Grey's Birthday Party Photos!

Thank you Shuffield Photography, yet again, for taking photos of Grey's birthday party on March 23rd!

Warning: this is a LOT of photos. :)

 Her cake and cupcakes were so perfect, a huge thanks to Ashley Martin!! :)

 Thank you Shuffields and Alexi for this fun photo canvas of some of my Instagram photos from Grey's first year!

 There are just 2 million photos now of Grey eating her cake ;)...  Can you tell she liked it? 

Yes, this happened.

Love from YaYa! 

Birthday girl spent some time playing in the hallway for a break from the birthday craziness.  It was her birthday, she could escape if she wanted to! :)

 Sweet friends and cousins painted canvases for an orphanage.  

Water lover! (I assure you this girl had a bow we bought specifically for the occasion, but it didn't last long on our head.) 

Auntie Charys love!

Sweet Eme!

The invite said "no gifts please", yet somehow Grey still managed to leave the party with so many wonderful toys, books and outfits! ;)

My nephew Kayson is a smarty!

Ahma love!

Grateful mindset

I have seriously started a blog almost weekly these last few months, but never have the time to finish and click "post".  It would be silly to go back and post old blogs... so I will just write a little one today and make it my goal to click "post". ;)  Even if that means I misspelled half of it.

Blogging is a whole different ballgame with a toddler.  I almost envy those mommies who have it all under control, four kids under the age of 5 at home and still manage to consistently produce amazing blogs.  I am simply thrilled if my kid has less than one meltdown, is clean and happy and there's food on the table (sandwiches count) at the end of the day.  

In my [less than enough] quiet time this month I have been working on a grateful heart.  Gratefulness in everything.  Not just the easy stuff to be grateful for.

It has made me keenly aware of how much I have let things (mostly out of my control) change my heart from grateful to ugly in a matter of seconds.  The craziness of this spring has really taken its toll on me - and our family - so I am working on remembering to give thanks always.  I am positive that a grateful heart and mindset has strengthened our marriage (that is so easy to neglect when life gets crazy), my friendships and made me an overall happier person.

I would be remiss to mention some of the huge things I am GRATEFUL for this month and season:

God's abundant blessings over Holden Uganda, including providing the most wonderful Administrative Assistant we could ever dream of, Jennifer Young (and the funds to pay her)!  Chet and I were becoming quite burdened with the workload (what a blessing to be able to say WORKLOAD in reference to Holden Uganda, huh?!), so Jennifer joining our team couldn't have been more perfect.  I am in AWE of how efficient she is, and so very thankful for the timing she jumped on board.  "This girl is on fiiire...."  ;) ;)  (Sorry Jennifer, if you ever read my blog.  I couldn't resist!)

Providing a buyer for our home in Snyder, and even more miraculous, a BEAUTIFUL home for us in the Lubbock area.  I'm probably prematurely mentioning all of this, since both closing dates aren't until June 28th, but I am confident and at peace about it all.  Praise God.  We were beginning to think we would live in an apartment for 6-12 months (which isn't bad at all, and I was totally accepting of that idea), until we found the "right" home for our family...but yet again...God's provision for us was overwhelming.  We toured 8 of our favorite homes last week, and the moment I walked into this one, I just knew it would be the one we would live in one day.  I am actually humbled by all of the connections...the current owners were just in Uganda (and plan another trip shortly) CARING FOR ORPHANS!  Um....goosebumps.  We are blessed more than we deserve.

My husband.  He should probably be the first one I mentioned.  He has tirelessly worked his normal hours at work (which are far from normal, but I suppose "normal" for the oil field), and still manages to come home and take care of his family, keep up with his portion of Holden Uganda, and does everything he can to spend time with us.  He is truly amazing.

