The Promised One

The world is so wonderful and exciting for a pre-toddler.  Aidan was overjoyed when I pulled out his Fischer Price Nativity from Auntie Callie and Uncle Andy.  He sat so still on my lap as I unwrapped each piece and explained it's role to him.  Once we had unwrapped all the parts and set it up on the table, he very much enjoyed moving all the people and animals around.  The donkey has a wheeled cart and that's his favorite so far.

He likes the camel too.  

I put my nativity up on the coffee table and am thankful that Aidan has his own to play with - he likes my sheep too much, but is learning that those are Mommy's.  Leo is too.  ;)

This is such an amazing season; we decorate, make cookies, buy gifts, and travel to be with loved ones all in celebration of Christ's birth.  And why is that so special?  Too many Americans, unfortunately, just go through the motions of Christmas, treating it simply as an American tradition with Santa at the center.

Our women's bible study is going through Nancy Guthrie's book The Promised One: Seeing Jesus in Genesis.  And today the study was on Abraham, the one through whom God promised The Promised One, Jesus Christ.  It reminded me of the incredible promises that God not only gave Abraham, but that He gives His people.

When Abraham asked how he could know that God would fulfill His promise to bring him into the Promised Land, God responded by having Abraham bring animals and cut them in half (Genesis 15:9).  (BTW - Think about that - how super difficult would it be to cut an animal, such as a heifer, in half?  I had enough trouble cutting a Cornish game hen in half for a recipe!)  Normally, both people making the oath walk between the animal halves, but only God walked through them.  Why?  Because "God knew that Abraham could not walk blameless before him, as he had commanded," (Genesis 17:1).  We also, like Abraham, can't fulfill our end of the deal - we break God's commandments all the time, whether it be through our doubts, fears, discontent, etc.

But thanks be to God! Christ Jesus walked our bloody path, "marked not with the blood of halved animals but with His own blood...By bearing the full consequences of the convenantal pledge to death, Christ delivered us from the curse of our inability to live up to the covenant so that we might become heirs of its blessing," (pg 165). 

When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. 

Galations 3:13

This is why we celebrate.  This is why we rejoice.  Christ Jesus is the hope.  Christ Jesus is the "sure and steadfast anchor of our souls," (pg 166).

As you set up your nativity this season, rejoice!  The Promised One has come.

Whiner or Worshiper?

Lately, this lady in town has gotten me thinking:  each time I bump into her, she's complaining.  Either she hasn't slept well or she doesn't want to decorate for Christmas because it's so much work or she doesn't want to shop for the grandkids cuz she doesn't know what to buy or she can't wait for the snow to get here so she can start waiting for it to be gone (true story!).  Now what do people think about me after bumping into me up town?  I often tell people how many times Aidan woke up in the night or that I got to bed too late so I'm feeling tired.  Really, who cares!?  I want to be known as a grateful person, filled with joy because of what Christ has done for me.  I don't want people thinking about me what I think about that downer, complaining woman - I want people to run toward Christ after an encounter with me.

This is just another reason Nancy Leigh DeMoss's book Choosing Gratitude has been so good for me.  And, in order to help solidify in my mind what I am learning, I'm going to continue to blog through some of the chapters I most enjoy in her book.

Nancy writes, "After decades of ministry to hurting people, I have come to believe that a failure to give thanks is at the heart of much, if not most, of the sense of gloom, despair, and despondency that is so pervasive even among believers today," (pg 79).  Isn't that true!?

She goes on to describe six differences between grateful and ungrateful people. 

1. A grateful person is a humble person, while ingratitude reveals a proud heart (pg 80).

2. A grateful heart is God-centered and others-conscious, while an ungrateful person is self-centered and self-conscious (pg 82).

Our world is full of people seeking to get their needs met.  Think about the McDonald's slogan, "My way,"  It's these people who focus on "my needs," "my feelings," etc. that are the blamers and are quick to accuse God of being unfair and ungenerous.

