Recent Happenings

It's hard to believe it's already the end of October! Where has this month gone? I think the trip right in the middle of the month made this month go by even faster than usual. We've certainly gotten right back into the swing of things here at home. Matt is busy at work with all that needs to be done to get ready for weekly services... plus, he has lots to plan for the upcoming holidays. I'm still tutoring a few days a week (only about 3.5 hours total), but I've also gotten the chance to sub a few days. I've enjoyed being able to get back and do just a little teaching. I've subbed only in the middle school so far, and I've actually rather enjoyed it! The kids are very good (for the most part) and it's always easier to teach the same lesson a few times a day... especially as a sub. Matt and I just try and coordinate schedules so that he can be home when I sub. Usually he has enough work to do while he's at home. Miriam is continuing to learn more all the time. She's just like a sponge -taking in everything she sees, hears and touches. She's attempting to say a few more words and often mimics what we are saying. Unfortunately, she's gotten a cold in this last week. Someone in my Bible study (a nurse) at church told me that when babies/toddlers are teething, they are very susceptible to colds because the gums in their mouths are open during that time. That would make sense to us, because we originally thought she was teething. Now, I think it's both. Plus, we'd welcome the sight of more than just her two teeth :) However, her almost-toothless smile at 14 months is still pretty adorable.

Here are a few of our most recent pictures (and some from our trip):

We didn't take many pictures on our trip at all, but we did manage to get some of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. We actually went out of our way just to catch a glimpse of it! Neither of us had been there and since we were somewhat close, we thought we should see it. It was pretty neat!

Miriam has really enjoyed climbing in her toy boxes lately. She can't really get out on her own, however, as you can see the somewhat concerned look on her face :)

We're Back!

...and have been for a few days now. But I'm just finally getting a chance to sit down and write about it. I'm still trying to make sense of a massive pile of mail, stacks of laundry and dishes, and just being back home. I made sure the house was cleaned before we left, but that lasted about 30 seconds after we returned!

But, that being said, we had a wonderful time. We left early Tuesday morning before Miriam woke up because we wanted an early start and thought it might be easier to leave while she slept. We drove about 9 hours that day and made it to Indianapolis before dinner (including the time change). We actually got there earlier than expected, especially since we decided to take some random routes so we could see some different cities. It was a good drive... but very quiet considering we're used to Miriam being in our backseat!

We got all checked into our hotel and went out for dinner in Indianapolis. We were looking forward to having these built in "dinner dates" throughout the trip. However, by the end, we were very ready for home-cooked food! Anyway, after dinner, we drove around Indianapolis a bit and saw where the Colts play and what not. Nothing too exciting, but we thought we should check out the city a bit since we were there.

Matt went to the pre-conference on Wednesday while I sat in the hotel room. I wasn't sure what I was going to do all day, but the day actually went by quite quickly. I was able to get ready in the morning without any distraction, do some things online, catch up on some tv, read, take a nap, and try and enjoy solitude. I did get bored by the end, though. One day of complete solitude a year is about all I need :) We did get to meet our friends Erik and Anna for lunch that day. They "just happened" to be swinging through Indianapolis to catch a flight, so we were thankful for the opportunity to catch up with them! We enjoyed hearing what the Lord is doing in their lives and loved sharing what He's been doing in ours. Plus, we got to do all of this at Chili's, a restaurant Matt and I have missed since moving to Eau Claire.

Wednesday night we went to an informal concert with some of the artists from Integrity. We hadn't heard of most of them, but enjoyed the worship and stories they shared with us.

Thursday was the all-day conference that we both attended. We went to a few different sessions throughout the day and soaked in a lot of information in a short amount of time. Most of the sessions were more beneficial for Matt and his worship leading, but we enjoyed being able to bounce ideas off each other and just take in the speakers with two sets of ears. We learned a lot and pray that God will use what we learned at our church in the way and timing He decides.

Friday morning was just a short wrap-up session that finished before noon. We took off and headed south toward Nashville, Indiana. We had heard this was a great little town to go to, and we found out that it definitely was! We enjoyed a meal at a hometown pizza shop and walked around the town for an hour or two. There are just blocks and blocks of cute little shops and buildings. It takes you back in time a bit. Plus, the fall colors were just beautiful in the rolling hills surrounding it. It was quite lovely since most of Indiana prior to that point was pretty flat. Overall, I'm pretty sure I enjoyed the shopping a bit more than Matt, but we both said we'd like to go back there again someday.

We had planned to drive only a few hours to stay somewhere else that night, but we ended up being a bit ahead of schedule and decided to press on as far as we can. Well, when all was said and done, we pressed on to Waterloo, Iowa. This was mmm... about 7-8 hours longer than we were planning. Our friends Mike and Amy live in Waterloo and we wanted to visit them on our way back home. Well, we pulled in at about midnight... chatted for a few hours (and watched the boys play Wii)... and decided it was probably best that we stay there that night before we hit the road again. We slept in Saturday morning (for the first time in over a year), enjoyed a breakfast of Mike's homemade crepes, and hit the road again. We pulled into Owatonna just as Miriam was waking up from her afternoon nap. It was such a joy to see her again... even though she wasn't quite sure what to think at first! We had a great evening playing with her and catching up with my parents. We left on Sunday afternoon and have been very quickly welcoming ourselves back to reality again.

It was a great trip and we're thankful Miriam did so well, too. She even came back talking a little! I guess a week at Grandpa and Grandma's house helped her learn some words... she is now saying "night-night" and "cuckoo" (after the fascination with their cuckoo clock). She has already been saying "please" (kind of... it comes as "thhhhh"), and is mimicking much of what we say. I'm not sure if I can consider those her first words, but they sure sound like it to us!

If you managed to make it through this entire entry, I'm impressed :) There is probably much more I could have wrote, but this was as condensed as I could make it.

Road Trip!

Next week, Matt and I will be traveling across the country (well, maybe just traveling a few states away), to go to a worship conference in Indianapolis. We're REALLY excited to go! We are also leaving Miriam with my parents for the week while we are gone. This will be the first time she's been away from us for that long. So, we are a little torn... we'll miss her a LOT, but are also really looking forward to having some "just us" time. Even though most of the trip will be traveling and going to the conference, we'll have part of one day to go to Brown County in Indiana. We heard it's a beautiful place to go -also sometimes called the "Yellowstone of the East." It should be very lovely at this time of year. We will also get to hook up briefly with some college friends for lunch in Indianapolis (Erik & Anna) and on our way back home through Waterloo (Mike & Amy and maybe baby L). It should be a great time. At the conference, we'll also get to hear artists like Lincoln Brewster and Jared Anderson and some more. Pray for us as we travel and throughout the week. We hope and pray this will be a refreshing week for both of us.

Cooler Weather Brings Warmer Clothes

Since it was only in the 50's today... along with being very cloudy and windy... I decided it was time to try out the hat and mittens my mom and I got for Miriam last year. Sure enough, they fit and are adorable! She even kept them on for the entire duration of the walk. This is huge for her since I tried putting a hat on her all summer to no avail. Maybe she just didn't like the rim around the edge of the other hats... who knows. So, here we are... getting ready for our walk!

And... as a comparison... the last picture is way back in April when we were going for a walk. She's grown a little in these 6 months!

Smile!

This is what Miriam does when we ask her to smile. I honestly don't know where she learned it... but it's pretty cute :)