September ~ A New Arrival, New Job, Sad Goodbye and Fall Fun

Wow, we had a lot happen in our family in the past 30 days! We finally found Rebekah a car that we could afford. It is a 2008 Subaru Impreza with about 160,000 miles on it. But it is in very good condition and was taken very good care of before coming to us. We, of course, plan to nurture it so it can have a very long life. Rebekah only drives about 40 miles a week. Having another driver and car in the house to fetch Elijah and Tim, both non-drivers, when I am at work is invaluable!

David and I  planned to go to a bed and breakfast for our anniversary a year and a half ago. We set the date and made arrangements. Then a pile of issues came up and we had to cancel. The Bed and Breakfast saved our reservation and said we had two years to set a new date. We finally made it this month. It was the first time we had a 20 hour get away from home together since becoming parents to four kids! That is a lot of years to wait. We had a lovely time exploring this gorgeous Queen Anne right in our town. At every turn there were Tiffany windows. We went out to a nice restaurant for dinner and had a lovely breakfast at the Bed and Breakfast. It was a lovely get away, and we plan to make it a yearly thing. One upside of living in a tourist town is that there are more than a dozen  B&B's to explore without being more than 20 minutes from home. 

We also enjoyed the mountain state fair. We get a smaller version than the main state fair held in the capital. Only Timothy and Rebekah wanted to go. Elijah is such a homebody and doesn't like to change his routine unless it is something really spectacular. I realized that I didn't get a single picture of him this month...but he is doing just fine. 

My new job is wonderful. I am really enjoying being a nanny. It is a bigger adjustment being away from home for 16 to 20 hours a week than I thought it would be, but all the prep work I put into place is working for the most part. The little guy I care for is so smart, and we are really enjoying getting to know each other. I brought bubbles to play with the first week, and he started calling me "Bubbles". So far the name has stuck and he has no interest in learning my real name. My family is really getting a kick out of my "new" name and like to tease me. We have fallen into a nice routine that includes playtime, crafts, lots of reading books, a long walk to the park/library/stores (depending on how far I want to walk) and naptime. He is a real sweetheart. 

Rebekah, Tim and I ran off to an apple and pumpkin patch one day this month. Rebekah only had two days off this month that didn't have any school, dance or work. I wish she had a reset/rest day each week, but so far the schedule hasn't worked that way. 

Lastly,  my husband's father passed away this month. He had a short period of suffering before passing away peacefully in his sleep. We were blessed to know him and he was a kind father, father -in-law and grandpa. My husband will be traveling to Salt Lake City for his funeral soon (we can't afford to fly all of us there). Then we will all attend his internment in his home church that he helped build (St. Andrews in Northern Virginia) sometime this winter. 

Blessings, Dawn