Journalling and Missions

 Quick update:  We now live in South Dakota as Ryan has returned to take over the family bee business.  Teancum is serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Denver South mission.  Jacob is a senior in high school.  Keith is a junior...and we have two more kids.  AJ  who is 7 and Abby who is 5.

A few things are inspiring this return to blogging.  First part of Teancum's mission includes Craig, CO.  While he has not been transferred there yet some of his mission friends are and so he asked me who we knew in Craig.  I remember faces well, but not full names.  So I looked in his old preschool scrapbook and remembered this blog and looked it up for details.  

Second Ryan had us write in our journals for a family scripture study.  AJ loved the experience and has been writing diligently since then.  I sent the entries to T via email for him to read, and thought I would send a story he wrote in Waco for comparison.  In order to find the story I had to look this up again, this time on my computer...to my surprise I still had access to edit and make new posts.  Thus a return to blogging.

I loved rereading my old posts about the boys when they were little and hope to write some of the funny things my youngest says along with the happenings in general.  For anyone who finds this again...here is a more recent photo of our family  (minus Teancum who is in Colorado).

Busy as a Hive of Bees

January was chalk full of fun and flew past quick.  It sarted with my Family visiting us in Texas to bring in the new year.  I wish we had a few more days with them, but am grateful for the few we had.  I can't believe how fun, and grownup my little bros. are.  They have turned into responsible men. 

The rest of the month got filled with me teaching preschool (Keith joined Jacob's group so I got teach extra, much to my delight and his dissapointment), caring for sick kids and getting sick, planing Activities for girls in our ward, Teaching Sharing Time in Primary, and training/running in my second ever halfmarathon. 

Teancum loved having his heroes (my brothers) here, loved more going to sea world with his cousin. And is still doing amazing in school.  We have had many visits to the orthodontist as he has had to get space-regainers put on his back molars to straighten them out.  Poor thing got his mom's/grandma's teeth.  Ah..well, at least we are blessed to afford the ortho so he can continue to have that beautiful and charming smile of his.

Jacob continues to learn at an incredible rate, and is a born leader.  He is constantly guiding the way on our family walks.  His newest hobby is doing word searches and will spend a good portion of each day finding words like Boulevard or retirement in a word search Danette gave us.  When I ask him what he wants to do for mommy/jacob time he pulls out the book and we start looking for letters.

Keith finally got to go to preschool after many tears when we would drop Jacob off.  He loved the first week and was mighty upset the following  5 classes when he learned mom was teaching him.  I guess he had enough of that already.  He is still in love with all things trains and insists on bringing home a new train book from the library each week.  He's made it through all the Thomas ones and childrens stories and recently brought home a published Sears Catalog from the mid 1900's with different trains in it.  He continues to be the most stubborn 3 year old I know, and the most determined.

Ryan's work keeps getting buisier and busier as he bids out more and more homes that we wish we could afford.  I love when he brings home plans so we can dream together.  He still amazes me with his support at home and helped immensely this last month as I consistantly fell asleep before the kids for over a week.  He was able to enjoy taking the love of his life and our three boys to a hockey game yesterday to bring in February.  We surpized the boys and loved watching them bounce with excitement while munching on hotdogs and potato chips.  Sports continue to be one of his great loves.

My goals for the next few months include: finding a home for us to buy, starting finishing my education, and posting the little things that make life wonderful.

Where have all my friends gone?

The last two months have been crazy.  For those of you who think we fell of the earth we nearly did.  We moved from Florida to Longview, TX for the month of August, decided we needed a career change and so Ryan hired on with a custom home builder and we moved to San Antonio, TX and love living so close to my sister and her wonderful family.

As for my friends...the day we left Pensacola Keith vomited all over my cell, thus deleteing all content on the phone so I no longer have any numbers for my friends I've left in Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Texas, Utah...and any friends that I wasn't that great at calling in the first place.

They say you don't know what you have till it's gone.  Well very literaly my friends numbers are gone and I miss having the knowledge that I could pick up a phone and call. (even though most of you know that I have always been the worst at such).  So, if you would like me to fulfill my goal of being a better friend send me your number...or I may have to break down and conform by joining facebook.

