An amazing year, in pictures

Happy birthday to my sweet Saylor! This year has been unbelievable! I still feel like Im getting accustomed to this whole PARENT thing and she is already ONE! This is going way too fast! It truly seems like just yesterday that I could feel and see her moving around in my big belly!
Her first year of life has truly been an adventure and she is our little trooper. She lived in 5 different hotels and 4 cities in her short little life. She took more 5, 10, 12 hour car-rides than anyone should ever have to. She slept in a pack-n-play for almost 5 months of her life. She learned to crawl on a sheet in a hotel room. But we took it way harder than she did--she just kept chugging along and lighting up our lives!

She has stolen our hearts and she has brought us more joy than we could have ever imagined! Her ear-to-ear smile brightens our lives. Thank you, Lord for this precious blessing you have entrusted us with. We love her more than words could ever begin to express! We have absolutely loved watching her grow, change, and learn these past 12 months and are so excited for all the fun that lies ahead.

I know I posted WAY TOO MANY pictures, but I narrowed down and narrowed down and then just could narrow any more!

(notice how her sweet, straight, very easy-to-deal-with hair in the beginning, has just gotten plain wild...but it fits her)

We are having her birthday party in Amarillo next weekend so we will have more pictures then!

Happy Birthday sweet princess!

Brotherly love!

Please pray for my brother tonight, tomorrow, whenever...if you get a chance. He got laid of from his job 3 weeks before Christmas due to the slow economy. His wife, Tana, didn't have a job either because she was hitting the books for nursing school. She thankfully got a job yesterday!! YAY!

And tomorrow, Kellen has a job interview with a bank. So please pray!! As you can imagine, this has been a pretty rough time for them--especially during the holiday season and with a little one, but amazingly they have remained positive. Lets lift him up!

Starting a new year!

We had a wonderful time in Amarillo for Christmas! We loved spending time with family and friends; and Saylor, actually we all, got spoiled beyond recognition!
Mas has been home for the last 2 weeks and I have been so spoiled having him here. We've watched a ton of movies, I take a nap every day while he and Saylor hang out, and I get a lot more done around the house! Im sad he has to go back to work! (but very thankful he has a job!)

We are definitely looking forward to a great year in 2009. 2008 was wonderful and very trying to say the least!
Our greatest delight last year was obviously Saylor joining our lives!
But we also left home, left family and friends, and I left my dream job to live in a hotel for 5 months. But now we are settled in a new place and our marriage and family is stronger because of it! We have learned to lean on God and each other instead of everyone and everything else! Although I wouldn't have admitted it a few months ago--this has been good for us!
And now Im looking forward to this new year!


Here are a few pictures from Christmas. They are VERY out of order but Im too lazy to rearrange them!



Worn out after a long Christmas Day--sleeping on Uncle Kellen

Opening gifts with cousin Ave

Yonna and Averey

Papa and Saylor

Saylor in the midst of it

Saylor and Yonna

Saylor and Reid

Saylor and Reid taking a bath together!

such a sweet smile!

she likes to take off her shoes!

Christmas Joy

This time of year just brings back a million memories of last year when I was anxiously awaiting my precious baby. Every time I drink egg nog I remember drinking it before I went to sleep last year because it helped my heartburn (really, it did). And when I put on my coats I remember not being able to button them because my belly was so big. And I remember looking forward to Christmas as a family of three. I have such fond memories of being very pregnant at this wonderful time of the year. At this time last year we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but we could have never imagined the joy that this little girl has brought into our lives. It is simply indescribable.

We are heading to Amarillo in the morning. I am so excited for Christmas I can barely contain myself. Although Saylor doesn't get it yet, I love that we get to share Christmas this year with our little angel. And my niece, Averey, is 2 1/2 and is going to have a ball. I can't wait to see her excitement on Christmas morning. She called me a few days ago and sang me "jingle bells". It was so sweet! I love the togetherness of Christmas and am looking forward to sharing this special time with my family. AND celebrating the birth of our Savior, the best Christmas present ever! God knew exactly what we needed!

All the women who are independent....throw your hands up at me

....not really!
Independence is definitely a fault of mine sometimes and a topic of many discussions in our marriage.
I am independent, I want to be in control, I dont want to rely on anyone, because I can do it myself! I struggle with this so much. I need to submit to and depend on my husband and I sort of cringe at the idea of that. Part of it is just my personality, the other is probably how I was raised. My mom is a very strong, independent (and absolutely wonderful) woman....and had to be, because my dad was gone a lot due to work. But regardless of where it came from, I struggle.
For example, since our move, I haven't worked. And I hate not having "my own" money. But why is this an issue at all? My money became our money they day we said our vows and became one before God. I know this, but I struggle.
Thankfully, I have an amazing husband that wants nothing more than to provide for his family, lead his family, and protect his family. And thankfully he loves me AND my independence. I am blessed with an honorable man that I SHOULD submit to. But I still struggle.

Good Word and Good Friends

Yesterday we visited People's Church for the second time and have really liked it both times--YAY!! Both times we went with our friends that just happen to move here, Snap (R.L) and Jessica. He just got transferred with his job a few weeks ago and we are soooooo glad that they are here!! What a blessing to have friends closer than 4 hours away! (They live about 40 min away--but again, still better than 4 hours).

Again, it's beginning to feel more and more like home here! Finding a church is a big part of that, and we (actually Mas) FINALLY met our neighbors and they seem really great (we were beginning to wonder).

Mas left again last night for Fort Worth and I am trying to stay as busy as humanly possible while stuck in a house because it's FREEZING cold outside. Wish me luck with that! Dont get me wrong, Saylor keeps me plenty busy, but I just wish we could take a walk or do something outside to break up the day a little! It hasn't even been 24 hours and I already miss him tons! Just knowing he isn't coming home tonight makes the day drag out a bit!

Home again!

Since I last blogged, I have thought of a million thought-provoking things to blog about, but just haven't had the chance to sit down and do it, and now I have forgotten most of the really interesting things I had to say! Oh well!
On Tuesday I headed to Amarillo (yet again) because Mas was in Fort Worth for the week doing MORE training and I get really really bored and lonely here in this place that I dont know anyone, especially when its really cold outside because I just feel really cooped up and it makes me go a little crazy! Even though 4 hours in a car with the kid and the dog by myselft aren't my idea of a good time, once we finally got there, we had a lot of fun!
We came home this afternoon and for the first time I was really ready to be HOME (in Oklahoma). Its finally starting to feel like home!! And of course I was sooooo glad to see my hubby! So we are going to spend some quality time together this weekend because he leaves for Fort Worth again next week. UGGH! But this time I'm gonna tough it out and stay here by myself! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!