Home

 Montana has some gorgeous mointains, and Louisiana is beautiful, green, and warm, even in the winter.  But I always remember I'm not at home when I see a sunset and it's not amazing like I feel it should be.  I don't want trees or mountains in my way, making me homesick.  These pictures are from my back deck...if I wanted to I could have gotten in the car and driven for about 30 seconds...and had a completely unobstructed view with nothing but amazing beautiful sky.  Sunsets like these always turn my thoughts to my gratitude for God.  I wish I was a real photographer at times like these so I could capture and remember the beauty and emotion that I experience in person when I look outside and feel so at home.

 

Kindergarten

      It came a little bit quicker than I thought it would, in hind sight.  She's been excited and looking forward to school for a long time.  I don't know how many times over the last several years I've heard the phrase, "When I grow up, like Logan, I can go to kindergarten." (Logan is her BFF's then 5 year old sister who was in kindergarten).  She watched as we picked up her friends, Addie and Phenie from preschool every day last year, and longed for the day when that would be her.  She's sooooo ready.  Yep, today was a big day for our baby girl.

   I thought she might be just a tiny bit nervous, because she hasn't wanted to talk too much about school for the last couple of days.  But she was so confident hanging up her backpack and walking right in and sitting by her little friend. (Our neighbor's grand-daughter is in her class, so she knows a couple of the kids already between that and church.)  Just a little wave, and "see-ya later" and we were on our way.  Easy peasy.  And my own panic attack was minimal because kindergarten is only 2 days a week here.  We're sure going to miss her every Tuesday and Thursday though!

I took one or two...or twelve... pictures:)

With her sparkly purple princess backpack.
 All Lily's favorite things!

 

Posing for us in her new outfit.

 

In front of her school holding up her first ever
 homework.  It's her name's letter, with things
and people that she likes on it.
 

Switching over to her indoor gym shoes.

 

In the circle, ready for Kindergarten!

      Now I'm just sitting here kind of just waiting for 3:30

to go get her and see how it went!

Jax is One!!

    My tiny sweet baby boy

        turned 1 today!!

 

       It's been so fun to watch him really take off and start to turn from a baby into a little toddler this month.  I'm surprisingly excited about the change.  I would have thought I`d feel sad to have him not be a baby anymore, but mostly I just love this stage so much.  He laughs and claps and says a handful of words (mom-ma, da da, ah duh for all done, and dah dah means bottle).  He sleeps through the night (usually) which is amazing.  He got a new tooth today, for a grand total of four, and he's finally starting to take an interest in food.
       On the other hand he seems like more of a baby than Lily and TJ were on their first birthdays, but I don't know why.  Maybe because he's still crawling (although he took his first steps last week!)  He also still nurses several times a day which is the longest I`ve nursed a baby.  It might also be that he's my littlest one so far- he only weighed 22 lbs. on Monday, which I think maybe TJ did by the time he was 6 or 7 months old.  I guess he`s just still a baby to me in my mind so the fun tricks he does are just that much more fun.  Who knows...I just know he`s one of the cutest babies ever:)


       Our house is currently in extreme moving chaos, so Grandma and Grandpa Dunlop let us have Jax's party at their house yesterday. He had fun hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Lindsey, eating some cake, swimming, and playing with his big brother and sister and cousin Cason!  I tried to go simple with his cake because I've been stressed with the packing situation in our house, and thought of this at the store while I was looking for his birthday present:

No decorating necessary.  It's a reverse score trifle-like cake.  The whipped cream is in the middle and the cake/ pudding/ toffee bits are on top to make it look like dirt.  Easiest birthday party EVER.  Plus I made it myself so Jax still knows I love him just as much as his siblings, who got personalized cakes for their first birthdays.  (Not that he cares now, but just in case he looks back on the pictures later!  Love you Jax!!!)  The best part is, this is what I wanted to get him for his birthday anyway!

 He thought it was delicious.  And wanted to hold it.

Opening Grandma and Grandpa's present.  He thought it was fun, and started clapping:)

Swimming.  Jaxon loves the water!

 Clapping for Grandma

Questions

There's nothing like a 4-year-old to help you remember (or realize you forget) the random stuff you learned in elementary school.  This was my conversation with Lily the other day:

Lily (looking out at the rain):  Mom, what is water made out of?
Me: 2 parts hydrogen and one part oxygen
Lily: and what else?
Me: Nothing else...(I commence to give her my very limited understanding of chemistry in 4-year-old language.)
Lily: Oh.  What are bones made out of?
Me: I don't know, should we look it up on the internet?
Lily: Sure.  What's the internet?
Me: It's the thing on the computer that lets us look stuff up. (We read what bones are made of)
Lily: What are feathers made of?
We look it up. (keratin, by the way)
Lily: Mom, what are tree stumps made out of?
Me: Tree stumps?
Lily: Yah, I just know that because there are a lot of them in this world. 
Me: Oh, yah.  (I go to look it up, then remember) They're made of wood. 
Lily: What is hair made out of?
Me: Keratin, I think...
And then TJ came and distracted us by wanting a popsicle.

I love curious minds.  It's my favorite when she asks me random questions like she figures I must know everything. Lucky thing I know about the internet!

Announcement!!!

    This has been a long decision 6 years in the making.  We wanted to when we were first married, then decided that we should finish school first (scholarships!), then wanted to when we graduated but for whatever reason it didn't feel right yet.  Well as of last Sunday, it's official.  We're moving in 6 weeks.  We decided in February to move , and applied for Tony's permanent residency then, but it could take up to a year for him to get it.   I'm trying not to panic because I kind of thought we were leaning towards moving after Tony got his permanent residency. But nope, 6 weeks to wrap up 6 years of loose ends.

