What we've been up to in Jasper...

The move here to Jasper has been tough. Tougher than I thought it would be. I really miss Louisville. I miss our church deeply, Jen and the boys, the restaurants, the shopping, the familiarity,....all of it. Each day when I wake up I am reminded that the most important things are here with me....God, daddy, and you guys (and Brady)...but it is still difficult. I can't help but feel a little lost. I just never considered myself a small town girl and here I am. I am sure time will help as we make friends and continue to get settled here. I am just trusting that this is God's plan for us. I find peace in the fact that daddy likes his job and you two seem very happy here. Will loves school and both of you love our new home. I have recently found a bible study and have also enjoyed talking and learning about God with other women. I am no good with out God in my life. He represents what is good in me and when I am apart from Him.....the "me" in me tends to really shine through.

Here are some recent pics of us....dining out at our favorite big sammich shop, a trip to Evansville with Graham, Logan, and Brandi, and just goofing around. Love you so much.

A blog just for you.

Well, my two kiddos, it is just you and me on here. I have really struggled about what to do with my blog. My intent was to capture precious memories of our time together and write about them so you can go back and read them and to also allow others to share in on our adventures but it ended up causing hurt feelings which was never my intent. I take pictures as I feel free to do so and don't want to be put in a position where people don't like having me around because I always have a camera in my hand or are trying to take their picture. So, I have just decided to set this ol' blog to private, keep doing what I do, but let it just be a gift t0 the two of you. By doing this, I can also share a little bit more of myself because I know the only people reading it are you....the two (of the 3) loves of my life.

Happy Birthday Abby!!!

Happy 3rd birthday my sweet, sweet baby girl! You had such a nice birthday party with your family and then at Chuck E Cheese with your friend Edie bug. One daddy-made Yoshi cake, an ice cream Dora cake, presents galore, a trip to Evansville, and 2 parties....you had a BIG weekend.

You are such a light in our lives. Beautiful, fun to be around, and cute as a button. Your big thing right now is growling at everyone. You are either a monster, a bad bird, or a dragon. I think you spent the first 10 minutes of your party growling at everyone. It was so funny.

I love you so much Abigail. You are my little mini me but a much improved version. You make me laugh and smile all day long. I am so thankful God gave me you. We are all so very crazy about you.

Thanksgiving Feast...

Will and Abby's room

The precious little bag Ashley bought me.
Me and Will

Yummy Desserts!!

As I am writing this post, I am thinking about all the food I have consumed in 48 hours and it is totally inexcusable. Way tooo much. I look forward to getting back on the wagon tomorrow.

Here are the pics from Thanksgiving. It was such a nice few days. My mom put on the whole show by herself and it was quite a spread. Everything was soo good. Lots of eating and shopping.....2 of my favorite things!!! Brian and I didn't end up shopping Black Friday after all but the best part is I ended going to Wal-Mart at 9:30 that morning and I got EVERYTHING on my wish list. Can you believe it? I got a great nights sleep and still got everything on our list....including a big TV!!! I lucked out. Hope yours was a good one as well.

Mom, me and the kids went to Legion Park on Friday. I love this park!!

Getting ready for Christmas...

I think things are about as decorated around here as they are going to be. No landscaping means no outside lights and no fire place means no place to hang our stockings so I had to improvise a little bit. I am going to buy some candles for the windows but other than that....the decorating is done...and things are looking mighty Christmas-y around here. :) We put our tree up tonight and the kids had a ball. They were both soo excited. It was precious.
One of my resolutions with this move, this house, and the start of a new chapter in our lives is to start making some of our own family traditions. So for our tree decorating festivities, I decided on new Christmas pj's for the kids (our kids love pajamas), breakfast for dinner, and dairy queen for dessert. How about that for a first holiday tradition? Certainly not fancy but fun and tasty none the less. I love Christmas. I love the music, the lights, the smells, and the colors. Since we don't really do Santa, the kids truly look at Christmas as a celebration of Jesus' birth. It is amazing to hear Will talk about it. He believes it all about Jesus' birthday and he is right. He knows where the gifts come from and I don't reallly think he cares who puts them under the tree. :)
Here are some pics from our night.

Up and Running!!!

