Snow???

I find it very interesting that last night's weather forecast said there would be no snow on Christmas yet tonight they say there is a chance. I think the weather people do this on purpose just to get everyones hopes up for a white Christmas because every year at this time they say there is a chance of snow!!!

We are having a good time in Nashville although the kids have both had colds. Sage's started before we left with a fever and now Sonya has had her run with the fever yesterday. My prayer is that they are completely better before Christmas! I can't wait to experience Christmas day with my girls and see what fun they are going to have. They are at some great ages right now and I think this is a great year to be spending it with my parents. In the last few years Christmas in Nashville has seemed really low key since my grandparents have been gone and we don't have as big a family Christmas anymore. I love big family get-togethers. This year, although I still miss them, I feel that new life has been added to our family celebration now that we have Sonya and Sage. I see the shift in the circle of life as I am now in my parents shoes and they get to be the grandparents. The joy has returned as I embrace this change.

An update on the firefighter.....Even though he scored well, Daniel didn't make the cut after the written test so now we get to see what the Lord has planned for us next! I'm not looking forward to tax season again so please join me in praying before and through that season of our life.

As I end this post my thoughts go to our Tuesday Ladies Bible Class and Peggy Nelson, the lady who always does announcements, always begins with "Isn't it great to be a Christian!!"

Yes, it is!!!

Hair

So, I grew up in Nashville and have had the same hair stylist since my junior year of high school. I have lived in Texas now for 5 years, but I have never had my hair cut in Texas.....I always wait until I visit Nashville.

Anyone else have a story like this????

Life

What a lovely piece of pottery! Sonya probably painted this one pot five times, but she had fun doing it and I enjoyed watching her.
She is potty trained!!!! Yippee!!!
My big girl!! She is so much fun to watch and be around. She is weaned from nursing now and did really great, although I can tell she needs a little more snuggle time than usual.
Sisters! I love watching my girls!
Cousin Annalise came over for the evening while her mom and sister went out for a girls night. All 3 had great fun! It's funny to watch Sage when Sonya is playing with a friend. She wants to be right there with them...

I can't believe it's December!! I also can't believe that I have most of my Christmas shopping done. I'm the girl who is usually scrambling the week before! I don't have any decorations up though...
Please keep Daniel in your prayers this week...he is taking the written exam for firefighters on Thursday. He feels that the Lord has put it on his heart to be a firefighter and has applied with the city of Fort Worth. If he passes the exam then he will take the physical test and go on from there....With this job he could spend more time at home and also do something more fulfilling than what he's doing now. This also means a lot of changes for our family, but we trust in the Lord with His plans and provision.
I have just started some babysitting. I am keeping a girl from down the street once or twice a week who is a year older than Sonya. Yesterday was our first day and it went pretty smoothly. It will be nice to have the little bit of extra cash to add to the kitty :)
That's life for now! It's really starting to get busy...lots of holiday functions to attend to over the next few weeks....should be fun!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Above all else I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life! John 3:16
Thank you Lord for the greatest blessing of all!

Happy Birthday Sage!

I can't believe it's been a year already! She is just the happiest child I have ever seen. I know the world is and will be blessed by her.

It's Been Awhile

I haven't posted in a long time!! Our computer has caught some sort of bug so it's hard to post things. Here's a brief summary of what's been going on (sorry, not posting pictures tonight):
1: Daniel and I had our 4th wedding anniversary back on October 18 (our little overnight without the kids in the mountains going to a wedding is counting as our anniversary trip)
2: Halloween was fun. I took the girls trick or treating along with our neighbors down the street while Daniel stayed to hand out candy and carve one of our pumpkins (nothing like the last minute!). Sonya was a fish and Sage was a cat. Very cute....sorry you have to wait for pictures.
3. Daniel's dad has been in the hospital for an appendectomy, home now. Made for a busy weekend for us going to visit him.
4. Went to a college friend's wedding that I haven't seen since we graduated. That was neat.
5. I've been a little under the weather, but seem to be doing better. I also haven't done my running in a week. That makes me sad. I'm on for tomorrow though!
6. Ladies Bible study is over for the semester. I enjoyed my study and facilitating it.
7. My baby turns one a week from today....where did the time go!
8. Sonya may actually be taking potty training seriously now....but, I think I may have given up my chances at parent of the year :-p
9. This is probably a really boring post, but I felt I needed something! I hope to have time (I don't think I'll ever have time) to try again soon!

