Kindergarten grad...now that it's summer

The serious graduate
Proud of big brother
Proud of my baby...and a little teary too
Kaden and his teacher

To my badly neglected Blogger Friends,

Just popping in again to say hello and let everyone know that I'm sorry it's been a while....then again this sadly seems to be the new norm. Life keeps getting in the way of my down time! :) However, since I have a few quite moments tonight thought I would at least get a few pictures up from Kaden's kinder graduation. He had a lot of fun that day and although Matt thinks it's ridiculous that they play pomp and circumstance, I still got all teary. Hard to believe he's headed into first grade all ready. Guess that's what every mom says at this stage but it's so true!

In other news we are home from vacation and getting settled into routine. The difficulty of this is being compounded by Kensington walking and crawling up the stairs fast at any given time! So hard to get anything done when all eyes and hands have to be there for her at all times! Nap time has become very precious! Love all of these precious moments though and so thankful for them. I've promised a video of her walking so will try to get that up here soon. So until next time...whenever that may be.

Jesus loves you!

Still here...

Still enjoying our time in Del Rio...yes ENJOYING our time in Del Rio. We stay in until we pull out the plastic pool for splash time in the afternoon, just so thankful to have the time with family. Every moment is precious. Such a precious blessing to watch the bond form between my children and my parents. So thankful for the love that God gives us for one another. Right now...Dad and mom are at work, Kensington and Caleb are napping, and I'm enjoying listening to Matt read the 4th Chronicles of Narnia to Kaden. Nothing like seeing the light of imagination spark in Kaden's eyes as he retells the stories and I'm so blessed to watch his faith deepen as he sees the comparisions of Aslan and Jesus. Thank you Lord for the daily blessings, the intimate moments of grace and mercy, and Your love so incompariable.

speaking of birthdays...

Is it this normal to be this paranoid about turning 30! :) Wishing I could slow down the next 11 days!

Birthday and Giraffes?

Matt and his Lego man birthday cake! :)
Party time...arguing over who gets to eat what Lego man body part. :)
Feeding the giraffe

Love the look on Kensie's face here. :)
Mama and baby...amazing how big this baby is yet how small he looks.

So....it's been a while. We've had a lot of stretching that the Lord is doing in our lives and I'm holding on to knowing that no matter what comes His name is to be Praised. Thankful for His grace and mercy each and every day. That being said...it'll be a while again as we soon head down to Texas! So looking forward to time with family. But know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers! May God continue to guide and keep you!

Birthday for a Princess

Kensington and her Castle
First time meeting Mickey and the only child that hasn't screamed doing so
Peekaboo with Minnie
Group photo for the day
Waiting to see the Princesses...and playing with their princesses all day...I just love Caleb's crooked ears!
We got to meet Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora...and by far Aurora was Kensie's favorite...so we have the Aurora dress...which she will fit in when she's 3!
Mickey again...can never get to much Mickey
This girl LOVES her princesses! Whenever she sees them she starts rocking back and forth and singing "Ahhhhh Ahhhhh Ahhhh" like Ariel!
Happy Birthday girl
Kaden- Jedi warrior
After defeating Darth Mal
Riding in the front of the mono rail...And Gracyn admiring her Cinderella gloves! :) She loved being all dolled up.
Sleepy Princess!
With Uncle Jedrix and Aunt Lisa in the tea cups
On the Jungle Cruise
Just to prove I did go on Small World...again
You can't tell but she actually loved Small World
A birthday cupcake
And the end...conked out...except for Kaden and Matt who took us back to the hotel and then went back for more!

So...way behind on pictures and since I still haven't taken any pictures of the house...maybe this weekend...thought I'd at least get up the pictures from Kensington Disney Birthday. It was the perfect first princess birthday! Loved it and so thankful for the sweetest friends to spend it with.

First Colorado Springs Tourist Event

Starting off on our "hike" ...ok it's not really hiking when you're just walking around on cement but the boys were decked out with "explorer" hats, backbacks, water bottles and snacks...so it felt like a hike.


Posing themselves..."Take a picture of me Dad!"

