We're still here!

Hey y'all! We are still here, just busy!I just wanted to let you know that I will blog with pictures from our visit to the zoo and of Ella riding her little bike and Grayson playing...precious. We have just been battling sickness for what seems like almost a month now. We have had RSV, the flu (two separate times), strep, ear infections, sinus infections, and yucky stomach viruses plus I have had some medical testing done. Safe to say, we thank the Lord for us being well now and we are excited that this coming week is Spring Break!!

Snow days and Sweet Times!

What to do? It is Day 2 of the Forney Snow/Ice in and all four of us are snug at home. I am so excited to finally be able to blog. As usual, our family has been busy and on the go and the days we weren't, Joey and I enjoyed lazy days with the kids.

This month has been filled with birthdays, outings, and a bout with the flu for Ella. Speaking of Ella, she enjoyed her first jewelry party that Megan and I threw. She is getting so big and is already eating food and pulling herself to standing on anything she can grab onto, she has mastered crawling, and her favorite hobby is intently watching her big brother. Ella is a delightful baby and is always smiling. Grayson has done a great job of being a big brother! He is getting so big and we are amazed and how fast he is growing. He is in the inquisitive stage and is always wanting to read books and be like a "grown-up." He is also in the bigger kid class at daycare and his teacher always sends notes home about how great he is doing! He is our little smarty-pants! He will be doing a mini-march for Cystic Fibrosis for Children at school. He has really been asking about helping people and kids. We thank the good Lord every day for blessing us with such sweet, healthy children. We could not even ask for anything more. Speaking of blessings, Joey and I have finally been led to a wonderful church. It is only 12 minutes away and full of kind hearted people with a very biblical foundation. Joey has also been playing the guitar in their worship band which he loves. It is a great way to worship and to have fellowship. I am praying for God to show me where I need to lend a hand.

Work has been great and we have loved all riding together. Both our cars are saving lots of miles and on gas. It sure helps that we live about 6 minutes from our school. I love teaching and am hoping to get back into counseling, though, because I am really passionate about it. Either way I will be happy as long as I am working with kids. I take my national counseling exam in March. Please keep me in your prayers! This test does not have a very high passing rate so I am a bit nervous. It is the first step to becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor. I am already a certified school counselor but this will allow me to do private practice work. It is a long road to get there....I need to pass the national test, pass the Texas Jurisprudence, and then I will be an LPC-I (intern) and then I have to put in 3,000 clock hours. Needless to say, it will take a couple of years but I think it will be worth it and will give me flexibility with Grayson and Ella down the road. Well I am about to order a pizza (I am lacking some ingredients for the healthy dinner planned ) and watch Letters to God with Joey and the babies! I hope I can write again soon!

Mommy and Ella heading to the jewelry party!

Ella's first jewelry party!

Nana at the party!

Priscilla, Megan, and Me!

Me and Megan doing a middle school facebook pic! lol!

We buy Grayson so many toys but he prefers the simple things, he played with this for 2 hours!! Really!

Grayson practicing his letters!

Mimi and Ella!

Big boy Grayson with gel in his hair, a belt, and his watch..lol

My fav pic ever!!!

Almost Two Months Later....

Well I must say that I am a bit embarrassed! It has been almost two month since I last blogged. Of course....I have had good reason. Since I have last blogged a lot has happened.....Grayson was in the hospital with a horrible viral infection and asthma but after the great care Children's gave him, he was released in two days. Below you will find the before and after shots...lol!

Then I was sick for literally 3 weeks!! First I had a stomach virus then a week long weird flu-like virus and then another stomach virus! (No, I am not pregnant that I know of...I know some of you may be thinking that)! Then Ella had a little bug among all the sickness in our house and today I just brought her home from her 6 month check up and she has RSV! :(  She is doing okay but I am a bit worried about her 6 month stats. Her weight gain is very little since her 3 month check up. She weighs only 14 pounds and with her being born so big, its a bit of concern! The dr. just told us to give her formula and lots of cereal and we will see how she does. Please keep her in her prayers that everything is okay and it is simply just being petite!!
Besides all the sickness going through the house, the holidays came and went as did my 28th birthday! It was a fun December!! It was full of get togethers and Christmas activities. We also have made some amazing friends, Tyler and Priscilla. They are an amazing Godly couple a little younger than us. We have loved spending time with them but unfortunately they are moving to seminary in North Carolina. We wish them lots of luck and are excited for all of the great things God is doing in their lives. We have also found a wonderful church, McLendon Chisolm Baptist Church. We are really excited and are praying that it will be our home church. We have been looking for about 8 months now.
Well back to the holidays!!! Grayson was sooo much fun this year at Christmas, he has been so excited and asked every day in December if it was Christmas yet. He has helped decorate the house and make cookies and he has done a wonderful job at being a big brother! He loves his sister and when she cries he always tell Joey and I, "Ella needs a bottle RIGHT NOW!!!" Ella is a joy and is such a happy baby, it was fun for her to have her first Christmas. She was not really interested in opening presents, she just wanted to creep/crawl around and try to eat paper. Speaking of that sweet girl, I hear her wanting her mommy! Joey and Grayson are running errands......I will leave you with some of our Christmas memories this year!!!

Simply the best.....