Have a great weekend everybody!!!

The Absence of Noise

This weekend Daniel and I had the opportunity to go to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. We drove to the top of Clingman's Dome and got out of the car. As I started to talk to Daniel I realized that there was no other noise interfering with our voices. It was so clear. I was just amazed how quiet and still the air was up there. We walked some trails and enjoyed the beauty of God's creation, but it wasn't until our drive back that I realized the significance of experiencing God in the mountains. God called Moses to the mountain, Jesus went up to the mountains to pray....so many times in the Bible people are up in the mountains....now I know why! There are no distractions, no static to keep us from hearing what God has to say....we would be able to hear that small, still voice with no problem! Thank you Lord for opening my eyes to see more of you! In Jesus name, Amen!!

Laughter

This morning our speaker at MOPS talked about "The Bliss of Belly Laughs" and how laughter helped her overcome depression. It's been several years since her battle with it, but since then she PRAYS EVERYDAY for a reason to belly laugh and EVERYDAY she gets one. I think it's a great idea!

Fun pics

These pics are from a week or so ago....just thought I would share!


As a side note: The Bubble Cow is one of the greatest inventions. Loads of entertainment for young people. Sonya received it as a gift for her second birthday from some dear friends and since then I have bought a few to give as gifts to others. (Target, if you are interested! Also came in Pig and Dinosaur)

Already??

Sage has already decided she wants to feed herself with a spoon. Seriously, she grabs it from me everytime and puts it in her mouth, then hands it back to me to get another bite. It's very messy and a slow process, but what else can I do? I put a little bite in her bowl just to see how she would do, but that was even messier!

On another note, Today I called 5 friends to see if they wanted to meet us at the mall to play and none of them could make it for whatever reasons. Well, when we got to the mall we saw 5 other friends there! Is that a God thing or what!!! I enjoyed spending time with these girls and getting to know them better. What fun!

My Little Chefs

This is what I saw when I came around the corner from my own kitchen to theirs....

Sage getting her coffee :)

Milestones

Sage took her first steps today!!!!

Still here

I'm still around, but chances to sit down to blog and really enjoy it are few these days. I'm still jogging, MOPS is going great, learning a lot in my Bible Study, kids seem to be healthy for now although Sonya has runny nose and cough....I'm hoping it's minor. Potty training has totally regressed....ugh. Daniel still wants a new job.....pray for the Lord's wisdom and that the right doors will open if you have a minute and think about us. We have been in our house exactly a year now! Hard to believe. Well, the kids are napping and I need to take full advantage......

Me and my bro

My brother and I are 2 years and a day apart. Although we had our share of individual parties, most birthdays growing up were shared parties. They were a lot of fun and September is a great time of year for a cookout. We would play football, badminton, volleyball, run around the yard, etc. Some years we even had double slumber parties in my parent's not so big house. Lots of fun and memories. I love you Dan!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is the day! I am now the wonderful age of 27! Exciting isn't it?? 27 seems rather boring. It's not 25 or 30, it's just stuck there in the middle. So how was today spent? I'm in the city where I was born with the parents who gave me life. This is a real treat for them because it's been several years since we've been together on my birthday. We went to church this morning, then out to lunch, and came home for a nice NAP! Sonya and my mom baked a cake, we ate a yummy dinner, then had dessert, the girls went to bed, and now here I am. Very low key, but enjoyable. The only thing missing is my sweet hubby. Tomorrow we will celebrate with my brother and his birthday and exchange gifts. I'm having a get together with friends on Saturday. I'm hoping to catch up with a lot of people and hang out like old times. What will this next year of my life hold?? I look forward to finding out. The first 27 have been good. I am happy to know the Lord and his goodness. My blessings are bountiful. The Lord in His perfect ways gave me a wonderful husband and two perfect children that I love with all of my heart.

I've never thought "blowing out the candles" pictures were very flattering :)

Sage is finally better I think. The rash seems to be gone and her spirit is finally coming back to life. Since we are on the subject of birthdays, I can't believe hers will be here in two very short months. It doesn't seem possible for it to go this fast. Did I fall asleep somewhere for a very long time???

