S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night!

Party, party, party at the Boyle household! Early bedtime for the kids, special dinner for Andy and me, and an extra episode on Supernatural on Netflix. Yep. We're crazy, wild people! HA!

Nate and I started putting up Halloween decorations today. Started with the orange lights and the ghost that makes scary noises as it zips along its line. Tomorrow, we'll put up the blinky ghosts lights. Not sure how long we'll be able to wait before we get the pumpkins. Nate is really excited about Halloween this year. In fact, he is really upset when he sees the Christmas decorations out at Walmart. "Halloween isn't even over yet!"

The homestudy visit is over. It went well. We're trying to decide what to do differently this year. What MORE to do. Any ideas?

Visiting

We are visiting with Andy's family this weekend. As usual, it is a loud, crazy time. A dozen kids running around and laughing a each other, babies being passed around, and dogs dancing underfoot. There's the usual chorus of "You're a booger head!" "No, YOU'RE a booger head!" It's rowdy, marvelous chaos. Though a sad event brought us together, we still find joy in each other's company.

It's so crazy to sit and have a long conversation with the teens I first met as toddlers. They've grown into thoughtful, intelligent young women who blow me away! And it's heart-warming to see my husband being a big brother to this "little" sisters who are married with families of their own.

This is family. We get on each other's nerves, we make each other laugh. Thick and thin, near or far, our love transcends anything and everything life throws at us. It doesn't come easy--nothing worth having does. And it really is worth it! <3