Summer fun!

Hey, I'm back and it's only been a month.... progress!  We've celebrated my big boy's 6th birthday and started our summer fun with lots of pool time, trips out to the lake house, and staying up a little later.

Cole had a blast celebrating his 6th birthday at Zuma; in his party pack they got to play games, ride go carts, bumper boats, and play putt putt golf.  I can't believe how fast these years have gone!  I don't have a baby anymore but instead a handsome, God-loving, animal enthusiast, energetic little boy who is a complete joy in our lives.  Can it really be that we're starting first grade in the fall, oh my!!

Cole's 6th b-day @ Zuma

Sweet friends

LOL, Chad barely fit!

This is our first summer enjoying our lake house and wishing every time we're there, it could be our permanent residence!  It's just so relaxing to be fully immersed in nature, somehow I can hear God speaking to me more clearly.  We have such hectic, busy lives here that when we can take time to appreciate God's handiwork, we can be still before Him.  On our last visit we saw new baby fawns with their mother, still nursing, what a precious site.  We see blue jays and cardinals regularly among a silver fox who's hard to spot.  And I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a woodpecker pecking away at a cedar tree behind the house, amazing!  The water at the lake is an aqua blue which changes hues at different times of the day and I'm still amazed it's in Texas; who said Texas wasn't beautiful?!  We took a little trip to Schlitterbaun this last visit and had a fantastic time riding all the tubing attractions, especially the newer part of the park.  I had been in about 13 years since my last visit and it's like going back in a time capsule because the original park is the same as it was 13 years ago and when my parents first took me in 1985.  It was fun to watch the kiddos enjoy it as much as I did as a kid.  Some things never change, thank goodness!

Love the lake sunsets

Our little pets at the lake

A meal at Grist Mill always is a good thing
I will post of just lake house pics soon; I know some of my friends have been wanting to see the progress :)

We are still waiting patiently on the Lord to show us His perfect plan and timing to add to our family.  We don't know what it will look like or when but we trust He brought us on this journey to bring Him glory and draw us nearer to Him.  On days when my heart feels anxious about it all and I wish I were in control, I have to remember all of His good and gracious gifts to me and how faithful He has been in weaving this tapestry of my life.  Had I been in control, the tapestry would be ugly with mistakes all over the loom but with Him, it's beautiful.  And so we wait.  I'll close with a song I love by John Waller:

I'm waiting 
I'm waiting on You, Lord 
And I am hopeful 
I'm waiting on You, Lord 
Though it is painful 
But patiently, I will wait 

I will move ahead, bold and confident 
Takeing every step in obedience 
While I'm waiting 
I will serve You 
While I'm waiting 
I will worship 
While I'm waiting 
I will not faint 
I'll be running the race 
Even while I wait 

I'm waiting 
I'm waiting on You, Lord 
And I am peaceful 
I'm waiting on You, Lord 
Though it's not easy 
But faithfully, I will wait 
Yes, I will wait 
I will serve You while I'm waiting 
I will worship while I'm waiting 
I will serve You while I'm waiting 
I will worship while I'm waiting 
I will serve you while I'm waiting 
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Mother's Day pics

The blessings that made me a MOM!

Updates!

Wow!  Where do you even begin when you haven't blogged in over a year?!!  Needless to say blogging has taken a major backseat to homeschooling and of course the easier world of Facebook!  I'm going to give this a shot again because someday, yes someday, I'm going to publish all these little posts into albums... someone better hold me to that!

A lot has changed in a year and in some ways a lot remains the same.  We took the family vacation of a lifetime last June and went to Hawaii with the kids and my parents for a week and a half; it was amazing and something we will never forget.  On stressful days we like to think back to the peace and beauty that God created on those islands.  This last fall we took on a new endeavor and bought a lake house in the hill country.  It has been a huge blessing to make memories with our families and friends and look forward to all the years ahead at "Baker Hill" as we call it.  The main decorating and furnishing is finished but like most things will grow more comfortable and beautiful with time as we make it our very own.  We are seriously itching to get back this month... I need some front porch rock'in time!