3. A grateful heart is a full heart, while an unthankful heart is an empty one (pg 85).

Paul says in Philippians 4 :18, "I have all, and abound; I am full."  Yet his friends had abandoned him, he was in prison and striped bare of all creature comforts...and yet he was full!  Nancy goes on to describe a dog who'd lost a limb.  The dog isn't traumatized by losing the limb, the dog is overjoyed to be alive - chasing squirrels, fetching balls, etc.  I need to be more dog-like!  ;)

4. People with grateful hearts are easily contented, while ungrateful people are subject to bitterness and discontent (pg 87).

This is my struggle - I strive, daily, to be thankful for what I have...which is soooo much!  I have to quote Nancy here because I just love what she says,

"I have spoken with many women who are chronically unhappy, "down," or depressed.  The details and reasons vary, of course.  But I have become increasingly convinced, after lots of these kinds of conversations, that one of the chief reasons behind a pervasive sense of blues and blahness is a failure to be thankful.

"Ungrateful people tend to hold tightly to their rights.  And when others fail to perform the way they want or expect them to, they feel justified in making demands and retaliating emotionally," (pg 88).  She goes on to talk about how Ruth in the bible was just the opposite.

5. A grateful heart will be revealed and expressed by thankful words, while an unthankful heart will manifest itself in murmuring and complaining (pg 89).

I love her example: instead of asking, "Why did God put thorns on roses?"  Praise Him saying, "God has put roses among the thorns."  Be encouraged to look for blessings in the trials and hardships.

6. Thankful people are refreshing, life-giving springs, while unthankful people pull others down with them into the stagnant pools of their selfish, demanding, unhappy ways (pg 91).

Our natural tendency is to react to life's circumstances in a negative way.  But may our responses as Christians be as Matthew Henry's, making people feel "how happy a thing it must be to be a Christian!"

I'm praying today that I would be a worshiper and not a whiner! 

A Gratitude Filled Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have much to thank the LORD for today and always.

I also want to wish my dearest, favorite mother a happy birthday!  

 The whole world is thankful for you today, Mom.  I love you!

Traditions

Today we went for a walk and a few homes had their Christmas trees up!  It was so fun to see, even though there isn't any snow on the ground yet in Iowa.  (Side note about walks: Leo grabs every piece of trash we walk by, carries it for 30 seconds and then proceeds to drop it again...which makes it look like we're littering.  So I pick it up (totally gross, I know) and put it in the bottom of the stroller.  Garner will now be a cleaner place, thanks to Leo.  My stroller, on the otherhand, needs to be cleaned out!)

But seeing the glistening lights on all the Christmas trees got me thinking about how we'll spend the Christmas season.  Aidan will be more into it this year as an 18 month old, and I'd like to start some family traditions.  Noel Piper's Treasuring God in our Traditions has been a go-to resource for me as I ponder what the Christmas season should look like in the Lund household.

But, first, what is a tradition and why are they important?  Noel defines tradition, for the Christian, as "laying up God's words in our hearts and passing his words to the next generation," (pg 26).  In Deuteronomy 11, God gave His people specific instructions for teaching the children about His "greatness and might, his signs and deeds, and his words and commandments," (pg 32).  We see this again in Psalm 78.  Why is this so important for us, as parents, to teach?

...so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments...

Psalm 78:7 

The goal of traditions in the Christian home, at Christmas and always, should be to fulfill the command in Deuteronomy 11:19:

...teach [God's words] to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise,

so that our children may set their hope in God - the only One worth hoping in!

How will we be fulfilling this commandment during the Christmas season this year?  Here are some ideas I have:

• Picking out the tree -  last year we cut one down at Aldrich's Tree Farm while Aidan slept in his infant carrier inside the warm car.  I'm sure he'll love to help this year!
• Setting a day aside to decorate the house for Christmas, with a special focus on helping Aidan set up his new nativity set (Fischer Price so it's unbreakable!) from Auntie Callie & Uncle Andy, guiding Aidan to an understanding of it's importance.
• Advent Calendar - Advent is a time to reflect on what it must have been like waiting for the promised salvation of God through the birth of Christ and also a time to look ahead, as we long for Christ's second coming.  I purchased a tree advent calendar from Pottery Barn Kids, and each date has a pocket that I will fill with either a verse or an object that helps us to reflect on the coming of Christ.  Objects may include:  a toy star, toy hammer (Jesus was a carpenter), a cross, a heart (God so loved the world...), a toy sheep (Jesus is the Lamb of God), or a small candle (Jesus is the Light of the World).  I may even slip a piece of chocolate in there one day because my boys love chocolate.
• Gifts to those in need (Operation Christmas Child, financial donation, etc.)

