What the heck??

So...I just looked at my blog and why oh why are the faces of my followers all gone??? HMMM....maybe this is a crazy Google thing.  I hope they all come back......

So Emotional --

I have been so emotional lately!  SHEEESHHH!!!  Even more so since little Halle came to be with us.  I can cry at the drop of a hat...especially if it involves babies and/or the birth of those babies.  I usually cry when watching a "Baby Story" but...this is crazy!  AND...I just re-read our Christmas letter and got choked up again.  I'm wondering...I believe our Jesus does this to us Mommies...He gives us such tender hearts.  Hearts that love our little babies so much.  Then again, maybe it's because it's Christmas time and we're celebrating yet another Christmas without my Dad.  This will be the third Christmas without my Dad.  He so loved Christmas...he loved being with family, the gift exchanges and just resting in God's love.  He read the Christmas story to us every Christmas Eve and always tried to guess what his presents would be under the tree.  That turkey...the crazy part was he was usually right!  I guess after you open so many t-shirts and DVD's it just becomes second nature!!  HEHEHEHE!  You know what else?  He loved to find the perfect Christmas tree.  We would traipse around the Christmas tree farm for what seemed like hours...oh wait...it was hours until we found the perfect tree.  Sometimes we wouldn't agree with him and finally he got fed up with us.  He just started buying the trees all by himself.  Sometimes already cut!  I do specifically remember one year when I was upstairs in my room and Dad hollered for me to come down and help him with the tree.  I came down the stairs to find him wrestling with the tree.  It was crooked so he decided it would be a good idea to tie fishing line to the trunk and attach that to a nail in the wall!  OH MY!!  That was crazy!  But...his tree was straight after that...what can I say?  I mentioned how he loved gift exchanges.  Well, we have a gift exchange from my Mom's extended family and each year Dad would go WAY over the $25 budget.  One year he even brought a remote control PT cruiser. That topped it all!!  We know Dad is enjoying Christmas in Heaven now...can you imagine!??  WOW!!

A Visit with Auntie Dena

Auntie Dena came to visit us this week and we were so glad she did!  Just her....thanks Uncle Josh for hanging with the kids we really appreciate it!!  She arrived about 9pm on Wednesday and because of this winter storm we're having she had to leave about 2pm on Saturday!  What fun we had.  On Thursday Auntie Sarah, Auntie Denise and their kiddos came to visit and meet Halle for the first time....they came at 10am and we had so much fun we traveled into Lynden for lunch at the Fairway Cafe.  What a blessing they are to us!!  Dena and I went to our favorite store, Fairway Country Furnishings and finished some Christmas shopping.  Halle was a good girl and enjoyed hanging out in her stroller.  On friday, we all slept in...including Miss Halle.  We ventured into town to the Family Bookstore and The Little Red Wagon...then, we got to meet Auntie Jess and Justice at Starbuck's!!  HOORRRRAAAYYYY!!!  We had lots of fun and can not wait to see them all again.  On Saturday morning before she left Auntie Dena gave Halle a bath.  I was not looking forward to this....as every time I have given her a bath she has screamed her head off!!  Not fun, for me or her!  But...Auntie Dena rocked!!!  And Halle didn't make a peep...and now, Mommy can do it too!  Having three kids and one on the way, makes for a relaxed, wisdom-filled Mommy and I needed that!!  I'll leave you with a picture of Mr. Justice...he is the cutest.  I can't believe how chubby he is now....and he so reminds me of his big Brother, Jake when he was that age!  But...he has red hair like his big Sis, Savannah.  Honor was home with Daddy, so...hopefully, we'll get to see him next time.  

Christmas Tree

I just got finished decorating the Christmas tree...Halle sat in her bouncy seat and watched me until she fell asleep.  I just love decorating the tree...don't you?  Aaron and I put the lights on together last night and I did the rest this evening.  I remember as a kid decorating the tree and how my Mom liked to move the ornaments from the spot my sister and I had put them.  She liked a nice tree...I do as well....like Mother like Daughter.  We also both picked Noble Firs for our trees....of course, they are the most expensive.  But, growing up we always had a Noble Fir and that's what I'm used to.  As I was decorating the tree I was remembering....with each ornament.  This snowflake I got at Kyle & Angela's wedding, I remember the bazaar where I got some of my first ornaments....these faith, family & friends ornaments I got from Candace the year my Dad died...these bells I got for a wedding gift...the snowflakes as well...Grandma Carla gave these Noah's Ark ornaments to me.  We have guitar ornaments for Aaron, one my Mom got especially for him on a trip to Lincoln City, Oregon....we have many Smore's ornaments...a guitar one, a bbq one and this year...Baby's First Christmas for Halle.  AND...another Baby's First Christmas from Auntie Gail & Uncle Gary for Halle.  I do love that all my ornaments don't match...it's a country Christmas tree...right down to the raffia tied on it...and that's just fine by me!  Tell me about your tree!!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 5th wedding anniversary!  I have been married to this wonderful man for five whole years.  I can hardly believe it!  To celebrate, Halle is going to stay with Nana and Papa tomorrow so we can go to a movie and out to dinner.  AND...we are going to get a wedding band made for my ring.  We are very excited about that and had planned to do this before we got "the call" about Halle.  So, we've put it off for a little while.  I could tell you so many things about Aaron.  He's handy, cute, cuddly and most of all...he loves Jesus with all his heart and soul.  Now adding to the list is the fact that he is truly the best Daddy ever.  Halle loves her Daddy so much...that is already evident.  She is truly a Daddy's girl!  I love that!  I love to see Halle asleep on her Daddy all sweet and content.  I love that he calls her "Halle Bear".  I love that he loves me...when I have spit up all over, I haven't showered and I need a haircut.  God placed this AMAZING man of God in my life just when I needed him.  I could not have asked for a better mate.  One who fits me so well.  I love you Aaron!!  I'm looking forward to many, many, many more anniversaries...........Your Princess

Feeling Blessed

Wow!  I promised a post about our amazing Texas adoption journey, but...that will have to wait.  Now I just wanted to share about the many blessings we have received through this journey.  I need to eat, shower and get ready, but...that can wait.  Can I just tell you how much I love my daughter?  Even though she decided it was a good idea to spit up ALL over Mommy and herself last night after her last feeding....and then only slept an hour before she woke up hungry again?  Silly girl...but, she did then sleep 7 1/2 hours after that...thank you JESUS!!  I love that when you're feeding her and she's in that milk coma she does this little grin thing with her bottle in her mouth....I love her little chicken legs and how the insides of her hands and the bottom of her feet are still pink...and her curly hair that is still soft and silky....oh....the list could go on and on.  I just want to thank EVERYONE for the many blessings we have received....money, gift cards to Walmart, kind words, prayers....diapers, formula, clothes.  We are so blessed and we want to thank you for all of that.  I just sent off our Christmas card to Costco.  This is the first year I haven't made them, but...trust me, the picture will make up for all of that!  And...I need to work on a Christmas letter later!!!  But, that can wait!