It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas!! With some minor destruction here and there.....

Here are the boys in Santa hats, wearing matching PJ's that my parents recently sent them.

One day earlier this month I had come across my candy dish and realized someone had been up to something. Needless to say, this started becoming a recurring event and I had to move the candy dish all together.

We bought the boys an early Christmas present this year. We set it under the tree just after Thanksgiving and they've been enjoying it ever since. It is the FP Little People nativity set. FP actually has a few different sets, but we got the manger scene, the inn with no room set and the wise men set so that the boys can actually play out the whole Christmas story. It had to be moved out from under the tree when Jeremy decided to get himself an early Christmas present as well and purchased a train set that had to go under the tree. :)

I haven't really posted any pictures of the house since the move, but here is our foyer. I just painted it at the end of September and I'm still not sure if I like it. The color looks great in this picture, but it changes constantly throughout the day as the light changes.

This is a terrible picture of the outside of the house, but Jer did such a great job of putting up lights that I really wanted to give him some credit. He even bought lights for me to put on the wreaths that I made for the windows and front door.

And... as I promised... some pictures of the "Molly damage." I came home one morning and found that she had ripped some molding off of the wall in the dining room, where I had closed her in. Not only did she rip it off... but she chewed part of it to pieces! (Did I mention she is camera shy?? Most pictures I have of her look like this.)

Later that same day, we had to run out to a Dr. apt. and then we ran to Walmart to get a crate to put her in while we were out. This is what we returned home to. Notice the wires hanging out of the wall... that was where a phone jack used to be. Yeah, she ripped that right out of the wall, too.

A big thank you to my father-in-law who came to our rescue and helped us patch everything up as good as new before a big Christmas party that we hosted, less than a week later!

Meet the newest member...

Molly.

Molly was rescued from a shelter in KS that was going to put her down. We adopted her from a local golden retriever rescue. She is a two year old golden retriever mix... not quite sure with what, but someone suggested a spotted spaniel so I'm going to go with that, since I have no clue. She only weighs about 45 lbs and she is totally adorable. She is a great dog, loves to be around people and she doesn't chew on anything! Well, she is great until we leave the house. Once I find my camera I'll share what she was up to while I was at MOPS the other day. (That is another reason for the absence of posts... our camera got lost in a box for about three months after we moved!) I love that she is potty trained, especially since neither of the boys are.

Does anyone even check this anymore??

I will be impressed, if after all this time, someone is still checking to see if we are on planet earth! Things have been crazy since the move and we spent the summer traveling and entertaining. Then school started. Then we had another miscarriage. Now the holidays are here. And we just got a dog. Whew!! Life just seems to run away with us at times.

When I named my blog I was thinking of Ecc. 3, where King Solomon states that there is a time for everything in life and a season for every activity. I try to remind myself that I'm in the season of "little ones" and that there is so much to be cherished in the craziness of it all. Sometimes, I'm going to be honest, I feel like there is nothing cherishable and I just want my kids to be eighteen and walking out the door. Then the Lord gently reminds me that I am exactly where He has placed me, for this time in life.... for this season. He has given me exactly what I need to be the best wife to Jeremy, the best mother for my children, and the best sister in Christ that I can be. I'm still learning. It is a constant lesson that I need to keep learning. Praise God. All this to say... we are here! We are doing well. We've missed you and I hope you've missed us too!

Our Peanut

Bryce is very different from his brother Kyle and he has been right from the beginning. Bryce was born at 6lbs 5oz. and was 18.5" long. (Kyle was 8lbs 1oz. and 20.5") When he came home all that fit him was preemie clothes... and he was born 10 days after his due date! He hasn't really grown the way the doctors would like and we've had to take him in for all kinds of lab work and special appts. just to see how he was growing. It has all been very frustrating. He has developed well and been content, but when your one year old is still sporting six-month clothing you start to wonder/worry. He has never really been a good eater which doesn't help his situation. After our visit to the Feeding and Nutrition Clinic at Children's hospital last week, the doctor felt that though he is definitely short for his age, his weight matches up with his height and he seems to be developing right on track. Praise the Lord!!

