Oh so am I ever going to get back at a regular posting schedule? Hmmm... I think what makes me not do it is that I have to resize my pics and that makes me lazy! ;) I've been better at posting pics off my phone onto my facebook so I feel like I'm giving a pic update there too! hehe

We have been enjoying our wonderful weather and going on lots of walks, wagon rides and bike rides. I just figured out the other day when it was close to dinner and they were getting fussy and whiny that I would just pop them in the wagon and go walk the neighborhood. GENIUS! They are so happy doing that and just in sweet mood while we walk. So I get rid of the whining, stretch dinner back a little and get exercise while saving my sanity! I love it! :)

I've still been busy crafting and sewing. I am getting a little faster which is nice when I decide to do gifts last minute! ha!

We have been sort of potty training Gauge. I started with the undies and all but got real tired of that fast and it was like he just didn't get it. I figured oh well I'll try again in a month but literally like two days later he asked to go on his potty and went! I made a huge deal out of it and we have a sticker chart. Once he gets a row of stickers he gets a prize out of the prize bucket (which he has only been picking suckers! ha!) Anyhoo. I've just kept him in diapers but he asks at least 3 times a day to go and I just consistently back it with praise. He even pooped last Sunday before church! I was blown away! So here in the next few weeks I am going to start weaning the diaper a few hours a day until we are all out of diapers! I'm still worried about how to take him in a public restroom! How do that sit? And all that jazz...boo! I'm so proud of him though! And Teagan is even more interested which thank you Lord that child will really help me once she is! ha!

I'm also busy brainstorming ideas for Gauge's birthday...I'm so excited but I still can't believe he is going to be 3!! It's going so fast!

I also love at night when we read books. I am reading him a book about Easter and it says Jesus loves all the boys and girls and moms and dads too...So I told him, " You know Jesus loves you so much and He made you perfectly!" And he said 'No'..."Ok well He does I said, He loves you and so does mommy!" Well the next night when I got to that part I said "Who does Jesus love?" And he said "Gauge!" and then he began listing everyone else too..."And Teagan, and Daddy and mommy and on and on..." I just love that boy! I heard on our Christian radio KLOVE them talking about praying with kids and that we should pray like we always pray. Pray powerful and big prayers with them and let them know we serve a mighty God. I loved that! We pray every night so I just started praying like I would pray and one day I can't wait to hear him praying to God!

Here are some pics!

I'm loving the headbands now that her hair is getting longer!

Sweet girl!

Never got around to remembering to get her to wear it for Valentines day! Oh well next year!

Princess!

YoYo Headband

My new favorite!

I've been sewing kitchen towels now!

My first try at a ruffle hiney onesie! I wish I had a newborn myself to put one on! This was for sweet Eloise Jane! Isn't that name adorable!

My little goobers!

Sportin' the side pony! Love it!

My little cupcake!

Ok so Chris took Gauge and got his haircut and now they are really twins! I made them both smile their 'chris' smile and whoa...like father like son!

We have had many picnic lunch and dinners because of our beautiful weather! We are loving these times!

Picture Update :)

Thought I would post a quick picture post. The beach pictures are from when I went on my women's retreat. Chris was super dad and took them to play in the sand at the beach both days and included a stop at Sonic for a treat. What a good dad! Since he did so well I think I should schedule another get away! ha!

Many Blessings!!

So! We have been busy and God has been moving!

For those of you who haven't heard, this past week we went to Houston for Chris' 6 month Dr. appt for his AS. We knew it was the 2 year check up that we get xrays with to see any progression. We were anxious going because we didn't want to see that his AS and spread or gotten worse. Well many people were praying for us and God is in the buisness of miracles people! The Dr.s (these are the top AS Dr.s in the world!) called us to come look at the xrays and they were all stunned. Chris' bad hip that was really bad and needing and total hip replacement has reversed and gotten better! And there were NO signs of any progression of his AS fusing. Can you just say we were blown away?! Chris and I couldn't stop smiling and telling everyone that God has heard our prayers and answered! I am really believing God to heal him completely and that it will be a testimony to those Dr.'s that God is alive and active!

Lord you are so good to us! We praise you for working in Chris' life in this way and we are humbled. May you get all the glory, honor and praise!!

We also had a special treat and had Chris' sister come down to see us for a few days!! It was so fun! Gauge and Teagan loved having her here and Gauge would run around yelling "Aunt Ta!! Play cars!!" He had such a blast with her :) We love you Aunt Ta!!!

I have been busy with all sort of crafts and just started a new bible study at church, "Believing God" by Beth Moore. Was that not perfect during this time of Chris' Dr?! I am believing God!! It's an awesome study...

I'm also leaving tomorrow for our church's women's retreat in San Antonio! I'm excited about it and praying that Chris has a blast with the kiddos. He is keeping both of them for the next two days and I'm praying that don't drive him nutty! He is such a great dad though and I'm sure they will have a blast.

Enjoy the pics!

I'm such a posting slacker!

Well my emotions are all over the place! Yesterday I cried like 3 times and people, I don't cry! Or at least I cry very little these days....(still hormonal wackiness I believe) But I just wish so badly I could hug my sweet Layne. We saw her on skype yesterday at my mom's and she started to cry talking about the day and there go me and my mom...I wanted to reach out through that screen and hug her hard! If you haven't been reading her blog, you are missing out. She and Jon both have a gift of writing and it feels as though you are right there with her in Africa.

www.africangypsy.blogspot.com

Anyways. I cried reading her post, cried when we chatted and then I got home and there is some new show on and it was about giving these lifetime adventures to people (kind of reminded me of Extreme Home Makeover but without the home...) Anyhoo. Last night was a father who had two little boys and was diagnosed with Lou Gherigs disease which you usually die within 3-5 years diagnosis. Well it got to the end and Chris was looking over at me telling me not to cry and I let out that little high pitch let out when you hold tears in on accident! Ha! I was holding it in too hard but it was so sad and good at the same time! I can't remember the name of the show but it was excellent. Anyways...emotional day! And it's not even 'that' time!! Ha!

