Challenge (reluctantly) accepted

Honestly, I've just spent the past hour and a half reading over my 2013 posts for the 31 Day writing challenge (31 Days of Joyful Waiting) that I participated in.  I didn't do it last year because I just wasn't writing then.  And now I really want to get back into writing, but I'm scared.

I feel like my writing has gone downhill because I haven't been doing it.  Reading my 31 Day posts, I'm thinking, "who is this person, it can't have been me, I don't have that much wisdom or good words to say!"

I had an idea about what to write about for this October's challenge, but after reading over my posts from the past, my idea doesn't seem good enough.  I want to write things that are as meaningful to me now as what I see my Joyful Waiting posts are to me 2 years after writing them, if that even makes sense!  It seems too simple!

And last time, I didn't even make it to the end!  I quit a day early because I was feeling burned out.

But I guess I can do this.  I want to write again on a regular basis, and this gives me a good reason to. So I will take another shot at this challenge this year.

Summer memories

Summer is officially over.  Fall has begun.  A new season, that will bring a lot of new things.  Changes.

So, I just thought I would sit down to try to remember the things that happened this summer that I am thankful for.

I've decided that one of my favorite things to do during the summer and one of the things that I've enjoyed most about this summer was making s'mores around the campfire with family and friends.  But there are so many more things that were also so fun!

Other things I am thankful for this past summer:

-beach trips with my mom and sisters.
-beach trip with Josiah's mom and sisters (even if it was cloudy all day and it rained, it was still fun to be together, and eat donuts while it rained).
-week of waterskiing on the Bay, along with other waterskiing excursions
-campfires with s'mores
-weekend trip with Josiah's family to the mountains
-baby gender reveal party around the campfire with our families
-evening walks with Josiah
-going to a wedding on our anniversary
-making applesauce
-painting the nursery
-peaches and pears! Yum!!
-eating from my small garden
-zucchini boats
-the pedal kayak
-kayaking with Charise
-worship nights
-planting some perennials!
-seeing my sunflowers come up again!

There are so many more, I'm sure!  But my brain can't recall anything else right now!

It has been a good summer.  A very special summer.  Our last summer just the 2 of us, next summer we will have another little family member here on the farm!  And there will be even more to be thankful for!

I have something I should tell you

I have something that I should probably tell you.  I don't know why I've kept it secret for this long (on my blog, at least).  I couldn't keep it a secret forever, so I think it is now time to let this one out.  For a while, I couldn't decide the best way to reveal this, but...

This is going to be a huge change in our lives!  I feel like I've been holding back in my writing because I wasn't ready to share this, but it's a big part of what's going on in life right now, so I kind of had to share.

I am not really working on the farm at all, maybe helping with a few small things on weekends.  But getting ready for a baby is weird, and busy, and so much to think about!  It can be a bit overwhelming because there is so much information out there, and everyone has advice, and everyone's pregnancy and delivery and child-raising experiences are different.  So it feels like slogging through a whole lot of stuff, but in the end, kind of tossing it all to the side and just doing what you feel is right for your own situation.

So, that's exciting, right?!

The above picture was fun to set up.  I had some onesies laying around and I dressed one of my old teddy bears in it and then got this idea and ran with it!

A few close-up shots:

Monkey trouble

Old buddies: this is Josiah's oldest and my oldest teddy bears.

Riding the rocking horse

My biggest teddy and my oldest stuffed animal "playing" with the Quiet Book my mom made me.

Corn harvest

The harvest has begun.  We started chopping the corn last Friday, and continued today!  A few more busy days to come!

Before chopping

Here are some pictures from today.

Josiah at the top of a silo