Pumpkins and more pumpkins

Yesterday, in keeping with tradition, we went to the pupmkin patch to pick out a pumpkin to carve!

The kids loved getting the "goop" out!


Didn't Daddy carve a mean pupmkin? Literally? Oh well good thing the kids don't think it's scary!


She's the sweetest pupmkin of all!


Doesn't this just make you want to cry... what a face!


More pictures to come from Taylor's harvest festival at preschool and the kids dressed up in their costumes!

A Place For The Monkey

Chris and I have been talking for the past year in regards to our backyard. It has been our desire to create a place where they can go out and play, use their imagination and provide Trevor with an outlet for his incessant desire to climb. Preferably something other than our toy box, couch, table... you get the point. The boy loves to climb! Well after much thought and research, mostly done, by Papa D, we settled on this play set. Chris, his dad and brother spent all day monday working to build this set. Thank you so much guys! Here are the results.

Before Picture

The After photo leads to happy kids!

There's the monkey! I admit I was a little worried that this would be to difficult for Trevor. But after two tries he figured out how to get up the rock climbing wall... Impressive!

Taylor has had a lot of imaginative fun here! She calls this her pirate ship.


Special thanks to Papa D, who spent his first two weeks of retirement devoted to making this happen!!

Biblical Womanhood By Example

I'd like to highlight another point of Dave Harvey's message today.

" The primary role of the pastor's wife is to serve and support her husband and family. But this role carries a wonderful secondary opportunity- to use her position of influence towards affirming biblical womanhood through women's ministry and MODELING biblical femininity to the church as outlined in Prov. 31 and 1 Tim 2 & Titus 2".

In this season of small children it often takes everything I have to serve and support my husband and family. And although my days of meeting with ladies outside the home are few and far between, I still have the privilege and calling to model biblical femininity as I serve & support Chris and the kids. Dave Harvey pointed out that "they" the church, particularly women, are watching. I am never more aware of eyes watching than on Sunday morning as I stroll in by myself with three children four and under. Usually with one of them crying and yes, usually it's Trevor putting up a fight as I lug him over the gate into nursery and run. Which is now so conveniently located right out front in the main lobby. For everyone walking into to church to see. It is a humbling experience!

This morning as I mopped my floors, for a second time in less than 24hrs, the Lord brought a faithful biblical woman to mind. Someone that I have had the privilege to watch. We had singles care group at our house last night and close to 30 people came. It was wonderful! Or so I hear, sorry guys.... I had to bail out early. I think all the mopping tired me out ;-) Knowing and hoping to have a couple who are unbelievers over after church tomorrow I began to mop, again, in preparation for their company. It was then that the Lord brought this woman to mind. She was my singles pastor's wife WAY back when. I think they've known me since I was like 13, right guys? Anyway, a deeper appreciation grew in my heart for her and her faithful hospitality each week for us as singles. None of us were there while she prepared her home and often meals for us each week, having three children of her own. We were just beneficiaries of her marvelous gifting in hospitality. We were always greeted with joy and left with her thanking US for coming into her home. Her example has inspired me in my hospitality to the singles that Chris and I have the privilege to minister to. So thank you Carol. Thank you for your example in Biblical Womanhood. I pray that I too may be a faithful example to my church in displaying biblical womanhood.

Busy with my first and best efforts

I heard an excellent message yesterday at my pastor's wives mtg. by Dave Harvey on the role of being a Pastor's wife. In it I was reminded that caring for my husband and kids are the first and most important responsibility I have. Therefore they deserve my first and best efforts. In a world of feminism I can easily fall into thinking that I can give my first and best efforts to many things. For example projects in the home, meetings with people outside the home and after all that still have some left for my family. But in reality only one thing in my life gets my first and best. And It's my desire and conviction that it goes to my family! So blog world that's where I've been and the leftover time has gone to preparing worship for the By Design conference in November. Sovereign Grace Ministries is holding a western regional women's conference on embracing biblical womanhood. Very exciting... I heard the count is up to 700 woman!! Amazing! If you haven't registered tonight is the deadline!

We are all recovering from a difficult weekend. Chris got into a car accident. Thankfully he's fine but the little "h" got a nice beating. He really wasn't hit by a car... more like a tire. Chris drives a little two door hyundai accent and the car that hit him was one of those huge trucks with the massive tires. Taylor got a touch of the flu that same night and began throwing up at 4am and continued every hour till 11:00am. We have since recovered from the mess (literally and figuratively) and back into normal routines. Rylee had her two month check up this week and was a whopping 10lbs 13 oz. I say whopping jokingly... not that 10 lbs is bad, the dr. was very pleased. But all my children have been under the 50 percentile in weight and I've resolved that my daukas babies are not the chunky, plump, pinch the cheek's kind. She's full of smiles and well pimples. She has a horrible case of baby acne. Worse than Taylor or Trevor every had. She's still cute and is such a sweet baby. Very content and since birth I have only gotten up on average once at night to feed her. I actually had a week or two with her sleeping 10 hrs. but that has since disappeared and we are back to 6hr stretches! After my year with bad sleeper Trevor, I am so thankful!

Here are some pictures from the past week:

Trevor's new football jersey... dad is a huge bears fan and the jersey came just in time for their monday night football game! And what a game it turned out to be!


Sweet Rylee at two months

Happy Birthday Addison

My first niece was born yesterday! Chris' twin brother & his wife had their baby girl, Addison Brenna Daukas, yesterday. Congratulations you guys! We are proud of you Jess!

Unfortunately for us they live in Washington, so it'll be awhile before we meet her in person. We'll have to settle with pictures & a web cam for now!

Picture of Sweetness

I'm in Love!

C.A.A.D.D.

Sorry it's been awhile. I've recently been diagnosed with CHILD ACTIVATED ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER. It looks a little something like this:

I decide to do the laundry. As I start toward the basement, I notice that there are cheerios all over the floor and my car keys are in the cereal bowl. I decide to pick up the cheerios before I do the laundry. I lay my car keys down on the counter, put the cheerios in the trash can under the counter, and notice that the trash can is full. So, I decide to take out the trash. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash I may as well pay the bills first. I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left, my extra checks are in my desk in the office/playroom, so I go to my desk where I find a sippy cup full of juice. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I decide I should put the sippy cup in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the sippy cup a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye -- they need to be watered. I set the sippy cup on the counter, and I discover baby wipes that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back in the bathroom, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the wipes back down, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote, one of the kids left it on the kitchen table. I realize that during dinner prep when I will want them to watch a movie, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down, get some paper towels and wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the laundry isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm cup of juice sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find the wipes, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Somewhere in there I had planned to write a meaningful post but that didn't happen either.... Don't laugh if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!