Favorites

Keith's favorites: Pizza, cookies, purple and the letter S
In Keith's words
"Mom, I wanna hold you"
"Mom, I needa tell you someting.  I spy someting....purple"
"I need a cookie"

Jacob's favorites: swinging, running, soccer, getting his brothers wet.
In Jacob's words- "I the biggest"  "I the leader"

Teancum's favorites:  playing with friends, Calvin and Hobbs, bacon, hamburgers
In Teancum's words
"Knock Knock"
"Can you believe it"

Ryan's favorites:  Sports, scaring the boys and Kirsten
In Ryan's words
"Hey babe"

Kirsten's favorites: Reading and making the boys laugh
In Kirsten's words
"Aaaahhhh"

More to come...eventually

I came across this post today http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/ and it made me think back to some of the moments of this past week:

We were at a birthday party yesterday and Keith picked up his Scrabble Chees Its and told me the letters on them...time froze and I thought wow he is smart, and cute

I kissed Jacob when I thought he was asleep and told him I loved him...a minute later I heard "I love you too mom."  Then today I was cuddling with Keith and Jacob started playing with my hair and rubbing my back then cuddled up next to me and I thought I'm the luckiest girl to have boys who love me.

Teancum sat on my lap during church today, time froze as I looked at how big he was getting and hoped that no matter how big he gets he never outgrows wanting to sit on my lap.

Watching Keith and Jacob share, then hearing Jacob say that Keith and him are friends.

Dancing with Keith...I never get tired of dancing with my boys and holding them close.

The moments when I look at Teancum and see his freckles, his curved nose and keleidascope eyes along with his impish grin and think how beutiful and precious he is.

Ryan and I holding hands while checking on our garden, and later watching him tickle and wrestle the boys..he is the greatest father and friend I could ask for in a husband.

How great are the blessings of the Lord, God of Israel.

Past, Prestent and Future

The sweet things we miss about Columbus...

Awesome Ward Activities

Having a temple 1.5 hours away

Our weekly walks

Finding all the lost tennis and soft balls in the woods and playing with them

Amazing friends (Teancum still talks about this one)

With everything we miss we do get to look forward to walking to and from school, close playgrounds AND...

Lots of beach trips...more of these photos to come

(o.k. the above picture was actually taken before we moved...but it was taken an hour from where we live now, and the beach here is pretty close to the same, but more shells to find)

Home for the Holidays

Almost two weeks ago (on Jacob's birthday) Ryan finally got the call we had been waiting for.  Unlike what we thought when we posted last we've been sent south for the winter to Pensacola, FL.  In one week we heard the news, took a house hunting trip,  had all our belongings packed up, and moved out of our house.  This last week we spent our time unpacking and settling into our new place.  After being in Limbo for almost 3 months its nice to have a home for the holidays.

We couldn't be happier with our new place.  It's close to EVERYTHING, including three playgrounds, Teancums new school, Walmart, Sams, Lowe's and the mall.  Add the fact that we're less than 30 minutes from a beach vacation what's not to love.  Then there's our kids favorite feature...The backyard compleate with orange trees, slide, swings, and get this... a ZIP LINE.  The boys can't stay outside long enough and I love watching them play out of our large kitchen window.  The only thing that would make this more of a paradise would be having our extended family closer...we'll just have to rely on the blessings of modern technology a while longer.

We truly have been blessed this past year and especially in our move.  I will be forever grateful for the experiences we had in Georgia and the friends we made and had there.  I look forward to this new chapter in our lives and seeing how God will continue to direct and bless our lives.

Most of all I'm grateful for this Christmas season and the birth and life of our Savior who came to this earth over 2000 yars ago.  Thank God for his live and sacrifice.  May peace be in your hearts this Christmas season.

Limbo

For those of you who live nearby you're familiar with our situation...This post is for the rest of you:

For the past month Our Family has been waiting to hear where and when we will move. The construction of the Medical Center ended in September and it was handed over to the owners.  Since then Ryan has been hom and on call, going to the hospital a couple days a week to do some touch ups.  We've been told we're going to west virginia next, but as to when we will actually move...we're in limbo.