Christmas!

We had a great Christmas this year! The kids had a great time and we got to spend time with all of our family. We spent Christmas Eve with Papa and Meme, Jill, Jay, Bryce and Megan, and Christmas night with Grandma, Grandpa, Crystal, Michael, Rylee, Reese, Reagan, Bobby Mary Ann and little Tre! It was nice to be together! We even had a white Christmas with snow drifts up to 3 feet!

Our little King of the Jungle!

I'm still here...

Hi. Just a quick update. We've been getting ready for Christmas! Things have been so busy! I am still having trouble downloading photos, and it just stinks. I have so many pictures to share. Katie and Asher are growing so much! Asher is 20 months old! It's hard to believe! Time goes by so fast! He is saying lots of words, Mama, Daddy, Sissy, Asher, Bubba, Santa, basketball, baseball, football (I think he may be turning into a sports fanatic like Dad!). He runs around everywhere and is into everything! He is so much more active than I remember Katie being! He's a maniac! We feel so incredibly blessed to have him, we are still in awe of what God has done in our lives! We started praying to have children in July 1999...by August 1999 we knew that our Katie girl was on her way...with Asher it took years...but he is here! We just feel blessed! I think Christmas this year will be really fun! Asher is so interested in the gifts under the tree! He has torn the bows off most of them! I don't think he has a clue what is inside though...he just thinks they are pretty boxes! He will so be excited to see TOYS inside on Christmas morning! Hopefully I will be able to upload some pictures after Christmas.

Fall is on the way!

I had such amazing plans to keep my blog updated more regularly, but I'm still having difficulty with my computer. I need to update new pictures of the kids, because they are growing so quickly!
I am glad fall is on it's way! It's my favorite season. I love everything about it...the cooler temperatures, pumpkins, apple cider, spice scented candles, colored falling leaves, and of course, Neewollah, here in our beautiful little town! I am excited for Asher to experience fall, and for Katie to have someone to play with during this great season.
We've been keeping busy, school is underway, and all of our school year church activities have begun. We have Wednesday night Caravan program, and Sunday night children's Bible Study. Katie loves both of them! We still have karate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we are pretty busy, but it's good to be busy!
It's good to be so blessed...God has given us so much! We are still struggling financially, but I know that He is taking care of us...He has shown us in so many ways lately...that he can take care of our every need...small and big!
I will try and upload pictures soon!

Goodness gracious...things have been so busy! I know that's a terrible excuse for not blogging, but it's true! It seems like the summer just flew by! Seriously, it seems like summer was 2 weeks long, instead of 12! School starts next week, and our Katie girl will be in 4th (yes-4th!) grade! She is super excited about school starting, and I am super excited about her not being bored to tears every day! Summer was full of activities her, but these last couple weeks of no activities revolving around her have been "boring"...apparently! She just got back from a couple days with Meme and Papa in Grove, and had a good time swimming with her cousins and watching the Disney channel. :o) Asher has just been growing and growing! He turned 15 months old last month, and got his first haircut AND started walking, all in the same week! He will be 16 months in a couple days. He's still a little wobbly with his walking, but he has learned to turn corners, get up and down from sitting, and even "runs" when he wants to get somewhere quickly (like out the front door!). He loves going outside, even when it's 100 degrees! I am really looking forward to some cooler temperatures so we can just go outside and stay for a while.
Kris started working a new schedule, he works 3-12 hour days on and has 3 days off, then 3-12 hour days, etc. We are LOVING it. We have never had so much time together as a family! It seems like it has given him some time to kind of catch-up on his "honey-do" list, too, which is a bonus for me! We had a big garage sale, re-claimed about 20 square feet of our garage, and now he has space to work on the woodwork for Katie's room. I started a big project of taking the wallpaper off in the kitchen, can't wait to paint...trying to decide between my favorite barn red and a mossy-sage green. :o) Our counter tops, sink, and flooring is a creamy color, and our cabinets are dark wood, so I'm thinking the green might look better...just not sure...anyhoo, I'm just glad to redecorate!
I'm still working part time as a case manager for foster care, but there are some rumors going around about layoff's in my department, and I would be first to go. I know it will be ok--whatever God has planned is ok with me. We're not quite where we wanted to be financially for me to stay at home, but sometimes we just have to trust, and know that God is God...and he knows what's best for us.
Well, I just wanted to pop in and update, because it's been such a long time. I really want to start blogging again more often...I just love it, and I know the kids will love reading it someday.
:o)

I have tried to post and update on the blog several times, but our computer keeps losing the connection. There is a certain little boy in our house who likes to tug at the wires on the computer...not sure who that could be...could it be this guy??? Yes...it could be...because he is into EVERYTHING! We are loving watching him grow and get such an amazingly fun and loving personality. If you ask him for a "snuggly", he will lean his forehead down to yours, and if you ask for a kiss, he will give you a big wet one! He is about ready for a haircut. We had planned to have it cut on his first birthday, but I just couldn't let the curls go yet. It is getting a little long though...look how tall his bathtime mohawk is!

