Tis The Season To Be Jolly....

My little angel amongst angels; this was the night of her Christmas ballet recital! Chad & I at the same spot where we took one of our wedding pictures almost 7 yrs. ago (The Houstonian Hotel)

Posing at the Houstonian where we stayed the night after his office Christmas party

(our wedding reception was here)

We actually danced the night away and had a blast (hadn't done that in FOREVER)!!

My Christmas cuties!

Abbey was SO proud of the gingerbread house we made together!

The BIG 28 came on Dec. 9th!

Our family Christmas picture- I promise your Christmas card is coming!

Cole's ready to join GSP, HA!

FA,LA, LA, LA, LA,LA, LA, LA,LA,LA!!!

I have been away from blog land FAR too long now!!! We have been in a fog since my last entry nearly 2 months ago! I'm going to make this story as SHORT as possible b/c we've moved on, I'm tired of talking about it, and I want to share more joyous happenings with all of you! When we came back from our trip to Napa Valley in September, God led us through a series of events to find that the musty/moldy smell in Cole's bathroom needed to be investigated. I'll cut right to the chase and tell you the water mitigation company that came out found MOLD in heavy amounts behind his bathroom vanity wall which is connected and open to his room. SO the fun began...tearing down walls, environmental testing, feeling like we lived at NASA with all the plastic zoning going on, and a barrage of contractors in every day from October to 2 weeks ago. The mold is gone and my house is put together BUT not with some unpleasant happenings along the way. During this process, the water mitigation company busted a water pipe after everything had cleared with environmental and it flooded the kitchen downstairs NOT to mention that we had to start back at square 1 with the entire clean up/environmental process!!! The other unpleasantness's were self-inflicted; we figured, hey they're already in here and the house is all torn up, why not redo the kids bathrooms and put hardwood flooring in too??!!! It all turned out beautiful, the wrongs have been made right, and they didn't have to tote me off to the coo coo house (hooray)! In all seriousness, the best blessing of all has been the change in Cole's health. What a sick baby and toddler he was for the first year & 1/2 of life and we are so THANKFUL to report that since moving him out of his room and taking care of the mold, he has not displayed even one asthma symptom! PRAISE YOU LORD!!! One last interesting thing to add to the story, the environmental agency tested the mold and found out it was a derivative of penicillin and was in toxic amounts for anyone, but double whammy...Cole is highly allergic to penicillin, go figure!

It's been a "couldn't be more surprised if I woke up with my head sewn to the carpet" couple of months (courtesy of Clark Griswald), BUT the rewards in it all have been SO worth it. We've actually managed to take time out to enjoy the season and relish in our kids and all the joy and craziness they bring to our lives! We happily left our home for Thanksgiving and will be spending Christmas here at home; AHHH, so nice!! I'm including pics of some of our holiday fun and hope it's been a joyful season for all of you. Blessings to you and your family this Christmas; drop us a note, we would love to hear how everyone is doing; Lord willing, we're back to blog land for a little while!!!

How My Pumpkins Have Grown!

Here's some pictures of my little ones and how they've grown over the years; it's so fun to look back and actually see how much Abbey and Cole favor each other!! It seems like yesterday I was dressing Abbey up in her first costume below (she was a leapord)!!Leapord 2003 Fairy Princess 2004

Snow White 2005

Ballerina Princess 2006

Jasmine 2007

Cole's 1st Halloween 2006

He didn't want to wear his puppy costume; I guess it's hard to convince a 17 month old to stick thier boddy inside a furry puppy!! We settled for this shirt!

Seriously...October's almost over???

"This one's just right Mom!" Pumpkin Patch @Dewberry Farms

Can you tell it was a little bright?! Cole completley in his element here!

Perini Ranch in Abliene for a fun family dinner w/ Chad's family!

Siggie breakfast with my mother-in-law, Jane; she knows

a thing or two about being a Siggie!

