Check this out...

There are a lot of people that make getting through the year here so much easier. I need to do a post about our front yard make-over soon. Anyway... I mentioned below that the pumpkin carving happened because of a super fun donation. Well... now you can read all about it HERE (the beginning of this Chevy story really starts here)!! So fun! Not only did the Dunham family bring us pumpkins... but they brought fall decorations, food from the pumpkin patch and some of the best homemade cookies any of us have ever eaten. It's amazing how these things make such a huge difference in the lives of these boys. We saw their faces light up in a new way. Thanks again Dunham family... for making this week so special!!

Our Artists!!

I promise my updating will pick up soon!! I just wanted to add a quick post tonight with a picture. Our 3 guys (4 if you count Dan) spent the night carving pumpkins (thanks to a really fun donation). They were all a little hesitant at first... but after a while really started to get into it. Not one of them had ever carved a pumpkin before. I love how we get to experience these new memories through their eyes. They all did awesome jobs... and thankfully... not one of them got hurt in the carving process!!

We miss these guys...

Steven surprised us and stopped by earlier this week. It still amazes me to see how much he's changed since we first met him as a hyper high school sophomore. He's still REALLY loud... but now I kind of miss it. :) The reason he stopped by was to show us the new car he bought that day. I love that we were one of the first stops he made... even though it had been several months since we had seen him. I also love that one of our current residents got to hear him excitedly talking about dorm life. What a great example for our current group.

I love this man!

Having Carter at school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings has changed my life!! I do miss him... but it's amazing how much I am able to get done in the 3 hours he is gone twice a week. This morning I've been working on getting pictures edited from 3 different shoots we've had recently. We love this new part of our life!! I found this picture of Dan as I was looking through some pictures we took early Saturday morning... I love it!! We've talked for a long time about doing a business together (again). We just never thought it would be this. It has been so fun to work through this together and to have something that is just ours. We have been married almost 8 years... and it just keeps getting better and better!

A lesson from Fred...

When your college closet starts to smell... it's time to head home with your laundry. :) He started the washer at 7am this morning... and he's still not done!! We're looking forward to seeing him home with many more loads this year.

Report Card to the Community

I know I've talked a lot about how much we love our school district and community here in Maplewood... but it's hard to really explain how amazing this place is. Recently the school district put together a "video report card" for the community. It's about 15 minutes long and is REALLY worth watching. It shows what our schools looked like 10 years ago... and what they look like today... and there's even a little bit about Joe's Place! :) You can CLICK HERE to see it!!

Carter Leaving His Recruiting Meeting

Coach K stopped by the Lindman house today to talk to Carter about playing point guard in 2024.

Too much... even for Ty

Breakfast is a favorite dinner around here. It's actually probably the only meal that everyone will eat without any complaints. So... last night that's what we had for dinner. Ty was so ready to eat when he got home that he even pitched in and helped Dan with the eggs (he made sure I documented it with a picture).

But the main thing that needed documenting last night was this...

he actually took syrup off of his plate. I won't tell you how much... but I was so proud!!

He's really getting pretty good...

Getting back into the swing of things...

It's amazing how easy it is to forget what it's like having new kids move into the house. The "getting to know you" part of the beginning can be a very emotionally draining process for them and us. You would think we would be used to the ups and downs of it after having 11 kids transition into the house at different times these last 2 1/2 years (we have 3 now)... but each one is so unique and different. All that to say... I just haven't had the energy to blog much these past few months. Thankfully we seem to slowly be getting back into the swing of things.

I thought I would post a picture of Carter from earlier today. He's another reason our energy has been zapped! :) He moves at full speed... only slowing down to sleep at night. He did finally "give up" his paci last week (not his decision). The "giving up" of the paci also led to the "giving up" of his naps (huge bummer)... but other than that the paci thing was a breeze! He still has a 2 hour rest time in his bed... and every day I will still hope that he falls asleep. Anyway... here he is helping me bake cupcakes this morning...