 And Mrs. Piper gave some other excellent traditions that I'd like to start in the future (when Aidan is older):

• Advent Candles
• Gifts to Jesus (i.e. a needy family)
• Bethlehem Tree

And Santa?  Yes, Aidan will be soon sitting on his lap.  However, the Piper's chose not to do Santa with their children and she describes why in her book.  I may do a future blog post on why we're choosing to do Santa with our children.


What are your Christmas traditions?  How will you be helping your children place their hope in Christ this season?

 

Boy Date

Yesterday the boys were outside putting away the picnic table & chairs, the swing, grill, and then they even swept out the garage!  I was able to get some housework done - thanks, Bri!

Scripture & Parenting

You know my love for all things Paul Tripp, particularly Shepherding a Child's Heart.  Well, Ginger Plowman's Don't Make Me Count to Three is another wonderful heart-oriented parenting book.  Ms. Plowman's book gives very specific examples of what to do (or not to do) in common situations that parents find themselves in using the format of examples a and b (hint: example a is always the incorrect way to respond!).  I especially enjoy the way Don't Make Me Count to Three enables you to see why our common ways of responding are unbiblical and, therefore, incorrect.  

Ms. Plowman uses many verses of Scripture in her examples, but not in a way that "bangs the bible over their heads."  She does it gently and with grace, always presenting the gospel to her children and providing them the opportunity to repent and be forgiven.  I love what Paul Tripp's brother, Tedd, says about this book:

"This book is properly aligned.  It makes the focus of discipline the heart and unpacks how to use the Scriptures for both encouragement and reproof.  The tendency in parenting books is to be heavy on ideas and strategies for managing our children and light on the biblical foundations.  Don't Make Me Count to Three weaves together solid biblical truth and practical parenting advice.  This bears reading and rereading."

 

I love this book.  I need to reread it...and reread it (like Shepherding a Child's Heart which I've read 5x).  But one thing I've set out to do, being encouraged by Ms. Plowman, is memorize all the verses she referenced in her book.  I've counted 22 sets of verses that she uses often in her parenting.  I so desire for God's Word to be on the tip of my tongue that I may use it for both encouragement and reproof in my parenting.

Thus far I've memorized only three sets of verses (Proverbs 6:16-19, James 3:17, and I Corinthians 13:6) and this weekend I'm working on James 1:19-20 and Ephesians 4:22-24.  The Lord has blessed my memorizing (and I pray He continues to do so!) - the Words have been both convicting to my soul and inspiring.  May they have the same effect on my sweet (but sinful and in need of God's grace) son.

Let me know if you decide to read this book and/or memorize these verses; I could use an accountability partner to keep me on track!  ;)

Side note: I just ordered Wise Words for Moms which is Ms. Plowman's pamphlet ($4 on Amazon).  It's an awesome chart (that I hope to put on my fridge for quick reference) that lists the child's behavior (such as complaining, stirring up strife, blaming, bad friendships, conceit, etc.), heart probing questions you can ask, the reproof or "putting off of the old self", the encouragement or "putting on the new self", and additional verses to use for each listed behavior.  This is a great way to spend $4 - even better than a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks (which are closer to $5 now - I can't believe I've spent $5 on a cup of coffee!).

[P.S. Ms. Plowman does quote Mr. Tripp a lot in her book - and for that reason, I'd recommend reading Shepherding a Child's Heart first.]

My Climber

Aidan has been quite the goer lately - both vertically and horizontally!  Whether it's running, playing chase, climbing on the vacuum's bag carrier, or up onto end tables, he's always moving.  And Leo is always by his side:

 Yesterday afternoon Aidan decided to get out Mommy's little broom and "brush" his hair.  If it's brush-like, it goes in the hair.  Even the toothbrush!

Then Leo decided it was his turn.  That was the end of that.

 Off to the next event.

 The tongue appears when he's really concentrating.

 "I'm so proud of what I've accomplished, Mom!"

Now he's trying to get down.  I'm thankful that Grammie Lund taught him how to turn around in order to get off of things safely.  It started with the stairs and he's applied it to the couch, ottoman, and now the coffee table!

