too busy to blog...

I'm still here.  :)  

So many things and not enough time to blog, so here is a quick update:

I finished a disappearing 9-patch quilt, perfect size to throw out on the grass or curling up under on the couch.  It has already been given to friends that just moved to South Dakota and ministering to people north of Pierre.  Hope you guys are having fun unpacking and getting to know your lovely congregations!

We finally found some chalkboard chalk (apparently the chalkboards in our area are going extinct) so Timothy enjoyed art class with daddy.  Day 1:  How to draw monster trucks.  I think Timothy was in charge of drawing the smoke.  :)

We have a fenced in backyard!  Jared's dad came down and, over 2 weekends, the two of them fenced in the one side of the yard that was still open.  It is still kinda weird to walk back to the garden and have it completely enclosed, but it will be really nice when Timothy is running outside and I don't have to worry about him running straight for the street or stray dogs wandering into our yard.  While the boys were working outside, my mother-in-law and I canned another 15 pints of pickles, bringing the total so far to 27 pints and 10 quarts.  I am thinking I might do one more batch...I would like to try another recipe, but we are pretty much done.  We ripped out a couple of our vines and also a zucchini plant to make room for other plants and to slow the onslaught of vegetables.

Speaking of Timothy running, he still isn't walking on his own (just between Jared and I), but at 20 months, he has decided to crawl.  Yes, a full-fledged crawl on both hands and knees.  He is still doing the butt-scootch, but will start into crawling all on his own without us bribing him.  I have a feeling that walking will be down by the end of the month...