Well, we're moved into our new place! And to welcome us to the neighborhood, our neighbor across the street backed into our van. There wasn't a ton of damage, and it's really not a huge deal, but what a way to start out the new year! We're not unpacked yet, but we love the new area...I know, how can you love Arnold? It really is a great location - we're close to everything we need! Our church helped us move, and I've never seen anyone move so quickly! We are so thankful to everyone who helped us get in our new place!
He's done with school! For now, at least...
Jeremy has finished his Masters! I can't tell you how relieved both of us are! And as we walked across the stage, Dr. Moore actually gave him a fist-bump. And if he ever goes back to school for another degree, it won't be any time soon :)
The kids are ready for Christmas...and we are not at all ready to move! Isabel thinks it's Christmas every day, and if you try and take her picture, she holds her arms out and yells, "Merry Christmas!" She's handling the packing very well. We keep telling her that even though we're packing her toys away (or getting rid of them!), she has new special toys to open on Christmas morning! I think it's the grace of God that we're moving around Christmas. Now we have an excuse to hide, store, or just sell the toys we don't use right now! Now if we could just get everything else packed, we might actually be prepared to move!
We've been debating what to tell Isabel when she asks about Santa. She keeps telling us she wants to go see him. We've never really wanted to do the whole Santa thing with our kids, so we've been telling her, "Christmas is not about Santa or presents or pretty trees and decorations. Christmas is about Jesus!" So I pray that anyone who reads this will remember the same. I pray that the joy of your salvation fills your home this Christmas! And if you don't know Christ, there's no better time than right now to acknowledge Him as Lord.
Way too busy!
OK, so I haven't posted in a while... I just can't seem to stay (get) organized! The kids are growing up a little too quickly for me. Isabel is using the potty "like a big girl." I wouldn't say potty-trained, but we're getting closer. Grant is crawling, climbing, and no doubt will be walking/running soon. The other day I found him all the way on top of Isabel's train table...
Needless to say, I have to keep a very close eye on this little boy! He just loves to explore. I've added more pics of the family to our Picasa album.
We're traveling to Louisville this week for Jeremy's graduation from Southern Seminary! We're both so excited, and I'm extremely proud of him for persevering through the past 5+ years. He's also excited to move to the other side of the education industry - he will be teaching a class for the Missouri Baptist extension center starting in January.
We're moving Jan. 1, so if you don't get a Christmas card from us with our new contact info (did I mention I couldn't get organized?), let me know and I'll forward it to you. We don't have our new phone #s yet. Moving around the holidays = not a bright idea.
I just had to throw that in for kicks... Grant enjoyed his turkey on Thanksgiving :)
A Pirate Says.....
AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!! Isabel just LOVES pirates and had a blast dressing up! She ran from door to door and said "Happy Halloween Party!" She had way too much fun. I have more pictures uploaded on our Picasa website. She had a great night with her friends Clayton and Chloe!
Grant was a monkey, and I have to say he was the cutest monkey I've ever seen! He didn't seem to mind his outfit, and he rode around in the wagon chasing after his big sister.
Pumpkin Patch
We went to the pumpkin patch last night and Isabel just ran and ran...the girl loves pumpkins! When we asked her to pick one out, she didn't even want to take one home. So we ended up with 2 miniature pumpkins (we couldn't stand spending $8 on a large pumpkin she didn't even want). But we did get a few cute pictures of the kids. Just follow the link to the right labeled "Our Family Photos."
Grant is FINALLY sleeping through the night on a regular basis. He sleeps 11-12 hours every night, and we rarely hear him in the middle of the night. It took us almost 8 months, but we can finally get a good night's rest! That is until he gets sick again or gets more teeth - he has been quite the fussy baby! But he's just so stinking cute...
A Mover and a Shaker
In case you haven't noticed, Grant is quite active! He can sit up and "crawl" his way all around the room now. He is also starting to sleep through the night a lot more often! The past 2 nights he slept over 11 hours! I'm praying he continues that!
Isabel is starting to understand why we discipline, and you can see her actually process things in her mind. On some good advice from a friend with another strong-willed child, we've been teaching her about choices. When we instruct her to do something, we often give her options, (ex. you can either eat the snack I give you, or you can go without a snack today) and she thrives on that. She loves feeling like she has some responsibility. And when she knows the consequences up-front, it's easier for her to make the better choice. Today, she was disobeying over and over, and I got down right in front of her and said, "Isabel..." in a pretty stern voice. She said right away, "The Bible says so," which is her response when we ask her Why she should obey. We still have to discipline most of the day, but we can see her really growing in her understanding!
Jeremy and I are praparing for a garage sale this weekend (hopefully). We will be moving around the end of the year, and we're trying to simplify our lives a bit! Our rent keeps increasing in this house, and with a tight budget, we're convinced renting the house isn't really the best use of our money right now. So we're moving with hopes to save a little and eventually purchase our own home. Plus, we'll be neighbors with the Leonards when they move here! We're very excited for them to come on staff at Heartland, and we still need to pray that Ben finds a definite source of supplemental income that provides benefits for the family.
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