Christmas, Snow, Moving, and a Blessing!

I'm back! I know it's been quite a long break but I've had my reasons!

We spent a wonderful Christmas in Oklahoma visiting all our friends and family. I don't know how but I didn't get any pictures of my dad and Cindy :(





When we returned to New York we found not only 2 feet of snow waiting for us but we found that Santa Clause did not forget Dalton, Lyric, or Samara while we were away!

As soon as Christmas was over we started packing for the big move to our new house. We also played in the snow!


Well Dalton and Lyric did! Samara informed us she did not like the snow and was just as happy to stay inside and play on her slide. Unfortunately for her, the snow kept coming until we were all sick of it.
On January 14th we closed on our house and despite all the snow we moved on the 15th. Thanks to all our friends who helped us. It was a very busy and exhausting weekend. Needless to say our family spent the next 2 to 3 weeks recuperating as we all got sick right after we moved into our new house. No fun!! It takes a while for a family of five to get rid of the sick germ. We did get better and we spent the month of February slowly unpacking and settling in our new house. There is lots to do but we will eventually get there.

As if the move was not enough change for our family, we shared even bigger news with our kids in February. We are going to have a baby! I was a little nervous about how Dalton and Lyric would take it, but I shouldn't have been. I haven't seen two happier kids in my life! They could hardly keep the secret for 1 week and when we told them they could tell, well they told everyone who would listen. Samara was not so excited at first. She kept telling me that she was the baby but she has slowly warmed up and when you ask her where the baby is now she will say "mommy's tummy" or "in my tummy".
We feel so blessed to be expecting again! There is nothing like the anticipation of holding a gift from heaven. Our little bundle of joy will join us around September 7th. I'm finding being pregnant with 3 kids is quite a job. I had just started feeling better and was getting my energy back when I had a few complications and I'm now having a few days of bed rest. (No worries - baby is ok!) I think God was just trying to get my attention to slow down a little bit. If you know me, you know I have a really hard time with that.

So now you also know why I'm finally blogging. I'm bored! I have a post I want to do updating on each of the kids so....stay tuned! I will be back soon.

Home is Where the Heart Is

I'm going to post pics of Dalton and Lyric during their school spirit week but I haven't got the pictures transferred from my phone to the laptop yet. Sooooo... that will have to wait.



Did you hear?! We are buying a house here in NYC! We are so excited! Well as excited as you can be about moving in the middle of January! We were actually thinking about it this summer but nothing really seemed to catch our eye. Then a few months later a friend of ours texted us a picture of a house they saw in their neighborhood. It was really cute but from the outside it looked pretty small. I decided to look at it anyway and was surprised at how big it actually was. I'm not usually a fan of older things (including houses) but this house has such character! Anyway... after about 2 months of praying, discussing, praying, inspections, more praying, we have finally signed a contract. We should close sometime in January and we plan on moving in very soon afterward.The house has some work we want to do to but it will take some time and don't plan on doing anything but painting and putting in new carpet in 2 rooms when we first move in.
Here are just a few things I love about the house:

• The front yard is very cute with white iron fence.
• The back yard is even better. No grass - all cement! It has nice white privacy fence and a flower bed that runs along the fence with a very cute fig tree.
• The house has central AC (almost unheard of in NYC).
• The house was previously split into a two family home so it has 2 kitchens. The basement kitchen is our favorite and opens right up to the back door (seen above). Perfect for summer grilling! We plan to eventually get rid of the upstairs kitchen and use the room for something else.
  
• The house has plenty of room for our above average size of family. (4 bedrooms and 2 family rooms.) The kids will love all the new hiding places. They are running out of places to hide in our current location during hide and go seek!
  
• The house has lots of storage and a very large attic.
• We will have 2 bathrooms! Living in an apartment with 1 bathroom for a family of 5 is not always easy.
• We are just blocks away from our closest friends and one block away from our favorite park.
  

