Lily's 7th birthday!

This picture is horrible, but it's what I got!

I think I went temporarily insane when her birthday came around last year.  Lily wanted a slumber party so bad. I caved.  All together we had 8 little girls at our house that night.  Luckily for Neil, he had to work.  So I had 8 little girls to entertain, a 7 month old Owen to keep happy and our house was a mess from the flood.  But she loved every minute of it.  So, even though I was wiped out, it was so very worth it!!

Easter 2011

I loved this dress on Miss. Emma!
She said NO!

It was way too cute, even with pockets!

The girls were so pretty in their dresses.  This is just them trying them on.  Since we have LTC on Easter we don't do the whole church dress up thing.  But I still wanted them to have their dresses.  They matched their personality perfectly!  Owen was precious in his khaki pants, orange stripes shirt and gray sweater.  I never got a good picture of them dressed up.  So sad!

 Sitting at Pizza Hut eating crackers. 

Sweet baby

Before school, one morning, last year. Lily loved to entertain Owen while we got ready.

 

This is one of my favorite pictures.  I'm not sure why.  

He looks so big, yet so small.  Sweet little pose! Lol!

We got a lovely new roof on our house last year!

My parents, bless their hearts, came and lived with us for about a month, so my dad could help Neil put it up.  The guys tried, but they needed help, so mom and I got busy too.  Poor Owen had to stay in his play pen while we worked.  He was a very good baby!  So sweet!

 

 I see you!

Mom and Baby!  Haha!  Such a spoiled dog!

This boy loves to be outside!  No matter the weather.  It could be 6 degrees for 106 degrees and he's asking to go out.  The morning I took this picture, we were going walking with a friend and it was cold outside, so I bundled him up.  He was too cute!!

I love his swirl! 

These girls love their brother, and love taking pictures with him!!

Sitting in the shopping cart like a big boy!

 

Santa! Owen was a lot more cooperative his first Christmas!

 

Happy boy getting his room painted to blue!!

 

Thursday school Santa

 

One of Owen's favorite toys when he was tiny, was our Sonic cups.  He just knew there was something he was missing out on.  I've finally caved, and started buying him his own slushes.  He loves them!!

 

Sweet before picture

Even cuter after picture!

 

Little biker dude!  Just like Daddy!!

Sucking sister's finger!

 

Playing with his speakers.  I intended for him to listen to music as he fell asleep.  But this boy is the lightest sleeper!  I can't even go in his room to check on him before I go to bed!  Kills me! But he sleeps so much better if we just leave him alone!!  Goes against every momma cell in my body!!

 

Just a little cutie! They just get more and more gorgeous every day!

My victory

 Such a cutie in his tennis shoes and little jeans!

 Staring at one of his favorite things ever!  His mobile!

His sweet little tennis shoes

These little shoes were given to Owen by one of the sweetest women I know.  She posted on Facebook a long time ago, what has become one of my favorite Bible verses.  When she posted this, I was pregnant with Owen.  Neil had found some swollen lymph nodes and was in the process of taking medicine to see if they went down.  I was in a real bad place.  I was having a lot of trouble keeping my eyes on God during this time.  I went to Facebook that day, and just started crying.  All my anxiety left me!  See, in 2006, we were going through the exact same situation.  In November of 2005, we were surprised to find out we were pregnant!  We were shocked, but SOSOSOSO excited!  At the same time, Neil found some swollen lymph nodes.  After about a month of pain, I made him call the doctor.  He went through 2 months of tests and medicines, but nothing was helping, and they were getting so much worse.  And finally, we were sent to a cancer surgeon.  All within the same week, in January 2006, I went through a miscarriage and waited in the waiting room for the surgeon to tell me if my husband had cancer or not.  We were dealing with the fact Neil might have Lymphoma.  It was one of the darkest moments of my life.  I was already seeing a life without him.  I was convinced God was taking him.  I knew there was no way God would give me another baby and take Neil, so when I lost the baby, all I could think was, well, He must be taking Neil too.  When the surgeon walked in 2 hours later, telling me Neil was going to be ok, I had never been so joyous in my life! I was certainly praising God!! 

So, when Neil was taking medicine this time for his infection, I just kept thinking "Not again! Not again! Please!!!" And that is what brings us to the verse she wrote on her post.

I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him. Psalm 62:1

God blessed us in 2006, and he blessed us again in 2010 a few months after I read her post!  My healthy, wonderful husband, my 2 darling, little girls and I brought home a beautiful, baby boy!!

While I have a hard time being quiet, my victory most definitely comes from Him!

Extreme Makeover Home Addition!

It was too cool to be able to see the reveal in person!  It was a nasty, but typical day.  Wind and dust blow a 1,000,000 mph.  But we got to see all the design people and Emma Roberts!  Which was really neat for the girls!  What was so funny though, when we got to the little town it happened in, we happened to drive by the bus, so we stopped to snap pictures in front of it.  As we got back in our truck, the bus pulled away!  I was so embarrassed!  I'm sure they were thinking we were idiots!! Oh well, it was a lot of fun anyway!!

Thanksgiving 2010 (I know! RIght?)

Too sweet to forget!

 

Like Father like Son!

Gobble Gobble

 Lily's favorite thing to do! Such a great helper!

 Grandma and her 11th grandchild/6th grandson

Poor Owen was in a lot of pain during Thanksgiving.  We guessed it was from teething??  Mom was able to get him to calm down and he went out right beside Baby.  Too cute curled up together!

 

 Instead of playing games, Aunt Sabrina decided to just snuggle. (:

Love the holidays with our families!!

Life thru cell phone pictures

Well, I've come to learn, that life with a toddler makes little room for carrying a big DSL camera.  Struggling with a baby who wants to walk everywhere, a stroller to contain the wondering baby, a diaper bag, and trying to remember everything else that needs to be toted along, well...I've just decided that this moment in time, is just as sweet documented with a cell phone.  There will come a time when I can ask Owen to sit and smile. But now is definitely not that time! Lol! So, with that in mind, I've been trying to grab my phone more often to capture those priceless moments with him and his sweet sisters.  So, the pictures might not be as good quality or even in perfect focus, but this is our life.  Perfectly imperfect!

Santa was a little tramatizing.

Poor baby.  

This was as close to a group shot as I could get.  I didn't want to scar him for life.

I wonder if Santa is really smiling underneath that beard.  Probably thinking, Good Grief!  Get this poor kid off me!!  Mrs. Claus is smiling cause she doesn't have to hold him!  (:

Remember this?

 Welcome to 1 year later!!  (:  Neil finally got the urge to start back on the house!

We still have a lot to do, but in the near future, the mirror will have a frame around it, a back splash will be added, the tub and sink re-glazed, a fan/vent/light will be added and the paint at the ceiling will be finished.  In the far future, new counter tops, facets, lighting, and scrapped and painted/stained cabinets!  Yay!

We added the shower months ago.  It was one of the first things Neil finished.  I love, love, love it!  It's so pretty and so nice not having to walk all the way back to Neil's bathroom if I want to take a shower instead of a bath!  His shower never gets used anymore.  I can't wait until it's finished!  It's so pretty!!  

Neil has a date set for his A license testing.  It is February 16th.  So, he'll be studying for the next week.  So, hopefully after that, we will be done with the bathroom!  Can't wait!

Please say a prayer for Neil.  He is so nervous about the text.  Suppose to be tough!  But he will be able to do so much with this license.  He would even be qualified to run a whole plant with it.  So, please offer up a prayer if you don't mind!  Thanks!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!