Latest Ellie-ism

Last night was clear and the stars were starting to come out. Ellie looked up and said "I can not reach." I said, "That's right, only God can reach that high." She said, "Actually, I can use a stool."

It's fall again

I guess I'm continuing to roll with the technology punches, as my blog updates have been usurped mainly with the ever-convenient Twitter. I never thought I'd use it when it first came out - you can tell from comparing the frequency of tweets to actual blog posts how that hunch crashed and burned. I'm wondering if that's a subtle hint to me to say more with less.

Our summer was lovely. We closed on our house - the one I mentioned previously - and moved in pretty much that afternoon. Photos here. It's such a joy to come home to a beautiful, peaceful, and quiet setting. I love everything from the dirt road to the screened-in porch to the cemetery across the street. Another huge improvement for me in particular has been the kitchen - it's openness lets me feel lke I can still be a part of things while I'm in there, and I never imagined that something as simple as a dishwasher could change my whole outlook on cooking. Blessed invention!!

Ellie's vocabulary is continuing to expand, and it's so delightful to have conversations with her. She's moved into the preschool class at daycare and is thriving. And, praise God, she is finally sleeping in her own bed. What a relief.

I have a lot on my plate at work for the fall semester - I'm working on a teaching project and going to a few conferences - one in Salt Lake City in October, where I've never been. I hope I'll be able to get sufficient caffeination while there. :-) Even more exciting is the prospect of a trip to Ireland in the spring to attend a conference in Limerick. How cool would that be.

Justin is doing well also - with his fingers in several pies as usual. He just finished a really insightful sermon series on "great prayers of the Bible." He has also become quite adept at the PS3 version of Monopoly.