On August 28th we had Joshua and Grace's 18 month portraits done by a very talented sweetheart in our church. We went to a local historical site and did them outdoors and we had so much fun! Since she was so willing to do all the kiddos, we went ahead and had her take some shots of Jacob, too! I'm thrilled with the final product! Now if I would just get myself in gear and get them ordered for the frames...
On the 30th of August I prepared pancakes for lunch and threw some fried eggs on the griddle too for a little protein. Joshua took one bite and it quickly became apparent something was wrong. He started kind of moaning and his voice got real hoarse sounding. He broke out in hives around his mouth and his eye started to itch and swell up. I tried hard not to panic, but it was hard not to freak out! Later in September we were able to take him to an allergist to have him tested for an allergy to eggs. Yup, he's allergic! We now carry an epi-pen for those moments like the one that happened in August. Thankfully he can still eat things with eggs baked in (like cookies and cake--the most important food group, ever!), just no raw egg products (mayo, some salad dressings, cookie dough, etc) or straight eggs (like scrambled eggs or fried eggs), or super eggy products (like custard). We've really been able to manage it quite easily and he doesn't seem to miss out on much, though it does crimp our style when it comes to breakfast for dinner, since that is one of the most beloved meals I can make in this home. We just adjust and Joshua doesn't eat eggs. Here is a picture of what happened to his face that scary day.... The picture really doesn't do it justice, but you can see how swollen his eye is and how his lips and cheeks were also swollen. In retrospect I probably should have opted to take him to the ER, rather than simply calling the nurse at the pediatricians office. This one would have qualified as epi-pen necessary.
In the middle of August Chris and I committed to teaching the 2 year old BFG (Sunday School) at our church each Sunday. What an adventure and blessing that has been! There is a curriculum to help us plan our lessons each week, but we are definitely finding you have got to be lively and creative to keep 2 year olds on task with you! Honestly, it has been a deep blessing in my life and I'm so glad we're doing it. We've made a couple projects with the kids in our class and we're thankful to have our very own set of guinea pigs to try our ideas out on first at home. The most popular activity has been our quiet table time activity (what we do right before parents arrive to pick up)--Pom Pom Push It In! Who knew? You put a hole in the lid of a plastic container and buy pom poms and let the kiddos push them into the cups. They l-o-v-e it! And ours do too!
Over the Labor Day weekend we were blessed to visit with Chris' cousin, Jim and his wife, Amanda. They had a sweet baby girl 10 weeks before her due date. After many weeks in the NICU and several weeks adjusting to life at home, they were finally able to make a trip to Lexington to visit with family. What a sweet and precious time to hold baby Sarah and marvel over the intricacies of this life. Our God is so good and Sarah is just adorable and truly a miracle! We had so much fun visiting them Sunday after church. This is what happened to our kiddos before we were even out of the subdivision!
We spent Labor Day itself in Hustonville. It was a cold, wet, dreary day and we figured Granddaddy wouldn't be too busy working the farm that day! So we made a last minute trip and got to visit with Grandmama, Granddaddy, Great Grandmama Neva, and Great Granddaddy Buzzy. What fun! Of course, no trip is complete without sending the "men folk" out in the farm truck to check the cattle.
Somewhere in the wildness of the month we squeezed in a family movie night and some mama snuggles with a couple of her loves...
And another. Just 'cuz I love 'em.
It has been turning slowly to Autumn in Kentucky. And Autumn spells hiking for the Burris Clan. We went wild and tried out a new spot in Frankfort this time. What fun! We saw a waterfall and a turtle and some other unmentionable reptile that my mother would die if she knew we came across one. We love to hike, but boy, Mommy and Daddy sure do look forward to the day that we can pull simply our own body weight again, not an additional twenty some pounds!
On the 17th of September Jacob had his first ever school field trip! I got to go as a chaperon and we had so much fun picking apples at the apple orchard, going on a hay ride, and eating doughnuts with apple cider!
And later that same night, Aunt Jenn stopped in to have dinner with us!
And sometimes in the middle of a hectic and crazy month you just have to act....silly and crazy!
And what does every sane person do right in the middle of a crazy busy month? Teach themselves a new skill, right?! I'm not sure what possessed me, but I decided I wanted to learn to sew. I haven't touched a sewing machine since my 8th Grade Home Economics class. My sister lent me her ancient hand me down machine from our Aunt (sorry Aunt Laurie, but the thing really is ancient!) and I taught myself everything I needed to know as far as basics go. How to thread it, fill a bobbin, thread the bobbin, and sew a seam. I decided to start out making PJ pants for the boys and then made a skirt for Grace. I haven't loaded my completed photo of Grace's skirt yet, but you can watch for that one to come. I've had fun squeezing and hour in here or there to sew during nap time or bedtime.
Jacob also started taking swimming lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays at our local YMCA. He's half way through his classes and I've been impressed by how much he's improving already! He loves it!
So that was what happened to September in a nutshell. Add to that mix the every day stuff like keeping a clean home, caring for and correcting children, three meals a day, groceries, meal plans, daily laundry, doctor's appointments, church commitments, consignment sales, shuttling to and from PreK three days a week, BSF starting back up.... Well, yes, we've been busy. Sometimes I find myself getting caught up in the business of it all. Shuttle here, load kids there, discipline here, wipe a nose... Well, it can all become a bit mechanical. When I see all we've done and been blessed to do this month I am in awe of all the ways God is with us, around us, protecting us, and loving us. How thankful am I that I have a Father who has so graciously woven my life story into the lives of these.
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