halloween.

i totally thought that i posted this already.  

so here are our little trick or treaters a month late!

we had never trick or treated with cole before so this was a first for everyone.  with brenner gone, his mom came out to help me and we met up with some friends to walk around their neighborhood.  

we had so much much and the kids all caught on real fast to the whole "look cute and get candy" thing.

my little bumblebee, giraffe and spiderman!

their first lollipops were a big hit.  

earlier in the day we took advantage of free yogurt for the kids in costumes too!  

as if we needed more sugar on halloween.

christmas pictures.

we took christmas pictures last weekend with brenner's mom and brother.  

we chose a baylor theme this year. 

sic 'em.

we are not doing christmas cards this year because we thought that it will be better to do change of address/we've moved cards once we get settled in california and i really could not handle doing two sets of cards.  

we got a couple of really cute pictures though!

  

life lately.

we have been super busy the last few weeks.  we have been trying to see lots of friends and do lots of things off my waco bucket list before moving.  here is a peek of what we have been up to.

baylor vs. ou football game.  

our first date in....way too long. and a big win.

sic'em.

mommy and elise.

this little bit has jumped to the second percentile in weight.  

after riding in the first percentile for her first 21 months, this is reason to celebrate!

clara rocking her first pony tail.

one of my favorite places to go is homestead heritage here in waco.  we went one saturday morning and i snapped this picture and upon further inspection, i died laughing. 

my favorite barn door.

sunday was gorgeous weather with a high of 87 the week before thanksgiving.  this called for a boat ride with some great friends!

the girls and i stopped by the library to get some new books on cd and we arrived early before they opened.  it was the first time in 21 months i have been early to anything.  

oh yeah, and i am obsessed with them in their boots!

cole created  a thanksgiving project at school for the things he was thankful for.  

i burst out laughing when i saw this. 

note the blue feather, scooby. 

scooby is our dog that died last year. 

we still talk about scooby and i guess cole is still thankful for him!

also, when i asked cole why he was thankful for birds, he said because dad likes to shoot and kill them.  we are texans.  

uncle pics.

we have been blessed to have brenner's brother, huntley, live near us for years here in waco.  

these are a couple of pictures i took when he came over one night and i adore them!  

the challenge.

y'all these days i am finding that there are a lot of challenges in my life.  

 they are small challenges but i have found that it is the small ones that creep up and eat away at me more than the big ones.  

anyone else like that?

if there is one major thing happening, then i feel able to deal with it better than the many small things that i am trying to juggle right now.  

we move in two months.  

we have a house to sell.

 a house full of things to pack up.

many, many work things for brenner to do.

lots of friends to try to spend time with. 

lots of family to see including a few trips.  

all this on top of trying to spend quality time with each of my children whose love languages are quality time and physical touch.  read: they want to be with me all the time and physically touching me 95% of that time.  

i am not kidding.  

i would also like to go out a couple times and talk to my husband in quiet place about grown up things.  

all this to say that this is a challenge right now.  

it is a challenge to live in the moment and plan for the future.

it is a challenge for me to fight back anxieties about our house not having sold yet and try to keep the house looking good.

i don't want to count down our last days in texas.  i want to enjoy them.

i have accepted the fact that we will not do and see all the people and things that we want before we leave.  it is just not possible.  

so i am trying to enjoy each day with my kiddies and schedule things with friends as much as i can but allowing myself grace when things or days do not go the way i want.  there are no wasted days when there are little minds and hearts to shape.  

i know that there will be new challenges once we move of a whole different kind.

but right now i feel torn and pulled in many ways here.  

 isn't it amazing that God never stops teaching you things?

never?

he is always molding you into something and calling for change in one area after another.  

he is teaching me huge lessons on patience, trust, faithfulness, goodness, grace, worry and love.  

ya know, just a few little things. :)

this week i am praying for a quiet heart and a quiet mouth so that i can hear God speak to me in these times of challenge.  

dallas arboretum.

while brenner went with some friends to the baylor/kansas state football game a couple weeks ago, i went up to dallas and stayed with my friend, tyann, and her two kids.  

we made the crazy decision to go to the dallas arboretum with 5 kids 3 and under in the middle of the day to see their pumpkin exhibit and take some pictures.  

i have been wanting to go to the arboretum in the fall to see the display for a long time and was glad to finally make it there but it was wild and crazy!

Cole is 4!

my little boy turned 4 on friday.  

four years since his birth. 

four years since becoming a mama.  

four years that have changed who i am.  

i truly am a different person since becoming a mom and this little boy has taught me so much about life, love, heartache, sacrifice, unselfishness, determination, grace, forgiveness and joy.

he is beyond silly, runs around like a cheetah every where he goes, he loves to sing, ride his bike, draw, snuggle, read, race cars, act out david and goliath, dress up, play golf and soccer and build things.  

he has memorized over 10 bible verses this fall and loves to say them at the top of his lungs.   

and he has a sweet spirit.  

even though he had manhandle his sisters a little too much, he loves them so much.

there are so many things that i love about this boy.  

happy birthday, cole.  i couldn't be prouder to be your mom.   

for his birthday, we went to the zoo with some dear friends, had family over for chicken and french fries from Cane's chicken (his favorite) and amazing cupcakes sent to us by our old babysitter, aaryka.

and of course we had to have a piñata because he has been asking about one since his birthday last year.  

orphan sunday.

"defend the cause for the fatherless" isaiah 1:17

today is orphan sunday.

it is a day set up by the christian alliance for orphans where we, as christians, are called to become aware of, pray for, and do something for the orphans of our world.  8 years ago i didn't know much about orphans.  then brenner started the ministry in zimbabwe.  we have become much more aware of the orphan problem in the world, and yet we are still so ignorant.  and to be honest, most days i don't stop to pray for the orphans around the world that are lonely, hurting, starving, crying, scared and desperate for love. 

 there are over 150 million orphans in the world.  

friends, that is too many.

my friend Casey Chappell has an amazing story of adopting 5 children and is such a testimony.  she often says that if just 7% of people who claim to be christians would adopt an orphan, there would be no more orphans left.

do something, my friends. 

brenner is in zimbabwe right now, loving on these kids, and my heart aches to be with him.   

we have been able to talk with him almost everyday since he got there and even FaceTime with him.  

i adore this picture of clara (dressed in her kimono!) and a little boy talking via FaceTime.  they were dancing back and forth at each other and my heart almost burst open right then and there.  one day i hope my babies will get to hug those babies.  

i am asking you all to say a prayer for the orphans.  God knows which ones and hurting.  keep praying and make a commitment to lift up the ones who need our help.