Oh yeah.....it's also Grandparent's Day! This always slips my mind. I am so thankful that my children have the wonderful grandparents they do. And their Great Grandmothers too! Thank you for the love that you pour on your grandchildren!

In the morning....to run or not to run?? That is the question!

We are here!

Well, we made it to Nashville this morning, early! All of us have already had naps. I feel like it should already be night time since I have been up so long. My kids are great travelers. I have been blessed. Sage slept most of the flight and Sonya laid in my lap after her snack. Keep praying for Sage....she still has a cough and now some kind of viral rash....let me back up.........last week we all had the stomach bug!!!! Not fun! Although, ours was a pretty mild case considering what others went through with the same bug. Apparently Sage picked it up at MOPS and gave to me then me to Sonya and Daniel. That's not where it ends....since ours was mild I didn't realize we had a bug until after we had already visited with friends and extended family....yep, you guessed it, we spread it to them. This was a highly contagious very fast bug. So, Sage has hung on to something giving her fever for a couple of days and then this cough and rash she still has. I'm hoping it goes away soon!
Tomorrow I will be going to my friend's bridal shower and then at night her bachelorette party. My mom will be on her way back from being at the beach so my dad gets to babysit by himself! I'm sure he will be fine ;)
Still working on potty training, we have good days and bad days...one of these days it will be complete :)
I'm still jogging, getting better. I brought my shoes with me on my trip and I'm hoping to keep it up while I'm here. Not so sure about running up all the hills :)
Well, I will try to keep account of our week while we are here. I'm sure pictures will come too. Pray for Daniel as he fends for himself this next week!

Random!

Still jogging....our loop is about 2 miles.

MOPS started this morning....so fun!!!!

Ladies Bible Study tomorrow....I'm a little nervous.

My birthday is in two weeks!!!! I'll be in Nashville, maybe I'll have a party.

Daniel is looking for a new job. Prayers please!

Sage is teething.

Sonya is not potty trained. Ugh!

That's all. I'm going to bed.

100 Things About Me

I saw this on some other blogs so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon! Here goes:

1. I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee
2. My parents still live there in the same house they bought when my mom was pregnant
3. I have been a bridesmaid 6 times
4. The last one I barely knew the girl
5. Now we're best friends
6. I love that story
7. I am in better shape now at almost 27 with two kids than I was at 19 with no kids
8. I never thought I would be jogging 2 miles at 5 am three days a week
9. But I am, and I love it.
10. I've been pregnant 3 times
11. The first one ended early
12. Sonya was born on that anniversary a year later
13. I have easy, REALLY FAST labors
14. I have the best husband in the world
15. I used to be a Child Life Specialist and work in a hospital
16. I liked that job
17. I love being an at home mom more
18. I hate the thought of cleaning
19. Doing it isn't that bad
20. If I could get past the thoughts, I would do it more often
21. I took dance classes from when I was 3 until I graduated from high school
22. If I had the money I would be taking them now
23. Before I got married my middle name was Lee
24. In high school my friends nicknamed me "Brown"
25. They thought I wore a lot of brown
26. I didn't
27. My friends went to the same college
28. The name followed me there
29. For my 19th birthday they declared it Brown Awareness Day and wore brown ribbons, dressed in brown and gave me a brown birthday party with brownies and brown gifts including brown sugar, brown lipstick, brown nail polish, a brown rug, and some other things I am forgetting, but I will never forget the brown THONG to top everything off!
30. I love ice cream
31. I eat it almost everyday when I'm pregnant
32. Daniel does too :)
33. It's great bonding time
34. My parents have been married for 29 years
35. I love them for that
36. My dad has a motorcycle
37. I love to ride it
38. My mom works for Hallmark
39. I get lots of free stuff
40. My husband taught my how to cook fried eggs
41. I like the movie Steel Magnolias
42. It makes me cry everytime
43. One day I WILL get Daniel to watch it
44. The Wizard of Oz has always been my all time favorite
45. I have been to Europe
46. I have never been to Mexico or Canada
47. My engagement was a total surprise
48. We got married in Nashville and my mom did most of the planning
49. I loved my wedding
50. I'm only halfway through my list
51. The house that I live in is the total opposite of what I wanted
52. I think God has a sense of humor
53. I had really short hair in college
54. I still like short hair
55. Daniel likes long hair
56. I'll keep medium hair :)
56. I'm more outgoing than I used to be
57. I love having people over for dinner in my home
58. I wish I did it more often
59. I need to work on that
60. I love brushing my teeth
61. I've never had a cavity
62. I look forward to getting the mail everyday
63. I have one brother, his name is Daniel just like my husband
64. My roommate of 4 years in college is also married to a Daniel
65. I like to do crossword puzzles
66. Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite foods, it was always disappointing if we didn't have it at family gatherings with our big meal
65. I was in chorus in middle and high school and don't even know how to read music
66. My birthday is September 9
67. My brother's is September 10
68. We had some fun parties together
69. I like the fall
70. I love big sweaters
71. I don't get to wear many if at all now that I live in Texas
72. That's okay
73. I used to worry
74. I don't anymore
75. God is in control and I fully believe it
76. Sonya is named after my mom
77. Daniel came up with the name Sage
78. I don't sing in the shower, it feels silly to me
79. I had a dog growing up, her name was Snuffy, she lived to be 17
80. She's buried in my parents back yard
81. I can still do cartwheels
82. I want to go skydiving
83. I don't know how many children I will have
84. I like not having to make the decision of when, if, how many...children
85. I like to look back and see God in my life and look forward knowing He's there
86. I like to retrace my life steps to see where each road has taken me (places I've gone, people I've met)
87. I like sweets
88. Did I mention ice cream?
89. Caramel and chocolate top my list
90. I like to find good grocery deals
91. I've been wearing glasses since Kindergarten
92. I still remember going to school with them for the first time
93. I'm good at remembering people's faces and names
94. I feel awkward when people don't remember me
95. I am blessed
96. I love my life
97. I love my husband
98. I love my kids
99. What more can I say?
100. I'm done