I love my 16 month old - this is the best age yet!  He is just a ball.

Why Choose Gratitude?

There are a million reasons to be thankful - my husband, my boy, my Leo, a warm shower, hot coffee, etc., but the biggest reason is because I have made been right with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Nancy Leigh DeMoss in her book, Choosing Gratitude gives her readers eight other reasons to be thankful:

1. Because we are commanded to!

Colossians 3:17: Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

2. It draws us close to the Lord.

Psalm 1:4: Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!

3. It's a sure path to peace.

Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Nancy's equation: prayer + thanksgiving = peace

4. "Gratitude is a gauge of the heart" (p. 67).

Psalm 140:13: Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name.

Righteous people are thankful people!  Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic, has disciplined herself for so many years to give thanks, that it's now her "reflex reaction," (p. 68).  Oh, may it be mine too!  All too often I am the whiner - giving in to discouragement and/or expressing negative thoughts about pressures and problems.  Nancy writes that a grateful heart is the "fruit of a thousand choices" (p. 68) - may I make the choice a thousand times each day not to whine, but to give thanks.

5. Gratitude is God's will!

I Thessalonians 5:18: Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I love what Nancy writes, "God's will is not so much a place, a job, or a specific mate, as it is a heart and a lifestyle," (p. 69).

6. It's evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Evidences of a Spirit-filled life are found in Ephesians 5:19 & 5:21-6:18.  We can't complain and be filled with the Spirit at the same time.

7. "Gratitude reflects Jesus' heart" (p. 72).

For example, after telling Lazarus to "come forth", Jesus said to God, "I thank you that you have heard me," (John 11:41).  Jesus even gave thanks during times of suffering.

8. It gets us ready for heaven.

Revelation 11:17: We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.

Whew - so many reasons to be thankful today and every day.  I'm loving this Choosing Gratitude book; I recommend that you put it on your Amazon Wish List!

I'm really thankful for this guy, even if his hat is a wee bit small*:

*At his 16 month check up last week, he weighed 25 pounds, 4 ounces (50th percentile), was 33 inches tall (25th percentile - oh, Lord, please give him height!) and has a head circumference that's near the 90th percentile - which is why the hat may pop off.  ;)

Fall Photo Flop

Christmas cards!  It's what everyone is talking about.  So I decided to take my boys outside and try to get the perfect photo.  Ha!  If money grew on trees, I'd hire a professional AND sign up for an online camera class so I wouldn't have to hire a professional in the future.  As you'll see from the pictures below, our hunt for the perfect Christmas card picture is still in effect.

 At first, Mr. A didn't even want to go outside.

 But he was happy once he was out there.

Both Aidan and Leo know that they aren't supposed to go past these Cedar trees into the neighbor's yard.  One of the kids likes to test the boundary...

 Hmmm...how far can I get around the tree before Mom grabs me?

 All is well until...

Leo grabs Aidan's mitten.

 And doesn't bring it back (at least for a few seconds).

But soon enough, Leo decides he'd better be an obedient boy and comes running back with the wet, slobbery mitten.

That was our photo shoot.  Today is a really nice, sunny day as well and I might try to get some more pictures to see if any of them turn out.

************************

Guess what!?  I have a smart phone now!  And I even know what an app is and how to get one.  I also have data on my phone - wow.  Brian and I entered the 21st century last Thursday.  The T-Mobile guy gently teased us about our ancient phones.  Last night I talked to a Cali bestie and couldn't get over the great reception - normally I have to piece together the conversation because my phone would break up so many times.  It was wonderful - now I wonder why I put up with that for four long years!

Unfortunately, the guy didn't get my numbers transferred over correctly.  Only three contacts - my mom, my sister-in-law and my Kgal - transferred correctly.  I apologize if I haven't called - I just don't have your number!  Today I hope to spend some time playing around and figuring out my new phone! (PS - mine is above on the left!)

