Ten Top Ten at 10 years of marriage

Robby & I just returned from a LOVELY three night getaway to Wimberley, Texas to celebrate anniversary #10. I can hardly believe we have been married ten years but it's true! The night before our trip we watched our wedding video with two excited little girlies that were obsessed with seeing each & every kiss which made us laugh. Wednesday morning Grammy & Papa picked up the Fab Four plus a four legged baby & brought them to their house. We took off to Central Market to stock up on cheese, crackers & wine before heading south. It took about 3 seconds to switch into vacation mode & we were as relaxed as we would be riding without our little Valentines in the car. We found a cabin in the woods about 15 minutes outside of town that was the perfect "Nest" away from the "Nest." I actually picked it over another one because of the rustic birdie decor....I'm a sucker for bird houses & miniature nests scattered about! We loved sleeping in a bit, reading books, sitting on the porch for hours looking out into the hill country, a little simple cooking, eating on our own schedule & a Christmas movie or two. The shops were adorable & provided a few things to take home. It may sound silly but it was really a treat to finish a cup of coffee while it was still warm ; ) Such a lovely time to rest & enjoy spending (uninterrupted) time together.

One idea we had was to make Ten Top Ten lists at the 10 year mark. It sounded like a simple task but we were surprised with the length of conversation our little game provoked. What a gift it was to laugh as we revisited our time together & recorded lists of silly things along with more serious moments. Without further adieu, here we go!

I have a feeling it is going to be long ; )

Our Top Ten....

Dates

1. Cagles Steakhouse- Lubbock, TX - Our first date. Shortly thereafter we began to contemplate marriage. 
2. Maxey Park- Lubbock, TX - We spent many an afternoon eating a picnic lunch & studying or goofing off....probably more goofing off. 
3. Mingalones & Aida the broadway show- Houston, TX- My gift from Rob for my 20th birthday & within that trip was the first time for him to meet my family. We returned to Mingalones for our Rehearsal Dinner in 2004. 
4. A steakhouse in Sydney, AU- We celebrated getting engaged & my 21st birthday in the same night. I wore heels & my feet were blistered by the end of the night so my knight in shining armor carried me from the train station back to the home we were staying. 
5. Gaylord Texan - Old Hickory Steakhouse-Grapevine, TX- We spent Rob's birthday at the hotel & enjoyed the most delicious meal in what seemed like a Wine Cellar. We tried to recreate this date at the Gaylord Palms Old Hickory & decided to never attempt to recreate again ; ) 
6. Epcot- Oralndo, FL -pre kids & specifically Food & Wine Festival in the fall. We spent many a night wandering around after dark people watching or riding rides with no lines ( a Disney favorite).
7. Hotel Avia- Savannah, GA- We took a trip here for our 5th anniversary with a sweet baby Charlotte in tow. We ate fish tacos for room service about 4 times in our weekend away & I told Robby for the next five years that I would pay him the big bucks if he would drive me there on a whim to get another plate full of that delicious meal!
8. Bonefish Grill- Orlando, FL- the place where we opened an envelope to find out we were having a second baby girl. 
9. Cantina Laredo- Orlando, FL- We found this place when I was pregnant with the buckaroos & went after many an appointment. We shared many meaningful conversations here regarding struggles in pregnancy & about Bennett the day before he died. 
10. Sushi Sake- Richardson, TX- Too many dates to count at this diamond around the corner from our home here! We wish is were cheaper ; ) 

Things I swore would never be a part of my life but thanks to Rob, I have ventured out

1. Pitbulls + letting them sleep in my bed
2. Kayaks
3. Firearms
4. a sip of Whiskey here & there
5. Riding a motorcycle
6. Broadening seasoning horizons & using anything but Lemon Pepper
7. Indian Food & Sushi
8. Coffee
9. Eating the side sauces that come with dishes
10. Homeschooling

Baby Names that didn't make the cut

1. Benjamin
2. Samuel
3. Brennan
4. Arthur
5. Banjo (totally Rob)
6. Madelyn
7. Nora
8. Eleanor
9. Lillian
10. Ruthie

Ways we have seen God work

1. Always providing what we need to serve others in our lives- having Jenny + our friend Elizabeth, her two kids & a dog live with us in Richardson or the ability to support friends who are serving the Lord outside of our immediate circle
2. Quick selling of our home when we were Florida bound & God's provision in Rob's company allowing him to work from the Land of the Mouse.
3. Perseverance in Orlando when we had few friends & were far away from family & through the addition of little ones to our life.
4. The growth in number of people & more so life change in individuals through the care of the Celebration Community Church family.
5. Our marriage deepening when things feel tough instead of us growing apart.
6. For all ten years (& prior)- Singles, couples & families who have displayed a life devoted to Christ, and provided encouragement & joy as we have "grown up." 
7. The gift of four children in a short period of time & God's care for them as we have transitioned to living in Texas. A few specifics for each- Charlotte- seeing her giftings & sensitivity to God & others. Eloise- beginnings of feeling sadness for her sin & seeking repentance & forgiveness. Owen & Anson- saying "God" when asked "who made you?" & overall seeing them "healthy & strong" at nearly two years old which is what so many prayed for. God answered. 
8. Parents who gave endlessly to help us in our journey back to Texas including flying back & forth to help, transport kids, drive a vehicle or preparing for us to be roomies for the first couple months here. 
9. Last December Rob felt the Lord telling him that 2014 would be a lean year. This was prior to having any knowledge of his company slowing down & eventually ending. God provided patience through months of indefinite income, exactly what we needed when we needed it, ability for me to work & pitch in on the cash flow followed by me being out of work for a few months due to my recent diagnosis & even in that, now we are thankful to be recovering through unexpected means. 
10. Again, family & friends who have served endlessly through all of our unexpected medical issues that have required many doctor visits.

