Giving Thanks with a Grateful Heart

Ever since I have had kids, I feel like I have learned a lot about what it means to really give thanks and to count my blessings. I don't wait until Thanksgiving Day to give God the glory and thanks for what He has placed in my life, but every day I spend time in prayer thanking Him for blessing me.

One thing I am thankful for is this guy. This little 2 1/2 year old that is now about 1 month away from turning 3. I am thankful for his health, his witty personality, and his constant love and affection. And this little ball of energy. My little 10 month old that has a smile to offer to anyone who looks at him. A kiss to offer when asked. A feisty personality that makes me believe that I am going to have my hands full when he is 2 1/2. I am also thankful for his health and well being.

My amazing husband of almost 5 years. Thankful that he asked me to be his with my dream proposal. Thankful that he works so hard for our family and is always willing to serve at any moment. Thankful for a husband who will see that I need help with something and won't wait for me to ask for help, he will just do it. I am so thankful that I have a husband that meets and exceeds every expectation that I have ever had for a husband. He is my hero, the rock, backbone and heart of this family. I can't imagine this family functioning without him.

Thankful for my parents who raised me up to have Godly morals. For my dad who taught me to take care of and cherish the important things in life. To invest in my spiritual life, family, and education. Thankful for my mom who has modeled for me for what it means for be a forgiving, patient mother and spouse, and loving unconditionally.

Thankful for the greatest in-laws in the world. Thankful for a family who has welcomed me into their family as their own. Thankful for these individuals who have shown me what it takes to love genuinely and to serve whole heartily. Thankful that my boys have such wonderful male role models surrounding them and the most awesome cousins, nieces and nephews. All these kids walk into a room and the place just lights up. I am so grateful that each one of these children are all healthy and happy.

I am thankful for my sister and brother in law, Josh(whom I was unable to see this Thanksgiving). She is a beam of light and has a heart of gold. I am praising God this holiday season for answering all our prayers and blessing her with the gift of pregnancy. I can't wait to hold baby M and bless the britches off him/her.

I am also thankful for my health and that I am able to get up every morning and be a mother and a wife to some of the most amazing people. My heart and mind grieves for those mothers who are sick or have sick children. I have been blessed and I don't/can't explain why God has been so gracious to me, but I am forever thankful for what He has brought into my life.

And most importantly, I am thankful for the freedom of salvation. I am thankful that Jesus died for me so that I may have life. One of my new favorite songs has been around for a while, but now that I am kind of an adult, I really understand the meaning of the words. "Jesus paid it all, all to whom I owe. My sin has left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." I am thankful for Jesus who is patient with me everyday and each new day, it is a clean slate.

Finally, I am thankful for you who have taken the time to read this blog. I am curious if people even read this anymore since all my blog friends are on Facebook. Have a wonderful holiday season and if you don't hear from me in the next three months it is because I am a terrible planner and decided to have a baby 4 days before Christmas, get married on New Year's and have another baby soon after Christmas. I will be busy planning parties, preparing for parties and shopping. Yea for the busiest time of the year. *sighing....heavily!*

My boys

Christian's new trick. I always think he is about to stand up, but he plops down on his bottom. Even in public we have to sit Broseph in time out for not playing nice.

Scary, but this is what I have in store for myself. Two crazy brothers joy riding. I think I will start praying my safety prayers right about.....now.

If I wasn't scared of CPS taking my babies away, I would totally eat his cheeks. I love this babies face ;-)

This kid loves balls.

