Trying to get a video of Will's master army crawl. But there is something about the camera appearing that distracts him. :) Hopefully, you will enjoy anyways. He is quite the explorer these days!

3 out, 2 in

. . . teeth, that is. Anna Kate lost tooth #3 today, while eating an apple (again). Top, center!

Apparently there is a theme in our house, even though no one consulted me! Will has just cut the beginning of tooth #2 (on the bottom), which explains some of the poor sleeping in this house!

September

I can't believe September is almost over! Yikes. Here's a few samples from the month.
September almost always means a change of seasonal clothes, which requires lots of up-and-down from the basement to the living room to the bedrooms, clothes coming and going, because for Samantha, Lucy, and even Will almost all of their clothes are stored in the basement! What a blessing to have hand-me-downs. Here's how Samantha decided to participate with me during one such session . . . . yep, she has on her "day dress" and on top of that a shirt she has decided she "loves," followed by a Cinderella nightgown!

Anna Kate is playing soccer again this fall. She has moved up to the under 8 division, which makes her one of the younger players. Her coach is absolutely fantastic. Here she is (the best I could do) on the lower left hand side, in the light blue shirt.
Yep, they are all growing and changing. (And I love overalls on my little guy!)
Will discovered that he, too, loves Samantha's "roar"
Daddy built a swingset for our backyard over Labor Day weekend. The bar on the far left side of this picture is now home to a baby swing, which Will can literally swing in for hours. Everyone is enjoying the swing set A LOT!
even the baby dolls!

Will in the "jonny jumper"

Will loves this "jonny jumper" more than any of our other children. He gets going even faster and farther than this, which was a couple of weeks ago now. As you can hear, I was giving Anna Kate a spelling test, too! (She aced it.)

apple pickin'

We had a fabulous time apple picking with dear friends from church one Sunday after church. The weather was damp and cold. But that did not stop us from having a blast, enjoying great company and conversation, and bringing home a half bushel. Of curse, we had to have cider donuts and cider before we left. That's our two families . . ..
After we picked apples and had our donuts and cider, we went on a little walk.
The kids had a great time pulling and pushing our wagon and being silly, too.
Will loved apple picking on my back! He even had his first apple that day.

other goings on

Here's our sweet Sammer-Jammer, sporting a new look.

During our staff team's planning and prep days, we went to Williamstown, MA. Williams College is the site of the historical Haystack Prayer Movement, viewed by many scholars as the seminal event for the development of Protestant missions in the subsequent decades and century. Five Williams College students gathered in a field to discuss the spiritual welfare of the people of Asia. Within four years of that gathering, some of its members established the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM). In 1812 it sent forth its first missionaries to India. During the 19th century, it sent missionaries to China, Hawaii, and other nations in southeast Asia, establishing hospitals and schools at its mission stations. Many of its missionaries undertook translation of the Bible into native languages, and some created written languages where none had existed before. Thousands of missioners were sent to Asia, and they taught numerous indigenous peoples.

Here's most of our staff team - thinking, reflecting, and getting ready to pray in light of the fact that college students have historically been an influential population to help move the Kingdom of God forward.
Lucy and Samantha playing on the monument; it is fitting that it is a small, often overlooked, understated monument, even though it commemorates an eternally significant moment in time for American missions to the world.
Will - it pays to be baby #4. If there's anything I have learned about motherhood since Anna Kate was born, it's that babies aren't babies for long. It seems like such an obvious statement. But, with Anna Kate I was so excited about what the next development would be and how she was growing, that sometimes I think I didn't treasure the moment itself in the same way I do now. Anyways, one of the staff moms on our team snapped this picture for me - just to commemorate Will sleeping. (We did put the sleeping hood up, for those of you who are familiar with the Ergo. And if you are a young mom, I totally believe the Ergo is an investment worth making! I can still carry Samantha or Lucy in it!)

little falls

We enjoyed a Saturday at Little Falls - Lock 17 on the Erie Canal - with dear friends. Everyone had a blast. Here's what Samantha looked like by the end of the day:

Yes, that is my little girl, Anna Kate. In a harness, climbing a big rock. Some of our friends are great rock climbers. They brought their gear, and let us all climb a little. Even the little ones! She did so great!
Lucy, ready to go.

Apparently a summer of water, swimming, pools, and the ocean has changed Samantha a little bit. She happily lays down in the bathtub now. A small, simple victory which makes washing her hair so much easier.