The little person who keeps me on my toes 24/7, makes more messes than I knew possible, and truly brings HAPPINESS into our home.  They say toddlers are sponges, and that is exactly how she is.  I adore watching her learn and play.  She is extreme in everything she does, as she has always been.  There is never a middle ground with Grey, and oh how I love her for it.  She will get so upset over something she can't touch or play with one second, but then the next moment she will wrap her arms around me in the sweetest hug and plant the most precious kisses on my face.  She will "accidentally" say words here and there (we have realized she can talk, she just chooses not to), and when we praise her for it she becomes incredibly silent.  It's like she knows how much we want her to talk. ;)  Stinker.  She is officially 20 pounds now and seems to be growing like a weed.  She hasn't slept this well in her entire life (around 8pm-7am!) and eats almost as much as I do.
14 months is hilarious, inquisitive, fun and crazy.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Life lately

My little lady taken today

Yesterday's sweet pose with grey bear (can you tell we've had a GROWTH spurt?!)

We are at an age of fun discovery.  Everything must be touched - and often tasted.

We could live outside all day.  This is an understatement.  We sometimes even throw fits when we have to go back inside. ;) We LOVE swinging, taking walks, wagon rides, stroller strolls, the park (sand, slide and climbing structures are favorites), picking "flowers" (weeds), and watching cars go by.

We love dancing.  Grey cracks us up with her select tastes in music.  She will shake her head yes or no as each song plays in her iPod.  :)  We spend hours dancing, and oftentimes dance standing on the rocker/glider in her nursery.

We love making Momma and Daddy laugh.  She will do anything and everything to get our attention. :)

We love making animal sounds.  She can make puppy, kitty and duck sounds.  She meows for almost any other animal. ;)

We are just now starting to really understand and love books.  She is finally making the connection that books have new things to learn about and fun pictures.  This MELTS my heart.  Our favorite book (by far!) at the moment is a touch and feel book, B is for Bear.

We love other kids and babies!  Playdates are getting more fun as she is aware of other kids and interacts with them.  She is a bit "bossy", so we are working on kindness and sharing.  ;)  She wants anything someone else has.

We are getting more independent.  We can play with our toys and books for longer periods without needing momma!

We are still not talking very much, but we are signing more and more and make our needs very well known despite our lack of vocabulary.

We have an amazing memory!!  For example: Today I grabbed my hairspray bottle out from under the sink.  (I rarely use hairspray, so the last time I did in front of Grey was about two weeks ago.  She had taken the lid and ran away with it.  Ever since then my hairspray can has been missing the lid, as I looked all over the house and couldn't find it.)  When I held the can today, Grey went NUTS.  She can't talk well yet of course, so she was waving her arms, squealing and nearly engaged in a full blown meltdown.  I kept trying to give her the can of hairspray, thinking she wanted that.  She pushed it away still CLEARLY trying to communicate something to me.  So I grabbed her hand and said, "Bop.  Tell me what it is."  She led me to our clothes hamper and collapsed on her knees and pointed behind the hamper.  THERE was the lid!!  I couldn't believe it!  She had been waiting for me to use hairspray to let me know where the lid was.
She also remembers people very well.  She knows exactly who her favorites (and less favorites) are.

Though this age has its challenges, it is amazing to watch her learn so much every day.  Seeing her face light up with a new discovery is priceless.  This spring has been crazy, but we have had a ton of fun amidst the craziness.

Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.  Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are my God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.  Psalm 25:4-5

Still here -

And no I'm not pregnant ;)!  I have had several ask me lately if that was the reason behind my blog absence, so I thought I better at least type a short blog from my phone during naptime to clear things up! Lol

Life with a toddler is busy.  I have to admit it is still taking me some getting used to juggling life, Holden Uganda, my [very small] part in Hope Mommies, etc while chasing around a VERY active little lady.  I felt like I just had it all managed decently, when BOOM- Grey started running and climbing faster and more athletically than I can!
And I can say that attempting to keep a house "show worthy" with a toddler is nothing short of miraculous!

So no, I'm not pregnant.  I just needed to take a little break in a few areas of my life to keep my sanity.

