Some pictures

B has been using my computer to work since his is having some problems connecting with the mouse.  Because all our pictures are saved to my computer, I haven't been able to upload any recent pictures from Christmas.  Today, I just wanted to upload some pictures to capture this Christmas season!

Kids with Santa and Mrs. Clause

 Sleepover during nap-time in R's room

R with her gifts from Christmas Eve

A with his gifts from Christmas Eve

 Happy W

 Our children Christmas morning

 Silly faces

Family Fun Day

Today was an unexpected, yet fabulous, family fun day.  Bryce left for work as he normally does and I got the kids up and fed.  L came over to play with R & A while J and I visited.  The kids did puzzles, colored, and had a snack.  After our friends left, B came home from work early and we piled into Cherry and met M&M and the cousins at Triangle Town Center Mall for lunch.  Our next stop was Marbles Kids' Museum.  Our children love the museum and we do too.  We haven't been in a while so it was great.  E&Lo enjoyed all there was to do.  We spent 3 hours there and the only reason we left, was because it was 5 pm and closing.  Little Caesars' Hot & Ready pizza was our dinner.  We ate at our house and the cousins played with Cooper.  M & M are thinking about getting a dog so it was good to see the kids interact with Cooper.  M & M left a little after 7 to drive back to Wilson.  Such a fun day!  

We have more than enough

Christmas was a different experience for us this year because we weren't trying to catch a 6am flight out Christmas morning.  We actually had the chance to eat breakfast, read scripture, and open presents at our house, followed by a church service at 11:00 am.  While we missed our family, it was nice to relax and be in our own home.

Bryce and I often joke about living in such a small house, although it's perfect size for us, but after watching our kids open gifts, I realized, we have more than enough.  My children certainly don't have every toy out there, but they have a lot.  We decided that we will make R & A go through their toys and pick out a 1:1 ratio of toys to donate.  For every new toy they received, they will pick an old toy to donate.  We don't have enough room for everything, and plus, they need to learn the value of giving.  I hope this is a tradition that we can continue in our household. We had a wonderful day spent with B's sister-in-law's family in Wilson.  Christmas dinner was yummy and the cousins played.  Lo and R played blocks while E & A, played with their cars.  W even has a play partner in Addie Rae.  After the kids were asleep, the adults played  Hand and Foot.  My partner was Marcus and B played with Mandy.  After 4 rounds, we almost made a come back but lost by just under 1,000 points.  Usually a long day ends in a good night's sleep, but not for us:(  We (all 5 of us) slept in the same room and I did not sleep well.  W snores so that kept me up, and every time R & A moved, I could hear their sleeping bags make noise.  At one point, I heard A say "Rin, where are you?" and R responded, "I'm right here, A, go back to sleep".  Very cute...but it woke me up.  Monday morning after breakfast, we took a nature walk in the woods.  It was fun, but very muddy.  All in all, a great time in Wilson with some family.

As this year comes to an end and 2012 will begin soon, reflection is a natural process.  As I reflect on the past year with all the changes, I keep coming back to the conclusion that we have more than enough from our Lord.  As the book Radical states, God blesses us so we can give Him the glory.  I don't do that nearly enough!  We have 3 healthy kids, 1 very sweet dog, 2 paying jobs, friends and family that love us, a roof over our head, food to eat, 2 cars that work, a fun marriage, and most importantly, a Saviors.  God our Father, sent his Son, to die and take all our punishment.  Wow.  I do not share this message as I should.  Consider this a goal for 2012. 

Merry Christmas Eve

I'd say we had a wonderful Christmas Eve.  Since being a Saturday, Bryce did wake up early and work on some AJE papers before the rest of us got out of bed.  His load was pretty light so he just stayed at home and worked at the kitchen table.  Around 8:00 am we all ate breakfast and then the kids played for a bit.  Uncle Bubba called to skype since he and Aunt Adrienne were in Hburg with the parents.  We skyped for a bit and the kids loved seeing Uncle B and Aunt A. After skyping with Hburg family, we called Tata and Nana.  We are so thankful for Skype.  It's the best way for our kids to communicate with family so far away.  So thanks to the men from Sweden and Denmark that invented Skype.  

