I'm not sure why blogger didn't upload these in order...but here are some pictures from Easter weekend which I swiped of my dear sister, Katie. Thanks Katie!

We had a small egg hunt in our front yard. :)

Playing Knect (sp?) at Esther's house. 

Look at that form!  Smashing, Patrick, simply smashing.

Speaking of form.  Katie caught this spectacular feat of Alley's...I love Chloe's expression in the background.

Sweet Jessica.  Poor thing was sick the whole time.  Wesley snuggled with her lots. :)

Patrick.  He is gonna be my body guard when I make it big in the music industry.  ;)

Wesley did awesome finding eggs.

He also ate quite a few jelly beans before we stopped him.  He looks like Josh in that picture.

Dividing up the spoils.  She was so excited to get candy!

My sweet yet crazy niece Chloe.  Love her. :)

Wesley pondering why the grass is green.

Jumping beans.

We had a lovely Easter weekend.  My siblings and a couple friends drove up from Dallas to celebrate with us and tour our little area.  They drove like the crazy people they are through the night and arrived early the next morning.  I could tell it was them by the huge red crab stuck to the top of their borrowed car.  The crab was a sandbox, a gift for Wesley who turned 2 a few days before they arrived.  We had a party for him on Saturday with balloons, presents, family, and cake in the back of his favorite Tonka truck.  The gummy worms in the cake "dirt" were a hit with the kids. 

On a side note, gummy worms used to gross my mom out when we were kids. We thought it was hilarious because they were, of course, just candy.  Well I felt like my mom did when I served leftover birthday "dirt" cake to my kids after dinner one night, complete with the gummy worms, and I literally felt sick - could not eat any because the candy had turned slightly gushy.  It was just too much like a real worm.  Annie was happy to have mine.

Anyways, we took our friends (or the "yahoos" as I lovingly dubbed them) all over our little town to show off some beautiful parts of Colorado.  They came right after the flowers had come out and it was real nice sunny weather.  We had coffee at a little shop in Louisville, showed them the prairie dogs that are just up the street, and they went hiking into the mountains.  Josh also took them to Jax (an outdoor store) which they fell in love with.  They especially like the Army surplus stuff and the hunting knives.  Those yahoos. ;)

Annie loved getting an Easter basket and doing an egg hunt.  We just had a small little hunt in our postage stamp front yard.  I thought Wesley would be slow or not know what to do as this was his first time, so we told Annie to let Wes find some eggs, too.  Surprisingly, Wes held his own and gathered almost as many as Annie.  It was so fun to watch those two blonde heads running around excitedly.  Annie also knew the reason behind our celebrating Easter.  She even told Wesley about Jesus dying on the cross for us after finding a wooden cross in our backyard a little bit ago.  Wesley's general concept right now is that "Jesus loves-ah ME!"  Maybe he's practicing an Italian accent.

Our sweet friends left Monday morning with the plan to drive all day and get to Dallas that night, but they had a different adventure instead.  After driving for about an hour and a half, their car totally died.  The engine even was shaking!  The neat thing was they had broken down a few miles away from a dealer for their particular car - and there are only a few in our area.  God was watching out for them. :)  The problem turned out to be a manufacturing defect that was fixed for free.  They were on there way after a few hours, spent the night in Kansas with some supporters of the ministry they work at and arrived home the next day.  I think then next time we see them it will be when we drive or fly there...  It was quite the trip for them!  Thanks for braving the elements (including thick fog) to see us friends, we love you. :)

