Sunday, December 30, 2012

Family Update

One of my goals it to update the blog weekly - is that really even possible?!  In order to update, I would love to do a little back tracking.  There's been a good bit of crazy going on around here.

Caroline is getting so big and she cracks us up with all of the things that she tells us!  Yesterday she was telling me about how she hit her head and "suddenly, I started crying!"  Tonight she was having a hard time going to sleep and she was talking, singing and praying up a storm...everything from "Happy Birthday Santa" to the "Lord's Prayer" to "Kelsey don't worry I'm going to share with you" to the song "Call Me Maybe".  Oh my!  She keeps us smiling and laughing.  She has the sweetest little heart.  Anytime I ask her if she wants to bake cookies she replies, "for our neighbors or our friends with no beds?"


Libby is also growing up too quickly...although I must admit it is always easier to see her as the baby!  She has learned all the "important" signs and communicates with us using these signs all the time.  She is a little snuggler!  She is always willing to give out hugs and kisses when we ask...although sometimes not as many as Gigi would like!  I still haven't quite figured out her little personality though.  She's super sweet and laid back one minute and really feisty the next.  She also has had a much tougher time with teething than Caroline ever did so she is crabby a bit more.  Of course we still love her to pieces.  She seems to love all the activity around the house and always wants to be in the midst of whatever is going on.


Mark has been traveling more with his job this year.  In April he was transfered from sales in the commercial division to technical work in the   division.  He is really enjoying his job and the people with whom he is working.  He is also getting to use the gifts and talents that God has given to him so it's been a blessing for him.  We wish he was home more often but are extremely grateful for all the ways that God has provided for our family.


I'm just mama most of the time.  I'm thankful to still be working at East Cobb UMC as the daycare bookkeeper for just a few hours a week.  Other than that I started attending Bible Study Fellowship in the fall.  We are studying Genesis this year and that has been a huge blessing.  I also try to squeeze in gym trips throughout the week.  Other than that I'm household manager.  There's a lot to be done around here.  :-)

One of the biggest changes since I've last really blogged is that we had some family move in with us.  My cousin, Samantha, who is 18 and her little boy Logan who is 1 (6 weeks younger than Libby) have moved in with us.  I can't even begin to describe all the things that we have learned over the past 3 months about ourselves, about God and about our desperate need for a Savior!  It's been a real blessing to have someone else at home with me as Mark travels and the girls have enjoyed having a couple extra playmates.  :-)  Logan and Libby have become especially close in the last month.  They love each other so much.  I don't know what twins are like but I imagine that they are pretty close.  It's adorable to see them laugh, play and "talk" with one another.  Of course, there is also the hitting and not sharing of toys too!


I think that is all of the exciting news here.  We are looking forward to a new year and all kinds of new adventures that God has in store for us.

Fall Pictures

Just some pictures from this fall of our sweet girls!  

I love the black patent leather shoes and white socks...always makes me think of sweet girls! 






2013 Goals


Last year Mark and I wrote out a list of goals and we worked on them throughout the year.  It was a real treat to look back at them and realize that we had accomplished almost everything on the list.  There were only a couple that needed some more work!  We wrote out some goals for 2013 tonight in hopes that we can stay on track this year.  Of course, these aren't all the things we hope to do but just a few that we wanted to highlight.  


 Goals
  • Family Goals
    • Create blog (or rebuild current blog) to allow weekly updates or more frequently.  -Mark
    • Update family blog weekly or more frequently.  -Nicole
    • Build, plant and eat from our own garden. 
    • Take girls to the beach, either with Vern/Cindy or on our own. 
    • One weekend trip away without little ones (no matter how much we miss them). 
    • Host or plan community-building events once each month. 
  • Spiritual Goals
    • Read Bible daily to complete Bible in 2013. 
    • Attend BSF. -Nicole
    • Memorize selected Psalms together. 
    • Two verses memorized each month. -Caroline
    • Read commentary on book of the Bible each quarter.  -Mark
  • Service Goals
    • Serve on church committees. (Missions, women's committee, etc)
    • Take girls to nursing home once a month.
    • Foster care ministry. 
    • Go "under the bridges" with the church. 
  • Physical Goals
    • Running four miles twice per week on treadmill with long run on weekend. -Mark
    • Workout four times per week alternating run, swim, weights. -Nicole
    • Swim in a three-mile swim event. -Nicole
    • Participate in sprint triathlon. -Nicole
    • Swim 1/4 mile non-stop. -Mark
    • Run two races as a family.