The Great Pumpking Patch!

Saturday we finally went to a pumkin patch....and boy did we have fun! We'd never visited this patch before, set in the middle of Illinois' largest Amish settlement. I'm sure there are larger patches to be seen, but I have never seen so many pumpkins and gourds displayed in such fun and unusual ways!

I have about a bazillion pictures, but rather than make this post a mile long, below is a slide show. If you'd like to look at them closer or more individually, you can click on the slide show and then look at them in leisure. Enjoy!

31 for 21

Some of you who frequent my blog have read about Randa Kay or Braska and can see that they are linked under the blogs I read. Because of these links and the references to them in a few blog posts, a few of you have even become readers of their blogs.
Randa Kay and Muncher, Nebraska folks, are friends of ours. We all attended the same church and lived in the same area. They've moved about three hours from here and we keep up with them through the three blogs they currently maintain.
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Because of this, RK and Braska have been posting a lot about this on both of their blogs. In addition, Braska has been included in the 3rd Gallery of the Parenting.com, A Special Joy: Babies with Down Syndrome. Take some time, look at this gallery. And then take some more time, if you haven't already, and browse Braska's blog. She is definitely one extra special little gal who will put a smile in your day.

The Monarch Parade

This month Kabe's class has been focusing on learning about the life-cycle of butterflies. A part of this process has been to put on a play for several of the other classes at school, as well as for the parents. Friday was the big day. We all assembled in the classroom and our kids did not disappoint! We knew about the few lines Kabe had to memorize, but as a class, there was a lot more memorization both in poem and via song. Of course, we have both video and pictures of the event, but I'm technically challenged & can't figure out how to load the video from our video recorder.... pictures will have to tell this cute little story.

Kabe was a chrysalis in the play and during the speaking groups, he spoke last, explaining that the chrysalis, once fully formed, will come out of it's case and become a beautiful butterfly.


Here he is showing us the butterfly he colored.


He was a little tired of pictures by this point... =)

Friends

We got together with our good friends Kevin & Debbie for dinner earlier this week.








We haven't gotten to see Brooklyn in so long, this cutie-pie is already 7-months-old!











She only had eyes for Gabe that night though.









This is Kabe & Braylon, watching TV. Here is the conversation prior to this picture:
Me: Kabe, let Braylon play with your Transformer.
(Kabe hands Transformer to Braylon)
Braylon: Awesome!

Kabe was totally compliant, but the look on his face sure says it all!




After dinner we all went to watch "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" where Alexis performed fabulously as Peppermint Patty.





Here's Peppermint Patty, just a regular school day.

Lame - O

By the lack of posts one would think
a) we've had too much going on for me to post much
b) we've had absolutely nothing going on so rather than post about nothing, I've abstained
c) we've had quite a bit going on and I've taken tons of pictures in difficult lighting situations and can't seem to get them posted and we're running to & fro this month so our house is a bit more crazy & chaotic than normal and for some reason, everything just seems hard. No pity party intended. :)

Yep....you're right. 'C' it is! So, tonight, I'm going to attempt to catch you up ... in short order.
Kabe's basketball season is over. It was pretty short, but it was fun while it lasted. When he started the season he didn't know the terminology, how to dribble, pass, pivot...pretty much anything, but each week he worked through the fundamentals and now, although he's no pro, he at least has a basic comprehension of these things.
At the final practice there was a scrimmage and although Kabe was definitely not the best ball-handler, he was one of the fastest on the court. If he'd only remember he needs to dribble the ball he might have made a little more headway. Oh well, not bad for a first-timer. We all got a chuckle watching them. Hopefully, there will be many more to come.

Welcome!

Welcome our nephew, Jayce Carden Schmitz, born at 7:37pm on Wednesday, October 15, 2008. He weighed 7lbs and 3oz and is 20.5 inches long. He joins big sister Breanna. We can't wait to meet him!

Football!

Last weekend the Illini played Indiana, a home game and we were invited to go! It was an evening game, so we even got to tailgate!


Here's Maggie enjoying some of the great food!








Here we are at the game. It was a great night game...and a win!







