Breckenridge, CO

At the end of July, we took a trip to Breckenridge, CO with our friends, the Grecos. This trip marked both of our fifth anniversaries, as we met Sam and Deri on our honeymoons in Jamaica. Since that time, we both have started families, so instead of returning to the tropics, we decided to stick a little closer to home and go to an environment that is more "kid-friendly". All in all, it was a good trip, even though it had it's ups and downs... Some ups included whitewater rafting for the guys, massages for the girls, a beautiful bike ride, the kids LOVED sharing a room, and we got to go to the top of the peak (which was 11,200 feet)!!! A big down, though, was that we all experienced some form of elevation sickness, as the town sits at a height of 9600 feet. Jeremie was the most sick, with flu symptoms much of the trip! :(

We are so thankful for a chance to get away, spend some quality time with our friends, and see something new. It was absolutely beautiful!!! Can't wait for the next vacation!

Happy Birthday, Gabriella!

I rarely get around to blogging these days, but wanted to post a few pictures from our baby girl's big day. She was sweet, adorable, and adored that day, as always! We got to celebrate with lots of family and friends. What a great way to honor our special little lady!

Gabriella's Baby Dedication

Yesterday, we had Gabriella dedicated at church. Our families were able to come up on stage and share in the moment. First, our children's pastor, Mark Edwards, introduced us and talked about the importance of raising our girls in a home where Christ is the center. He said we're "two for two' with our little beauties and that he knew we were on the right track with raising them, because Mollie has already accepted Jesus! Then our lead pastor, Ray Armstrong, came up and said the same things- knowing that we were getting it right, because he knows how much Mollie already loves Jesus. After that, the other pastors joined us on stage and prayed for our family. It was such a wonderful event, because we have such a wonderful church family, who knows us and supports us. We are so very thankful for everyone who got to be there and pray with us!

Eleven Months

Here's to you, Gabriella! Your last "month" birthday before the "BIG ONE"!!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mollie!

10 Months

Beauty

Nine Months

Gabriella is getting REALLY busy these days! And SUBBORN, too! She is starting to really have strong opinions about a lot of things. Parenting of this little one has officially begun! :( She has especially strong opinions about food. She loves fruit and will eat just about any variety as a fingerfood, but no vegetables whatsoever- she won't even touch whole grains or cheeses! This makes a mommy (who, unfortunately, has a natural tendancy to worry) a little uneasy. I have known a few babies who have needed physical therapy for developmental delays that have presented themselves in rejection of fingerfoods. Now, I know I'm overreacting. Especially considering the fact that she is not only progressing "normally", she is ahead of the developmental curve in many areas. But, nevertheless, I'm still a little uneasy about it. Hoping that this phase ends soon! Overall, she is still doing very well. She's active, happy, and beautiful. Loving this baby is so easy! :)

Oh the Things They Come Up With...

Today, when the babysitter (Betsy) came over, Mollie refused to say hello. After she finally agreed to talk, she said, "Bets, I'm over you." We asked her what she was over, to which she responded, "I'm over you babysitting me." Rude? Terribly. But somewhat funny? YES!

Gabriella and Friends

My friends, Melinda and Amy, came over to help me finish unpacking and decorating. And with them came their adorable little girls. These girls were each born a few weeks apart- Gabs in June, Kensie in Mid-July, and Sadie at the end of July. I love that Gabs has little girly friends to grow up with, just like her big sister does. Here the girls are posing on the couch. From left to right is Sadie, Gabriella, and Kensie.

Five, Six, and Seven Months

What a precious girl! Time is flying with our little one. She has two teeth, is saying "dada", sleeping through the night, waving hello, sitting up, and starting to crawl! She has an unexplainable sweetness to her personality that none of us can get enough of- especially Mollie. The girls hug and kiss goodnight every evening. And Gabs' eyes follow Mollie whenever she's in the room. We love this little one so very, very much!

I'm Terrible...

It has been way too long. Life has been a tad overwhelming, to say the very least. Since I last posted, I went back to work part-time, took a Mom and Babies trip to Seaside (crazy!!!), got sick, had two sick babies, did Christmas (all the shopping, baking, cooking, planning, and wrapping all by myself), packed our entire house for our move (all by myself), moved with lots of wonderful help, and unpacked entirely in our new house (again, all by myself). All this while caring for the little ones. I hope that I can get back to regularly posting, now that life is starting to calm down... At least I hope it gets "back to normal", if there is such a thing at this stage of life! :)

Our New Home!

