Merry CHRISTmas!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours! This Christmas season is different for us...we are not traveling for one! :) It is also Daniel's first Christmas, and we are so keenly aware of the beautiful and wonderful addition he is to our family. We also see Christmas through a 3 year old eyes and it is truly beautiful. David loves Christmas carols and talking about the Nativity scene and Christmas story. When he speaks of Baby Jesus, I can feel God smiling! May we teach him of the greatest gift of all now and always. Baby Jesus is Born! We pray God's blessings upon each of you! Merry CHRISTmas!

Baby Jesus is Born~Garth Brooks

Tell the children of Abraham
There's a star over Bethlehem
And the light in the manger
Come a Christmas morn
When baby Jesus is born

Angel came to Mary
Said, I'm tellin' you
The light of this world
Is shinin' inside of you
His sweet forgiveness
Gonna set men free
The lame will walk
And the blind will see

Tell the children of Abraham
There's a star over Bethlehem
And the light in the manger
Come a Christmas morn
When baby Jesus is born

Wise men following a holy light
Shepherds heard singing
In the midnight sky
And they all came a runnin'
Through the stable door
The meek and the mighty
The rich and the poor

Tell the children of Abraham
There's a star over Bethlehem
And the light in the manger
Come a Christmas morn
When baby Jesus is born
Baby Jesus is born

Snow Days

David, Daniel, and Garrett are already loving the winter snow! We've had a few little snows and they have been beautiful. We even played in it one morning before school! I love the pic of David and Garrett watching the snow out the window...they both couldn't wait to get out there! We are hoping for more snow AFTER Christmas because David has asked Santa for a sled!

Can't Even Breathe

I was taking a shower this morning and thinking about how it was the 1st time in over 24 hours that I had anytime to just breathe. Alone. Silence. It was wonderful. Those moments are rare these days with my 2 boys. I am usually always busy with one or both of them. But, God convicted me in my silence. I am so blessed to have very few moments of silence. I am sure there are many this Holiday season who long for someone to reach out and touch them. Or miss the touch of a lost loved one. Or crave the sound of another's voice...or just desire to be surrounded by people who love them and care for them. I am so blessed to have few moments to catch my breath. I pray now and always that I "can't even breathe." I love having David playing with my hair, or Daniel giving me hugs, or Garrett snuggling me on the couch, or Matt just lovingly putting his hand on my lap, or all of them wanting, desiring my attention all at once. Although I DO need some alone time, especially alone time with God...I am one blessed Momma to have very few moments alone otherwise! My prayer tonight is for those who are longing for noise and touch. May God wrap his arms around them and be made known to them to the point where they "can't even breathe"! Thank you Lord for my blessings!

Daniel's Baptism

"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Mark 1:11

Our sweet and precious Daniel had a special date with God this past Sunday. We brought him before our Lord for his baptism. It was a beautiful service. Daniel was absolutely precious. He loved looking around at the congregation, did not cry at all when he was baptized, and looked as handsome as ever. What a special occasion! Not only for us as parents, but for him, and also for the Lord. Preacher Paul's sermon was about the importance of baptism and how it isn't just a symbol. What a holy sacrament and covenant with the Lord! As parents we were asked to bring him up in a Christian home, to nurture him in his faith, and to support him in his walk with God. The church family was also asked to do the same. It is indeed a task, but one I will go to my grave striving to do. I am humbly aware that David and Daniel are only mine for a little while. My job in life is to teach them about our Lord and Savior. May God give me the guidance to do so, not just with my words, but also with my actions.

Daniel was surrounded not only by his church family, but also with 30+ family and friends! We were overwhelmed with gratefulness! He was also baptized with Holy Water. Matt brought back water from the Jordan River when he was visiting back in his Navy days. David and Daniel (and other family members) have now been baptized with this water. The day was beautiful indeed! A little chilly, but very special!
And here is our little man...

