Top Ten of 2008

This past year, was without a doubt our most favorite.

Our top ten of 2008:

10. Our trip up to New York to see tons of family.
9. Our many visits with the grandparents.
8. Being in the same town as Aunt Juju.
7. Andy getting his job at Christian Aid.
6. Moving to our wonderful little home in Charlottesville, Va.
5. Finding a great church family.
4. Hearing Samuel say "I love you Mommy and Daddy!"
3. Hearing Samuel recite his memory verses.
2. Our wonderful addition, Joseph Andrew!
1. Watching our boys grow up together.

Wishing you all a blessed 2009!

Christmas (So Far) In Review

We've had 2 out of our 3 Christmas celebrations so I thought I would try and catch up on our blogging. Two weekends ago we went to Williamsburg to visit with Andy's dad and stepmom. We went into the colonial area and saw the fife and drum corps. Samuel is now obsessed with his fife. It's also an elephant's trunk, a golf club, a baseball bat and many other creative objects.

Joseph was so excited to open his presents!


Aunt Juju and Samuel at Poppa Bear's house.

My boys.

My Mom and stepdad came for a week for Christmas. We had a fabulous time with them here. It was so sad to see them go! Wish Colorado wasn't so far away.

Samuel got an apron from Nana and Poppy for Christmas. Here he is helping Nana make some delicious dish.

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Our first four generations picture! This is the first time we've all been together. My grandparents stopped by on their way to Texas for the winter. We had a wonderful visit together.



Poppy brought Samuel some jelly beans and they have been the greatest inspiration to go to the bathroom on the toilet! Woohoo.

Samuel got a guitar for Christmas.

Joseph checking out his stocking goods.

Joseph and Poppy meeting for the first time!

Joe Joe seems to be teething again. Looking forward to some more chompers!

Well, that's all I can post for now. Hope you all have a wonderful time ringing in the new year!

Merry Belated Christmas

From our family to yours!

Thankful Thursday

I thought we would do our thankful thursday in picture mode, since it's been so long since I've added new pictures on here. I know some grandparents that will be very thankful :)

The month of December has been wonderful here. Joseph is becoming such a big boy. He's playing so well with Samuel and really holding his own. No more baby it seems...

Samuel has seriously impressed us with his vocabulary. He pretty much talks like an adult. It's hilarious. I need to put some video up on here to document where they are both at, because I feel like every few months I say that Samuel is really talking up a storm, and then a few months pass and then he REALLY is. I forgot how far he's come.

Here's Andy cutting down our tree. We spent $5 on it. It's so perfect! It wasn't even at a Christmas tree farm. It was at a place where they open up their fields to whoever wants to cut a tree down and then if you feel like the tree was worth some money, you can give a donation.

Here we are all bundled up.

Decorating the tree.


It's done!

Andy and me on our night out on the town. We were at Andy's Christmas party for work. It was wonderful. We're so thankful for a sister who watches our kids for us when we need some help.

Joe Joe with a mouthful of pancakes. Joe Joe is so thankful for food!

Samuel has play dates now. It's so cute. He loves his friends so much. They sure do make a mess, though :) We're so thankful for our friends.

Watching Daddy climb up into the attic. They are so amazed. That's a sock on Samuel's hand. He calls them gloves and wears them on his hands all the time. It's next to impossible to keep clothes on this kid!

Joseph using his walker. He's a boy on the move these days!

We're so thankful for a healthy little boy.

I'm thankful for my new reusable bags. I just love them.

The boys are thankful that our stockings can fit over their heads! It's way more fun that way.

Joseph is thankful for the times when he gets to use the drums when Samuel is sleeping.


Hope you all had a thankful Thursday!

Buckeye Balls

Jen over at The Sloan Chronicles hosted an online cookie exchange on Saturday. I'm posting a cookie recipe to add to the list over on her blog. So head over there to see all the other great recipes.

I'm really horrible at sharing recipes, because I eyeball everything. All of these measurements are estimates. You'll be able to tell what's needed since there's only 4 ingredients!

They look like buckeye nuts, that's where they got their name. If you're from Ohio, you know what these are I'm sure. This recipe is technically not the 'real deal' since I don't dip them in the cocoa. That takes entirely too much time, but that's the only difference.

Buckeye Balls

16 oz powered sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
mix together
roll into 3/4 inch balls, place in mini muffin cups
chill

melt cocoa squares with crisco or butter
pour cocoa over balls

chill

eat.