In the crevace of the Rock

Last Saturday we took an hour and headed to the Garden of the Gods. The boys LOVED it. We'll definitly have to go back when we have more then an hour to explore the place, but in that hour we got some great views, some good pictures, and picked up an imaginary friend named "snakey" who we talked about the WHOLE time we were there. Kensington wasn't so into snakey or the rocks but just about lept out of my arms whenever a dog came by. That girls loves her animals! Don't think we have anything as exciting as Garden of the God's planned for this weekend...more like cleaning and organzing the garage! Oh well, work and then play. Have a blessed weekend!

What I found...

So this is what I found Kensington doing when I came down the stairs the other day. All on her own initative she grabbed her purse and her stroller and her baby and proceed to walk herself around the kitchen! She's not even standing on her own yet but she loves to walk pushing her stroller! I just LOVE having a girl! What a great argument for nature vs. nurture. She's 12 months old and squeals with delight when we walk by the "pink" aisle at the toy store. She LOVES her pink purse, her pink fuzzy blanket, and babies...that's just the sweet spirit of a girl!

Last Friday

I like this picture cause the look on Kaden's face is like, "WHAT is this stuff!" and Caleb's like "WOOHOO!"
Yes... that is me...in the snow...the things you do for your kids.
This was one of Kensie's two minute's in the snow

Happy girl...thinking...I wish I was at the beach, I wish I was at the beach...
Love the snow

So last Friday we had our first official Welcome To Colorado snow storm...shut down school and everything. As much as snow is NOT my favorite thing, it wasn't to bad and we even managed to enjoy ourselves after we stopped panicking. Thought I was going to suffocate if it didn't stop...which praise the Lord it did....8 hours later.

But this Friday although it is cold there is no snow on the ground...yet. A friendly Colorado native informed me that it can snow every month of the year here...oh goody. :)

Lest you get the wrong impression, we do feel very blessed to be here and are enjoying the area, the new home, and getting settled. And pictures...so many pictures to go through. House pictures will come once we get the rest of our furniture. Till then, think of me in the cold and pray for warm weather! :)

Still here!

Hello Everyone! Just a quick note (quick because I'm watching the minutes tick away until I have to wake up Caleb and Kensie to go get Kaden from school...somethings never change!) to say hello and let everyone know we are up and running. So thankful for the Lord's strength day by day (and for coffee too) as we get settled in! We're almost there! Lot's of organizing to do but starting to feel like routine is coming. :) So nice for us Type A personalities! I keep promising pictures but I"m on Matt's computer and I dont' know how to find anything on here...I'm lucky I got to the internet! :) Anyways, I'm slowly catching up with everyone and want to say thank you for your prayers. Anytime you have the sudden urge to visit the mountains, you now have a place to stay! Love to you all!

One Year Old

So as seems to be the norm for our family Kensington's birthday keeps going and going! :) Today she is enjoying her 3rd birthday party! :) Pays to be a princess. So since we are still celebrating I thought I could slide in the final likes and dislikes blog. Fear not, for I'm sure there will be more updates in the future, but not monthly...like I was really on time with that anyways. :) So here goes...

Firsts:
Crawling crawling crawling
Pulling up on just about everything
Saying Mama to get my attention
Saying Uh Oh as she throws her water cup on the ground once again
Driving 17 hours straight to Colorado
New House
Snow...but mommy didn't let me play in it
Dip in the ocean
Move
Cake and ice cream!
Fit in the grocery store
Trip to Disney
Pink Princess dress and doll
Baby dedication


Likes:
Her Family
Dolls
Taking all the cards out of Mommy's wallet
Opening doors and cabinets
Pink Fuzzy Blankets
Wearing dresses
Getting attention ie. being told she is beautiful
Bath time
Eating: Pizza is still a favorite, grilled cheese, pancakes, black beans, and apples


Dislikes:
Not getting her way
Being stuck in the car
Feeling ignored
Bananas



Such a blessing this Little One. Lord, thank you for this Gift you have entrusted to us this past year. Overwhelmed by the task in front of us, grant us the wisdom and patience to instill in her a heart that is gentile and loving yet strong and steadfast. Thank you for the beauty that shines on the outside but may it overflow from a spring of beauty on the inside. May she always know that she is a Princess because of the price You have paid for her. Thank you for this day and each day you grant us.

P.S. Pictures to come...eventually...once we get internet in Colorado :)

Where to Start...Kensington is 1!!!

