Raining on our Parade

The annual Halloween preschool parade was this morning and it sprinkled while the kids came out in costumes. Here is Malakai in his construction worker get up, complete with Daddy's hard hat!

Sandy In The House

My mom called this morning and wondered if we could bake cookies together. Never turn down this opportunity! So while we were baking, I got out the little "gym contraption" for Hadassah to check out. This was her first time "playing with toys" and she loved all the colors and sounds and kept smiling. The boys thought it was pretty cool too. Hurricane Sandy may have kept us indoors but we came up with some fun things to do to pass the time. Here's to more sunny days ahead!

Family Portraits

We got them done just in time before Hurricane Sandy arrives. Fall family portraits have been our tradition since Malakai joined our family. He has always been a big fan of the camera and knows how to ham it up and pose all day long. His little brother...not so much. I prayed a lot about this year's photo session and how we could convince Isaac that it was a good idea. And most importantly, not get frustrated. I've seen that attitude be destructive in photo sessions I've done in the past. I want this to be life-giving for all of us, not something where the kids roll their eyes and say, "Oh Mom!" We decided to do things that our family loves to do together. Activities make taking pictures less of a chore. First we took a little walk on the rail trail where we go walking and biking quite often. Then we went to a neighboring farm where my dad had just unloaded over 600 bales of hay the night before. And the icing on the cake was having a campfire with smores in our back yard. A very happy note to end on. All of us took a deep sigh of relief...especially my dear mom who was helping to keep everyone fed, entertained, and playing peek-a-boo behind Kelly, our awesome photographer. Back in May I had done her family portraits and so she agreed to do our family after Hadassah was born. I love the results!

4 Years Ago...

...Malakai was declared, in the court house, to be a Martin! The first images below are the first day we met him...one of the best days of our lives (besides our wedding day), and the last two images are right after the judge declared that he was our son! Today, we are celebrating another miracle in our family! Thank You, Jesus for giving us the desires of our hearts!

The Three Amigos

My kids love being together...most days. Yesterday we put Hadassah on her belly and she held her head up for awhile. I was amazed. Maybe it's typical, I forget. We are gearing up for family portraits this week. Isaac needs the most "practice" out of all of us. We're believing for a good outcome, so believe with us :)

Riding Into The Sunset

This is happiness...

Fall Fun

They can hear him coming way before the truck is even visible. My dad's truck provides hours of fun for our boys. Beeping the horn, turning the steering wheel, riding on the back, etc. Every boy's dream. Isaac tried on Grandpa's gloves the other night. He's got some growing to do. We tried to do some family pictures this weekend since the weather was so nice and I have yet to capture a photo of me with all three of my children. Isaac would have none of it. We had to settle for separate shots of Eric and the kids and then me and the kids. Yup, these are the best we could get. Can you tell how happy Isaac feels about our request? Ah yes...guess we'll just have to keep practicing. Our "real" family portrait session is next weekend. Pray that Isaac decides to cooperate and that mommy stays calm.