How many ministers does it take to baptize a baby?

THREE!
Natalie was baptized on Sunday. My parents came in for the weekend and my dad baptized Natalie during our Sunday morning service at church. Take a look at the pictures...
It took ONE minister to read the questions from the book of church order, ONE minister to actually sprinkle her head with water (her Pap!), and ONE minister to hold the water....
It was a great morning- but it did strike me as funny that all these men in robes participated!!!

do you think she is tasting the water???

looks like it to me...

Photos from Jan. 07

J.D. built this tower... he did it himself...

My children love their Nana!

Isn't this the cutest 'stinker face' you have ever seen???

More of the tower...

bathtime fun... gotta have some of these to pull out when they are 16!

J.D. having his morning coffee with daddy!

The cousins (Jackson, J.D. and Natalie) playing with Uncle Steve and Aunt Barbie in Mamaw's living room.

Love this picture!

Okay... so maybe this is the best 'stinker face' ever!

Has it been a month since our last entry???

Why- yes! It has been over one month since our last blog update. Let's ponder what might have kept us from the computer... 1. Christmas! We had a lovely quiet Christmas here in Colorado Springs. And, for the first time in almost 20 years- there was snow on the ground in Colorado Springs on Christmas day- or so they say... with the amount of snow fall we have seen since we moved here- I think this city experiences snow amnesia from one winter to the next! I am not sure who was more excited about Christmas morning- the parents or the children. Jason and I were so excited to give J.D. his train table and to watch Natalie open presents that we almost woke them up so we could get started. Which in the end- might have been to our advantage- since we opened gifts ALL DAY LONG! Seriously- we opened gifts from 8:30am- 2pm and then from 8pm- 10:30pm (this session was more of mommy just opening the gifts and showing the kids...). I have attached some fun pictures of Christmas... like the kids waiting at the top of the stairs behind the gate, Natalie climbing the presents (yes, we had a small mountain of them), Natalie being fascinated with a very big box... she climbed it, chewed it, etc... all in an effort to get into it!, and so on! What else has been keeping us busy... oh yes... 2. Natalie is SO mobile! We are constantly on 'stair patrol'. I am not sure that I sit down while she is awake. She is on the move!!! I have stopped being able to talk on the phone while she is awake, I can't do much actually while she is awake... she is into everything! And, it is so fun! 3. Natalie is not sleeping through the night. No one really believed me... but I think my parents are now true believers since our last visit... where Natalie decided to fuss for hours on end for several nights!!! So, most of the time, I am decided between taking a nap or updating the blog... today- the blog won! 4. We went to visit Nana and Pap and Mamaw in Cincinnati. Mamaw had her hip replaced.. so I took care of her while my mother took care of the kids. It was a win-win for all involved! Mamaw is a stellar patient- she is recovering so well- everyone is so impressed. And, my mother should start a blog with all the stories she has of the week with the kids. And, I love my kids- yet, I am thoroughly grateful for some much needed time off from being a mommy. Hope you enjoy the pictures from our last month!!! Carrie


Natlie and Mommy on Christmas morning... the toy wiggles, giggles and snorts!

Natalie loved Christmas!

Remember when boxes were so entertaining???

Who needs toys when there are boxes, tissue paper, ribbons and bows?

I tried (and failed) to take a picture of the kids and Jason all dressed up on Christmas Eve... you can see why we gave up!



See all the pieces on the floor... I am sure this is the first of many Christmas Eves that Jason will have a construction project!

Kids on Christmas morning!

Although the picture is a little fuzzy... you can see our precious little girl scaling the mountain of presents!

J.D. and his John Deere tractors! We play and play and play with these!

J.D.'s 2nd Birthday

J.D. turned 2 today! I can't believe that I have a two year old. He is so fun... I always thought that I loved babies the best... but this year from 1 to 2 has been so much fun. He has learned so much- gotten to be such a great participant in our family- and continues to surprise us every day.
Today, we started with cupcakes for breakfast, followed by opening gifts from mommy and daddy (okay, next year, EVERYONE needs to play along with the birthday move... remember we are going to officially celebrate on 6/23 from now on...), followed by making gingerbread houses with our new friend Garrison (ate more candy than actually got on the house), took long naps and then went out for pizza.
It was a great day. And, I think we have started some fun new traditions- cake for breakfast and gingerbread houses with friends!
Here are some pictures from our wonderful day!

Future Mountain Climber

Our Miss Natalie has learned how to climb stairs. She is quite the independent child. Last night, we were getting dinner ready... and I heard a distinct LACK of sound from Natalie. So, I started to look for her. It seems that she had made her way up the stairs by herself... no one watching (yes, we have put in our application for Parents of the Year). Here are some pictures from tonight (12/23) of her an her new great skill. She is actually very teachable and has learned to come down on her belly- she is into the sliding motion- so it works out well.

Mispronunciations and Cute Phrases

Here are some of J.D.'s latest:
1. Tandy... means Candy
2. Beanas... means bananas
3. Tow... means Snow
4. Natawee... means Natalie
5. Go Tour... means go the the store
6. Trick Treat... means give me candy (seems to have held onto this one from Halloween)
7. Toffee Take... means anything sweet for breakfast (i.e. Coffee Cake)
8. Musa on... means Music On (for nap time, bed time, anytime)
9. Sok Off... means Socks Off... the child has hot, sweaty feet already... oh, Lord!
10. Shoe On... means let's go somewhere
And our most recent favorite:
11. Diat Pepi... means Diet Pepsi... I think his Nana taught him this

Another Blizzard

Yes, we had another blizzard. Two within 3 months is pretty crazy. But, we survived. Here is what got us through: 1. Heat! Thank the Lord for a roof over our heads and a job that pays the heating bills. 2. Hot Chocolate and Christmas cookies. 3. Beer, wings and movies from Blockbuster (Devil Wears Prada and Invincible). 4. Kids that wear themselves out in the snow and go to bed by 7pm! Woo-hoo. 5. A hubby that loves the outdoors so much he shoveled our driveway and our neighbors driveway. 6. A desperate trip to Target last night... just to "see people" as J.D. puts it! 7. Christmas music, 24/7 on the local radio station (and a new CD from my mother) 8. J.D.'s cutie-pie antics (more on that later) 9. Natalie eating snow off of her fingers... I think it is the first time I actually let her touch it. 10. Flannel Sheets! All is well here... it snowed sideways on Wednesday, snowed like a winter wonderland on Thursday and today we were out and about without coats on- incredible!


Does this look a little out of place??




Yes, Mamaw, I got him new snow boots!

Thanksgiving Adventure

The day after Thanksgiving we loaded the kids in the car for a grand Colorado roadtrip. We were in the van (God Bless the DVD Player) for 12 hours. Yet, we were only about 2.5 hours from home at the furthest point out. We saw beautiful mountains, snow, ski slopes, ski villages, etc. We saw the Collegiate Peaks in Buena Vista, CO. Then, headed north through Leadville (yes, like in the Broadway play The Unsinkable Molly Brown), stopped at Copper Mountain, had dinner in Breckenridge, drove through South Park (yes the crude TV program is based out of there) and then headed back home under a blanket of stars that was the most incredible I had ever seen. Here are some pictures of what we saw: