Normally my posts are just of our family and pics of the kids, but I wanted to share what all has been happening at the church, which is a huge part of our life. There have been many exciting new ministry events that have taken place this year. We had our first annual Health Fair a few weeks ago. We had a bone marrow registry, posture checks, (mine wasn't very good lol which I guess is part of the purpose of a health fair! so you can find out about these things!) blood pressure screenings, etc. It was a great turnout for a first year. That same evening we had our annual church stew. There is always a time of preparation the evening before to cut the onions and get the potatoes ready etc. Then the men get up REALLY ealry in the morning to start cooking the brunswick stew. We had a time for the community to come and eat some stew for supper in the early evening.

Recently we have begun to have a missions focus evening on the first Wednesday of the month. This month we had a time to come together and pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Last year our goal was 35 boxes, this year we have already packed over 50 boxes!!! This is exciting and it was a wonderful evening to pack the boxes as a community.

After a very dry summer, I have enjoyed the rainy days we have had so far this fall. There is something very peaceful about a drizzling rain as it replenishes the ground and brings life back into our plants and grass. It is the best weather to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of tea (or coffee, whatever your preference :) On one of our recent rainy days, Isaac decided he had had enough of staying inside and shot out the front door as soon as it was opened. We decided to go ahead and let him play. It was his first time playing in the rain and he easily found a small water puddle on our front stoop. He absolutely loved it. It was precious to see him with his face towards the sky and his eyelids blinking as he experienced the water hitting his face. It is the simple things in life that sometimes brings the most joy.

It is hard to believe that two months have passed since Miriam made her arrival into this world. She is an absolute dollbaby and has a really sweet disposition. She is pretty consistently sleeping through the night now. Although her usual waking time is around 5-6 am. She has started smiling and cooing in the last week or so. This makes a mommy's heart feel like it is about to burst :) Isaac loves his little sister and gives her kisses and tickles her. I think she's quite fond of him too as she has started "talking" back to him and smiling. I pray they will be close in the years to come. The other day Isaac picked up the phone and was talking into it. He then put it up to Miriam's ear so she could talk. It was the cutest thing. It is fun to see him interacting with her more and more. Well, that's all for now as I have been online for a while trying to get pictures uploaded without much success :( It is slightly frustrating but that's ok. At least I finally posted!