This was our second year in homeschooling and first year in a large homeschool cooperative called Classical Conversations.  Every day I thank God for giving us this opportunity and to opening our eyes to the gift and blessing of homeschooling.  It is truly a perfect fit for our family and the kids LOVE it; I could not have imagined how much they were going to enjoy it, the opportunities they would have, or the friends we have all met along the way.  We will travel this journey as long as God sees fit and look forward to what next year holds with my 4th and 1st grader (WOW)!

Abbey, now 9 has enjoyed being in a volleyball league this year and Dad has fun teaching her new skills; she gets better all the time and her height sure works to her advantage!  She is my reader, oh my goodness, we have to tell her no books at the dinner table and most enjoys reading about missionary biographies as she feels this is where God is calling her.  After only 2 years of playing the piano has improved so much and we love hearing her play; it's pure joy to our ears... she's taught me a thing or two as well as I had no clue how to read music before!  Besides playing with her American Girl dolls and her sweet friends, she is a best buddy to Cole and just the sweetest little 9 year old I know (but I'm certainly not biased)!

Cole, turns 6 this week, my baby!  He too has been involved in sports and those where he can use his height... basketball.  He LOVES sports of any kind though and can play for hours at any of them tirelessly; energy, energy, energy!!  Cole has learned to read this year and this would be my first child to teach to read since Abbey was in school in kindergarten.  There is nothing like it...I'm so proud of him, he's been working really hard.  It's hard to believe this is the same kiddo that needed speech therapy 3 years ago!  Cole too has been playing the piano, this was his first year and he's doing awesome!  I wasn't sure a kinder could catch on but he has done it with flying colors and he loves to play for an audience... he's all grins!

Mom and Dad are keeping busy with work, homeschooling, the kiddos activities, and managing in our date nights.  God has also spoken to our hearts to add to our family so we're waiting on His plan.  We know His ways and timing is perfect and are just thankful how He opened our eyes to the way He wants to build our little family.  Stay tuned!

We're Here!

My sweetie's birthday; gluten free lemon pound cake, of course!

Abbey's 8th Birthday: Pottery Painting!

Aunt Kelly & sweet baby Riley

Cole chose a shark

The Baker crew

Abbey painted an ice cream cone

Poppey got in on the painting fun too!

I found a gluten free bakery to make the girly cupcakes... what a God sent!!

Abbey's party, part 2: American Girl Felicity themed; this was the "store" upstairs

Felicity's tea table

Oh My! And our new American Girl, Kanani!!

Dancing with Daddy at my cousin's wedding

Cole was a stud in his little suit!

Valentine's tic tac toe

My Valentine sweetie!

Abbey's Christian dance studio; praying at the close of class

Well, blogging as you see, just hasn't been a top priority for a while! I can't believe how busy I thought life was when I had little ones under foot; on the contrary! Life is speeding by us with the kiddos getting older, more mature, and accumulating more activities... they may have a more interesting social life than the parents! HA!

Now we are well into our 2nd semester of homeschooling and have LOVED the journey! We so enjoy curling up on the couch to read our history reader or play "hop for math" when we get brain fog we'll do the hop for math dance... it works every time! We have been busy meeting up with our science and art co-op and exploring God's wonderful world, taking science classes at the Houston Museum, and taking Friday field trips when we've finished our school work for the week. The only thing missing is COLE on Tues. and Thurs. when he's at preschool; we're so ready to have him a part of our week all the time next year... hard to believe kinder is on the horizon!!

Abbey had loved her new ballet/tap combo class she takes on Mondays at a Christian Dance Studio; I love sitting in the waiting area listening to the Christian tunes inside and seeing the girls close class with prayer. After a lifetime of dancing for me and several years of watching Abbey through different studios, none compares to this experience; what a blessing to find! The other tunes we hear are the sweet little melodies coming from Abbey playing the piano; it's so awesome to see how far she's come in such a short time. We love to teach that no matter what our kiddos do, do it all to the glory of the Lord; not for our own praise but unto the Lord... isn't that why God gave us all certain talents and abilities?! Miss Abbey is also gearing up for Spring soccer which starts in 2 weeks so more on that to come!

