Dress-Up Day

Not big Halloween people, but it is fun to dress up and get candy from a few friends. Dayna was so excited to be an engineer like her Dad. And Anne...how could we not recycle the Raggedy Ann costume. It took many bribes of Crunch Berries to get her to wear the wig longer than 10 seconds. But I managed to get pictures of her with the doll my mom made when I was three.

Pumpkins

We've always marveled that Dayna was so aptly named in China - Mei Le means "beautiful" and "joyful." We're a bit baffled by Annie, though. Li Jie means "clean."  We've found with her inquisitive spirit and skills in getting into things when our backs are turned, that she's anything but! Maybe "clean" means "pure in heart."

Anyway, we're not big pumpkin carvers. Enjoy some painted (and painting) pumpkin pictures.

Doubly Good

It's been one of those weeks...okay, months...where things feel like they're spinning out of control. No time to clean house. The thought of unloading the dishwasher overwhelms me. There's so much to do and not enough time to just sit and enjoy my girls. We're all stressed and busy and running and snapping...I feel like we're missing out on so much.

I stumbled across this video the other day. "Doubly Good" was one of the songs sung at our wedding. The original was performed by Amy Grant, but the song was written by my favorite artist, Rich Mullins. This is the only recording I've ever heard with him singing the song. It's a good reminder to focus on the blessings we have and not the things left undone.

Sisters!

One of my deepest prayers for Dayna and Annie is that they grow up with a special sister bond. Our first six months together haven't always been the smoothest, and Annie has required a lot of attention and care that used to belong to Dayna alone. There have been many opportunities for sister squabbles - broken toys, ripped books, scribbled schoolwork, hair pulled, skin pinched. And yet these two don't get into it. Dayna has been a doting older sister who is always finding fun activities for the girls to do together. Annie happily obliges. And although these sisters are as different as the sun and the moon, the sound of their giggles and the sight of their smiles warms my heart.

Nebraska City Photo Dump 2

Nebraska City Photo Dump 1

Yup...more pictures! Last Friday Dayna and I didn't have school, so Dan took the day off and we all went to Nebraska City for our annual Apple Day and family pictures. The weather was perfect, but maybe a bit too sunny for great photos. Nonetheless, it was a long-anticipated day to just kick back and enjoy each other again.

Vala's Photo Dump 2

On the hayrack ride before the camera battery died

Dan's October second home

Annie didn't love the pumpkin pictures so much

But Dayna did!

She was finally big enough to ride these alone

Enjoying a train ride with Daddy

Yes...they're usually this happy to be with each other

Vala's Photo Dump 1

Another year has come and gone at the Pumpkin Patch. Once again, Dan has a blast driving the train and the rest of us enjoyed the family pass to visit whenever we wanted. Which meant we were at the Patch a LOT!

Dayna 2006 - post palate repair

Dayna 2013

Annie 2013 - post palate repair

Enjoying the pig races

Dan likes this picture