New Family Tradition?

We may have begun a new family tradition tonight . . . but first let me give you some background.

Chris and I aren't particularly excited about celebrating Halloween. We don't agree w/ the roots of the holiday, we don't give our kids much candy to begin with and we aren't excited about giving in to the commercialism found in our culture. Therefore we have decided to not give Halloween much credence.

So no, our kids did not dress up and I don't think they knew the difference! Instead, since we live in a fairly busy neighborhood, we left just before dusk tonight for dinner. We took the kids to a relatively nicer restaurant, sat outside (it was a beautiful fall night) and had a wonderful dinner together. The kids were pretty well behaved - although I had to take Ellie away from the table at one point into the bathroom to give her a stern lecture - but other than that they ate, laughed and even danced together.

We drove back home, turned off all the lights in the house once we were home and hung out in the back room just playing w/ the kids. It was such a pleasant evening!

A Change in our Plans

Last weekend the Burton family had grand plans. My good friend (and past roommate from college) Jen, had her wedding on Saturday (the 17th) and I was excited to go celebrate the occasion! The plan was to drive up to Sacramento on Friday night, stay the night in a motel with the kids, then hand them off to my parents on Saturday morning. Chris and I were going to drive into Palo Alto enjoy the wedding and have an evening w/o the kids (a first since Jo's was born)! We were going to drive up to Paradise on Sunday and have dinner w/ the whole family and my cousin and her family who are moving to Nebraska at the end of the month. Then we would pack up the kids Monday morning for a long drive home. That was the plan . . . but that's not what happened.

We left on Friday at about 2 pm. We had just reached Santa Barbara when Josiah threw up. We had been in traffic up to this point so we thought that he was just carsick and pressed on. After a couple more hours he threw up again. This time it was evident that he was indeed sick. After discussion over dinner - which he was able to keep down - we decided to head up to Palo Alto anyways. I would go to the wedding and Chris would stay w/ the kids. Unless Josiah got better the next day we would not head up to Paradise to see the family. We got to a motel in Gilroy (about an hour south of Palo Alto) @ 11:30. The kids and I went to bed and Chris stayed downstairs - on an outdoor patio - to "wind down" from his drive. During this time he was able to share the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ with 3 people! One of them being VERY receptive to the Good News! We marveled at the fact that his encounter wouldn't have taken place had Josiah not gotten sick!

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. I went to the wedding on Saturday and had a great time! Chris stayed with the kids, letting Josiah sleep, sleep, sleep. He ran a fever all day Saturday and all morning Sunday. We left the motel room at noon on Sunday and by the time we got to a restaurant for lunch he was completely better. No more fever and back to his busy little self! We had a nice trip home, taking our time and enjoying time together as a family.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

in season fruits and veggies

I know that it is best to eat fruits and vegetables that are in season. And it's even better to support the local farmers who grow those things! However, I didn't grow up on a farm and while I know that apples are in season in the fall that's about ALL that I know! I found the Peak-Season Map at Epicurious.com which helps someone like me figure out what is in season in my area in the different months! Yaay! Now I have something to "go by" when I'm buying my fruits and veggies . . . now I just need to make it to the local farmer's market some time soon.