Two years ago today I was leaving my Grandparent's house after Easter dinner and felt my first contraction. Since I went to the hospital twice with Annie in false labor I decided that it was interesting, but not worth worrying about yet. Well they kept coming, even though my baby wasn't supposed to come till the next day. Apparently he was quite ready! Wesley James Hewitt was born that night at 8pm. It was so sweet to cuddle him and feed him, since he was really quiet and happy the whole hospital stay. He is still a snuggle bug, even if he denies it! I can't believe he is already 2. He is talking so much, with little pauses between words and priceless expressions. He keeps us in stitches with his little sentences. The other day I was having a rough morning and told Wesley I was sad. He looked at me seriously and said, "need sleep, mama." He then proceeded to grab my hand and walk me up the stairs to my room telling me to sleep. Sweet boy. I notice he is very sensitive and thoughtful. Though he still is all boy and loves to destroy everything. Wesley's current obsession is with "BIG TWUCKS!" He made a slide for them last night and had a blast watching them roll downhill. He loves to try and be just like his daddy. Often he will find Josh and say, "Doin' Dada?" and hang out with him. We are so happy to have you part of our family Wes!

I Think I Will Stop Posting Titles...I Have Trouble Summing Up All The Random Tidbits. You Guys Don't Mind, Right?

I'm starting to see bits of green outside and it feeds my longing for Spring to arrive.  We have had a week of warm weather and parks, but today it is cold and cloudy.  I'm hoping the presence of birds and budding trees are not giving me false hope that, yes indeed, we will see some flowers and fresh greens again soon!

Annie is becoming such a big girl these days.  I can hardly believe that the tiny pink baby we brought home from the hospital almost 4 years ago is now such a help to me and wonderful company.  She loves to help me take care of the house and make sure her brother is not getting into trouble.  One morning Annie rinsed dishes and filled the dishwasher, beaming with pride that she could do it just like mommy.  She still has her whiny moments, but those are becoming a little less now that she knows she can explain her problem to us and we will help her out with a solution.  And boy can that girly talk!  Today she was explaining to me how sometimes we can get too many germs and it makes us sick.  But if a big wind comes they go away.  She had been watching Curious George that day, the one where the little monkey dreams about banishing some germs that were making him sick by sneezing them out.  :)  She is very inquisitive so we have some great talks about how things work (like germs).  She thrives on challenges, otherwise she can get bored, so I've started teaching her some simple phonics with some home-made flashcards.  She now knows what sounds 'oo' 'ow' 'er' 'ir' 'ur' and 'ee' make.  I'm one proud mamma. :)

Wesley is has cute and cuddly as ever.  He has started talking in broken sentences with a pause between each word, since he has to think about what word to use.  It's great fun to listen to him chatter.  We walked around downtown Boulder this weekend and Wes just jabbered away to Josh as he held him.  I'm rather sad about one thing, though.  He used to say he was my "snugga bug" (snuggle-bug).  But now every time I ask him he replies emphatically, "No! Not snugga bug!"  I still kiss him.  :)  It makes me feel better that he says he's not even Dada's snugga bug.  Sometimes I catch him under the table playing with toys like it is an imaginary house.  I remember playing under my mom's table as a kid, and it seemed huge.  A perfect spot to play or think while eating a carrot.  Did you guys ever try and eat around the outside of the carrot first, leaving the middle part for last because it was the "best part"?  You don't know what I'm talking about?  Okay, well back from that rabbit trail...Wes likes to play outside in the dirt with his big trucks.  He would stay out there all day if I let him.  I'm hoping to get a sand box for them soon, since we are renting and I doubt the landlord would look kindly on holes that were dug in aspirations of reaching China. 

Josh is doing stupendously well at his job.  :)  He has been training the new guys that come on plus a few other responsibilities because of his hard work.  There are a few other jobs that we are eyeing and praying about, since they would be closer.  He has to drive 45 minutes away, so anything closer is a blessing.  Our little Honda has been going strong, thankfully!  The Lord has taken good care of us. 

I'm just having fun, eating bon bons and making Annie do all the housework now that she is almost 4.  Just kidding, of course.  I love being home with my kiddos and having adventures with them.  It makes me sad to think of Annie possibly going to school soon.  She may have fun but I'll be an emotional wreck!  At least I will have my non-snuggle bug Wesley to hang out with for a little while.  My favorite thing to do is take the kids on an adventure to the nearby park, or go walking on a trail by the house.  It's so fun to see the world through there little eyes.

