little of this, little of that

hey out there. phew... so much has been going on.  

we had halloween last week. that was quite fun, i tell you what! we went to an older, nice neighborhood. the only problem was, every house had multiple steps you had to walk up to get the the front door. major problem with an 18 month old who thinks she's 3 and wants to walk and do EVERYTHING her big brother does. it was a work out for everyone. the neighborhood was fun, though. so many of the houses were decorated and most people sat out on their porch with the candy. little finley said "trick or treat" and thank you at every house. i was so proud. ha! he's growing up like crazy. jake hasn't uploaded the pictures on the computer of halloween yet, but when he does, i'll put em up. 

then, last thursday and friday night, jake and i went on a retreat with some couples from our small group at church. we went up into the carolina mountains to a place called, boone. there's a woman in our group who's family owns a house up in the mountains and it was such an incredible getaway. last year for christmas, josh and joy gave jake and i the gift of a night away while they watched the kids. well, we finally cashed it in! and were even able to stay away 2 nights. it was a good time of community, laughter, getting to know each other, FOOD, and fun! it was sure a blessing to be up in nature and away "from it all". i was so thankful to be excited to come home and see my babies, though. i did miss them :).

you'll be happy to know, i've been cooking a tad more. ha! and my sewing class is officially over. boo hoo. saaaaaaaad. i cry every tuesday now, when i don't leave the house at 5pm. not really, but it was definitely the best birthday present ever. and i made some killer pj pants! wear em every night. flannel, very baggy, and super comfy... perfect. i'll take a pic, i'm sure you're dying to see them.

audrey has learned a new word. it's quite unfortunate, really. the word is: MINE. let me tell you, she loves this word. it has somehow placed her on a level playing field with brother or something. she says, "MINE", "ME"... etc. i suppose it was inevitable. she knows what is hers and she will let you know. she's just oh, so cute, though. 

i think i've been in a bit of a blogging slump. i start to blog, then stop. i think about what to say, then don't write. i don't know... i just write this blog for my friends and family who are far away, and to help me remember these precious days, but sometimes, i feel silly doing it. ahh well. i will just keep at it. 

last but not least, i wanted to share a little news. well big news. but the news itself is little:

i am with child!

ha! yes, jake and i are having another baby! we are very excited and can't wait to meet this wee one and call them ours. i'm about 12 weeks along at this point. it could help explain some of the not cooking, showering, or basic chores. thankfully, my morning sickness is finally passing. it was rough. still extra tired ALL THE TIME, but it comes with the territory. the greer fam is growing again. so, so thankful. 

just been thinking lately about Jesus and how He wants us to pray and talk to Him. to just be intimate with Him. i often forget to simply, pray. i am trying to do that more. 

sure love you guys. thanks for reading. i really hope you're doing well. 

love to you.
mer

we went to a pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago. audrey looks thrilled to be taking pictures with me, huh! LOL. jake needs to get in some of these occasionally :) night night.

 
          

october randomness

it's nearing the end of a very exciting month. so you know what that means... I'M SO BEHIND IN MY PART-TIME, CALL MONITORING, BLESSING, WONDERFUL, ANNOYING, JOB. 
alas, i will proceed. one call at a time. and blog to distract myself in the meantime. 

how is life with you? i love october. it's my favorite month. it's still been in the high 70's or even 80's. so not october to me. the leaves are pretty, though. and it's getting colder now. it's supposed to be in the 50's all week, so i guess fall is finally here. 

last night i went to a youth group event at a local corn maze. i co-lead the high school girls group. everyone went through the corn maze with their small groups. sadly, the high school girls were very much last. lol! somehow, we got quite lost in that darn corn maze. but it was a bonding experience, no doubt. we arrived at the bonfire afterwards and everyone turned and clapped as we finally found our way to the rest of the party. it was indeed dramatic. and fun. i'm so glad i went and got to hang out with those chickas. we had a halloween party at the wedding business today. it was quite fun! between all the employees, there are a lot of kids! most of them dressed up and we had pizza and "trick-or-treated" to the daddies who were hiding all over the property with sacks of candy. ha! it was cute.

jake and i are getting really excited for our upcoming trip to portland for christmas. my 2 sisters and one of my brothers will be there too. i'm really looking forward to spending lots of time with people we really love and miss. 

i've realized this post is very statement-y. 

sometimes things happen in life i don't quite understand. i do know the sweet Lord cares and knows. i do know that our pain doesn't last forever. that He is Redeemer. that He is kind. knowing God is kind means something to me. in parenting, i work really hard at teaching my kids what kindness is. and that being kind is so very important. i am thankful i can run to Jesus and He will be kind and gracious to me. even in the teaching moments. the times when He's refining me and making me better. somehow, it is still kind. i long to be like that.      

it's 9:57 pm and finley JUST fell asleep. perhaps it was the fact that he had his own pumpkin FULL of candy and ate and ate just about whatever he wanted for an hour. yeah, that was probably it. remind me not to do that again.

well, except for this wednesday on the real halloween. he's going to be woody from toy story! and audrey's going to be a bumblebee! you KNOW there will be tons o' pictures. 

hope all is well with you. and if not, that the Lord's kindness will minister to your heart. 

love to you.

mer