Monday, Monday....

It's a dreary, chilly, gray Monday today, and I'm having trouble mustering up the motivation to get much of anything accomplished. While that's not great news for the lunch dishes still piled on the table, it does mean that I am willing to catch up on blogging while sitting on the couch with a steamy mug of tea. This blog has taken a backseat to life again recently, and I've finally convinced myself that that's okay! Real life is spending time with my boys, keeping caught up with devotions and Sunday School lessons, feeding my three hungry fellows more healthy food than junk, and making sure the house is at least semi-presentable before playdates. My main purpose for blogging is to share photos and stories and experiences and love through a virtual page that our family can look back upon in the future. So, if I get behind by a week or four? Not a big deal as long as I catch up with a few pics and snippets before 2016! (So, you see....I'm actually waaay ahead of schedule with this post about the past month of life around here!)


The biggest change around our household that I haven't mentioned is that LEVI CAN WALK NOW! He toddles around the house all day long, nibbing into every single thing within reach, and following his big brother like a lost puppy. Nate often reminds me, "Yiyi not a baby anymore, us both big boys!" Sigh.

Speaking of Nate, we've been experiencing much of his independence lately. And, while independence isn't a bad thing, it has led to more than one clash of wills in our home. Parenting a baby isn't easy, but, for me, parenting a "big kid" is a whole different ballgame! (And, I know, three is far from BIG when it comes to kids.) Often, I've found myself wondering what in the world we're doing--how are we supposed to know how to raise kids into healthy, well-rounded, God-fearing adults?! And then I remember Proverbs 22:6, and
Proverbs 13:24, and Proverbs 22:15.....and, well, let's just say that Proverbs has been very encouraging to me lately! Proverbs and the stack of books that I ordered from CBD about parenting! I don't want to say that we're discouraged--because we're not! Eric and I love being parents, and we love our boys! It's just that there are times when it would be easier to look the other way, to just let them do whatever it is that they want. "Oh, you want to eat ice cream for breakfast with sharp knives, then go outside and play in the street and swing from the electric lines? Fine, as long as you don't throw a fit." But, as parents, it's our job to not let those things happen. We love them too much to let them do whatever they want. Both of our boys have wills of their own, but they're don't yet understand what is best for them all the time. Green veggies and carseats aren't fun, but they're our ways of doing what's best for our kids--whether they like and/or understand or not. Sounds a teensy bit familiar, huh?


In other news, Levi is still teething. We've got about 2.5 molars through, and are still waiting for the rest. ....someday I'll get a full night's sleep again, right? (It's a good thing he's so darn cute in his jungle animal jammies at 3 AM!) Our daytimes are full of cars, cars, and more cars! (Some things never change around here!) Also, playdough has been a hit recently.

Though it's a few days early, we're readying for my favorite season! We decorated the house for autumn last Friday, and had butternut squash soup for lunch today. It's been chilly outside, and the leaves are beginning to change colors and fall to the ground. The silk leaves on the mantle make me crave pumpkin everything, and I've been perusing Pinterest for fall crafts to do with the boys. Who knew there were so many ways to incorporate leaves and acorns into finger-painted pictures? Starting to think about our Family Fall Bucket List for 2013 too! What's on your autumn list this year?

A few photos of our past few weeks....