household drudgery? i hope not!

each month with stelly is such a joy. it's wonderful to enjoy life from her perspective. things we might take for granted have a whole new significance when seen from her little 2 year old eyes. these past few months have been humbling reminders too of how much we need God's help to train her in the way she should go. i don't think it's a stretch to compare it to what paul mentions in II cor 11:28, that daily he faced the pressure of his concern for all the churches. i must admit i don't have a lot of "stress" the way it's commonly viewed, but the responsibility of parenting is a weighty one, and it's good to feel that weight. in the "mundaneness" of my life as a wife and mother, it's so important i never miss the perspective of one of the main reasons why i do what i do. i love this quote in a book by one of my spiritual heroes, missionary elisabeth elliot:

"The story is told of three women washing clothes. A passerby asked each what she was doing.

"Washing clothes," was the first answer. "A bit of household drudgery," was the second. "I'm mothering 3 young children who some day will fill important and useful spheres in life, and wash-day is a part of my grand task in caring for these souls who shall live forever," was the third."

now, the third lady's perspective is the one i want!

here are some misc. shots from some sept. activities:

ever so hesitantly petting the bunny our little piggy

mirroring the way daddy was standing
sun hats are so important on those blustery fall days
before heading to the library for reading time
taking after her mimi in the kitchen
she loves to watch me make dinner and says, "i see?" when she wants to stand on the stool to get a closer look

eastern market

ok. i know some of you have already gone to the eastern market, but if you haven't, you have GOT to go. it was one of the most fun things we've done in awhile. it was a gorgeous day which made the city radiate and the fact that i'm a foodie probably predisposes me to enjoy all things food-related, but if you take those factors out, i think anyone would enjoy the market. there are several football fields worth of fresh, beautiful produce, spices from around the world, bright assortments of mums and fresh-cut flowers, fish, beef...you name it, it's there. it's similar to pike's place market in seattle but bigger and with our own unique detroit edge.
there are a few fun places to eat too. we had a delicious lunch at russell street deli. next to it there is zeff's coney island (featured in RR everyday mag a few mos back). a few doors down is johnny mac's cookie factory.
the public market is open year around on sat from 6am-4pm. i've heard that the earlier you go the better selection, but the later you go, the better the prices.
here are a few pics from our fun morning...

who does stelly look more like?

fun visits

we had a great time w/ our families who visited us at different times throughout last week and this week! thank you for the blessing you are to us! we love and miss you!

gampa and mimi by our newly landscaped front yard. it looks great! we couldn't have done it without you!!

appy and ammy at a fun park in flat rock. we still had a great time even if the sprinkler was already shut-down for the season!