Well not much else has been happening...Just staying busy, staying inside now that a cold front decided to come thru and trying to stay organized but not doing very well!

Teagan is a little under the weather. Slight fever and just not herself but I'm thinking it's all the teeth coming in. Poor girl. You can just see it in her eyes.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and good golly it's almost Feb!! Time is flying!

Washing the car with dad. They REALLY like this!

What a goober face!

So excited about the water squirting!

Cool girl...

Big helpers...

Pigtails!!! Didn't last long ;)

Daddy's girl...

After I get home from the grocery store this is what happens! It's like Christmas!

50% of all sales from my etsy from now until Feb 14th will go to Compassion International for Haiti Relief Efforts

From now until Feb. 14th I am giving 50% of all my sales on http://www.eyegiveahoot.etsy.com/ to Compassion International for Haiti Relief Efforts.

Check out KojoDesigns at http://www.kojodesigns.etsy.com/

They are giving 100% proceeds of sales sold this Thurs Jan. 21st. They have some CUTE stationary!

Most importantly let's continue to committ to praying for the people of Haiti, that God would bring peace, hope, comfort and healing during such a devestating time....

Lots to do=Nothing getting done...

I don't know if this every happens to ya'll but whenever I have like an abundance of things to get done, it's like nothing gets done and I have little motivation. But the times I only have a few things and absolutely nothing I'm all ready and raring to go. Hmm....Need to work on that. I am keeping a spiral with an ongoing list of things I need to get done and then things I want to do. It's helping a little being able to mark off the things I do...I always love me a good list, notepad and pen ;)

I'm a secretary at heart... But I guess secretaries get stuff done not just look at the list...

Wanna know another wierd thing? I like go crazy with planning ahead and thinking I need to get everything even if it is a month off. Yeah...retarded I know. I'll always stress out and tell Chris I gotta get all this stuff and he will ask me when it is and then I will say oh in about a month. So your telling me I don't need to get it now? hehe Oh! Gee whiz...

Other little things have been bothering me lately too. The earthquake in Haiti is really on my heart lately. We sponsor a little boy named Alias in Haiti and I have just been so sad about it. I looked up info on sponsor children in Haiti and they say as far as they know all sponsor children are ok at this moment. They will contact you otherwise. I just cannot even fathom the chaos, fear, saddness, anxiety, uncertainty and on and on of what those people are going through. My heart breaks for each one of them. You know the one thing that stuck out from going on all of our mission trips with Teen Mania was a video clip I saw there. It had pictures of people all over the world and written on each clip were things like "They cry like you cry" "They hurt like you hurt" "They love like you love" and I have never been able to get that out of my mind. Especially when you watch the news and see these people's faces who are hurting and crying and scared and it makes me so aware that they are the just like me. We are the same. We hurt the same, cry the same, fear the same....They are just like me. And I hurt for them. I want to hug them and let them know God sees them. He is there in the midst of such catastrophe and He hasn't left them. He LOVES them. And so do I. I will pray earnestly for them and I will send money to help. If you haven't given please think of it. I know it was so easy to just text the number 90999 and write "Haiti" and they would bill you $10 towards the Red Cross on your next phone bill. $10. That's it. We can all do $10. And if we all do a little it adds up to a lot.

I guess my other thing I'm struggling with right now correlates to the Haiti thing. I have such a hard time with BALANCE. I'm reading "A Hole in our Gospel" by Rich Stearns who is the CEO of World Vision. It's an AMAZING book and I would encourage ya'll to check it out. It will challenge you like no other. I have such a hard time living the day in and day out life here and wanting to drop all of this materialistic, self absorbed, worldly junk and move overseas and love on people. Now don't get me wrong, I KNOW that it is HARD overseas. Probably harder than here but at the same time the draw of doing something to help those who are helpless and hopeless pulls so hard at my heart. I feel like here we are overwhelmed and bombarded with the world. It pulls you every which way. Even as a mom I guess because it's just the daily ins and outs of waking up, cleaning up and entertaining little kiddos that I feel like I'm not doing much for Christ. And yes I know that my mission field is my children and my home and those I meet but ya'll, can I be real? I stink! I stink at it so badly! I'm so not a shining reflection of Christ and I want to put what I know in my head and make it real. I want to know that this is my mission field and really see I'm giving some sort of glory to God. I'm only halfway through the book so I'm hoping Rich Stearns is going to tell me what to do....haha just kidding. I am going to seek Him harder though and I've really got to commit to READING His Word DAILY...Good place to start huh?? ;)

Well enough blabbing...Here are some pics!

Made some "Look what I did Today" clips for the kiddos art work


This boy loves him some Disney movies!

She is growing up way too fast ya'll....WAY TOO FAST. She is my little darling!

And I want an outfit to match ;)

Nursery letters for a good friends precious new baby, Miss Hadley. Doing these letters made me want to re-do Gauge and Teagans! Hmm.....

Bow Holder! Girls have gotta have some hair accessories!

What a little goober girl! Her hair is growing so much!

My sweet friend Natalie made these for the kiddos. They have a verse from the Lord. I LOVE THEM....

The same exact eyes! Hilarious! I think he looks just like his mommy! ha! Yea right!

She literally was in this pose for like 5 minutes watching a movie. Silly girl!

Saying "I love Kung FUUUUUUUUUUU!!! From Kung Fu Panda :)

Teagan's new thing. CLIMBING ON EVERYTHING!

Matching Mickey Pj's from MiMi and Pappy!