Taking a moment...

That's what I need to do to ensure I don't miss documenting all of our passing memories :) I have come to terms with the fact that I shall never keep up with this thing as much as I would like... so be it. If I can take those extra moments and spend them with my family or friends (imagine that), then my time is well served. I capture what I can with pictures, videos, and notes jotted here and there in a calendar. What is lost, at least remains in my heart :)

Well, onto some updates!

Mia Grace - 3 years old! Wow... I can hardly believe it. She is such a precious girl. Yep, no baby, no toddler, she is my official little "Big Girl". She is coming out of her shell, though she is clearly an introvert at heart. She really needs her down time after being around a lot of people (aka every Tues/Thurs after preschool or Sunday after church). She loves her little sister (who she affectionately calls "Little Girl") so as to nicely point out she is a "Big Girl". She loves to play chase me, which consists of one of us chasing her through the kitchen/dining room/living room for an endless amount of time. She loves to read, she loves to sing and will do so at random and melt me every time. She has memorized the following verses - with her own little pronunciations and missing words (Joshua 1:9. Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 4:4, Genesis 1:1, John 3:16, Matthew 4:19, Luke 1:37) though we now sometimes get our references confused. She loves to build towers with her blocks and then tear them down. She loves to rider her bike and scooter. She ADORES bouncing at UBounce with her daddy. She is a mommy's girl at heart - kills Daddy sometimes but gets mommy through the tough parts of not being here as much. She is potty trained 98% (moved back to pull ups at night after a couple set backs due to crazy schedules). She looks just like me (or so everyone says). She plays hard, cries hard, loves hard, fights hard and just flat out lets you know what she thinks when she thinks it. (Provided she is not being shy in the first 5 minutes she meets you). She loves to snuggle. She loves to comfort Anna Beth with songs when she is upset. She loves to hug and kiss and always asks for just one more when we leave or go to bed. She is an incredibly sweet soul.

Anna Beth is 14 months old and our little Blonde Haired Blue Eyed Beauty - Yep, she didn't lose either! Crazy I know. She is so different than Mia Grace and we cherish and celebrate that! She is a Daddy's girl. She is an extrovert - aka she will go to anyone (provided she doesn't think we are leaving her). She talks to everyone in her "Dat" language. She can say Da Da, YYYeeeSSS, make a dog sound, a cat sound, a snake sound and a duck sound (though you likely wouldn't know what they were if we didn't tell you). She is passionate. She is silly. She is a rough and tumbler who is always trying to keep up with her big sister whom she adores. She is a great night sleeper who is trying to give up her morning nap yet fighting to keep it all the same. She still sleeps in the pack n play in the playroom as we can't seem to bite the bullet to move her into MG's room and she doesn't care. She loves to play. She will sit in her bed and read for 30 minutes at nap time and wakes up happy. She only has 3 (going on 5 teeth) and thinks now she may not want to drink out of a bottle or a sippy cup but prefers a big girl cup. She knows where her nose and head and feet are. She listens to everything and tests everything. She loves to cuddle at bed time. She loves to be held. She LOVES animals of all kind and lights up at the sight of them. She melts me with her smile and laugh and open mouth kisses. She loves being chased, she loves throwing balls, she loves wrestling and tickling and playing. She is just full of love and for that I am thankful.

We are so blessed the Lord has entrusted to guide them in this crazy world and seek to do so in a way that honors and glorifys Him. I pray each day that I do so and when I fail that His grace would be sufficient to make up for my failings.

Daniel and I are doing well. Work for me is crazy. Reffing is in full swing for Daniel. Our Fellowship Group is growing and teaching us more about life and ministry and loving others as Christ loves us. We seek to balance life and work and family and though we often fail we are grateful for those who love us through it all. Thanks for reading. Thanks for sharing your lives with us. Keep praying for us.

sweet dreams...