sweet {treats}

Our enchanting Snow White...

and beyond lovable monkey...

enjoyed an evening of treats: friends, laughs, memories and sweets.

A fun Halloween night to remember!

To Wesley : Love, Mommy and Daddy

As strange as it may sound, before I was even pregnant with you, I woke up one night - in the middle of the night - and felt a sincere, deep desire and need to pray for 'my son'. After having a miscarriage several months prior, I was not expecting that we would be able to have any more children. But in the name of obedience, I prayed for you starting that night and it continued on through the pregnancy, as I saw God's promises fulfilled. I remember that night vividly. I prayed for your character. I prayed that God would use you to do great things for His kingdom. I prayed that you would be a man of integrity, a leader among men. A man of purity. A leader of your home. A warrior for Truth with a compassionate and kind heart, like your Daddy.

Those prayers will continue as long as I have breathe.

It is an honor to be your mommy, Wesley James.

We love you more than you will ever comprehend. We know God has amazing things in store for you as you learn to fall into Him and trust Him completely. Your Daddy and I pray that our lives would help you learn what that means and that you would be able to see it in action. We are thankful to be your parents and to walk you through this journey. You are a gift to your Daddy and your Sister and me.

"And so, [Wesley], from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. "

Colossians 1:9-10

when in {Fall}...

... go apple picking.

Destination: Masker Orchards, Warwick, NY

Company: Kim & Cooper, Michelle & Joseph

Mission: Get out of the city, pick apples, eat apples, drink cider, pick out a pumpkin (or 3), and have a blast.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Mission accomplished.

{start with art}

a few weeks ago, we started taking a class at the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art) for art class each week: "Start with Art". i was giddy as we walked over for our first class. i didn't grow up visiting museums on a regular basis and so i feel as though i am learning to appreciate art alongside kate. (i can actually understand it since they are gearing the class for 2-6 year olds)

first class: the teacher talked about the Chinese moon festival, read several books related to the topic and then we made our way to a garden in the middle of the MET - representative of a typical Chinese landscape. she guided the children to identify familiar shapes within the architecture and then they working on designing and coloring their own lanterns.

another gallery we visited last month featured this painting entitled, Woman with a Cat by Leger, a French artist.

really?

i think i could be a "painting title" developer. this one in particular seemed a bit obvious and not nearly as mysterious and thought provoking as the art itself.

i'm just sayin'.

so, kate's assignment was to sketch the picture and add what was "missing".

she got it. she loved it.

one of my favorites so far is the Dogon Couple - in the African gallery. the kids (and I) studied their relationship and how the artist is conveying their individual roles (vertical selves) and their relationship together (horizontal selves). it actually reminded me of a recent sermon where JR talked about developing our vertical selves (personal relationship with God) and our horizontal selves (our relationship in the context of community). they are designed by our Creator to go together and grow together. good to remember and to be intentional with both.

in this piece the artist is showing the male as protector and the female as the nurturing role, as she has a baby on her back - kate's favorite feature.

i am s-l-o-w-l-y learning my way around the MET and the best part is that it's free with admission to the museum. we pay $1 each time as a donation. nothing like studying art at the MET for $1! plus -it's a super fun activity for us to do and learn together.