Stylish

If you thought your outfit today was stylish, check out this get-up!!!

An outfit with a bell necklace, a bib for a cape, a winter hat, and one of Mama's shoes...now that is what I call accessori-ZING!!!

2nd Christmas!

This year is Sierra's 2nd Christmas and what a joyous time it has been. We have loved watching her grow and change and really get involved in all things Christmas this year! It has been so fun!

Each year, her Mimi and Papa have given her a special ornament for Christmas and it is so special to hang on the tree. Last year I was able to take a picture with her holding the ornament, this year though, she would not sit still. So, here it is hanging on the tree!

Here is Sierra with her ornament from last year! My, what a difference a year makes!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Merry Christmas & A visit with Santa

I know there are so many varied opinions out there about how Christians should and shouldn't celebrate the Christmas season. There are many "religious" customs and then "pagan" customs, as a parent it is really hard to decipher which ones to accept, embrace, make traditions, etc.

First and foremost, we will undoubtedly be teaching our children that the TRUE reason for Christmas is to celebrate the birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That is of utmost importance to us and that will never change. Brian and I know and understand that the best gift of all was Christ, who was sent here to Earth to bare our sins and provide us everlasting life. He was God incarnate, Emmanuel, “God with us.” What a great sacrifice! I think about my own precious children and can't imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt knowing that their son would be the Savior of the world and would eventually die for them, for me, for all sinners. What a selfless, perfect, wonderful gift! Brian and I sincerely hope and pray that you will know that true gift this season and if you haven't, you will accept it today. Jesus was born and died for YOU! A free gift and when accepted, it will grant eternal rest with Him in Heaven. This is why we really celebrate, this is why we can sing praises to the Father during Christmas time especially!

Second, Christmas is a time for not only believing in Christ and the gift that He was to us, but also a time for believing in the goodness of others, believing in Hope for a better tomorrow, Peace, and Love. So, with that said, we will certainly be teaching our children about St. Nicholas and the real meaning of generous giving. The true story of St. Nicholas was that he was a devout Christian and he embraced Jesus' teaching of "sell what you own and give the money to the poor."

Of course the legend of Santa Claus has been told through the centuries and wrapped up into the Christmas Season. As a teacher and witnessing the innocence that children now-a-days lose so young, I am not opposed to a little imagination when it comes to Christmas traditions. Clearly Sierra is still much too young to understand the concept of Santa Claus, but that doesn't mean that we can't begin sharing it with her now. As she grows and begins to ask questions, we will see at that point how much we want to tell her (i.e. - a jolly 'ole elf who comes down your chimney, etc.) Right now though, Santa is a real joy for little imaginations and we intend to build on that imagination. I came across this book recently and I intend to purchase it, it certainly does look good and insightful - "St. Nicholas: A closer look at Christmas".

Now with all that said, I wanted to share with you all some pictures that I took during our visit with Santa this year. Sierra wasn't too sure about the nice old man sitting in the chair, but she did eventually warm up long enough to sit next to him and smile - much thanks to the lady at the mall with the puppet trying to make her laugh! The Santa exhibit is very large at the mall that we go to and the whole theme is "The Polar Express" - so of course there are trains and whistles and lots of fun things for kids to look at. Sierra especially liked the life-size snow globe that actually had snow falling from the top. She and her friend Jordan danced around in there for a while as we were waiting in line. Oh the joys of being a child!!!

And just because I am feeling nostalgic these days for Sierra's "baby" moments, here is her picture with Santa from last year (@ 8 Months Old)! :)

From our family to yours, we pray that you have a VERY Merry Christmas, filled with many of God's blessings!!!

No snow here!

There is no snow here! In our neck of the woods, we have just been getting LOTS of rain over the past month. In fact, this is what it looked like outside our door during the November Nor'easter. Craziness!!! The water clears out in less than 24 hours, not sure I can say the same for 15 inches of snow; so for now, we will just enjoy the rain. Everyone else can have the snow! :)

Thankfully though, this is the JOY we have been seeing inside!!!

Sierra in front of our tree

After we took one of her in front of the tree, she insisted that her "Baby" get a picture taken too!

Cozy

Nothing says "Christmas time" like a fire in the fireplace and a beautifully decorated tree.