Abundant Thankfulness

On Facebook, I've noticed that the month of November has some people posting things that they are thankful for each day.  Most people are thankful for family and friends.  And, don't get me wrong, I am thankful for mine too!  But sometimes I feel bad when that's all that people have to be thankful for.  Those answers seem so shallow, so dull.  If you're a lover of Jesus Christ, you've tasted the richness of God's abundant love through His grace and, in light of that, all other things seem so dim.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:26

Of course we shouldn't treat our families or friends with hate; we should love them intensely - we should just be more in love with Christ.  Thanksgiving, for the Christian, is a time for being overjoyed with thankfulness to the LORD for his mercies and abundant blessings (such as family and friends) He's given us.

Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss takes this one step further: we should be overflowing with gratitude and thankfulness to the LORD each and every day - not just during November.  Why?  Because of all that Christ has done for us in His death and resurrection.

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8

 

Christ's life has become ours!    That news makes me want to shout, to dance, to sing for joy - the joy and gratitude for the Christian is limitless:

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.  Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep."

Psalm 36:5-6

Our gratitude doesn't have to stop at "family and friends!"  It overflows because of God's goodness and mercy to us through Christ.

Lastly, I want to share with you the quote from Nancy that got me thinking about all this in the first place!

"So while we can commend the practice of generalized gratitude, being glad to have friends and family members with a positive outlook on life, we cannot as believers be content to consider it sufficient for ourselves - not when there's a level of gratitude that offers us so much more than merely feeling good about how things are going," (p. 37).

Four Generations

Brian's mom placed this picture in their town newspaper last week. I love it!

We are so thankful to the LORD for His steadfastness and faithfulness to all of these generations.   He has been so good!  May Aidan continue this tradition by walking humbly with his God.

On a different note, we're off to MSP today to pick up Leo!  Yay yay yay!  It's been a long 12 days without him, but I am so thankful to my parents for putting up with him for so long so that I could attend the conference!  I also get to have supper with my dad, grandpa, sweet almost-sister-in-law, and my brother.  So fun.  An eggnog latte may also be on the list of to-dos.

Conference Details

The Revive '11 conference was fantastic!  Sue and I spent 10 hours in the car, 26 hours at the conference, and another 10 hours in the car.  We were encouraged and given so many ideas that we didn't ever run out of things to talk about!  Filling our bags were five possible women's bible studies that we can't wait to get our hands on and pray about starting at Zion.

Speakers Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Susan Hunt, and Crawford Loritts were my favorites.  

Nancy warned us of nine  potential pitfalls of ministry.  We were to circle a few pitfalls, in particular, that could trip us up.  One I circled was: serving without love.  To effectively minister, we need to love as Christ loved us, "...who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant," (Philippians 2:6-7).  I pray the LORD would work in my heart so that I may truly love our church members as Christ has loved me. I also circled the pitfall of losing perspective.  It's all too easy to forget how big God is as the problems mount and mount and the discouragement seems suffocating.  But the church is Christ's...it's His bride, not mine.  I am not the one who can change hearts; only the Holy Spirit can stir up affections for Christ in the hearts of pew warmers.  And like a piano can't play beautiful music on it's own, I need Christ working through me in order to do anything "beautiful" for His Kingdom.

Crawford Loritts wrote the book Leadership as an Identity.   He writes that leaders have four characteristics. Two of those traits that I found interesting were brokenness and radical, immediate obedience.  Crawford defined brokenness as a "permanent awareness of God-needyness."  As we've seen in the bible, God didn't use perfect people!  Two pillars of brokenness are "proactive surrender" and "an acute awareness of our sinfulness."
Crawford also said, "You don't have to be successful, but you do have to be obedient."  He also referred to ministry not as a job, but as an assignment.  My assignment now is Garner.  How will I choose to fulfill the assignment He's given me?  May I be able to say with Crawford, "I'd rather die than disobey God,"  and I'd like to take it further by saying, "I'd rather die than disobey God by living a joyless, discontented life in the circumstances that He's ordained for me."

Susan Hunt spoke on a book she's written, Spiritual Mothering.  A Titus 2 ministry is a dream I have for Zion!  If you haven't read her book, I'd recommend it.

One other treat was the Pastor's Wives breakout session.  What I enjoyed most was the panel of pastor's wives who'd been in the ministry for no less than 30 years.  We were able to ask them questions and it was so interesting.  There are a lot of hurting pastor's wives out there and a lot of frustrated ministries.  I need to be praying for them!