Trips

1.  Australia- 2004 when we got engaged & again in 2007 to visit friends
2.  Honeymoon to Pagosa Springs, Colorado -2004
3.  Garner State Park with my family soon after we married- 2005
4.  Minneapolis, Minnesota for multiple Desiring God Conferences
5.  Visiting Orlando as we considered moving -2007
6.  Savannah, Georgia for our 5th anniversary- 2009
7.  Blue Ridge Mountains & Big Canoe, Georgia - 2010
8.  Crested Butte with the Ellis family- 2010
9.  Michigan & Smoky Mountains, part of the trip with the Valentines & where that egg was split on the zipline ; ) -2012
10. Wimberley, Texas- 2014

Homecooked Meals

1. Chicken Tacos
2. Smoked Brisket & Pork
3. Turkey Taco Pasta Skillet
4. Fettuccine Alfredo
5. Steak, baked potato, mushrooms & spinach
6. Jalapeno poppers
7. Stuffed Flounder
8. Pazole Soup & all the other soup we make & freeze after Turkey day
9. Chimmichuri Steak with sauce & black beans
10. Lamb Burgers

"The Office" quotes that are often heard -SO hard to only pick 10

1. Michael to Jan -"Good luck paying me back on your zero a month salary plus benefits babe!" We have laughed about this one a lot lately when I spend money & am not working ; ) 
2. Jan "Remember it isn't just a pattern, it's a pattern of disrespect & inappropriate behavior." Michael "Disray .My friend Disray got news specs. Disray spect."
3. Michael "How dare you! You know I have soft teeth!"
4. Jim "Question. What kind of bear is best?" Dwight "That's a ridiculous question." Jim "False, Black Bear." Dwight "That's debatable. There are basically two schools of thought.." Jim "Fact. Bears eat beets. Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica."
5. Pam "What was the food like in prison?" Michael "Gruel sandwiches, gruel omelettes, nothing but gruel." Sometimes when the kids are relentless in the morning we say "alright kids, we are eating gruel, nothing but gruel today."
6. Michael "Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."
7. Pam "Oh, I can help starting dinner if you need it." Jan "Oh no, it's just the Osso Bucco needs to braise for about three hours. Everything else is done!" Pam "Three hours from now or three hours from earlier like 4 o'clock?" Jan "You know Pam, in Spain, they often don't even start eating until midnight." - We say this when dinner prep is taking way longer than expected. 
8. Michael "Presents are the best way to show someone how much you care. It is like this tangible thing that you can point to and say 'Hey man, I love you this many dollars worth.'" 
9. Dwight "I never smile if I can help it. Showing one's teeth is a submission signal in primates. When someone smiles at me, all I see is a chimpanzee begging for its life."
10. Stanley "Boy, have you lost your mind? Cause I'll help you find it!" We could say this about every 10 minutes in our house ; ) 

Meaningful Moments

1. When Rob proposed
2. Walking into the first home & me crying
3. Chris's phone call to ask if we would consider moving & the entire process of moving
4. Finding out about pregnancies & welcoming babies into our family
5. Charlotte singing "Peace, you give me peace" to me in the car when I was completely bawling following one of our earlier visits of finding out about concerns with the boys growth
6. Holding Owen & Anson in the NICU for the first time
7. Reconciling after fights
8. Robby's years of working from home & the times each of us got to interrupt his day with snuggles or spinning in his chair
9. How Eloise tells Rob EVERY morning when he is about to walk out the door "Daddy, you look soooo handsome!"
10. The moment we smile at each other in the middle of complete chaos which means two things... One- we are experiencing the reality of life with four sweet children that offer lots of excitement. Two- we look at each other like "We are in this together buddy! Don't leave me!" 

Family Traditions

1. Annual squirrel hunt & never firing off a gun...at a squirrel
2. Donut Day- used to be every Saturday until we got tired of the crash after the sugar high...we are down to twice a month
3. Dance parties in the kitchen after dinner
4. Thankful Tree
5. Putting up Christmas decor the day after Thanksgiving
6. Snackies with just about every family celebration
7. Resurrection Eggs
8. Pierogi Day
9. Valentine cards instead of Christmas cards
10. Giving imaginary gifts to each other. For our fifth anniversary I wrote Robby a note telling him he could buy the gun he had his eye on without realizing it cost $1500. Ha! He still tells me how much he likes his imaginary gun ; ) For my 30th birthday Robby said he was working on getting my entire blog printed into books...until it crashed his computer & he realized that we had a 3 year old, a one year old & 2 month old twins that required every millisecond of his free time.

