Our New Addition

Back in January we received some of the best news, we were going to be parents again! Our household will be graced by the squeals of a little baby at the end of the September or early October and we couldn't be more excited. I am currently about 19 weeks along and have gotten over the hump pregnancy issues.

The first few months were a little rocky with the usual pregnancy symptoms. I was blessed during this time with Andrew being very flexible with a mommy that couldn't always leave the couch so he brought the toys and books to me. Now with those days behind us, we are entering the fun stages. 

I was quickly reminded about a week ago how magical it is to feel the wiggles and kicks of our little one. The only down side is that my boys have to wait a little longer before those kicks are strong enough to feel them as well.

Todd and I couldn't be more excited to be growing our family and it brings us so much joy to see the excitement that Andrew has around baby too.
 

Young Praise

It is no secret that Andrew loves music but lately it seems like that love has grown into more of a passion. We have really enjoyed seeing this side of Andrew grow and develop. He loves to sing into his microphone and play his guitar, often on a daily basis. It is great hearing him sing songs and praises to our Lord and it amazes us how quickly he picks up on lyrics to songs. His latest favorite song is "My Lighthouse" by Rend Collective, he can sing almost every word to the song and all that he has to hear is the intro to the song and the request of louder is heard in the van.

The singing doesn't end there. Ever since we got Andrew on a sleep schedule/routine for bedtime singing a song has been part of that routine. Now there is added joy to this routine, hearing our little guy sing songs such as "This Little Light of Mine" and "Fishers of Men".

It goes beyond just singing though, he often incorpurates instruments as well, whether it be drums (aka anything he can tap on), piano, or guitar. He love to play the piano at Grandma and Grandpa's house or Aunt Nichole's house. What I love is that he doesn't just do the usual banging on the keys but he tries to play just like those that he watches. 

We were given a wonderful treat when friends asked us to join them in a suite during the Winter Jam concert. This was such a blessing because without this there was no way we could have gone but the suite offered some running room for Andrew and snacks to eat throughout. It was so much fun to see Andrew get into the music, clapping and dancing and it brought a joy to watch our little two year old praise God along with an arena full of people doing the same.

With all this love of music that Andrew has I foresee much more musical fun in our future.

A Long, Cold Winter

We were faced with what seemed like a never ending winter around here that was both extremely snowy and cold. I'm not sure if it was actually as rough as it seemed or if the toddler getting extremely stir crazy made it that much worse. Either way it seemed never ending. We always welcome the beauty that comes with the beginning of winter with it's white blankets that cover the ground but once we are three fourths the way through, we are done.

We cherish those days where it is calm enough to get out and spend some time outside. We get ourselves all bundled up and head out for as long as we can stand it and then inside we come with rosy cheeks and bright red noses. Andrew never seemed to mind or notice how cold he was actually getting.

With our days outside being so few and far between we had to get creative occasionally with different things to do to keep ourselves entertained. Spending time walking through the toy aisle  became old as I grew tired of the fight to leave so we got creative. Trips to PetSmart became a new favorite of Andrew's. His very own indoor zoo. 

More than special trips though we began letting Andrew get more and more involved in cooking and baking. Andrew has always had a love for play cooking and without a doubt it transferred to the real thing. He quickly became excellent at stirring in chocolate chips for cookies and just about anything else I would let him. Even though he greatly wants to we still keep the sharp knives and chopping out of his reach.

I think that God knows those of us that live in these colder climates can only take these temperatures for so long and blesses us with a few days here and there that remind us of what is to come. And we take full advantage!

We spent as many of them outside as possible enjoying them in whatever ways we could. With some days warmer than others we had great adventures as Andrew found long lost toys outside and long lost friends at the zoo.

With each passing cold day we hold out hope for those warmer days to come, and at this point they have started to come. Giving us teases of what will become consistent can be torturous but all the same very welcomed.
 