    I can't even begin to tell you all of the details that went into our decision, not only whether or not to move but the more difficult decision once that was decided was when??  I can only say that a LOT of thought, prayer and fasting has gone into this one.  It was a really hard choice to make too, not blaringly obvious like it was when I had to decide whether to move to Louisiana or to Washington State.  In the end it was between this June and next June.  There was no ta da moment when I just knew what God's will was for us, which we thought might mean it didn't matter too much one way or another in the grand scheme of things.  But in the end, when we just made the decision to move now rather than later, it seemed right.  And now, a week later, so many things have happened to make me say to myself "wow, good thing we decided to move when we did," that I know for sure it is a good thing. 

Oh Canada...we're coming!  Plane tickets are paid for, U-haul is booked, our calendar is crammed full of "things to do" each day to get ready to leave in 6 weeks.  Anxiety lies just beneath the surface at all times waiting to attack me...only because it has to be the most organized move EVER (we have to list everything that goes into that U-haul!!!) and because we're leaving less than a week after Tony finishes his school year.  Which means that most of the packing is going to be my job.  (I don't think Tony thinks so...but I'm pretty sure he's wrong.)  Have you ever tried to pack with a baby?  I don't know about y'alls babies, but mine likes to take things out of boxes...and not be in a different room than me.  On the other hand, last time I had to pack everything up, I was pregnant...that was officially worse. Anyways wish us luck!  We're excited to see our friends and family in Canada in 6 short weeks.  And we're very sad to say goodbye to some amazing friends and family here.  We'll be back to visit though!

Emery

     I just want to write a little about my thoughts for my sweet sister, Alisha, and her family.  They are going through some pretty real trials, and have been for so many months.  Last summer Alisha started having some problems with her pregnancy.  She was put on bedrest for a long time, then eventually hospitalized 2 hours away from their home (for the NICU) until the baby would be born.  Emery Hope was born on October 2, after five weeks in the hospital with us all praying for her safe arrival. 

     Emery's whole little life is a miracle.  Born 10 weeks early, she was even weeks behind for her gestational age, and was born at a tiny 1 lb 13 oz.  Her wonderful parents have been blessed, because of their faith and prayers, with the miracle of her life.  They are truly amazing and faithful people. 

    Now it's almost April. Emery still has major health concerns and is in the hospital.  They also have a sweet little active 3-year-old boy who now stays with Alisha at the Ronald McDonald house much of the time.  They are still more than 2 hours away from home where Ryan has to work.  While I don't always understand the exact condition that Emery is in, I do know that we're just not sure how much longer it will take to get that sweet baby girl home.  And they need to go home.  And Emery needs to be healthy. 

     I am truly beginning to feel like God is just waiting for us to help them ask for the second half of their miracle.  From more than 2000 miles away, I feel so helpless to lighten their burden in any other way. I know that people who know and love my sister and her family already keep them in their prayers. For reasons I don't understand, there is strength in numbers, and I think this applies to prayer and fasting, and especially support.  I'm asking for people I know, who love the Lord, to ask Him to support Alisha and her family, and to bring Emery home.  I've started a facebook page where I hope that people who would like too, or have been in her circumstance can send their hope, love and encouragement, and where we can come together to fast and pray for Emery's and her family.  I'm also hoping Alisha will be willing to share updates as they come, although she stays very busy and tired between the hospital and Emery, and her little boy, and all of the other things she has to do.

    I just want Alisha and her family to know that they are truly loved so much.  I know that they know sacrifice brings forth great blessings.  But I don't think that it makes those sacrifices any easier.  Only the Savior can truly lift those burdens if we let Him.  And I pray that He will carry the Petersons through the rest of this trial, however long it may be, until that beautiful baby gets to come home.

Move over trains!!!

     Those of you who know my little sweety-pie TJ know that trains take a very special place in his heart, and a pretty decent chunk of his day.  He plays with them, talks to them, watches movies about them, and snuggles them to sleep.  He dreams about the trains that he would like to have (most of them of the Thomas variety) and has even started a mental wishlist "for Christmas". 

     I noticed, however that he mentioned a time or two something about a tractor in the last week.  So when my friend, Kelly, showed me this in her magazine of cool things to do with your kids, I jumped on it.  Went straight to the Dollar Tree that night (last night) and found the perfect tractors/ dump trucks, then on to walmart for a giant bag of corn meal.  TJ has been dying for some more attention lately, so I sent Lily to Joy School with the other girls, and took TJ over for a special playdate with just his little buddy Ethan.  I brought the new tractors along for a test drive.  They LOVED it.  TJ only left at the end of the morning with the promise that he could play in the "dirt" with Lily later after we picked her up.  Everywhere he went he had to bring his tractor.  (Unfortunately he also insisted it have a "full load" each time, and sometimes I didn't catch it in time.  Thus all the corn meal in my minivan.)  The best part is, I've been told that cornmeal kills ants, so I didn't have to worry about them doing it outside!

   

      Lily loved it too, although she was the most interested in it when I could play with her.  She likes lots of different toys, but is a lot more about the social aspect of playing than the toys/ games themselves.
    
     Anyway, I had to share this idea, it's already been hours and hours of fun at our house, and I'm betting there are more hours to come.  I'd say it cost somewhere around 7 or 8 dollars all together.  Worth every penny!