September and October...where is the fall going?!?

This past weekend, Awake and Alive had an amazing fundraiser at Fruit Hills Orchard and Winery complete with a chocolate fountain.  The kids are REALLY enjoying all the leftover chocolate.  In fact, fruit and bread dipped in chocolate sounds like a pretty good supper tonight, don't you think?!

Sorry for the gore, but it is almost Halloween :)  Owen is thrilled to be like his older brothers and finally lose one of his two "big" teeth.  I'm not sure this one was ready to go yet, but he was determined!

My precious college roommate Brooke (also a consortium student during our semester abroad in Kenya) drove all the way from Grand Rapids with orchard apples and her fancy applesauce maker (I'm sure that's not really what it's called) just to help me make freezer applesauce.  It was so productive (as you can see!) and SOOO much more fun.  I can understand how doing things in groups/pairs of women can make ALL the difference--even when working.

 

Owen tried baseball for the first time this fall and did a great job!  It's called Fall Ball and it's much more laid back, so all 3 boys practiced and played together.  While soccer seems to be where Owen naturally shines (notice the shoes), he loved the chance to do what the big boys were doing.

In early September (I know, I'm a bit behind) the Vagnoni family organized a huge weekend get-together with fellow America World Adoption families near Chicago.  It was wonderful to meet new people and see so many beautiful Ethiopian children.  Selah and the boys had a lot of fun, too.

 

Yes, I did go all the way back to the first day of school and yes, Braden getting on the bus at 6:45 a.m. deterred us from getting pictures before school started, but these were just too cute not to post somewhere~  Usually, I think Owen is more of a combination between Kole and Braden (which he is), but above, MAN!  K, O, and Karl look SO much alike!

Another thing I didn't really blog about in the last several months: We got our first dog, Mia Mae for all the kids' birthdays in May.  From the beginning, she didn't eat well.  But she was so sweet and friendly.  But less "puppy-like" than we would have guessed.  She spent two wonderful months with us, but then we learned heart-breaking news: Mia Mae had been born with liver disease which was causing her issues with eating, most probably, not being able to learn to be potty-trained, and her stomach started getting bigger and bigger (because fluid was really starting to build up).  After lots of tests (money!), we discovered that there was no other option for us--she would need to be put to sleep :(  You can imagine the heartbreak this caused.  The breeder has agreed to give us a new puppy, but that probably won't happen until next May or later, so we just wait until then.  We will always remember our precious first puppy--little Mia Mae.

So, there you have it.  Life is full.  Ups and downs.  Easy times and difficult ones.  But God has been teaching me in this season more than ever about PRAYER and BEING THANKFUL....because whether we know it or not, we all need Jesus, and we all have a lot to be thankful for!

P.S.  As a TOTAL sidenote--Awake and Alive is planning our first mission trip for the launch of the school in Kechene, Ethiopia September 8-15, 2012.  If you are interested, please contact us at info@awakeandalive.org.