Ways we have upheld our vows

1. "Our home will be a place of laughter, joy & peace" - it is definitely full of laughter & joy but is far from peaceful these days ; ) We still make each other laugh really hard & I always tell the girls when I am crying because I am laughing so hard "It is sooo important to marry someone who makes you laugh! Your daddy is the funniest man in the world!"
2. "I will love you without reservation" - One reason we believe we have a healthy marriage is our willingness to be transparent with each other. That has been difficult at times but always worth the risk of sharing. 
3. "When you are discouraged I will not walk away" - we laughed when we talked about this one adding on "except for when you are being a jerk, then I will walk away & come back later" haha! Discouragement has come in many forms & we have been so thankful for how the Lord orchestrates our life to where we are rarely completely discouraged at the same time. This has allowed us to truly care for & encourage one another through these times. 
4. "I receive you as a gift from God"- We have found that we are each a gift to one another that is continually being unwrapped through different stages in life. There is only so much you can know about each other prior to moving in & building a life together. We have loved seeing one another change over ten years together. One specific way has been in seeing each other as parents. We also joke that we are good at receiving gifts...even imaginary ones ; ) 
5. "I will seek, serve & love God with all my heart"- Through the Lord's leading, we have been able to do this at times & experienced much joy in life. When we have failed to seek, serve & love God with all our hearts we have experienced pain & hurt.
6. "I will lead you/follow you"- This has been easy for us minus when there was some role reversal & I went to Florida & bought a house that Robby didn't see until we pulled up with a moving a truck ; ) On a serious note, leading encompasses much more than just making decisions & Robby has blessed our family immensely with spiritual leading & the way he helps our home run. Both leading & following has required much selflessness & turning our backs to our own pride. Always a work in progress but we pray that our children would see the Lord helping us fulfill what he has called us to in our marriage. 
7. "Serve you with all of my strength" I mainly think of Robby in this although we both said it. From the time I was pregnant with Charlotte & spent every evening lounging on the couch, he has been up & down to get anything I could possibly need. We went through two more 9 month segments of time but we laugh because it seems that my lounging & his serving never stopped. We are almost two years out now & every night he makes sure I have everything I could need or want....including a late night pizza or a dozen warm cookies delivered to my doorstep ; )
8. "Provide & protect" Much like leading, providing encompasses much more than the first thought of financial means for a family. He has done a good job purchasing appropriate items to protect me. I feel very safe : )
9. "Uphold you" This is something I said to Robby & he commented that he saw me majorly fulfill this commitment following his surgery in June. He was happy to have a wife that was a nurse who could provide the care he needed. I loved the opportunity to serve him following his care through pregnancies & recoveries.   
10. "By God's grace & power I will be true & faithful to you for the rest of my life" That's it, it is only by God's grace & power that we are able to celebrate anniversary after anniversary staying true to one another. We pray that God will continue to bind us together as we believe that obeying Him is the best & happiest way to live. 

Robby was a little concerned about my brain function when I said "Can you believe that on our 20th anniversary (in 10 years) we will have a 25, 23 & two 21 year olds?" Ha! I was worried too & felt much better when he reminded me that the kids will be 15, 13, & 11....which still sounds ridiculously old compared to where we are now! We look forward to making another list at the 20 year mark recording all that another decade will bring.  

We do wonder sometimes why we got married a week before Christmas since it is such a busy time of year but it just adds to the excitement & reflection. For those of you who are married & have displayed relationships that are faithful to God & one another, thank you. Thank you for helping us through your transparency & encouragement. The Lord has used you to help us make it to ten years & we are grateful for that. 

Anson at 21 months

Anson, the official baby of the family is 21 months old! He too will be represented with old pictures for sanity's sake. He's quite expressive & precious. 

21 things about Anson at 21 months:

1. He is always looking to entertain & get a laugh out of someone....there are five of us to work with & he usually succeeds. 
2. He can be impatient in the car yelling "GO" every time we slow down to stop. I decided to pull out the "Go Dog Go" book (which has been a huge hit) to explain that the red light means stop & the green light means go. It's not working yet ; ) 
3. On the other hand, he has melted my heart this past week in the car even with his outbursts. He was crying "mama, mama" & pointing at my visor until I opened it & he was able to see me. His grin was soooo sweet & he has spent the rest of our time either staring at me with those big brown eyes or waving & saying "hello!" 
4. He says "okay" all the time but it is hilarious because he says it just like me. I usually say this when all are out of control & I exhale while saying "oh-kay, let's all just take it down a notch." 
5. He likes to count & it usually goes like this. Mommy- "one," Anson- "two," Mommy- "three," Anson- "GO!" 
6. While he does not have a rooster puff like his bro he does do a great rooster impression sounding like "coo-a-doo-doo."
7. His favorite book is "Hello Texas" & he loves to imitate all the sounds like the cannon says "BOOM" & the quiet river says "shhhh." I know the river doesn't actually say that but it was the only sound I could think of ; ) 
8. He loves to build towers & is deeply offended when Owen stops by for a visit & sends it tumbling to the ground. He has impressed us with his balance & ability to stack a good 15 wooden blocks without them falling. He is adorable when the stack gets as tall as him & he attempts to stand on his toes to place the top block on before passing it to a sister for help. 
9. Back to the dinner table....Anson places his utensils or food on his head (another balancing act) & stares at you with a straight face until you laugh. He actually forgot his crackers were on top of his head last week & started crying until his Daddy reminded him of their location. 
10. He also loves yogurt raisins but that's no surprise. This kids is a garbage disposal who will eat anything & everything placed in front of him. 
11. He was sound asleep the other morning (14 hours after being placed in his crib the other night) & I had to wake him to join us for the tail end of breakfast. He was so drowsy until I said "Ansy, do you want some pancakes?" to which he responded with jumping to a standing position & saying "Yay! Pa-cakes!"
12. When the water starts to run out in the tub he lays down on his belly & acts like he is on the Olympic Skeleton team but must reverse every 36 inches. Owen decided to join him the other night, got directly in front of his teammate & Anson decided to take a bite of the tushie in the way. I'm certain they will love that story in about 15 years ; )
13. When you say "Who loves you?" He says Mama, Dada." When you ask "Who made you?" He says Mama, Dada (true) but when asked again he says "Goh!" for God. 
14. He says "Ummm" a lot when you ask him a question & really looks like he is thinking of a witty answer....although he can't express it yet. What a little comedian! 
15. He loves construction anything & quickly identifies the Roller. He could not have been more excited when we saw a real life roller coming down our street the other day!
16. He tries to copy his brother & jump while holding onto the side of the crib. One kid gets some serious air while the other looks like he might have stepped in super glue. I will let you guess which is which ; ) 
17. Charlotte can't stop singing Jingle Bells (and driving us crazy) but Anson can't get enough & says "Moh!" at the end of every tune. 
18. He does the most hilarious tiger impression when it's time to get out of the bathtub & again keeps the most serious face while growling at you & crawling in a very tiger like way. 
19. He enjoys some eskimo kisses with mommy on a daily basis. 
20. This little guy always has two blankets in hand & has wiggled his finger through the corner of one. It helps him identify his quickly & if we try to trick him with Owen's he is not a happy camper. 
21. He (& his bro) give Daddy the warmest welcome imaginable at the end of every day. Lots of screams, running to the door, big hugs & following him around for the first 15 minutes. I think it makes someone feel pretty special. I'm glad...because he is. I feel like doing the same thing when he comes home ; )  