Sorry it has been such a long time since I have posted, but we have been extremely busy and the only reason I am posting tonight is because Jeff is out of town and I finally have some free time.
We have been doing very well. The boys are growing like weeds and CHK is now 3 months away from turning one! For Halloween, Joseph, Christian and I went to Dallas for a four day weekend. Friday, my mom, sister and my family made a trip to Canton and did some shopping. I realized here that my boys are BOYS and do not like shopping. On Friday night, we bundled up and headed to my old high school's homecoming football game. It was a lot of fun to be back at RHS and to sit in the bleachers and look at the field where I played a lot of soccer games.
Saturday we laid low in the morning and then in the evening we headed out for some trick or treating. I was planning on dressing the boys as Mario and Luigi, but right before we left I tried the overalls on Joseph and he didn't want them on...at all. Thank goodness I had a back up plan and have realized that some things just aren't worth fighting over. The boys ended up dressing up as boys for the 60's and it turned out okay. The neighborhood that we went to was awesome! Some houses gave out FULL size candy bars and bags of skittles. I have never seen that and have wondered if that really existed.
Then Sunday and Monday we did our usual shopping trips and my mom spoiled the boys...as usual. Joseph was able to add to his collection of Cars, so he was happy.
Here are some pictures of us over the past month.

Jeff and I have determined that C's going to be our expensive child. As you can see, he is going to need braces because he sucks his thumb all day (I love this, so this isn't a complaint), he LOVES remote controls, phones and pretty much anything that is electronic. OH BOY!

Joseph-Excited about getting candy.


Christian-Could careless.

This picture is geniune...Joseph really does love his little bro.

I love this boys eyes.

If only I looked this cute sleeping like this. (You notice his Car book? I am telling you, he sleeps with something Cars related every single night.)

My birthday boy and his guitar cake. I made it for him and Jeff really liked it.

Cars

Joseph's new love is the movie Cars. I bought this movie sometime in the summer and he took to it faster than ants going after a dropped cherry snow cone. He L--O-V-E-S this movie.
During potty training I decided to get him a little surprise one day at Walmart for doing such a good job. As I was checking out, I noticed they had a Lightning McQueen car. I bought it, brought it home and surprised him with it the next time he had told us he had to use the bathroom. I honestly don't think he has put it down since.
Then two weeks ago I was at H-E-B and I turned a corner and there was this shrine of the same series of cars. Joseph's mouth and face beamed with excitement and he told me he wanted down. I let him pick one out since we were about to go on a trip and I thought it would be fun for him to have in the car.
Well, it is starting to get out of control. I buy a new car for him every time I go to Walmart or
H-E-B. And just today this is how a conversation went between Joseph and I.....
J-"Mama, we going to the store?"
M-"Nope, not today. Why, what do we need from the store?"
J-"I need sheriff."
Oh boy, I have created a monster. The picture below is proof of how much he loves these cars. He takes them to bed with him every night and he has a Cars backpack that I had bought way before he ever started watching the movie and loads it up with his Cars cars and his Cars books. Yes, there are books too. Last Christmas my Aunt Kim had bought him this adorable set of 8 Cars books and carrier. I thought he was too young last year to have it out, so I put it in his closet with some other books that he isn't quite ready for. Well, we had watched the movie, he had fallen in love with it and then one day I was switching out some books and found the Cars books (which I had completely forgot about). It was like having Christmas in July. He was beaming. So now when we go places, we grab both boys, diaper bag, Cars backpack that contains 8 Cars books, McQueen, Chick, Big Mater, King, Doc, Red, baby Mater, and Sarge.
Praise the Lord these cars are only $3.98 each....and maybe I should practice some self control before he turns 16 and he wants several different cars. Jeff might not approve of me getting him a Honda, Toyota, Beamer and a Lexus.
I guess I will enjoy it while I can.

This past weekend we attempted our first family trip, with just us four. It was a great time to go to a hotel and not have to cook, clean, or have to worry about anything. Friday we headed to Grapevine, TX to the Great Wolf Lodge. We arrived around 3, unloaded and then headed to the water park. Joseph had a wonderful time. The toddler area was perfect for him. He was able to do everything in that area fairly easily.

Christian had a good time too splashing in the water and army crawling through it. I told Jeff that Christian looked like a Navy Seal in the water, because he moves along on his belly through the water. We even sent him down some slides, holding him of course, and he enjoyed it a great deal.

Joseph was telling my mom on Sunday that I pushed him down a big slide and that it wasn't very nice. That is true, but seriously, these water parks need to get on board and let me go down the slides with him. We went to the bigger kid area and I strapped on his life jacket and gave him a nudge and off he went. However, on the first turn, he ate it, and he ate it hard. He didn't cry, but Jeff, who was at the bottom waiting for him, said he looked very concerned. Joseph was done with that area after that.

