We have reaped a bountiful harvest this year...tons of plums, several artichokes, bunches of tomatoes and lettuce, but the best crop of green beans, peas, corn and beets I've ever seen! I cannot wait to see what our winter squash has in store for us...lots of beauties on the vine...white, orange, green funky things and even goards! All have made a lovely addition to my dining room table and front porch. We visited the pumpkin patch a couple weekends ago, but opted out of buying any pumpkins this year. My pantry is down to only one quart left, so I hope to get some great sales on large pumpkins next month to can and restock those shelves.
We froze our corn kernals, peas, green beans, plums and a couple weeks ago I canned tomato sauce, and pear, apple plum sauce (AMAZING!). Aint nothing like growing an abundance of produce in your garden and its even better to be able to preserve it through canning and freezing so it can be enjoyed for another year!
Oktoberfest was a lot of fun this year, despite it being a rainy one. Chloe was able to still wear her dirndls from last year and I made Adaya two this year, one, of which, matched Chloe's. I even got a new costume peice, a beautiful and authentic German Mieder. The three of us went Thursday (Chloe got to spend the night)and Friday and Jonathan joined us all day on Saturday. It was a fun, albeit wet year!
With it getting dark sooner, we've rolled back bedtime as well. Chloe is slowly adjusting, some nights are easier than others, but Adaya has maintained her consistent 7:15 bedtime. Amazing how different children can be. Wonder if she will still be like this next year. Adaya continued to put on a little weight. We've been feeding her anything and everything except for peanuts and honey and she was taking about 4 oz of formula in addition to her bedtime nursing each night for a couple weeks now until we finally weaned her (or more likely she weaned herself) Monday, October 4th. It's been wonderful having her full and happy now. I finally was able to pack away all her 6 month and younger clothes and she appears to be almost skipping the 9 month stage and going right to 12 months! She almost never screams out of hunger or rage like she used to (now just when she's bored, wants more food or attention - no matter how many times I tell her "NO SCREAM") and is happy to play for a long time on the floor by herself. She also finally started crawling, taking her frst couple steps last wednesday at Grandma and Grandpa's and now scooting all around, following us everywhere and getting into everything! She loves playing peek a boo and grabbing at all her big sister's toys. I hear a lot of "No, Adaya, that's MY TOY" around here lately.
Chloe is growing up so fast. Each day she says new and crazy things and each day she tests my God-given patience. Oh, she is so bossy and wants her way so badly. She is sin-nature in its finest form and constantly reminds me to set a better example of a God-directed life. (sigh) 3 is definetely more of a challenge than 2 and it seems like each week there is something new we struggle with. To add to my frustration with her, I no longer get the beautiful silence that I once had each day afternoon at 1 when both girls were napping as Chloe has not consistently had a nap in over a week now. I knew it would have to come someday, but was really hoping it would be several more months away. Since she does still fall alseep once or twice a week, i still insist that she stay in bed for "quiet time" but I know that will soon evolve into "quiet play time" in her room.
Since many of her friends are entering preschool this year, we have decided to have our own little preschool with three other of her friends and just do a new letter every other week. So far, we have done "A" and "P" with a new mom teaching it at their respective homes every other week. While, they may not all be grasping the meaning of "a is for apple" and "p says paa," it has been good for all four of them and I am excited to see how they do with more social interaction.
With both of them very much not feeling like babies anymore, I have definitely been feeling the bite of the dreaded baby bug. Perhaps it is that I am not nursing anymore, or maybe this cold time of year is when I seem to usually be due. Either way, my head wants to enjoy our two right now (and a drink here and there, but my heart years for another tiny, sleepy thing to snuggle with on these cold evenings. Hmmm, maybe in the spring....
Jon is officially riding his Triumph to work every day now. He took some training classes early last month, got his liscence and his gear and began his new commuting style. He looks so hot! And God is teaching me more about trust in Him as I daily give my fears of becoming a widow over to Him. Since we've had the motorcycle, we have had three opportunities where we could have ridden it on child-free dates, but unfortunately, I have yet to acquire my gear and I let Jonathan know my disgruntledness over this almost every day. Almost.
Speaking of child-free, Jon and I leave Friday for our 6 day trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for a dear friend's wedding. It will be my first time to the Latin country and only my 2nd time leaving our country. I got my passport several months back and am soooo excited. We really splurged (aka charged) on this trip, flying first class and even getting a suite at the resort! Needless to say, between Jon's long hours the last couple months and my frustrations over the girls at home, this is a much needed vacation and we plan to enjoy it to the fullest! Aside from planned events such as the wedding, I plan to be poolside and tipsy the majority of the trip! We had lots of fun shopping for it, but boy is it hard to find shorts and sundresses in October! At least those we did find, were at nice prices! While we are gone, the girls will stay with my parents and it will be the longest we've been away from them. We've practiced a night or two with them over there in the last couple weeks and I am very confident that they will be fine. Mom and dad are having fun creating lots of fun things for them to do, so I know the time will fly quick. The hardest part of the whole thing will be not being able to be on facebook, check email and call them whenever I want. But that's the point of vacation, right?!
Well, November is shaping up to be the busiest month of the fall for us, so I think I will save all of its info for its very own post when we get back from Mexico. Until then, Adios!
