Whoa Nilly!

The Fall that I have been dreading all summer has not failed to live up to expectations.  It is a busy, busy time in our household.  The strategy for survival is to keep our heads down and plow through.  Although there is plenty of stress to go around right now, we have made a concerted effort to make time for fun.  I have not taken pictures at most of our outings and events, and yet I still have quite a backlog of pictures to post.  The kids are just great and growing in so many ways every day.  I have lots to say about them, and I am feeling inspired to get some posts done tomorrow.  So look out - posts will soon be coming your way!  I have to say thank you to Carl who has been such a rock during this time.  He bears a heavy load that many don't realize and still manages to stay positive.  Thank you also to Ingrid who has taken the kids on numerous occasions lately to fun events around town and given Carl and I some much needed time to be together.  Also, I can't thank my mom and dad enough for the many, many little and not so little things they do.  From repairs and cleaning around the house to watching the kids and cooking dinner on my teaching nights; I'm not sure how we would survive without their help.  Also, thanks to my sisters and friends that have listened while I've vented lately.  I never feel alone when things get tough because of our great support system.  And while I look forward to Christmas when things will be back to normal, we have much to celebrate in the meantime - including 3 birthdays of 3 amazing kids!! 

Waterloo

 Playing under the apple tree

 

 

 The special meal created for Great Grandma Deetz with the freshly picked apples

 

 

 Hmmm....what to do now?

 

 

 Our own Jeff Corwin steps in with a lesson in catching snakes

 

 

 All too willing to partake in the snake catching.  He is his father's son.

 

 

 Time for some adventures on the high seas (or the ponds anyway)

 

 

 Back on the hunt

 

 

 William takes a stroll - maybe more like a jog - with Uncle Ryan

 

 

 Hanging with my baby girl

 

 

The Deetz clan from left to right: 

William, me, Carl, Roger, Lucy, Lainey, Lily, Lisa, Randy, Grandma, Stan, Emilia, Dave, Ryan, and Ingrid

 

We are looking forward to some wintery outdoor fun together in a few months!



Labor Day Weekend

 Loaded up and on our way to Indiana

 

 

First stop:  Logansport to see Great Grandma Murphy

 

 

 Great Grandma Murphy will be celebrating her 90th birthday next month!

 

Happy days



Look who's going to school (soon)!

Emmy's ready too!

 

William will start school (two mornings per week) in October right after his 3rd birthday.  We are so excited for this next step for him.  The Open House was great, and William loved playing with the trains and dinosaurs (no surprise there).

 

 

I haven't been great about keeping up with the blog with so much going on right now.  This fall will be one of our busiest times ever so I apologize in advance.  But, I have to take a moment to show some love to my little guy.  He has the sweetest disposition, and with his increasing language skills, we get more and more insight into his thoughts and personality.  Some of William's recent comments to me include, "I'm so proud of you", "I love your hair" (after I had gotten my hair cut), and "You're my best friend".  What a charmer!  When he wakes up in the morning, the first thing he does every morning is go through each member of the family and ask where they are.  When Carl comes home from work, he always exclaims, "I missed you too daddy!" (before Carl even gets a chance to say anything).  When Lily asks him to do something, he responds, "Aye, aye captain".  He has also started saying that he "had so much fun" after a day out.  He has recently gotten into dinosaurs and can name several dinosaurs.  As we were leaving the preschool, he said, "Bye, bye.  See you later, Stegosaurus".  As we go out to parks and various places around town, he has also really started interacting with other kids.  He does a great job joining in play and seems to play well with his peers.  I'm excited for him to be able to make some friendships on his own while at school.  I really could go on and on about this little guy.  For now, we are looking forward to his THIRD(!) birthday next month and celebrating with all things William!