Anytime we win, that's great....beating Indiana....DOUBLE bonus! =)

Worry and Control

My devotional thought this morning struck a chord this morning so I thought I'd share as it has to do with the upcoming election.

And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
Daniel 2:21

Very soon, Americans will go to the polls and vote for the next president and vice-president of the United States. Hundreds more officials in states and communities will also be elected. But in light of verses like Daniel 2:21--"[God] removes kings and raises up kings"--does it really matter if we vote or not? Doesn't He ultimately choose?

Yes--God ultimately chooses everything. And Yes--it matters that we vote. Everything that happens in God's sovereign economy has two parts: His part and our part. Whether it's salvation or a good marriage or a successful career, both God's grace and our activity is required. From a practical perspective, the Bible is filled with exhortations that depend on our responsibility. The same verse that says God removes and raises up kings says that He gives "wisdom . . . and knowledge." And Proverbs 2:1-8 says that acquiring wisdom is like searching for buried treasure. There is work to be done in order to find it.

The sovereignty of God never excuses us from responsibility.
Will Metzger

Those of you who know me, know that I am not highly political. But with this election drawing near, I find myself getting sucked in to the political arena ... and it's frightening! Most of you who know me also won't be surprised to know that although I don't agree 100% with McCain/Palin I do support their campaign and to say that I am fearful of a government run by Obama is a complete understatement. As I read Daniel 2:21 this morning and then the devotional to follow, I realized that my worrying isn't going to solve or help anything ... it's only going to cause me undue stress. God is in control and regardless of who wins this election He already knows the outcome. Thank goodness! That's too much of a load for me to carry!

Beautiful Fall

This has been such a gorgeous fall weekend we spent as much of it as possible outside.






Today we went to a nearby state park.








Despite living in the area 11+ years now, this is the first time we've been there. The area we visited used to house coal mines.







Kabe was very interested in this and read all the listed facts and really wanted to go down the shaft. I'm Obviously not an option. (note the coal cars in the front of the picture).








The colors of fall are my favorite...as you can tell when looking at the color scheme of my house. There were several trees like this that are just turning -- so beautiful!







When we first drove in to the park, this area was full of kayak-ers, people floating in tubes and paddle boats see remnants on left. Of couse, Kabe thought that would be great. Although this weekend was beautiful, I'm not sure it was water-beautiful. Ummm, frigid!




On our way back to the car, we came upon some berries on a tree ... not a bush ... and decided to pick them to make a pie. I could hardly wait to eat them.





Just Kidding! I mean, we did see a berry tree and I did take some pictures, but I didn't touch them, let alone pick them. I just thought they were pretty and unusual among the rest of the fall colors.

Prays for Stacy & Spencer

Yesterday Randa Kay posted about a family who could really use your prayers. If you have a chance, take some time today and visit He Will Carry Me and read their story and let little Isaac touch your life. You won't regret it.

Home Cookin'

I think I mentioned in a previous post that our church, therefore, all small groups are going through a study on finances using ABC Financial by Barry Cameron. We've had a budget for years, but there are things, financially, we'd like to take care of. As a way to assist in this we're making more of an effort to make meals and eat at home. I've been trying to plan menus ahead of time, which I realize is very common for many of you, but is something new to me. I'm sure my mom did something like that, but it's not something I ever saw, so this is a totally foreign concept. Adam really likes to decide his evening meal on the premise of 'What am I hungry for right now?' so he really isn't a big help in planning these menus. Not to mention, I don't really enjoy cooking. I don't abhor it, it's just not something I'm totally confident about. I'd rather be the sous-chef, the assistant, the right-hand, cleaning up and filling in...not in charge.

Well, tonight, I had something planned for dinner, a quick fix, but something edible and something the guys would eat and something Kabe especially, really likes. Adam called to check on the dinner plan & see about changing it to one of his winter fav's ... seeing as it's cold, rainy and in the low-60's. Well, naturally, we made Taco Soup together and of course, we needed something sweet to go with it! So Chocolate Chunk cookies were on the agenda too! Uhhh, yum!

