Still Waiting!

No baby news yet, but only the fact that the time can only be getting closer! We have a busy weekend coming up, so it will make it very interesting to see what will happen! Time will only tell. We are enjoying this fall like weather with campfires in the evening. The kids have been roasting apples over the fire, so that is keeping them very entertained. They also have a fort that has been taking a lot of their energy, so that is nice as well. Other than that, we had our big AWANA kick-off last night which went extremely well. Kids came with their parents and we had a build your own ice cream sundae! YUM! Sam, Ben, Annika and I are all working with AWANA this year, and Charisma, Becca, Reuben and Amelia are clubbers. Katrina has a Cubbie book that she works on in the nursery where she and Erina hang out for the evening. I imagine the baby will tag along with me most of the time when he arrives! Well, we will be keeping you all posted when the big news arrives!

The "Wedding" Pictures!

Well, I promised to capture some of the playing "wedding", so here it is! Of course the bride was the birthday girl, Charisma, with her flower girls - Amelia, Katrina and Erina. They went out early in the morning and picked tons of flowers for their bouquets.

There were 5 bridesmaids and Annika was the pastor. They tried to convince Reuben to participate, but the large number of girls was a little intimidating! Pictured above are...

Cecelia Trejo, "Pastor" Annika and Noelle Ziemke.

All 6 sisters in their full attire!

The "bride" with the delicious wedding cake!

So there you have it! The joys of being girls!

More Gardening and Flowers!

We had to laugh at the broccoli sizes, as there was a size to match everyone! Erina just had to take a bite of the delicious green stuff! Katrina, Amelia and Reuben had a little more self control. I have to admit that our kids do love to graze in the garden and the yard as often as they can. They are often eating berries, cherries, apples, tomatoes, and whatever else looks edible. Wood sorrell is another favorite. It must be ok, though, because they haven't seemed affected by eating anything strange. I don't really think that other people think it is "normal" to do that, but oh well! They just love it!

The girls picked a lovely bouquet of flowers from all around the yard and sent little Erina in with it! How fun to receive such a love filled gift!

Thank you Grandma for taking the time to spend with us last week! We were so blessed to have you here, and we look forward to another visit soon! You are a blessing and you make each one of our lives a little bit richer every time we see you!

Gardening Highlights

These were some carrots that we pulled the other day! They were nice, juicy and sweet!

My mom came and spent a couple days and we canned pizza sauce! After adding the fresh herbs, garlic and onions we had an interesting mix of colors with the tomatoes. The whole house smelled like a pizza factory! YUM!

Sam had this huge kettle made which we use for EVERYTHING! It can hold 20 gallons and it has had so much use. We make cheese, boil down maple sap, cook tomatoes and everything in it. It can fit over all 4 burners on the stove, or we usually use it in the garage on a gas burner that doubles as a big griddle. Sam found it in someones basement, and they wanted to sell it! We have been so grateful for it!

Baby Update!

Well, patience is a virtue, right? We have all been so excited to see this baby #9, but he must be so cozy in his little world that he is going to take his sweet time to make the grand entrance! After my midwife had seen my dates, measurements and ultrasound she thought that this baby was coming the end of August or very early September. However, my feelings were pointing more to today as my due date! Hmmm. Without a doubt, my track record of going "overdue" has proven to be pretty strong, so we continue to enjoy the days......and......wait! I know that the Lord's timing is always perfect, so I can rest in that!

In the meantime, we have a houseful of girls today who are playing "wedding" since we gave Charisma a most beautiful wedding dress for her birthday! I will try to capture some photos of this to post! I am so glad that the girls have friends that are not afraid to still play "dress up"! How fun!

We covet your prayers for this birth, and will let you know the BIG NEWS when we know something! Enjoy these early days of autumn, eat some apples (ha) and live each moment to the fullest!

Charisma is 12!

It is hard to believe, but 12 years ago today we welcomed Charisma Faith into our family! She has been such a blessing to our family and is growing into a beautiful young lady! Her favorite thing in the whole world to do is READ, READ, READ! If she ever has a spare moment, that is exactly what we will find her doing! She also enjoys biking, swimming, puzzles, piano, mandolin, dulcimer, singing and babysitting. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARISMA!

Family Photos