Nov. 1st - 21st, 2013

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all are looking forward to Thanksgiving next week as much as we are! Spending time with loved-ones over the holidays is the best part. Though we would love to spend the holidays with both sides of our family every year, we have had to come to grips with the fact that we can't be two places at the same time. :( So, we decided a few years ago to start alternating between spending either Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day with one side of the family and then the other the following year. So far, it's working out pretty well. We are certainly blessed to have family close by to spend time with!

We had a good trip to Nashville a few weeks ago. Not gonna lie here, it did prove to be a little challenging to have three kiddos in a very nice hotel for two days. :) But, thank goodness, the hotel had an awesome outdoor kiddie pool that was heated. So that helped the boys get a lot of energy out. 

 Mr. Sunshine in the back seat. :)

 Hair slicked, name tag, all ready for the convention...

Look who we got to meet while there!

 It's hard to capture in pictures how HUGE as well as how GORGEOUS this place was! The property covered more than 60 acres. It houses over 2,300 rooms and if all the panes were taken out of the glass ceiling and laid flat, it would cover 7 football fields! Not joke, we did get lost at least once. :)

 One of many exploration trips while Micah was busy. 

 Just one of many amazing garden areas at the hotel. 

 We spent an extra night in Nashville so we'd have time to do a little sight-seeing. One place we visited was the Parthenon, a to-scale replica of the real one in Rome. Very impressive. Especially, knowing that it was constructed in the 1897!

 Happy Traveler

 Blake posing as...himself.  :)

 And Seth. :)

 Love this picture!

 Quick walk through Downtown Nashville before heading home. We kept hoping we'd see someone famous...we did, even got a picture with him.  ;)

 Back home...had a 74 degree day last week! Seth was much relieved to not have to wear his jacket that day. The baine of his existence!

 Owen's first hair cut at 8 and 1/2 months old. Just a trim really. :)

 Little Drummer Boy. Look at those arms go! He loves to play with anything that makes loud noises. 

We made a leaf maze yesterday to pass the time. 


A few funnies...

       When attempting to teach Seth that he needs to "Treat others the way he wants to be treated", his response was, "But, I don't want to be treated".   :)

      "That's why cars have to turn on their night lights" one of many astute observations from our dear Blake about what vehicles do at night when it gets dark. 


Well, hope you all have a good Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to seeing again Jonathan (he's coming down from Fort Meade, Maryland) and Will too (coming from Virginia). There is certainly a multitude of blessings we are thankful for this year. The biggest one being that we know Who holds the keys to our future and thus have no reason to despair.

Love to you all,

Kari, Micah, Blake, Seth and Owen

Oct. 12th - 31st, 2013

Hi Everyone,

Happy Reformation Day! We are currently driving through the beautiful mountains of Tennessee on our way to Nashville. Micah is attending a convention and, thanks to the generosity of Micah's employer, we were all able to accompany him.

Hmm...what's new around here...

I feel like Blake has been growing and learning by leaps and bounds lately. He got his first set of first-reader books and has had no trouble reading right through them. It's so neat to see him learn at his own pace. He is fascinated with writing (and making up) three-letter words. I'm pretty sure he wrote and needed me to see at least 20 words the other day. I think I was dreaming in three-letter words that night. The cat sat on a mat...

 This is the first picture he has drawn of a body of some sort with a face, eyes, nose and mouth. As you can see, the picture he drew is clearly a goat. 

First reading session with Seth. Unfortunately, Seth's attention didn't last through the third sentence, but it was neat to see Blake reading to him. :)

We visited a homeschool presentation of a medieval knight last week. Needless to say, the boys were pretty much in heaven!