Growing up, I remember from as early as 4 or 5 waking up every Saturday morning to my Mom making a big breakfast, the smell of coffee, and country music playing in the background. This family event occurred almost every Saturday until the day I moved out when I got married. My parents still do this every Saturday (it's one of the things I miss so much about living at home with my parents). Well, I noticed a lot of Saturdays I usually make pancakes or waffles and we lounge around as a family in our pj's. I hope to do what my family did with us kids. They always took the time to just relax with us, we would all cuddle up and just listen to music and have our tummies filled with a good breakfast. We did that this past weekend and I sat there praying that I always have a little piece of that morning in my memory because it was simply the best. I loved seeing Grayson hold Ella and I loved just having so much time to just relax with them and my wonderful husband and not be in a hurry to do anything.....a lot of us get so busy with life and don't push the pause button. Family, 2nd to God, is the most important thing in our lives and a true gift from God. It's part of who we are and can help define someone. So I guess the point of my blog was to just share some advice and that is to slow down and enjoy the little things, they are the things that can bring us the most joy!

Fall Fun .......

It is my favorite season of the year....Fall! I love the beautiful, warm colors and the cooler weather. I love hot drinks and baking, and the sight of pumpkins, fall wreaths, and scarecrows. It is such a beautiful time of year. With the season has come many fun opportunities for us and the kids. Here are some pictures of Grayson passing out gospel tracts in his Luigi costume with Daddy, me and our Ella-bug, and some pictures of our visit to the pumpkin patch! Part 2 will follow.....Enjoy!!

My niece, Olivia, and I

Daddy and Ella

Mommy and Ella

Grayson finished the maze!!!

Our Sweet Boy!

He picked his own pumpkin!

Already posing

Grayson was telling her something in the car!

Reading a story but Ella obviously did not want pictures taken!

Mommy and Ella-bug!

Daddy and Luigi...it was a huge hit!

Passing out gospel tracts....we were able to pass out 400 and we pray that God uses the tracts as a tool to unharden many of the losts' hearts. We were so proud of Grayson......

My Top 10 Favorite Things!

I was inspired by another blogger to blog about my ten favorite things.....so here they are!

1. Our Lord Jesus Christ and how Amazing He is!! He paid the ultimate price for which none of us deserve!
2. My wonderful family who bring so much joy to my heart!

This includes my wonderful husband, sweet Grayson, and beautiful Ella! Also, my wonderful parents, little sister and younger brother.....my wonderful in-laws and sister-in-law....and everyone else who I call family!
3. The ability to work with kids.....I hope to one day homeschool but right now I am really enjoying working with such sweet kids and amazing educators.
4. Lazy Sundays-I love being in my pj's and lounging around the house with my family....those Sundays are usually pankcake mornings too!
5. Starbucks Skinny White Chocolate Mochas and just the ambience of being in Starbuck's at night

6. Seeing other people happy brings joy to my heart. It's also good to have a humble, servant's heart...and I just love if I can brighten someone else's day or just be able to witness someone else's happiness.
7. The smell of Grayson and Ella after a bath....still use Johnson and Johnson's baby bath stuff
8. My husband's hugs and encouraging words when I have a rough day.
9. Groovy's -I have spent too much money there but they have the cutest stuff...
10. The feeling you get at Christmas when you are sitting near the tree and looking at the people you love around you, and think about what the day means (the birth of our Saviour), and realizing how blessed you really are...oh and the smell of all the treats baking in the oven...lol.

Our Growing Ella and Son, Luigi!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks! The Lord has been so good to our family. He is so amazing and gives us so much more than we could ever deserve! Praise Him!
We have enjoyed nice movie game nights with Grayson and Ella, and have just enjoyed having such wonderful family time. It's so amazing to see how the kiddos are growing. Grayson says things that just amaze us and Ella is doing things so fast already. She will be 4 months on the 24th and is already sitting up in bouncers and walkers. She was walking across the kitchen floor in her walker already! I can't believe that my little baby is growing so much! Grayson has been so inquisitive and asking us how to say things in Spanish. He just turned 3 and is so intelligent (okay, so we're biased...)......if only he could apply all of that brain power to consistently go potty. Lol!
Joey and I were blessed enough to go to a Revival Series on Saturday. It wasn't like a tent revival or anything like that....it was just a lot of amazing evangelists that spoke about how to witness. They were all so Godly and it was great to meet people who are so humble and that are such servants. We got to go out after a days worth of speakers and witness to share the gospel and the great news of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, after being there barely 30 minutes at a outdoor venue, we were asked to leave because someone had complained that the cross was offensive. The police walked us out and made sure we went to our cars. We were not doing anything weird or loud, we literally just got there. It was humbling and kind of scary that our county is changing so much. It is now so liberal that being a true Christian will soon be something that is hard to be. Please pray for those whose hearts are hardened. It was a great, eye opening experience though!

He was upset because I told him he may have to take it off!

Now back to the babies! I k now Grayson is 3 but he is still my baby, too! Here are some pictures of my son, Luigi! Grayson tells us we can only call him Luigi (from Super Mario Brothers) now and he wears his Halloween costume hat everyday.....he even slept in it! Also are some pics of Ella and her big blue eyes! Enjoy....