Countdown #4

#4- Family fun! Whether we were playing in the pool or bowling or playing in the sprinkler or spending time at the park, we love just having fun together!

Countdown #5

#5- Birthdays!!! Grace turned 7, Jonathon turned 12, Ella turned 4, and Les and I got older!!

My class had a party for me!!

Countdown #6

#6- Disney on Ice! Through the wonderful gift of a friend, I was able to take my girls to see Disney on Ice. The show was great, but thier faces were priceless!!

Countdown #7

# 7- Soccer! This was Ella's first time playing a sport and she did pretty good. Unfortunately, I don't think soccer is either of my girls sport, unless they are the goalie!

Countdown #8

#8- Football! Season #2 was fun, not very successful, but Jonathon just keeps getting better!

2009 Countdown #9

I thought it would be nice to go back over this past year and remember the special moments that happened, so I created a countdown. My top 9 of 2009! So here goes-

#9- A new year at new schools! Jonathon started middle school and Grace started 2nd grade at the new elementary school!

check it out!

Take a minute to check our my friend Michelle's website. She is an extremely talented photographer!! If you live in my area, and are in need of pictures, you should really give her a call. While you are browsing through the photos, see if you recognize any of those beautiful faces!

www.angeleyeportraits.com

O the joy!

Don't let the holidays get to you! :)

Remember that the real reason we celebrate is because of the birth of our Savior.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Movin' on up!

Where are you going, little boy??
Up, up and up!!!

Sweet baby!

Snack time!!!

3 happy kiddos!

Commercial Break

Isn't this what happens in your house during commercial breaks??

Wise beyond his years

Sunday night, Jonathon was in the Christmas program as a wise man. He looked so grown up! He had been part of the photo shoot for the power point that went with the songs, and he got to show up for real at the end of the program.

Baby Dedication

Sunday was parent/ child dedication service at our church. This is when the parents publicly pledge to raise their child up to know Jesus. It is also an acknowledgement that every child is a gift from God. We, as a family, dedicated Matthew. It is such a special time. As you can see there were quite a few families on stage with us.

Here we are listening to the charge the pastor is giving the parents.

Les introducing our family.

Mommy and Matt before we left for church.

Never learn

It seems like I never learn some things. I never learn that Matthew will climb the stairs if the gate isn't up. I never learn that the hardest hours of the day are 4-6pm. I never learn that not having a plan makes things NOT run smooth. And I never learn that my God will never leave me or forsake me. I am always amazed and surprised when God takes care of a need. I shouldn't be, but I am. I shouldn't doubt, but I do. I believe His word. I believe his promises. The problem is that I don't seem to move the belief from my head to my heart when things are tough. I am so thankful that God finds me worthy of His grace, His mercy and His blessings. I am so very thankful of the people He calls to be part of taking care of those needs. I am more than thankful, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. My God is much bigger than the ditch!

Pondering

Being a mom is hard, so rewarding, but hard. Lately, God has placed a verse on my heart and I think I understand why. The verse is

Luke 2: 19 "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

I feel like all I do lately is complain about the four amazing blessings God gave me. I complain about their mess, about how tired they make me, and more. What I need to do is treasure this time. I have four children, in four age groups, with four sets of needs, but more importantly, four sets of wonderful experiences to treasure. I have decided to start looking for the things to treasure and ponder in my heart. I am just going to start with a list here of things that I want to remember forever. I think that is what Mary was doing. I think she realized that this time would go so fast and it would be hard to hold on to all the little memories, so she was trying to engrave them on her heart so they would be there for her to remember, especially during the stressful moments.

Here are a few of the things I want to treasure- I am just starting with one for each child, but I know there are so many more.

Jonathon- how he blushes when we mention girls. This is a special age and right now he is still my little boy, but any day now, he will wake up all grown.
Grace- how she needs hugs. She thrives on them. I hope the day never comes that she doesn't want to give me hugs.
Ella- the wonder on her face when she listens to the stories I make up at bedtime. It is one of the most beautiful things.
Matthew-the way he reaches up and touches my face when he is nursing. I am very sad that this part of being a mom is coming to an end. It is so special.

I pray that God will help me see the small treasures everyday and remind me to ponder them in my heart so that I never forget how wonderful a calling it is to be a mom.

A letter to my children

Dear Children (this really is to J, G, and E. M is not walking, so I can't blame him!),

I love you and would do almost anything for you, but I think you are confused about who I am. I am not a maid. I will do the laundry, but I will not hunt down dirty clothes. I will not search behind doors and try to figure out what is clean and what is dirty. I will wash, dry, fold and deliver to your room the clothes in the laundry room. I hope this clears things up. So please do your part and bring your dirty clothes to the laundry room. Thank you!

Your loving mother

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