I'm Thankful...

Before we begin our mad Thanksgiving rush to see all the family tomorrow, I wanted to jot down what I'm thankful for.....

*I'm thankful for God who has been with me throughout every situation this past year. He has never left me and has provided for my every need. I'm still learning to trust Him through every situation and as I learn to let go with every new circumstance I feel Him even closer than before.

*I'm thankful for my husband, Dustin. Every year we grow closer but I would say that the past year has been especially special for us. He makes me laugh! He lightens my step and makes me feel special. I get to see the tenderness he has for the children he teaches, the extra steps he takes for those who struggle in his class, and the worry he carries for each of his students. I am also thankful for the great father he has become. He has been the father that Dalton and Lyric have never had and he loves both of them and Samara so much.

*I'm thankful for Dalton and Lyric. They are both so special and a joy. I'm thankful for the sparkle in their eyes and the carefree spirit that they both have. A hug and kiss from them can cure anything!

* I'm thankful for Samara, my gift from heaven. Although our road has been rocky from the get go I know that God has her in the palm of his hand. She is strong and feisty and each smile she gives melts my heart. I am quickly realizing that each moment is precious because she is growing so fast.

*I'm thankful for both of my parents and their spouses. I'm thankful for the good relationship I have with all of them and that I am close enough to see them often.

*I'm thankful for my sister. I'm thankful for the progress she has made this past year. I'm thankful that we can still laugh together over silly things. I'm thankful that I will get to see her over the holidays.

*I'm thankful for the friends God has blessed me with. Friends that have been with me through the good and bad. Friends that I can call and will pray for me and my family. God has placed great friends in my life.

There is much more I am thankful for God has definitely blessed me. Life is not always what I thought it would be but because of God the blessings are so much more than I could ever imagine. Happy Thanksgiving!

Pictures, Pictures

I took Samara to get her pictures made yesterday. We also had Christmas pictures made of all three of the kids and my sister came along and had her little boys 1 year old pictures made as well. Needless to say we had a small enterouge and a very crazy day. To make a long story short, Samara's Christmas dress was stolen and now we are going shopping for a new one. I hope we can find the same one because I absolutely loved it. So I hope whoever got her dress really needed it. Here are some of Samara's pics. You will have to wait to see the Christmas pics when you get your Christmas Card!

Four Months

Samara is 4 months old today! She is growing and her personality is getting sweeter every day. We have had a tough week this past week. It began with Samara waking up Monday morning having seizure like movements again. We took her to the emergency room and needless to say she stayed 24 hours in the hospital so they could do an EEG to determine if she was having seizures. On Thursday we got the report that the EEG was totally normal. Yeah!!! No seizures. By process of elimination the dr's are pretty confident that she is having muscle spasms caused by her acid reflux. So we are trying new meds and now have a new GI specialist out of Children's Hospital that we are seeing. She seems to be a lot better than the previous specialist she was seeing. I'm learning this parenting stuff is oh so tough especially when your baby is sick and you can not make it better. I know this is just another place in my life where I have to learn to trust in God.
On Thursday Samara also had her 4 month check up. She weighs 12 lbs 2 oz and was 23 inches long. The Dr. said that despite her acid reflux, Samara is very healthy. She does not think that Samara will be tall! She is only in the 10th percentile for height. To top off Samara's great week she had to have 5 shots. It broke my heart:( Her little leg was so sore the next day. But by Saturday she was back to her happy self.
Here are some pics of her today! Happy 4 month birthday Baby Girl!

Halloween Fun!

We had a great time taking the kids trick or treating last night. We also stopped by the Baptist church and had hotdogs and let the kids play a few games. They had a blast. I don't know if they had more fun trick or treating or giving candy to the trick or treaters that came to our door. The kids ended the night on a sugar high playing with glow sticks that I had bought them.

Feisty Leopard


Mr. Incredible

Baby Leopard

My cute kids!

Samara & Ava ditched their costumes because it was to hot. Samara was tired and cranky by this point but Ava was all smiles! She was excited about her first Halloween!