(And a toddler running around amidst a room full of toys)! :)

Christmas Blessings & Memories

I just ran across this video in my Picasa album and I am not sure that I even posted it last year. With the passing of my Grandmother just a few days after Christmas and a horrible stomach flu plaguing my parent's entire house, life was pretty hectic. So, I thought I would post it now. Being pregnant and way more emotional then I ever remember being with Sierra, I have found myself crying so many tears of joy for how the Lord has blessed us in the past year. With two new nephews, wonderful and healthy family, happiness, jobs, and another baby girl on the way it is hard not to cry out with praises to the Lord at this time of year and always. This video makes me long for the days of having a "baby" around again, but also so thankful to see Christmas through the eyes of our toddler this year as well. Enjoy the pictures and remember to praise God for all the blessings we each have; especially the GIFT of JESUS CHRIST!!!!!

"She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

~Luke 2:7-11 (NIV)~

20 Months old

Wow! Where does the time go? I have such a hard time keeping up with these "update posts" on how Sierra is growing and developing. We can't believe she is 20 months old already and growing into such a big girl.

Being away from her the past 4 months has been the hardest, but I am so thankfully to be back with her full time now and really continue working on her development and discipline. She is such a social butterfly and LOVES to talk! When home with us, she talks almost non-stop and has more words than we can count. She is also working on learning her numbers, colors, and ABC's. It is funny to hear her count or say her ABC's though because they are all sorts of out of order. It is too cute! I am confident she will get it soon!

She has been very sensitive lately to others feelings, especially her baby dolls. Anytime her babies fall on the ground (sometimes even thrown down on purpose) she says "okay?" in a very sensitive voice, as if she is asking "are you okay?" Then she will pick up her baby and hug her and pat her back....so sweet! She also has learned to say "Bless you" and does so when ever she hears someone cough or sneeze. Hearing her say "Bless you, Mama" is one of the sweetest things I have ever heard. I could never get enough of that!

Speaking of being a social butterfly, whenever we go out shopping she has to say "Hi" to everyone she sees. The funny thing is though, if she says "Hi" and the person does not acknowledge her, she just keeps saying it louder and louder and louder, until they respond. It is very funny and I constantly try to remind her that people are busy and trying to shop and that is why they don't answer.

We are also starting to "think" about potty-training. God knows how wonderful it would be to have this sweet child potty trained before baby girl #2 arrives; however, I am not banking on it. Sierra definitely knows what a potty is, she sees us use the potty, and she has a general idea of what goes in the potty; but that is about it. She has been telling me for several weeks now when she has poop in her diaper, but generally it is after the fact. She did tell me one time that she had to poop and she ran to the potty, so I got her all undressed and sat her on it and all she did was pass some gas. Close, I guess...but still not 100% sure she is ready. We hope to really start talking about it more and implementing more potty time after the first of the year. Please pray for us! :)

Sierra continues to be so sweet, but this also seems to be the age of pushing limits, picky eating, and full blown fits sometime. We are working on these things and I really am excited to be done with school so I can start spending more time working on first-time obedience and a well-mannered kiddo. Seeking the Lord for much guidance on this one...the task is certainly not easy and my patience is worn thin sometimes.

With all that said though, she is a precious blessing and we just can't imagine life without her! We praise God every day for her life and are so blessed by her!!!

28 Weeks

28 weeks of pregnancy came and went...much like the rest of this pregnancy has done. I have been so busy with student teaching and keeping up with Christmas and Sierra, etc. I sometimes almost forget that I am pregnant! But alas, pregnant I am and I certainly have a growing belly to show for it!

My 28 week check-up was just great! I had to miss school to go to this one because it had to be in the morning - this was the appointment where you drink that oh-so-yummy glucose drink and then they test your blood sugar an hour later. The drink was not as tasty as I remembered it being, but thankfully my blood sugar was perfect! They also tested my iron level which was perfect as well! Thank God for Nutrilite Vitamins!!! :)

I gained 2 more pounds, bringing me to a total of 5 pounds gained so far. I am very happy with that total; although I think this little girl wishes there was more room in there at this point. :) She moves soooo much!!! My blood pressure was low, but better than last time @ 102/68 and everything else checked out great; including a healthy heart rate for the little girl - averaging around 150 bpm.

I was happy to have Brian attend this appointment with me; however, Sierra had to go to the sitter. (No they have not lifted the ban yet!) :( Bummer!

My 32 week check-up is scheduled for just after the 1st of the year and then I will start going to the office every 2 weeks! That just seems crazy to me. I really can't believe in about 9 weeks time we will be holding another precious miracle in our arms! We can't wait!!!!

These pictures were taken around 30 weeks, rather than at 28 weeks, but I thought I would post anyway. Hope to get back on track with the belly pictures now that I have a little more free time on my hands! :) I love documenting this wonderful miracle God has blessed us with!

Seeing Christmas...

Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child .... PRICELESS!!!