What I was doing...

Julie posed an interesting question on her blog...what were you doing this time last year? Wow, a year ago we weren't even in this house yet. We were just getting ready to move in, bouncing between So. Cali and Monterey. Now I am starting to panic about leaving here and heading to Colorado where Lord willing we'll be this time next year! Gotta love the military life!

Proof

Getting help with kicking from Krysta
Trying it on his own
Not happy face
Very happy face
Great action shot
Help from Krysta again

Just wanted to post some pictures to prove that Matt is letting Kaden playing soccer! :) As most of you know Matt is not a big fan of the sport...at all. But we really want Kaden to be active and get into athletics so we signed him up for youth soccer here on post. He's got practice twice a week and Saturday games start soon, so that'll keep us busy for a while. He is really loving it and I'm so proud of him for how hard he's working, especially since he's at a bit of a deficit since his parents know NOTHING about soccer. :)

ps. Thanks for being such a great coach Krysta!

Hmmmm...

Not a lot to say but wanted to pop in and say hello. I'm still struggling to get the routine of the day down. God's really teaching me a lesson in eternal importance and what seems urgent and important for now...Seems like I've been learning this lesson for a long time. I am so grateful that He's patient with me and picks me back up when I fail. A wise friend recently told me, "Life is like a dance and it's beautiful when you let God lead."

At an end

Yes, the water is VERY cold...but still fun
Beautiful girl on Carmel Beach
Matt and Krysta and Rachel in San Francisco
Going for a spin with Krysta on the bumper cars
Happy Girls
I just love this picture! :) we got to go on a ride all by ourselves and the best part was getting to wait in line together!
Corn Dogs and popcorn at the Monterey County Fair...makes for a very nutritious dinner!
With Melissa and Greg on the beach in Santa Cruz for a concert.
Hanging out on the beach at the Patty Smyth concert...don't worry I'd never heard of her either! :) She's from the 80's but still fun to rock out to. :)
A great personality shot...Happy Rachel, Crazy Caleb, and a bit unsure Kaden
Enjoying God's creation
"Hanging out" in a tree at Jack's Peak

I think our summer fun is coming to an end. :( As I write, Matt is hard at work on a paper, the kids are fast asleep, and I am planning the routine of the week out. We had a blast these last two weeks getting to show off our piece of California to Krysta and Rachel and getting to show Krysta and Rachel off to California! What an awesome blessing to have such wonderful girls in our lives. Every ounce of love we pour into them they pour back out to us and our kiddos! I tried to pick just a few pictures as we have literally hundreds from the last two weeks! It'll be interesting to see how this week goes as we settle into "normal". Hope your week is blessed! :)

4 Months Old!

Who me?...Why, yes I am beautiful!
Precious Baby
I just love to chew on my dresses!

I also love to chew on my fingers
Words can not describe! :)

So hard to believe that Kensington is already four months old! She is amazing. What a joy and blessing. I still get excited to wake up every day and see her! Even at 5 a.m. this morning when she was eating so loudly that she woke her daddy up! She has an AMAZING smile and the most fascinating eyes...but man it is hard to make her laugh. She doesn't give up giggles very easily. :) She is also the best sleeper I've ever had. She's asleep by 8:30 pm. I wake her up to feed her around 5:30 and then she falls back to sleep until 9 a.m. and goes down for a morning nap like an hour later! Crazy! But I love it. When she's awake she's happy such a sweet addition to our lives.

I like:

Sucking my thumb (just started this in the last week)

Grabbing and chewing on my toys

My bath time with daddy

Talking with mommy

Smiling at Kaden

Playing patty cake

Being held

Giving big open mouth slobber kisses!

I don't like:

Being hungry

Being wet

Being tired

Caleb in my face :)

Being away from mommy

Firsts:

Laugh

Air plane trip (four air planes to be exact)

First time to Texas

First time to meet Uncle J and Aunt Tracy and girls and Uncle Chris

First time to sweat (it was very HOT in Texas)

First time in a swimming pool

Grabbing toys

Sucking thumb

First concert (Spirit West Coast)

First Day of School Pictures

Best buds and brothers before school
Picture in front of the house...excited and ready to go

Picture in front of the school
walking into class for the first time
Kensington just wondering what in the world is going on
Sitting at his desk
One last picture with mommy before saying goodbye

Thanks everyone for your sweet support over our decision to put Kaden into the Christian school. It has really meant a lot. He did great today...like an old pro. Just went in and sat down and started drawing away on a paper entitled "what I want to lean in kindergarten" Kaden drew a picture of a man digging with a shovel and said, " I want to learn about archeaology!" Hmmm...maybe next year :). I did shed some tears, but am so proud of the boy he is becoming. I really missed him today, and realized that I won 't be the only one missing him, but Sweet Caleb has lost his playmate during the day. :( On the plus side, we started him on some pre-school today and he loved it. He was so proud to show his daddy his school books today.

