Update Post :)

I know I haven't written much lately but I do have a good excuse--it is lots of work getting settled with a baby and three other kids around all the time and still trying to keep everyone clean and fed...BUT I am making progress.  Two weeks ago, my sister, Heidi, and her family came for a visit so that motivated me to work hard at getting as much done as I could to make the house look "normal" so she could see at least a glimpse of what it is supposed to look like.  There weren't many pictures hung when she arrived and there were still a few boxes left here and there but I finally felt like it was all coming together.  I have spent the last two weeks continuing to unpack and hang things on the walls in anticipation of a weekend visit from my Uncle Ross and Aunt Jane and my cousin and her friend.  (None of these out of town visitors stayed here but they all came by to see the house.)  So, little by little, things are getting done.  We still have to organize the garage and the basement but at least the inside is more livable now.

We did end up getting a new dishwasher and I like it MUCH better.  It is a black Maytag and it works great!

The laminate floor is almost completely done...all the boards are laid and there is just a little trim work that needs to be done.  Michael has worked very hard on that and he also installed a new ceiling fan in our bedroom and has done countless other little jobs for me, all while working and doing homework for a class he is taking at church.  We also got the bathroom carpet replaced with vinyl floor (thanks to my uncle) for which we are very thankful!  (I am definitely putting that on my Thanksgiving list this year!)

Yesterday we spent some time in our yard, raking, blowing and bagging leaves.  I think the kids actually had fun!  The weather was perfect for that and since many more leaves fell overnight, I am praying for some more beautiful days!

We have had a fun weekend this weekend.  It started off Friday night with our church's Reformation Celebration at church.  We struggle alot with the proper way to celebrate that day, as we DO believe that Martin Luther and the beginning of the Reformation are definitely worth remembering but we aren't convinced that celebrating it in a way that looks very similar to the way the world celebrates Halloween (a day that glorifies death and darkness) by having a party with costumes, candy and games, is the the most pleasing to God.  In and of themselves those things aren't wrong but it feels an awful lot like we are imitating the world and not Christ when we do the same things on the same day.  I wrote in more depth about this in my post on October 31, 2006, in the archives of this blog.  We decided to go this year because they were focusing everything around the Reformation, including the costumes.  We were impressed with the games they had and with many of the costumes we saw.  The kids had a great time, and most importantly they learned more about the Reformation.  Liam dressed up as Martin Luther, Dresden as ML's wife, Katie Von Bora, and Alley went as "A Mighty Fortress is Our God", a hymn page.  At this point we aren't sure what we will do next year and in the future.  More prayer and discussion to come!

We were invited to breakfast yesterday by my Uncle Roger and Aunt Janie at a local restaurant well known for good breakfasts.  The food was yummy and we had fun doing something we don't normally do.  Last night we gathered with my parents, all my Burton uncles and aunts and one cousin (plus her friend, who Liam thinks is great!) and my grandma for sandwiches and visiting.

We have some fun things coming up this month...we are going to see a play of the Wizard of Oz on Nov 21 and we are going to Texas for Thanksgiving to see our good friend, Jon, and his fiance who were here in Kansas City for Thanksgiving last year.  We are looking forward to getting away!