Bethany Craft Sale and other Fun

This has been a really fun weekend so far!  Yesterday we got to help celebrate the birthday of my friend Olivia with dinner and ice cream cake:

Then today, Olivia and I took part in our very first craft fair at Bethany Church.  Every year I've lived in Gallup I have really wanted to sell at this sale, but never had the time to prepare for it.  This fall, Benji's naptimes have been my craft times!  I made knitted sheep ornaments, "Thank Ewe" notes, and photo stationery:

Benji "helping" me get the lamb ornaments ready

Olivia lent me her beautiful Nicaraguan Christmas tree for the display which just worked perfectly.  We had a great day selling crafts and enjoying some baby-free girl time between customers!

This evening the fun continued with an early Thanksgiving dinner at our friends' house.  Benji got really jealous watching us eat that delicious food, so we slipped him a taste of sweet potatoes...I also had my first taste of green chile apple pie, which was fantastic!

We are getting very excited for the holiday season and a visit from Jonathan's mom, dad, and sister in about a week!  :)

Happy Halloween!

 Although I have never been big into celebrating Halloween before, there is something incredibly fun about putting a costume onto a miniature human being to make him (if possible) even cuter.  It's so much fun, in fact, that Benji had not one but two costumes this year!  He was first a dinosaur (thanks Mrs. Van't Land!)...

...and then became a cow (thanks Nonnie!)

"Oh boy, Mommy, is all this candy for ME?!?"

We also had our traditional Halloween dinner tonight: "Bats and Cobwebs" (bow-tie pasta with gooey strings of mozzarella cheese...) and, of course, Pumpkin Pie!

Happy Halloween from our "herd" to yours!  :-)

A Great Visit from Mom, Dad, Emily, and Caroline!

Things seem really quiet around here now after a wonderful visit from my parents, big sister Emily, and darling niece Caroline.  They were here for over a week sharing in our life at Rehoboth!

As usual, our visitors went right to work volunteering at the book fair, the preschool, and the lunch hall.  Caroline got to experience school for the first time, riding a borrowed big-girl bike back and forth each morning!  She also loved visiting the playground on campus.

Benji at the Book Fair

One evening we took a great hike to Milk Ranch Canyon up in McGaffey with the Huizingas.  Caroline quickly made friends with Eddie--a budding romance, perhaps?

On another afternoon we went to visit a Navajo woman who weaves beautiful rugs from the wool from her own sheep.  It was fascinating to see her farm and I even got to give weaving a try!

Most of the time, though, we stayed close to home and just enjoyed little moments together: cuddling Benji, playing cards with Caroline, taking lots of walks around campus, eating Mom's delicious cooking...

How big is Benji?

Our visitors left on Thursday morning (taking train, bus, plane, and car back home--as Caroline would proudly tell you) and we are missing them like crazy!  Thanks so much for coming Mom, Dad, Aunt Emily, and Cousin Caroline!

Fabulous Fall

It's been a while since I posted, here is a very brief update on what's been going on for the Newmans so far this fall!

I am enjoying taking care of Benjamin, tutoring, babysitting, and crafting and baking at home.  Fall is probably my favorite time of year to be in the kitchen baking yummy treats with ingredients like pumpkin, apples, and caramel.  I recently found a recipe for heavenly salted caramel sauce, which made a great topping for this Apple Harvest cake!

 When Benjamin takes his naps, I have some time to prepare for my first experience selling at the Bethany Craft Fair (November 15).  Among other things, I am knitting these little lamb ornaments/toys.  Benji likes to play with the ones dangling over his crib:

Speaking of Benji, he is growing, smiling, laughing, and keeping us thoroughly entertained!  This fall he has been developing friendships...

 ...surviving his 4 month vaccinations...

...playing with Daddy...

...helping Mommy with the laundry...

... and discovering new toys!

Jonathan is having a good year teaching so far.  He has continued to develop his class website and standards-based grading system.  Last week, the high school had a big day of service in the community.  Jonathan's class went to volunteer at the Red Rock Care Center.  At the end of the day, all the students came back together to share their experiences.  In the second picture below you can also catch a glimpse of the lovely fall weather we've been enjoying!

This week is very exciting because Mom, Dad, Emily, and Caroline are coming to visit!  We can't wait to see them!!

Benjamin's Baptism/Fun Times with Uncle Tim

The past two weeks were filled with wonderful memories as my brother Tim came to visit, my Dad came to visit, and Benjamin was baptized at Rehoboth Church. 

Benjamin had only met his Uncle Tim one day over the summer--that day went by so fast!--so it was great to have so much quality time with him.  We had dinner at Jerry's, went to Coal Street trivia night, took some walks, and played lots of games.  You could tell that Benji loves his Uncle Tim!

 

We were so happy that my Dad could also make the trip to Rehoboth for Benjamin's baptism weekend!  Benji was surrounded by family--both his biological and Christian families--on that special day.

Benjamin seemed to enjoy being baptized and even gave us some sweet smiles.  (Thanks, Gail DeYoung, for the warm water in the baptismal font!  And thanks to John Van'tLand for the beautiful photos.)  :)

It was sad to see our visitors go, but we are already looking forward to Mom, Dad, Emily, and Caroline coming in October!  In the meantime, it's back to school for Jonathan and a normal routine (or as normal as it gets) for me: Mommy-ing, nannying, and tutoring.

I'll leave you with a picture of Rehoboth peak at sunset, in the beautiful monsoon season!