Christmas in Missouri

There's lots of blog-catching-up to do from December. But, we'll start with Christmas. Our kiddos are the definition of TROOPERS since we made the trek to Missouri (12 hours) all in ONE day, there and back. Tucker does so great in the car, mostly thankful to CARS, Curious George, and other animated characters, but it was Hadley we were worried about. At such a busy, active age, I thought she'd be frustrated to be in her seat for so long. But, she did incredibly well. With stops every now and then and the DVD to distract her as well, she survived with hardly any fussing at all. If we're being honest, I think I struggle to be in the car that long more than anyone :)

The kids had a lot of fun at Grandpa and Grandma's, especially with new toys-- or toys that are new to them anyway. Tucker's favorite things is the basement (such a novelty since we don't have those around here)-- all his toys are down there and he spends hours everyday hanging out with his best buddy, Grandpa, down there.

Hadley was practicing her walking there... still not doing it on her own, though.

We saw a lot of family...

Great-Grandma Seabaugh

{Tucker is enlightening her here about all the names of diggers}

Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Fiehler

We went to a Christmas Eve service...which was pretty impressive on the kids' part since it was their bedtime :)

Grandpa

Preschool Thanksgiving Feast

Tucker's Thanksgiving Feast at school was on Monday. His class dressed as pilgrims (CUTE!) and even better--Tucker got to be the line leader when they walked into the gym for all the parents to see. (I don't know about your kid, but mine talks about wanting to be the line leader everyday :)

Adorable!

Cutie sister tagged along...

Miss Ann!

Miles and Tucker

Miss Becky!

We LOVE preschool!

Smitten Favs

We were captured by the photog skills of Sharon Clark {Smitten Photography} once again and I'm so grateful for these images that capture our family of 4! Enjoy some of our favorites!

Easter!

Happy Easter from these two cuties!

We celebrated at the beach with Gigi...the kids woke up to Easter baskets, we went to an Easter egg hunt, ate a delicious Easter brunch, and spent a great day with family.

her first babydoll

diggers...of course :)

cute Easter bunnies! Tucker was not a fan though...

Thankful for Jesus being alive!

Beautiful February Day!

It mine as well have been June... with Tucker in shorts and bare feet, he was knee deep in the sand, content to play with his "diggers" and feed the geese some bread. There's an awesome lake front area near us that has a "beach". We spent a few hours there yesterday afternoon since the weather was a crazy 75 degrees even though it's February! Hadley loved the fresh air and was wide eyed for most of our time there. We're having fun venturing out as the "four" of us!

Celebrating 6 years!

Today, we celebrate 6 years of marriage!

It's starting to feel like we're not so "new" anymore... but if that means more comfortable, more depth, and a lot of memories, I'll take it! I'm grateful we still laugh, enjoy doing nothing together, let things go more easily (some things, at least :), and that we are blessed to be growing a family together!

I have found marriage to be the greatest vehicle for learning and growing. This past year, through the ups and downs and the highs and lows, we have learned a lot. The greatest truth seems to be that growth happens most in the valley. It's not on the mountain top that you usually cling to each other and to the One that holds us together. It's at the times that we are desperate, uncertain, and weak that we lean in a little bit closer and hold on a little bit tighter. I will not always be thankful for the reasons we are in the valley, but I will forever be grateful for the ways we are shaped while we are there. It is in these rocky places that we have become more certain than ever before that our marriage is one that will continue to stand.

On our wedding day, we had the familiar passage about the wise and foolish builders read...

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Matthew 7: 24-25

This remains our prayer...that our focus will be on making our foundation strong and not on the winds that blow against our house. Here's to this 7th year together...praying for more joy, more surprise, more lightheartedness, and more love than we've known before!

Reflecting on 2010...

As I look back on 2010, I'll remember...

