Home-grown

The Wagners gave us fruit from their apple and pear trees this year - we got 16 qts. of free (not counting labor) applesauce, and slightly larger muscles from scrubbing the apples. The pears are amazing. I've never eaten pears so juicy in my whole life. Ben, who doesn't usually like pears, even liked them. We're now considering how we can stick a pear tree in our yard, just for fresh eating in a few years.

Mariah is really learning the advantages of speech. She can put 2 words together, she can get help when she's stuck, she can tell on Lily, she can ask for a beverage of choice, she can ask for someone to read to her... Tonight she climbed in my lap and started tickling me (unprompted) and told me that was what she was doing! She also gets lots of milege out of the word "hiding"... Mariah (heading behind the couch), where are you going? 'iding. Mariah, where's duckie? 'iding. Mariah, where's (name anything else)? 'iding. Meaning: I don't know where it is, you go find it!

Tonight, we drove by SIA (Subaru Isuzu Automotive) where they have a huge parking lot with rows and rows of newly manufactured cars. Lily commented as we drove by, "There are cars all over the place."

Oh yes, we bought a van tonight. We've joined the ranks of 2-kid families with mini-vans. It's a Toyota Sienna. 8-passenger. Desert Sand Mica is the color. Theoretically, this is the best mini-van to fit six car seats into, just in case we get to that point. With the IN car-seat laws, we might get there. And then again, we don't really want to dwell on the logistics of 6 kids under 8. Three seems like plenty for now. At least we have room to tote them all around and the myriad of things that seem to go with. I guess the best feature is that there are three spots for car-seat "latches" across the middle seat. The second best feature is that you can be 9 mo. pregnant and get into the back seat without having to do a) gymnastics moves or b) pivot on your big belly. We like Toyotas. But don't tell that to Deda.

Just added the baby ticker for the new baby. 90 days to go sounds kind of depressing, but the graphic sure is cute!

Anecdotes

Mariah is milking her speaking abilities for all they're worth. Today she said "counter" (as in, those things in the kitchen). She wanted her chapstick which was on the counter! She is putting two words together, such as Daddy mow or I-yee (Lily) play.

Second only to snuggling with her duck and blanket, she really likes to listen to books being read. If you sit down, she'll bring over a book and say "read". When you get done, she says "one", as in, read another one to me, please.

Lily is trying to sing. She rather likes the little refrain "Cement mixer, putty, putty", and can sing through her ABC's and "Blessed be the Lord" (Psalm 72D) with only a little help. So far, she shows all the abilities (ie, nearly none) of a Magill child in this realm, so you'll just have to imagine the tune and the rhythm!

On other fronts, she's making progress with recognizing her colors and shapes and slowly learning the power of asking sweetly for what she wants instead of crying and screaming. She also would like to completely ditch her booster seat at the table. Mom and dad have different ideas though, and she gets to sit in her chair without the booster as long as she stays in the chair and doesn't stand up! The struggle for self-control begins early!

It continues to be a good garden year, and this last week of cool weather should help to yield a fall crop of lettuce and spinach before the frost, we hope.

Sunday night is going to be the first worship service of IRPC, the new church plant in West Lafayette. Our Bible-overview (evangelistic) study is going quite well.