Sweet friend, Gina Borden, at Siggie breakfast

My boys at Homecoming parade

Abbey loves this stuff!

My dearest best friend, Tracey, at our 5 year reunion

We had so much fun going to my 5 yr. with my brother and

sister-in-law, Chris & Kelly (Harris) Baker; it's the whole Baker crew!

Well, as you can see it's been a month since my last entry only because we've had just about EVERYTHING going on!! We did in fact have a SMALL break with sickness stuff and then came a new flood of chaos! Since my last entry Abbey got scarlentina and strep throat, I got strep, Cole got and upper resptiratory infection and a string of asthma attacks, Chad had a vesectomy (and to make matters more fun, his recovery fell when the rest of us got sick), we found mold behind Cole's bathroom wall and have since moved him out of his room, had men in little white suits come out to clean the mold (not men in white suits to take me away; ha,ha), and we're about to start a rebuild in Cole's bathroom. SO...just a few things going on!! :)

I have come to understand that in this season of life, kids getting sick OFTEN, is par for the course! And just like with anyone getting sick, it typically comes at the most inconvenient and crazy time!! Praise be to God through it all...my sustainer, my strength, and the One who gives me REST!!! Through all in the last month, Chad and I had been nudged by the Holy Spirit to get him into the Dermotologist to have some skin areas looked at; long story short, some of those spots ended up being cancer prone but praise be to God, since he got to the Dr. early enough, there will be ZERO worry or potential for any of them to be cancerous after Oct. 31 (when he has his next skin biopsies)!! We felt SO many of the prayers our friends and family covered us with over the last month; it's just been incredible to look back and see God's hand covering it ALL!

There have been plenty of FUN and joyous moments through this last month as well! Our kids for one, always keep us entertained and laughing (or pulling our hair out); they are such a HUGE source of joy to Chad and I!! We also had the opportunity to go back to ACU for my 5 year reunion. It was such fun catching up and reminicing with friends about days that now seem FOREVER ago!! After getting married and having kids, you start to feel so far removed from those care free days of college when there were almost NO responsibilites. Some would call Chad and I "die-hards"; we've been back to ACU homecoming now every year since we've been married (almost 7 years ago, SO hard to believe)! There are so many things I love about ACU and my experience there; it's where I dove into my relationship with God and my life has never been the same, it's where I made friends for life and pledged a club that made my time at ACU so much richer, and the icing on the cake...it's what led me to the love of my life!!! Chad and I and the kiddos had a great weekend in "A" town and are SO thankful that everyone was WELL so we could go!!

I'm posting a bunch of pictures from over the last month or so, and hopefully it won't be TOO long before I can blog again, Lord willing!! Don't be shy, say HI and let us know how you're doing!!!

Better Days!

Come inside the fort we made!! Now that's the smile we want to see!! :)

Abbey & cousin Cody playing at G.G.'s b-day party

where they got...

..a gazillion mosquito bites!

The Girls: Aunt Nancy, Aunt Liz, Aunt Carolyn, Mom, and Aunt Ellen

The birthday girl, Granny turns 74!!!

AWWWW!

Darryl, Bridget, and us, Go Texans!

