Rose is 2!!!

Little Rose is 2...I cant believe how fast time goes by. She got a new big bed and has done great with it! We went to the PA farm show complex for the 4-H horse show. How appropriate! Here are some shots of us celebrating this past weekend as a little happy family! God is so good, so faithful, and we honor him for the Joys in our lives!

My girls

Since I am truly blessed I couldn't resist... :) There is something so amazing about sisters. I have 4 of them and they are, to me, the most wonderful people and best friends anyone could ever ask for. They are so unique and so beautiful. We have been there in the thick and thin to get each other to where we are today, and I couldn't thank god enough for the sisters he gave me. (Ill have to talk about my amazing brothers in another post)
Seeing my little girls starting to act as sisters, Rose loving Joy and always looking out for her...its so awesome. They will be best friends. God makes each family special and unique, and I thank him for giving us Rose and for Giving us Joy, but also I thank him for giving Rose a sister! :)

Fall in PA

We love the fall. Its our most favorite time of the year. There are lots of things that happen in the fall that make us appreciate this season. Wedding anniversary, Fall sports at Messiah, wearing sweatshirts, pumpkin patches, homecoming, brisk cool air with open windows, and the list could go on. This fall is a little different. It really crept up on me more than I thought. Last time I slept through the night without a worry in the world was in July...and now its close to November! Having a newborn adds craziness to your life and having someone you love and care about with cancer changes your life. Needless to say Ive been on my knees more in the past few months than I ever have before. I am burdened so many days with prayer for so many who need it. Friends whos families are hurting, Friends experiencing the loss of a baby or the anticipation of one, praying for my dad constantly, my siblings and my mom, the list goes on...
This week at our church I learned something that I will hold on to forever. We are truly blessed. I mean how can we think of ourselves as blessed in these difficult situations? But we are. God sent his blessings down on us so that we can spread them to others and help them see his Love and grace for us! WOW! I am blessed, in so many ways. We often think of blessings as only the good things in life...those are just the easy and obvious things we see. Just sitting here right now in my kitchen looking at my 2 little blessings...God is amazing. But I was astounded to hear how he gives us things and circumstances so that we might use them to shine his light. Just a beautiful thing, another beautiful thing about living life with a faith in Christ. Something I knew in my heart but needed to hear again to be refreshed. Sometimes when life is crazy and going fast, we forget to stop and see the little things and appreciate, despite of our circumstances, the life we have set to live ahead of us!
Psalm 67-May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations...
Here are some fall photos of the Dennstaedt bunch....

Big sister

Rose loves all the baby things being constantly pulled out for her little sister! The scary thing is she used to fit in these! They grow sooo fast!

3 months old!

I cannot believe 3 months have gone by. Life is a whirlwind. Our days right now are filled with bible study, MOPS, lunch with friends, Coaching lax, weekend fall events, Messiah soccer games, and loving being together as a family! Little Joyful is a whopping 12lbs 4 oz. So we are no longer worried about her weight or her boycotts of eating for hours at a time! She seems to be content and getting all she needs. She is still a tiny peanut compared to her sister. We are loving every minute of our family of 4!

Another visit home

We were able to go back to St.Louis for a visit. Just me and the girls, thank you Daddy! It was such a special time to be home with my parents and sisters. My dad had just got out of the hospital and was starting his radiation and chemo the day after we left. It was a good week of distraction for him! God has been amazing through all this, we see him all over it! Please continue to pray for my daddy! We had a wonderful visit, playing with Grandaddy and BAMA and really doing nothing else! I look forward to going back again...

Here are some pics of our visit!