Pilgrims at Oak Ridge

A few sweet shots of her 10 month photo shoot.        

I tried a little pumpkin-themed photo shoot today. I decided I'm glad that I'm not a professional photographer. Getting two kids to both look at the right place and smile at the same time is nearly impossible. I did love having them both in overalls. Maybe we'll take another trip to the pumpkin patch next week and see if we can get some photos of them actually looking at me.                  

We dropped off Nana and Papa at their plane on a Sunday morning before Church. We were all very sad to see them go and are looking forward to our next visit in just a few more weeks.      

We spent one morning at the zoo, which I always love. I think Judah's favorite part was riding the bus.          

While at the beach I got a couple pictures of Naomi which are some of my favorite I've taken. Generally I'm not that great at taking pictures in direct sun. I feel like they always turn out harsh and over exposed. I think because the sun was setting  and she was a little bit backlit they look softer these look softer. And I love them.    

The last night of the conference there was a big party at the baseball stadium. We didn't stay long since it was bedtime for the kids, but it was very cool to walk around on the actual turf and sit in the actual dug out.       And I loved getting a little taste of what it feel like to stand in the batter's box.

We also took a ferry to Coronado Island and played on the beach.   Naomi sampled some sand.   Judah played hide and seek with his Nana. He hasn't yet figured out that a beach is not really ideal for hide and seek. This was his best hiding spot.    

The last week of September my parents came out for a conference in San Diego. It was a blast to hang out in San Diego and we all loved spending time with my parents. Especially Judah. We revisited a few of our favorite San Diego places like the Tide pools and Cabrillo National monument.     The marine layer was thick that day and obscured the best view of downtown, but I still enjoyed seeing the way the fog rolled over the Navy base.    

  I have posted lots of photos of Naomi recently but not as many of Judah. I still take photos of him, though it seems more of the photos of him are when we are doing stuff, and fewer of just his handsome face. I was glad I got these nice shots of him. He suddenly seems much older to me. He is very into telling me he loves me, a phase I'm hoping he doesn't grow out of anytime soon.   I frequently feel like I fail him. I think now that he is older and I see so much more of his personality I can see the person he is - a person I have the occasionally overwhelming responsibility to parent into an adult. I have been challenged lately to remember that I am not supposed to do it by my own power. I have also been very challenged to realize that many of his sins he is learning at the feet of a master - me. I am impatient and demanding with him and he learns to be impatient and demanding with me. I am selfish with my things and he is selfish with his.   I love this boy ...

I decided to take a break from the cute-photos-of-the-kids posts to write a little actual content. Shocker. I think the last few months all my energy has gone into the unpacking and getting settled and there has been little left over for blogging much content. We are now almost 3.5 months into this great cross-country move. People often ask me how things are going and if we're feeling settled; I'm never quite sure what to say. I now know my way around Northridge, more or less. I can find Target, the mall, Lowe's, and the grocery stores. I have a few favorite running routes mapped out of varying lengths that I like to do. The people in the library are starting to recognize me. These are trivial things, though. Do I feel at home here? I guess we're getting there. At the deepest level, home for me will always be with Jeff and my kids. As foreign as the world may seem outside the walls of our house, inside, with him, I feel at home. I am thankful for the way that the w...

I apparently decided today was the day to read three tear-jerker blog posts in a row. But all are beautiful, sad, grace-filled posts that will bless you, so here they are. 1. A Musing Maralee is doing a series for Pregnancy and Infant Loss awareness month. Here is a letter to the baby she lost in an ectopic pregnancy, which sums up so much of my own experiences. 2. R.C. Sproul, Jr is a presbyterian pastor who lost his wife to cancer and then his daughter with special needs in the span of a few short months last year. He has written lots of insightful posts about suffering and loss, but this one marking the anniversary of his daughter's death is especially poignant. 3. And finally, all my praying friends, please pray for the Tippetts family . Jason is a PCA church planter in Colorado Springs and we actually stayed at his house this summer while they were on vacation and Jeff's parents were evacuated from the forest fire. Kara is his wife and a mom to four children; she is...

Here she is, my sweet 9 month old! She's quickly becoming less and less baby and more and more toddler. Sniff.