These have been better days compared to the flood of stomach bug ickiness that went through our family most recently!! It's a good thing when your husband is back at work (because he's able to work), Abbey is ready to go, go, go and Cole is his happy and content self again!! Bless Cole's heart, when your sick you DO feel like whining but I thought I might have to make a trip to the coo coo house if I had to hear another week of whining and ALL DAY fussiness!!! God is amazing to have spared me from this bug while literally having my hands in it, THANK YOU Father!!! While Cole recouped over the weekend (and Daddy was sweet enough to babysit), Abbey and I were able to celebrate two awesome birthdays this Saturday. What a blessing to celebrate with precious friends, the Whaley's, on their daughter Megan's 1st birthday! You can't beat the entertainment of watching a one year old experience their first piece of cake, priceless!! Abbey and I then headed to another party on the other end of the spectrum, my Granny's 74th birthday party and celebrated with ALL our family in town, such fun!! I've posted some pics of Granny's party, love you G.G.!!! Along with the fun party came an unexpected barage of mosquito bites in Aunt Nancy's back yard; Abbey and her cousins came in with Oh, about 30 BITES!!! There's a gross pic of that too! :) Chad and I were even able to get away for a couples date at the Texans Game with good friends Darryl and Bridget. Chad has been abundantly blessed in his business to work with someone like Darryl and we've been more blessed by their amazing faith and friendship. It was a great game even though the Texans lost, and it was still a lot of fun cheering them on in hopes that they might win!! I always enjoy the whole football game experience, everything that is, except the cheerleaders; give me a break, they might as well show up in thier bra and panties!!! O.K., I'm off my soapbox now!! It's just been one of those days where I keep thanking God for the refreshment of a new day; aren't His mercies new EVERY morning! The weather's nice, we were able to go to LBS, we were ON TIME (truly a miracle), Cole's got a happy demeanor, Abbey has had zero attitude, we're all well, and most importantly, we've been blessed with another day! One of my new favorite songs is "Another Day" by Natalie Grant, take a listen! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RV09uJc90U

OOKIE part 2 & 3!!!

Quote for this picture: "Will you say a prayer for me?"

Abbey getting much needed rest!

In front of Landry's, where Abbey's sick adventure began! O.k., I will take the few spare minutes I have to blog since I have had to be SUPER MOM over the last 2 weeks!! I think in times like these we need to grow extra limbs and be able to move at super sonic speed because there is entirely too much to get done!! By the title you may get that 2 more of the crew here have come down with the OOKIE stomach virus crud!! I will insert though, PRAISE God, that Abbey is back to 100% and is feeling like her old self again! On Saturday and completely out of nowhere Cole starts throwing up like 5 shoes (not really) while Chad is holding him, ALL OVER my bedroom carpet; yea, let the fun begin. I'll spare you the details but it did not stop for the next 4 hours!! With a baby you can't say, "just get sick over the trash can", yah, that doesn't quite work! So needless to say there were more messes to clean up in that time period that one human can handle. Before I'd have one mess cleaned up I was heading to the next disaster site helping my poor baby and my big poor baby holding the little poor baby!! It was craziness!! LOOOONG story short, Chad inevitably got sick late Sunday night which was SO horrible! He had never been stomach sick since we've been married (7 years) and another 5 years before that. So when you haven't thrown up in about 12 years it's kinda going to take you out of commission for a while!! Bless my boys, they've been through the ringer!! Chad's finally back to work today and feeling well, but Cole is NOT feeling as great. He's still pretty sick, thankfully not throwing up anymore but definitely not well. Please say a prayer for our little man; I hate to see him feel so bad!! I, in the meantime, am trying not to grow weary and rely on God's strength right now! I'm physically tired and emotionally SICK of the SICKNESS and yuckiness! After you've changed 5 diapers before 11 a.m., you start feeling a little weary! All day the Steve Green "Hide Them In My Heart" for kids song has been going through my head: "Let's not grow weary in doing good, for in good season we shall reap"!! Whatever it takes!!! I'm so, so, so thankful for God's mercies upon me because He has mightily protected me from this virus, THANK YOU FATHER!!! The pictures above aren't the cutest, but I wanted to post what's relevant to us right now; prayerfully, cute & happy pictures are coming SOON!! Blessings to each of you! **Oh, cool side note: the song on our site "Captivate Us" by Watermark is one that I fell in love with because it's where I want to be in my walk with Jesus, totally captivated!! What's awesome is our Ladies Bible Study classes just started and the theme is "Captivated"! How amazing is that; it's never by coincidence what God places in our path, there begins to be a pattern. Love that!!

OOKIE!

