Everything

For every thing there is a season...and that season seems to be fall. We have had a very busy month of October, and hope for a bit of a reprieve now before the next "season" arrives.

Toward the end of September, we spent a weekend working on landscaping at church. It looks so nice now and will hopefully look even better when spring comes! 

The next weekend, Matt got to meet our newest nephew, Weston! I was home with Levi, who spent the weekend with a high fever. 

Little Weston is growing fast! I think he looks like a Schulz. :) 

We had a cousin get married here one weekend, and then two weeks later we drove to Morris for another cousin's wedding. In between, we had a lot of evening plans, several appointments, and other projects and events consuming our time. 

One of Matt's "projects" this month was creating this fishing pole rack for our garage. It looks so organized and is very handy! 

We celebrated our third wedding anniversary on October 20th! Of all three years of marriage, the third required the most patience, understanding, and effort to maintain a good relationship. Becoming parents was a big adjustment for us; from months of prenatal and postpartum hormones, to many sleepless nights, to the constant care and attention required of parents. But by God's grace, it has been another joyful year with many blessings.  

After three years of marriage, his pancakes are still heart-shaped... 

...and the fresh flower vase rarely sits empty! His anniversary bouquet included three roses to celebrate three years! 

We were very excited to have an overnight getaway to Bentonsport, IA and Van Buren County to celebrate our anniversary. Levi stayed with my Mom and Dad, and the two of us enjoyed our first bed and breakfast experience at the Bentonsport Village B&B. It was a nice place with a lot of history and very gracious hosts!

For some reason, this was the only photographed documentation of our trip.

It was a blessing to spend some time together as a couple. Saturday, we drove through some of the villages, stopping at the Dutchman's store in Cantril, the Milton Creamery, and Dutch Country near Bloomfield. We also made a short stop to visit Tim and Laurie. I had still not met Weston and Matt had not been to their place since the big house transplant and remodel project. It was good to see them for a bit and celebrate Garret's "half-birthday!" Our final stop was to ride a potato harvester near Tim & Laurie's with some friends of ours. A new experience for the books!

Meanwhile, Levi must have enjoyed his time at Grandpa and Grandma Massner's! The boys carved pumpkins Friday night, so Levi got in on the action and painted a pumpkin, too. 

I was thankful I didn't have to deal with a baby's painting mess afterward! :)  

Sunday afternoon, Matt, Jesse, and Quinn had a successful afternoon of fishing! They kept about fifteen of them to fillet. 

And now, the part of the show where Levi comes out and shows his smiles.

Levi LOVES the kitten! 

Yay for yummy lunches! (Ugh for cleanup time...)

It only took a few bites to realize a red pepper tastes different than a red apple. 

Nine months old! 

Levi got his first haircut last week, in two installments. The first time, I trimmed the sides and a tiny bit off the top. On Saturday, I decided the top looked like a mo-hawk, so I shaved that off too. Now he finally looks all trim and proper.  

Though I have not documented everything we did this month, it was full and I yearn for a break. I have been so tired, perhaps in part from pregnancy, but also because I have been putting my energy into too many things. Some people thrive on a busy schedule, but I do not. It is too easy for me to spend all of my energy elsewhere without saving enough for my husband, my son, and my Savior. Thus, I hope November provides a chance to slow down. I suppose the chance is always there, I only need to take advantage of it. 

Except I just made the mistake of glancing at the calendar, and there is something on the schedule every night for the next week and a half. I suppose we will just take one day at a time, and get our rest during the day.

I am having trouble bringing this post to a close. Thus, I shall cease my murmurings and acknowledge that God has been faithful, He has been present, and He has been good. Though I feel like I say it often, we really do have so much reason to be thankful. Though busy, we have been blessed this month with many good times and wonderful memories. We know God will be faithful in November, too, and we hope to be useful in fulfilling His work!