Let It Out

Well it's time. I've let it build up long enough. Time to let off some steam. It's about the comments - or should I say lack of comments. Yes I'm talking to you. I know - you say you're busy, you only have time to read the post but no time to leave a comment. My rebuttal - it takes a lot more time to write that post than it takes you to comment on it. And who said you have to write a book - "good post" will suffice. Just "hi" would suffice. Then there's the fact that you don't have to comment every time - but for those frequent visitors that have only commented like 3 times, that's not working for me. I thought I would be happy when I uploaded the hit counter and confirmed the site is getting lots of hits which it has - at least 10/day. But I still need to know my work is appreciated. Does that make me insecure - that I need the affirmation? No I don't think so. It's just common courtesy. To quote my friend and fellow blogger Krystal, "I'm just sayin..." And for those of you that don't know me - you hopped over here from somewhere else - please leave a comment too. I'm really not as crabby as I sound right now.

OK. I think the steam has been sufficiently released. But, lastly to my own hubby - we're all still waiting for your Disney Fave Five.

To get the ball rolling I have a poll for my readers. I'm getting my hair cut on Thursday and I would like your opinions - short (or at least my version of short), medium, or long? I even have pictures for you. I could put this in one of those easy polls off to the side of this post where all you have to do is click one button to vote, but I think my readers need some practice with the comments. I'm looking forward to the results. Have a great week and check back soon. I have several posts to catch up on this week.

LONG
MEDIUM
SHORT

Fall Pictures

I am VERY lucky to have a friend and neighbor that is a phenomenal photographer. She has once again taken some GREAT pictures of Drew and Em. I love these pictures so much, I can't wait for Christmas cards to share them. So here's the early preview.
To see more of Cory's work check out her site. I'm sure you will also find more pictures of Drew and Em there from past sessions. http://www.footprintsofgrace.com/

Stony Creek

Another fall, another trip to Stony Creek Farm. I think this has officially become a family tradition. When Don and I were discussing if we would have time to go this year, Emily quickly piped in that we just had to go so we could "shoot the things into the water, go on a hayride to get a pumpkin, and go through the spooky blow-up things" We knew then that we couldn't tell her no. My favorite part of Stony Creek is getting all the great pictures. I'm surprised Emily didn't mention that. So here's Emily as soon as we get there - not exactly the spot I would have chose but she wanted her picture taken and she was posing so sweet!

Our princess and our pumpkin...

The hay pile - one of Em's favorites! I heard another parent say that instead of paying thousands for a backyard playset they were just going to order a few dozen bales of straw for their backyard. The neighbors might not like that idea so well.

Em and Drew again.

I've taken this shot every year we've gone to Stony Creek. Wow, my baby has grown! I miss those curls!

2006...Me and my kiddos.

Em and Daddy "shooting things into the water"

These next two are yet more examples of our easygoing Drew. He is just along for the ride and happy wherever we take him. When he's had enough, he simply goes to sleep.

And this one is just for Aunt Sarah to get a great laugh out of. Rockstar!

Preschool Hayride

Emily's preschool does a hayride to a "pumpkin patch" every year. I was able to surprise Emily and go with her again this year. I was so glad I did. She loves having me do school activities with her. (If you're thinking Drew looks like he lost weight in this picture it's because it's not Drew - it's my friend Sarah's little guy Luke)

Halloween Hike

Last Friday evening we went to Ritchey Woods for their annual Halloween Hike. We were so excited to actually go this year - we were rained out the last two years. Actors dress up as local animals, birds, and insects and come to life in the woods. It was very interesting and Emily really got a kick out of the characters.
Can anyone guess what these guys are?

What a Cutie

He could not be any cuter if he tried. I love this little guy so much!

LOL

Our church, Northview, just concluded a six week series, Life on Loan. We've been studying what it means to live a life on loan from God. It was a great series and I learned a lot. I've been reminded that my actions speak much louder than my words about my heart and about my faith. Every day I come into contact with dozens of people that I have the ability to impact, even if in just a small way. Going forward I want to strive to make that impact a reflection of Christ's love. During the study the illustration of our lives being a dot on the line to infinity was brought up several times. It's so easy to get consumed by our lives here on Earth. If we could just remember to keep things in perspective. Importance should be placed on the things that affect us on the rest of that line to infinity. Paul states in 2 Corinthians Chapter 4:
17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

As part of this series, everyone was encouraged to join a life group. At the prompting of a few friends, Don and I decided to host a group. It was so evident to me that God had his hand on the forming of our group. I am so excited that our group has decided to continue meeting beyond our initial six week commitment. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us. Below are a couple of pictures of our group from our service project at Northview's urban church, Brookside. We took a tour of the church, met some of the people, and then helped them clean up the streets surrounding the area. It was a great experience, yet I don't want to look on it as a one time experience but rather a stepping stone for doing more work like this to demonstrate God's love and my faith. Below are a couple of pictures from Brookside.