South Padre Island #2

The trip continued with our best day weather wise, it was gorgeous outside and we took full advantage spending almost the whole day outside. We took a short drive to a neighboring town on the mainland to visit a zoo, Andrew was extremely excited. Our little guy has a passion for animals and loved seeing some that he doesn't have the chance to see in our zoo.

They had a touch pool where you could touch stingrays. We all took our turns touching them and we even convinced Andrew to do it (he was terrified of the starfish but this he would touch) with Daddy's help of course.

Our little guy had no fear that day and was super excited to climb on top of the alligator statue that they had. I was so surprised as he usually runs from these sorts of things.

I had to include the picture below as it is a family tradition...curb-side eating. No matter what trip we are on, whether big or small, this family always has at least one meal outdoors it seems like. These often bring up funny memories later on. Our little family of three has continued this fun whenever we are out and about.

We went to visit a battlefield while we were in the area. It was a battlefield during the Mexican/American War. It was interesting to see an area where part of this war was fought and the history of what happened there. Andrew enjoyed the time outdoors and especially the cannons that were set around the path.

After leaving the battle field we realized how close we were to the Rio Grande River so we decided to go in search of it. There was no real spot to go an see the river so we simply followed a map. It led us down a dirt road, following a boarder patrol truck pulling a boat; we had to be on the right path right? Well we were and we soon found the river, not what we were expecting but we found it. All that was there was a boat ramp for boarder patrol and that was it, but we can say that we were there. 

Andrew was finally asleep in the car and was waking up when we stopped so we continued on and tried to find another place to see the river. We found the Sabal Palm Sanctuary which was an old plantation right along the river and the boarder. As we approached we realized to get to it we would drive through the fence. An interesting experience that we didn't want to miss getting a picture of. Todd's sister jumped out to do so and quickly discovered a sticky mess, mud. Thankfully she held her balance and didn't fall but her shoes needed a bath. Oh the memories. 

 

We enjoyed eating at local restaurants, Pier 19 was my favorite. The restaurant is built on a pier, which I didn't realize until I felt the whole building move. It was an interesting experience and wonderful food, and the best part I got to see my little man in a pirate hat! 

So many memories were made over these days and it was an amazing get away. The trip was a blessing even with the bumps in the road.

South Padre Island #1

The day after Christmas we headed out on a family vacation to South Padre Island, Texas. We had not been on a vacation since before Andrew was born so it was a welcomed break. Andrew was extremely excited to fly on an airplane and we couldn't get him to not face the window for more than a few moments. 

The flight to Texas was eventful to say the least. A group of seven adults and one toddler going through the airport with a carry on and personal item each plus a car seat and stroller made for some full arms. When we were about 20 minutes out from our destination we were told that the fog was too thick for us to land so they were routing us to a different airport (a 5 hour drive to our destination). After sitting in San Antonio for an hour and a half they put us back in the air back to our original destination. Andrew did amazing on the airplane but by the time we put him in the car after supper he was done with traveling, we all were and looked forward to a good night's sleep.

Todd's parents (who put this whole trip together for all of us) found a beautiful three bedroom condo to rent while we were down there. We arrived and quickly figured out where everyone would sleep and our heads found those pillows soon after. We were concerned about how Andrew would sleep in such a strange place what God answered our prayers and he slept through every night. A huge answer to prayer considering if Todd would have fully stretched out in bed he would have kicked the bed Andrew slept in. 

One of our first places to visit was a sea-life rescue and educational center. It was full of different animals along with a tortoise that roamed freely throughout; Andrew was not very found of the big guy but at the same time very curious. The highlight was being able to hold a starfish. It was an amazing opportunity to hold one of God's frailest creatures.

We went from seeing God's creatures to seeing God's nature. Going to the beach and seeing the beautiful and powerful waves crashing onto the beach all I could think about was God's power and the plan he used to form all the different parts of this Earth. One of my favorite sounds in the world is the sound of the ocean. Living so far from the ocean I treasure that sound in my heart but mostly I treasure the moments spent near it.