Oh & he loves his brother more than I could ever express in words. He spends lots of time trying to squish him during the day whether he is backing up onto an already full lap (me with Owen) or climbing into something already occupied....but what's new? He has been squishing that boy since they were in the womb!

21 months with the Ansonater & boy do we love him! Between holidays & starting off a new year, I have a feeling I will wake up surprised with two year old boys. Where has the time gone?

Owen at 21 months

Our Owen is now 21 months old & will be represented with pictures that have already been posted because it's that kind of month. Not only has this month offered little time for photo shoots but I honestly love these pictures of him from just weeks ago : ) 

21 Things about Owen at 21 months:

1. His current goal in life is to knock down the towers built by a boy who looks just like him.  
2. He delights in locating the remote control every morning & returning it to Daddy.
3. He says "Yep" with extreme enunciation on the last letter to every question asked. 
4. He likes to grab Anson's hand, give it a little spankin' & say "no! no!" This usually occurs at mealtime but in actuality it should be the other way around. Owen has quite the bag of tricks (ie disobedient acts) at the table including excellent aim while throwing a sippy cup a good 4 feet to send a full (open) cup of milk flying & soaking two irritated sisters. I was so impressed with his aim I laughed & skipped the opportunity to correct him.  
5. He finds stars anywhere & everywhere...books, ornaments, the sky, decorations & hollers "Star!" until acknowledged. 
6. He has a rooster puff on the back of his head within one day of a haircut. One easy way to tell these two apart. 
7. He shrieks with excitement when he sees yogurt covered raisins or if we ask him if we wants to brush his teeth. 
8. When the music starts, this kid can't stay still & has a super cool horse trotting move he uses to show us all up during our nightly dance parties in the kitchen. 
9. He calls himself Owee & he calls his brother Owee too. 
10. His favorite book is The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Cah-pih) but the only page he likes is the one with ALL the food.....who doesn't like that page? 
11. His number one obsession right now is buckles. He is as excited about them as he is about brushing his teeth & spends up to 20 minutes at a time buckling the high chairs multiple times a day. It drives us crazy because we forget they are buckled when we go to put someone in their chair & can't find the buckle since it is right under their tush. He also will freak out if you buckle the chest clip of his car seat....better left to professionals I guess ; )
12. Due to #11, he has earned the nickname "Mr. Buckles." Rob says if Owen & Anson were clowns they would be called "Buckles & Chuckles" haha! 
13. His favorite thing to identify in the Big Machines book is the Backhoe. He likes to flip back to this page as many times as I can stand & say "Bah-hoe, Bah-hoe."
14. He loves to carry around a sissy's "pah pah" or backpack & is adorable since it almost drags on the ground. 
15. He threw his first major fit this week when he requested "mwuk" (milk) but when I handed it to him he decided he would rather have juice instead....it was almost the end of the world, then his brother joined in & it was really loud & a little bit humorous. 
16. He is super talented with Duplo blocks & can be occupied for a long time with a pile of these. 
17. He is often seen walking backwards or sideways with a funny little grin on his face. 
18. He has an extreme phobia of feathers & a toy tractor when headed his direction. 
19. He could not be any sweeter offering lots of cuddles throughout the day & at bedtime especially with his Daddy. Daddy is the first person he asks for if someone else comes in his room in the morning. He is also sweet while Anson is getting his diaper changed & comes over to rub his bubby's head to keep him calm. 
20. He likes to count things but says "one, one, one" while taking my finger & making it touch each thing he is counting. 
21. He LOVES his brother & spends so much time playing with or entertaining him.  

I know I hit 21 already but I have to add that he loves his puppy too & is happy to give her plenty of attention throughout the day whether she likes it or not. I can tell you Bella is happier when this lightweight is on her back instead of Chuckles or Lolo ; )

21 months of Owen & loving him more each day! It's hard to believe that the next time I write updates it will be for two TWO year olds!

The Nests' "12 Days of Christmas"

Last night we were on the couch with the girls after the boys were in bed. All of us were in silly moods & started singing the 12 Days of Christmas. The girls have been especially obsessed with this song due to a pop up book they love. Charlotte attempts to sing it at least once a day & it is never quite right but always adorable. Robby & I were cracking up spouting off our own "verses" if you will. Once the girls were down for the night I got out a pen & paper & we got to work on polishing our own Christmas tune.

Without further adieu, we present to you (in the most choir like voice you can imagine) ...

The Nests' 12 Days of Christmas

In the year of 2014 the good Lord gave to me

12 cheese & wine nights

11 bites of sushi 

10 years of marriage

9 doors a sticking

8 (hundred) cups of coffee

7 flaming tacos

6 medical procedures

5 different jobs

4 stand up comics

3 (thousand) diapers

2 moves in 2 months

"is that dog still a howling?" 

and everything we could possibly need!