Cole is still enjoying his T/Th preschool class and has recently enjoyed his "Texas themed" school performance and Rodeo day! He loves playing with his big sister and especially SPORTS... anything sports! Daddy has taken him to some pretty neat Texans and Rockets games this year so now Cole thinks that all "Daddy Dates" should include a game like that... Chad has brought him back to reality. :) Cole just started his Spring soccer season and is pumped about the goal he scored last Saturday... way to go! A recent stride for Cole is that he's actually more affectionate with Mom here... finally!!! He finally realizes that Dad's aren't the only cool ones, and HEY, I gave birth to that 1o+ pounds of cuteness!

Other than that Chad's work'in hard to so that we can take our family vacation to Kauai, HI this summer; we are ecstatic!!! We always said we'd go on our 10 yr. anniversary (Jan.) but we couldn't imagine leaving this kiddos for that long and they're at such great ages to go. It is such a beautiful place and I can't wait to make those memories with Abbey and Cole there. We're also ALL pretty much gluten free now; I'm the only one who eats grain/yeast free but the kiddos are purely gluten free since the test results came back positive. It can be challenging for sure but we all love how we feel and it's worth the extra effort! The kids and I had the joy in sharing in a little virus last week that the kids got over a lot quicker than me but other than that, our clean eating has certainly "cleaned" up our health!

Hopefully my next blog will come sooner than this last lapse! Hope all of my blogging friends are off to a great Spring, keep in touch!

Christmas Letter 2010

My parents (aka: Poppey & Mimi)

My b-day celebration at my in-laws home (aka: Nana & Grandad)

At David's MCT Graduation: Camp Pendeltion

Fall Festival cuties, Yee Haw!

My parents with David; graduation from Boot Camp: MCRD San Diego

Proud Marine Family!

Welcoming our new nephew, Riley!

Summer t-ball with Dad

Abbey loves soccer and Cole's her biggest fan :)

Disney "Re-Do" Trip 2010... a more "magical" experience this time!!

Merry Christmas to all our wonderful friends and family!! We hope you are enjoying this season where we gather close to loves ones, celebrate in long passed family traditions, and most importantly, take time to focus on the undeniable meaning of Christmas... JESUS! Our hearts are full of thanks for the incredible year God blessed us with in 2010. Some legs of our journey have been difficult, others joyous but in all things we see the hand of God upon us and feel such peace knowing His ways are perfect. Here are some of this years updates and highlights:

Chad and I joke that the kids are getting older but we stay looking the same (HA, HA)! Abbey and Cole are growing and changing so fast that there are times I look at them at the breakfast table and honestly think they grew several inches overnight! I'll start with our youngest family member, Cole, now 4 1/2 years old. Cole is our energizer bunny, full of joy spreading out of his toothless grin (still toothless from last years accident), and a true "guy's guy"! He was thrilled to start sports this year going through a summer season of t-ball and fall soccer. Cole started a new preschool this year at our home church and absolutely loves it... so does Mom! It's not quite as close and convenient as our old school but we love the school's excelled Christian curriculum and focus and Cole gets to see his buddies from church. When not at 2 day a week preschool, Cole enjoys joining in with us girls on our homeschool lessons, playing with his dinosaurs and cars, or riding his bike. And he's always available for comic relief... we love the 4 year old sillies! :)

Sweet Abbey has had a major transition this year as God led us out of traditional schooling into homeschooling. Abbey had actually been asking me since kindergarten to teach her at home, but I would quickly reply back, "Oh, no... you're at a great school and this momma doesn't homeschool!" Whoa, God had other plans for me and our family; through lots of prayer God began making that crystal clear by this last February. Since starting our endeavor in August, there is a new peace about Abbey and she is truly joyful about the whole experience. Abbey does schoolwork from about 8-noon and then the rest of the day is hers for free play, playdates with friends, or field trips. We have been so blessed by joining a weekly co-op with other homeschoolers from our church; they do art and science lessons and projects and she has made some great friendships. She has also been enjoying monthly wildlife classes at the Houston Science Museum and being a part of a homeschool presentation group (getting them used to public speaking). Abbey just finished her third season of soccer and is really catching on to the game along with learning it's ok to be aggressive with the ball on the field. She's also taken up the instrumental skills her parents are lacking and started taking piano lessons this Fall having her first little recital 2 weeks ago; we're loving the sounds that fill our home each evening!!

