Cal is 2!! (October 16)

Yes, Chancho Biggin's is 2! Though he is just about the exact size as his "big" brother, lol! (Both boys wear the exact same size shoes & clothes right now!?). We had a great day celebrating and my dad was even in town to join us! It's pretty cool, he was here when Cal was born & for his 1st & 2nd bdays. It was Sophie's suggestion that Cal wanted ribs for his birthday :), so we went to Famous Dave's for dinner and came home for cake and ice-cream and presents. Anything Thomas the train is a hit for Cal, so he was more than pleased with his presents :).

Cal is talking a whole lot more now and LOVING playing with his sis & bro - whenever you see those two run by, you know Cal will be trailing right behind them! We FINALLY got him sleeping through the night, about a week before his 2nd birthday!! He has been dubbed our "extreme child", and he is. He is sooo smiley and happy or he is angry and throwing a fit of grand proportions. He has a will like no other I have seen, but is the cuddliest most lovingest kid out of our 3. So we are constantly reminding ourselves of what God would do with this strong temperament- I mean, HE is the one who gave it to him! So we are trusting that by His grace, He will take it and direct it and use it for His glory and His Kingdom. We also joke that he'll be our preacher, cause he always goes into Nate's bag and gets his bible out and just carries it around and looks at it :). We love you Caly-boy and thank God for the gift you are to us!

Sophie's in Kindergarten - 1st year of Homeschooling!

I can't believe that my baby girl is in school! And I can't believe that I am her teacher! People ask how homeschooling is going and I always reply "so much better than I could have ever imagined it!" And it's true. Sophie is thriving and enjoying the one on one time with me (well, sometimes we are accompanied by Chason because he isn't taking his afternoon naps very frequently anymore, but he is usually quietly at the table working on his own 'school') and I have to say that that has been the most rewarding and enjoyable part for me too! I feel like these times with her this year are gonna serve as some "glue" for our relationship down the road. She is such a great independent player, that with all the the boys demands I can easily neglect focused time with her. So this is a perfect fit for us this year! Here are some pics from her "1st day" and the evolution of our school area.

2nd Annual Family Vacation to Duluth - Part 2

And these are actually from the beginning of our journey, taking off, arriving in Duluth, Lake Superior swimming, biking & hanging in Canal Park ... Like I said, hundred's of pictures i'd love to share, as you can see I had a hard time choosing :).

2nd Annual Family Vacation to Duluth - Part 1

Where do I even begin with this post?? I have hundreds of pictures I would love to share, just proof of God's kindness and grace extended to our family and how family vacation with a 5, 3, & 1 and a half year old can actually be ... well, thoroughly enjoyable!

This was our 2nd year doing this. This year we rented a cabin about 13 miles outside of Duluth and stayed there for 4 nights, and 1 night in the middle of that week drove up the North Shore to Lutsen and stayed at a resort complete with Gondola ride up the ski mountain and indoor swimming pool. And we went up a night early because Nate's dad got us a room in Canal Park with his hotel points, balcony overlooking the lake and lighthouse, it was awesome! I can't emphasize enough how good God is to help Nate and I on these trips. Truly the grace to manage our expectations successfully and the patience to deal with the kids without letting it stress us out is HIS GRACE ALONE! The kids LOVE Duluth and Lake Superior. Sophie and Chason frequently talk about things from our trip and ask about our next "family vacation". I pray we can continue to make memories with our family for years to come doing this.

So here's part 1 of pics (I guess our order will be backwards, this is towards the end of our wk) - Gooseberry Falls, Grand Marais, a couple from our cabin & Canal Park...