Around here...

This is just a random post of happenings around here =) Love to do these every once in awhile and got inspired by my friend Rachel and Tara as I try to find the blessings in every situations...

- Look what Claire won at school! Her name got drawn randomly out of the whole school for a fundraising prize. She was the coolest girl in school that day and I have no doubt she will never forget it =)

- Although the weather cooled down this weekend, it's still been unseasonably hot and I've been getting my fall baking itch - everything pumpkin - pumpkin pie and two batches of pumpkin raisin muffins - Yummo! Did you know soaking your raisins in warm water before mixing them gets them plump and oh so much more flavorable? I didn't but I learned that last week and wanted to pass along that tidbit.

- The Pumpkin patch at Eden's MDO has finally arrived so we will be visiting frequently =) It's one of our favorite weekly outings to just go, look, compare and contrast and take an insane amount of pictures. We picked up 5 today to represent all FIVE of us! We will paint them this week =)


- Loving my red door this fall especially with my fall wreath that my mom made us last year. She put three scarecrows to represent our three little ones =) We painted it red during Spring break and I've always liked it but now I REALLY like it with the season hopefully turning.

- Our air conditioner broke Friday - yuck! But what a blessing that it happened the coolest weekend we've had in a LONG time so we could just tough it out during the day, loiter in HEB and Target and sleep with the windows open. Also a blessing that we got paid Friday and can pay for that new motor that will hopefully be installed Monday.

- We were SO blessed by some boxes full of boy clothes from a high school classmate of Neil's that he hasn't seen since graduation. I ran into her last year, told her we were adopting and she wanted to give us clothes from her boys. Isn't that amazing?! SO we picked up the clothes and also got some decals to start getting the nursery together... getting excited to get ready!
- Loving teaching my students this semester - I have 14 in my private studio and they are GREAT! I'm so blessed to have a flexible job outside the home between my teaching and my responsibilities with the music ministry at church. It keeps me so busy but what a joy to still be teaching music and encouraging others!!

- Claire had her bike rodeo at school and she was so cute! Not very many kids from her class participated and I was so proud of how hard she concentrated to stay between the lines, swerve around the cones, balance, etc. She has surprised me with her ambition and drive to want to do EVERYTHING that Mrs. Lopez sends home. I pictured her being cautious and timid to do new things but she has gone in with hardly any hesitation. Love seeing this bold, confident side of her!

- And two quotes I want to remember from Claire:
1. C: "Mom, I think Jesus has dark skin"
Me: "Why do you think that?"
C: "Because He is so close to the sun and they don't have skun-screen in heaven" (she still says it wrong and I love it)
So cute and started a great convo about what we think Jesus looks like, where he lived here on earth and where heaven is.

2. C: "What's this song called?"
Neil: "Love, Love Me Do" (the girl loves her Beatles just like her daddy & mommy)
C: "I'm going to play it at my wedding!"
Me: "Why?"
C: "Because it's about being in love!"