Do you cook with your spouse, significant other, best friend? I know, I know...some of your guys don't want to eat real meals or get into the kitchen, let alone be anywhere near the kitchen, but be creative...get them involved somehow! It's awesome! Give it a try! We don't do it nearly enough anymore and it's something we both thoroughly enjoy ... even though we do things *entirely* differently. ;)

Now for the good stuff - the Taco Soup Recipe! YUM!

1 lb hamburger
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed
1 can Rotell tomatoes with chili's
1 quart tomato juice
1 Taco Seasoning Packet
1 lb Velveeta cheese
16 oz sour cream

Directions:

Brown hamburger adding chopped onions; then combine all ingredients except sour cream. Add Velveeta to mixture. Warm through. Add sour cream and stir.
Serve over Fritos.

Pink

No, I'm not talking about the musician or my favorite color. Yes, I am partial to pink. I have pink shoes, a pink watch, pink clothes, a pink cover for my Blackberry, ... I even have a pink umbrella! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I'm going Going Pink...join me?

Problem Solving

So, I've told you before how much I totally l.o.v.e. my Blackberry, right? I mean, it's like an extension of my right hand. Adam on the other hand, would really like an iPhone, but we're with Verizon for a number of reasons and won't be switching to AT&T in order for him to get the iPhone.

Have I ever mentioned before that I'm really good at problem solving? No, I mean, like when I took a class on spiritual gifts it's an area where I have a gift. No - it's not exactly a spiritual gift, but something I'm good at and sort of something I'm passionate about. Give me a problem, I'll try to find you a solution. It's what I do. Bear with me, I have a point and it's not about tooting my own horn, I promise! (***PLEASE NOTE - Follow through on said solved problem is not my gift ... but I can get you a solution =). Now back to the story at hand.

Well, wouldn't you know, the makers of my beloved Blackberry have now come out with the Blackberry Storm. I've seen pictures, but below is a pretty badly taken video (sorry, I only grabbed it off youtube...) of the finished product. Sooo, I started thinking about that iPhone Adam wants and it looks like it could be a compromise for that iPhone. Now, obviously, this is a bird's eye view and will take a bit of a critical eye, which I can tell you, it will definitely get when we go & spend an hour or three at Verizon looking at the precious jewel. But for now, it's looking like a good fit and something fun! Might be fun to Twitter on this! Any thoughts?

The Expo

Last weekend was the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS - where I work). In honor of this, there was a big expo ... a family friendly event. Kabe and I went with our friends Jen, Ben and Audrey.


This is Ben and Kabe checking out the bats & mammal's with Joyce.






Here is Kelly and Ron. Kelly also works for INHS for the CAPS program (bugs & stuff =). Oh yeah, Ron works on campus too, he's into farming.






Here is Audrey checking out the Emerald Ash Borer at Kelly's tent with a little help from her mom Jen.






Here's Kabe tracking Mike. Mike is also a scientist who happens to be 'Jack's Dad' (Kabe's friend from school). Mike is a bird-guy. The beads Mike is holding are magnetic, thus able to be tracked via the antennae Kabe is holding. The antenae would beep in a low tone for a far away read and louder the closer it got to the beads. Obviously, Kabe loved this.



Here are Kabe & Jack in one of the mobile units, doing an activity. There are two mobile units that are part of the outreach team. They go to schools in Illinois to teach them about bugs, insects, steams, wildlife, mammals, fish, etc. Basically everything the INHS researches.






Here's Kabe taking a look at some specimen.

These were the hugest crickets I've ever seen. Audrey loved them and just kept going back to them and staring. So cute to see this pretty little girl fascinated with something not so pretty.





One of the activities was a satellite thingy. No idea what this doo-hicky controlled or although I'm sure there is a perfectly good scientific reason for it. In fact, I'm sure some grant paid a good chunk-o-change in order to receive some good data findings. The boys however just thought it was way cool that when you move the handle on the ground it moves the big round satellite-looking thingy in the picture. VERY cool to second graders.


As we were finishing our day, we headed to the library for a scavenger hunt of sorts. Kabe is looking up 'Extinction' in the reference book...no problem.


This is the end of our day with Kabe & Ben next to a model of a giant ant. So much fun! I can't wait until the 200th anniversary!


What did you do last weekend?