Punta Cana! Brad and I got away for our first real trip post-Tucker. It was 7 days of complete relaxation, warm weather in the middle of the winter, and the gift of not having to take care of anyone! (Feb '10)

Surviving Brad's foot surgery! After having some work done on his foot, Brad was out of commission for several weeks. During this time, we all endured the stomach bug (including Grey!) and we experienced a lot of other aches and pains since only one parent was able to help out around here! He was a pretty good patient though and fortunately, recovery was smooth! Almost a year later, his foot is good as new!

Celebrating the Clarks as they moved to Colorado... We have missed our best friends horribly but are so grateful that the miles haven't changed the depth that we share... (Mar '10)

Our garden! Or I should probably say Brad's garden since he puts most of the time and effort into it :) After building a raised bed, we were able to have a great size garden in our yard...we grew lots of yummy vegetables and herbs that lasted from May-November! Tucker loved "helping" and we're excited to improve our "harvest" this Spring! (Apr '10)

Taylor's Finish Line Festival! I had the privilege of being a part of this big celebration for sweet Taylor Gibbs as he finished his treatment for Leukemia. With the help of an army of people, we had a huge bake sale, raising $15,000 that was given to Cookies for Kids Cancer! (May '10)

Pregnant with #2! At the beginning of June, we found out we'd be having baby #2 in January!

As I come to the end of this pregnancy, I'm glad to say that it's been a pretty uneventful one with little sickness, a normal amount of exhaustion, and the fortunate timing to not be big and pregnant in the summer months! Just 3 short weeks to go! (June '10)

Potty Training 101... You may be surprised to see this make such a short list, but if you're a mom and you've experienced all the challenges of potty training, you appreciate how these memories are forever burned in my mind :) I must have spent HOURS everyday, for a few weeks beside Tucker on the potty....reading, doing sticker books, playing with Thomas... whatever it took! Good news is he passed the test and we've been out of diapers for 4 months--YAY! (Aug '10)

Turning 30! I actually never did a blog post about this one--not sure why! Brad won husband of the year when he threw me a HUGE surprise party at my favorite restaurant with my closest friends surrounding me... I was overwhelmed by the amazing gift of friendship and of course grateful for my thoughtful hubby--Thanks babe! Here's to the 30's!

Starting preschool! In September, Tucker started going to an in-home preschool on Tues/Thurs mornings. He has loved it...And mommy has loved it too :) I'm grateful for the routine that he's become used to, the "break" that I get a few times a week, and for the little friends that he looks forward to hanging out with...our boy is growing up! (Sept '10)

Falling in love with a great cause--Cookies for Kids Cancer! After Taylor's Finish Line Festival, I was hooked on raising more funds for pediatric cancer research and I found myself continuing to volunteer. In September, I was given the incredible privilege of working part time for this national non-profit and I'm loving my responsibilities--especially getting to communicate with bake sale hosts all around the country! What a GIFT to be able to do something for work that doesn't feel like work at all! I'm grateful for this "outlet" in the midst of everything else going on and I'm excited to continue on in 2011! (Sept '10)

Tucker turned 2! Our baby became a full on toddler! In honor of Tucker's favorites, we celebrated with tractors, pumpkins, and all things farm! We couldn't be more thankful for the heart and personality that we began to see develop around this time! (Oct '10)

A Tucker Christmas! This Christmas season, I felt like a child all over again. Tucker made everything so fresh, exciting, and full of wonder! He got excited about every Santa Claus and snowman he saw and he learned all about Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the "stable scene". He sang Christmas songs, asked for the Christmas tree to be plugged in practically before he woke up everyday, and he ate enough "treats" to last him until next Christmas. We LOVED this season with him and are starting to strategize on how to break the news that Christmas "ends"... We might be singing Jingle Bells and watching "Crosty" the snowman in March people! (Dec '10)

So, here's to 2011...

As this year comes to a close,

I'm thankful life comes to us in "seasons"...

Looking forward to new seasons and learning from the ones we've been journeying through...