That's what Abbey has to say about the last 24 hrs and we as her parents completely agree!!! Instead of posting lovely pictures from our evening out in Kemah with Chad's parents and sister, I will instead tell you what a disaster it has turned out to be...food poisoning!! Yes, that's right, my sweet Abbey girl has received the OOKIE gift of food poisoning from the popcorn shrimp she ate at Landrys. Cole was in rare form at dinner with Chad and I taking shifts to eat and Abbey was unusually squirmy and hyper (so not like her). I should have known then something was coming!! :) By the time we got home and put the kids down, my throat started hurting pretty bad and I was exhausted and ready for bed. Right about the time I drift off to sleep, Abbey starts getting sick (yea)! It's moments like these you want to call out for your own mommy!! As a parent you learn quickly that there is NEVER a great time for anyone to get sick and it will typically come at the worse possible time! Needless to say, it's been a rough 24 hrs. for all; please pray for Abbey as she is STILL not over it and pray for Mom and Dad here, we are pretty tired! In taking care of Abbey today God has brought some sweet memories to mind of when I was sick and so lovingly taken care of by my Mom. Most of you know my Mom's a nurse which was always pretty comforting growing up and still is as an adult; I'm sure she loves our regular phone calls with our ignorant health questions!! I was remembering how nurturing she was and that she always made the best Gatorade slushees and cool washcloth compresses that immediately made you feel at ease. She would fix chick'in noodle soup and set up our own little sick bed post right on the couch so you could watch "The Monkey's", "Batman", or "Green Acres". Thanks Mom for all the selfless late nights and yucky messes you had to clean up when we were sick and the prayers that covered it all; It's definitely appreciated 10 fold now that I'm a Mother!! O.K., I'm off to bed; it might be a long night!

Napa Valley

Our first night in Napa at Brix, a fabulous dining experience! In front of Brix and their organic garden where they grow all their own produce

Chad at Robert Mondavi vinyard; sweetie that's a lot of wine behind you!!

On the grounds at Robert Mondavi!

Cheers!!!

A little vinyard next to our resort

We are now immersed back into reality after spending a long weekend in Napa Valley,CA! We were able to getaway without kids thanks to the help of grandparents; THANK YOU Mimi, Poppey, Nana, and Grandad!! Chad and I had the most amazing time visiting vinyards, tasting wine, enjoying picnics on scenic lookouts, basking in beautiful weather, eating gormet cuisine, SPA treatments, and lots of "other" important things, ha, ha!! We are so thankful for the much needed time away and are so glad we have made Labor Day weekend our yearly kid- free getaway! After getting over a little guilt at first, then we both feel young and carefree again; we always feel like we're taking another honeymoon!!

I wanted to additionally give everyone an update on my breast ultrasound that went AWESOME! PRAISE GOD!!! Chad and I are so overwhelmed by God's merciful, merciful hand in all this and thank you for your prayers and concern, I could feel them! Everything looked healthy and my Dr. said that some women just will have unexplained breast pain sometimes for years with no problems; Oh the joys of womanhood!!

Hope everyone had a very RELAXING and wonderful Labor Day Holiday!! Don't be a stranger and drop us a line! Blessings!!

Baffled!

