Christmas 2011

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love all the fun traditions, like the Advent Calendar, and seeing Santa at the mall. We did the Advent wreath this year too (although not every night like we were suppose to). Olivia loved eating by candle light and Brianna loved leading us in prayer. Such special memories.



Brianna said this was the best Christmas EVER!


Do you think she's excited? ;)

Olivia got the purple computer she asked Santa for.







It's hard to believe by next Christmas I'll have 3 children to watch open presents, and share more fabulous memories with <3

Foster Care Update

So far since being licensed, we have had 3 adorable boys in our home. The first 2 boys were brothers, a 10 month old baby and a 2 year old. We only had them for the weekend (respite care) but they were so much fun! It went much smoother than we thought it would, all the kids played well together and the boys seemed happy to be with us. We were sad to see them go.

The 3rd little boy ("T") we had for 10 days (another respite case). He was a handful but he was also really sweet. I ended up getting Strep the day after he got here which made everything a million times harder! Luckily Torrey was home to help. He took all the kids outside to play in the pool all day while I rested. Olivia and "T" became best buds. They would each wear a backpack and pretend they were going to school, or they would push a stroller around the house while pretending to go to work.

It was bittersweet to see him go back to his foster family. Although I was definitely ready to go back to having only ONE active toddler in our home, I knew we would miss him and he would miss us.

Rainy day fun

Prayer Journals

The other night Brianna came up to me and asked if we could talk about something serious (I always get a little nervous when she starts a conversation this way!). But of course I told her she can talk to me about anything.

She looked so worried as she confessed to me that she believes in Jesus and knows he died on the cross, but she just doesn't "feel" him anymore. I assured her it was OK to feel this way sometimes and explained how it took me a long time to really "feel" God's presence too. I told her praying is the best way to start and keep a good relationship with God.

So, the next day we went to the bookstore so she could pick out her very own prayer journal. She was very excited! She has been writing in it everyday. I hope and pray as she looks back on the prayers she writes that she can see how God is really listening and answering her prayers.

Spring is finally here!

Spring is taking it's sweet old time this year. It's May 14 and we have had very few Springy days. So, when we had a couple of days in the high 70's we made sure to enjoy them.



The girls ran around the yard picking dandelions







Olivia spent lots of time in her new swing



And Brianna had a huge water fight with her friends!




It's back to rainy, cold weather this weekend, but we loved our little taste of summer!

Foster Care

We finally finished our Foster Care training classes last Saturday. Our home visits are complete and now I just have to get my finger prints done at the local police station and we should officially be licensed!

I can't wait to get the call for our first placement. It's both exciting and nerve-wrecking to not know when the call will come, or even what age the child will be (we agreed to take under 2 years old). Or if the call will be for 1 child or will they try to talk us into a sibling set of 2. Torrey and I keep having conversations over and over about what we can and cannot say yes to. The unknown is a little scary, but I have no doubt in my mind that foster care is something we should be doing right now. There are SO many little ones in our county that need a safe, loving home, and we can provide one.

My baby turned 2!

Olivia turned 2 years old last week. It's bittersweet. She is my youngest so it makes me sad to think of her as a big girl and not my sweet tiny baby anymore, but it is fun to see her personality emerge. She is such a funny, sassy, sweet little ball of energy!

Olivia at 2 years old:

~You weigh 22 pounds
~You know your colors
~You talk in full sentences
~You count can almost count to 10 (1,2,3,6,7,9,10)
~Your big sissy is your best friend
~You are still addicted to your binky!
~You love dressing up and you already have a shoe addiction!


Favorite toy: Baby doll and stroller
Favorite activities: Playing outside and reading stories
Favorite TV show: Elmo and Barney
Favorite Movie: Harry and the Hendersons, Barney, Hansel and Gretel



Only 2 years ago..........







And Now.........








We love you Livvy girl!

Glasses and Gymnastics

Brianna has been hoping and praying for glasses for about a year now. This week ger wish finally came true!

Doesn't she look cute?!

She was literally smiling from ear to ear when the Doc. said she needed glasses! It turns out she astigmatism, but she only needs to wear her glasses while reading and doing homework for now.



Gymnastics:





On Saturday we decided to check out the open gym at the Gymnastics place Brianna use to go to.

The girls LOVED it! Olivia ran around like a crazy girl, and Brie decided she wants to sign up for a gymnastics class again. I'm going to sign Livvy up too when she gets a little older.

I've been horrible about updating my blog. We have been busy the past couple of weeks...

Playing in the snow

Having Playdates

Making cupcakes

Making messes


And trying to house train the new puppy (without much luck!)

Our new baby girl

Poor Torrey is becoming increasingly out numbered because we have added another girl to our family.


We went to the pet store yesterday to look around. We were thinking about getting Brianna a bird but mostly went "just to look". The cockatiels and parakeets were not very friendly. Brianna tried several times to get one on her finger but they all kept flying away from her hand. The last thing I wanted was another animal the kids couldn't play with. So, we decided to play with a couple puppies.

We played with a little Chihuahua.

And then we found this cute little Papillon. Brie fell in love instantly (so did I), Torrey took a little bit longer...after 15 minutes of playing with her we decided to take her home with us.

We are still working on a name







She is a very sweet and calm little puppy, that fits in well with the family so far.

Picture A Day: Day 3

Olivia giving her uncle Jaxon (who is a year younger than her!) a big bear hug!

Picture a Day: Day 2

Every morning as soon as we get in the car, Olivia asks to hold Brianna's hand. They hold hands all the way to the school. It's the sweetest thing. I'm so glad I thought to take a picture because I know one day I'm going to miss not seeing this on a daily basis.

A Picture A Day: Day 1

I've been reading about the 365 photo a day challenge and I think I'm going to give it a try. Basically, I need to take a photo every day and post about it. I think this will be a fun way to capture the every day moments of our year.

Day 1:

Snuggled on the couch reading before bed.

Ice Fishing

Torrey took Brianna ice fishing today. They caught over 20 fish but only 6 were big enough to keep.

Brie checking the tip-up

Having fun in the ice shanty

I love her expression in this picture. She looks pretty proud of that little fish!

Maybe next winter we can all go. I'm sure Olivia would love seeing the fish and playing in the shanty!