There was a lot about this place that I loved and I really want to go back in the future, but Jeff says we need to wait until our youngest is about 3. And by youngest, he means our fourth (If the Lord allows it) being 3. I can't wait that long. I think if we wait two more years, Joseph will be 4, C will be 2 and maybe have a baby, it will still be fun for the two older one's. We did learn this week that Joseph is still at an age that he can't really get off his bed time routine or nap time. We ended the trip with him hitting me and having to sit out. I was making him get out of the water so we could dry off to get dressed and head out to Mimi's house. I did like his enthusiasm for wanting to stay in the water though.

October's off to a great start!

This past weekend my parents came in and we, of course, had a good time. The weekend started off with Jeff and I getting to go on a date. We went to Las Rosas where we shared some beef fajitas. We then headed to Home Depot to pick up some mulch and flowers for our flowerbeds that we were going to work on the next day. That evening ended with a stop at Starbucks where we were able to enjoy some coffee, conversation and just trying to kill time because we had just done the previous two in record time. (I think we are used to eating and doing things so fast because we always have the kids, and then when we are by ourselves, we are able to go slower, but I don't think we know how.)

Then Saturday morning, Jeff and I were going to work on the flowerbeds, but he ended up with the flu junk. He came outside and lasted for about 10 minutes and then ended up back in bed until after church on Sunday. I was very thankful my parents were in town because that could have been a long weekend without any help. So between my parents and myself, we were able to fix up the flowerbeds.

Then Saturday evening my parents, the boys and myself headed to BJ's for some good ol' pizza and Aggie football. The food and company were perfect, but the Aggies stunk it up.

Then Sunday afternoon, my mom and I took both boys to see Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Joseph laughed a lot and Christian was surprisingly interested in the movie too.

I have the pictures backwards, but here are the flowerbeds afterwards. You can't really tell that we did anything, but there are flowers in there. They are just really small.

Playing around with my new toy.

The beds before we touched them.

October is off to a good start. I really enjoy the fall now that I have kids. Tons of fun things to do. This month holds for us some exciting things: This weekend we are going to go to Grapevine, TX to the Great Wolf Lodge. It has an indoor water park and the the kids beds are replicas of tree houses, tents, and caves. We are in a cave room! They are also going to have a Trick or Treat Trail this weekend, so that should be fun. This month is Jeff's birthday, so I need to think of something to do there. Then we will be heading to Dallas for Halloween where my boys will be dressed as a famous brother duo.

Then of course, the pumpkin patch! I love dressing them up and taking pictures, so this should be fun. Oh, if anyone is willing to help me do this, please let me know. I don't think I can do it during the day by myself, and I don't really want to wait until the evening to do it.

Have a great October!

Happy 8 Month Birthday C-Bear

Seriously, he is 8 months old today. It is going so fast, that it's kind of 'spooky.'

At 8months, Christian:

-Can scoot around and get from room to room if he is really motivated.

-Goes after every single toy Joseph is playing with, even if there are other toys around him.

-Wears size 3 diaper

-He is in 6-9 mo clothes.

-Is starting to dislike it very much when things are taken away from him.

-Has begun to go to Jeff when he gets home.

-Sleeps through the night. Will head to bed around 8 and will wake up from anywhere between 6:30-7:30a.
-Still sucks his thumb.

-Very sweet baby if you are holding him. Towards the end of the day, it is almost near to impossible to put him down.

Happy 8 month C! I can't believe in four months he will be a year old.

Since we had a very scary incident involving Christian almost plummeting to the ground head first from the highchair, we have to strap him in. And he H-A-T-E-S it!! Right before this, he was so mad so I decided to take a picture of him being upset because if he wouldn't try to climb out of the chair every time, we wouldn't have to strap him in as if he were going to space. When I opened the camera lens, here is what my little charmer decided to do......

smile

"Whaaaasssss up?" Does anyone ever say that anymore?

Risky business, anyone?

