Pumpkin Patch

We went to the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday and had a great time. They have several mazes, hayrides, and a pumpkin patch where you get to pick out a pumpkin to take home. They also have a petting zoo. Nate was so excited to get to feed the animals. We went up to the pony first. He was being so sweet and then all of a sudden he bites Nates arm!!! I'm freaking out, Matt almost punched the pony, and Nate is crying. Thankfully no broken arm, just a nice set of teeth marks.

My boys!

New York City

A few weeks ago we went to NYC with Matt's parents and had a blast. NYC is our new favorite spot and we can't wait to go back. We were only there for a couple of days, but we were able to do so much. Here's what we did: Times Square (our Hotel was actually in Times Square), Empire State building, NBC tour, Rockefeller Center tour, broadway show Wicked, Central Park (we ate at The Boat House), ground zero, Wall Street, Grand Central Station, experienced the subway, had dinner at Serendipity, FAO Swartz, Trump towers, and the Statue of Liberty! I am still amazed at what we accomplished in 2 days.


Nathan stayed with some friends, so this was our first trip alone since Nate was born. It was well needed. Nate did so well and had such a blast playing with Julianna and with Jill and "coach."


I am so afraid of flying, so I spent most of my time in the air praying. I learned that God not only has the best plan for my life, but that he also has the best plan for Nate's life. I cannot control everything that happens to Nate, but I can trust that God loves him more that I do and that His plan for Nathan is far better than anything I could come up with.

Go Thunder!!!

We had our first Thunder game last night and we had a great time. They ended up losing the game 90-88. Matt and I both agree that the best part of the game was the half-time show. They selected 20 random people (we think 6 may have been staged) from the audience and they were to run, jump on a trampoline, and shot the ball. I've seen this done before, but never by people who had never even tried it. We were cracking up!!! We also enjoyed watching the people around us laughing.

We are so glad that we decided to buy season tickets. We met the couple next to us, Paul and Debbie. They were so friendly. It turns out that Paul is a huge Jayhawk fan too. I think there might have been more Jayhawk talk than Thunder talk.

Nate stayed with his friend Gavin and had a great time playing with some new toys.

Can't wait til the next game!

Fun pics

Swimming at the Ogles

He looks so big!

Bite...anyone?

Why?

Nathan started asking "why" this week.

Nate: I want a bar (granola bar).

Me: You can't have a bar, but you can have a banana.

Nate: Why?

Me: Because I want you to eat something healthy.

Nate: Why?....

I think one reason God gives us children is to give us a visual on what our relationship with him looks like. So many times I will ask God for something and He will want to provide in a different way. I start asking why.... Why not this way? Why not now? Just like I want the best for Nate, God wants the best for me (even more so). If I believe that God wants the best for me than why do I fight so much for something else?

I am reminded today to keep my eyes on Jesus so that he can allow me to see his perspective on my life. I can only see what is right in front of me, but God can see the whole picture...what's coming up ahead.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

State Fair

We went to the State Fair on Thursday and Nate had a blast! Our first stop was the petting zoo. I wasn't sure if Nate would like feeding the animals, but I think this was his favorite.

Next, we were off to the pig races!

These little guys are fast!

Finally, we went to the kids area where they have all kinds of bugs to look at and animals that you can pet.

FYI, if you poke the rabbit in the eye, you lose your turn!

Labor Day...

...So I'm a little late. We went to Wichita for Labor Day and had a great time with Matt's parents. We enjoyed good food, good weather, and spent a lot of time in the water. Nate had a blast too. Saturday, he spent several hours playing in the water. Here's some fun pics:

Who needs pool toys when you've got a cup?

Goggles...too cute!

He liked swimming with Mimi and Papa! Funny story: At one point, Nate was walking around the pool and noticed the raft at the side. So, he jumped in and landed on it. He's cracking up. I'm freaking out because he wasn't wearing a life jacket!

Matt and I were not in agreement on this one, but you can see who won.

Notice the big boy haircut.

Home Improvements

When I came home from Tulsa a couple weeks ago, Matt surprised me by painting our room! In eight years, we have never painted our room. He painted three walls light blue and the the accent wall is a darker blue. So pretty! He chose the colors and I think he did a great job. I think the blue bedding looks ok, but we are thinking about going with something that has light blue and brown in it. Now we just need to put something on the walls!


Matt has been working hard on scraping paint off the house so he can paint in a couple weeks. Look what color our house use to be!! I'm thinking we will go a different direction. I can't wait to have our ouse painted! We are also getting a new glass door and putting up black shutters. Too cute.