My little camera went ka-put and so my blog has had some MAJOR neglect. I now own a nifty little Kodak Slice Camera so I am up and running. I also struggled with what I wanted to do with my blog. The kids and I love to sit down together and walk down memory lane...look at all the pictures, watch the videos, and talk about our fun times.....and that ultimately was why I decided to keep doing it. It is my gift to them, a snapshot of our time at home together, and since I am not sure how much time I will have once I go back to work, I am going to keep a bloggin' for a few more years. My blog is meant to be a reflection of our day...who happens to be a part of our day, and my heart.

I don't think I could sum up what all has happened in the past few weeks so I won't even try. I am soooo looking forward to Thanksgiving and to my mom's most amazing dressing, strawberry salad, macaroni and cheese, corn, and coconut cream pie. I am not a huge turkey fan. The side items and desserts are my favorites. I am ready to do some good eatin'!!!

Brian and I are also going to brave Black Friday in the wee hours of Thursday morning which I am super excited about. I will miss not going with my best pal Jen but happy to share the experience with my hubby as well. I don't think he knows what he's in for. :)

I will end my pre-Thanksgiving post by saying I am so very very thankful for my family....for my precious children and the joy and love they bring to my life. And I am so tremendously thankful for my husband. A man that is deeply committed and loyal to me and our family and always has our best interest at heart. I am also thankful for all the people in our lives that love and support us. And last but not least, for our Heavenly Father. For his grace that is new each day which allows us to be a little better today than we were the day before and gives us great hope for tomorrow. I have seen Him move in my heart, Brian's heart, and our childrens' hearts and it is an amazing thing.

I look forward to posting more later....pics and stories. Lots of Christmas decorating going on around here as well as getting ready for my baby girl's 3rd birthday. Such a fun, special time. Thanks for letting me share.

Weekly round up...

After trick or treating on Monday, we didn't do anything super fun or exciting. Will had preschool two days, we attended one play date, and then the weekend came. I did take the kids to the park on Wednesday in hopes of taking some pictures for our christmas cards. I was so pleased with how the pictures turned out. Here is a sneak peak at some of my favorites.

On Saturday, my parents came up to watch the kids so we could go to a party that Brian's boss had. He lives in Georgetown, Indiana so it was a little bit of a hike but worth it. It was nice getting out with just the two of us, talking to other adults, and eating some yummy food.

Sunday after my parents left, we piled up in the car and headed to Evansville. It was nice getting a taste of some bigger city life and doing a little shopping. Will found a bath robe he loved (he totally looks like Big Jul in his robe) and sissy found a cupcake dress. The kids love the Evansville mall because it has a train and a carousel that they can ride on....and Auntie Anne's and Chick-Fil-A. A total win-win. :)

Oh...and we musn't forget our last stop of the day. All it took was for us to see that bright red light a glowin'...which means Krispy Kreme is making them hot and fresh. Such a glutnous treat.

Happy Halloween!!!

It was a spook-tacular night around here. Lots of trick or treating which meant lots of candy. And what a difference a year makes. Will walked up to each house and said trick or treat and thank you...as friendly and as polite as he could be...and Abby did the same. They were both so cute. It was precious to watch.

Maw-Maw and D-D made the annual trek to see us, the kids, and pass out candy. The kids were excited to have them here and loved the Halloween goodie bags they brought (thank you). Dad didn't last too long walking around so he became the official candy passer-outer (which is how it always goes) and we strolled in an hour or so later with buckets full, cold hands, and big smiles.

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Some fun pics of the kids...

My little monster bros. They loooove these matching Mini Boden shirts. :)

Leather + Anti-bacterial Cleansers = Disaster

Here's what happened after we tried to clean our leather couch up after one of Sissy's coughing fits. Lovely huh? Brian's got his eye on some leather repair kit on Amazon.com. Big Jul--are you glad you have your couch back safe and sound? :)

Another fun Halloween Party!!

After two rounds of anti-biotic and a quick trip out of Jasper, Sissy was feeling much better by Saturday. I think we all had a raging case of cabin fever and were ready for some fun and sun and lucky for us...the McGowan Halloween Party was just the answer.

Will's little friend Colin (whom is in his preschool class) had a Halloween party on Saturday and it was tons of fun. Anne (his mom) went all out. Games for the kids, bounce houses, pinyatta (how do you spell that???), and lots of yummy food. We all had a great time and met some really nice people. Here are some pics from the party.