Getaway

Brian and I just got back from Florida yesterday! We were able to get away this weekend without our kiddos to attend a wedding for a good friend of Brian's. Brian performed the wedding ceremony and it was an amazing celebration of our friends. Brian's parents graciously came over to watch the girls. It was very hard to leave Lily especially, but everything went just fine! We so enjoyed spending time together, sleeping in, and having no baby gear to cart around! It was also a fun time to spend with some friends we don't get to see that often. We were able to catch up on some pictures of just the two of us. These kinds of trips are so needed and refreshing for a marriage!

Pumpkins

We took a trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend with the girls. Halle had a lot of fun and Lily was content as ever. We got a chance to get some cute pictures of them. It was such a fun outing for the 4 of us to be together.

Giggles and tears

I heard laughter the other day from my room and I came out to capture this...

Pastor Appreciation

This post is in honor of my husband!

In case you didn't know, October is Pastor Appreciation Month. My relationship is a little different with my pastor than most, since well, of course, I'm married to mine! But, being in the ministry world now for about 6ish years now, I realize how hard ministry is! There are many wonderful pastors and people that serve us "church people" in ministry. Being a pastor involves so much that many people don't realize. It requires being on call 24/7, 365 days a year, watching the grief of many in loss, rejoicing with many in birth, preparing many for marriage, joining those in marriage, creativity in many areas, coordinating many events large and small, shepherding numbers of people, developing many people, counseling appointments on numerous issues, praying incessantly, studying immensely, speaking weekly, challenging daily, managing financially, reaching out deliberately, loving unconditionally, and at the end of the day having enough strength and energy to give your family the best of yourself in order to lead them, love them, and keep it all together. Whew- sound exhausting? Brian is an amazing pastor and is loved by our church. They recognized him this past Sunday with a generous gift and many cards and thank you's. One thing stood out as we read people's words of thanks. They said, "thanks for being our pastor and friend." That's exactly what he is. Brian not only leads our church, but he's friends with so many and has made a personal investment in the lives of so many. On top of that he is completely adored by 3 girls when he comes home each night. So I'd like to say thank you to my pastor for the many hours he puts in to lead- to make the difference in our lives so that we can know God more fully.

If you haven't had the chance to tell your pastor thanks this month- slip him or her and note and just let them know that you appreciate them. If you don't tell them, no one else will. It's just a wonderful time to say thanks!

Time is flying...

Lily is 9 months today! I can't believe how fast she is growing up! Here are some highlights of Lily...

-She's very active, crawling around and pulling herself up on everything, cruising around the furniture
-Into everything! She's much more exploratory than Halle.
-Whenever she hears music, she bounces to the beat.
-She loves her sister, dad, and Mommy of course.
-She's easy to please.
-She loves her baby food made by Mommy.
-She's finally taken a bottle!
-She's finally sleeping through the night!
-She's just an all around delight and one of my greatest joys!











Halle girl had 3 cavities filled today- it was a pretty traumatic experience for her. She resisted all 3 of the sleepy medications they gave her, and was awake the whole time. I remember when she was 10 months old and was hospitalized for dehydration. She was so weak but when it came time to brace her for her IV, me and 2 other nurses had to hold her down full force to get it in her arm. Not the best moment I had as a mother! Her poor little cheek is swollen and a little bloody from her chewing on it. We hyped it up so much thinking it would go so smoothly and it didn't turn out how we thought. But she made it and is home resting now. My little trooper and fighter I may add!

We're back!

We are back in TX after 12 days in Naperville. It was such a great trip, but the 3 of us girls were glad to get back to Brian. We were able to see so many family and friends during our trip, it was so great.
Here are some highlights:

Spending time with my parents and my brother who visited from KY...








My 10 year high school reunion...




My college friend, Diana, and her daughter Mya visited from MI...






Spending time with my Grammy...



We loved the cooler weather, and of course, Lily and Halle's favorite furry friend, Duffy...

The Windy City

The girls and I are in Chicago for the week! Well, 12 days actually. It's been such a great trip so far. My brother drove up from KY this past weekend to see us- well, probably to see the girls mostly, but it was so great to see him! He got a new fancy camera and took some great pictures while he was here. Here's a look at our trip so far!

8 months!

Yesterday, Lily was 8 months! I can't believe how much faster she is growing up than Halle. I don't want her to keep growing! She's still working on crawling- she'll crawl a few steps and then take a break, I'm waiting for her to really take off!







I captured this the other night and I think it's so funny- I think Lily has a love/hate relationship with the turkey.