Lil' Dancers

Every time Julianna watches this, she says, "Ew. I had to dance with a boy." haha ; )

Bidgie's Third Birthday

This was one of my all-time favorite birthday parties. Maggie and I began planning a few months prior to the party via email... bouncing ideas back-and-forth off eachother. (I always say we make a great team.) ; )
We began the celebration with doggie ears, collars and face painting, and sang a few "doggie songs" to put us in the puppy mood. My niece, Kathryn, recently became the proud owner of a poodle-mix puppy, and brought him over as the guest-of-honor. The children were thrilled to play with a real, live, (very-active) puppy-dog. Next, Maggie led the children in Obedience School, where all the little "puppies" learned how to sit, beg, roll-over and speak. Then they enjoyed some "puppy chow" and milk shakes in their own little doggie bowls. Following the snack, we read a little story and all the children ran off to dig up some bones, which they later used in a game of Fetch. Lastly, we had the most adorable cake (Maggie's discovery online) and opened presents.
Some of my favorite moments were during the gift opening, as Lauren cheerfully thanked each person who gave her a gift, and even allowed another child to open one of her presents for her. She was simply delightful. It also was a joy and honor to have Jamie and Linda celebrate with us and the opportunity to introduce them to some of the people we love most.
Lauren's birthday, as each of our children's birthdays tend to do, was another reminder of the many kindnesses God has so graciously bestowed upon us. It was a reminder of the many people: family, friends, and church members, that He has placed in our lives. I am so grateful for them all.
Can you believe our sweet girl is three-years-old?

Faith and Trust

Challenged by this quote today:
Piper says, "Ordinarily faith would mean trust or confidence you put in someone who has given good evidence of his reliability and willingness and ability to provide what you need. But when Jesus Christ is the object of faith there is a twist. He himself is what we need. If we only trust Christ to give us gifts and not himself as the all-satisfying gift, then we do not trust him in a way that honors him as our treasure. We simply honor the gifts. They are what we really want, not him. So biblical faith in Jesus must mean that we trust him to give us what we need most–namely, himself. That means that faith itself must include at its essence a treasuring of Christ above all things."
-John Piper, Don't Waste Your LIfe

Three Wheelin'

Three-year-old Lauren learns how to ride on three wheels.

Snow in Charlotte!

Woohoo! We love the snow! We didn't even have to drive to Boone for a change. : ) (Though I have to admit, it's not quite as much fun without Magz.)
We are getting our fill of snowy days this winter. We've gone sledding in Boone twice this season, skiing at Sugar, and most recently skiing at Winterplace. Hoping to post more pictures soon.