(Off the subject, but I haven't posted anything in such a long time, because our computer is on the fritz and won't let me upload pictures to blogger! I need to take it to Best Buy for repairs, but have been avoiding the trip. An errand like that with two little ones sounds oh so awful and if it needs major repairs they ship it to California for up to two weeks. In this day in age that seems somewhat unbearable. Two weeks without a computer?! Pure craziness!!!)

Anyway, I wanted to share our super exciting news! We officially know where we are moving. It's going to be a big step for us... Right across the street. Yep, that's right. Our house number is changing from 1616 to 1617!

Almost five years ago, when we bought our house, we made friends with the couple across the street. They were planning a wedding for July 1st and we were planning our wedding for July 22nd. And they are both educators, just like me. And just four months before Mollie was born, they welcomed their first child into their family- a little girl. Their daughter was one of Mollie's first friends! Needless to say, right from the start, we had a lot in common. All this led to a wonderful friendship and we are so thankful to have them in our lives.

Right as we were getting serious with our thoughts of moving, they announced that they had bought a new house. We were pretty upset to be losing such amazing neighbors and to see our friends move away. However, they were thinking about renting out their old house. They asked us right away if we'd like to rent from them, but we had to make sure the timing of their move would work out for our move. We put the idea on the back burner and just kept praying for "the right house at the right time".

God is good and works all things for His purpose. He aligned our time lines and has allowed us to rent our friends' house, stay in our neighborhood, and get a truly amazing deal on rent. This will allow us a couple of years to follow Dave Ramsey's plan for financial freedom and to prepare to repurchase the right home at the right time. We are so very, very blessed. We couldn't possibly have imagined a better scenario. Again, God is good!!!

By the way, check out Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover. It will change your life. The concepts are for everyone- those who need a little help in the finanical department (like most people out there), those who feel comfortable with where they are, and even for those who make mega money. The principles apply to us all!!!

And So It Begins...

We officially have an offer on our house! It was on the market for about a week and a half. We had two showings over the weekend and Sunday night we got a call from our agent telling us that we have an offer. It was from our very first showing!!!! We know that this deal to very well could fall through, as do many first offers in this market, but it a super important step in the right direction. I continue to feel so very excited for our future. We have plans and goals to help us purchase the right home for us somewhere in the future. God's plan is perfect and I am continuing to work on trusting that plan. Although I never thought we'd be in this place, I'm am becoming so very thankful for it. God uses all things for His purpose and according to His plan. I can't wait (but am having patience) for the unveiling of that plan!

Four Months

Gabs is four months old today. As everyone always says, time sure is flying by. I do have to admit, though that I'm excited she's getting bigger and more developed. She has so much more personality today than she did when she was in the "cute, cuddly newborn stage". I actually really look forward to the days of her being a 1 year old. When I look back on pictures of Mollie at that age I remember how cute and snugly she was, but also how fun she was to be around.

Gabbie had her four month check-up today and the first thing the doctor said when he saw her thighs was, "whoa, she's a beefy one!" Jeremie calls her a beast. Definitely not the petite little thing Mollie was, but her chubs are sweet and snugly. I LOVE it!

These days we're finding that her personality is quite the "oxymoron". I say that because she's a super easy-going, happy baby IF she's being held. She never wants to be put down. And unfortunately, the same is true for night time. She's not managing to sleep much of the night in her own bed. This morning, while I was complaining to Jeremie, he put things into perspective for me. He told me how amazingly peaceful her little face is while snuggling up to me. She couldn't possibly look happier. I know this stage will pass, so I'm not going to stress it. I know I'll miss it when she's a big 2-year-old like her sister!

Welcome Baby Taylor!

At 5pm on September 30, 2010, Taylor Horan entered the world. She was born to my sister-in-law, Stephanie, and her husband, Phillip. Taylor has a very adoring big sister named Peyton. Our family loves babies and the excitement of adding another never gets old!

(Side Note: Peyton and Mollie were born 6 months apart. Gabbie and Taylor were born 3 months apart. These girls are blessed to have cousins the same age. Always a playmate around!)

Mollie

Here is a progression of Mollie and Jeremie in the petting zoo area of The Puyallup Fair since her first trip. So cute to see how much she's grown!