Just Random

I realized that I hadn't said much about the kids and what they are up to, so this is just a update on the kiddos post! :)

Kinsley has grown up so much in the last few months.  She will be three in June and she really is such a sweet spirited little girl.  She is so helpful to me, whether it is with Cooper, cooking, folding, pretty much just about everything she wants to help with.  She has turned into such a little mommy.  She is constantly carrying "Holly" (her doll) around, sshhing her, burping her, feeding her (yes, even trying to breastfeed), pushing her in her stroller, sitting her in high chair, putting her to sleep.  I have even been kicked out of room because she is trying to put Holly to sleep.  She is just hilarious.  The things that come out of her mouth are priceless.   The other day at my parents house we told Kinsley that we were going to hunt for eggs, and she looks at my dad and says "How fun is that, Boppy?".  Just little things like that make us laugh so hard.  She is such a lover and such an affectionate child.  I hope that she never stops being affectionate.  As wonderful as she is, she is super strong willed.  The other day she screamed "no" at me 7 times in a row, and she has her fair share of tantrums with kicking and screaming.  There are days when I feel like I am failing as a mom because the work that I put into disciplining seems to not be working.  But I know the Lord is faithful and I know that I will see the fruits of my labor someday.  Oh how I pray for both her and Cooper's heart to be softened and come to have a personal relationship with Christ.  I know that is every Christian parents prayer as well.  But I adore this sweet girl and I try to soak up all the hugs and "I love you's" because I know she will grow up before I am ready for her to.
My little man!!  Cooper is 11 months and growing up way too fast!! He is probably the most active child, he is walking everywhere, actually almost running.  He started walking at 8 months and hasn't slowed down since.  He pushes his trucks all over the house and all outside.  He is clapping, and just started to wave "bye bye", and when he does it he says "hi".  It is super cute if I do say so myself.  He loves to dance and play with his sister.  I love watching them play together.  He just follows her around like a lost puppy dog sometimes.  No one can make him laugh more than Kinsley.  He is has 13 teeth and is cutting his fourth molar.  Needless to say this boy whines quite a bit because he has been teething for so long! :) He is going to be strong willed like his sister.  I  have already seen the temper tantrums.  Boy am I in trouble!  But like Kinsley, he is so affectionate and loves to run up to Chris and I and give us huge hugs and then go back to what he was doing.  I have blessed beyond what I deserve with these kiddos and I pray that I never take a day for granted!  

Happy Birthday!

April 10th is such a beautiful day. It brought three incredible women into the world and these three women were therefore brought into my life!

Happy Birthday Karen Gormley!!! Karen was my roommate in college when we went to Master's. We didn't room our freshman year but the last three we we were always "roommies". I can not think of someone else I would want to have roomed (sp?) with, she was pure joy to live with. There was never an argument, never an altercation, just tons of love and laughs. She was always the biggest encourager to me whether it was praying for me or leaving me notes. The Lord put us perfectly together. Karen is a friend that I hope to have in my life forever. Even though her and I don't talk as much her friendship continually brings smiles to my face. Her love for the Lord, her passion for her job and her endless love for her friends are just a few of the things that I adore about her. I feel blessed to call her my friend! I love you Karen!

Happy Birthday Melinda Cassol!!! Melinda and I lived on the same wing in Hotchkiss at Master's. And we talked some in college, but it wasn't until after college and we started working together that the Lord really brought us close. She is the most giving, loving, compassionate and funny girls I know. I have thanked the Lord for her many, many times. I couldn't imagine Legacy without you. To see your face in the front office was one of my favorite memories of Legacy! Now Melinda is living up north with her sweet husband and her daughter Emma (and pregnant again :)), but even though we live so far away whenever we see each other it is like no time has gone by. I have always said this is a sign of a true friend. I love you my sweet friend!!

Happy Birthday Jamie Hill!!! This special girl is one of my very best friends! Jamie and I have such kindred spirits. The Lord knew that we needed each other in each others lives. Our friendship has sustained many highs and some hard times, but I honestly believe that we are closer now than ever. I honestly don't believe that there are words that can describe my adoration and love for Jamie. I am a better woman because of her and her faithfulness to the Lord. She is such an example to me of unending trust in the Lord and I will always pray for that same strength in my life as well. I love you Jamie Hill and can't imagine my life without you!

Time with Jamie

The kids and I went to visit Jamie about a month and a half ago.  We had such a wonderful time being able to spend time with her family and her nephew Judah and niece Annie.  The Hill family has been such a blessing in my life so it was so refreshing to spend time with them and laugh with them.  Unfortunately, both the kids had nasty colds so therefore they were up all night and super grumpy most of the time.  It is a good thing Jamie loves my kids so much.  We love you Auntie Jamie!

