Fall has hit Chautauqua (and cute Isaiah pics)

Fall has come to Chautauqua Park and although it's a far cry from the vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges of the Indiana tree line, it's beautiful and we're trying to drink it all in before the foothills are white for 5 months. The bright jewel tones of the trees have reminded me lately of the great and glorious mystery of God. The reality of Him creating a process that turns leaves from green to incredible colors that paint our landscape with beauty fills my heart with a sense of how much there is to discover and how little I know.

Because I'm not an expert blogger these pictures are a little out of order, but I'm thinking you'll be able to enjoy them just the same :)

Isaiah and I went out to the "yard (a big plot of grass at the end of our street)" today to take fall pictures and it didn't go so well. I either got pictures like the one below where he's grasping for the camera or ones of his back as he was running away from me.

Here's a fun one of him playing with the leaves. What a fun thing to discover! They're pretty colors AND they crunch!

Pretty trees over our front porch.

Pictures like this make me ask for the 10,000th time, "I live here?!"

Here are Isaiah and his good buddy John working hard in their overalls. Being a toddler and having a whole world to discover is a lot of work!

I love this hat! It probably wasn't cold enough for it, but it's one of those items of clothing that you pull out as soon as you feel a little nip in the air. He was learning how to play piano with our friend Daniel and clearly loving it.

He looks like he belongs in a Louis & Clark expedition. He was pointing at the flag pole in the middle of the yard. He loves the flag pole and makes sure that Ramin and I see it everytime we pass by. I think it's a one year old thing, but he loves his pointer finger. He points all day long and very apparently feels empowered by his ability to direct people's attention towards things he's interested in.

What a Special Weekend!

It was a special weekend...awhile ago :) The little Internet access we do have at the cottage on occasion is not strong enough to support updates on the blog, so I wanted to share these pictures with you even though it was mid September when it happened. Heidi, one of my dearest friends from college had business in Denver so she came up to Boulder to visit for the weekend. It was so great to catch up and to experience that although our lives and circumstances have changed our hearts are still so connected. In addition to Heidi visiting, my Mom decided to take a spontaneous trip so that she could hang out with Isaiah. It was kind of fun pretending that she doesn't live over 1000 miles away, "sure Mom, come for the weekend." The cutest part was that in the morning when we all woke up, I brought Isaiah into the living room to see Grammy and he knew her right away! He gave her big snuggles and acted like he'd just seen her the day before. It was truly priceless. This picture is Isaiah and Grammy together at the Walnut Cafe, a fun place to get breakfast in town.

Very opposite what this picture may lead you to believe, Isaiah LOVED Heidi. The minute I introduced them, he leaned her direction with his arms outstretched and gave her a huge hug. I'd never seen him do that before with someone he'd just met. Again, another priceless moment. He was just too squirmy to sit still for a picture :)

Here are Karin, Heidi and I posing for probably the 15,000th picture of our lives knowing each other. We shook our heads in amazement as we remembered what it was like to meet for the first time when we were 18! And that is why we feel so blessed. We still love, encourage and give life to each other after 11 years...beautiful!