It began in silliness but ended in reflection of how God has provided during a year of unexpected events & I wanted to take the time to elaborate on what we chose to include as we look back on the past twelve months. 

 12 cheese & wine nights- Cheese & wine night started once we were parents & it wasn't quite so easy to be spontaneous in the evening, heading out to dinner on a whim. Robby planned an evening with a lovely array of cheeses, a bottle of wine & catching up on some episodes of whatever show we were enjoying at the time. We loved it so much we decided to plan on one date out per month & one date in. So, four years ago "12 cheese & wine nights" would be completely accurate. This year it might be more like four times twelve ; ) We have fed the kids dinner, put them to bed & had soooo many nights on the couch enjoying our date night in we can hardly count. It used to be cheap & sometimes it still is but we have gotten hooked on driving to the Central Market that is only about 10 minutes away....bad news or good news depending on how you look at it. We have often added salami, fresh cut prosciutto, nuts & crescent rolls stuffed with Brie, apple & a walnut.  I also convinced Rob a few weeks ago to let me call & order cookies from Tiff's Treats. I had never heard of this until we returned to Dallas but am completely suffering from cravings for a dozen warm cookies delivered to our doorstep for a mere $20 (including tip). He swore he hated snickerdoodles until he tried some from our delectable delivery....bottom line....he is now suffering from the same craving.  Cheap or a splurge on our date night in has been fabulous for our marriage. We enjoy talking laughing & pausing shows a hundred times before the credits finish to return someone to their bed. We highly recommend adding this to your date repertoire!

11 bites of sushi- It was not our intention to have two food related items in a row but we couldn't avoid including the recent addition of sushi to my diet. For about 7 years we have gone to sushi restaurants. Same story every time, I ordered something cooked off the menu while Rob enjoyed his platter of raw fish that completely grossed me out. He asked that I try one piece every time we went & I obliged without putting up a fight. Honestly for about 6 & a half of those years I choked it down. Once we got back to Richardson, we had a night out at a place called Sushi Sake that is literally within walking distance.  I'm not sure what happened but I tried a piece & absolutely loved it. We have gone there EVERY date night since we moved into our house in June. We had decided to go to Texas Land & Cattle one night & at the last second I yelled "exit here! Let's get sushi." I am thankful Rob gently guided my taste buds to something so delicious. Too bad it is not priced like McDonalds ;)

10 years of marriage- We are celebrating ten years of being husband & wife NEXT WEEK! In some ways we feel like it has flown by while on the other hand part of it has felt quite slow.  We have experienced challenges throughout the "getting to know your new roommate" time period. having the fabulous idea to buy two puppies three months into marriage, moving halfway across the country, filling our home with little ones, medical issues, job changes & simply learning to love each other well. Looking back, we were babies at 21, 23 & still in college! What a gift it has been to have one another to walk through ten years of life with & we look forward to what is ahead.

9 doors a sticking-  We moved into a rental house at the end of June. This place fell in our lap as some may describe. A friend of mine knew the family that had lived here previously & the same week I was interviewing for my job (in April) they had purchased a home with a closing date when we were hoping to move. Timing wise it was amazing, the location is wonderful & the space is probably much more than we need but we are making good use of it! It does have some pretty concerning foundation issues that many homes along the creek have. I really could care less about the cracks in the walls but what is driving us insane is that there are nine doors that either do not close or have to be man handled to open. This is most frustrating when trying to keep kids in our out. It is also frustrating that Bella can push her nose against a door that is partially closed & get in to (commonly) wake up sleeping babies or sleep walking children can come straight into our room unnoticed. Other than that issue, we are thankful for a fenced yard, huge trees, the many pecans that have taken over the backyard, space in the kids rooms for beds & playing, a guestroom & an office for Robby's at home work, close proximity to the creek & walking trails (& Tiff's Treats), tile floors that look the same clean or dirty, a little bar area that Bella's cage & bed fit into perfectly & a fireplace & mantle to hang stockings from. We have talked about what is next & are not really sure. I brought up that I feel like we will be in transition until we buy a house here that we know we will be in for longer than a year or two lease. Robby made a good point about how living in transition helps us remember that the earth is not our home & that in comparison to eternity, we really don't live here for very long. So again, not sure what's next but keeping that in mind versus trying to find or remodel  to have the "perfect home"is so helpful.

8 (hundred) cups of coffee- We figured this number out by each of us drinking one cup of coffee a day & then some. I have mentioned before that Robby's family owned & ran a coffee shop for about 10 years. My dear husband has always been an avid coffee drinker but much like sushi, I had a major aversion to it. And much like sushi, something clicked one day while I was pregnant with the twins & I never looked back. I am one of those robotic people now that go straight to the coffee pot instead of pouring milk for the kids ; ) Sadly enough I rarely finish my morning cup due to helping others with their breakfast or other minor incidences of who knows what. Perfect example....I went to my closet one afternoon & glanced to the bathroom counter top to see two dirty diapers & an almost full cup of coffee. It made me laugh outloud & then think "Yuck! How could I have left those diapers there inches away from my toothbrush?" Anyway, we are enjoying Caribou dark roasted coffee currently, Rob likes his black & I like mine with milk, Starbucks Cafe Mocha iced coffe & a couple packets of Stevia in the raw...go figure. Some might say that isn't a coffee drink at all.

7 flaming tacos- We have laughed endlessly about the taco shells that caught fire in the oven the night we were carving our pumpkin "Tootles."  We were thankful it was easy to handle & the only damage was that the pan that was engulfed in flames now has the outline of the taco shells we burned that night. Thinking about Tacos in general....we have loved being back in the Lone Star state for the Tex-Mex places on every corner! We love Torchy's Tacos & Pappasitos the most & try to limit the amount of times per month we say "I'm not hungry for what we were going to cook tonight....let's order!"

