Thanksgiving 2011

This boy loves the stairs

Telling Pop a story

The great Grandmothers

watching Thomas with his Great Grandaddy

Dedication of Our New Home

Almost 4 years ago we were pregnant with Ashton and put our condo on the market. A long 2 years after that with a little boy over a year old, we moved out ready to close on a sale and buy a house we had a contract on. All of you know that the sale fell through and we dealt with a great deal of frustration and tears and questions to God as to why. Everyone had advice for us and we struggled to decide if we should rent the condo, fight legally what was going on in our complex, or move back. God spoke very clearly to Wes and me both through David Platt and his book Radical that we wanted to go against what our culture would think was pursuing happiness in trying to do everything we could to get our house. God wanted us to move back with our little family and not only that but wanted to add another child to our small home as we found out we were pregnant with Collin at the same time. We did not know why or how, but we chose to follow Him. We admit now that we feel we could have done more over the past 2 years for our neighbors here and although we were able to help in a few cases, we still feel like we could have done more, but we definitely learned about what it means to truly live in plenty which we feel like we do here in the states. We recognized how grateful we should be for this place and every single small blessing God has given to us which we do not deserve. After almost two more years of waiting for this place to sell and taking it on and off the market and lowering the price, we began to ask God if He wanted us to use the money we had for a house for a different purpose. We felt he may be leading us to adopt another child and we told Him we would and that we would live here with three children if that was His will. We took the month of June to seriously pray about this. At the beginning of July, we found out I was pregnant. We don't know why God closed the door for us to adopt but we decided to try to find a house again and asked our condo association if we could rent our place and they granted us permission. We quickly found a house we fell in love with and prayed for a renter which He faithfully brought and today we close on our house almost 4 years later and with three young boys. It is a very emotional day for us and we want to publically say that it is by nothing we have done that God has granted us this opportunity but all we have is from Him and we dedicate our new home to His glory and ask that we could use it for His purposes.  

Through the years, God has brought me time and time again to the passage where he tells David that he is not to build the temple at this time and to wait for His son Solomon to build it. David's response was not anger, but this praise which has also been my prayer even though I admit there were MANY times and tears on my long commute I found it difficult to have this attitude.

" Who am I O Lord, and what is my family, that You have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in Your sight, O God, You have spoke about the future of the house of Your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O Lord God…And now, Lord, let the promise You have made concerning Your servant and his house be established forever. Do as You promised, so that it will be established that Your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!” And the house of Your servant David will be established before You. You, my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build a house for him.” 1 Chronicles 17:18-25

And today my prayers is this- in dedication of our home- which is taken from the passage after David and his people have brought all the materials to build the temple before the Lord,

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand…O Lord our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building You a temple for Your Holy Name, it comes from Your hand, and all of it belongs to You…O Lord, God of our fathers…keep this desire in the hearts of Your people forever, and keep [our] hearts loyal to You. And give [our sons] the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands…” 1 Chronicles 29:14-19

Disney Day 1!

Disneyworld Day #1!!! It's been a month and I am just now blogging about our Disney trip because I knew it would take some time. We had a blast!! We went with Wes' band since they were marching in the Magic Kingdom parade and my parents drove down with the boys and me to help and have fun! I could never have done it without them since Wes had a lot of resposibility with the band. It was CRAZY taking a one and three year old and one with allergies who couldn't eat most park food and who is still not fully potty trained. Plus, I was pregnant and it was so HOT! we weren't expecting it to still be in the 90's but at least the weather was beautiful every day and the park was decorated for fall to make us think it was autumn weather. haha Here's a mickey pumpkin to start with.

 Our first ride was the teacups and Ashton LOVED them! I was thrilled because I wasn't quite sure how he would take everything but he and I had really studied all the rides together online and we had been talking about the trip for months so he was psyched...although he wasn't quite sure what he was psyched about! He and my dad had fun spinning while the rest of us got off feeling tipsy. Thankfully my nausea was completely gone since the week before. What a blessing becuase I could not have done this trip 2 weeks earlier. This boy brought me the worst nausea for about 17 weeks but  now I am feeling the best I have felt with any of them so I can't complain!

 Next we rode Dumbo which Ashton didn't really care for too much. The height scared him a little. Collin's expression was how we felt. Sweaty and HOT!

 My mom will be upset for putting this one online but I love it! She and Collin are having fun while waiting in line for the Pooh ride. They had some great stuff for the kids to do and this is a "honey wall" that Collin loved. He loves anything you can touch!

 Collin fell in love with a stuffed Pooh in the gift shop afterwards so we had to get it. Ashton got a Roo.

 Our first character shot was with Pluto! Someone had given me a heads up to buy an autograph book so we had fun getting the characters' signatures too. Ashton loved Pluto and the line for him wasn't too long!