Speaking of getting older, Blake got to go with Daddy to an after-hours work meeting/social. He got his own name tag and even got some appetizers. Funny story...among other leaders in the community who were present, he got to visit with the Sheriff himself! The Sheriff was very friendly and during their chat, took a small round pin off his collar and pinned it to Blake's shirt saying, "I'm gonna Deputize you, young man." As they were leaving, the weight of his furture responsibility started weighing heavily on him and Blake's little lip started quivering as he said, "Dad? I don't think I want to be Sheriff some day." :)

Celebrated Micah's 29th Birthday last week! I'm sure you all get tired of hearing me gush over him, but he really is the best guy ever! 


 In keeping with our fall traditions, we visited a pumpkin patch the other day. 

 Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe  

Blake turning a old-fashioned hand-cranked corn sheller, pretty neat. This one had been on this same farm for many a year. 

 I'll take that little pumpkin in the middle, please. :)

 Owen is distressed that he can't seem to decide which one to take home. 

 Blake pulling his little friend, Sophia. 

It was a little disturbing at first to get our hands so slimy, but after a few minutes, they jumped right in!

 Seth caught helping himself to his vitamins in the cupboard. :)

Owen's favorite thing is to go outside. He gets very sad when the boys get to go out without him. :( He is pulling up on just about everything now and even stood alone for a few seconds yesterday. He is so active! Always moving and exploring. He just a little guy and is still living up to his nick-name of "Tiny Tim". He is healthy and gaining weight, just on the smaller side. So cute!

Every once in a while when Owen falls down he decides to just lay there and whimper until I come get him and help him up. It's as if he wants to make sure he's okay, before he risks moving. :)

We are really excited about seeing some of Nashville this weekend. We aren't big country music fans, but we'll still have fun. I better run, these boys are needing a snack asap! 

Hope you all have a good week!

Love, 

Kari, Micah, Blake, Seth and Owen

Sept. 27th - Oct. 11th, 2013

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are having a good week! Here's a little of what we've been up to...

 I turned...well, let's just say...another year older...on the 27th. :) Micah knows that I'm an animal lover at heart so the day after my birthday he took all of us a nearby zoo/aquarium. We had a blast!

 Got an awesome view of their tigers. Right up close!

 What does the turtle say? I still don't have a good answer for that one.  :)

 Meerkat village

 I know it looks like I'm pulling on the poor thing's ear, but I'm not-honest!

 Owen likes to screech really loud and pull Seth's hair when he leans back on him in the stroller.

 Seth smashing his nose against the tank. You will start to see the boys getting stimulation-overload and that "glazed over" look in their eyes in the next few pictures. :)

 No comment.

 Seth's about had all he can take in at this point.  :) Last stop before heading home. Micah had a little surprise party waiting for me at home when we arrived. It was very sweet and I had a great time, even if I was turning__. 

 Bath buds

We walked into the boys' room the other day to find...this little man STANDING in his crib! Yup, 7 months old and he's already pulling himself up. Is it me, or did he JUST start crawling, like yesterday?! Well, ready or not, he's quickly learned over the past week to proficiently pull himself up to almost anything in the house. He is on the GO!

 Little breakfast bystander....

Check-up by Dr. Seth

 Blake trying to tickle Owen and make him laugh, I think Owen's not quite sure what to do. 

 I think Seth's finger is about to get bitten at this point. :)

In other news, the boys and I are holding down the fort this weekend while Micah is away at our church's annual Men's Retreat. It's raining outside and the boys are almost finished with a precautionary quarantine with a sickness going around and thus we have not left the house in 5 days now, so needless to say, they are getting just a little stir-crazy! Thankfully, Great-Grandma Ensmenger in CA sent us a package that arrived today with a few new toys and books. Yay! We're saved. I'm beginning to think the boys aren't as fond of Mommy Time as Man Time. :)

        "Are we made of MEAT?!?" Blake, on the shocking realization that if he had a pet T-rex, it might eat him.

        "It feels salty to me" Seth, on the seasoning of his hard-boiled egg.


Hope you all are going well! 

Love, 

Micah, Kari, Blake, Seth and Owen