That was really hard!

Last week's happenings

Finally a chance to write! Well, I have increased my time jogging which was very exciting for me, but I've also learned that I need to stretch a lot more. I ended up with ankle pain due to an unstretched calf so I didn't get to go on Friday. I hope tomorrow is a good day for me.

Sage is starting to stand on her own and I was informed yesterday when I picked her up from nursery at church that she might have to move to the next age group early because she's "advanced" :)

Thursday we took Sonya to the circus. We all had a lot of fun. She especially liked all of the animals. Daniel and I got a real kick out of watching her dance to the music, clap her hands, and scream with everyone else. I enjoyed that little experience just watching her delight in everything that was going on around her.

Potty training is getting better and better. I haven't forced the issue, but she is learning to go more and more and I am changing fewer and fewer diapers. She even went at the circus! I'm hoping this approach will work and she will eventually (soon) be a full fledged potty user :) Kind of makes me sad though (crazy, I know), but this is just one more string of dependence cut away. She's doing most things on her own

This picture was taken when she was about a month old :) (No, we haven't been training that long, this was just her parents having some fun)

This weekend Daniel went on a mission trip with 6 other guys from church to Piedras Negras, Mexico. They are building an orphanage down there and these guys are helping. It's definitely strange not having him home for a few days. He's back now, though, and back to work :( While he was gone Saturday night I took the girls to Rosa's Tortilla factory for a "girls night out" Then we went to the park. Very cute, very fun. I love my kids.

I found out recently that my roommate from college is pregnant. Congratulations Sarah! Welcome to mommyhood, it's like nothing you've ever known before! I am so excited for her and so happy to share the bond that comes with being a mom.

Ahh! The weekend!

I made it! I jogged another morning and just a little bit further. The soreness IS melting away! This weekend is hopefully dedicated to finding new running shoes. My current ones have GOT TO GO!

Even though my kids aren't in school I feel the school year about to start and I'm kind of glad. It will put a little bit of order back in my life. MOPS starts, Ladies Bible study begins. All the routine things that I thrive on. I am very excited about both of these things because I have taken active roles in them. In MOPS I am on the steering team leading a discussion group and helping with hospitality. Last year I was the hospitality leader and don't feel like I necessarily thrived in that position so I am hoping that I have found my niche as a DGL. I am very excited! I have also volunteered to be a facilitator in my Bible study. This will be a new experience that I hope to do well. While always wanting to do this job, I have never felt worthy enough because I have the hardest time getting my own study done! How can I lead others?? It is my hope that this is God's way of helping me buckle down to spend more quality time with Him. Even though I love the Lord, this has always been a struggle.

