WayfaringStrangers

First of all, can I say how annoyed I am all these stinkbugs?? I'm tired of picking through my raisinbran to make sure none of the 'raisins' are stinkbugs (hasn't happened yet, but could!) If you don't have them where you live, count your blessings! Thankfully they're not poisonous and they don't bite/sting, but they sure are a pest. We made a stinkbug trap from a soda bottle and have caught dozens of them in our house...but they just keep coming in. We hiked at Lake Robertson on Saturday. We went on the mountain trails. Not really up a mountain, but still a great workout. Autumn Leaves Shelter turned into a house of prayer. Worshipping God in creation is my favorite. Raise your hand if you're having fun!

First, some pics: Can you see the theme of his outfit? Camping Trip! Too bad we didn't camp. But it's still a cute outfit. This boy is all about standing and looking out the window/door. It's been an interesting week. A while ago, our Volvo stopped starting. We figured it was the battery. Finally Behn bought a new battery at Wal-Mart and put it himself. I was really proud of him! It's been working well since then. The day after he put in the battery, our clothes dryer stopped working. Again. 3rd time in one year. It's an older dryer, but still, it's dumb that it keeps on breaking. The first time they fixed it for free (under warranty). The 2nd time they charged us (too much), but Behn's loving parents helped us with that. The third time we decided we don't want to give these people another dime to fix this hunk of metal. Behn went into the shop and told them we'd like to exchange it and they's better cut us a great deal. They agreed, but didn...

It's Friday. Another busy week is past. And we had plans this weekend, oh boy, did we have plans. Then this happened: I love rain. It's peaceful and calming and fresh and necessary to life. But we were supposed to go camping tonight. Camping in a tent with a 9 month-old was going to be a challenge, but add rain to the mix and it would be unhappy. So, our plans have changed. The nice thing is there isn't a cancellation fee at the camp. And maybe we can try next Friday night. In a way, it's ok we have to cancel. Now the 3 of us can spend a cozy (dry) night bonding in our home. And tomorrow it's supposed to be nicer so we can even still go to the campsite and enjoy God's creation. Behn and I are taking a break from Facebook, so I'll make sure to take/post some Graham pics on here. Maybe even a video! I hope all my few, faithful readers have a lovely, relaxing Friday night as well :)

First of all, let me wrap up my garden updates. I think the garden was a big success for this first-time gardener :) I made some rookie mistakes (thinking that tomato plants were radishes, planting things too close together, etc), but overall, I got some good produce and enjoyed my garden. It's not over yet; I still have lots of basil, parsely and oregano growing, and I just planted a new row of radishes. Also, my peppers FINALLY produced fruit: Garden peppers for piccadillo...mmm. I have lots of ideas for how I'm going to improve my garden next year! One thing I really enjoyed was growing flowers. I really want to expand my little flower beds next spring. We had a nice relaxing weekend... My brother Aaron has been here visiting. Graham gets a kick out of him. Check out this awesome zipper spider Behn spotted near my zinnias: Hanging out by the campfire: Cookie Monster?

Oops, I forgot to share his stats. Ya'll may not really care how many inches long our kid is...but it's good for me to record it for our sake (so I don't lose the little paper and forget). He's 19 lbs 11 oz (with a wet diaper...so maybe 10 oz). This is 50%, which he's been all along. He's 29 1/4 inches long, 75%. He's long and lean! Quick other thing: He is so funny when we're at the store and strangers come up to him to say hi (happens a lot...'cause he's so cute). He just stares at them completely blankly. Usually they can't get him to crack a smile. Mr. Serious, Mr. Observant. He's just like 'I don't know you, what do you want??" Hehe, it's pretty funny to me!

Our kid is 9 months old! As in, coming up on a year! Everyone says 'It'll go so fast.." Very cliche, but TRUE! The 9 months I was pregnant was much slower than the past 9 months of him being outside of me. At 9 months, Graham: Stands. Pulls himself up to everything, sometimes things that don't hold his weight and then he falls on his bum. Cruises. Not very fast, but if he's holding on to something he can walk along for a few feet. Makes more sounds. We've been a little concerned about his babbling...but the past month he made a lot more noises :) The pediatrician said he's developing normally. Picks up 2 toys and hits them together. Drummer? Eats more! Loves his bananas, sweet potatoes, etc. But now he's wanting what we're having- last night he had several bits of my grilled cheese sandwich. Loves to be chased or for us to play 'monster' with him. I make a scary face/noise and he squeals and freaks out in glee. Enjoys swinging in a swing. An...

My boy and I It's been a pretty plain last couple weeks...but that's ok. The everyday life seems to keep us busy anyway. Lots of church stuff going on...Behn's volunteering at a local university library to get some experience...Behn's new semester started...I'm picking up a few more hours doing respite care...Graham's had a runny nose for a week...so yeah, really there's a lot going on. Baby F was sick Friday and is with his grandparents today so there's been a little break with that. Looking forward to having him back tomorrow for Graham to play with! Watching tractors bale hay across the street. We've been loving the cooler weather. Yesterday we had our new "Rat" (freshman cadet from VMI) over for the afternoon. He was a really nice guy and I'm glad we are his host family. Oh, and if you need a new lasagna recipe, you've GOT to try Trisha Yearwood's Cowboy Lasagna. It's even better than Pioneer Woman's (sorry PW). We ...