Seasonal Updating

Daylight Savings ended. We're in the middle of Fall and it feels like full steam ahead to the holidays. Do I get cracking on Christmas shopping (one of my sisters is probably done with hers by now) or is it time I get this blog updated?!

The past few months have been a little on the surreal side. Summer ended and James felt happy that we did close to 90% of the things he listed in mid-Spring that we could/should/would do. I guess...I just kind of went with it; whatever made the boys happy and kept me sane.

School started. Second grade for Noah and pre-K three mornings a week for Jonah. I started attending a women's Bible study and volunteered as a discussion leader at MOPS. We also take on our newest challenge: James' IA.

He'll be heading to Africa for 12+ months beginning in February. The boys and I will stay here. He and I are not new to deployments and we agree that it is better than other places in the world to be sent. Since early Oct. he's been away for training. He is able to come home for a few long weekends, but we definitely look forward to the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year holidays when he can be home longer. I look on the positive side of this training period; he's away for a few weeks, home for a few days, away again...it give the boys and me time to get used to when he'll be gone for the much longer time. I've gone through it before, but the boys were too young to remember much. In the past my family was close by to help, but this time we've got a church family and new friends here who have already been so supportive and encouraging. I feel the Lord's going to used this experience and do a lot of good things! (It got me back on this blog for starters!)

Here are some photos from our autumnal celebration. I'm not big on Halloween, but I love fall colors, fall food, and the always-nice freebies! Jonah noted that we have 10 pumpkins scattered around. I noted that all the pumpkins were free!

Decorated with Sharpie markers:

Decorated with paint, which sadly fell off when we had days of rain:

Also painted, but were kept indoors:

My Clone Troopers:

Noah felt it necessary to remind me this was the third year for him to be a Star Wars character, but it didn't seem to bother him. This year though, he got the new costume and Jonah got his old one. Again, it didn't bother either. Star Wars anything will never go out of style in our home.