We are so blessed. God has always taken care of us and once again he has made a way for us. Buying a home in NYC is scary. It is nothing like buying a home in OK. We are amazed at the series of events that have taken place to even allow us to consider this.

I really wish we could skip over the month of January. I really dread moving especially in the cold of winter but I know that it will all be worth it when this house becomes our home! The Penland Bed & Breakfast will be open in June of 2011! All friends and family are welcome!

I'm So Thankful....

• I'm so thankful for my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It's by his grace and mercy that I wake up every morning, that I know I am forgiven, and that I am blessed beyond measure.

• I'm so thankful for my husband. I love him so much and feel blessed to be married to such a wonderful man and father.

• I'm so thankful for my children. Dalton, Lyric, and Samara are each so special in their own way. They make life wonderful and remind me to enjoy the small things.

• I'm so thankful for my parents. I'm thankful that they have always been there when I needed them and that I can still call them up with any problem I have. I'm also thankful that they each have wonderful spouses who I have grown to love dearly.

• I'm so thankful for my grandparents and Dustin's grandparents. I'm thankful to still have them in our lives and for the time we are have been and are able to spend with them.

• I'm so thankful for my church family and friends here in New York. They are truly family. It amazes me how you can meet some people in your life and just know that they were put in your life by God.

• I'm so thankful for our special friends in Oklahoma. They have been there through the good, the bad, and the ugly and they are still there.

• I'm so thankful for the health of my family.

• I'm so thankful that both my husband and I have good jobs. I'm thankful that we not only have jobs but that we enjoy what we do.

• I'm so thankful for God's provision. We have never wanted for food, shelter, or clothes. He has always provided.

I'm thankful for all this and so much more on this Thanksgiving Day. Happy Thanksgiving to All!

School Days

It has been a great school year thus far! Dalton is in 3rd grade and he loves his teachers. I think they love him too! Dalton tested so high in Math that he gets to be a part of Math Olympics every Wednesday during recess. Giving up recess to do math is pretty impressive! This year Dalton was able to choose one elective class. He chose drama and he is really excited about his performance as "Tex" in the upcoming Christmas program. I wonder if it was coincidence that he was chosen to be "Tex"!? Twice a week Dalton attends the after school's Tae Kwon Do classes. According to his Master, Dalton is excelling. This year seems to be much easier for Dalton. He is no longer the new kid and everyone knows he belongs to Mr. Penland. He has a good group of friends and he is slowly getting used to all the homework.
Lyric started Kindergarten this year. She was very nervous about this as she started Kindergarten last year and due to the changes in her life we found it was not the right time. She had nothing to worry about though. She has wonderful teachers and she has not had any problems this year. Lyric is known to bring a smile to everyone's face. Her favorite thing to do at school is play at the playdough table. Lyric is starting to read and wants to know how to spell everything. I remember when Dalton went through this stage. I'm glad to see that she is finally excited about learning. Lyric is not in the same class as her best friend Eliana, but they spend plenty of time together throughout the day!
Samara continues to stay with Iris at the school. She absolutely loves Iris and all her little friends. Samara is learning her colors, letters, and numbers. She can say her ABC's and can count to 12. It depends what day you ask her about colors if she knows them or not! lol
That's our school update. Next week is School Spirit week and I will be posting pictures of Dalton and Lyric all dressed up.

Last But Definitely Not Least

I really should catch up on Lyric's summer before its Christmas! I have been so busy/tired/really don't feel like blogging here lately. Lyric on the other hand is never too busy, never too tired, and always wants to do something fun! Seriously she asks me every single day, "Mom, what fun thing are we doing today?!" Her energy is exhausting but I wouldn't have it any other way. She makes me smile, laugh, and cry on a daily basis. I'm glad that she gave each of her grandparents a good dose of Lyric this summer. Lyric went to Oklahoma with Dalton and stayed 3 weeks before we came too. She had a great time but was definitely ready to come home. She later told me that I shouldn't have let her be gone for so long! I totally agree!

