Fall 2014

I'm officially a bad blogger. I admit it. I really miss blogging regularly, but by the end of the day when the kids are in bed, I still have the kitchen to clean, laundry to finish and some time to hang out with Aaron. Blogging is the bottom of my priority list. But life continues to move and God continues to bless us. Abel and Belle are loving their 3K homeschool. We do about 3 days a week for 40 minutes - a worksheet (focusing on either letters, numbers, shapes or colors), Bible and reading time, and a craft. Sometimes we throw in some extra things like music or flashcards. If we haven't done school yet, they will ask "Can we do school now?" Haha! The pictures above were taken at a local pumpkin patch on a homeschool field trip with our church. They are dressing up next week for Halloween as a football player and cheerleader. I have mixed feelings about Halloween. I always thought I wouldn't celebrate it with my kids. But then the first Halloween after Abel & Belle were born, I thought "What is the harm in dressing up like something that isn't satanic or evil in nature? And getting candy?" Abel & Belle play dress up at home almost everyday of their lives and they eat candy occasionally as well. Also, awhile back, I read a post from another Christian who said "Every day belongs to the Lord. Why should Satan have a holiday? He doesn't have the right to take what belongs to the Lord. So, take back Halloween to the glory of God." That is what we try to do with Halloween...eat candy, drink cider and be merry to the glory of God! Of course, we respect those Christians who have different opinions too and don't participate in Halloween at all. And we know other Christians who celebrate "Reformation Day" on October 31st, which is the day that Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses. Whatever you're doing or not doing this month, Happy Fall Ya'll!!!

Jennifer :)

Mimi, Promotion and Homeschooling - Updates!

Thought I should give a quick update (Thanks, Ashley for the motivation)!

1) My mom moved to the Charlotte area a month ago, so Abel & Belle have been getting to spend lots of time with their Mimi- which they LOVE!

2) Aaron was recently promoted with his company, LifeWay, as a Market Manager. He will continue to manage his current store but will also oversee 5 additional stores in the market area. Promotion without Relocation is AWESOME! We have lived in 4 different cities and 2 states since we got married 8 years ago. We have lived here the longest (4 years), so we are thrilled to be given an opportunity for advancement without uprooting our lives. We love our church and our life here. We feel very settled for now.

3) Abel & Belle continue to grow up each day. I am going to start some Preschool Homeschool curriculum with them this fall. Nothing too big because I strongly believe that children this age learn best thru play. But, sometimes free play all day equals chaos, so I want to give them a little bit of structure. Maybe just 20ish minutes a morning. I bought some fun Disney workbooks from the Dollar Tree that focus on the alphabet, numbers, colors and shapes.I'm planning to go "School Supply" shopping this weekend when everything school related is tax free. I will get them some new crayons, supply box, washable markers, construction paper and other "preschoolish" stuff. We are excited :)

Below is a picture of our family at Chick-Fil-A's Annual Cow Appreciation Day! And also, here is a link to Aaron's blog about our experience that day and the Kingdom of God!

Merry Christmas 2013!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and celebrating the incarnation of our Savior!

Family Pictures Spring 2013

Here are our overdue family pictures taken in May! Better late than never :)

Also, we had to take down our adoption book post because Aaron discovered that we couldn't use the pictures on social media without the proper copyrights. We can still use them to bind the book for our family but can't use them elsewhere without permission. Bummer :(

Couples' Shower in Atlanta

Abel, Belle and I went to Atlanta this past weekend for my sister, Grace, and her fiance's couples' shower. Aaron wasn't able to go because he was in Greensboro, NC working a LifeWay conference. The shower theme was a fiesta as the pictures below show...and the twins had a GREAT time! They ate Moe's Southwest grill food, cake, and played on the playground.

 

Eating cake with Mimi :)

RSV, Pneumonia, Stomach Bug, and a Bridal Shower!

So much has been going on in our home the past few of weeks... Abel and Belle both got RSV. Belle got better, but Abel's RSV turned into Pneumonia. He was admitted into the hospital on Valentine's Day (also my birthday) and was discharged the following Sunday morning. While he was in the hospital, I caught a stomach bug. So, Belle had to go stay with my mom at her house. I was at home very sick and Aaron was in the hospital with Abel. I was so sick that I ended up in the ER dehydrated and had to have two doses of IV fluids. I did drink, but I couldn't keep any liquids down.  Abel had his follow-up post discharge appointment with the pediatrician last Friday morning and he is doing great now - Praise God!  Right after his appointment, I had to drive to Atlanta for my sister's bridal shower. I, her matron of honor, and her maid of honor were throwing the shower so I couldn't miss it. It was a relief to know that Abel was doing so well when I left. My MIL came to help with the twins so Aaron could work over the weekend. However, he came down with the stomach bug and couldn't work on Saturday, so my MIL had to take care of all 3 of them! Bless her heart. We are on the mend now and just praying that the twins don't get the stomach bug next. Below are some pictures over the past few weeks.

Having fun with Daddy!

Abel riding the Ice Cream truck at the mall

In the hospital watching cartoons and eating a chocolate chip cookie.

Belle with her heart shaped pillow at Target. Mimi had to buy it for her of course!

My sister, the beautiful bride to be!

Me, my sister and mom

 

Fall Festival 2012

Abel and Belle went to their first ever Fall Festival this past weekend. Abel dressed up as a scarecrow and Belle dressed up as a pumpkin princess. They were so adorable! We only stayed out there for about an hour, which was plenty of time for them. They rode a kiddie ride with Aaron and me, ate some cookies and looked at all the fun sights while enjoying the crisp fall air. Their Pops and Mimi (my step-dad and mom) as well as their great-granddaddy and great-grandmama (Aaron's maternal grandparents) came with us too. We all had a great time!

Mother's Day 2012

Aaron and I took our mothers out for dinner at Cracker Barrel last Sunday for Mother's Day. Below are some of the pictures that my sister took of Abel and Belle...they had a great time in both the store and at the restaurant!

Warning: Serious Cuteness Ahead!!!

Fun with Family!

Both Mimi (my mom) and Mama Niecey (Aaron's mom whose name is Denise) along with Aaron's sister, Bethany and her husband, Matt came down for a visit on Wednesday. Aunt Bethany took lots of pictures and unfortunately, mommy isn't too great at taking pictures regularly so we are glad for some new candids! The 2nd picture is Abel & Belle about to get in the car to head for Cracker Barrel with everyone and the 5th picture is Abel with Uncle Matt. Abel and Belle wore semi matching Osh Kosh shirts to Cracker Barrel with their blue jeans - Abel's was a snowman shirt in 6 mos size and Belle wore a Christmas candy cane/gingerbread house shirt in a 3 mos size. As you can see in the pics, Abel is much bigger than his sister. Also, notice our dog, Toby hidden between our legs for our family shot...yes, he came and got between our legs himself! Ha - we love our mini dachshund (aka our third baby)!

Oh and it is quite possible that these are the cutest babies ever!...Ok, we are admittedly biased. :)