On your mark
Get set
GO!

This Saturday in Waconia we celebrated an age old festival called Nickel Dickel Day. The City Sqaure Park is tranformed into a fair-like atmosphere with booths of crafts, baked goods and vendors of all kinds. Other traditions of the day include a 10K, 5K and 1/2 mile run - known as the Tickle - for the younger ones. Elizabeth has waited all year to run in the Tickle and since we're still here, we signed her up!
We were so proud of her as she ran the whole way! I ran along with her in hopes of encouraging her and getting a few photos.... good thing I had everyone cheering for me as well so I could make it to the finish line!

All I Want for Christmas...














Is my two front teeth....

Yes, Elizabeth is missing something... her two front teeth...just in time for Kindergarten pictures. No more corn on the cob for her.

Emma Katherine


We wanted to make sure our delightful middle daughter got recognized as well since she didn't get much press in our last post.

At 3 1/2 Emma keeps us laughing with her literal outlook on life and many questions and comments.

As many of you know, Jon is now living in Evanston while the girls and I remain here in Minnesota. Recently while driving Emma informed us that she would like to live with Daddy. Hopefully she won't share her desire with the other moms at the playground.....

Emma has a very serious side to her and is always making sure we keep track of the rules and regulations of the house. She loves to tell us what's important to do ..... Like "it's very important to read the bible and other stories about Jesus and God...." and "my favorite nutritious drink is water, cause it's very important to drink water...."

She's also our most honest child ..... you can count on Emma to give you the full story of what happened in most instances. And most of these comments are followed up with the phrase "for real, for real!" Recently when she and Elizabeth were having an argument she informed us that "Elizabeth is making me yell at every person in this entire house....."

What's most endearing about Emma is her sensitive spirit. It is very important for her that we approve of her actions and she is deeply broken hearted upon learning she has somehow disappointed us. One thing we've been working on in recent weeks is respect for the members of our family..... Emma's version is "spect" and she frequently asks me if she's being "spectful." Most importantly though, Emma has a tender heart towards God. Last week while getting into the car for some outing she told Jon that she needed to pray right away to ask Jesus into her heart. As we talked with her about what that meant and prayed with her we were blessed to see her humble 3-year old understanding of salvation. What a blessing!

August - A Month of Firsts

This past month has marked a few significant "Firsts" for the Bechtles.....we wanted to share a few of these special moments......

Evangeline Joy celebrated her first birthday on August 12. She's not yet walking, but thinking very seriously about giving it a try. She spends most of her time just a few crawls behind her big sisters and has managed not to swallow any polly pocket shoes as of yet.

Elizabeth celebrated her first ride on her two-wheel bike with no training wheels. A few laps around the park and she was a pro. She enjoys riding around the neighborhood now as the rest of us try and keep up with her.

Our final "first" for came on August 28th when we sent our "first" daughter to her "first" day of Kindergarten. Elizabeth was very excited to get on the bus for her short ride to Bayview Elementary school. She has definitely enjoyed her first week, with the greatest challenge being the 7:00am alarm clock. Her sister Emma misses her very much and enjoys meeting her at the bus when she comes home.