Just random pics

We love our new house and have all settled in nicely to it. Matt loves his "real" fireplace, David and Daniel love their playroom, Garrett loves being able to see out the window and not moving off the couch, and I love everything about it! I would love to share pics of the house, but for safety reasons, I won't. I am sure you will get glimpses of it here and there in the future though! We live very close to the mtn, very close to some busy train tracks, and have the most beautiful wooded backyard!

I do have some random pics I would like to share though. Recently, David and I were in Matt's cousin Sarah's wedding. We all had such a good time at the wedding and David was such a precious ring bearer. He did GREAT and looked so handsome.

I also am posting some other random pics of the boys...enjoy!

Halloween 2008

We are finally getting all settled in our new house and I am back online and uploading pics again. We had a wonderful Halloween in our new home and enjoyed trick or treating in our new neighborhood. Cousin Lilly, Aunt Abby, Aunt Karyn, Uncle A.D., and Aunt Sarah came and went with us. David was the cutest Cowboy in town and Daniel was our Little Stinker...but the sweetest skunk around. We recycled David's skunk costume for Daniel...it was so cute the first time, we couldn't resist using it again! Enjoy our pictures!

Our boys!!!

Matt and I are so blessed. During the last few months, we have had so many changes. New baby, new job, moving, living with parents, looking for a house, David starting preschool, going back to our old church,...you get the point. AND we still have more changes coming as we are about to close on our new home in TN. HOWEVER, through all the craziness and changes...God has provided time and time again. We are so blessed to be surrounded by our families again. BUT, through all this, our boys are the ones that make us feel like life is going to be o.k. again. They are simply precious and we are so thankful for them.

Daniel Doodah is 4 months!!

Where has the time gone? It is hard for me to believe this little man has already been here for 4 months! At the same time, it seems as though he has always been a part of our family! We are now established with the dr's in TN, so we had his 4 month follow up yesterday (and shots...ouch!). Here are his stats:
13lbs 6 oz (20%)
25 3/4 inches (75%)

SO...We have a LONG, SKINNY little man!!! He will probably be tall and lean like his Uncle Adam! Some of you know that when we left NC, the dr's were a little concerned because he wasn't gaining weight fast enough. He really still isn't gaining a lot of weight, but the dr's are no longer concerned and are assuming that is just how he will be. I think he is JUST perfect! He is already rolling over in both directions and it won't be long before he is after big brother. He is such a sweet little man who loves to cuddle, give kisses, and smile at everyone he meets. He has the sweetest little laugh and is normally always happy. Can you tell I am in love? Now, if he would just slow down a little bit, this Mommy's heart can't take him growing so fast!

Thank you Lord for our healthy Daniel Doodah. He is such a gift from above and just what we needed in our family! :)

Simply Irresistible

Isn't he just simply irresistible? This sweet boy smiles ALL THE TIME. We call him "Smiling Jack" and it fits! He actually has all kinds of nicknames already. David calls him "Bubbaloo" and he's also called "Doodah" and "Daniel Doodlebug" all the time. We are all so in love with him. Thank you God for the precious gift of Daniel. He is a beautiful and perfect addition to our family and can really take away all the worries of the world with his sweet smile!

Stealing Pictures

So I am finally getting around to posting these pictures my sister, Karyn, took of David and our niece Lilly. She took them back in July when we were in town for a visit and I just love them. Aunt "Ka Ka" took David and Lilly on a lunch date and then took them and got ice cream...they both had a ball! David and Lilly are so precious together. They are 14 months apart and just love one another. They are both meaner than snakes, yet, sweeter than sugar! :) I am so thankful they are able to live close to one another now! David and Daniel are both so lucky to be close to all their cousins and Aunts and Uncles again! However, we do miss Cousins Avery, Carly, and Brandon in NC!!!

At any rate,giving credit where credit is due...Thanks Aunt Ka Ka for the precious pics and by the way...HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :) I did take the last pic of Karyn with Daniel..I just love it, they both have the same blue eyes!