Whew!

This has been a great and busy week, and we've been enjoying every moment of the weather! From dinner with good friends and fellow Jayhawks (YES - there are Jayhawkers in Rapid City!) to a very windy soccer game, we've enjoyed all of the excitement and chaos that the fall brings!

Hayden continues to enjoy his school, and is becoming quite excited about soccer, though cars and trucks will probably always be at the top of his list! We've been playing frisbee like maniacs and going on very long walks daily so that he can ride his dirt bike around the neighborhood. He has recently volunteered to be the "trash guy" and loves to empty all of the trash cans in the house and even bring the big one up the driveway after it's emptied ... he says that it's because he's a "big guy" and loves to be a helper ... how sweet!

Ellie will be three months old on Monday, and grows every day ... she spends most of her time smiling, talking, and looking around, though she enjoys nothing more than being with her big brother! There is a marked difference in her when he is nearby! Her eyes are still blue, and hair is sandy blonde with RED! RED!? She really likes to sit up, and be sung to, but mostly, she likes to talk ... that's mommy's girl! :-)

We hope you have a GREAT week!

Hayden's Big Day!

Last night we started making soccer cookies for Hayden's birthday party ... with a soccer theme! Mommy quickly realized that she has not become a better artist since her middle school teacher told her that "not everyone has this gift," and we quickly switched to making a soccer cake. We did, however, enjoy a flour fight and time rolling out the sugar cookie dough that made cookies to be used some other time!



We woke up early this morning (Saturday) to get ready for Hayden's FIRST soccer game! Practice was at 9am and the game was at 9:30am ... he had a great time during practice and took to this new experience quite well, and did great during the game ... but was definitely a bit overwhelmed! I told David we've created quite a conundrum for our little guy ... telling him for the last five years not to push or kick at kids ... he a bit confused with all the running and kicking and stuff as eight little guys rushed for one little soccer ball, but was thrilled about it all and cannot wait until next week! We'll see! His coaches and the other parents are really fun and it'll be a good experience for Hayden ... and us too!







We celebrated Hayden's birthday party with our Rapid City family this afternoon! We had a picnic in the park with our soccer ball cake, balloons, a playground, and lots and lots of good friends! Hayden and Selah took some time to snap pics of everyone ... and of the park too!



School Note: We had the OPEN HOUSE for Hayden's school, and we are just as much in love with it as our little guy is! He is so excited to go to school, then even more excited afterwards to tell us all that he's learning ... this evening when we were getting ready for dinner and talking about who was going to pray, he said ... "God can hear you ... you can pray quietly or loudly and He will still hear you." We feel so blessed that he is going to a Christian school and have been so thrilled with all that He's learning ... it's great to have more than just home and church - to be learning ABC's and creation each day from another place is good!

Thank You Tom.

Hayden has what I would call a "beginners" understanding of heaven. When his puppy Abby was gravely ill, we worked to help him understand, through all the sadness, why she went away. We talked to him about heaven, and why God sometimes takes people (and pets, in this case) when they are hurting or when it's just their time to go with him to make it all better. He loves us so much, that at times He chooses to bring us home to be with Him when He's ready for us.

When "Big Papa" Wolf went to be with the Lord last August, Hayden experienced a cemetery for the first time. Now every time we drive by one, he points to it and says "Look ... there's heaven ... and Abby and Big Papa are there with God!"

This morning after daddy went to the church I talked to Hayden about Uncle Tom, and how he went to be with God too. Our conversation led to some monumental discussion, and what an incredible God we have that could bring it through such a time of grief ...

Hayden: "Is Uncle Tom with Big Papa and Abby and Jesus now?"

Mommy: "Yes, Bubba, he is."

Hayden: "I miss Abby ... but they'll feed her and she'll be super happy. Is she in the garage in heaven? I want her right now.

Mommy: " No Bubba, she's not in the garage."

Hayden: "But where is heaven? I want to go there."

Mommy: "I always thought Heaven was way up high, past the stars and the sun and the moon, but you know what ... God is everywhere ... when you are sad, He is right there, and when you're really happy, He's there too. You can ask Him to be by you all of the time and He will be right there!"

Hayden: "Oh."

Mommy: "If you believe in God and Jesus and be the great big boy that they ask you to be, then you'll go there too someday, honey. Do you?"

Hayden: "Yes. They love me lots. I want to be in heaven some day when I am super old, with Abby and Big Papa, and Uncle Tom."

Hayden: "Can I take my cool cars and dirt bike with me? Does God drive cool cars?"

Mommy: "I'm not sure, Bubba ... we'll talk about that later." "Do you know what we can do right now?"

Hayden: "What?"

Mommy: "We can lots of people about God and Jesus and ask if they want to go to heaven too."

Hayden: "With my Abby!"

Mommy: "Yes, bubba!"

Home.

We heard early this morning that uncle Tom went to be with the Lord. There are so many emotions to grapple with when this happens ... praise that He is home, away from the pain and sin of the world ... sadness because he was such a thrilling, life-loving man that brought such happiness to so many.

My first meeting with Tom was very unique! He and aunt Lois met David and I at the Tampa airport when we arrived for our honeymoon ... they were kind enough to let us borrow their car while we were there. Lois met us at the gate, and Tom was waiting outside with the car. When we exited the doors, I heard someone loudly singing my name ... it sounded good, too! It was Tom.

Every Thanksgiving before we would eat, he would say excitedly, I bet President ______ (whomever it was) isn't eating this good today!

We will miss him, but rest in knowing that we will see him again.

Our Big Guy!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL:: Hayden started his first day at Calvary Christian School today ... he had the best day ever! He woke up very excited ... ate a special first day of school breakfast (waffles and mommy's scrambled eggs with cheese - he and daddy's favorite!), and got to use his new back pack!


WATCH OUT MACK:: After school, Hayden spent time playing his guitar and singing through his new microphone that he and mommy made out in the garage with Daddy's radio. (Notice he attached it to his bike ... his third arm at the moment!


REUNITED:: This sounds so funny, but I'm not kidding ... Ellie did not really talk at all today; usually Hayden and I read, sing, or talk to her during her "wake time," but today it was just me ... and she was pretty mum. When she was reunited with her big brother, however, she immediately smiled and began flapping her arms and legs ... and JABBERING away!


READING!:: Then he read his favorite book to his "baby sis" ... it's called "Love Bug," and that's what he calls Ellie, in addition to "baby sis" and "sweetie."