6 medical procedures- Wow...who (other that God) could have forseen the many medical issues we have experienced this year? The six that stick out the most in chronological order...

1. Charlotte running into the tailgate of the truck face first while riding her scooter....6 hours after I left town! A trip to the ER with her Daddy yielded no stitches & a little glue. 
2. Robby's ruptured appendix the week we moved into our house which required emergent surgery & a few days in the hospital plus a month of recovery that included no lifting of any children...that was not fun in any way. 
3. Charlotte seeing a pediatric cardiologist for an EKG & Echocardiogram after our pediatrician heard a murmur at her well visit...all checked out just fine. 
4. Me starting to have "episodes" that prompted me to see an internal medicine doctor who referred me to a Neurologist. I got to have my first MRI & in office EEG which yielded a "potentially abnormal" result. 
5. That "potentially abnormal" result bought me a ticket to have 26 electrodes placed on my head for 72 hours. It was not nearly as bad as I thought & thankfully gave the doctor the information her needed to diagnose me with a seizure disorder. Since then we have seen another neurologist for a second opinion. She agreed with his findings & treatment so I am medicated now & slowly improving. 
6. To top off the end of the year, Robby is dealing with a tailbone issue which will most likely require surgery to resolve completely. Looks like we will start the year off with attempting to meet our deductible...again!  

As mentioned before, we could have not imagined what this year would hold regarding need for medical intervention but God has provided abundantly through jobs that have offered excellent insurance, family & friends who have helped with watching kids while we go to appointments, providing meals here & there, picking up things at the grocery store or driving me & the kids around. Overall, we feel like we are falling apart ; ) but, we already knew that. "So we do not lose heart, our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16

5 different jobs- Talk about transition! For Robby it has been the company he worked for the past seven years, a new job at a consulting firm nearby that started in September plus plenty of side projects that have definitely cushioned the medical bills. For me, it was working PRN with usually one night per week to starting a full time position once we arrived in Dallas to me not working at all currently until I am therapeutic on medication & seizure free.  That encompassed a lot of change for our entire family. Through all of these job changes, God provided what we needed financially & beyond that, what we needed relationally as a family. Robby's current IT consulting firm could probably be seen from our house if all the huge trees were cut down. It takes him less than 5 minutes to get there so we see him more than we would if he were working downtown. This close proximity to our house has allowed him to take us to & from school, lot's of lunches at home & a flexible schedule.

4 stand up comics- Though our home may be filled with lots of crying on any given day, it is equally filled with laughter. Our little brood which keeps us on our toes has the capability to make us laugh so hard we tear up. As months pass we see them developing such drastically different personalities from each other. They are all funny in a unique way & we are so thankful that God made them exactly like he did. Some hilarious things as of lately..

• Charlotte- while shelling peanuts at the kitchen table "Mommy, do peanuts come from elephants?" Robby thought my answer of "No sweetheart, they come from peanut trees" was even funnier. She has also made me laugh with comments about my brain not working correctly which is how we have described my recent diagnosis. She said the other day when I accidentally rubbed shampoo all over my face instead of soap "I think we need to go see that doctor & he can open up your head to figure out what is wrong with your brain." Haha! 
• Eloise- During the elephant/peanut conversation we could hear Eloise screaming from the other side of the house. Robby had only been home for a few minutes & after he finished laughing about peanut trees he took off to the boys room where I had left her reading in the chair. I was right behind him when he found her up on the dresser. He said "Oh Eloise, I am so sorry! I didn't know you were stuck! How long have you been up here?" The child with no sense of time replied with a tear streaked face "four hours!" Oh my goodness we were laughing so hard. I reassured Robby that she had in fact been in the kitchen moments before he arrived home ; ) 
• Owen- This skinny little guy can wiggle out of almost every piece of clothing he owns! We often find him shirtless, pantless & sockless in his bed following a nap or playtime. When you walk in to find him he is saying "uh oh, uh oh, uh oh!" He has taken off with his talking & pronounces the end sound of every word with great inflection making us grin. We watched him in the backyard one afternoon as he found a pecan, carried it to a rock then proceeded to pick up a brick & smash the pecan to get to the yummy inside. We were impressed. 
• Anson- Oh Anson, he panics when his "baby" ie blankie is out of sight & is happiest carrying two blankies around the house. He says "Thank you" constantly like no matter what you say, he replies "Tankoo" & has recently added our names after. He loves to dance & copies any crazy move we do. He is also capable of escaping from his clothing & was found the other morning with a Tarzan style footed pajama...one arm out which is pretty impressive considering his chub.  He has also picked up on some of our CC memory work & knows the six parts of the circulatory system with hand motions. He can sometimes do it without prompting. 

Robby & I enjoy our siblings so very much & laughter is a big part of our relationship with them. We pray that the laughter our four experience will be remembered with fondness as they grow older & that they will always find joy in laughing till they cry....or snort like some of us do ; )  

3 (thousand) diapers- Rob calculated this one & we rounded up to 3,000. He is better at estimation & math than I am so I trusted the number he reached. That's a lot of diapers & that is only this year! We have had one, two or three kids in diapers at the same time since 2009. Changing thousands of diapers is just part of the mundane & necessary tasks parents perform day in & day out. There seem to be lots of those throughout a day which make me feel like I am in the movie "Groundhog Day." There is great joy to be found in caring for little ones in mundane tasks or in exciting, out of the ordinary things. God has really provided us with the energy & patience to go from sun up to sun down & occasional hours in the middle of the night with our bunch. We are far from perfect but there are evidences of his grace that help us remember that He works in us & through us.

