Bursting into the Holiday season

Its amazing how quickly the Holiday season approaches! The last time we blogged, we were still in the month of September, with sunny, warm weather, and now we sit in the midst of a cold front. Lots of things have happened in the last month or so, so I will try to provide you with a brief recap:

#1 - Travels to New York City!

Andrea and Ava had the privilege to go and visit Andrea's sister, who lives in the Big Apple.

The trio got to spend some time at the American Girl store, the Bronx Zoo, and they took in Cinderella on Broadway! Ava even got to The Starry Night, the painting by Van Gogh that she has been learning about in her art class!

#2 - The Mighty Fisherman!

Ryan got to go fishing with his poppa. He caught his first fish! He was so excited, he had to stop everybody walking by to show them his fish. Its a pretty good sized fish, depending on what kind of angle of picture you are looking at.

#3 - Pumpkin Patch!

Every year, our family goes to the local pumpkin patch to go on wagon rides, bouncy houses, petting zoos, and maybe even to find the perfect pumpkin. It is one of our favorite annual family traditions.

#4 - The Holidays, they Come!

We love the Holidays in our family. For Halloween, we had a sweet little Tweedle Dee from Alice in Wonderland, and Leonardo, the Ninja Turtle. I wish I had a picture to post right now, but I will try to add one later today! For November, we are excited for Thanksgiving, and the opportunity to get together with the extended family. So many cousins, uncles and aunts, faces to see, people to hug! It can be a little overwhelming getting that many people in one confined space, but it truly is a joy. We have much to be thankful for. Finally, the holiday of Christmas is on the horizon, with less than 50 days. I have always loved Christmas, so much that I found myself in October resisting the temptation to put Christmas music on. There is a sense of wonder that comes from engaging in the Christmas Spirit, from being able to celebrate the great act of love of God coming down to be among us, to provide us the means to be reconciled with him through the birth of Jesus. What a great thing to celebrate.

Here is wishing you a warm and happy holiday season.

-Jayson