I hope you guys all had a great Christmas!  Early in the morning Josh took his sister and fam to the airport so they could attend a family reunion in Oregon.  I was pretty torn about going or staying, but we opted to stay since we just moved.  I think there is a good chance of more family visits in the future, so that has helped me when I feel twinges of missing dear ones.  We enjoyed a quiet day, opening gifts and making cookies.  In the evening while our chicken (fondly named Rosie) was cooking we went out and saw Christmas lights around the neighborhood.  We returned home to find that Rosie had refused to cook completely, but we triumphed in the end and had a nice dinner.

I didn't do a very good job of explaining Christmas this year, I think, which was revealed when Annie was asked what Christmas was about.  She replied, "Presents!"  When asked what else it was about she thought for a moment and said, "More presents!"  Oh dear...

For the kids I tried my hand at making felt puppets.  They seemed to turn out ok...at least you could mostly tell what they were.  There was a tiger, lion, zebra and dog/sheep (that last one is up for interpretation...) complete with googly eyes (my favorite!) glued together with a hot glue gun.  I love those things!  They make some crafts go a lot faster.  It's been nice to create things with my hands again, since I sort of stopped for a while when I started working full time, getting married, having kids...etc.  Sort of a re-discovery.  I have my eye on a few other DIY projects now...

 Annie made cookies with Chloe before Christmas.  She had tons of fun.  I think sampling the batter was her favorite part.  ;) 

 Stockings!  I'm grateful for a dollar store that supplied me with small items to stuff it with.

 Trying some chocolate discovered inside.  Wesley would not move off this bean bag the entire time we opened gifts up until he opened his present from Uncle John and Aunt Carrie.  Something about a big yellow Tonka dump truck...

 He said, "ooooh Wesley!"  when he saw it.

 I think this is Annie's favorite toy hands down.  She played with it almost non-stop after opening it.  She is hoping it will rain soon.

Had to post some pics of my handsome guys too.  :)

Slowly Settling

We are staying with Josh's family for a little bit while Josh looks for a job and housing.  We are so happy to be a part of this sweet little family.  They are the type of people who have an impromptu nerf gun war on Saturday morning and will drop everything to help someone.

We've enjoyed walking with their 2 dogs on a nearby trail, making Christmas gifts, visiting the local library for story time, and peppermint tea in the evenings with an occasional game or two.  My kids just adore Aidan and Chloe.

It's been such fun discovering our surroundings with people who can give us insight on what's good and where to find things.  There is even a Chickfila, which makes the Southern part of me rejoice.  :)

Thanks Chris, Esther, Aidan and Chloe!

Watch for Falling Snow

(disclamer: these photos are not in order and might not be mentioned in the post but I had to put some kind of pictures up at least)

I drove to the library all by myself last week! The kids loved story time, and Annie begged me not to leave. They sang some songs and got to shake some bells, which was Wesley's favorite part.

I'm thankful for a couple main roads that help in case I get lost. :) There is a cute little street that I want to explore with Josh that has little shops and a coffee shop. It's lined with street lamps covered in colored plastic for Christmas. Makes it look really cozy at night.

Speaking of night - it gets super cold here at night, but when the sun is out it feels so warm! There is a spot by a window where I like to sit and just soak up some rays.

There is a little walking path near the house. I took the kids there yesterday and they really enjoyed running down hills and stopping at the bridge to watch the water go underneath. I can't get over how sparkly the snow is with the sun shining on it! Annie has been known to eat it, too. She likes to go wandering through the front yard in the afternoons pretending who knows what. I've been impressed by how well she has adapted so far, since she was my main concern during the move. She really likes to know ahead of time what is going to happen. She is a lot like me! Thankful for an opportunity to grow in being content whatever the circumstances and also to trust our Father regardless of knowing what's ahead or not.

Wesley has fallen in love with Josh's sister's two dogs. He gives them smacks on their bottoms and says Uppy (puppy) fifty million times a day. hehe I think we will need to look into having one at some point. Wes was watching one of the dogs drink water one time, and after the dog left he bent down to try and lap the water just like he saw the dog doing. Ew. We didn't let him, though. We also found some dog food stashed in a toy barn the other day. Saving it for later?

"I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado..." ~ John Denver

It's been a while since my last post. Partly because I've been very busy and partly because we haven't been able to talk about big change in our family until it was official.

We have been praying and seeking God regarding the ministry we served at for quite some time. Josh and I felt maybe it was time to move on, so we fasted and prayed for the Lord's direction or confirmation of staying where we were. Long story short, we are following His direction to move...to Colorado! It's been quite the adventure and learning/growing process. We have seen God provide in little and big ways. Like the time Josh decided to go ahead and pay extra for roadside assistance when he rented the moving truck, which came in handy when the tire shredded in the middle-of-nowhere-Kansas, or when the truck wouldn't star because it was too cold. We've also received some warm weather clothes/shoes for the kids that came just in time.

We just arrived last week to stay at Josh's sister's house until we can find a place to rent. Josh has gotten some job offers that he currently is pursuing. We all like it here and are excitedly exploring our surroundings. The mountains are so pretty in the background, and provide great navigational help, too.

We are looking forward to each step God shows us, while enjoying each moment in His presence.