2 moves in 2 months- Wow, that was wild, a little bit fun but mostly exhausting. We were so thankful that Bob & Jeannine welcomed us into their home bringing along four kids, a dog & plenty of boxes that lined the back wall of their living room. Living there gave us the ability to recover a bit financially, have grandparents that love our babies as much as we do care for them while we worked & jump start relationships living in the same town. We spent May & June there which included three birthdays, Mother's Day & Father's Day. We moved a lot of our stuff into a storage unit when we arrived so that was a big haul to get it all to our place in Richardson. It felt good to unpack & settle as much as we could with Rob in recovery mode & me working full time night shift. I'm tired just thinking back to that time!

"Is that dog still a-howling?"-  We knew that part of the song wasn't there but we had to include Bella & thought it appropriate that she be included in the part of the song that gets repeated a lot....because she howls a lot. You might mistake her for a beagle or a hound dog around 5:45 am EVERY DAY! She is still kicking at nearly 10 years old & must have a bladder the size of a pea. She is gray in the face & still has the cutest little ears that perk up when you say "squirrel!" She tolerates love, affection, kids trying to ride her & being trapped by two girls that love to play "pet shop" or "veterinarian." It's a lot of work to have a dog on top of the kids but we're not sure what we would do without her other than sleep until 7am of course ; )

and everything we could possibly need- If there were more syllables in that part of the song we could say that He has provided more abundantly than we could have imagined throughout the past year. We are grateful for those who have prayed for us & cared for us in 2014. We are hopeful that we can be on the "helping" end next year ; )

"Bring out the Holly!"

As soon as the leaves fell from the Thankful Tree, Christmas decor was out of boxes & beginning to make the house festive....soooo my favorite time of year in our home! I was quite excited to switch out our fall photos in frames throughout the main areas of our home & replace them with Winter ones. For a long time I had wanted to have four sets of seasonal photos to display appropriately throughout the year & I am finally getting around to knocking that off the list! My plan is to switch out the ones with Christmas decor with regular winter ones once January comes & that will take us through the end of March when we switch to Spring. But for now, back to this holiday season! The girls & I decided we needed some sugar cookies to start the season off right.  I think we need to cookies to start any season (or week) off right ; ) 

We got to work practicing our measuring & putting to use what we have been learning in Math both with CC & our home curriculum.  We faired well & the dough turned out delicious for being a new recipe I looked up when I thought I was without baking powder only to open the cupboard & find the baking powder as soon as the dough was complete. Common occurrence for me. 

Here are our baking assistants...

They couldn't help but sneak a bite every now & then....totally inherited that from their mama. So far, I have not contracted salmonella from all the raw eggs I have ingested over the years...knock on wood.

Once they were baked, we had some decorating to do. I thought it was just for fun but then someone decided to show us all up & it turned into a competition ; )

Daddy won as expected & coached the newest decorators in their techniques.

Charlotte was working on the hang of covering the cookie with icing all by her big self & was so focused she never even noticed the icing on her nose. Eloise on the otherhand forced us to replace the knife after just about every cookie because she licked it clean. Love that girl!

Our final product....some more sugary than others...

We continued the tradition of skipping dinner & eating sausage balls & pigs in a blanket which we all love. The only hiccup in the evening was the power went out right before we were ready to bake our evening "snackies" as we call them. It ended up being out for nearly an hour & causing a bit of stress since two little guys were grumpy nearing the dinner time hour. The girls reminded us that God could make the lights turn on & He did just as we walked back inside ready to prepare for a trip to a drive- thru. We were thankful & got to work on "dinner" bathed some dirty kids & got ready to decorate. 

The girls & I had split up the baby friendly ornaments from the ones that should be hung on the top half of the tree earlier that afternoon. Owen & Anson were so adorable when they walked out into the living room from their nap & saw a tree in their living room. They literally stopped & stared not making a peep for a good 60 seconds before shouting "tree! tree! tree!" They were very interested in the ornaments though not very skilled at actually hanging them on a branch. The two mini mamas were happy to show off their hanging skills & offered to help the new decorators. 

Lolo bird found a spot to relax when she tired of hanging ornaments.

The girls wore their 3T & 5T jammies from last year but it looks like we may need an upgrade soon ; )

It was Eloise's first time to get to place the star on the tree & she was nervous as Daddy lifted her up in the air. I had my portrait lens on & it was quite dark so the picture quality is not what I desired but I do love that it looks like pixie dust is falling from that sweet girl. We also love that ol'Beller is in the picture too. She of course (scared of anything abnormal) barked at the tree when she saw it. 

We all agree that having a fireplace, gas logs & mantle is a wonderful change from our Netflix fire on the TV screen with a space heater on the floor. It looks much more like what we had growing up & offers much warmth to the room.

a little poem to finish off the post:

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care 
& the morning after, two girls expected presents to be there. 

They were slightly disappointed but we continue to share
there is much more to Christmas than a toy or stuffed bear.

They are excited for gifts but we pray they understand 
the greatest gift came in the form of a baby who grew into a man. 

A man, who from the beginning of time
entered a fallen world knowing he would die.

Dying he did, but now he lives
and because of that gift we have something to give. 

We take this season & focus our hearts
on Jesus who came to a world that had fallen apart. 

His sacrifice was great & effects are unending
and we hope you are changed by the grace He's extending. 

We share this with others the whole year long
& in this time we celebrate though gifts & song.

Well that was random but that's how my brain works these days & not just because of my recent diagnosis ; ) We hope the time leading up to the celebration of the birth of Christ is full of reflection & thankfulness in your home & neighborhood.