I love my children. They bring me pure joy. Even with all the challenges of raising a two year old I still wish I didn't have to say goodnight, turn out her light and close the door at night. Can't I just hold and kiss on her forever?? Sage is teaching me the little joys of raising a baby. I don't remember relishing them with Sonya at the time, but now as Sage does her thing it brings back memories of when Sonya was making her big accomplishments and I get excited all over again.

Well, it's been a long day and I think my brain is locking up because I can't get anything else out to say! Until next time!

Yes!

You are probably wondering if I got up this morning like I said I was going to do....well....I did! Even after being sore all day yesterday and still sore this morning and continuing through today. But, I did end up jogging a little further than yesterday (instead of walking) so I am making progress. Hopefully I can go even more tomorrow! Right now it's still exciting and fun. I hope it's still like that next week :) I've enjoyed getting to know my neighbor during our jogs. It's amazing how much you can learn about a person in such a short time. Well, this post is going to be short. I need to get to bed.

Here is a picture of me and the girls from the other night that I thought was good (Daniel did a good job!)....

This and that

I've been up since 5 am this morning. I did it by my own free will.....and I went jogging! Can you believe it??? I can't. The ONLY reason I was able to do it is because I was meeting my neighbor from down the street. Another neighbor had told me that the other one goes out in the mornings and I assumed she meant walking with her kids so I go and knock on the door to ask about it. Nope....jogging, without kids, at 5 am. She asked if I wanted to go with her and I said yes! Am I crazy?? We'll see. The plan is to go Tues, Thurs, and Fri. mornings. Today I felt great and got up with no problem considering the little sleep I got because Miss Sage decided to wake up every two to three hours. I'm already feeling a little sore and tired, but I'm determined to keep going! Hopefully I will have the same energy on Thursday. I have to be better about getting to bed early too :-p It's hard for me to exercise by myself. I really have no motivation and it's just not fun by myself! Classes and friends are the way to go for me!

Sonya has a friend down the street and they like to ride their tricycles together. I think it is the cutest thing! They even like to "trade" and ride each others trike. They ride in circles around the driveway and try to "bump" each other. Last night they both rode their tricycles to the park. (With the adults of course) I just watched not believing that my baby can ride her tricycle to the park. She rode the whole way and even up the slight hill to get there. Just a few months ago she couldn't even push her way up the slight slope of the driveway. This picture is from another night just riding around our driveway. That's Natalie in the back.

Sage has mastered going up the step in our entryway and also opening cabinets and drawers. I guess I'll have to get those childproof locks afterall :-p

I knew it would happen.....

Sonya finally learned how to climb into Sage's crib. She was very excited about her accomplishment. :)

I love it!

I love having a camera, kids, and being a mom at home who can do this crazy stuff!

She just wants to be held

If it were up to her, Sage would sleep in your arms all night. She loves to be held. Lately with her "cold" she's had a bit of a cough and trouble getting to sleep. Tonight I thought she had done well when I layed her down, but she started crying pretty hard after being quiet about 10 minutes. I hurried to get Sonya to bed so I could rescue the littlest one because I knew she was standing in her crib crying her eyes out. As soon as I sat in the rocker she nestled on my shoulder and tried to find a comfortable spot. Bliss for her and bliss for me or at least it should be. It's hard to relax in those moments with my baby when I feel like I should be doing so much more (straightening the house, cleaning up in the kitchen, email, etc.), but I made a conscious effort this time, though, to enjoy my sweet Sage because I know it won't last forever. I looked into her face and felt every breath. I love being a mom.

I'll Give it a Try!

I've noticed that more and more people that I know are doing this blog thing so I thought I would give it a try! I've never considered myself a good writer or good at expressing thoughts, but maybe with time that will improve. This will probably just be a way to keep track of the little things my children do and then they won't get lost in the other things that jumble up my brain! Most of my postings will probably be random, but life isn't always fluid, is it?
For instance, today, Sonya has been running around naked until just now when I put her down for a nap. We've been experimenting with potty training and that's just the way things go....
Sage is cutting her top teeth and the poor little thing may have a cold to go along with it. I'm hoping, though, that the drainage is just related to her teeth :) She still smiles and is the most pleasant baby, so fun to be around. What in the world would I be doing if I didn't have my kids?? Life would probably be boring I'm sure.
Well, that's life for now!