As for Mom here, it's been a year full of changes, growing pains, and trusting God's plans are really better than my own. Of course, I really wrestled with the notion of homeschooling; I never dreamed I would or could do that. God helped me get over all those silly insecurities and showed me He'd already given me everything I needed to homeschool Abbey. I'm so thankful my ears were open and Chad and I were willing because it has been the biggest blessing to our family. I feel we are closer and more in tune with one another... I love that! A wise homeschool veteran had told me, "the more time you spend with your kids amazingly the MORE time you want to spend with them". I probably had this distorted look on my face, "HUH"?! It's true; you really don't want to run for the hills after a full week of togetherness!! Chad is awesome about allowing me that down time/free time that every person needs. This year I have spent downtime doing P90X workouts at home rather than loosing all that time at the gym, going for walks around the neighborhood, and getting together with good friends for Mom's nights out (wonderfully refreshing)!! A huge change this last year has been my health; after almost a year of struggling with at times debilitating stomach issues, strange skin rashes, and extreme fatigue with no answers from traditional doctors, we found out in September I'm gluten intolerant. I have a delayed reaction, not acute, which is why no one could figure it out; we only discovered this through genetic testing. Since learning about this, my life has changed dramatically...I finally feel like 31 is going to be the 30 I missed all together!! I now don't eat any grains at all; I happily shop the perimeter of the store buying only meat, fish, produce, and dairy because I know what tripping up would do to my health. It's also given my family a new lease on health! We've all been off our allergy & asthma medications since June... if that's not proof in the pudding, then I don't know what is! We thank God every day for this new found knowledge!!!

Chad, my rock, has been such an amazing husband and Dad through this last year when he's had to pick up extra duties along with his job being at new heights. He is in his eleventh year with Jones Lang LaSalle (previously The Staubach Company) and is thoroughly enjoying his work and the challenges of meeting clients needs in today's economy with Christian morale and character. He's had small pockets of travel but nothing that keeps him away too long from nightly "tackle daddy" with the kids and "daddy dates" with Abbey and "dude nights" with Cole! Chad was awarded for his hard work and dedication to excellence within Jones Lang LaSalle when he was given the Club Award this last year. Recipients and their spouses were given an all expenses paid trip to the Palm Beach Ritz Carlton in November. We joked that I partially earned that award too so I was happy to share in the reward trip! ;) Chad was also kept busy coaching BOTH kiddos soccer teams this last season. He loves being out there running with the kiddos and keeps him feeling young... or old... he hasn't figured out which! Amazingly, I convinced him that we needed a Disney World "re-do" trip and we were off this last March to see if we could fade out the horror of the first D.W. trip! My parents and brother joined in on the fun and the only hitch was when I got sick this time and missed the plane trip out. I did catch up with them a day later and we were off for what WAS a great Disney trip!

Other highlights in 2010:

-In August my brother & sister-in-law welcomed their sweet baby boy, Riley and made Chad and I an Aunt & Uncle for the first time along with very proud cousins, Abbey & Cole!

-My brother, David Spessard, graduated from the Marines in September and our family along with my parents and cousin James flew out to San Diego for the ceremony. It was such an amazing trip and we could not be prouder of David!

-In November my Mom and I flew back out to San Diego, this time to Camp Pendelton, to see my brother graduate from Military Combat Training. His platoon graduated with honors and it was incredible to be there for his moment and to be on one of the largest military bases in the U.S. Now David is PFC & stationed in Ft. Leonar Wood finishing his MOS. We can hardly wait to have him home for Christmas!!

-Chad and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary Jan. 6th; more updates on this to come!

Blessings to all of you this Christmas and in 2011! Leave us a comment, we love hearing from you!

In Him,

Chad, Ashley, Abbey, & Cole