Thanksgiving & a scrawny thankful tree

Someone please tell me how it is already the second week of DECEMBER?! November flew by & here we are just a couple weeks away from celebrating another holiday. I am not feeling too wordy at the moment so this should be short & sweet with possibly more pictures than words ; ) 

For the holiday, we gathered at Grandma Shirley's house with the Loftin side of the family. There were 26 people & it was fun & loud! We went from hosting multiple Thanksgivings to bringing a side dish this year....that was lovely minus not having all the delicious leftovers! Our contribution was "kid friendly" & a straight off Pinterest kind of arrangement. I let everyone know to avoid eating the turkey eye balls so as not to ingest Sharpie Marker. 

The rest of the food was delicious too...

Sadly, I barely took any pictures of the grownups & stuck mostly with the great grandkids. They are hard to resist when it comes to photographs or kisses. Kelly oversaw the three little guys. Luke is just a few months younger than Owen & Anson.

The four "big kids" at on their fancy plates at the kids table. Landry was promoted from the floor since she is about to turn two. Aubrey is about 2 months younger than Eloise & had a great time playing with our girls. 

We spent a lot of time in the backyard with a bounce house & swings. The kids are so happy out there & I think the adults enjoyed watching them play while visiting. I always love pictures of my short kids with their tall uncles.

Owen & Anson were little stinker pies when it came to getting a picture of the two of them together during our family photo session on the bridge so I was happy to get this one even though they were not looking at the camera.

and all four looking to the side with random looks on their faces....gotta be thankful for what you got right?

Then it got really exciting when we tried to snap one of seven kids five & under with four being under the age of two...haha!

We decided it might be helpful to add the mommies...

As soon as they all broke free of their mothers, they ran to the swings & were all screaming & crying (minus Char) thinking that someone else would get to go first. We looked at Uncle Scott & said "alright, you have fun out here!" He then began to cry ; ) It was pretty funny. We intervened & helped everyone take turns appropriately.

Overall, it was just wonderful to hop in the car & drive 15 minutes to my grandmothers house & see all our family. We are thankful for those we shared a meal with. The next evening we went to Aunt Debbie's & Uncle Joe's house with the Ellis clan & shared a Mexican feast, lots of laughter & playtime with cousin Emma whom Eloise now claims is her best friend & "horsie" since that was the game of choice for two days straight. Debbie, Joe & Emma joined the Loftin family the day prior & Eloise made claims on her horse. On Saturday we had Bob & Jeannine over while Robby fired up the smoker. It was a day of sitting outside on & off while beginning to deal with runny noses & coughs times four. Jeannine & I made a run to CVS for meds for all the sickies plus a run by Starbucks for some holiday beverages. We enjoyed brisket & pulled pork over the weekend then stocked up the freezer with another 14 delish BBQ meals. What a fun three days straight of family time!

Onto our scrawny tree. I can say I know what our problem was, I did not prepare all the leaves ahead of time so when I ran out, we quit until I got around to cutting, punching & stringing more. I hated that we missed out on adding the rest of the leaves but we still talked about many things we are thankful during this time of year (and always).

One fun thing about this year is that Charlotte loves to write & draw pictures. For day #10 she she drew a hopscotch game onto her leaf since we had made one that day. I decided to add the words "Fun things to do while trapped at home." The list of all the things we have done at home to make things a bit more exciting is not super long but the good memories stick out : )

Here she is enjoying the "hopping" of the Hopscotch...

Then one afternoon during rest time she asked if she could use my buttons & this is what she came up with...

Onto sweet Eloise who loves to "draw" as well & has a very detailed explanation of her masterpieces said quite candidly one morning "headbands, unicorns, dolphins, God & everything." The she about had a panic attack when I wrote on top of her drawing.

We are still reading our Jesus Storybook Bible & when we finish we just go back to the beginning. We are thankful that Charlotte is learning the truth "that God saves us." This bible does a great job pointing out God being the hero of every story & not the typical "human hero."

Another day it was "New friends" but really it should have said "Friends- old & new." My friend Jessica who I have known since elementary school lives nearby & called to see if she could stop by for a visit & bring some delicious Taco Soup for our dinner. The meal was AMAZING & her company even more wonderful. Her little girl Hadley played with my bunch & we caught up as well as we could with some background noise. This week we also had a family over from our Gospel Community group. They have five children with the oldest being six & youngest a newborn. We shared dinner together & went to bed that night saying that we felt the most "normal" since we left Florida. We were used to a full house at least once a week & usually more. That has been a difficult transition for us & we were beyond thankful for the Blanchard family.

A few more: "Freedom"- Rob, "God always wins His battles"- Lauren, "Peace"- Charlotte, "That Jesus died" Eloise.

I also had two little guys that are speedy climber that liked to remove the leaves, knock the tree over or take a bite of the fresh fruit. We are thankful for those busy boys reminding us of God's care for us.

What a month of sharing what we are thankful for & looking forward to celebrating the birth of Christ. Talk about something to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Following a week's worth of pep talks, we ventured across the street & down to the bridge for an attempt at some family pictures via my camera. Thankfully we had Uncle Kyle to help with the wranglin' this crew needs plus we had my cousin Kelly who is handy with a camera & was able to swap the photographer role with me during our time on the bridge. I was a little shocked with how well it went....I am pretty sure that is a good thing ; ) It is not often that we get a picture of all six of us looking at the camera at the same time BUT the following picture was the first one Kelly snapped!

Looking at the camera was short lived then all took off at full speed. The rest of the pictures don't really need words to accompany them. Our surroundings were absolutely beautiful which made for an easy opportunity for lovely photographs.

I am thankful for marrying this man nearly ten years ago & for the children God has given us. I am also thankful that we managed to get along quite well compared to other attempts at family photos ; )

Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!