Simply Blessed: A Whole Lot of Nothing!

Our days are winding down here in Illinois and we seem to be at our busiest...isn't that how it works? We are trying to squeeze in last minute visits to all of our friends and family before we say good-bye for months. I've been terribly behind with taking pictures of the girls {especially Madelynn} and am determined to make up for that!! I took the twinkies outside this morning during Madelynn's nap to snap a few...

Allison & Alyssa

Yesterday, {coincidentally on Labor Day} my sister-in-law, Becky, and her fiance, Josh, welcomed their beautiful baby boy into the world. My newest little nephew, Colton Ray Farler, made his grand entrance @ 1:57pm weighing a whopping 7lbs 14oz and measuring 20.5 inches long. He has a full head of dark hair and, from what I see in pictures, is gorgeous! We are taking the 4 hour drive down to see him on Friday and I can't wait to get him in my arms!!

Madelynn is 11 months old today and I am choosing not to accept it. :)

She is talking more and more lately...Dada, Papa, Bobble, Bubba, and Up are her favorites, but she is saying so much more!! She stands for a few seconds at a time, but I feel as though she is waiting on her daddy to get here before she takes her first step! Theirs is a bond unlike any other. She is also eating about 8 jars of baby food a day along with her 3 bottles. She chows down on puffs and crackers to hold her over until her next meal...She's an animal!! We have tried a few table foods with her and it's only a matter of time before we have 3 spaghetti loving girls!!

I know it's goofy, but since the day we had our first meal as a family of 5, Johnny and I have laughed about having 3 little naked redheads chowing down on spaghetti. Making a HUGE mess and having to be rushed upstairs for baths.

Alyssa & Allison are enjoying their cousins being in school for the simply fact that we can now sit at the table on work on their 'school' as well. Of course that is still just coloring, talking, singing and using flash cards at this point...they love it nonetheless. They amaze me more and more everyday when I ask them to write a certain letter of the alphabet and they happily oblige.

The thought of homeschooling them is on my mind more than ever right now. As everyone is starting school {some homeschool, some public} I am starting to doubt my ability to educate them. I was never homeschooled, and neither was anyone in my family. This is unmarked territory for me and it's scary. My parents are supportive, but still don't understand our reasoning behind it. #1 on my agenda when I get back to San Diego is to join a homeschooling support group. Maybe I can make new friends and learn something new!

Johnathon gets here on Thursday and we are so excited to see him! He took his E-6 test for the first time last Thursday. He felt confident on his ability to answer the questions, but is unsure whether or not he will make it due to his rate being pretty locked up. {Meaning...they can only let as many people as they have room for advance. If there are no openings, no one advances! Regardless of how well they scored on the test.} We should find out sometime in November.

Alyssa