Lyric spends a lot of time with her best friend Eliana. They are best friends that love to fight if you know what I mean. They can't stand to be apart and can't stand to be together! Last year they were in the same class at school but this year they are in separate classes which seems to make their time together more fun!
This is a picture of Lyric on the 4th of July. Our friends invited us over. Their entire block closes the street for a block party. They rent a huge water slide that the kids absolutely loved!
Lyric's 6th Birthday party began with one of the things she loves the most....pony rides.
Yes...she is wearing a tiara. All princesses must have a tiara.
Lyric asked for a Ariel beach birthday party. We really couldn't disappoint so we drug cake, pizza, presents, and friends to the beach after the pony rides. It was a great afternoon.....sand and all!
Lyric got an Easy Bake and a purple guitar!



Lyric is a great sister. She plays well with Dalton and Samara. I love listening to her and Samara play with their baby dolls or playing dress up together. Lyric always wants to know why her hair is turning darker and she cracks me up when she gets upset that she doesn't have dots on her face. She can't wait to lose her teeth and just really wants to grow up so she can have a baby kitty! Lyric can tell a story about school that lasts an hour and she gets so excited when you mention anything to do with sweets.

It's hard to believe that Lyric is already 6. She was just 17 months old when she came to live with us. At that time in my life I needed her as much as she needed me. I'm so thankful for the laughter she has brought and continues to bring to my life.

Terrific Two!

My baby girl turned 2 this summer. It is so hard to believe. I have loved every minute of her and wish I could hold on to her sweet babyness just a bit longer. Unfortunately she seems just as determined to get BIG!

We had a watermelon birthday party a few days before Samara's actual b-day. Samara loves watermelon as you will see. Gotta love her facial expressions. She is definitely her daddy's girl!

Bubba and Sissy hanging out in the little pool.

Samara chowing down on some watermelon. The pizza remained untouched...watermelon is much yummier.

Playing in the big pool!

Cake!

Presents!

This was Samara's actual birthday. We saved her presents from us to open at home. She got a play kitchen and shopping cart. She was so excited to play with her babies in her new toys.

We had a team from Missouri visiting the church on Samara's actual birthday. So that evening we once again had watermelon and ice cream cake. As you can tell, watermelon was Samara's favorite!

I just love this picture of Samara and her best buddy Marcus sharing watermelon. They are so sweet with each other and I love that they are so close.

Me and my girl on the steps of the church. Happy 2nd birthday Samara!

Samara hit several milestones this summer. She moved from her crib to her big girl bed. We bought her a little tinker bell toddler bad as Lyric already had Tinker bell bedding and it went with the colors we already had in their room. She has done well in her new bed.
Another major milestone is that Samara is fully potty trained! She wears big girl panties all the time except for nighttime and has had very few accidents. She probably won't even wear pull-ups at night much longer as she is usually dry in the morning when she wakes up.
Samara spent 3 weeks as the only child again while Dalton and Lyric were back in OK. It was a good thing that we stayed busy with teams working at the church. She was lost when we were at home without them. She even started peeling the paint off of Dalton's door during that time. Above Samara in Time Square after visiting the Hershey's store. She is truly my child as we dragged her all over NYC working and sightseeing until all hours of the day and night and she totally loved it! She especially enjoyed all the attention she received from those visiting. Below Samara "working" while we were painting the sanctuary of our church.
Samara had her 2 yr checkup in July. She continues to be completely healthy. We are so grateful for this. Samara weighed 27 lbs and was 34 1/4 inches long which puts her at the 75th percentile for height and 54th for weight. Just perfect I think! No shots (YAY!) but they did some blood tests and she didn't even cry! She surprised her daddy and I when the Dr. asked if she knew her colors and we were both like "no" and she looked at her dress pointed at it and said "pink". Which it was! Little smarty pants!
Samara is much more timid around water than Dalton and Lyric ever were. By the end of summer she had finally gotten used to it and didn't cry as much. Usually once she was used to it she would have a blast. Above is her first carnival ride. We took the kids to the Greek Festival in our neighborhood one evening and I just knew she would start crying and screaming once the ride started to move. But wouldn't you know she was just fine with her Marcus by her side. Dustin said they looked like an old couple out for a Sunday ride! Marcus calls Samara "Mara" and it is just too cute!
Crazy hair or should we say daddy's hair! That's what everyone tells me anyway. It has finally really started to grow and we actually had to cut her bangs a few weeks ago because they were hanging in her eyes.
Here's a pic of me, Deidre, Samara, and Marcus at Sesame Place. As expected Samara was not overly excited about getting too close to any of the characters.