Well, tomorrow is another day of school so I best get to bed so we can be up and ready for it. Thanks again! Jesus loves you.

School

Wow...the meet and greet was an interesting experience in which God did some great things. I am just so grateful for how He opened doors and blessings for us. We showed up for the assembly (public school) and were a bit unsettled by the dual English and then repeat in Spanish order, but realized that this was no big deal. They stalled a bit in the assembly as they were waiting to get the class lists still from the office. They posted them outside and when I found out who Kaden's teacher was going to be my heart just sank. It is SO hard not to judge by appereances but my heart was so heavy. We walked into a very unorganized and chaotic class room. She was talking randomly to people and stopping to talk with friends before finishing talking with parents, seemed to be completely uninterested in meeting the children or interacting with them and didn't seem really happy about answering questions. Now granted she was just handed a list of 27+ children and school starts Monday so I know she hasn't had a lot of time to prepare, but still this is your job...act a little happy. She's been teaching K since before I was born, but doesn't have any children of her own...on top of that she is an older woman with a very dishelved apperance. Hair that was very unkept and dyed half purple! She had visible dragon tattoos and dragon stuffed animals up in the room. My heart was just broken, I just didn't feel that there was anyway that I could bring Kaden there on Monday and walk away not knowing what was going to be said to him, taught to him, what he was going to be exposed too. I was beside myself. I just came home and wept. I was just mourning the K experience that Kaden was not going to have. I knew Matt was upset too, but at a loss as to what to do. We reevaluated our thinking on saving money for future schooling 1. we don't know where will be in the future, what our financial situation will be, if I can be working to help put kids into school, or even if we'll still be alive in 5 years! 2. we have a responsibility right now for our son and we need to do what's best for him NOW! SO we decided we would just kick at the Christian school door and see what happened...and it swung wide open! We called the school and there was 2 spots left in K. Kaden is now number 16 a much better ratio then before. Anyways, we found that out and started to pray about 30 min. later the K teacher called us as she had overheard us on the phone and wanted to let us know she was available to meet with us! We jumped in the car and went down. We were overwhelmed by the difference. She was so loving, so organized, so everything you want your child to have. She loves the Lord, there were Bible verses and just a sweet spirt about her and the room. I am so excited about the curriculum and how the day flows. SUCH A HUGE BLESSING. So now begins the rush to try to get everything shopped for, for a new school, plus uniforms. She takes us down to find some gently used uniforms (again something she didn't have to do but did just out of grace) and pulls out a chapel sweater for Kaden. I look inside and say, "what's this!" She says, "Oh, that's just the name of the person before." And I say, "But that's our name!!!" Inside the sweater is "Van H." !!!! Gave us all goosebumps. Such a conformation to our hearts. :) So today I took everything to his new school and got it all set up for him. Another blessing is that like 7 of the students are from his pre-school and he is so excited to see them again. It is going to be a sacrifice but one that is so worth it. We are so blessed and so excited. So while I am still a bit sad he is starting K my heart is just so at peace and rejoicing knowing he will be safe and secure. We know that God could have called us to stay at the public school and that would have been ok and He may in the future...but for this year we know we are where He wants us and where He wants Kaden to be. I love it when God works in obvious ways.

And tomorrow...there will be pictures of Kaden's first day of school!

A Few Texas Pictures

Sibling love
The whole family...except for Matt...Man we missed him :(
All the Grandbabies
me and my kiddos
The newest Wood Family...Jeremy, Tracy, Adrie, and Riley
All the boys...except for Matt :(
Papa and Grandma and the grandkids
All the girls
Pretty Girls
Three generations of Wood girls
Sweet Kensie
Beautiful Adrie
In the pool at Grandma's house
Pirate Kaden Van Hook...they had face painting at the Magic Time Machine ( a restaurant we went too in San Antonio)
Jeremy and Tracy

The Birthday Boys...and Adrie :)

Just a few random pictures from Texas...makes me miss everyone.

Baptism

I don't really have the words I need to describe what it was like watching Kaden being baptized. My heart is overwhelmed with joy. What a precious gift to watch your son choose to stand up and declare to the world that he believes that Jesus died to be his Saviour. I am so proud of him and just pray that he will continue to choose to live his life in honor and obedience to God. I am in awe at this little boy and how quickly he is maturing into all that God has created him to be.

It was a precious moment when as Kaden stepped into the water the worship leader began to sing Amazing Grace. This is Kaden's favorite song and this unplanned blessing was like God's smile over Him. Thank you Lord for all you do and have done for us. Help us to raise Kaden to be a man after your own heart.