After skyping, I took the big kids out of the house for a while so W could nap and B could finish working.  We went to Walmart to to pick up a few things and to just walk around.  It was crowded but not terrible.  We got out of the house for about an hour and a half, just enough time for Bryce to finish his work.  Shortly after getting home, we packed up all our stuff and our kids to head to some really great friends' house.  B&J are Rin's godparents and we've spent the last 4 Christmas Eve's with them.  It's become our family's tradition.  B&J's parents come too.  It's a houseful, but we love it and wouldn't rather be any where else.  The afternoon consisted of eating, kids napping, and football watching. 

Our church service was at 6:00 pm, but B&J left for their church service at 5:00.  We also left to take Cooper out.  Have a mentioned Cooper?  Why he's the best dog in the whole world...if you ask us.  He fits our personality great!  He's very low key, not hyper, and quite lazy.  He's great, no fantastic, with our children.  Although at times, he frustrates us when he barks and wakes the kids up, but overall, we couldn't ask for a better dog.  So we let Cooper out before heading to CRF-WFR campus.  W went to nursery but R & A came to big church.  They were very well behaved and enjoyed the music a lot!  After church, we headed back to B & J's house for more food and fellowship.  Around 8:30, B lead us in a devotional which included reading scripture and prayer.  Awesome time of reflection before Christmas day.  It was very late by the time we left, but our kids were troopers.  Thanks to B's dad for holding W during the devotional and keeping him quiet.  I think it was the Santa hat that distracted him.  One of God's greatest blessings is friendship.  "...You have a very special place in my heart.  We have shared together the blessing of God..." Phil 1:7

Never say never...

I said I would never be a blogger....never say never.  After reading lots of my mommy friends' blogs and seeing all the fun stories of their family, I've decided to try this thing.  I would love to record the awesome (and not so awesome) things that happen in our lives so we have a record of it.  I know that we won't remember every little detail, so this will be nice later down the road.  

It's Friday afternoon and my kids are napping.  I should be doing laundry or cleaning, but I felt like starting my blog.  I'm not sure where it will lead, but I know that I want the focus to be updates on our busy lives and how God is moving in and around us.  

I guess I need a starting point so here we go:

Bryce is at work.  He currently works for AJE and is a full time E.d.D student at SEBTS.  Things could be changing shortly for him since the College at Southeastern, just asked him if he could teach 3 classes this spring.  Not sure what God has in store for him.

I (Katie) am home for the Christmas break.  I teach at WFRMS teaching 7th grade math and pre-algebra.  I love teaching and love the age kids I teach.  I'm an involved faculty member and will start coaching again in the fall.  God's been leading me to reach out at my school, but more about that later.

Rin is 3.  She's very smart and very verbal (takes after her daddy).  From the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to bed, she's talking.  We love that she talks and we love it more that she actually thinks about what she's talking about.  Her favorite things to do are arts&crafts, puzzles, and read.  She also loves to pray and God is revealing himself to her in all sorts of ways.

Abe is 2.  He's all boy :)  His favorite things are football, wrestling, and he also likes puzzles.  We believe the 'terrible twos' come from kids not being able to communicate what they want and how they feel, so they throw a tantrum.  It's so much fun, because Abe is talking more and more every week and less fits are thrown.  When he can tell us what it is he would like, there's less frustration.  Abe loves Rin and he loves sharing his toys with his younger brother.  God is at work in Abe's heart and we witness that in the way Abe plays with Wes.

Wes is 7 months.  Wes's personality hasn't totally developed yet, but he's a serious baby so far.  When he smiles, he can light up a room, but he doesn't just smile for anybody.  He's going to be a tough boy, just because Abe is his older brother.  Wes's favorite things are to jump in his bouncer and laugh at Rin and Abe making silly faces.

So that's a quick recap of where our family is at the moment.  Now that I have a starting place, I can move forward.  Not sure who will read this, if anyone, but that is not the purpose.  I just want to record somewhere, our family memories.