Esme often protests the dinner being served, until she actually takes a bite and realizes that it's not actually as bad as she thinks it's going to be. This was lasagna night - we hadn't had this in a long time, so naturally she thought I was trying to put one over on her. She eventually admitted it was good.
Esme is finally a member of the AWANA Sparks club at church!! She has been waiting for this day for a long time. She's doing a great job of learning the verses and just adores club time on Wednesday nights.
On the Members night at the zoo, one of the girl lions was lying right by the hut, so we got a great close view of her.
The kids always love it when the big lizard is outside walking around. He's much more interesting that way. They were also able to pet a snake, a (smaller) lizard, and a chinchilla that evening at the zoo - they were ecstatic.
- Aside from our usual back-to-school bout of colds, we're all doing fine. Aidan missed his seventh day of third grade because of a cold, but was over it in about four days. Esme and I managed to catch it but we got over it quickly, too. Then this past Saturday I got sick - probably the Church Nursery Bug of the Month - but I'm already feeling better so here's hoping this one's a quick cold, too.
- We've been geocaching a lot lately, it being cheap entertainment. We logged our 81st cache yesterday - and Aidan got about 81 mosquito bites while searching for the 80th cache. He was wearing long pants and a t-shirt, but somehow they got through his clothes because the sides of his torso and his hips are just littered with bites. We had to run, shouting and slapping at mosquitoes, from the woods after signing the cache log. Aidan said "I guess that must be Mosquito Headquarters." Thank goodness for Benadryl spray - after he got some of that, he was able to sleep last night! We've vowed not to take the kids caching again until after the bugs freeze for the winter.
- Jim's sister Cindy and her husband Gerry are in town for the week, so we spent Saturday evening visiting with them. Margie, Ed, Shawn & Lori, and Jessica & Jake were around as well. It was good to see the Roses as they only get down this far south about once a year - they live in Northern Manitoba.
- Michigan beat the odds on Saturday and beat Wisconsin 27-25. Some friends and family were at the game and it was apparently something to see. I did happen to notice that none of my uncles called to make note of Michigan's win...or Purdue's loss...
- October promises to be super busy. Mom is coming to stay with us one weekend, for the Grand Rapids Quilt Show. We're spending a weekend at Mom and Dad's for the Forest Fire Festival - not really a forest fire, as it will be completely under control, but there will be some burnin' goin' on. Scott, Cathy & Megan are coming to stay with us one weekend, for a wedding they're attending in the area.
- I've been volunteering at school for the first time, as both kids are in school now. Last Thursday I helped out in kindergarten, which was actually quite fun. I helped the kids in one of their "stations," and then did some office work for Mrs. Morrell. Tomorrow I'll be helping out with reading groups or something similar in Mrs. Throop's third grade room.
- I completed my first genealogy contract successfully - my client was so pleased she sent me an extra gift in addition to my payment. I've also just had my contact information and "resume" of sorts posted on the Kent County Michigan GenWeb site, so perhaps I'll have more clients soon. My own research progresses as usual - I've been working on the Byers branch of the family and right now I'm in family history limbo waiting for an order of about sixty historical obituaries to arrive in the mail from the Fort Wayne Public Library. After that I might start writing letters, as I've also found addresses for about a hundred living Andrew Byers descendants.
- The new season of Sunday School is in full swing. Jim and I totally miss our "old" Sunday bunch, but we're also liking our new class, a twelve-week series about each of the disciples. The kids are both totally loving their new Sunday program, Kidmo for the big kids and Lil' K for the little ones. Aidan even gets homework for Kidmo and he actually likes doing it. As a third grader, he also received his own Bible this fall, which he faithfully remembers to take to Sunday school and AWANA T & T every week.
- My grandma has been sick. She is ninety years old and a few weeks ago had pneumonia. She has also been having mini-strokes. She had to be hospitalized because they were having difficulty removing the fluid from her lungs at the nursing home. At the hospital they were able to clear up the pneumonia and did a lot of tests, one of which found that her heart's mitral valve is no longer working at all. They can't do surgery because of her advanced age and health conditions - so they are trying to control the effects of the not-working valve with medication. She is back at the nursing home now, is on oxygen almost all the time and has been sleeping a lot. We are praying for her.