He Knows the Plans

Do you ever wonder what your kids are going to do when they grow up? Not necessarily what you want them to do or would like them to do, but what God has planned for them. When I see what Joseph is interested in and plays with everyday, it makes me think, 'Is he going to be a...?"

Joseph is at a really fun age to watch play and to play with. His imagination is starting to broaden and he is starting to imitate things he sees. Joseph loves animals, so sometimes I wonder if he is going to be a Zookeeper or Veterinarian. When I think of this, I just chuckle because for his first Halloween, he was a Zookeeper. Prophetic? We shall see. That was even before he was in love with animals. When he was about 15 months, his heart would swell if he was given any kind of animal as a toy. At this age, he would carry around a little horse that he got in a John Deere tractor set. I will forever cherish that toy. He carried it everywhere and would even sleep with it.

Just about every night he goes to sleep, he asks to take an animal or several animals to bed with him. He just loves animals! He adores the neighborhood cats and dogs, frogs, and any other animal life that he can touch, hold or kiss (this one grosses me out).

Sometimes I wonder if he is going to be a coach or preacher. I know some of you don't notice it because he is very shy around most people, be Joseph can talk! He loves to tell stories and loves to talk while he is playing by himself. I don't see him being a bad student, but I can foresee him not getting things done in class because he talks a lot (when he is comfortable). Take potty training for example. He gets in there to go, stands on the stool and will be there for a long time because he is talking to me, drumming on his belly, singing or dancing. Once he focuses, he is done. Same thing at the dinner table....he talks and talks and never gets around to eating. At age 2 1/2, I find myself still feeding him sometimes because I know he won't get anything in his mouth if I don't start it.

Joseph loves to read. I find him in his room, sitting down, book in lap telling a story from the pictures. So cute. Lately, I have found him with the Bible open, him hitting it, and saying, "You obey!" 'Mama, obey!" He continues down his list of names. I just sit and soak it up because it is very funny and when he is done, I applaud him, as if he just preached the best sermon ever.

He is also very compassionate and genuinely worried if I am hurt, have a scar or if someone is crying. A while back I had a bad reaction to a watch band and several times he would come up and twist my arm to look at the rash and touch it and say, "Aww, what happened?" I had a photo album out that held several pictures of me as a baby up to teenage years. There was one particular picture where I am in the bathroom with a cast on my foot. The look on his face when he saw the cast, I could tell he was very concerned. Several days in a row he would get the album, flip to that picture and want me to tell him again what had happened. Does this mean he might be a counselor or Doctor?

Maybe an engineer? From a very young age he would look over toys as if inspecting them and you could tell he was trying to figure out how it worked. He would lay on his belly, roll cars back and forth staring at the tires, seeing what made them work the way they did.

A musician? This kid loves to drum, air guitar and air play a violin. Two of his favorite videos are Animusic and Baby Beethoven. He enjoys watching Jeff and my dad play music and I must say, this kid can really carry a beat.

Lastly, maybe a gymnast? Because this past week I learned that he can hold his body weight pretty well. You will have to ask me sometime what I am referring to here, but the moral of the story is that he held onto the garage door alllllll the way up. Maybe this was the beginning of sport filled with tights wearing, bar hanging athleticism.

Christian, I am still watching him grow and become the person God is forming him to be. He seems more active and feisty than what Joseph was at this age. He doesn't cry much, but he does scream...I don't know which I prefer more. Just today I saw him inching along the floor after a toy. It was the ol' push with your feet, pull with your hands type of action. I must say, he got what he wanted.

Christian, maybe a model, because he loves to smile. This baby is always smiling!! He reminds me of me, from when I was in grade school. Several times throughout my life other kids would tell me that all I did was smile. I didn't talk much, but I always smiled. This is Christian. I also think he is going to smile his way out of things. Anytime he pinches or scratches me and I say, "OUCH!" He just smiles. Or when I tell him not to pinch, he just smiles. Smile, smile, smile...that is Christian.

Whatever God's plan is for them, I will be just fine with! One thing I do wish for them is for them to be educated, Godly men, father's and husbands. If Jeff and I can model what it means to raise your family, love your family, and make God the center of their lives, I will say that Jeff and I were successful as parents.