Surprise! I'm feeling the overwhelming need to post something just to let you know that we're still alive and in the midst of moving/vacation business. Hoping it will slow down soon, but no guarantees! :) Good news is we have our Colorado home painted and unpacked to functional and our family of 5 is all back together again. We plan to head to Colorado this coming Friday to get fully settled in. The bad news is it SNOWED while we were there...yep we're definitly not in California anymore!
But what is really on my heart is my daughter's birthday. Kensington Eleanor Rose is 1...ok technically she'll be one in 57 min...but still. I am so, so grateful for the spirit that the Lord has given her and the joy that she brings to so many. Praying that the beauty that God has gifted her will shine from a heart that comes to love Jesus and longs to bring Him glory. What a precious gift she is. I still look at her in awe and then glance up to see her two towering brothers over her and my heart is overwhelmed with these three precious lives God has commissioned me to love and parent and point to Him. God have mercy and grant me wisdom and patience and love like yours! We are taking Kensington to Disneyland tomorrow to celebrate her first birthday. We had an amazing little family party today complete with princess sash, pink balloons, flowers, presents and her very first cake and icecream. So fun. Thankful for all the ways that God has provided for us to celbrate her! Can't wait to introduce her to the Princesses tomorrow and whisper in her ear that she is a princess of the one true KING!
Until I catch a moments breath again...Jesus loves you!

Last Day of School

This isn't from the last day of school, this picture just makes me happy. :) We like to have lots of picnics in the sunshine!
The Bear that Kaden gave to his class as a goodbye gift. Each day someone in the class gets to pick a bear to carry with them through the day...now they have a Kaden bear.
Kaden's Kindergarten Room 2
Special Buddies
Kaden giving his gift to Mrs. Lecce
Mrs. Lecce hugging him close. Kaden stood there and they all hugged him as they walked out the door. So sweet and so sad.
Standing in front of his school with an amazing pillow that they made for him. It has a class picture and everyone's handprints on it. Kaden calls it his hug. :)
One more picture in front of the school
This is the inside of Kaden's chapel sweater. Some of you may remember this story... but when we joined the school two days before school began we had no time to find uniforms or anything. Mrs. Lecce took us down to the gently used uniform closet and the first thing she pulled out was this sweater. When Kaden tried it on, I noticed that there was writing on the inside and when I asked what it was, we pulled it off and looked. Kaden's last name we're already labeled on the inside! Such an amazing conformation that we had Kaden in the school that God wanted him in!

Just wanted to post a few pictures from Kaden's last day of school before the craziness that will be the move starts! :) Such a sweet, sad day. We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection, and our hearts broke to say goodbye to classmates and teachers that had become dear friends. We pray God's blessing and protection over each and every person and thank the Lord for the blessing of having them in our lives. Kaden as he said goodbye to each of his friends said, "Be There!" Which was Mrs. Lecce's encouragement to him. "Be There (Heaven) so that we can all be together again someday!"

Dream Come True

Happy Beach Girls...yes I know Kensie doesn't look like me :)
But we are wearing matching outfits. :)
Our surrey for the afternoon...otherwise known as a cart full of kids!
Kensington looking so happy and so cute in her little helmet. :)
Matt stayed with Kensie while the boys and I (I am in the blue shirt) climbed the rocks at Lovers point.
I finally got to take the ride

We were a little bummed when the ride was over.

Last Sunday was a GORGEOUS day...well this whole week has been beautiful, but after church last Sunday, Matt helped me make one of my dreams come true! Ever since living here in 1992 I wanted to rent one of these surrey's and ride down the bike trails from Fisherman's Wharf to Lover's Point. And I've been wanting to do it since we got here in September 18 months ago...and know that we only have two weeks left, we finally made it happen! And it was just as fun as I imagined all these years! and A LOT harder too! You think you're in shape until you try something out of routine! But is was worth the pain to see the joy on the kids faces and to watch Caleb shine as the official bell ringer to warn people to get out of the way. Boy, he loved that job. :) Kensington, I'm pretty sure, thought this was the best family outing of her life, and Kaden had fun fake peddling between Matt and I. Lots of fun family memories made. Thank you, Lord.

It was also a dream come true to get to wear matching outfits with my daughter! Ok, maybe I didn't always dream about wearing matching outfits, but it is still a dream come true to have her in our lives! :)