Can't forget the Baby :)

Oh how this sweet baby boy just melts my heart! I cannot imagine my life without him. He has truly made our family complete. He has been such a trooper on our recent travels. He smile is infectious, he learns and changes each and every day. Watching him grow I am reminded just how amazing and awesome our God is. I love and am so happy that God is in control of his life, that He already knows what and who Jaiden will become.

Little man is working on crawling, and from there it will go so fast. He is shy at times, and loved his mommy and daddy so much. He squeels with delight when Matt walks in and if he doesn't get picked up right away by him, will scream till he does :) He looks so intently at you that you wonder what he is thinking at that moment. He loves to buzz his lips and adores his siblings. He loves to laugh and he loves his school. He just soaks it all in and loves each day.

The 3 Amigos

How I love these three!!! They are amazing, wonderful and pure joys to have in my life. I am blessed beyond measure with all of my kids. The thought that God would entrust them to Matt and I is very overwhelming at times. I look back and think of all the mistakes that i have made already in their short lives, and I am astounded that they love me despite it all! A true gift of grace.

Caleb is growing way to fast for me. He will soon be 8! To think that 7+ years have flown by is sobering. I am so blessed that he has a tender heart for others, loves me unconditionally, loves his Daddy and his brothers and sisters like crazy (although he will tell you that at times, he is not particularly fond of them) :) He is playing flag football and loving it. He is now in 2nd grade and doing well. He loves school and loves that I am next door to his school! He continues to be a leader and example to his brothers and sister. He is such a HUGE helper to me and always strives to please us and God. Sometimes he asks me questions that just blow me away, and he remembers everything!

Ian is growing just as fast. He is now in 1st grade, and has made such a huge improvement in maturity. He loves his teacher and tries his best in everything. He loves going to skate church with Matt and hanging out with all the kids! He loves to be outside and takes every opportunity to be out there. He lives his life with such abandon that I hope I can do that as well. At times that abandon gets him into trouble, but I love that he is passionate about so many things. He is so bright and inquisitive. He gets bored easily, so keeping him entertained can be a struggle. He is getting more into having a baby brother....of course it helps that Jaiden is getting more interesting :) He loves his sister and brothers like crazy, he wears his heart on his sleeve which can hurt him at times. He loves God and loves going to church!


Riley is also growing up way to fast....She is still little, but growing in maturity like crazy. Seems like a little adult already. She will be starting Dance/gymnastics soon and I think she will LOVE it! She loves school, her family and life in general. She is now at school with the boys, at EPE. I love that she is right next door and so close. She is back with Ms. Sebrina, who was her first teacher when I started with Wilson Co. She is so smart and very observant. Matt and I think that she is going to be a song writer. She is forever making up songs and preforming them for us. She loves Jaiden immensely and will always help with him. She is longing to start Kindergarten and to turn 5. Insane that she will be 5 so soon!

These 3 keep me on my toes and constantly checking on myself to make sure that I am modeling who I want them to be. I am constantly humbled that I am their mother, and that it is my job to train them in God. I struggle with that responsibility each day....hearing the whispers in my head that lead me to believe I can't do this and that I am not good enough to teach them. I have struggled with that responsibility since the day they are born. But today starts something new. I refuse to listen to those voices and to give into that insecurity. I will not let fear get in the way of my job as their mother and teacher. I love them with all my heart..

M/M Update

WOW....where to start?? I guess I will start with the love of my life, and my best friend.

Matt is still with Vanderbilt, but in a new area. He is now with the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN). He is really enjoying this job, but at times it is stressful. He is the "it" guy now :) I am proud of him for taking the leap to this new job. Matt has become involved with Skate Church here in MJ. Every Thursday, he heads to our skate park and gets to know the kids. They do a devo and skate. The kids really look up to him and he loves that God has used him in this area.

I am still with Wilson Co Schools, but am now close to home :) I am working at Mt Juliet Middle and I am loving it. The change itself was rather stressful, but I love the kids and people I am with. They restructured the whole SPED department, so there have been some stressful moments and hiccups along the way. I am sponsoring a Campus Life club at our school and some of the Skate Kids are leading it up. I am super excited that God is using me in our public schools.

We are both loving our church home. Friendship has become our home now. We love the people, the service and the community that we are in. Matt is working in the Recreational Ministry and I am working in the Ladies Ministry. We have been blessed with friends and the ability to jump in to work with our church.

God is continuing to bless our lives and our marriage. Since our move here 4 years ago, we have grown not only as individuals but as a couple. God has moved our relationship more towards each other and him. I am truly blessed to have Matt in my life. He is my best friend and I love spending each day with him.

A New Start

Well...in all the craziness of starting a new job and having 4 kids, our blog took a back seat to everything else. So today, in a way, is the start of something new. My hope is to update at least once each week, and this will continue to be a blog about our family, with work and my thoughts mixed in.

The next few days I will be doing a few blogs to "catch up" on the things going on right now. There is no way that I can completely catch up, but I can at least get on here what is going on right now. :) So be on the look out for all the changes that are coming up.