The Colors of Fall

I love autumn! It is my favorite season, second to spring. I enjoy all the vibrant colors as the leaves change and the perfect weather. Granted, I don't particularly like that the leaves fall from the trees and then completely cover your yard. I found out on Wednesday as I was running out to get the mail while all the kids took their naps that the massive amount of leaves in our yard were doing an excellent job of concealing a huge hole. I about twisted my ankle! But back to the good parts of fall, mainly the amazing shades of red, orange, and yellow.

I got to enjoy these colors up close this afternoon as I raked the seemingly endless amount of leaves in our front yard. I filled the yard waste container, having jumped in numerous times to press down the leaves. Yet, our yard didn't look like I had even raked a single leaf. Figured I would rake the remaining leaves into piles and Lawrence can take care of them tomorrow when he is back from deer hunting. Here is what I left for him:

Think Coralyn will have fun jumping in the piles of leaves? I look forward to our family time tomorrow afternoon!

The Simple Things

I have found myself smiling at Coralyn a lot lately, at very simple things.

Like a couple nights ago when I let the water out of the bathtub and told her the water was going bye-bye, and she started waving.

Or yesterday when she brought me the container of play dough and signed "please" so I would open it for her.

Or today when she handed me the bag of crayons and signed "more, please" because we had just finished coloring, but she evidently wasn't quite finished yet.

I smiled last night at supper when Coralyn tasted something she didn't like and instead of throwing it on the floor (like she usually has done) she handed it to me.

This morning after I finished changing one of the baby's diapers and Coralyn took the wipes and put them in the basket for me, I smiled.

And of course I had to smile as we sang "The Wheels on the Bus" and Coralyn did the actions for the first time.

When I saw Coralyn take a piece out of her farm animal puzzle and then put it back (actually getting it all the way in the hole) in the right place, I smiled at her accomplishment.

One of Coralyn's favorite "games" is to take all the toys out of container and then put the empty container on her head. She can't see, but she walks around laughing, and I just smile.

Lately, Coralyn has been bringing me books and turning around to sit on my lap, which makes me smile with utter joy as my heart overflows with love.

Of course I smile when I hear Coralyn say my name, laugh, or when she looks at me with a cute smile of her own.

One of my favorite times of the day is when Lawrence gets home from work and I tell Coralyn, "Daddy's here." She does a happy dance, squeals with delight, and heads to the door to greet him. That makes me smile.

Like I said, it's the simple things of life...

Coincidence, I Think Not

This past weekend was the beginning of deer season, which means we went to Sedalia so Lawrence could hunt at his parents' place. Last year Lawrence didn't see a single deer, except the dead ones his dad and brother shot. This year I have really been praying that Lawrence would get a deer, even 2 or more. Not only does actually shooting a deer makes getting up early and sitting quietly in cold weather for hours on end worthwhile, but it also means lots of cheap meat.

Friday evening we went out to eat (thanks to our volleyball team we had a free and delicious meal at Rancho Grande) then made a trip to Wal-Mart for Lawrence to get his deer tags and a box of bullets (270 Springfield, 150 grain) since he only had one bullet left. After making our purchases, we headed down to Sedalia.

The next morning Lawrence was up bright and early at 5 and out in his deer stand before 6. He loaded his one remaining bullet, plus 3 of the new ones, knowing he might need more than one shot to kill a deer. Then began the waiting. Around 7 he spotted a nice 8 point buck and looked for a good shot. Although he would have to shoot through some brush, Lawrence thought he had a neck shot and took it. The buck fell immediately, but was twitching and kept twitching as Lawrence got down from his stand to check out his deer. He figured he better shoot it once more to put the poor guy out his misery quickly. His gun kept jamming though. Lawrence looked to see what was wrong and only then discovered that the Wal-Mart guy had given him the wrong kind of bullets (30-06, 150 grain). Since he couldn't shoot the deer again, he had his brother come over and use his gun. Matt shot the buck in the neck again, but still the big fellow wouldn't die. While Matt came to get the four wheeler and trailer to haul the deer up to the garage for the skinning process, Lawrence stood watch by the buck and waited for him to finally give up and die. Since the buck wouldn't surrender, Lawrence had to take a 3rd shot. Thankfully, he had loaded his one good bullet first and was able to use it to get the deer down initially. If he had put any of the other 3 bullets in first, he wouldn't have been able to get the buck. Coincidence that out of 4 bullets, he loaded the only good one? I think not. God was totally in control.

Not only did God allow Lawrence to get a buck, but after it was skinned, cut up, and ground into meat, we had 62 pounds of burger and 6 pounds of jerky to take home. 68 pounds of meat is going to go a long way in feeding our family this winter. Once again God has blown us away with His abundant provision! Just to emphasize this point: Lawrence's brother Matt shot 2 does later that day and got 36 pounds total. Lawrence's one deer was double that amount! I love how God takes care of us, so much better than we could ever imagine.

Lucky 13

While 13 is my favorite number, I know there's nothing really lucky or unlucky about it. But it is definitely the best number this month since Coralyn is now 13 months old!

In honor of the number 13, I thought I would list 13 new things that Coralyn has added to her accomplishments:

1) She raises her arm and makes the noise for an elephant

2) She roars like a lion

3) She moos like a cow

4) She often lets me know when she needs to go potty and uses her special potty frequently throughout the day

5) She folds her hands to pray (my favorite!)

6) She can touch her toes (when we ask her where her toes are)

7) She can hold a crayon and "draw" or "color" a picture

8) She tries to put the matching puzzle piece in the correct spot (granted, she doesn't actually get it in the hole, but she has the right idea)

9) She can say "down" to let us know she wants down or is done with a meal

10) She goes to her chair when I tell everyone to go to their spots for a snack or lunch

11) She will get her socks and shoes for me when I say "let's go outside"

12) She will help clean up her toys

13) She will sit in my lap to read books or watch a Baby Einstein movie (the fact that she sits for any length of time is quite the accomplishment!)

I am so proud of my "Baby Girl!" She is growing up so fast. Part of me likes it and part of me is sad to see her become a "Big Girl" because I know she will never be a baby again. That's okay though. I am excited to see her continue to grow and learn new things. She will always be my baby no matter how old she is! :)

Family Time

Since Lawrence had Friday off, we enjoyed a 3-day weekend and got to spend lots of quality time together as a family, which was super nice since we didn't get hardly any time together during the week due to grad school, parent-teacher conferences, and meetings.

The pictures ended up being in opposite order, but oh well...

Lawrence and Coralyn at Trunk or Treat

Coralyn and me by the tree in our front yard, right before Trunk or Treat

Walking along at Deanna Rose...she would not let us hold her hand early in the day for family pictures (that little stinker!)

Lawrence pushing Coralyn on the little red tractor, which she absolutely loved.

I was a bit sad when I woke up this morning, knowing that the weekend was over and that the week ahead would be busy as usual. BUT I am so thankful for the time we had together this weekend. I am blessed with an amazing husband and a wonderful little girl! Family time is definitely one of my favorite things in the whole entire world!