One of the many reasons I haven't blogged in such a long time is because we have been incredibly busy. Katie played softball this year. She did so well! We are so proud of her. This was her first season to play softball, and we were nervous, because we didn't know how well she would do since she never played blastball or t-ball, or anything before. I think karate has helped her hand/eye coordination and everything else, because she is a good little ball player! I am amazed! She's much better than I was at that age! She is also still doing karate, and received her green belt uniform.

She is growing so fast. So far the "9" year old age has been a little challenging...I think she is trying out her independence, while still wanting to be our little girl who is the center of attention. I think as Asher gets more animated and fun, she gets a tiny bit more jealous...but she loves him so much, and is such a great big sister. They are like two peas in a pod, almost always together when we're here at home.

This morning.

This morning I am so thankful for sunshine, fresh air, and mourning doves. I walked out to start the car this morning, and it's absolutely beautiful! The first thing I heard was the doves singing to each other, and that just has to be one of my favorite sounds! I love hearing birds sing...cheesy...I know...but I love it.
I read some blogs last night (My charming kids and Bring the Rain <-------both linked over there) and I just had an OVERWHELMING sense of thankfulness for my healthy children and broken-heartedness for these moms. This morning I am just THANKFUL for my healthy children....so very thankful.

11 years...

...of us.

Happy anniversary, Baboosey!

So. Very. Blessed.

I just feel so blessed. I need to write it down, so that when I'm having a rough day, I can look back and KNOW that God LOVES me, He CARES for me, He GIVES so much to me. The most amazing thing is that God gave his ONLY son for me, to cover my sins, and someday I will be with him in Heaven. It will be more wonderful than I can even imagine. God has also blessed me with my family. I have the best husband. We've been married for 11 years today, and I am just so thankful for him. He is kind to me, he is understanding, he has a wonderful sense of humor, he has the best smile, and he tries so hard to be a good dad. I love my children, Katie and Asher are my world. They are beautiful...just amazingly beautiful...I am so blessed that they are both plump and healthy...that they can laugh and play...that they are happy...they both smile...so much. I am so very blessed.

Green Belt!

Katie received her Green Belt in karate last week! We were so proud! She was so excited! She has really stuck with this, and in July, she will have been taking karate for 2 years! We love you, and are so proud of you, Sis! :o)

Almost 11 months!

It seems impossible that Asher will turn 1 next month. He is such a little blessing. It's amazing how much he is like Katie and Kris. He loves to laugh, and make others laugh. He tries to be "cute" by doing funny things, just to see if you'll notice. He crawls everywhere, and pulls up to stand on anything that holds still long enough. He is into *everything*! He is so curious and adventurous...a true boy! We love you so much little dude!

Siblings.

Don't tease!

Little bird...you give me so much hope...we're so ready for spring!

So very blessed.

Two years ago in January 2007, I only blogged once, and it was kind of a year in review of 2006. In that entry, I was trying to process and accept that we were a family of three, and that maybe that was what God had planned for us. It's amazing to look back on that, and how very desperate I was for another child. All through our pregnancy, I was desperate for our baby to get through it safely, and now, here we are...with a 9 month old very healthy, sweet, amazing boy. I am so sorry, Lord, that I have taken this amazing blessing for granted. YOU did this...YOU made him...for us. You gave us your only son, and you gave us a son AND a daughter. Tonight I am just overwhelmed with how very blessed we are. There are four of us. Four...it's amazing.

Scrabble!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5753249

How clever are these? I want some...these are too stinking cute. They are made from a scrabble tile, a paper image, and diamond glaze...why can't I think of these adorable things? I have been really having the urge to be crafty lately. I think it's because it's so cold outside. I just am not motivated to get all of my paper crafting stuff out, because I don't want to put it all up when I'm finished. I'm thinking Katie and I might try and stay up late and scrapbook tonight...maybe. I've been missing that daughter of mine. Asher has been a little under the weather, so he has taken up almost all of my time. I miss just talking to her.

Siblings.

I was looking through photos, and wanted to share these. Katie was holding Asher in the recliner, and they were just having a "moment" that I wanted to capture. They love each other so much. No one else gets the smiles that Asher gives to Katie, and she is smitten with him. I hope they can always love each other this much!

Kit.

Katie loves Kit...that's all there is to it...and mom does too...just a little bit :o) We've been having so much fun talking about Kit, watching her movie, sewing for her, we even went to a little play-date to Elizabeth's house to meet Kirsten, Molly, Kaya, Samantha and Felicity!