T-Town

I spent all of last week in Tulsa. My Grandmother has been in the hospital with pneumonia. While she was there, the doctors ran some tests and discovered that she has lung cancer. I enjoyed every moment I got to spend with her. She loved seeing Nate. Here's a precious story I'll be able to share with Nate some day. When I first arrived, my Grandmother was pretty out of it. I had a difficult time understanding her, but I finally realized that she was asking me to put Nate in front of her so she could look at him. Her eyes just lit up. I'm amazed at what the presence of a child will do for people.

I wanted to be sure to get a picture of Nate with is Great HoHo!

Nate enjoyed more cousin time. Here he is with Parker and Bella.

Nate thinks Parker's the MAN and wanted to do whatever he did.

Fun With Cousins

A few weekends ago, Jewel and Easton came to stay with us. Nate loved spending time with his cousins. We enjoyed swimming, movies, pizza, and going to the park.

Jewel, Easton, and Nate watching a movie. Nathan always wanted to sit next to Jewel.

Easton making a silly face!

Happy Anniversary!

9 years ago today, I was running around trying to make sure all was perfect for our wedding that night. I can't believe it's been 9 years! Life has been great with Matt. God has blessed me with a man who far exceeds any of my expectations. Last year, for our eight year anniversary, Matt bought me 8 gifts that described what he loved about me. So, here's my list of 9 things I love about Matt (there are much more of course):

1. He has a heart for the LORD and a desire to know him more.
2. Servant attitude
3. Generous heart
4. Leads our family well
5. Kind spirit
6. Great daddy
7. Works hard so that I can stay home
8. Makes me laugh
9. A faith that's strong

Matt, Happy Anniversary! I love you so much and love being your wife. Thank you for how you love and lead your family in the ways of the LORD.

Jamie

Nate's 2!

Nate had a great time at his birthday party. I know he especially enjoyed seeing his mimis and papas.


The birthday boy...not too excited here.


Since Nate was turning two, he had two friends at his party. Jill might possibly be our future daughter-in-law and Jett is a buddy from church.


Nate loves trains. I didn't want a Thomas cake so I decided to make one. I think it turned out pretty good. Matt helped with the icing. We're thinking about doing this every year.


blowing out candles.

Nate enjoyed opening gifts.

Here are some of his presents. Others not pictured are: bubble train bank, slide, BIG dump truck, elmo sprinkler, bubble gun blower, sandbox, picnic table with umbrella, and money. (The KU football is not one of the gifts)

Eating cake at his new table.

Here are some pics of him playing with his friends.

Before and After

Here's some pics of the old and new roofs. We love our new roof! Soon we will be painting and putting up shutters.

God Box

We are starting a God Box. In this box, we will store items/letters of what God has done for our family in order to share with our children. Yesterday I had Matt grab a shingle for me to put in the box (I still need to find the perfect box). Along with the shingle, we will have a letter telling of how this new roof came about.

THE STORY:

We were planning on replacing our roof by the end of the year because it was pretty old. One morning, I just felt the urge to pray that if God would desire to have insurance help with a new roof that he would use the sustained winds we were experiencing that morning. I just went along with my day. Matt came home for lunch and we looked outside and there were shingles in our yard!! I was pretty pumped not only b/c we were getting a new roof, but also because this was one of my first times to have a prayer answered this way and so quickly. We began what we called "shingle hunting" for the remainder of the day.

We called our insurance company and two roofers. One company said that insurance would cover the damage, but the other company (the one we wanted to use) said no and that they would not be able to fight for us. We were discouraged, but still believed that they were the company we were to use. The adjuster called and said that he was too busy to come out. He gave Matt a list of questions to ask the roofer and then Matt was to call him back. Matt called back with the information and the adjuster sent a check. Now, here is the amazing part: the adjuster never asked to speak with the roofer, he never asked to see an estimate (but Matt did tell him what we were quoted), and he never even asked for the name of the company we were using. We were surprised at the amount he gave us...around 5900 minus 1000 deductible equals 4900. This surprised us because remember Matt had given him the estimate of 3900!! Through this process, we prayed for a generous adjuster. God answered!

We pray that one day this story will cause our children to worship their Heavenly Father.

The roofers are here!!

We were surprised this morning when the doorbell rang and even more surprised that the workers were here to start on our roof. Matt had just talked with someone yesterday who told him they would be starting our roof on Monday. We are so excited about our roof and how the LORD provided for us.

The guys seem to be doing a great job. They have also been recipients of Matt's generosity. He supplied them with a cooler of drinks and bought them pizza for lunch!! I absolutely love my husbands giving heart. He has taught me so much in this area.

I will update later with before and after pics.