The most defining moments in my life have revolved around pregnancy, birth and children. I have deeply cherished those experiences. I used to joke to Nate that I would end up on that show "Addicted" for being addicted to pregnancy & birth- I'm really good at it! All summer long, I knew our "window" of time for having another baby was approaching, and all along I felt like we would end up with 5 kids. I was excited when I discovered I was pregnant in September.

The pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. I was sad, and really confused. When we sought counsel from the Lord, we were instructed that we had fulfilled our covenant to bring children to the earth. Lost pregnancies (5+)  have taken a toll on my body, and pursuing more babies would not go well. So, my child-bearing years have closed. I've cried. I've felt angry with my body and its poor track record, but I'm trying to focus on gratitude...

How lucky am I?! I have 4 wonderful children! My body delivered them with incredible power and grace. I have an amazing husband- a righteous man who was willing to tackle 4 kids in 5 years with me. A husband who was willing to coach and help me through natural childbirth...I'm truly blessed.

I'm looking forward to entering the next phase of life and actually getting a full nights sleep (most of the time)! Diapers and colicky babies will be a thing of the past. We have so many adventures ahead- things that would be nearly impossible with a newborn in tow. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't do anything differently. The spacing of our children, while called into question by many, has proven to be a blessing. I'm grateful for each precious spirit that has been entrusted to our care.

So... our "Sis" won't be getting a little sis. Eden will be our caboose, our baby, our only little girl.

From Chuck the Duck (Angry Bird)...











I don't sew much, but I was darn proud of myself for making the cape and apron! Eden loved trick-or-treating, despite making the classic rookie mistake of wanting to eat all the candy she was collecting right on the spot. The kids lasted about an hour before they declared they had enough candy and were ready to go home. Each year I keep hoping they are ready for the don't-stop-until-we-fill-up-a-giant-pillowcase scenario (basically mom wants more candy), but alas. Not this year. I'm sure my butt is grateful.



Well, it's 9pm & that's when I draw the line for trick-or-treating. I shut off all the lights, took down our porch Halloween decor & had Nate chuck our pumpkins in the garbage. Bah humbug. Now I get to go curl up on the couch with Natey, Netflix and candy. Happy Halloween!

One of the beauties of homeschool is that we get to make our own schedule. We love the Petersen Family Farm this time of year, but whenever we went in the evenings or on Saturdays it was CROWDED. This year we went smack-dab in the middle of the day and as a result we were pretty much the only people there! Perfect!

Fall Sports...

Asher was finally old enough for football and he LOVED it. I don't know that he always understood what he was supposed to be doing, but I'm sure that will come with time. His favorite things to do were blocking and helping to run trick plays. He thought it was hilarious when he "tricked" people into thinking he had the ball. Asher usually didn't want to actually run the ball, so his coach let him kick off every time.




Nate had to show him how to block with his elbows, since his first few block moves ended with him tackling people. :)