Moses

I'm so excited to introduce you to this sweet little man. He was born into an amazing family! He has 3 beautiful older sisters that adore him. His parents have prayed for this little miracle for many years. Through him the Downes family name carries on and the promise of God's faithfulness is confirmed. His Mom asked me to snap a few pictures of him during my visit. So here is Moses Downes...

My heart is full.

In Vancouver our days are dreary and cold at this time of year but our hearts are full. Growing up, the biggest life lesson my Mama taught me was that LOVE never fails. I can hear her saying it over and over again and in my life it's proved to be very true. I know that people think that Valentine's Day has become such a "Hallmark" holiday and to some extent they're right. For me I'm thankful that for the Month of February I'm guaranteed a date with my husband and lots of hugs and kisses from my boys.  

 We had a fun little Valentine's breakfast with some of our friends. A few of the families could not make it which was too bad. The kids still had a blast decorating cookies and playing together.

 Don't worry Uncle Jordan & Uncle Jay your girls are in good hands. ;) - Chase

 On Valentines Day I had a fun little lunch date with these 2! Chase is so fun to just sit and talk to these days. I love discovering life through his eyes. He has such a massive heart and truly loves everyone he meets. Cyrus is equally entertaining as he goes about his day mimicking his older brother and trying to keep up. He is a goof ball and I'm thankful because he can fill our house with laughter in a matter of seconds. 

 Something new for me this year is being a school Mama. Haha, I know its only preschool and yes I'm probably being a bit of an over achiever. However, I love doing these things for my Chase. So yes, I made fruit sticks for his Valentines Day party. Below is Chase painting with some of his buddies. 

 Dancing lessons with our Supper Club! Such fun!! Bunch of twinkle toes in this bunch. 

 Oh...my love. Seriously don't know what I'd do without this man. I know it sounds really cheesy but he honestly does complete me and bring out the best in me! We have always had a ton of fun together. We just don't have the luxury of "dating" like we did before kids. Chad & I are both active/adventurous people so snow shoeing was right up our alley. The whole thing was breath taking and I loved just walking hand in hand with Chad under the stars. 

 The reality of our wonderful love weekend was we needed groceries so we headed down to the states. Woohoo for Trader Joe's! ;) 

I hope that you all felt loved on and had a wonderful day! 

book worms.

My boys are total book worms. So I thought I'd share a few of our favorites with you. We always start with the bright baby books when are kids are first born. They are easy to throw in your diaper bag and take with you and they are bright and simple with just a picture and the word. Sandra Boynton is easily one of my favorite authors.  Blue Hat, Green Hat makes my boys laugh out load. Letters to God and Have you filled a bucket today have wonderful little lessons. I'd love to hear your family favorites.

1. Sometimes I like to curl up in a ball - Vicki Churchill & Charles Fuge
2. Library Lion - Michelle Knudsen
3. If Jesus lived inside my heart - Jill Roman Lord
4. Hockey numbers - Matt Napier
5. First words - Bright baby
6. Have you filled a bucket today? - Carol McCloud
7. Blue hat, Green hat - Sandra Boynton
8. Letters to God - Patrick & Heather Doughtie  

2013

This weekend, I have been stuck in bed recovering from a nasty flu. I am beyond thankful for my Mom! She dropped everything to come and take care of my boys (and me) so I could rest while my husband was away on business. Cheers to Gatorade...the only thing I could keep down. ha As I was laying low this weekend it gave me a lot of time to think and pray and dream for 2013. I love this time of year because the pace slows down after Christmas and there is a renewed energy for routine and setting goals. My problem is I'm excellent at setting goals but don't always see them all the way through. This year I have some more accountability in place so hopefully that will help. 

I can be very analytical and spend way to much time in my head most days. As a parent, a good majority of your day can be focused on discipline. Making sure your kids use their manners, keep their hands to themselves, have a good attitude. The list goes on and on. What does discipline look like for an adult though? I started examining my own life and realized I wasn't practicing what I was preaching to my kids. I was trying to raise little men who were disciplined but I was very out of control in this area. So little by little God began revealing little areas in my life that needed some work. 

 Throughout this whole year 'discipline' will be something I work on daily in my own life. It will be a hard lesson for me because it goes against my nature in many ways. I am very free spirited and like to be spontaneous. However, this can often lead to a bit more chaos in my life than I'd like. Also, I want to be a better example for my little ones. As I'm working on being disciplined I will focus on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 this year as well. The amazing speaker Wendy Perez posted this verse on instagram at the beginning of the year and my soul screamed "yes!"

For my marriage, I want to go above and beyond for this man! He works so hard and strives for the best in every area of his life. Regrettably, I feel he hasn't got my best over the last few years. The end of the day, tired wife, isn't my best for him. He is the greatest gift I've ever been given and I want him to know that in word and action everyday. So this year, I will humbly try my best to honor my husband.

For my boys, I want to enjoy every second with them! I need to cherish all the moments I have. This year when I received the phone call confirming Chase had been accepted to kindergarten I felt the pains of how quickly time flies bye. God has in trusted these men to Chad & I. So we will do our best to raise fun, loving and adventurous young men who will make a difference in their generation. 

I will love and kiss them as much as I can because they are just so darn smoochable! 

I hope 2013 has been a great start for you! Believing for great things for you and your families. 

Photo fun @ this years Christmas party!

Just a few pictures from our grown up Christmas party this year...

Pumpkin Patch tradition

Every year we head to the pumpkin patch with some of our dear friends. Our kids have all grown up together and are great buddies. Sadly, the Moniz family couldn't join us this year. They were missed.

 Froelich's

 Pue's

 Lundgren's

 Love my Biam!

Love this guy too! haha

1st field trip!

Chase and his preschool class at Sunbeam enjoyed a perfect fall day at the pumpkin patch. It was Chase's first field trip. So both of us were pretty excited. ;) As a Mom, I love watching him interact with his friends and learn new things. Every time the staff at Applebarn would ask a question Chase's hand would shoot up. Since he's tall they'd always notice him and pick him first and every time he'd say "I don't know." I couldn't help but smile. He has a wonderful relationship with his cousin Josiah and they love being in class together. He's also been extremely blessed with another little buddy named Carsten this year. Also in their crew is the adorable Miss Elizabeth. I love how she calls them "her boys". I'm so grateful he has these incredible kids in his life! It was a great day.