FUN TIMES! Longgg post!

Here are some pictures of the things we have been up to lately:

Drs Appointment at Aaron's new pediatrician, Dr. Benton, with his good friend Cori Belle.

It was like having twins...

and everyone who saw us assumed they were twins ;0)

They were very cute together.

And patiently explored the waiting room before we went in.

We also celebrated Quinn's first birthday with our beloved MicroChurch last month

The amazing cake that Krystle made!

Quinn's monkey smash cake (which Krystle also made) is here. If you are interested in buying a cake from Krystle, here is a link to her facebook page: Krystle Rose Seidel

Yummy!

Joey and Sydney

Aaron loves him some vanilla rice milk

Happy Birthday to you Quinn!

My little "Nephew" was dedicated to the Lord at First Assembly of God too last month!

Love this family :0)

Sweet boy fast asleep

Our boy loves his daddy

Enjoying my new Sweet Potato Muffin recipe

This is why I rarely work on new recipes...

Crazy mess, but good results! These are the yummy Mini Muffins.

Aaron is a big help around the house lately. He loves to use the swiffer and since it picks up dog hair it is a genuine help!

Getting ready for Easter I could not resist putting some bunny ears on my boy as we walked through Target the other day.

Aaron is a boy after his father's heart. He loves to play outside and in the photo bellow he is in the play tower in our yard.

I needed to get a few things for summer and got some great deals! This is the new stuff I bought from Children's Place, but the best deal I found was on ebay. 13 shirts used by only one child in a family with no pets and no smoking all from Children's Place, some new with tags, for $13 including shipping! We are all ready for summer now!

Another fun event was our friend Mr. Caleb's 30th Birthday at a lake house! It was a lot of fun!

Aaron and Claire Bear are having a great time trying to get bean bags into the Cornhole game!

My two favorite boys. The most handsome guys around!

We enjoyed a family nap one Sunday afternoon. Pictures like this, well, times like this... I can't believe how good the Lord is to us. Thank you Jesus for this family, for this life you have given us. Thank you that you sent your Son so that we could truly LIVE!

This outfit is from Papa Steve and it makes Aaron look like an old fashioned life guard, but man is he a handsome boy either way! Cracks me up to see him in this.

The Alachua County Splash Pad is a VERY fun and totally free place to cool off on a hot day! Aaron loves the water.

Our play date last week was a pool trip! So much fun! I don't have pictures from the pool yet, but here are the kids ridding in Ms. Julie's awesome wagon!

We ran a 5k last weekend to help raise money to bring awareness to and fight human trafficking and the sex slave trade. You would not believe how big this problem is today. It was a lot of fun and for a worthy cause. The organization has a facebook page, here is the link: FIGHT.

Camden was dedicated to the Lord at First Assembly of God too last month! He is such a little cutie! Love that boy.

Then we celebrated Camden's big brother's birthday at the park! Aaron thoroughly enjoyed the pizza!

He also got a turn with the piñata! Somehow he knew exactly what to do.

And then we collected the goodies!

My friend Sarah started this garden and Rachel and I have been plotting (no pun intended) our own gardens too...

So I went shopping...

And planted a tomato plant and a blueberry bush in a pot...

And put together a 4X4 raised bed...

And planted seeds in little pots: artichoke, leeks, and spinach. I'm so excited for them to sprout!

Rachel and I got a joint Sam's Club membership the other day and couldn't help but snap a picture of the boys hanging out in the cart.

Aaron's new passion is tents! He loves to play Peek-A-Boo and loves to hide in the curtains or anything he can find, so one afternoon we built a tent in the living room with a large sheet.

Another day we just used the kitchen table and a table cloth.

My little man loves his cool shades now

What a stud!

In addition to my mini-muffin-making, gardening, cloth diapering, etc. I got a bread machine to boot! I bought it for $12 at a thrift shop and it is GREAT! I found a Rosemary Bread recipe online and threw in the ingredients. I set the digital display to "light" [crust] and hit start! That's ALL I did and in 2 hours and 40 minutes when I got home from running errands there was delicious home made bread waiting for us!

Aaron was a big fan! As was daddy, but I only snapped a shot of Aaron enjoying the results!