Bryce is just shy of being 14 months old and now weighs a whopping 16.5lbs! He is also 27" tall. He has been trying out walking on and off for the last two months but prefers to scoot his way around, probably since it is much faster for him and he can either keep up with his big brother or get out of his way! He has a very limited vocabulary, which was a bummer for me since Kyle was such a good talker so early. I'm beginning to think that Bryce has quite a bit to say, he just never gets a chance to try to say any of it! Kyle is a CONSTANT talker. Poor Bryce can never get a word in edgewise! Here is a little video I shot last week of Bryce saying "Kyle." Notice the background noise!! He is such a blessing from the Lord.

Jer n' Jenn

Marriage is a great thing. It's awesome to know that you have someone who is committed to you and will be by your side to help you through whatever life brings. I am sooooo blessed to be married to Jeremy. Unfortunately, it is so easy to become caught up in raising kids, cleaning and cooking and all the busyness that is our lives and before we know it, our focus has shifted and our spouse is no longer at the top of the list. Seriously, I don't have to worry about dressing him each day, he can fend for himself if I don't feed him, and.... well, he is potty trained... let's just say he is pretty self sufficient! I find myself constantly fighting against the notion that he doesn't need me as much as my kids and striving to keep my relationship with Jeremy a top priority. (Neither of us really remembers what marriage was like without kids. Kyle was born just a month and a half after our first anniversary.) This past weekend was a great opportunity to spend time together and focus on each other. Belleview held their Jr./Sr. banquet on Friday night and we got to enjoy an evening out together... all dressed up. (Just for the record, I love to dress up!)

On Saturday night, we headed downtown for the Rockies game. It wasn't the best evening for a game, being only 45 degrees it sprinkled during the sixth inning, but we made the best of it and had a great evening. Here we are before the game started and the Dodgers scored four runs in the first inning!

Thanks for two fun evenings in one weekend, Jer! I can't wait until our next night out together!

Crayon Fun!

Craft time doesn't happen often around our house. I always thought that I would be a mom that would be so into doing crafts with my kids.... um, yeah, no. I still have hopes for the future, but for now I only bring out the crayons when Kyle specifically asks for them. Ususally, if he asks to color I get out colored pencils... they are so much less messy and the boys don't try to eat them! On Saturday, Kyle asked if he and his bear could color with crayons so I sat them down and brought out the crayons. Can you see the excitement on Kyle's face? For some reason he just can't smile with his eyes open anymore.
Then Bryce noticed his big brother was doing something that he may want to try out. Here he is heading over to check out the scene.

Kyle wasn't too excited that his bear had to give up a seat to his little brother.... but eventually, Mommy won that argument.

And... this is why we don't bring out the crayons.......

Kyle's excitement lasted all of 10 minutes. At least it was good time to get a few pics of my boys playing PEACEFULLY together!! :)

Easter Blessings!

I have mentioned to several friends that I had really felt as though Satan was attacking my family recently with all we've been enduring. Then Easter came. It was such a refreshing reminder of God's plan, not only for me and my family, but for all people ... and He has had in place since the beginning of time. Yes, my family (especially me) has been really struggling in the last few months, but in compared to what Christ experienced during the week before His crucifixion... my struggles do not compare and are very temporal in the grand scheme of eternity. Yes, the Lord is molding us (me) and lessons are being learned, but.... The battle is won... and He won it for us! Praise the Lord!!!

Jeremy and I were able to attend a Seder dinner on the first day of Passover and it was so fabulous to look back through history and see God's plan for Israel and how we were included in that plan. Jeremy and I have casually talked about celebrating parts of Passover with our kids as they get older because it is a great way to teach the next generation (hence, the Jews reason for the tradition). Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera, but it was a great time and tons of fun!

We spent Good Friday looking at a few houses and are praying about one in particular. On Easter, we headed to church and then over to the in-laws for a family meal. Someone asked if we were having a big, family dinner. I laughed and replied, whenever we get together it is a big, family dinner! It is such a blessing to live close to family and I love it when we can get together. Sarah and Kensey (Jer's cousin, Warren's, daughters) put together an Easter egg hunt for the boys to do and they had a blast! Here is a pic of them after all the excitement. I'm pretty sure Collin and Kyle both had candy in their mouths!

Here, Kyle is proudly saying cheese after showing his goodies to Daddy.

Tara is too little to get involved in all the action, but she seemed to be enjoying herself anyway.

Here are our adorable boys in their matching outfits.

I hope that each one of you were refreshed this past Easter weekend with the knowledge that we have a Savior that LIVES, who cares about us, and desires for us to have a relationship with Him not just now, but for all eternity. Praise God for his grace, mercy, and love!