Our Crazy Girl

So, aside from our recent trip to the Children's Museum, I realized I hadn't really blogged about the munckin in quite some time. GASP! What a terrible mother I am letting our new house and other ramblings out shine the most precious girl ever :-)

She has grown so so so much! She is now 19 months old and so full of life and energy. Literally, she changes and surprises me everyday. She is literally this "little lady". She has such an amazing personality. She loves to give kisses and hugs. She LOVES being outside!!! Seriously, she'd stay out there all day and night, cold or hot, wet or dry. She is very much into exploring anything and everything. She particularly loves opening and closing bottles. Putting things into other things, then taking them out again and seeing if they fit somewhere else. She loves her daily milk and cereal bars (I know, bad mom).

Her favorite words are mommy, daddy, NO, please (peeze) and thank you (na noo). She also LOVES any and every animal. Her favorite being a horse. I so love how she says "horse" too. It is so cute. I included a little video clip just so I would have it archived and never forget it, haha. Every time we drive by an open field while we are in the car, she yells "horse!!!" even if one isn't there.

She also loves to count. If she hears someone say "one", she follows with "two, three"!! Then laughs and waits for something big to happen, haha.

I so love this girl and cannot believe how fast she is growing up. She is such a blessing from the Lord!! Here are some pics and the video I mentioned.

Love to all!

Bethany

Sneak Peak

Hi everyone!

I'm not going to give a lot of details but have some sneak peeks at things we have chosen for our new kitchen. I am SO SO SO excited!! I've included 2 pics of granite, both of which we are using but that is all I will share :-) I think you get a good idea of the style I like from these pics and others I've posted.

I think I'll save more details for the big reveal after it is completed :-) Mean, I know!

Electrical will coming in to finish all of our new electrical wiring this week. Plumbing and HVAC are pretty much finished. After electrical comes sheetrock, which means I will really be able to start seeing what the finished product will look like!! We're still several months away but we're getting closer every week!!

Love to all!

Bethany

Renovation Updates!!

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather we have been blessed with this week :-) I sure am glad I was on days this week so I could enjoy some of the beautiful afternoons. However, it's back to night float again tomorrow evening! One more week of night float and I am done with that for forever!! Now that is crazy.

I have some updated renovation pics. Man the house has changed a lot over the past week and I couldn't be more excited! Most of the framing for the new upstairs was completed this week and now I can finally start seeing how it will be when it is complete :-) SO LOVE IT and I am so glad we decided to open up the extra attic space for a media/playroom! I have before, during and current pics below. Some of them are repeats that I've posted before but just wanted to provide reminders of what it looked like before. We finally made decisions about the kitchen (color, granite, etc). I will post some pics of our choices soon.

Hope you enjoy and like the changes we've made so far. I sure do!

Love to all!

Previous upstairs room

Previous upstairs hallway

Remember this pic? This is the above pic just looking the other direction,  after we opened up the attic space of course.

NOW!!! Framing to left is 2nd upstairs bedroom (the one in the top picture). To the right is  closet space. All the way to the back (past the ladder) is the 1st upstairs bedroom - Ry's future room!

Close up pic of above

This is taken standing in Ry's future room. Hallway is through doorway. Area to right is looking into the future jack-n-jill bath. Area to left is Ry's closet and hallway closet. 

Bethany

Easter Activities for the Kiddos

Hi Everyone!

Hope all of you are well. I'm currently working nights in our PICU so blogging will be minimal and sporadic. However, I came across this today and thought it was an awesome way for us to share Easter with our children. Hope you all enjoy as well!

http://www.thrivingfamily.com/Features/Magazine/2011/easter-activities-and-crafts.aspx


All is Grace, His Alone!
Bethany

What's with all the Fasting?

Ok, I have a confession. I sometimes hate this time of year (leading up to Easter - I LOVE Easter). Every year for the last few, I try to give things up for Lent, to "fast", but often I fall short or forget or don't take it seriously. Then, I feel bad. I know, I'm pathetic. Honestly, I didn't grow up giving up things for lent so I think this is just all foreign to me.

I mean, I get it, which I think is why I try. It sounds so good, it makes sense and who doesn't want to purge things that aren't really significant to grow closer to God?

However, this morning in my quiet time, I ran across this exert from John Piper. SMACK ME IN THE FACE!!! How wonderful of a statement and declaration about fasting. This, to me, is the true meaning of Lent. I mean, everything he says I've probably heard but it was one of those "Kisses from the King" as I call them, where my great need and His Mercy meet and He speaks clearly. I love it and just meditating on this passage is changing my heart regarding this time of year.

I hope it inspires you too.

John Piper on Fasting:
“Fasting is peculiarly suited to glorify God.
It is fundamentally an offering of emptiness to God in hope. It is a sacrifice of need and hunger.
It says, by its very nature, “Father, I am empty, but you are full. I am hungry, but you are the Bread of Heaven. I am thirsty, but you are the Fountain of Life. I am weak, but you are strong. I am poor, but you are rich. I am foolish, but you are wise. I am broken, but you are whole. I am dying, but your steadfast love is better than life.”
When God sees this confession of need and this expression of trust, he acts, because the glory of his all-sufficient grace is at stake.
The final answer is that God rewards fasting because fasting expresses the cry of the heart that nothing on the earth can satisfy our souls besides God.
God must reward this cry because God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

~John Piper A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer

Food for Thought

"Wherever you are, be there fully" Hmmmm,I should do more of this. Bethany

Children's Museum

Greenville's Children's Museum ROCKS!!!! On Saturday it  was kinda dreary so Matthew and I decided to take Ry just to see what it was about, if she was old enough, etc.

It was awesome!!

Ry loved it too (evidence is below). There was so much to do for many different ages, even 30 yr old me (again, evidence is below :-). So, for all you parents who are considering it, totally worth it.

Happy Sunday! All is Grace.

Bethany

Renovation, Take 3

Hi Friends!

I haven't blogged about the house in a bit, mostly because things are just going so fast (awesomeness) that I keep waiting. Well, wait no longer! So, we made a big decision about 2 weeks ago. We decided to open up half of the attic space upstairs. Initially it was for another bedroom, however, now that we have seen it opened up we absolutely love it!!! So, we are leaving it open and I couldn't be more excited! Below are before and after.  I literally get giddy just looking and talking about the pics :-) Hope you enjoy!

BEFORE

AFTER!!!!!

View from other direction!! Love it!

More awesomeness!! (Is that a word? :-)

Love to all!!!! Bethany

March

March - The month to walk around walls in our lives and pray For God to bring down everything that keeps us from Him.

Welcome March, bye-bye walls!!!