Had to add in one last shot--- this is what Aaron and I did while the bread cooked... obviously a bread maker is the way to go! Doesn't that look like heaven? Love this boy!

Today is Tuesday! A Teaching Tuesday!

Psalm 23
The LORD Is My Shepherd
A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

(O Lord! This means that today, on this Tuesday I have everything I need! I am satisfied. I shall not want. "It's all good.)

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.

(I have learned that in reference to a sheep being shepherded, they will not lie down unless they are completely peaceful and comfortable. Thank you Jesus that this is your promise to us! Supernatural comfort when it should not be so!)

3 He restores my soul.

(Mmmmm, wonderful!)

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

(The rod and the staff are disciplinary measures. How is it that the discipline of the Lord is so good! The rod is also used to comfort us and protects us, to mark us as His own sheep. Even as death is looming over us (casting a shadow on us) we can be fearless because the Lord is the Shepard who watches over us at all times!)

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

(A Table- a place of peace and rest and feasting-- who does this while surrounded by enemies? While David is being followed and hunted down... Only someone with the peace of the Lord can eat a sit-down-meal at a time like this. Not fast food, but a "table." Thank you Lord!)

you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

(You not only fill our cup Lord. You not only give us what we need, you overflow us with your goodness and spirit!)

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

(the translated word for "follow" here was more like "hunt down" or "pursue." We will be pursued by goodness and mercy? Hallelujah! And dwell in Your house forever Lord! Amen!)

((Shout out to Pastor Mike Pats at First Assembly of God for his amazing sermon on this Psalm))

Just one of those days...

Monday nights are not always my favorite... Usually I get to spend them discipling an amazing young women named Heather, but tonight she is out of town and I'm just hanging out at the house... which would be fine except that it was a long day and I hung out at home for all of it (except for a brief run with the little guy and Rach). It was not the worst day because Rachel and Ari came and hung out while I cleaned and played with my little guy, that is always nice! Then I got to practice having two babies for a little while Rachel went to an appointment. It wasn't too bad since they just took turns napping for a good amount of the time. But then I got poop on my rug among other things (long story--- just don't assume your little nephew didn't poop just because it doesn't smell!). I cooked and Joey popped in for a meal with the fam, but he was out the door within the hour for some night golf on his night out. I'm glad he got his night out, but I don't feel great about being alone at the end of a long day... it makes me feel so lonely! Ok... ready to stop complaining.

Utah was really great! Here are some pictures of the festivities!

I really love being a family. My hubby is a great dad! We took Aaron to the park the other day, we've been trying to go more often now that he is big enough to walk and play!

My handsome boy at the Doctors office... though now we are on to a new one! Hope we are making the right decision!

Moving at the Speed of Light

Man! Life is a whirlwind! It has been a while so lets catch up. After New Years Carlos moved in for a month, almost two. It is so nice to have him around!

We celebrated Aaron's first birthday and his dedication to the Lord on the weekend of February 4th and it was wonderful! Everyone came into town to participate.

I have had all kinds of tests done. I had a weird complex migraine situation going on in January, so now I have had ultrasounds, an MRI, a heart monitor, etc. to be sure that it was not in face a small stroke (though I'm sure it wasn't). I'm thankful for modern medicine, but MAN I am ready to be done with doctors for a while.

Little man is going in for allergy testing on Monday, pray that it will be smooth. I'm sad to think of him having blood drawn... no way he's just going to sit still and hold out his arm like mommy does, so I hope it goes alright.

We leave for Utah on Thursday of next week! I am so excited! We have been praying for a long time now that the plane ride will be good for Aaron both ways, but if you think of it, send it up to the Big Man as a request for us please.

Aaron is so smart! He just amazes me. It is so funny to hear him trying to have a conversation at lunch while chomping on his food like a big boy. Then watching him walk around with this baby body moving like a toddler... it's crazy!

Rachel and I have finally began our long awaited quest for joint housecleaning and exercise! We are doing "Couch to 5k" and going to the gym often! It's so wonderful to be active again! I have really missed the blessing of exercise!

Today I am meeting up with my favorite play group at the mall for some lunch, play time, and Picture People photography! Should be a great afternoon!