Another Post. (I never can think of charming titles)

Between being sick and traveling unexpectedly to Oklahoma for a memorial service I have not been wanting to blog very much. I figured our poor little blog was due for an update with at least some pictures for my mom's sake. Hi mom! :)
Annie has been exploring different fruits and vegetables. Here she is finally okay with eating an apple0. I think they were strange to her for the longest time - maybe it was the peel. Her latest obsession has been clementines. She can eat far too many of those lil' suckers. I don't mind since it's not french fries or candy, so I indulge her.
Umm, Wesley eats almost anything. Especially if it's on your plate. I'm trying to use this to our advantage.
I call this "sidewalk chalk deconstructed." :) In the rain Wesley discovered that sidewalk chalk makes great war paint.
Annie has this adorable froggy raincoat from her grandma that she loves to wear in the rain. She's easy to find, too!
This is on of Wesley's favorite books. It's about a little dump-truck looking for his daddy and he meets lots of different work trucks along the way. It asks the question on each page, "Is this Sammy's father?" to which Wesley says, "NO!" Except...when the dump truck finds his daddy at the end Wesley still insists it's not his daddy.

Of Boxes, Rocking Chairs, and Balls

Annie reminds me of a little hobo just playing her harmonica on some dusty curb.

Wesley's cheeks are still very kissable. I think he doesn't mind it too much anymore, and he's started to give us hugs. He runs from dada to mama giving out hugs.
What's inside?
Josh brought a box home from work. He couldn't bring both since they were too big, but he brought the other one later. The kids had such fun playing inside them and visiting it each other. I can't help but think about others who actually live in cardboard boxes for real. May we never think we deserve our blessings.

Wesley observing Josh trimming. He has a thing for wires so maybe he will become a computer savvy person like his dada. :)



We had a tea party for my Grandma's birthday and Annie "helped" make the cake. We had so much fun using our special china and talking. Annie even tried some blueberry tea. We love you Grandma!
It's hard to get a good shot of Wesley and Annie because they wiggle so much! I put the rocking chair back in Annie's room and use it for stories and bedtime songs. The children were thrilled to have a new toy...

After a week of staying dry I declared Annie potty-trained and let her pick a special toy as a reward. She chose a vacuum. A girl after my own heart! :) She's a big helper for mommy and loves to help me clean the house. I think her favorite is either vacuuming or dusting with the wand.
She also loves wearing dresses - it's so fun! I hated dresses as a kid, but Annie likes them and thinks they are comfy. I'm not complaining...it's fun having a girly girl. :)

this is Soccer Annie. She wears her brother's hat (with the strap under her nose for some reason) and kicks the ball around the house. Maybe I should look into preschool soccer classes. She cracks me up with her imagination and sense of humor.

Pictures from May and June

Wesley is so proud of himself whenever he gets to eat big boy food. Spaghetti is one of his favorites as you can see...
Annie would rather eat a "trifangle" sandwich. She also likes me to cut the bread into shapes with cookie cutters. It makes her interested enough to eat her lunch. It's really hard to get her to eat these days. I guess there is so much to explore she doesn't want to stop and eat.
Annie was playing in her car seat the other day, pretending to buckle herself in. She kept saying she was going to go live with Jesus. I hope she decides to follow Him at a young age, but I also hope she gets to live with us a while longer. :)
Wearing mommy's shoes...sometimes she tells me what shoes to wear, or tells me to put on earrings. I think we have a girly-girl on our hands. Love it.
Wesley has taken to exploring the pantry baskets. He is trying very hard to find something he can't eat, like pretzels.
This is Josh's birthday cake made according to Annie's instructions. It was a yellow "trifangle" cake with yellow frosting, and orange letters. I think I will hand over my duties of birthday cake making to her when she gets older.
Happy Birthday to my sweet husband! I feel a little bad I took the best single man out of circulation, but not too bad. ;) He even does dishes and mops. Dreamy!
At the Ft. Worth zoo. We are taking advantage of the fact we can get the kids in free. Once Annie turns 3 it won't be the case. Of course we will still do fun things...
I think Wesley wanted some time in the lime light.
Josh and I liked this zoo better than the Dallas one. The animals were a lot closer and we could see more. It was a nice way to spend Memorial Day weekend.

Looking at giraffes through the fence.
Annie was trying on her brother's hat. It's a little small missy. :)
Hmm, I'm not sure why my pictures are out of order...but these are elephants! :)

A floor of a thousand miles begins with...

...a whole lot of laminate from IKEA! After Wesley was sent home from the doctor with symptoms of breathing trouble we decided to replace our old carpet. It had flooded right before we moved in a few years ago and was musty I think ever since. Wesley being so sick helped us decide to finally get rid of it.


It took hours and hours of work. Josh and I were so sore!
Annie wanted to help, so she grabbed Wesley's plastic hammer and started banging on the baseboards like Dada was doing. She always wants to help, it's so precious. :)
step 1. pull up carpet and baseboards
step 2. get really really sick from pulling up the carpet without wearing a mask
step 3. wash the floor
step 4. make multiple trips to IKEA and Lowes to find laminate
step 5. get the materials finally decided upon.
step 6. lay plastic down over cement and add squishy foam on top of that while your wife takes the kids to various stores and playgrounds in between nap times. *note: if laying foam or plastic requires cutting you must employ the resident cutting-in-straight-lines expert, aka Jessica.
step 7. decide how many inches exactly to use on the very first row-last-plank so you can "stagger" the planks. *note: this could take an hour since IKEA instructions are made for people who cannot read and are fluent in pictures.
step 8. decide to finally just cut the last plank against the said instructions and continue laying flooring. *note: try not to wake up your sleeping kids with the mallet hitting the boards in place.
step 9. decide to do the hallway and baseboards a different weekend!

We really like how it looks and are very grateful for the Lord's provision. :)

I also have to say...guys really are better in general at construction type work. I work out and strength train a lot, but I had lots of trouble getting tack strips up with a mallet and crowbar - and Josh made it look easy! I couldn't hold the saw cause my hands were too small to turn the safety off and push the on button at the same time (so it wouldn't even turn on for me). Then I couldn't place the boards very well since it required a long arm span and muscly push to get them in place. It was funny to me seeing the difference, but I was able to help Josh some and make it go a little bit faster than if it was just him. Yay for teamwork! :)