Date Night!!

Tonight is a big night!! Jordan wanted to take Asia on their first official date. He was so excited...he's been talking about it all week. This morning he told Asia he had a surprise for her, and she's been waiting all day to go to the theater for the very first time. He's taking her to see "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs".



What will I be doing tonight you ask??? Well, I have a date too......



Try not to be jealous:)

The Advent Conspiracy

Let's celebrate Christmas while keeping God's perspective!

'Tis The Season

I can hardly believe Christmas is right around the corner...what happened to November? Well, lets get everyone up to speed, shall we? We have been busy filling up our days with celebrations, goodbyes, and bringing many things to a close as the year ends.

We said goodbye to some of our close friends who decided it was time to move on to new experiences. They left beautiful Colorado for beautiful Hawaii! We are excited for them, but sad to see them leave. We miss you already, Dan and Erin! We also have been celebrating with many birthdays, anniversaries and the excitement of two precious friends buying their first homes! Congratulations to the Jensens and the Rosenhahns!! Last week I wrapped up my winter Bible study at church that I so dearly loved and Jordan finished his last assignment for this quarter of classes! PHEW!!

Every other free second I get, you'll find me at my sewing machine....my new, beautiful, sewing machine! I was thrilled when my in-laws gave this to me for Christmas this year. I have always wanted to get into sewing and now I can sew until my little heart (and hands) can take no more:) I have been taking some chances with shades/curtains for the windows, pillows, a shower curtain in Asia's bathroom, some new wall hanging pocket organizers in Asia's room, a few other small crafty/organizer type things.....and some delightful gifts that I'll be giving all the women in my family this year for Christmas. I think I'll be ready for a break from needles and thread when it's time for us to head to WI in just a few more weeks!

'Tis The Season for family, friends, and a little craziness!!:)

Update on Little Bug

I thought I would take a moment to update you all on little miss Anastasia...AKA....Little Bug. I'm not sure why I started calling her Bug. Maybe it was because I was always told that my dad called me Bug when I was little, or maybe because when Anastasia was born I thought she looked a bit like a cute bug?? :) Either way, you'll find me often calling her Bug more than I do anything else.

Let's see...where to start. Well, as you know she just had her 2nd birthday and all sorts of "big girl" things have been happening. We made her crib into a big girl bed and I couldn't believe how emotional I was about it. We also decided to take the rocking chair out of her room. We had been rocking with her in that chair every night since she was born! She rarely would fall asleep in our arms anymore, but if it looked like it might happen, I have to admit I'd let her...I just couldn't resist. But, typically that would just be the spot where we'd read our bed time stories and then off to the crib she would go. Well, now we just sit on the floor next to the bed to read our stories. Although, more and more I am catching Jordan laying in bed with her telling her stories about Princess Anastasia.....so adorable...she loves it!! What else......well, she has been potty trained during the day for about 4 months now and boy is she miss independent when it comes to that! Her famous phrase around the house is "No, I do that all by myself!" Every morning she uses the potty and always insists on taking her jammies and undies off by herself. She tries really hard, but at some point she usually still needs my help. And shoes!! She loves her shoes!! She will put them on and take them off many times throughout the day....she's getting pretty good with that! My favorite thing though, is when she tells me she wants to play in her room all by herself....she's been doing this for about the last 2 months and it's so cute how she plays. I'll be downstairs making lunch or reading a magazine and I'll listen to her on the monitor talk to her babies..."No baby"...."Oh, sorry baby"..."This way baby"..."Let's go to the store baby"..."Go in your bouncy seat baby". And as I write I am listening to her sing to her babies, "Twinkle, twinkle little star...how you are....up in the sky like a diamond." :) She is such a little person it amazes me! I can't get over how much they grow around this age. It is so much fun to watch!! OH...and lets not forget about her talking....her never-ending, non-stop talking! Jordan says he burns calories just listening to her:) I guess she is a girl after all. One day she said an 11 word sentence!! I know, I know...that's the teacher in me talking, but it was pretty great:)

I adore this little girl so much and I'm loving every moment of her growing and learning!!




**My sister was in town and took some pictures of our little family...thanks Jen!

Signature Sin

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you." Psalm 51:10-13

These verses were in my Bible study last week and the words keep playing over and over in my head. I have had a hard week dealing with my emotions and letting the daily tasks of life overwhelm me. I feel like I can't get it all done...there are just too many directions in which I'm being pulled. The end result is me sitting on the couch staring at the wall and just not caring about anything. I know I should be able to live with the craziness of life and still love Jesus with all my heart, but instead I go go go until my batteries run out and all that is left is a blurry memory of a week or even a month at times.....all the while not really living and experiencing life the way God has intended me to. I call this my "signature sin". I heard that term a few months back and I love it because it really makes sense for me. The amount of time always varies, but the end result is always the same...a screeching halt followed by the weight of the world on my shoulders. Anxiety sets in, worry, guilt, pressure, and I just throw my hands up. Do you ever feel like you struggle with the same things over and over again...no matter how hard you try to avoid it? Well, these verses have been so encouraging for me. I especially love "Restore to me the joy of your salvation..." While I'm in moments of victory I want to be able to rejoice and thank God for allowing me to experience joy, not worry about the next time I will fail. I am going to keep taking one day, one hour, one minute at a time and asking God to restore to me the joy of His salvation. It's so worth it!

Happy Birthday Little Bug

Yesterday our little baby girl turned 2! Not so little anymore:( All day long I was remembering that morning in 2007. I wish for just a second I could go back and hold my brand new baby girl again. How precious, perfect and pure...there is no better feeling. Two years later we are celebrating with cake and new toys. My little baby is now singing her own birthday song and making us laugh at how she covers her face with icing. These days are just as precious, and it won't be long before I am wishing she was two again. Oh, I love my little bug! Please don't grow up...

Happy Birthday Anastasia Grace!!

A beautiful weekend ahead...

This morning I saw the most beautiful sunrise....I wish I had grabbed the camera. The mountains were purple and the sky was all shades of red and orange. There is something so comforting about the sunrise, don't you think? I've never gone to bed and worried about the sun not coming up the next morning...it's always there! Hosea 6:3 says, "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; His going forth is as certain as the dawn." This verse brings such peace to my heart...to know that God is going forth every day on this earth and showing himself in different ways to those who love Him....it is as certain as the dawn. We can expect this from God!

I hope you enjoy the beautiful weekend and pay attention to your sunrises!!!