Andrew loved the beach so much we had to tear him away from it. He so wanted to put his feet in the water just like mommy and daddy but since the water temperature was below 60 degrees we thought it best for him to stay out and on the sand. He was content to dig in the sand with the sand toys that the condo had, especially building a "castle" with Grandpa.

 

 

As stated before, this was the first vacation since before Andrew was born. It was an amazing gift to be able to slip a few moments away where it was just the two of us, they were few but great.

One day when we were at the beach we were given the tip that there were dolphins at the opposite side of the island. We all quickly loaded up and drove that way. We all felt so blessed to be able to see these amazing creatures jumping and playing in the water. We got some amazing shots of them, this is my personal favorite.

On the island there is a wonderful place that rescues Sea Turtles. Their mission is to care for and release as many as possible but sometimes they have to become permanent residents (some by choice, that simply just keep coming back). It was amazing to see these large turtles that so gracefully move through the water with what seems like no effort at all.

It is an amazing thing that these people do for the turtles. No matter if they come ashore to escape the cold waters that catch them by surprise or are injured either by a predator or boat they are there for them. At the time we were there they were a little full after a sudden change in water temperature when the turtles took refuge on the beaches. 

Andrew loved all of the turtles and was very curious about them. It took some convincing but he was willing to touch the turtle shell that they had, but only after daddy did it. He was in awe of the tiny turtles swimming in their tanks. He got upset with me when I had to take him away from them.

 

Celebrating Christmas

I love this time of year even though it can become extremely busy with bouncing from event to event, but the time with close and extended family make it all worth it. I love the simple traditions and the memories that they make. 

Our little family of three sat down for supper (nothing special, went for Andrew's favorite, spaghetti, so there would be no issues at the dinner table) the evening before we were to make the drive to visit family. Afterward we sat down together and read through the story of Jesus' birth in Luke 2 in Andrew's Children's Bible. Andrew was so excited about reading the story of Baby Jesus. He may have been more excited about that than his presents, at least for a little while.

Group Family Pictures

Andrew has always love music and now has discovered the piano at Grandpa and Grandma's house and would get up on that bench every chance he got. Then he got his "puppy guitar" from Great-Grandma for Christmas and then the music really didn't stop. It was super sweet especially when he would start singing Jingle Bells.

He's surrounded by snowmen! Andrew loved playing with all of Grandma's dancing snowmen and listening to them sing and watching them dance.

Making cake pops with Aunt Nichole. He loved putting the sprinkles on but I think he ate more that what ended up on the frosting. And oh yeah every time he put some sprinkles on frosting got on his fingers which had to be licked off, and the process repeated.

Christmas went by too fast as always but there were more treasured memories made so it will never be forgotten. How blessed we are to get to celebrate the birth of our Christ with the ones we love.

December Fun

To sum up the month of December, it would be busy, cold, and full of fun.

We started out the month with Todd taking a week long work trip to Texas, it was strange experience as it was definitely the longest we have spent apart, not just Andrew and Daddy but even the two of us since we have been married. It was a whirlwind experience getting him back home in time for Andrew's birthday party. An ice storm decided to hit the area and they had to take different route out of the state. With a lot of prayers Todd made it home very late in the night but it was an amazing blessing knowing he made it home in time for Andrew's party.

When December hit it was obvious that Christmas was right around the corner and we found a new passion that our little guy had...Christmas lights! He loved driving around in the evenings looking for at all the decorations. He would intently look around at all the different houses and call out everything that he saw. There was a great joy that filled me when I heard the excitement in his voice as he called out "Baby Jesus".

We took the opportunity and drove through an amazing light display that is put on as a fundraiser for the the Make a Wish foundation. Andrew was so excited as we drove through all the different display and kept asking for more and more.

 At the end of the tour of lights for the Make a Wish Foundation.

The snow came and Andrew fell in love. With one of the snow falls it was nice enough outside for him to go out and help scoop snow. He loved going out there and helping scoop and I loved seeing him dressed up like a little marshmallow.

So much going on and this was only the beginning of the month, there was so much more to come.