Daddy and Samara at Sesame Place.

Samara has definitely had her "2" moments. As her daddy says she has my curiosity and her mama's stubbornness. She loves testing her boundaries and to be quite honest sometimes its hard to place those boundaries when she can be so stinkin' cute. The best part though is that as she has gotten bigger so has her sweetness. Just tonight she kept telling me repeatedly in her sweet little voice "I Love You Mama" and giving me those precious kisses. I wish I could just bottle it up. There is nothing in the world that feels like those little hands around your neck. 2 is most definitely terrific!

8 is Great!

I can't believe the summer is gone and I didn't blog once! I'm a really bad blogger but I do want to catch up. We had so much fun over the summer. It seams like we never stopped. Since we celebrated 3 birthdays this summer, I want to dedicate a blog for each of the kids to let you know about their birthday and all the fun they had over the summer and how each of them are growing up.


Dalton's birthday came first. July 3rd he turned 8! We took a family trip with friends to Sesame Place. Dalton brought a special friend with him. We had a blast at Sesame Place. All the kids really enjoyed the rides and seeing all the characters. Dalton and his friend Kevin were able to ride the float during the Sesame Street Parade!

Dalton chose Chili's for his birthday dinner. Yum! We followed with a Hot Wheel Cupcake Cake.
Bubba and Sissy showing some sibling love! Dalton's favorite gift was his Nintendo DSI. We've had to put some major time limits on it!
Dalton and Elmo!
Dalton and his friend Kevin with Cookie Monster.
So what else did Dalton do this summer? He spent four weeks in Oklahoma and went for the first time to Kids Camp at Turner Falls. He was so excited about going to camp but I was so nervous. I kept telling him that he needed to remember to take a shower every day, etc.... because there would not be a momma there to tell him to always do those things! lol! Anyway he survived and had a really good time. We really missed him while he and Lyric were in Oklahoma. The house was really quiet without them. In August Dustin, I, and Samara traveled to Oklahoma to visit family and pick up Dalton and Lyric. I will hopefully post a separate blog about that trip. But I should note that Dalton went golfing with Dustin for the first time while in Oklahoma.

So we all returned home with about 1 month before school started back. During this time we did a lot of swimming which Dalton loves. He also spent lots of time with Dustin doing "man" things! Dustin let him stay up late with him one night to watch a UFC fight. I wasn't overly excited about that but I don't think Dalton lasted until the end anyway. He has really grown this summer and continues to mature out of the little kid stage. He is a great help and plays well with both of his sisters. He is a true saver and has saved over $70 from gifts and the tooth fairy this past year. Although he is a saver he is also very quick to offer to give his money for any need. This is the sweetest part of Dalton. He is always concerned about others. Dalton picked out a camouflage backpack and lunch bag to start 3rd grade. I don't know exactly why but maybe it is because they had an army theme at the kids camp he went to.

Dalton loves math and science and is already asking to go to space camp when he is old enough. He says he wants to be a pilot or astronaut when he grows up. Dalton also started learning to play the drums at church. He is still just a little bit small! Dalton had his eyes checked a few weeks ago and he no longer has to wear glasses to read. Woohoo! No more keeping up with glasses and fixing them with tape when he breaks them.

I'm so thankful for Dalton and his sweet nature. He is a blessing to our family. Looking forward to all the new things that come with being 8!