They are that simple. I promise. But, they are wonderful!

When I get around to it, I'll even add some pictures. We just made them this past weekend for a cookie exchange.

Hope you all are enjoying your Christmas season. We sure are.

Thankful Friday (EDITED)

I can't wait another 6 days to share another blessing!

We just got a letter from Tricare, which is our health insurance company... yeah, letters from the health insurance companies are normally not good, so I braced myself...

It went on to say what our new monthly premiums would be, and that number is $73 less than what we pay now. I seriously didn't believe it. I had to call them and verify. Our premiums went down!!! By $73!!! Just wonderful.

******** And for those of you who are wondering if our benefits decreased, they did not!!! ********

This is yet another way God is showing us that he has us right where he wants us. On paper things just don't make sense, but his ways are perfect and HE IS our great provider, not our employer or our stocks.

Thank you Lord for all the small and yet so significant ways you work to take care of your children. We love you!

Thankful Thursday

~ Our new playgroup that is meeting on Tuesdays. We are having a blast with our new friends.
~ Joseph not hurting himself when he fell out of his crib! HUGH PRAISE!!!
~ We were able to get a Christmas tree for $5 and it is perfect.
~ A completely unexpected love offering that was given to us for Christmas.
~ Amy's cousin, Ashley, that is visiting us this weekend.
~ Our children and how having them has made us grow.
~ Some wonderful local gifts that we got at the Holiday market in town.
~ Nana and Poppy are coming in 12 days!
~ The awesome books we've been enjoying from the library.

Hope you're having a wonderful week and are taking time out to be thankful. If you'd like, we'd love to hear what you're thankful for.

Peppermint Play Dough

2 cups water
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
4 tablespoons oil
1 1/4 tablespoons peppermint extract

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Form dough into a ball, place on waxed paper, and allow to cool.

Variations:
~ Kneed food coloring into cool dough as desired. (2 drops per handful).
~ For sparkling dough, knead a generous amount of glitter into cool dough.

Thankful Thursday

Each member of our family has things to share this week:

~ chocolate chips, books, Jesus, God (from Sam)
~ the ability to climb up on things, couscous, raisins (from Joe)
~ the work God is doing in our hearts, the unfathomable greatness of heaven and the opportunity Jesus offers us to go there (from Andy)
~ people who have started organizations to raise awareness for the injustices around the world, sleep, men who aren't afraid to tell other men they love them, true friends, the miracle of a child (from Amy)
~ being home from the kennel (from Gamba)

What about you? What are you thankful for this week?

Thanksgiving Recap

Andy's Mom's side of the family gets together every other year and rents a house at Nags Head in NC. Since two years ago, 3 babies have been born bringing the count to 28 people. We had a house with 14 rooms! It was a great time. We have so much to be thankful for.

Samuel soon learned that although the air was warm, the water was not!


Every member of the family has a monogrammed napkin.

This was Joseph's.

Samuel fell in love with the baby stroller. He's always loved babies, but this was quite the icing on the cake for him.

Joe Joe turned 9 months on Thanksgiving.


Samuel eating sand.


Okay, I just have to brag about my husband. He baked this apple pie and it was absolutely fabulous. Any other apple pie you've ever made does not come close to this! I fell in love with him all over again when he was making it. He totally took it upon himself to make it too. He went to the Pioneer Woman's website and found her apple pie recipe, went to the store and then got busy! How resourceful.

Samuel has been obsessed with putting his hands in his pockets. We think it looks adorable.

Off to see the bulldozer with Gran Ran.

Flying high!


Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well. Can't believe it's December already. The countdown begins to when Nana and Poppy come!!!

In Full Picture Taking Mode

We have a new camera and we are all so thrilled we're back in the swing of things...

Well, except Sam. He apparently liked the picture hiatus.

But, mommy hated it. I'll try to make up for 18 days of no camera...


If you enlarge this picture, you can see his teeth a little.


Poor Samuel. He's trying to clean up and all Joe's doing is making a bigger mess!


Samuel now has a sidekick watching the action from the front door.

It snowed here last week. Samuel is trying to catch the snow in a cup.

It's not a great picture, but I got my hair cut. And here's the proof! It's been TWO YEARS since I had gotten it cut. I know. Crazy... I got what people call sideswipe bangs and then some layers. I'm happy, Andy is happy. Life is good.

Won't be blogging for awhile, so have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!!!