Tag...

So I was tagged a while ago by my friend Brianna and I am just now getting around to doing it (sorry Brianna, it is quite a process to get old photos from my home computer onto Nate's laptop). Anyway, I am supposed to post the 4th photo in the 4th file of my photos. So here it is. This is Preston at 6 months. This picture is so cute of him but it makes me feel so sad to think about how big he is now. And I wish I had rotated this picture so it's right side up but it's too late now.

Merry Christmas!

Santa came to our house and brought lots of fun things!

Ahhh the magic and anticipation...

Yay for Christmas!!!

Spencer got a big boy bike and a green dragon (who he has since named "Dragon the green dragon").



Preston got a kitchen (yes, he's a boy, but he's going to be the next Iron Chef which is fine with me).

And this kitchen, by the way, is our pride and joy! Nate and I designed, built, and painted this kitchen for Preston (I mean we helped Santa build it). We did buy the microwave and toaster, but the rest is a Nate and Beth original. We could start a company called "Beth and Nate" kind of like "Melissa and Doug". I bet we'll make millions. Watch out world! No but it was really fun to make. A little frustrating at times but totally worth it. After looking at the fairly flimsy plastic kitchens at the store for $180 ON SALE, we decided it might be worth it to just build one. Besides, every 2 year old needs a mini kitchen complete with stainless steel appliances and a gas range.(and isn't that stainless steel sink adorable?) Anyway, Preston loves it and so does Spencer. Not bad for $75.

We had a great Christmas and Spencer is already counting down to next year...it's going to be a long 11 months.

Some white lies are necessary...

So this morning the boys were watching Clifford and a little boy on the show was sick. So Spencer said,"Mom, why is that little boy sick?"
And I said, "I don't know?"
And Spencer said, "Is it because he ate his boogies?"
And I said, "Yeah it might be."

I have told Spencer in the past that we don't EVER eat our boogies (bugger's) because they will make us sick (and he doesn't ever eat them). Which isn't a lie because just the thought of eating boogies makes me physically nauseated. And apparently, Spencer is taking me very serious, which I appreciate. I think about his thought process and as soon as he heard that the little boy was sick, he thought "Well, my mom told me that eating your boogies makes you sick so that must me what happened." It is so fulfilling as a mother to know that sometimes he does in fact listen to me AND he accepts what I tell him to be the truth. It makes me smile to think that I have such an impact on his learning and the way he views the world just by the things I tell him. It can be a little overwhelming to think of it that way, but I guess that is the job description of a Mom:)

Looking back one year ago...

Today is the one year anniversary of when we moved into our new house.

Before...

a little later...(nice dumpster huh?)

After!

We have come a long way since all we had was 2X4s! And we have loved living in our new house. It was a little crazy moving in just before Christmas last year, but it was worth it. We really enjoyed the building process (although stressful). And we have had a great time living here so far. It has been a lot of hard work putting in a yard and decorating; but it's also very fulfilling to work on your home and see the results. We look forward to many more years in this house and a lot more fun times!

The Christmas Box Angel

If any of you have read The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans (if you haven't, I strongly recommend it), you have probably heard of the Christmas Box Angel statue. Every year on December 6th, there is a candlelight ceremony held in honor of children who have passed away. Nate and I went to our first ceremony last night. Everyone there was given a lit candle to hold throughout the ceremony. The program consisted of few words spoken by Richard Paul Evans, some parents who have lost children, a musical number, and a moment of silence to remember those lost. Then everyone there was invited to place a white flower at the base of the angel statue in honor of their child. It was very touching, heartbreaking, and hard to endure. But I think events like this help me to heal. So today after church we took Spencer and Preston to the cemetary and the four of us each put a white flower on Addelyn's grave to honor her this Christmas. The past couple of weeks have been really hard knowing that my "due date" is fast approaching. I should be 8 1/2 months pregnant right now, but I'm not. We should have a new baby girl to bring home right around Christmas, but we won't. It's really hard to think of all the things we won't get to do with our daughter. But we are so grateful for her and for a Father in Heaven who gave His child, knowing that he would be crucified, because he loves us that much. And that gift of love is so close to my heart this Christmas and will be for every Christmas for the rest of my life. But I am grateful to have a better understanding of how much our Father in Heaven loves us.


Merry Christmas Addelyn. We love you. "Sleep In Heavenly Peace."