Things that have made me happy this week....

1. It's fall and looking out my windows gives a beautiful view of mixed orange, red, yellow and green!

2. The smell of homemade rolls baking in the oven.

3. Reading all the children's books at Sam's today. It was just like going to the library!

4. Listening to my kids sing hymns around the house or randomly saying one of the memory verses for the week.

5. Having time to rest in the afternoon. It's been so busy lately with preserving food and whatnot, there has been no time for naps. It was sooo nice and much needed!

6. Making cookies together as a family.

7. Giving those cookies away to others.

8. Hot vegetable soup coursing through my chilled body.

9. Feeling baby "Chiquita" move inside me. :) This is the little fella's new nickname since I read last week that at this point he is the length and weight of a banana!

10. My new schedule.

Baby Names

Last time around, we had such a hard time coming up with and deciding on a boys name! So we need your suggestions! :) Do you have any boy names that you absolutely love?? We're really not into trendy names, but names that mean something nice. If you have any suggestions, send them our way. Either leave a comment or send it to my email at amyaaustin@gmail.com. Thanks!! :)

Ultrasound

Of all the tests, screenings, etc, you can have during a pregnancy, an ultrasound is the one thing that we do have. We're having this baby at home, like we did Dillon, so we aren't even pressured to have many of those other tests. But we love having an ultrasound! It's nice to know that the baby is growing and developing the way it should! And it's just fun to see the baby...it brings a sense of awe as we contemplate the creative power of God! And finally, we are thrilled to know the gender of the baby growing inside. It's a boy! We'll have two boys and a girl now. :) And truthfully, we would have been excited with either. Having one of each already, it didn't matter much to us which we ended up with. Chaeli is a bit disappointed that she won't be having a sister. In fact, she is already talking to me about having another so she can have a sister too! :) That is definitely not in the plans. :)

So that's our news. It's healthy. It's complete. It's just the right size for how far along I am. And it's a boy. We're happy!

Sabbath Nature Treasure Hunt

Here is a really fun treasure hunt that you can do this fall with your family. It's great for the Sabbath if you need a special activity!

1. Find 3 different leaves. Share together what their characteristics tell you about God.
2. Look for a bird. Consider God's care for all His creatures. Can you think of a Bible cerse that talks about birds?
3. Look for tree limbs or tree trunks that are shaped like a letter of the alphabet. Which Bible name (character or place) begins with that letter? (this was a favorite for us!)
4. Spend some time looking at the lake. What Bible story do you think of that speaks of water?
5. Find a nature object that looks like some type of animal. What "animal" texts can you find in the Bible?
6. Look for any kind of bug. What is the bug doing? How does that bug help its environment?
7. Look for an object lesson from something you see on your walk. Each person may see a different object lesson or you may have one per group. Share your object lesson(s).

Indiana Family Campmeeting

If you're at all familiar with the ministry Restoration International, then maybe you've heard of the family campmeetings they hold around the country. We were blessed to be able to attend one of them...the closest one to us is Indiana. It was held at the SDA Youth Camp there, Timber Ridge, so that's where we were for a long weekend.

I cannot begin to express what a blessing it was and will continue to be to our family. We were blessed and we were changed! We came back with a renewed focus and spiritual vitality. Jesus is coming sooooon, and as a family, we're going to be ready!

For anyone not familiar with their ministry, you can check it out at www.restoration-international.org. They have free sermons that you can listen to on the website and many more for purchase. Every message we heard, whether about marriage, parenting, our own christian walk or duties, was a tremendous blessing to us and we surely recommend them to you!

Besides canoeing, Chaeli's favorite part was watching the violins play during every song service. Then for church on Sabbath, they even all played together. She thought that was so grand!



This past weekend was wonderful for us. We enjoyed the time outdoors, the fellowship as a family, and the spiritual renewal and refocus that were all part of the weekend!

The Joy of Fall Leaves

Just what the kids needed tonight! The little neighbor girl came over to see if they could play so after supper we went outside for a little while. The kids entertained themselves by raking piles of leaves and and jumping in them. From there it went to sliding into them and then even chasing each other and throwing leaves. It's gotten a bit colder (53 right now) here so we aren't outside as much and they desperately needed to get some fresh air and exercise! Mission accomplished!

Applesauce

IT'S APPLESAUCE MAKING TIME!!

This is actually my favorite fruit to can! I love my victorio strainer. It makes the process so easy and the kids love to help as well. This year I'm making many different mixes...mostly as an experiment to see if we can find other varieties that we like. The problem comes because David likes tart applesauce and I like sweet applesauce. Since we don't add any sugar, it's all up to the taste of the apples.

So far I have 13 frozen quarts and 17 canned quarts....with plenty to go as my livingroom floor is covered in apples! And I've tried different mixes that include any or all of ginger gold, macintosh, honeycrisp, and cortland. My favorite from last year is a mix of golden delicious and fuji! Yum! I also added some Mutsu to that mix and it was tasty as well so I'll be getting those next week.

Applesauce time is sooooo much fun! :)