Besides the Peppermint Mocha and Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, the last treat was seeing my hometown friend, Miriam.  Her husband just planted a church near my parent's home.  She is such a godly woman - so full of wisdom amidst the trying times that planting a church brings.  It was very fun to chat with her for a short time.

My sweet hubby gave me some of his pastor appreciation money to spend at the conference!  So I came home with two bags of books and haven't wanted to do anything besides read.  I'll tell you about Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss later this week.

They are hosting a conference in Indianapolis next September that is for all women, not just leaders.  This is the link if you're interested: True Woman '12

P.S. Aidan and Daddy had so much fun while I was gone!  Aidan didn't even miss me.  I am so thankful for the quality time they got to spend together and for what an amazing dad Brian is.  Aidan loves him so much; he'll hardly come near me when Daddy is home.  On Thursday Leo comes back from Grandma & Grandpa's house.  He's having so much fun there, but I miss him!

Revive '11

Sue, the women's ministry leader at our church, and I are off to Indianapolis for the weekend.  She invited me to attend Revive '11: for women serving women - a conference by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Susan Hunt and others.  Hopefully it will be just the refreshment we need and will give us ideas for how to further the women's ministry here at Zion.  There's also a break-out session just for pastor's wives that I pray will be beneficial for me.

I am so excited to go, but I also know that I will miss my Aidan so much.  Since he was born 16 months ago, I've only been away from him for one night.  Three nights is the new test...

And Brian was sick in bed earlier this week.  Although he went into work yesterday, he's still not up to par.  I pray that he has the energy he needs to watch Aidan and get his work done.

I left Leo with my mom & dad and I've been missing him - a lot, actually!  But I hear he's loving running around the yard, swimming in the Mississippi (brrrr!), and playing with their dogs.  Mom says he's very dirty!  Today is his 5 month birthday.

Brian has some White Horse Inn talks & sermons that he's sending along for Sue & I to listen to in the car - now we can redeem the time!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Celebrating Callie

On Saturday, I drove up to Mahtomedi for my future sister-in-law's bridal shower!  It was at my mom's cousin's beautiful house and all my family was in attendance.  What a special day; we had a great time celebrating Callie and are all so excited that she will soon be a part of our family.

She received a lot of nice gifts - mostly for their kitchen & bathroom.

Chocolate cake in the future?  Yum.

Grandma Char, Mom, cousin Katie

 Sue and Donna (middle and right) organized and hosted this wonderful shower!  It was so sweet of them.

Callie was such a ham - she entertained our family with a detailed commentary on each item she received that they'd registered for, told the engagement story and just kept everyone comfortable...yes, you won't believe it, but my family can be too quiet sometimes! ;)  She's the best - just what our family needs (especially someone to get my dad to play games).

We are getting so excited for the December 17 wedding.  Callie gave me my bridesmaid dress on Saturday - it is absolutely stunning with such a huge, 60s style pinkish bow.  Love it.  Our little man, the ringbearer, has his navy pinstriped suit.  We just have to find Brian his!  It will be such a beautiful day; we can't wait to officially welcome her into our family.

Happy Halloween!

Our little tiger ROARed all over Brainerd last night.

Well, not all over.

First, we stopped at Great Grandma & Grandpa Wayt's house to take pictures.

 Unfortunately, the tiger's mouth kept interfering with Aidan's vision - he pulled and pulled and pulled on that hood to try and rid himself of it!

 But it just wouldn't come off.

Happy Halloween, Great Grandma and Grandpa!

Then we met up with our Pratt cousins.  We spotted them Trick-or-Treating in north Brainerd (who could miss the jail-breaks?) and joined in the fun.

 Logie & Connor took Aidan on his first ever Trick-or-Treating experience.

 The tiger finally got rid of his hood!

Taylor even took Aidan up to a few houses.  Thanks, Taylor!

We went to about six homes and that was just enough; Aidan had a great time and didn't quite know what to make of all the action!

On the way home, Aidan ate a package of Swedish Fish and a package of fruit snacks.  I saw on Facebook today a friend who wrote about her one-year old eating "candy" aka yogurt melts.  I must be a terrible mom for giving him real candy!

P.S. I ate the rest of his candy.  It's a good thing my exercise class is tomorrow morning.