October has been a roller coaster of a month for this Peery family. We've had some really fun times, some family surgeries, and some really tough moments. And it's all going by in a blur!

Jeremy painted the house this month, and we finally got it "done." The tan is all painted and the white trim is at least sealed with primer. The deck is not done....maybe if it gets warm enough in the next couple of weeks. If not, it'll have to wait until spring. It was a big job, and Jeremy did most of the work. You did awesome, babe.

We had a wonderful vacation to the ocean mid month....we spent four days camping at Cape disappointment State park, just south of Long Beach, WA. It was sunny during the day....and COLD at night. But, we had the tent trailer, which helped keep us warmer. We sure do enjoy the Odyssey van.....great camping/hauling/family vehicle. After the beach, we headed to Rife Lake to visit Lonnie's property. The house is coming along great....it'll be a nice place for Lonnie to putter around in this winter. He sure has a lot of plans. We're looking forward to more visits in the future.

I've been busy helping out the Sommerdorf's recover from major surgery! My mom is healing wonderfully from a double Knee replacement she had in late July. Her mobility continues to increase and she's even kneeling! (Gingerly still....but it's major progress.) This is wonderful news for a woman who loves to garden and help take care of her home. She is pleased! My dad is recovering this fall from two neck surgeries....he had a bulging disk pushing on his spinal cord again. (This is the second time for him) Both surgeries went well, and he is in a neck brace now until just before Christmas. Recovery this time around is slower, but slow and steady is just fine with him. He is at peace as his leg spasms decrease and he walks more fluidly again. We contiue to pray for healing and positive outcomes for them both!

Derick Lee is growing like a WEED! He's making leaps and bounds every day. Today, he sat unassisted for over 10 seconds....and only fell over when reaching for a new toy! I am so excited to watch his development. He's scooting across the floor, and does this really cute low crawl using one elbow and one foot. He can really cover some ground when he wants to! He's been talking more too....making cooing noises and sometimes it even sounds like words. Our challenge lately is night wake ups. I think they are related to teething-but regardless it's tough to sleep when he's awake every two hours. He wants mommy and daddy....and will scream until we come. He's used those pipes so much lately, he sounds horse! We try to stay strong.....it's tough though. My heart breaks listening to him cry that way. I know, this too shall pass. Most of the time, he's a ball to be with and I am SO blessed to have him as a son. My life is wonderful!