A man who puts God first, supports and works hard for his family, loves his wife and children, is a Hero in my book. I will be so delighted if my boys and future children grow up and do this in their lives. A decorated resume doesn't mean anything, and is only short term, but loving God, your wife and family has so many more rewards.

So, what do you think your sons or daughters will be? What do they show interest in? What drives them? What are their personalities like? I lift up each of your children right now and pray that when the time comes, they will seek His kingdom and become brothers and sisters in Christ.



"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

VBS, 6 months, Family Reunion and Potty Training

This has been an amazing and very busy summer. VBS was a blast this year and a fun one because Joseph was able to go for the first time this year. Jeff, myself and some other volunteers helped teach the 2 and 3 year olds because Lindsay H. had to leave town for a funeral. I really enjoyed getting to assist/teach Joseph and his pals and hear in Joseph's own words what he learned that night.

This past weekend we went to Bastrop for a family reunion. It was a great time of fellowship, wonderful food, and much fun with the kiddos. I would have liked to have done more things outside, but man was it a toasty weekend. We managed to play at the park a few times and then go swimming on Saturday. Joseph, didn't seem to mind being indoors because he was able to run around and play with June and Jack the entire weekend. I also think he liked the endless snacking that he was able to do while in the main meeting hall.

This past Monday we started potty training Joseph. Monday was just flat out a long, frustrating day. After two very encouraging phone calls (Thanks Courtney and Lindsay), I was encouraged to stay positive and that it would get better. After dinner on Monday night, Joseph used the toilet for the fist time that entire day! Someone asked me today how the potty training had been going and I put it like this: Monday, Joseph went through 11 pairs of underwear, Tuesday, 6 and then Wednesday, 2. So, I guess you can say that we are making progress. If you are first time potty training mom, I think I have some helpful tips for you, and I would love to share. He is doing so good with it and I am starting recognize his pee pee dance, so as soon as I see it, we go. Then when he has to go number 2, he will usually tell me.

Christian turned 6 months two weeks ago and I can't believe how fast it is going. When we arrived back home from the reunion we decided to not set up his playpen, so I was forced to put him in his big boy crib. He has done great! This week, along with the potty training, Christian has decided to cut, not 2, but 3 top teeth. I had been telling people he was getting his one front tooth and the one next to it, but today I noticed he is getting both front teeth and the one next to it. Needless to say, he has been a little crabby during the day and doesn't like it when I put him down. A little hard when you are assisting a 2 year to the bathroom every hour or cleaning up puddles.

This summer has pretty much come to an end for us, which is sad. We will miss the swimming, Popsicles, cookouts, backyard pool, water parks, camp, vbs, and all the outdoor fun we have had this summer. I am really looking forward to next summer when Christian will be 15 months and getting around.

Okay, I guess it is still going to be hot for another 5 months around here, but school will be starting soon, so I just figure since their summer is almost over, so is ours. We are however heading to Schlitterbahn with the Church this weekend. I am looking forward to this because we will just be taking Joseph. This will be a great outing after being inside allllllll week. I am already talking to him about going and he has been asking everyday since I first told him about it on Monday.

I hope your summer was blessed with some wonderful memories.

Next Hanes model?

Joseph posing in his new undies.




Tilly's awesome bed head and playing with her belly button, which I think is cute because Joseph does the same thing.

At the reunion we stayed with the Harrell's. I think Joseph really enjoyed it...fun for him to get to see Jack and Tilly first thing in the morning and fun for Jeff and I to get to visit with Brad and Lindsay. Here, all the boys are enjoying some morning reading.

June was a real ham at VBS. She got up on stage every single night and danced like crazy.

This was a very busy class of 2 and 3 year olds. This night we had 12...that is a lot of toddlers!

John and Luis.

Joseph and the Name Tag. He did NOT want to wear it, but he didn't want me to take it from him either.

Christian at his 6 month check-up.
Stats: 16 lbs (24%)

26 1/2 inches (54%)

Christian's new ride.

