A Reminder.

It's the time of year where the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over and life is getting back into a routine. Gifts have been put away and resolutions are being tested. I think it's good to frequently remember that we have much to be thankful for, not just at the holidays, but year-round. The world is changing, our country is changing and there is much out there that can get you down. That's why I've decided to make a list of the things that I'm thankful for. I want to remind you what keeps me going, and of course, I want to hear what keeps you going. Make a list. Somehow writing it out makes you think how trivial all those complaints are.

1. Our Lord God
2. Jesus, who suffered and died in our place
3. A Christian Family- parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins
4. My husband, who is a great partner and a wonderful father
5. My Children, the two most wonderful children God has ever made (in my opinion)
6. Friends, who we know we can rely on for help, support, or friendship
7. Our Church Family
8. The Lord has provided for all our needs, and most of the time some of our wants
9. Our Jobs, however much we don't like them at times, it is good to remember that we have them
10. Our house, it's warm and is filled with way more than we need
11. A car that keeps running on minimal maintenance
12. Health- asthma, allergies, breathing treatments, back pain...seriously...those are minimal issues, I have nothing to complain about
13. Nearly free college education- work is paying for most of it... it's taking a lot of my time, but it's free
14. Living in a free country and those people who have sacrificed their time and lives to keep it that way- just watch the news, would you want to live in any of those places?

And for the fun things I'm thankful for:
1. Nap time
2. Starbucks
3. Borders
4. Shopping
5. My new camera
6. Living not too far from my family
7. Guitar hero (I'm sure we'll be getting this soon. Travis thinks we need to spend more time together and that this is just what we need!)
8. My iPod
9. Sleep
10. Shoes and shoe stores
11. Shopping with my Mom
12. Shopping with Sophie
13. Red (the color)
14. Books

I could list more. I just wanted to remind you to have a good year. Nearly everything on my list could be taken from me tomorrow, but number one and two will never be taken from me (or you.) It's important to remember that although there are hardships in this world, we are here on a temporary basis, and are meant for more than just mere existence. Contentment is also not the answer. Change your mind about your life, and then start to help others change theirs.

Cinderella and Belle

Sophie and Aiden love to dress up and even though Aiden has a cowboy, fireman and train costume, he still prefers the blue dress. Sophie just likes to try and look silly! They both love to wear the "old lady wig" that Travis wore for Halloween last year! It has been a lot of fun!

Double Treat

It's funny how when you are sick, you can get ice cream even though you didn't eat any of your dinner.... What's funnier is that Aiden managed to talk Mommy into giving him some ice cream while Daddy was gone and then talked Daddy into giving him some ice cream while Mommy was upstairs! What a stinker...he complained about a tummy ache all evening!

Funny

Yesterday Sophie came up to me and told me that she wanted to be a "weather supporter" when she grew up! I just about died laughing!
I've been trying to get some more good pics of the kids and Aiden has decided to boycott my new camera. Every time he sees me point it in his direction, she shuts his eyes! I guess that's a sign that I've taken too many pictures!

Shopping with Sophie

Sophie and I decided to spend our New Year's day shopping. I am SO BLESSED to have a little girl who loves to shop! First we went to Starbucks where I got "the regular" and she got a hot chocolate. She thinks she is such a big girl when she is drinking "coffee" like mommy.
We went to Michaels where she spent her birthday money buying more stamps and ink pads to go with the set she got from Grammy for Christmas! What a great idea Grammy! She loves them. She picked out an alphabet set and some pink and purple (washable) ink.
Then we went shopping to find me a new purse. I have been looking for a small purse that isn't so heavy for a long time. After I finally picked out two and couldn't decide, I asked Sophie for her opinion. She said, "Well, they both are small and have pockets on the front. This one has a pretty little charm with something written on it, and that one is your favorite color...I think you should get the red one." And so I did. I am the proud owner of a small red Vera Bradley handbag. I love it more because my daughter thought I'd like it best. It's hard to believe that I'm now taking advice from my little girl. Listening to her decide out loud (and I didn't exaggerate that quote one bit) made me realize that my child is quickly growing up. Decisions are thought out... deliberate... and logical. Wow! I'd better watch out!

Pictures to enjoy

These pictures are:
Sophie waiting with her eyes closed as Daddy brings in her new desk.
Aiden playing with his new train.
My new Christmas tree and the kids tree.

A Busy Month

December has been a busy month for us and I'm sure for all of you as well. My mom got to come for the weekend in the beginning of December and we spent three days Christmas shopping! It was great to say that I had all my shopping done by the 10th! I got a new Christmas tree for my birthday and had a great time putting it up and redecorating it. The kids also made ornaments for their tree. They had lots of fun painting ornaments and decorating their tree with a little help from Daddy.

My new job is going well and I got a few days off to go home for Christmas. We had a great time visiting all the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. The kids had a great time and didn't want to go home. Sophie got lots of great gifts for Christmas including the Barbie Peek-a-boo house that she had been asking about for 2 months. She also got tons of new art supplies to go with her new desk. Aiden got a Polar Express train set that he LOVES. Grammy gave him a robe and he spends his time pretending that he is the boy in the movie! It is a lot of fun to watch.

We are very excited that we get to have Natalie join our family. Garrett is one lucky dude! (She's pretty lucky too!) Sophie (along with the rest of us) can't wait for the wedding and I know it will be her sooner than we think.

It seems like time is going by so fast. Sophie will be registering for Kindergarten in a couple of months and will start in July. St. Louis is starting to feel like home and that's probably a good thing for us, but it's still a little bittersweet. It's nice to feel like you are home, but tough because your definition of "home" has changed. We will have been here 2 years in January. Time is really going by fast!

We have been working hard on our house and will be taking on a Kitchen remodel next year. I'm excited to pick out my own kitchen! We hope to have our kitchen, living room and family room done by this time next year. I'll let you all know how it is coming along...there will be pictures!

We really missed seeing our extended family over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. We hope everyone is doing well and hope to see every one of you soon!