 Meeting Mickey and Minnie was a highlight. They are inside a building and are there all day long so you only have to wait about 5 minutes! Ashton was a little shy at first but so excited. I love how shy he looks in this one. But they took so much time with him that he warmed up and at the end was blowing them kisses!

 He really liked Minnie too. He told me her bow was really pretty and I think he has a crush on her ever since.

We loved watching all the parades. The boys loved the music and floats! Disney really does seem magical when you watch it through their eyes!!

Happy 15 Month Birthday to Our Collin! Right now he loves to walk and run everywhere holding onto anything. As long as something is in his hand, he's happy. And if you take it away...he's not! We've found that before bed, we just have to let him sleep with whatever he has in his hand and then sneak in and take it out of the bed later on! One day it was a bath toy, last night it was a fireman, usually it's a car. He also loves to say "ok", "all done", "eye" while he is poking yours!, "ball", and "toot toot" (Ashton's train obesession is rubbing off on him) When you ask him where's Collin's nose, he loves to stick his finger straight up his! Really hard not to laugh at that one!

Funny story from yesterday at work: One of my patients said, "Oh, last time I saw you, you were pregnant. "I get this at least once a day so I smile politely and say, "Yes I know!" But this time she said, "What was your first child, a girl or boy?" I look down at the computer to see the date of her last visit and realize, "Oh I had a boy the last time you saw me and I'm having a boy this time...but I had another boy in between." And...she realizes I am a crazy lady.

Funny story about Wes at work: Wes pours his soul into his bandkids but HATES having a homeroom and his poor homeroom kids NEVER know what's going on. I think he forgot to tell them about picture day one time. I really think eventually they will take homeroom away from him. Recently this was announced over his school wide annoucements,
"If you are in Wes York's homeroom you need to come by the front office because none of you have voted for homecoming court." The band class he had died laughing and asked him, "why do they even give you a homeroom??!!"

New Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vZ-582RD7s

Pumpkin Patch

This year we went to Glenn Memorial's Pumpkin patch by Emory. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed walking at Lullwater Park afterwards! It's hard to tell from these pictures but you can guess who thought it would be fun to throw his pumpkin while mommy was trying to get a posed picture. let me give you a hint...he's the "baby!"

It's been so long since i have posted due to feeling awful, having absolutely no time, and our computer dying for a few days, but here goes our last month:

Collin has become more active than ever! He is complete opposite of his brother but they get along so very well and adore each other. Last night they entertained me at dinner making snorting noises back and forth. Sometimes I will be doing dishes and hear a bunch of giggling and know they are up to something. Once it was unrolling paper towels. Then it was toilet paper. One day I walked into the bathroom as Ashton was turning around to walk out with a huge grin on his face holding a roll of toilet paper (no doubt looking for his brother). He was caught and immediately hung his head! That boy never touched these things until little Collin came along!

Collin also puts things in unusual places. We looked for the remote several days before finding it in the wipes container. I find cars in the hamper and some "train coal" in the dishwasher. Today I found a beach ball when I opened the dryer. Ashton just laughs and laughs and today said, "that was 'intrusting.'"

He loves to call Collin a stinker and stink pot because that's what our babysitter calls him when he eats and makes a giant mess. He sure does keep us all laughing!

oh how I wish I could remember all the funny things Ashton has entertained us with but here are a few:

1. We found out the baby was a boy!!!! Ashton said, "I want to name it Collin. Then we can have two Collins!!!" How sweet he loves his brother although today he said...

2. as I walked into the living room, "Mommy, listen up. I did not push Collin while you were not listening."

3. This week I was really sick with a kidney infection. I was even out of work for it. Ashton was really worried about me and said one night, "I'm going to tell daddy we need to go to the late doctor." It was so very sweet. Poor guy has been to urgent care so many times he calls it the late doctor. The next morning he also said, "Daddy we need to pray for mommy."

4. We went to visit Wes' parents this month and Ashton did not have his usual butter he eats. He told Wes' mom she could buy it at the store next time. Then she could not find a toy he remembered playing with there so as we were leaving he tells her,"you can buy (the toy) at the store when you get my butter next time!"

5. Wes' mom was also very sweet to make a soup for dinner that Ashton could eat and unfortunately he didn't touch it. On the way home I said, "Grandma was very sweet to make you that soup and next time she makes you something, I want you to at least try it." He replied, "Maybe next time, Grandma will make something different." (We have told her this!)

6. One night some neighbors were having a party and we could hear their music which is very unusual for our quiet complex. Ashton kept saying, "Why is someone having a party in the dark?"A few minutes later he said, "I'm trying to figure out if that person having the party is a boy or girl."

We celebrated Wes and my dad's b'days this month! My dad turned 60 so we all went to the Aquarium and spent the weekend together to celebrate.