Grey is at such an awesome stage!  We feel like she is extremely smart and understands almost every conversation (sorry for the Mom Brag, though I assure you this cannot be attributed to anything I have done - all thanks to the Lord for His goodness)!  Chet and I will mention going somewhere and she will grab her grey bunny and run to the door.  I will say, "I have to do laundry first", and she will run to the washing machine.  Nothing gets past this kid!  She is also slowly but surely verbalizing her needs more.  When we don't ask her, she's said MANY words.  But trying to get her to say something without it being her idea is nearly impossible!  She is already trying to climb trees and prefers anything that is muddy and dirty.  We never stop moving.  Before sun up until after sundown.  ;)

One of my very favorite things about this stage is her LOVING attitude.  Grey is always giving us hugs and kisses, kissing her animals, and wakes up absolutely thrilled to see us each day.  She is truly a HAPPY girl - and that is worth any hard moment or day.  I still wonder in amazement how we could be living a life with Grey in it.  God is so good to me.

Season of Change!

I have really missed blogging!  I have missed documenting all of Grey's sweet little changes and developments. :)  This month was truly one of the busiest we have had in a long, long time.  It was also filled with many big decisions for us, which made it even more hectic.  I am sitting at the computer in hopes that I can recap this month without having my house turned upside down by a 1 year-old. ;)

Easter:

Grey's second Easter was so very special.  She absolutely LOVED egg hunting, and although I really don't ever want Easter to be about bunnies and eggs, it was fun to see the JOY in her face.  We dyed eggs with our neighbors on Saturday (my first time to dye eggs too!), and had an egg hunt at their house with lots of little kids in the afternoon.  

Easter means so much more to me these past few years.  I have blogged about my feelings in the past, but I truly cannot help but be emotional all day on Easter.  Thank you Jesus for dying an unthinkable death for me.  Thank You.

Grey's very first egg!

Church egg hunt - all dolled up! :)

The one and only photo snapped of our family on Easter.

The rest of the month:

Grey's 1 year appointment went great!  She was 19 pounds even (20%), 28.25" (40%), and head is 17.4" (40%).  I just weighed her last night and she actually only weighed 18 pounds.  I think all the running around is making us lose our chubs.  

We made a spontaneous Mother/Daughter trip to the Science Spectrum in Lubbock.  Grey was enthralled the entire time.  

We attempted a good ole cheesy Texas Bluebonnet Photo Shoot with the three amigos.  This was the only photo with all three babies "happy".  

This was more like how the shoot went down. ;)

My favorite photo of the day.  Maybe of the whole month.  The boys are totally saying, "Such a Drama Queen!  Sheesh!"

Last weekend we decided we needed a family break and headed to the Abilene Zoo!  Grey was captivated by the flamingos and loved the giraffes.  She had her first "train ride" on the little choo choo train around the zoo.  

There are many photos I could post and memories I could document, but I am already noticing my little miss is ready for a morning nap. 

Our big DECISION this month has been to put our home on the market and move to Lubbock!  Chet and I have prayed about this for quite some time, and doors are opening to move to Lubbock.  The move is incredibly bittersweet for more reasons than I can even think of right now.  Chet will stay at Weaver/WSI, but we will just relocate to the "big city".  We feel as though there are more opportunities for Grey up there, as well as being closer to much of what we need and do each week.  (I drive to Lubbock nearly every week.)  

Snyder has been the perfect place to call home for our marriage and family.  Most of our memories are here, and it holds a precious spot in my heart.  This little home means more than just a roof over our heads.  I know this is sentimental, but we have spent our entire marriage here, as well as had both our children here.  Our friends and church family in Snyder have loved us in a powerful way.  Snyder will always be a place I consider "home".  

That being said...our sweet little home is for SALE:

Please be in prayer for our family as the next couple months hold changes and decisions.  

I hope your April has been filled with blessings!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as your trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13