So there is a little update for you on how we all are doing.  I still say ya'll and have my Texas drivers license.  It becomes quite a conversation piece whenever someone asks to see my ID.  ;)  I guess that will have to change soon, too.  Change is good, right?

I finally got the motivation to update our blog. We moved to our new place over the entire month of February. We had our things in storage and we gradually got it all over here, ending with the piano just last week! It's nice to rediscover our things and find places for all of them. I look forward to adding more homey decorations little by little. It's a townhome, so it is attached to other houses in a strip. It 3 levels, a small backyard, and a little front yard and carport. It's comfy and we like it! One of the best features is it's situated down the street from our family! Often we will walk over to see cousins and play with the dogs and chickens.

Here is the entryway.  The kids enjoy helping me bake, especially the licking spoon part.

Wesley even wants to like the paddle when I make pizza dough!  Love that boy.

Here's my little monkey outside I think a week after we got a blizzard.  It was lovely!  We had so much snow.  It was fun to watch it fall in our snug little home.  (it blew in over a weekend, so it wasn't inconvenient)

"shobelling" snow

Lots of ice!

We got some paints recently, and the kids get real excited whenever I pull them out.  Annie has been drawing, coloring and making things to her heart's content. 

Here is our little yard!  I am hoping to get a little slide and a sandbox for the kids soon.  They love to be outside and it is quite a switch to have this little place after a huge yard in Texas and at Esther's.  They make do pretty well, though, and there is a park nearby that we walk to often. 

The dining room. :)

Living room.  I really like the little table.  It was a Goodwill find that I painted to make more cheery.

Kitchen!

Stair leading to the rooms upstairs.  They were, however, a mess so I didn't take any pictures...just image 2 little rooms and a bathroom.  You can even imagine they are sparkling clean with lace curtains on the windows blowing gracefully.  ;)

Rolling along...

I wanted to post a few pictures of where we are staying. I hope it's not boring to you, but I always like seeing pictures of people's surroundings. Makes me feel more connected to them.

Here are the chickens that Esther keeps.  While the family was away in Oregon over Christmas and New Years, Josh developed an attachment to these fluffy lil' ladies quite quickly.  He especially liked the eggs he got for breakfast (almost) every morning.

Here are some wind-swept trees in the backyard.  I love how they are shaped and look so stark yet graceful against the winter sky.  Sadly they will be cut down soon, since they have died.  But for now I like to look up at them.

My miss Annie bug.  She has really enjoyed staying with cousins and learning about how to play with others.  She generally is rather a loner, but she has opened up a little more and will imagine lots of pretend games.  Today she had me sit with her on a beanbag, saying we were going for a drive.  She drove really well! ;)  Before I know it she will be driving off to college.  Without me.  *sniff*  Pardon me while I go cry in the corner.

Wesley is my sweet rough and tumble little boy.  He's so sensitive to people's feelings, and will give out hugs generously.  He also loves to run and jump (a newly learned trick) all over the house and yard.

We have gone for a few walks with this wagon. The kids love it so much.  I enjoy the walk and the extra resistance on my arms...before you know it I'm gonna look like Schwarzenegger.  j/k

Here is Wesley favorite "uppy".  Roscoe is very patient with the kids, even when they try to ride him or pull his hair.  That dog deserves a reward in heaven. 

Lots of sticks to find and play with!

Annie is making towers here out of lego blocks.  She just recently discovered them.  I love the smile on her face!

This is a Goodwill find.  I painted it and distressed it.  The shape really caught my eye, and it's fun to have something bright for our new (to us) house.  We will be renting a town-home just down the street beginning February 1st!

This picture is from this morning.  Josh had to leave really early for work.  Oh yes, Josh has found a contract job about 45 minutes away!  We are grateful for the Lord taking care of every detail.  :)  Anyways I put the kids on the bed with me.  After I got up they watched Curious George while brushing their teeth in bed.  Two cute little blonde heads.  :)

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.  :)