Pumpkin Patch Fun (?)

Last weekend I took Pvt Boo to the pumpkin patch with our local MOMS group. One of my dear friends and Boo's partner in crime, Mr. J, joined us for the adventure. Let's just say the day was a flop...and it wasn't the little ones' fault either. They were perfect gems.

I don't know about you, but when I think of October and going to the pumpkin patch memories of a brisk day with cool air and the delicious smell of fall soil fill my mind. Hot apple cider and hay stuck in your shorts and hair from the hay ride and rolling down the hay slide. Yeah...not one of those things happened.

The day was extremely HOT! No crisp fall air here. We did get a hay ride...without hay. (?) So, I guess technically it was just a ride. Oh and did I mention it was HOT and dusty?! We saw a few farm animals. Boo was too hot to be remotely interested in them...although Mr. J thought the baby chicks looked yummy enough to eat. When we finally got to the section where we could pick our pumkins both kids and the adults were so hot and thirsty that we quickly chose our souveniers, took a few pictures, and unanimously decided to head back home to air conditioning and iced tea. We enjoyed the rest of the day hanging out and watching the kids play together. They both were extremely happy to be out of the heat...and so were we!

Maybe someday I introduce Boo to a real pumpkin patch experience complete with hot apple cider and real hay! Here are some of the pictures we got that day:

Ready for an adventure

Moms & Kids on the hayless hay ride

Mr. J was totally ready to eat the baby chick! Yum!

They are so cute...but so hot. Poor dears!

Boo is clapping (are we done yet) while Mr J tries to see if her pumpkins is better than his.

Kisses for Momma!

This photo cracks me up! Between the look on Boo's face and Mr. J eating the sign, it totally depicts the day and our experience.

Where does time go?

On September 29th, Pvt Boo turned 11 months. I really don't know where the time has gone. I've been pretty nostalgic lately as I've been realizing more and more that my baby isn't a baby any more. She's really coming in to her own lately and is turning into a little girl.

This month she started getting more and more independent. She plays on her own happily for long periods of time. I love to watch her interact with her toys and babble at them. I only wish I knew what she was telling them. She is also pulling herself up on everything! I have a feeling she'll be walking by the end of the year. She is such a happy and joyful child. Her smile just melts our hearts and constantly reminds us of the joy God must feel towards us...His children.

We are in the midst of planning her first birthday party with her Mom and extended family. It will be the first time that Boo will get to meet her biological cousins and aunts and uncles. Part of me is extremely nervous, the other part is thankful and excited. I want Boo to always know how deeply she is loved, not only by us, but also by her other family. Love placed her in our arms and Love is what continues to hold her and support her. Please pray for our time with her extended family, that God would give us grace and wisdom as we learn how to walk in an open adoption.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Pvt Boo from last month. Enjoy!

FINALLY!!!

It only took us a year and a half since coming to LA, but we FINALLY found a church! I'm so excited and for the first time in a long time...I'm feeling fed spiritually. I know our main focus in attending church shouldn't be for our own selfish needs, but coming off the missionfield battered and bruised, I'm in need of some serious healing. New City has already helped me to begin the process to wholeness.

It takes us about 30 minutes to get to church each Sunday, but it is worth every minute of the drive. NCC is a brand new church in downtown LA and their focus is to bring together people of every walk, culture, and ethnicity. It looks a lot like I envision heaven...just on a smaller scale. As soon as you walk in the door, you are covered in love from those around you. There is a vulnerability amongst the members that encourages honesty and realness.

NCC is a hospital. They are welcoming in sinners of every walk and lovingly tending their wounds. They don't compromise on truth though. Their love of all people doesn't equal acceptance of sin. They don't ignore the disease that is killing each person walking into their midst, but make sure that they are aware of what is truly making them sick and then seek to bring them to the healing table of the Great Physician.

Sitting in the NCC is uncomfortable sometimes for those who are used to normal evangelical churches...but we like that we're being stretched. It is good for a weekly reminder of why Jesus came to this earth in the first place. I don't think He or the disciples were comfortable with all the sick and maimed people that came around Him either. But He welcomed them, loved them, fed them, and ultimately for many, healed them. What better example to follow than this?!

If you're ever in the LA area on a Sunday...we'd love to have you join us! You will be loved and challenged...and more importantly meet Jesus amongst "the least of these."

You can check out more about the church here:
http://www.newcitychurchla.com/index.cfm