A Time For Every Season....

We had a fun weekend camping! John's older brother Scotty was able to join us! Kitty had a blast swimming the river for her toys and chasing little critters out of our campsite in the night. Drew just loved sleeping in a tent and having his own sleeping bag! We enjoyed a quiet, relaxed weekend with our friends the Tyson's. Gabe and Ethan were able to experience their first camping trips! Gabe is so incredible fun these days! He laughs and smiles and talks all the time. He loves to be tickled and for you to breath in his ear. He just giggles and giggles! He also loves watching his brother play, eating, and sleeping. When he is ready to go to sleep, he pops in his thumb, looks at you, and gives a little whine! So cute. Gabe is now rolling all over and has started to grab things intentionally on the first try. He also started lifting his hands when he wants you to pick him up. Drew is back to his normal sweet self... finally! He had a few weeks of adjusting once mommy returned hom...

Our little man is 5 months old, covered in cute, chubby fat rolls! He just hit 16 pounds and rolled over from his back to tummy today. He is also cutting his first tooth, his front bottom right - it's poking through at I type! How did he grow to be so big? It must happen while we sleep! He loves to sleep - still 18 hours a day. He goes to bed around 7:30 and wakes around 8:00 am. Overall he is a very laid back, easy little guy who loves his sleep! He also loves to eat! He is still only on breast milk and the occasional formula bottle when I am running low and don't want to thaw anything. I'm hoping to wait on introducing solids until he is 7 months old, he doesn't need the calories! I will say breastfeeding was really easy when you only had one kid, it has been a struggle breastfeeding Gabe. I am always running around and can't find time to sit and relax. Gabe is getting ready to sit up, he loves to play in his exersaucer and johnny jump up. Too fun! Drew is lov...

An amazing love story and God's love for us all wrapped into this heartwarming blog! Watch the video here and read their blog here

(Here is a piece I wrote for the Interactive Bible Reading.... thought you might enjoy!) Deuteronomy 5, Psalms 95 Since we have already studied the giving of the Ten Commandments, I wanted to focus today on the 2nd commandment, verse 7, which states, “You shall have no other gods before me.” This commandment addresses the jealousy of God, spoken of in Deut 4:24 “For the Lord Your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” I would say that this commandment is the hardest for me to follow. Daily I find my loyalty to God being challenged by the idols of self, consumerism, and instant gratification. What comes to your mind when you read that our Lord is jealous, or a consuming fire? Recently I watched a video clip where Oprah discussed why she created her own persona of god. In her mid-twenties, while attending her Baptist Church, Oprah heard preached, that God was love and merciful and jealous. She didn’t understand how our God could be jealous, so she went on a quest to “open her mind … to...

Isn't God's creation beautiful?

We have returned home to Texas, the weather is in the 80's and beautiful! My flowers are in full bloom and planting season has arrived! John and Drew "Batched" it while Gabe and I went to Oregon for my Nana's 80 th Birthday (surprise!) I also spent some much needed girl time with my best friend Bethany. We had fun coloring our hair, doing our nails, straightening our hair, and cleaning her shower (a story for another day)! Gabe loved being the center of attention and watching all the action. He behaved well on the plane rides, just fussed a little because he wanted to sleep in his own bed. It was a great time of relaxation. I somehow acquired hives while in Oregon and went into the doctor when my eyes swelled shut. I'm much better now but the medicine keeps me awake and jittery. I go back Monday to my O.B so hopefully she can give me something new. Drew and Daddy had fun putting in french drains, I arrived home to that sweet surprise! John enjoyed his week alone ...

We went to the doctor last week, here are the boys stats: Drew (3 Yrs) 29 LBS (25%) 35 3/4 inches (10%) Gabe (4 Mths) 14LBS 12 OZ (50%) 23 1/4 (5%) Head 16 3/4in (50-75%) Gabe is all messed up! He is short with a big head, it makes for a cute baby! We took a ton of pictures in the Blue Bonnets yesterday. Take a look at the picture page, there are some funny pictures! Drew at 4.5 Months (13 Pounds) Just moving to 3-6 month clothes Gabe at 4.5 Months (15 Pounds) Beginning to wear some 6-9 months clothes

On Sunday I was running around trying to get the boys ready for church. Drew decided to spend 15 minutes trying to go to the bathroom and it messed up my schedule. As we were running out the door I noticed that Drew didn't have any shoes on his feet; in haste and with a not so nice comment to Drew, ran upstairs to find his shoes. When I returned to put on his shoes Drew looked at me and said "Mommy, are you happy in your heart?" I wish I could say I repented but it took the drive to church before I calmed down. Sweet Drew, he was so quiet all the way to church, then when I asked him to forgive me for my bad attitude he said "sure mommy!" You could almost see the relief on his face when he saw that I wasn't upset anymore. What would I do without my two little blessings to teach me valuable lessons?

(Fun times with Uncle!) 275. One pound lost, many more to go…. 276. Sweet kisses and prayers with Drew tonight 277. Drew’s call as I close his door “sleep tight mommy!” 278. Watching Drew and his daddy wrestle and tickle well into the evening 279. Gabe’s 15 pound body covered with fat rolls 280. Pure lungs that support my body, pray for Tricia and her new set of lungs free from Cystic Fibrosis and for their 26 week Miracle Gwyneth 281. A great rub down by my sweetheart 282. God’s unending mercy, especially when I blow it! 283. My prayer warrior of a mentor Mary 284. A great year at Mom2Mom so many testimonies shared about lives changed 285. A new sister in Christ Aimee! 286. Only 24 hours in a day, if there were more I’d fill them up too 287. Cherishing, pondering and enjoying all the blessings in my life 288. A roof over the family’s head that protects us from the 3 am downpour 289. A bright sunshine breaking through the gray and drizzle 290. Eager energetic husband who wakes r...

I had no idea that potty training would bring out the inquisitive side of our son. He is just fascinated with discovering new things and talking about them. Here is today's conversation which took place when Drew walked into the bathroom while I was going. D: "Mommy, no, you doing wrong, hold down your penis." M: "Drew, mommy doesn't have a penis, she is a girl." D: With a questioning look "why not, your doing it wrong." M: "Mommy wasn't made like you, God made me to be a girl, so I don't have a penis." D: Still not getting it "Mommy, we go to doctor and he make it all better, you get fixed?" M: "Sorry, this how God made me, your made different you look like Daddy." D: Exasperated that I don't appear to understand, he shifts his focus to washing his hands" My smart 3 year old boy is really challenging my on the spot thinking ability. Daddy does so much better with these discussions! On a praise note, ...