Random picture I know, but one day I had a few grapes in my hand and went to get Christian from his swing. I dropped one, but couldn't find it. I looked under the swing, in the seat, under the dresser and then several minutes later I was kissing on Christian and noticed the grape inside his shirt collar.

Ways I find Christian throughout the day. This particular day I heard, *Laughter* "Mama look, Christian funny."

Another day, *Laughter* "Mama look, Christian is stuck. (His jungle gym thing had collapsed on him and he was right in the middle. This was of course caused by big brother.)

Went to the kitchen and came back and noticed Christian had this. Made me realize I need to start watching for small objects on the floor. This little guy can get around and find things...like this cheetah. I took the picture and then had Joseph go get it from him....Christian was NOT happy.

Surprise Visit

At Mimi's Cafe

On Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from my dad asking what we had planned for the rest of the week. I didn't have much, so my mom decided to drive down on Wednesday and then my dad flew in on Friday. We threw some activities together and ended up having a great time with Grammy 'Mimi' and Papaw.

Thursday, my mom and I went to lunch at Mimi's Cafe, which we thought was appropriate since that is what she is known as around here and then headed to an awesome Toy Store in Pearland Town Centre. Warning: kids may have break down if you enter. Before we left, my mom said she would get something for Joseph. Well, he couldn't quite understand that he could only get one item. I could tell he was thinking, "If I can get one train, why can't I get 5 more?" So, needless to say, a little drama. We were able to successfully make it out with one train and an airplane.

On Friday, after picking up my dad, we headed to Moody Gardens. With several options on our plate, we decided to go to the Aquarium and then had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. It was a wonderful day and I was happy to spend it with Grammy and Papaw. My mom took some great pictures and I thought I downloaded appropriately from her camera, but ended up not. So I will make a request for the cute pics and display later.

Hope your weekend was as blessed as ours.

Sitting up?

Attempting to get a shot of just Christian sitting up. However, Big Brother Joseph was wanting to be in the picture too. As soon as I sat Christian down, Joseph jumped behind him and said, "Picture." Yes, but um, can you move a little to the left...a little more...and a little more. Jk. I was more than happy to take a picture of both.

Still trying to get just Christian, but now Joseph looks like a stalker.

This would be Joseph attempting to ride Christian. Yes, Christian is actually sitting up here.

Ahhhh, success. The picture I wanted from the beginning. And this is the look you get as you start to lose your balance and fall over.

Beach Day

This past weekend, we thought it would be a great idea to join our friends Mark, Megan and a group called ODP (Outdoor Projects) at the beach. We have taken Christian to Schlitterbahn and NRH2O this summer and both times he was an angel. Well, Saturday, I think he was just tired of being in the heat. It was a very warm day and he just wasn't happy about being there. We stayed for about 3 hours, and that was plenty. I would love to go back before it gets too cold, but just take Joseph because he loved it! On the way back, Jeff asked me, "What were we thinking?" Meaning, why did we ever think that would work with Christian. For not getting in the water or playing in the sand, he was very sandy. Joseph wanted to touch Christian's mouth, head, body and I was constantly telling him to not do that. One time I got Christian out of the stroller and then Joseph climbed in...covered in nasty beach water and sand. Grrrr. Now where do I put my little guy?!? I guess life is about experiences and we learned a lot from this one.

It was a pretty toasty morning, as you can tell by Christian's Rosy cheeks.

Christian looks like Jeff, I think. Get them both to smile at the same time and you will be looking at twins.

Starting Cereal

I thought it was time to start feeding Christian ever since he tried to grab and eat my dad's pizza, grabbed at some M&M's from my mom's co-worker, and hadn't slept through the night for several nights in a row. I wasn't sure how he was going to do since we were starting a little earlier than we did with Joseph. He has done very well with it, but doesn't seem to L-O-V-E it like Joseph did. Christian will only eat about 1 tbsp, where as Joseph could polish off about 2-3 tbsp. Doesn't seem like a lot, but for rice cereal, it is! I don't know if he just isn't interested or if he is distracted by the big brother. Either way, he does pretty good and I can't wait to start him on veggies and fruit.