a very good job of documenting all that we have done. So, are you ready? Because I have a lot of pictures from way back in July that I am posting right now.
We spent a lot of time this summer as just the 5 of us, with John out doing wildland firefighting.
4th of July! This was an early celebration with all the Petersen cousins. Of which there are quite a few.
We were gifted tickets to the St. Paul Rodeo! This little cowboy captured my heart...
As did this guy, so serious in his observations of the real cowboys he saw around him.
Front row seats! Aubrey got some autographs of some rodeo princesses, so that pretty much made her night.
And here is the big cheese again. Where is my 3rd born you might ask? Well, this particular day he was not feeling pictures. But he was there.
I don't remember where we are in this picture but these 4 kids bring such a huge smile to my face.
We spent lots of time at Nana and Papa's, and I LOVED watching Eleanor taking care of her 'baby,' complete with rocking and singing.
And then these guys came into town!
Bryant got to go to a Men's Retreat with Good Shepherd because of the generosity of Uncle Drew.
Time at the beach with the Anderson cousins, up in a tree.
That hand and head sticking out the top of the tree is Aubrey, waving and saying hi.
The beach is almost always a good idea.
Stuart and Molly, flying a kite, no big deal.
And this is reality when attempting a cousin picture after a long day. But they are all there! Except for baby girl who is coming sometime in late December.
Mommy did this a few times this summer with Daddy gone so much. Time out at fun restaurants with my favorites.
This picture makes me laugh because John had been gone for quite awhile. When he was gone he was sleeping on the ground under the stars. So when these three cubs came in and jumped on him (he got in after they had gone to bed) it took him a minute to realize he wasn't being mauled by an animal, but rather smothered by his tiny army.
This guy is truly charming and wonderful, when given the opportunity to live a quiet, slow paced life. We are making happy happy memories this year with the bigger kids in school.
And Daddy, being the incredibly courageous man that he is, is starting over again. This time he has returned to school to get his EMT/Paramedic certificate to (God-willing) become a structural firefighter. One thing these kids will grow up knowing is that when life throws curveballs and knocks you down, as long as you pick yourself up and dust yourself off and don't stay defeated, God will open other doors to more wonderful things. Their daddy never quits moving forward. I am so thankful for that. So we pray with hope and assurance that God works all things out for the good.
So, while Daddy fights for the future, we are holding down the fort here at home. John is gone 3 nights a week and this is what my bed looks like many of those three nights. Future warriors of America, folks. This is how they sleep. And where.
We got to go to a high school football game, cheering on our Sandy Pioneers! These guys had a great time.
The littlest guy was thrilled, to say the least.
...and the girls.
Aubrey is almost finished with her 2nd season of YMCA volleyball. I have had so much fun coaching her, along with Papa as the assistant coach. Bryant is almost finished with his 1st season of YMCA basketball. This kid loves everything. There is not an activity that he has tried that he hasn't loved. It's going to be a bit harder to narrow down his choices in the future. Next he wants to do flag football and basketball again, after he does baseball and swimming. And karate, too. Oy. But he is super fun to watch.
And our annual pumpkin patch trip to the Bushue's! The pig train is the favorite thing to do.
Oh my heart.
Oh look! We are all together! This likely will be our Christmas card picture as we rarely have our act together enough to get all of us in one shot. Thank you, kind strangers, for taking this picture on my phone.
This is a blurry picture, I know. But I walked into his room after hearing some unusual noises. He had this rope and was tossing it onto the top bunk to climb up. He never runs out of ideas. And usually the ideas are not of a safe or cautious nature. I wonder what he will become. Who he will become.
This Halloween after committing to not putting any effort into costumes, I was convinced by these two that I needed to at least make Hulk pants...can you guess which child was the Hulk? Hint: his name rhymes with Newart.
And I also had to throw together a Reepicheep costume. Because this guy is basically Reepicheep. He is small. He is fierce. He is NOT cute. And we pray he fights full on for Aslan's country (metaphorically speaking) to then receive his full reward when he reaches it.
And we got this precious peanut. Or terrorizing beast, depending on the day. But her name is Willow and she will be the perfect compliment to our crazy family footprint. Stuart is still allergic, to those who remember last time we tried this out. But he is now old enough to go wash his face and hands after lots of puppy kisses so he will not swell up. Surprisingly, he has been the most hands on with her, playing with her, loving on her, etc.
I get to be a TA in Aubrey's class every Monday and that has been really fun for me to get to know the kids in the class. And I was blessed to get to go on a class field trip with Bryant to the kids museum.
Did I mention we also have 5 baby kittens? This is litter #2 in 6 months, from the same mama cat. They are sweet little peewies and we have thankfully found good homes for all of them to go to.
Fall Fest at Good Shepherd. Our Obi Wan found Darth Vader, his buddy in school, and they had a quick duel in the church. Because light sabers are always a good idea at church.
And then we got to go trick or treating. TWICE. Once with these guys. So, in order we have: Tin Tin (Noah), Obi Wan (Bryant), a raccoon (Jude), Peter Pan (Levi), a cat (Aubrey), Hulk (Stuart), and Reepicheep the Mouse (Emmett). Then we headed over to Uncle Dan and Aunt Shana's where we went trick or treating in their crazy awesome neighborhood full of people who really really like Halloween and are super prepared for kids.
John was invited to a Veteran's event with the 2nd grade class. Bryant had the honor of introducing his dad, a Coast Guard helicopter pilot, to his class. It is so special to see these little people meeting a few of our real life heroes. And it is so special to see these big heroes being honored by the next generation. It makes this mama a bit teary.
So there you have it. Highlights from July-November. Whew! We have another camera stashed somewhere that I can't find that probably has 100 more pictures on it but this is a start at least.
I am thankful for this season of life. For my husband who keeps barreling along and dreaming big, even when it's risky, for my kids who bring fun and laughter into my world, for my parents who give endlessly and unconditionally in caring for my kids (while they both are still working) while I work and TA and coach.
I see my weakness every day. I cannot do this. I just cannot. And it's in my weakness and failure that I see God show up. Isn't that like Him? And do you know how He shows up? In my mom telling me that she just happened to have dinner thrown together, so instead of me driving home to fix dinner, clean up, and wrangle kids, why don't I just come over and eat a meal there? In my dad telling me every single day what a joy it is for him to get to watch my little boys, when I know he has an incredibly full plate with work. In my sisters who say yes when I need a place for my kids because I have to get some hours in at work. They say yes when they could say no, because they have so much already going on in their lives. In friends who text me or email me saying, "I have just been thinking about you..."
So, wow. When my heart is overwhelmed, He leads me to the Rock that is higher than I, using His hands and feet, His people. My people. Thank you, Lord.
