5 years!

Along with the oh so exciting debut of Halle's singing extrordinaire, this weekend marked another exciting event with Brian and I celebrating our 5 year Anniversary! We both can't believe it's been that long already! Someone joked and said, "haven't you had like 5 addresses!" Well yes, we've had many travels in these past 5 years. At our anniversary dinner- at Lawry's- amazing!- we talked about some of our favorite memories. I went back through all of the places we've lived and just had such fondness of each of them- even though they may have been hard at first. I've just really seen how God has grown us both and has provided for us and taught us so much. We also have 2 very special accomplishments in the past 5 years that we are reminded of every day! One not like the other- but both amazingly unique and special. I don't think 5 years ago, when I said, "I do," I'd have written our story the way it's played out, but it's much more perfect because God has written it so perfectly. Happy 5 years Hunny- I love you!




Here we are at dinner- and afterwards at the ice rink in Dallas!

Halle's stage debut

Here's our little girl singing at our Christmas Program today!

Outtakes

I did a photo shoot the other day to capture the perfect picture for this year's Christmas card. I think I shot over 150 pictures and the one I got isn't exactly perfect. It's rather challenging getting a 3 year old and an almost one year old to look at the camera at the same time, let alone to have them both smiling. Especially when the little one wants nothing to do with sitting or standing still. But I think I managed to select a pretty good one for our Christmas card. Here are a few cute ones that did not make the cut.

Thankful

It seems to cliche to even list all of the things I'm thankful for. I hate that Thanksgiving seems to be the one time where we express our thankfulness. I hope that a thankful heart is something that I can practice and exercise on a daily basis. There are a few things, as I look back on this year that I truly, truly, thank God for. One is our Lily Faye. It's hard to imagine life without her. A year ago, I was hugely pregnant and uncomfortable and could not wait to meet my sweet girl. Now, she's a constant source of joy and a ball of energy. I love how she's completed our family. She's nothing like her sister and it's so much fun watching her grow each day. Our families. Although they are mostly far away, we could not be more blessed to have parents and siblings who support us and love us so much. Being far away makes you realize even more how amazing they are. Answered prayer. Our life in TX has been nothing short of a challenge in many regards. But, God has truly been faithful and will continue to be. We've begun on our second year at our church and I feel like we are constantly battling issues, and constantly seeing God provide. I think He's taught us great patience and perseverance. And when He answers- we have no choice but to say, it's all because of God! So, on that note, here are a few pics of how we spent Thanksgiving with Brian's family in good ole' Louisiana!

Crafting

Just call me crafty, or thrifty, or just call me cheap! I've been busy making various things for the house lately. One reason is that I can't afford expensive decor- 2 is because I've found some cute ideas that I thought I'd try, and 3 is because I can't afford expensive decor! Here's a look at what I've made:



First, is a wreath hung in my hallway- this is made out of an old paperback novel.



Here are the girls silhouette's. I thought these were so cute. They are kind of hard to do, bc it was challenging to take great profile pictures of my squirmy girls, but I think you can see Halle on the top and Lily on the bottom.



Here's a view of my hallway, that not too long ago was completely empty. Now it's complete with console table from IKEA and wall hangings. I just have to spruce up what's on top of the table, I'm thinking a lamp would be good. But this is it for now.



Here are bow hangers in the girls bathrooms where we can clip on the many bows we've collected over the years. Halle painted these with me, so it was a fun project for us.




I recovered my dining room chairs- these used to have an off white cover on them- yuck!



And my last one is this cornice board. (Sorry it's a little dark) This is a large window in our kitchen. This was my hardest project- I went to Lowe's and got all of the wood cut and measured, used the drill and screwed together the pieces, then covered it with a curtain that I cut apart to match the other curtains hanging at our back door.

And a few other things I've made- with a little help! :)

Sisters

Here's Halle giving her little sister a bottle. Lily has recently switched to taking a bottle which is lots more fun for Halle and for Daddy. Halle is a great big sister and keeps discovering new ways to play with Lily. Whether it's putting toys on her head, or picking her up and moving her to a new place, Halle loves her little sis. Lily doesn't mind her too much either.

Fall Festivities

We have so enjoyed this season where the weather is cooler and life is about pumpkins and candy! My girls are just getting older each day. I took a picture of Halle the other day, it is down below of her holding the book and just realized how big she looked. No more baby in that girl- she's all grown up! We enjoyed carving Halle's pumpkin and getting Lily all dressed in her pumpkin outfit. I thought there was no way that it would fit Lily since it was Halle's at about 5 months, but it fit like a glove!







We had a blast on Halloween. Our church joins together with all the churches in town to pull off a Trunk or Treat. The idea is that each car decorates it with a theme and the kids trick-or-treat from trunk to trunk. Can you guess what our theme was? Do you know who got 1st place for Most Spirited Trunk? We did! Our little girls were adorable as cupcakes and we pulled off our bakery very well. We even got asked where our bakery was located! I thought that was so funny- at least 10 people asked us. I guess I did a great logo! I'm exhausted- now to think about next year's idea...

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!