Sunday, August 17, 2008

Monday, August 11, 2008

Lots of stuff

Ok, this post is like FOREVER long!!! Hang in there though, I promise it will be worth the read! We've had lots going on, as usual. First we are happy to announce a new niece, Hannah Elyse to our family! She was born July 27th, weighing 8 lbs, 9 0z and 20.5 inches long. We are so happy for Barrett and Suzann and can't wait to meet our newest little niece when we go on vacation in September! Here she is! Isn't she beautiful?



Next, I just want to say thank you so much to everyone for your words of encouragement and your prayers as we pondered the whole "Paige going back to school" thing. We have definitely decided that I am for sure going. We have several job opportunites right now which will allow me a very flexible schedule so that I can take care of Hope and do my schoolwork. It will be a huge change for us (me mostly), but I am so excited. After much praying and seeking godly wisdom, we are sure that this is where God has us right now. Please pray for us as we delve into these new adventures that our eyes will be focused on the One who provides us with these amazing opportunties and that I won't be afraid of hard work!

Next, and another reason we desperately crave your prayers right now-we are starting a Mom's Morning Off program at our church and I am completely totally in charge! Woohoo! It is going to be an awesome ministry for our church and a great way to reach out to the surrounding communities as well. No other church in our area has a program like this, so we are hoping for some really good response. It won't be like an MDO. It will be held just Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and parents will have the option of how often they want to bring their kids. I think the flexibility of the program will do a world of good for those stressed moms that just need a little break! Please pray that God would do a mighty work through this program to reach out to our church and community.

Lastly, but certainly not least, Hope is FINALLY walking!!! I wouldn't say she's an expert walker yet, but she is most definitely on her way!! I got a video yesterday on my phone, but it is in MP4 format and I have no idea how to get it to play on my computer. Any ideas??? Here are a few pics of our sweet girl.

Drawing on our back porch with sidewalk chalk



Cuddling with some teddy bears


This past weekend we went to visit my mom in Marble Falls and got to play in the lake a little.








Stephen looks like he's really enjoying himself, huh?



We also got to see some horses!



Hope's hair (what little there is of it) afterwards. It was SO hot!!

Hope at Musikgarten

For the past three semesters Hope and I have participated in Musikgarten. This is basically a music class for babies and toddlers. The focus is to give young children a feel for rhythm, repetition, pitch, etc. while also incorporating visual and other sensory and motor skills. It has been SO fun and Hope has really enjoyed it. We have used rhythm sticks, sand blocks, shakers, hula hoops, scarves, and many other manipulatives as "instruments" to teach our babies about music. It has also been a great way to interact with Hope while also meeting other moms in our area. Unfortunately the lady that did the class accepted a full time teaching job this coming school year and won't have time to do Musikgarten anymore. :( We are sad about that, but hopefully we'll find some other ways to get out and involved this coming fall. If you moms are looking for a fun thing for you and your child to do, I really highly recommend Musikgarten. It has been so great for us. Here are a few pictures of our last "class".





Hope getting her "certificate of graduation" ;)



We will miss you Miss Shelley!!