I'm starting to get a much better sense of humor about this whole "child rearing" thing!! Can I just start off saying that Chad and I had one of the toughest nights EVER with our Cole man! He hasn't been feeling well so we started bedtime at 8 pm.....he finally went to bed at 3 am. From 8- about 2:30 Chad and I held, sang, prayed over, rocked and paced a child that would not be comforted or consoled. He only screamed and writhed, almost right out of our arms, several times during all those hours. Listening to crying for that long when your tired and don't feel well yourself, will either bring you to tears or insanity (don't think I was far off from either). Bless his little heart, by 2:30 am, Chad and I just had to let him cry himself to sleep because obviously what we were doing, wasn't working or helpful. Talk about the WORSE 30 min. ever and just pleading with God to step in and do what our arms were unable to do! Well, of course this morning I made a Dr.'s appointment for Cole ( who at that point was now a happy Cheerio eating dude)! Abbey had her last swim lesson this morning and did SO awesome and made unbelievable progress during this 3 week intensive; YEA Abbey!! On our way home she said her ear hurt and I told her we would have the Dr. check it out when we went in later. Would you like to hear the results from the Dr.'s appointment?? O.K., well you get to hear anyway...Cole fine...Abbey, double ear infection!! WHAT?? You mean out of all the pain and suffering last night, Cole's fine and my healthy girl is the one sick?! So confused!! Needless to say, I've cleared our schedule for the next few days. :) It's funny or kinda sad how God really has to get my attention and SLOW me down, me or my kids have to get sick; that way I'm forced to slow down and be more reflective! When will I learn?!! Does anyone else have this problem?? Last thing, but certainly NOT least of importance is for my continuing breast pain. I spoke with the breast surgeon's nurse today and she wants me to come in again and this time do an ultrasound. She feels this will be a good next step based on my symptoms that aren't going away; I really need peace of mind about what is going on there. She said a possibility is a cyst or some kind of infection that's not clearing up. Please pray for God's healing hands to be upon me and to give my Dr. wisdom in diagnosis and not to overlook anything; thank you, thank you!!!

Colorado Vacation

Teaching Abbey how to skip river rocks! Inside Rocky Mtn. Ntl. Park At the Historical Stanley Hotel (a.k.a. "The Shining")

Abbey's first horse ride (b/c of her height she didn't have to ride the pony)!

Boat ride on Lake Estes; Abbey and I got to drive, WHEE!

Well, we've been back from Colorado for a week and a half now and I'm just now posting pictures! It's always a little hard to get back into the daily routine after you've been gone for 8 days!! The major adjustment coming back to was COLE! He was not a fan of momma after leaving him for a week and had totally turned into a daddy's boy, even calling chad "momma"! Besides him being really scared of me the first night back (it drew tears from my eyes), he made major strides in mobility while I was away. Before I left he was taking 4 or 5 steps and by the time I came back he was practically RUNNING!! I was kinda sad to miss these milestones, o.k., a lotta sad! I did feel refreshed to come back and resume the wife/mommy role though; when you've been vacationing with your parents for 8 days, you're ready to resume to your own way of life again!

Colorado WAS beautiful and we saw some amazing sights, not a lot of wildlife, but I didn't care. Sitting at the foot or on top of some of the mountains in the Rocky Mountains brought me in direct communion with God. I was in AWE once again of His marvelous works and so thankful that I could be there to witness all of it with my sweet Abbey girl! Some highlights were taking Abbey horseback riding, Rocky Mountain National Park, playing in the river (right NEXT to the condo), seeing native Indian dances in Cheyenne, Denver butterfly museum, and the Titanic artifacts and exhibit in Denver (SO, SO cool)!! Oh, I forgot to mention that we flew into Denver, drove to Estes Park where we spent about 6 days, took a side trip to Cheyenne, WY (rodeo Frontier Days), and then wrapped it up in Denver. I think Abbey had a lot of fun and I enjoyed watching her see things for the first time; we had a lot of talks about God and all He's created while up there. There's nothing more precious than having those talks with your 4 year old and trying to answer, "mommy, how did God make the mountains?"

Other then that, Abbey's in the middle of a 3 week swimming intensive at her swimming school and is LOVING it! We're enjoying our last few weeks of playdates and summer activities before school starts again; I can't believe Summer is almost behind us! Oh, oh, and a BIG praise, the breast exam I had with a breast surgeon went great and she said everything is perfectly healthy and fine, PRAISE GOD!!

I loved this from my reading this week by Beth Moore's "Praying God's Word": "I confess to you that I am overwhelmed by the task ahead, but I am thankful that You have authority over all things. Heaven is Your throne and earth is Your footstool (Matt. 5:35); therfore, anything over my head is under Your feet!"