Hello friends!
This is my quarterly newsletter, a little place where we catch up on all things Biblical Womanhood, as well as all things within our family! I plan to include prayer requests for the month, and I invite you all to leave a prayer request in the comments so we can all “bear one another’s burdens” together!
Please ♥️ this post, comment, and subscribe! Interactions with each post help keep my Substack visible for others!
Autumn at our House:
Fall has been especially beautiful in North Dakota this year, and we’ve been blessed with an array of colorful autumn leaves. It is, without question, my favorite time of year. There is something almost sacred about watching the leaves turn, slowly surrender their color, and eventually fall from the branches, leaving the trees bare in preparation for what comes next. I love the poetry woven into the changing seasons and the gentle reminder they offer about life itself: that there is beauty in letting go, in releasing what has run its course, and in trusting that what must fall away can make room for something new.
Sadly, we haven’t had quite as much opportunity to enjoy the outdoors this fall as we would have liked. A particularly nasty upper respiratory bug has made its way through our family, taking each of us down one by one! Several of us have developed secondary infections along the way, including pneumonia, bronchitis, and tonsillitis, just to name a few. Ick!
Thankfully, after several weeks of illness, MOST of us are finally on the mend! Adam is in the home stretch of recovering from double pneumonia, and our daughter has thankfully bounced back from her bout of bronchitis.
I have found myself especially grateful this fall for modern medicine WHEN NEEDED! Antibiotics, breathing treatments, and steroids have been more than just helpful around here; they’ve been a genuine necessity, from the oldest member of our family to the youngest (you can read more about Blake’s experience below). Needless to say, we are more than ready for a healthy stretch of days ahead!
BLAKE UPDATE:
Blake is growing like a weed! He’s now tipping the scales at over 20 pounds, and every single one of those pounds has been hard-earned! Just think, he started this journey at a tiny 878 grams (1 lb. 15 oz.) when he made his entrance last July. What a long way our little guy has come!
We did have a bit of a scare last month. After battling an upper respiratory illness for several weeks, he ended up hospitalized with pneumonia and bronchitis. Those were a couple of pretty scary days for all of us, but praise the Lord, he responded wonderfully to treatment and finally kicked that nasty bug!
These days, he’s sporting eight teeth and eating like a champ! Sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and just about anything Italian are at the top of his favorites list. He’s also earned himself the nickname “juice-a-holic” because this boy is quite devoted to his sippy cup! He has to take a rather unpleasant liquid vitamin every day, so he gets a little splash of juice to help disguise the flavor. In other words, he gets his own personal version of a “spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!” We think he’s figured out that medicine isn't so bad when there's a little juice involved! 😆
We are continually reminded of just how many people have loved, prayed for, encouraged, and supported us throughout this journey over the past 15 months. To each and every one of you who has walked alongside our family through your prayers, generosity, and kindness, please know how deeply grateful we are. We pray the Lord richly blesses you, just as you have been such a blessing to us!
Prayer requests for Blake:
Blake has a follow-up appointment with his new endocrinologist in November. Please pray that his thyroid condition is temporary and not something he will have to manage throughout his life. His doctors are hopeful that it is related to his severe prematurity rather than a congenital condition, and we’re praying that proves to be the case.
Please also pray that he continues to grow and thrive and that those first steps aren't too far away! Once he’s up and walking, he’ll officially graduate from physical therapy, and we can’t wait to celebrate that milestone with him!
What’s New In Our Family:
The most exciting news in our family this season has been the engagement of our younger son to his girlfriend, Abigail! We are absolutely delighted for them and looking forward to their small spring wedding in Florida. They plan to marry and then finish their final year of Bible college together, which makes this next chapter all the more special.
This school year also marks a rather significant change in our homeschool journey. For the first time in a LONG time, I have just ONE student! It’s interesting to see how life has brought us full circle. Years ago, I began homeschooling with our oldest daughter as my only student, and now, all these years later, I find myself with just one daughter at the table again. The difference, of course, is that back then I still had several little ones underfoot to care for, entertain, and keep occupied throughout the school day. These days, it is quite literally just the two of us!
We are slowly stepping into quieter days, with the end of our homeschooling years finally coming into view. Oh, how I have treasured this season of having all five of our children home together! I know I will look back on these years with a heart full of gratitude and memories I wouldn't trade for anything. There were certainly long days, challenging days, and plenty of loud ones, but never a day I regret having them all together under one roof. What a privilege it has been to share so many of these growing-up years side by side. I find myself appreciating that privilege more deeply with each passing year, as our children grow, our family changes, and one season of life gives way to the next.
Upcoming At Biblical Womanhood:
As this year begins to tiptoe toward its close, I’ll be hosting a holiday fundraising drive to help support this ministry.
As many of you know, my husband and I stepped into full-time work/ministry through Substack last year, and we are continually grateful that the Lord has opened this door for us to write, connect, minister, and pray alongside each of you.
This opportunity has truly been a gift in this season of our lives.
Of course, there is also a very practical side to making this ministry possible, and we are certainly mindful of that!
Last November and December, I released one of my largest digital collections, “Seasons Blur,” as a way to help support the work. Many of you purchased it, and your generosity and encouragement meant more than you know. I also learned quite a bit about the technical side of putting together a collection of that size! The formatting proved to be a little more challenging than I had anticipated, and it wasn't nearly as printer-friendly as I had hoped.
Thankfully, we've learned A LOT in that department over the past year!
This year's year-end collection will follow a similar vein to Seasons Blur, but with some improvements along the way. It will feature 100 of my most-loved pieces from 2026, gathered together in one collection for you to read, revisit, and keep.
This year’s keepsake collection is formatted to be VERY printer-friendly!
You can read more about it here:
