Fall Camping

We really wanted to squeeze one more camping trip into this season, and we knew the fall colors would be beautiful right now, especially near the Smokey Mountains. So off we headed to Panther Creek with my aunt Eilene and my cousin Susie. Friday night when we arrived, it was raining (which we knew beforehand was going to happen), so we begged a dry bed in the camper with Eilene and Susie. :) Sabbath morning dawned clear and crisp, so after breakfast, we were off to find the lake.

There is quite a network of trails at Panther Creek, so we headed in what we thought to be the right direction. Here is Aile and Susie on one of the bridges the kids liked to cross:

We soon found ourselves in the heart of the woods. (Not where I would envision finding the lake...) At this particular spot, right next to where Sean and the kids are standing, the rest of the hill was filled with large, bright green, moss covered rocks. "Look-it at those green rocks!" Brenner exclaimed. "Why do you think those rocks are green, Brenner?" Sean asked. "Well...just because God made them that way!" was Brenner's simple answer....And then, throughout the rest of the hike, we would frequently hear Brenner's dialogue: "Look-it at those wet branches...God made those. Look-it at that creek...God made that. God made those tall trees....God made horses and dogs (it was a horse trail as well, and we saw quite a few people walking their dogs on it)." And then the kicker--"Daddy, did God make that horse manure?"

Well, we never did find the lake Sabbath afternoon, but we did have a fun time exploring the woods. Then Sunday the kids discovered the huge amounts of fallen leaves all around our campsite.




Aha! We finally found the lake! Well, the overlook anyway....

My "All the day..."

Sometimes the re-interpretations that children give to songs and stories give them a new meaning that is relevant for the moment, even if at first they seem to not make much sense... Today I heard Aile singing: "When I am down, You pick me up. When I am dry, You fill my cup. You are my all the day!" The correct lyric says, "You are my ALL IN ALL. But as I thought about it, sometimes it is more important for me to remember that God is my "all the day." He gives me strength and power to make it through each day, and there are times when that is all I am trying to do! So I didn't correct Aile's re-interpretation. I like having God be my "all the day"! :)

I need a big bear hug!

Caelum has grown by leaps and bounds in just these last couple of weeks, and has become quite the little character! (We believe we have a young Sanguine personality on our hands!) His excitement shows each time one one of us goes anywhere near him--he reaches his arms as far as he can and waves them at us for us to pick him up--all while laughing his silly little chuckle: "Hee hee! Hee hee hee!" Then as soon as he is successful in his mission (ie. in our arms), he clasps his little hands together and scrunches his shoulders, cuddling into whoever is holding him. Then he just laughs and sticks his thumb in his mouth. What a guy...

The Adventures of the Flea Market

Twice a year there is a huge flea market at the local university, and we usually try to get over there to browse around and see what treasures we can find for a couple bucks. It was a beautiful day, and this year, one of the main attractions was climbing trees:




The excitement must have been too much! Brenner had to have all of his new goodies piled around him when we got back to the car. (How kind of someone to let him have all the cars and trucks he could find in their toy boxes for his $1!)

Fall Fun

The weather these days is so beautiful, and the kids are just itching to go camping. So we got together with some friends and had a fire, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and flew kites when the wind picked up.

Brenner was excited to get in the car and head over to this little adventure:


No, Brenner did not eat all of those hot dogs....Not that he wouldn't have tried had I let him...

Aile was pretty proud of herself for roasting her own hot dog...even when it fell in the ashes...

Learning to share?

Aile wants Brenner to share a toy with her. "Can I have turn, please?" she says.

"No," Brenner says simply.

Mommy steps in. "Brenner, the kind thing to say would be: "Sure, Aile, you can have a turn next!"

"Ok," Brenner says. He turns to Aile: "Aile, after my turn, I'll have another turn!"

Big Boy Brenner

Brenner has accomplished yet another major milestone this year! Yeah Brenner! We had Brenner's big "Potty Training Party" one Sunday, and with the help of Thomas the Train, we celebrated in high choo choo style with each success! Brenner had a great day, and over the next couple of weeks has seemed to master this new skill quite successfully (after a number of regrets on Mommy's and Miss Nicole's floors! He says "sorry!") :) We are proud of you Brenner! Good job!