We got INK!!!

Thank you very much for praying for Trae and his deals. He had one of his deals close today and the 2nd one is due to close next week. The one that closed today is the largest one and it made his quarter be where he needed it to be!!! God is so good and faithful! We were just in awe so see how the Lord blessed us. Thank you Lord!!!

New Years Prayer

Make Me An Instrument of Your Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
--St. Francis of Assisi

New recipes and planning for NYE!

We will spend NYE with dear friends and lots of kids tomorrow evening! We will go to our church for a service that is about a hour of worship and prayer and than head to our friends home. I am pondering what to make and bring as we all bring a couple food items. I love reading recipes and planning what I think will be well received and really yummy! For Christmas I tried 2 new recipes at our meal and they were wonderful! The first was spinach brownies and the 2nd one was Paula Deens banana pudding. Both were huge hits and something I will make many times again! Now what to figure out to take for NYE! For me planning is 1/2 the fun.

Snow again...

The Lord blessed us with snow for the 3rd time this month! It was beautiful to see falling and although I wouldn't want this weather all the time it is a gift to have it sometimes.

Trae....

I love this man for so many reasons. One of things I love about him is how he provides for our family. He works so hard to provide for us. He is in sales and therefore the last 18 months has been like climbing up a very steep mountain each and every month. Yet, he keeps going! The Lord has blessed him and even in the midst a troubled economy he is blessed in his business. Trae has 2 deals that are on the table that he needs to close in the next 3 days to make his quarter and end the year where he would like. Please pray that they do indeed sign and close this week. We need to see INK!!!! That is what his company calls a closed deal. Thank you darling for all you do for our family.

Christmas day....

Opening presents is always fun no matter what age you are. Sam needed help opening his and we had to do it in stages because he wanted to be on the move! We had a great day and were thankful to have it together.

Santa Sam!

Sam really enjoyed his festive outfit and wearing his santa hat! We didn't know he would be walking by Christmas already but it made things extra fun and busy! He actually only pulled one ornament off the tree!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to everyone! May your day be filled with love, joy, peace and most of all Christ. Love, Trae, Julie, Andrew, Jacob, Sam and Sparky

Snowfall on Christmas Eve....

We got several inches of snow today and that is Jacob making a snow angel out front! Trae was an amazing dad and went out and played with him in the snow. Sam and I stayed inside and were glad to do so!!! They had a blast!!!!

Pogo sticks and shorts one day and the next day.....

Today in Texas it is 40's and snowing on Christmas Eve. It is still snowing and we will likely get a few inches. It is so pretty!!! What a special memory for Sam's first Christmas.

He wouldn't give up!

Jacob loves skateboarding right now. It has been a huge feat for him to accomplish! We are so proud of him. He purchased this pogo stick used a while back and has wanted to conquer it too. We were blessed this week (before the snow!) with mild weather so he spent a evening outside working on it. He been outside most of the day but found the energy to keep trying. He was so proud of himself. Note the skater shoes....he loves them!

Samuel Ace 11 months and 2 days!

Trae's Christmas gift....

If you look at the pictures you might see a baby boy playing with his Grandpa. Sam was totally delighted and taken with his Grandpa Mason playing peekaboo with him. It was fun to watch and even sweeter to hear the story behind it. If you look closely at Trae in these pictures you can see that he was very moved. As he went moments later to tuck in Sam he was in tears and said what a gift that was for him to be apart of. He said that hearing his dad squeal in delight and laugh with Sam it took him back to his childhood and totally overflowed his heart with immense gratitude for the gift of relationship with his dad. This was the best Christmas gift Trae could have ever received.

An amazing blessing and visit!!!

We had such a special visit with Traes dad and Mama Sylvia. They came in to visit and celebrate Christmas with us. They did that and so much more. The love they surrounded us with so nourishing and treasured. They spent the afternoon and evening cooking for us and making many, many, many meals to freeze and enjoy! We had amazing options for our dinner and we were blessed to have a meal together with everyone. Dinner was so very yummy and the blessing of being surrounded with that much love and warmth was priceless to us. The boys all enjoyed time and connecting with Grandpa Mason and Grandma Sylvia too. Jacob went on the grocery store run with Grandpa and enjoyed that one on one time and talked Grandpa into the crane game! The visit ended with a full tummy and very full hearts too. Love and hugs to you both!!!

Sentimental Sunday....

As I sit here in the middle of the holiday season I am reminded how much life changes. This picture was from our very first Christmas as a family. That was 4 years ago and I my how much has changed since then. I love to look back, to reflect and am so grateful for the pictures we have. As someone who often is behind the camera and I hear people say NO please don't take my picture. Please let them. If you have a few more wrinkles or pounds no biggie. Those are all things that come and go in life but you and your loved ones will treasure the pictures and memories that you create.

Music and Sam

Sam is loving music and has his own little groove going on. Sometimes when he hears music he starts dancing. It is so sweet. He is loving these snowmen and the music they play. It is so neat seeing how we never even had to teach him how to dance but he just does it.

Special finds!

I love old things. Matter of fact I probably love them more than new things. I saved one small box of my older boys clothes for keepsakes. Sam has been able to wear just a few as they were born in different seasons. Several weeks ago I was browsing Goodwill and spotted the outfits that Sam has on in the picture. It was the identical outfit that Andrew wore when he was 18 months! I checked the size and knew that it would fit Sam this season and grabbed it and was giddy with delight! It was from a line that Baby Gap put out 16 years ago and there it was in Goodwill with the tags still on it. Sam is simply adorable in it and will be wearing it to our churches Christmas program this weekend. Thank you Lord for rare finds and caring about the tiny details that matter to me. I am so blessed.

Sam in action!!!

Sam is walking really well! He took his first steps at 9 months and at 10 months is moving right along. He LOVES walking and it has been fun to watch him delight in his new venture.

Sam wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas!!!!

Next stage...

Sam has been working on finger foods. He will eat just about anything smashed up but is not loving the thicker textures. We keep providing it and know that soon he will be pushing the spoon away from the pureed food.

Biggest brother....

Andrew decided this fall that he would rather live with his dad. He is 17 and honestly we are thrilled that we had him in our home as long as we did. He is just a few short months from turning 18 and yet as close as he is to being an adult we have missed him much! Sam loves his biggest brother and we enjoy his visits. He is just a few minutes away and we treasure those times. Andrew and Sam have always had a special bond.

We have a walker!!!

Sam is 10 months and has decided this week that walking is better than crawling! He actually took his first steps last month but it was just occasionally. He is very strong and agile and is loving getting around on two feet. It is fun to watch and one nice benefit from it is that he is more tired out from all the exercise and is napping longer!!! Way to go Sam!!! 3rd child and earliest walker.

December 2009

We put our Christmas tree up last week and Trae insisted that we wait to put up the star until Jacob got home. It has always been a tradition to have the kids put it up and this year we had Sam to be apart too. Sam has been delighted with the tree and to our surprise he hasn't pulled any ornaments off the tree!

Looking back.....

When we were in Lockhart we stepped out back to look over his families land. The heritage that is there is present and something that Trae reflected on and we wanted to have some pictures of. The crops are no longer there but the cattle is, the land and more than anything the legacy. Trae shared memories of growing up and going up to work during the summer in the crops.