Zoo Pals!

My college roommate Julie and I try to get together every so often. Now, with our boys in school, it was just us and our girls. We headed to the zoo and had a wonderful time chatting and watching the girls. The weather was WONDERFUL! Above is Eliza checking out the goats . . . or vice versa.

Eden, Emma & Eliza

Eden, Eliza & Emma

Eden with the giraffes in the background.

Eliza.

We tried to get this to be a picture of the three girls, but that didn't happen. Eliza's enjoying her Cheetos.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but there were the cutest, gray baby flamingoes.

The three of us.

Kind of watching the monkeys.

Sea lions.

And penguins.

Eden kissing the camel on the wall, gross, I know.

Fun time!

Sunday School time again!

Sunday School has started for the kids again. Woohoo! And the girls are old enough to join a class of kids their age (16 3 to 4 year olds!).

And now that they've started Sunday School, that also means that we shouldn't be sending them to the nursery during church. So, we're making the adjustment to having 4 kids in the pew with us. The first Sunday, I packed an arsenal of crayons, color books and one big bag of Honeycombs. Well, they fought over the ONE bag of Honeycombs so much that we had to take the girls out of church for being too loud and fighting. The next Sunday, I downsized, big time! No food, no colors, no coloring books. The girls were allowed their purse with a bitty baby and hankerchief. Well, halfway through church we got out the purses and they had a fight over whose hankie was whose. And they were screaming! Seth grabbed Eliza and I grabbed Eden and out we went AGAIN! This Sunday, I downsized even more. No food, no crayons, no books, no purses, no hankies or babies. Simply a pen and the Children's bulletin and their $1 for offering. Seems this week they were getting along too well and creating a tickling scene. And this isn't even a detailing of the many trips to the potty! This too shall pass, right? Anyway, back to the Sunday School post.
Here's a quick photo of the girls getting acquainted in their classroom.
And the boys during their song time. Emmet's on the left and Ephraim's in the middle standing but falling (in the dark blue shirt and brown pants).

Singing!

Who's teaching? It's Seth! And he did a great job. He teaches large group to the preschool-2nd grade once a month. And I'll also be teaching once a month.

Outside church on September 12.

And new this year is that the kid will be singing in church everyother month. So, today, September 26, was their first time singing. They chose the familiar song of "This Little Light of Mine" but to a faster beat.

Back row: Micah, Jaylin, PJ, Travis, Jason?, Levi, Sam (behind Ephraim), Ephraim, Kamden, Anthony, Luke, Jaylin & Drew

Front row: Hayley, Becca, Allie, Mckenna, Emmet & Will

What precious voices!

Harvest Time!

Harvest started for a short two days before the rain began again. On Friday and Saturday, the 17th and 18th, Seth was in the combine. On Saturday, we got in on some of the action.

Eliza wasted no time in climbing up the steps.

Okay, time to load up!

Eden got Daddy's lap first.

Emmet watching the tractor and wagon.

Ephraim watching the corn head.

Silhouette of Seth and Eden in the hopper window.

Well, I guess if you're going to disobey the rules, you may as well go all out.

Eliza

Ephraim

A picture in the mirror.

I sure hope Seth's blinking in this picture!

A father helping son.

Ephraim's turn at the wheel.

Proof that I was in the cab, too.

Eden.

Emmet.

Emmet driving.

Ephraim.

Eliza, heading back to the van.

Done for a while, Seth and Eden.

The girls!

Here are a few pictures of just the girls.
For whatever reason, the girls sometime wake up in the night and they know that they can come to our room and lay on the floor . . . not our bed. So, we'll often find them on our floor when we wake up. And sometimes they wander back to their bed in the middle of the night, too. Anyway, this particular morning, I found both girls snuggled together! Ahhh. And there was another morning when Seth and I were still and bed and the girls were awake on our floor. And they started singing "Jesus Loves Me." It went something like this "Jesus lub me, Bible so."

On Thursday, the 16th, Eden was determined to go to school with the boys. She was in the breezeway with her shoes, coat and backpack on. And when I said "bus" to the boys, they took off out the door and Eden was right behind them. Seth had to restrain her about halfway down the driveway. Here she is at the door lamenting about not being able to go to school on the bus.

The sooner I teach the girls to make meatballs, the sooner I don't have to! They were actually a great help and did a good job. My supper swapper group need not worry, these were for home consumption only!

CANDY!

Yes, another parade and another stash of candy. This time it was the local parade in Fremont. And there was no shortage of tootsie rolls!

And Eliza wasted no time in taste-testing. It was a great small-town parade!