"What I'm Thankful For" By a 6 and 3 Year Old

Layla's Thanksgiving Centerpiece. I bought the flowers and she did the rest.

I asked Layla and Cooper what they are thankful for and here are their answers.
Layla - "I'm thankful for my brother, mom and dad. I'm thankful that I have loving and kind friends. I'm thankful for Jesus. I'm thankful for this whole wide world and that He made everyone. I'm thankful for all of the holidays and years. I'm thankful that we have a warm house and lots of furniture and a warm bed. And those people that don't have anything, I want to share this with them. I'm thankful for EVERYTHING, that means everything in the whole wide world, houses, barns, whatever!"

Cooper - "Nufin. I don't want to do this."

Trick or Treat

This is the first year we took the kids trick or treating. We live in the country and don't get trick or treaters and the kids' school doesn't do any Halloween celebrations, so they've never even asked. But last year Layla went trick or treating with her cousins and remembered how fun it was to dress up and get candy! So a few days the big event in Winterset, Layla asked if we could go. I went to Marshalls and got the last costumes they had that would fit my kids and badda-bing-badda-boom, we were off!

Layla turned her princess costume into an ISU Princess costume, with the help of her cyclone face tattoos and Cooper was thrilled to be a monster(Frankenstein).

We went down and back one short street. The kids saw friends, played, and got just enough candy to make them happy...the end.

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Her Wedding Song

I listen to a lot of praise music. It is a way to keep my heart right, to have moments with God anywhere and, well, to drown out certain voices coming from the backseat. When I start singing and praising, the little voices that are fightin' and fussin' around me usually join me and there is harmony among us!

One of our favorite's right now is Hold Me by Jamie Grace. It is such a fun song and we can't help but dance when we hear it. Today Layla announced, "I am going to dance to this song at my wedding!"

"Really? That's a great idea! Which dance?" I asked.

"I think when I dance with my husband."

"Well, I sure hope he likes this song too."

To which she exclaimed, "Well, if he loves me and he loves Jesus, he'll dance to it!"

That's my no-nonsense girl!

Wrapping Up!

We made it through our second season at The Pumpkin Ranch. What a blessed season we had. To God be ALL the glory! When it's over, people always ask me if I'm relieved. I have such mixed feelings! We love hosting friends and family at our house and turning this place into The Pumpkin Ranch 10 days a year is just like a big party. It's so fun watching people enjoy our hard work and there is such a sense of teamwork among Dave, Layla, Cooper and I. It's a frantic pace. If you know Dave and I, you know we love that pace...for a season. And that's why The Ranch is a good fit for us! The frantic pace comes to a hard stop on November 1st and it takes a little bit to adjust to sudden slow down.

But, what was hard for me this season is Layla is in full time school. That means she's gone M-F, 7 hours a day and the Dave and I are out working at The Ranch Saturday and Sunday. I spent the entire month of October emotionally torn! That, I will NOT miss!

A Full Hand

Today, when Cooper held my hand, he held my whole hand. When he started walking, he held one finger. He then went through a stage where he held two fingers and they had to be my ring finger and pinkie...on my right hand. Through the years he's added one of my fingers to his grasp as his hands have grown. And now, he's apparently big enough to hold my whole hand. These are the ways I measure my children's growth...how many of my fingers they take when they hold my hand, the length of their legs against mine when they sit on my lap, when they start calling me mom instead of mommy. There has not been a single day of their lives that I haven't looked and them just for the sake of looking...just to take a mental picture of who they are in that moment and just how beautiful they are.

I loved them as babies, but I love them more for who they are now and that will only grow with each passing day. Even the days when I'm frustrated and overwhelmed!

That's My Girl!

Layla is at such a fun age. An interesting age, but fun. She is discovering her way in this world without us for the first time. She goes to school 7 hours a day, 5days a week, which means she sees her teachers and her friends more during the day than us. She has to make decisions about how to behave and how she will treat others when Dave and I aren't looking. I'm proud of her. She always tries to do the right thing, she looks for children at school who don't have friends and befriends them, she goes to people who are hurt and comforts them. But with this diligence, she also carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Not only is this a time of growth for her, but also for me, as her mom. Letting her figure this world out is hard at times, but I know that when I let her experience the ups and downs and let her navigate them, her confidence grows. I know that she needs to depend on God more than me. He will never fail her. He will never leave her. I will always fall short. Instead of rushing in to make sure she's always comfortable, I have to let her go a little. Instead of fixing things for her, I have to point her to God and let the two of them work some things out. And what joy it brings me when she comes to me and says, "Mom, I was scared, but I just kept telling myself 'I have faith in God. I have faith in God.' Pretty soon, I wasn't scared anymore."

That's my girl. That's my God!

Melt My Heart

There are days that Cooper can wear me down. He's such a good boy. He's a good listener, he desires to obey, he's always happy, he's very sweet, and he's, well, as I've said before, very busy. Tonight, I was thankful when bedtime rolled around. I tucked Cooper into bed and he said, "Mom, if a bad lion try to get you I will save you." He puts his hands on my cheek and said, "You are my best girl."

OK, I've been recharged for another day.