Blessed...

 I am incredibly blessed to call these wonderful people my little family. :) I love them so much!

Double Stop!

I've come across a number of intersections with double stop signs lately. Now this is probably due to road construction nearby, but perhaps the authorities just want to make sure that people get the message to "Stop!" :)

Booster Separation Complete!

Our firstborn is very interested in space shuttles and space ships at the moment, and loves to watch space shuttle launches on the computer - as do I, in fact. I came across this Lego space shuttle on eBay for an extremely good price, and so I bought it to show him the various parts of a space shuttle. Lego is a great educational tool and also stimulates creativity. He also enjoys playing with his play-dough and building space ships with Daddy!

 Port side view of this Lego orbiter.

 Astronauts inside.

 Play-dough space shuttle and rockets.

 Flying the play-dough space ship.

"Booster separation complete!"

Enjoying creative play together!

Happy Thanksgiving...

From our family to yours, we hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving this past week. It's so important to be thankful every day and not just on this American holiday. We are very thankful for God's many blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving 2018!

Ice Storm Warning...

My weather radio woke us up at about 3am very early last Thursday morning to let us know that there was an Ice Storm Warning for the area issued by the National Weather Service. We could see the evidence of the snow and ice on Thursday, as there was still ice on the road when I went to work at 10am. There was also a light dusting of snow in the fields and icicles clinging to most surfaces! :)

 Icicles clinging to the Stop sign at the end of our road.

Icicles on one of the side view mirrors.

Train Crossing...

I was stopped by a train on my way to work recently. It's always cool to see these powerful engines lumbering past, pulling a load of freight to the next stop. :)

 The train approaches the crossing.

 The lead locomotive crosses the road.

 Heading in the direction of Odon.

Driving parallel to the train. :)

Mole Cricket...

I came across this unusual insect while I was walking Rusty one afternoon. It is a mole cricket and it was the first time I had seen it. Just look at those huge front legs, especially adapted for digging!

A mole cricket on the gravel road.

Brown County State Park in the Fall...

We visited Brown County State Park on Saturday, 27th October. It was beautiful to see all the trees changing colours in the peak of autumn. There was also an amazing Raptor Show, titled "Owl-oween", that displayed four owls: the screech owl, barred owl, barn owl, and great horned owl. It was fascinating seeing these amazing creatures up close and learning a little bit more about them. The great horned owl, although weighing just four pounds, can exert a pressure of 400 pounds per square inch with its talons! We also enjoyed a picnic lunch and a couple of hikes in the forest and around Strahl Lake. There is so much beauty in the great outdoors! :)

 The view at Hesitation Point.

 Lovely colours as we drive to the Nature Centre.

 Outside the Nature Centre.

 Cute little eastern box turtle in the Nature Centre.

Copperhead stretching up against the glass.

 Looking up at the tree canopy. Beautiful colours!

 Chicken of the Woods, a type of edible fungus, growing on an old log.

 A turkey vulture soaring over Brown County.

 Fully-grown tiny screech owl.

 Barred owl.

 Barn owl.

 Great horned owl.

 Going for a hike around Strahl Lake.

 Amazing reflections in the lake.

 Eastern red-spotted newt sitting on some moss.

 Eliza loved feeling the texture of the tree bark.

My gorgeous girls!

Date Night...

Candace and I enjoyed a lovely date night on Friday, 26th October. We went to Yolanda's Restaurant for supper and then had delicious coffee from our favourite local coffee shop. It had been a while since our last date night and it is so crucial to be intentional about carving out time for each other in this busy season of life.

The two of us together on our date night. :)

Glendale Fun...

We recently spent a lovely Sunday afternoon at Glendale Fish and Wildlife Area, a beautiful place in our area. We had a picnic lunch with close friends, walked to the lake and skimmed stones across the water, and enjoyed good fellowship and solid faith-building conversation together. It was also great to see the trees beginning to change colour with the advent of autumn. It was a fun afternoon!

 View across the lake at Glendale.

 Trees turning red across the water.

 Water droplets sitting on a lilly pad.

 Brilliant red in the forest.

The trees turn red at the tops, making it look as if they are on fire.