Baby gator and police man

It is November 2, 2013 and I put the kids in their "Halloween" costumes today!  We didn't do anything on the 31st and actually didn't have ANY trick or treaters come to our home.  Apparently, we live "out in the country!"  That is okay with Gregg because he gets to eat the candy!

This year we continued to wrestle with the idea of celebrating Halloween.  We don't like the history behind it, yet we know that is not what most families in our culture are celebrating.  We also don't want to just go along with the masses because "everybody is doing it."  We want to be intentional about how we raise our children.  We do not serve sugary candy to them, so we also have a hard time getting them all dressed up to go to other people's doors to ask for it!

My friend Sara, wrote a thoughtful post on the subject: I'm Struggling with Halloween this Year

A good friend and I had a conversation about this recently.  She reminded me that we do not have to make a decision for the rest of their lives.  We can take it a year at a time.  In her neighborhood, they feel like they would be alienating themselves from their neighbors that do not know the Lord if they didn't participate in some small way.  They do not wear any costumes rooted in witch craft (devils, witches, ghosts, etc.), but do dress up and socialize with their neighbors.  In Americus, families generally go to the historical part of town where the houses all look a little spooky (in my opinion).  Our neighbors are mostly older couples, so it is not really an issue here.  

Hopefully we will find a new church home soon.  Many churches have fall festivals, trunk or treat, etc., so that might be an option to allow our kids to wear costumes.  As my mom reminded me, I used to start planning my costume for the following year the day after Halloween.  I just liked to dress up for fun (maybe that's why I became a ballerina)!

I'd like to create a dress up bin for the kids (like Sara mentioned in her post).  Why not dress up randomly throughout the year?!!

If you are reading this and you take your children trick or treating, please do not feel judged by me (us).  We support your decision and honestly feel torn about ours.  However, Gregg and I still do not feel peace from the Lord about taking the kids trick or treating quite yet.

Now for a little fun.  Here is a little comparison of Zeke and Adalynn in the gator costume as infants:

Now we get to look forward to giving thanks and celebrating Jesus' birth.  Happy fall and God bless!

Adalynn is 8 months old!

I was amazed that I was able to keep track of Adalynn's month stickers while living in the apartment, etc., but somehow they have been misplaced now that we are in our new home.  I had to improvise and use an "8" block for the photo this month.  I think it still turned out great! 

Here are some other shots from our impromptu late night photo session...

As you can imagine, I was very pleased at how much she enjoyed playing with the little ballet slipper! 

She is getting stronger, and more interactive with each day that passes.  She likes to go from sitting to laying down, and rocks on all fours like she wants to crawl.  I know it won't be long until she is mobile!  We are continuing to slowly settle into our new home and thank God every day for all of His blessings!

Zeke and Gregg's day out with Thomas

As we begin our new lives here in south Georgia, I've noticed the things that we do not have readily available.  However, last weekend, we were ideally located to the "Day out with Thomas" at the Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park in Cordele, GA. 

Gregg and Zeke drove over on Saturday, October 26, 2013 to see Thomas and take a ride.  Here they are before they headed out

When they got there, Zeke said they got to see "Thomas puffing into the station."  I wish I could have been there to experience his excitement!

 

Then, they got to board the train and take a ride.  He looks like such a big boy here!

Of course, they had to look at the fire truck before they headed home!

Asleep with his ticket in hand.  He came home beaming and ready to tell me all about it!

What a blessing to have a husband who wants to spend time with our children.  As Zeke gets older, I can see more and more days like this for the two of them.  It warms my heart!

P.S. - It's three days later, and he is still walking around with his ticket and the certificate they gave him...

We have moved!!!

I can't believe we have been in our new home 2 weeks now.  It has been a whirlwind, but we feel truly blessed.  Gregg officially started his new assignment on Monday.  He has come home each day with a joyful and calm spirit.  What an answer to prayer!

We still have a LONG way to go in regards to unpacking because we plan to build a shop.  The garage is full, but our living areas are unpacked and comfortable.  I still need to decide where I want to hang pictures, put decorative items, etc., but it feels like home.  

My mom was here for a couple of days to help us get the basic stuff unpacked and she worked HARD!  Here is a before and after of the kitchen while she was here:

BEFORE

AFTER

We had a Baby Guard pool gate put up around the pool, which has been wonderful for our peace of mind.  Gregg was even invited to go hunting with the guy who installed it!  It seems Gregg is receiving hunting invites from everyone he meets around here...another answer to prayer!

We knew God was preparing the way for us and He keeps revealing that through little blessings.  It turns out Gregg knew our next door neighbors from working for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) years ago. 

I have not met any buddies yet, but I hear there is a stay-at-home mom in our neighborhood who used to be a teacher as well.  I'm looking forward to meeting her. 

I did get to spend several days with Stacey, Gregg's sister.  The time with her was priceless.  Zeke cried this morning when he realized she was leaving.  Needless to say, we're already trying to plan her next trip here.  We hope Gary will get to come next time (he had to work).

She helped so much with the kids and house stuff.  Here are a few pictures of the vinyl wall art we put up together...

PLAYROOM

START

MIDDLE

FINAL

KIDS' NAMES

(Ignore Zeke's messy bed!)

I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of Stacey with both kids or with Gregg.  I did manage to get one of her and Zeke that turned out really cute...

I will close with a few pictures of Zeke lining things up and sorting.  He is doing a lot of that these days, which warms my organizational heart!

Oh, and here is one of Adalynn chewing on her wooden keys this morning:

Adalynn's 7 month photos

We were blessed to be able to schedule a session with our photographer, Summer, right before we moved.  It ended up being more of a family photo shoot, but that's okay.  Adalynn wasn't her smiley self, but we got some really sweet photos. 

Adalynn in my Baptism dress, which she wore for her baby dedication:

This shirt was a hand-me-down from Harper and I believe the denim shorts were the ones Sophia wore in one of our Hilton Head family photos.  I found her little "shoes" when I was pregnant and wanted to get a photo of her in them!

It's hard to believe we are a family of four!

They really do adore each other.  She lights up whenever she sees her big brother!

...and one Summer added for us because it's just so cute:

Adalynn is 7 months old!

Weight: 16.3 lbs (35%) ~ Height: 26 3/4" (56%)

7 Months Old!

We are having so much fun with our smiley, happy, sweet baby girl.  She is sitting up, has two teeth, loves to reach for toys, chew on things, and laugh at Daddy.  We thank God for her!