I also wanted to put in some pictures of Jamie's house.  She is so gifted with interior design.  I have been telling her that for years.  She has a little guest house and look at how cute it all is.  I am amazed at her way to take simple things and put them together and make them look beautiful.  It is a true gift to be able to do that (one that I do NOT possess :))  I hoping that she will continue to pursue looking into interior design because it is a gift.  And you know what the best part is?  She gets most of her stuff from Ross and Marshalls, so it is all cheap.  How great is that?  She would never post pictures of her house so I thought I would brag for her! :)

My Loves!

Here are my loves!  I am so in love with my husband and absolutely ADORE my children.  What a blessing it is to have people to love.  Happy Valentines Day (2 days late)!

Sledding in Idaho!

Here are a couple pictures of the kids sledding in Idaho.  It was just in front of Chris's parents front yard, but that was enough for Kinsley.  She wasn't so sure with all the snow.  I know these are from December, but hopefully in 2009 I will be better at blogging.  We'll see! :) 

Friendships

Do any of you sometimes get so overwhelmed by love and thankfulness for something that it almost makes you cry?  I get like that when I am thinking about my husband, my kids or our families.  And I do it a lot when I am thinking about our friends!  The Lord has so graciously given us the most amazing friends two people could ever ask for.  When Chris and I pray we ALWAYS thank the Lord for our friends and what blessings they are in our lives.  What a treasure to have the like-minded friendships we have.  Whether it is new friends, old friends, friends we see all the time or friends that we don't get to see as much, we cherish each of you the same and are so grateful for you all!  I wish I had pictures of all of you to put on here and please don't think because your picture may not be here that we love you any less.  But here are a few of our most treasured friends!  We love you all!

Friends Forever!  I adore you two!  Words cannot describe the love I have for you girls!  
My dear friend Kate Otto celebrated her birthday in California and we all went to the beach. What joy to spend time with old friends.  It is a weekend to remember forever!
Two of my dearest friends from high school.  Lara (left) I met in high school and everyone called us the "Twin Towers" because she is 6 feet as well.  And Tiffany (middle) and I have been friends since 6th grade.  What a joy to have both these girls in my life still!
A group of us got together to watch Gabe at the Olympic trials.  We are attempting to have goggles.  I am not as flexible as I once was. :) But it was so fun to get together with friends to support another friend during an exciting time in his life!
Some of my dearest friends from Legacy!  Nancy Um, Melinda Cassol and Jodi Mackey!  I love you girls and miss seeing your sweet faces everyday!
We all know who this is Sean and Sara Parsons!  What a joy it was to see them and catch up.  Chris and Sean talked forever and we both walked away wishing Sara and Sean lived closer so we could see them more often!
I love these girls, we tend to celebrate all our birthdays together and get to see all of these girls relatively often.  What a blessing it is to have friends that have children around the same age as your own.  
This is Doug Bierman, Chris's oldest friend from Idaho.  Doug was the best man in our wedding and he is gem of a guy.  We just absolutely love him and his family.
Erin and I when we went to New York to see Grease!  How cool is it that we got to go to the Big Apple together!  What a joyous and memorable time that was!  I will never forget it!!
Chris's dearest friends, Kurt and Joey.  It is pure entertainment and pure joy to watch these three hang out.  They will make you laugh till you cry!

The girls and I when we went to Palm Springs together!  It was so nice to go without the kids.  Erin and I got pregnant with Drake and Cooper about a month after this trip and Becky got pregnant about three months later with Katie Jo!

Oh how I miss these times together.  Now with children and the Penberthy's moving to Indiana these times are few and far between but we are all wanting to plan a trip to Hawaii.  Let's hope that we can do in the next few years!! :)
My baseball girlfriends, Abby, Alicia and Corinn!  How fun it is to spend time with these dear friends!
AWWW, the baseball boys.  Andy, Aaron, Luke, Chris, Mike and Kurt.  I love the alumni games when they all get together!  It is like college all over again!
Every year a group of us celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas together.  The group started super small, then got bigger and now is getting smaller again with everyone moving.  But it is always a sweet time with dear friends!  The boy shot!

The girl shot!

We love all of you and wish we could have a picture of all of you!  Thank the Lord for friends!

Christmas in Idaho

I know, I know, I know it is about time.:)  Well, here are a few pictures from our trip to Idaho.  It was quite the adventure.  From missing our flight in Salt Lake and having the spend the night there, to Kinsley getting strep throat, to running through the airport having our name called over the intercom telling us our seats were about to be given away, to getting trapped in an elevator.  It honestly felt like we were getting "punked" a few times because so many things went wrong.  But the Lord is so gracious and even with all the bumps along the way, we had a incredible Christmas (and white I might add).  It was so wonderful being with Chris's family and getting to see old friends.  Here are a couple pictures of the kids that my sister in law Amber took.  Hopefully I will get some more off my camera and post them!!  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior.