Another "Boofy" Day

Today was a rainy, overcast, gloomy day. As Judah and I were driving home from playing in the play area at the mall, I heard Judah say from the back seat, "Thank you God for another boofy (beautiful) day." I giggled outloud and told Judah that he was cute.

Judah: Why did you say that, Mommy?
Teri: Because most people would not say that today is a beautiful day since it is rainy and the sun isn't shining.
Judah: But Mommy, the sun is shining. It's just behind the clouds.

What a great lesson Judah shared with me today. Even though things aren't always perfect and the way I want them to be, the SON is always shining behind the scenes. Thanks, Judah, for letting God use you to teach me a valuable lesson today. I needed that.

A Visit From Honolulu

I wish I could say that we had the privilege of traveling to Honolulu to see Steve's sister, Karla, and her family but, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Maybe someday. However, Karla, her husband Don, and their beautiful kids Lily and Jack came to Steve's parents' in Indiana and we were blessed enough to spend a few days with them. Lily is 3 and Jack is 1 and Judah had a great time playing with both of them. Karla and Don look great, too, and it had been waaaaaay too long since we had last seen them. Hopefully, it won't be so long between visits next time.

Judah, Jack and Lily snuggling up in the wagon.

Karla and Jack, Mary Lou (Steve's Mom), Mary Lou's sister Ruth & Judah

Don and Lily

Judah holding a watermelon he helped Grandma and Poppy plant this Spring.

A Quick Stop In The Windy City

We decided to spend half a day in Chicago--my (Teri's) old stompin' grounds--on our way over to visit Steve's family in northern indiana earlier this month. In the several years that I lived in and around Chicago, I never once visited Shedd Aquarium so now that Judah was old enough to enjoy it, we decided to check it out. A bonus was that the day we chose to go was FREE ADMISSION day!! Woo Hoo Thank you, God! We had a fun couple of hours at the aquarium and then headed to E. 57th St. for lunch at The Medici on 57th. The Medici is a restaurant that I used to work for when I lived in Chicago and the location of this particular Medici is where my apartment used to be. I lived in the upstairs while they gutted the downstairs to move the restaurant in. So the Medici has a special place in my heart and their food is delish, too. It is located in the heart of the University of Chicago campus--a little oasis surrounded by sketchville. At the Medici they encourage you to leave your mark anywhere you can find a spot. The photos show me and Judah doing just that. What a FUN day we had!

Maquoketa Caves

I'm a little behind in posting (so what's new?), sorry. In September, we took a short roadtrip to Maquoketa Caves, which is just up the road in Maquoketa, Iowa. We were pleasantly surprised at the caves and rock formations that this little Iowa State Park has to offer. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit to this little park that's situated smack dab in the middle of Iowa farmland. By the way, Judah was FEARLESS and led the way--with his trusty flashlight--through the darkest of caves and walkways. He'd say, "Come on Mom and Dad, follow me!"

Group Hug!

The other day, Steve and I were having what I would call a "lively" discussion. Judah came in the room and put his finger to his lips and started saying, "shhhh" every time one of us would try to say something. I assured Judah that Mommy and Daddy were NOT arguing and that everything was just fine. Immediately afterward, Judah said, "I have an idea, GROUP HUG!" We both cracked up and, yes, we did have a group hug. :)

Judah Starts Preschool!

Judah began attending Noah's Ark Christian Preschool this fall and he loves it. He has two special friends there named Madison and Mackenzie. He calls them "My two girls." The school is just a 10 minute walk from our house so we have fun exploring on our way to and from school when the weather permits. Sometimes Cassidy even comes with us!