Her Whole Life Has Been Blogged...

And now she is 20 months old! I started blogging when Ainsley was about 8 weeks old and I went back today to look at some of those old posts and definitely teared up. All three of our kiddos are getting.so.BIG!!! This past month has been especially fun because sweet Ainsley finally began walking! She is cruising all over the place now and both Andrew and I keep saying that we are totally addicted to watching her walk. It is so fun! Ainsley is still our sweet little baby in so many ways, but she is proving herself "toddler ready" all the time. She is into everything taking things apart just to try and put them back together again, she is my little helper and will follow me around all day "helping". She still has her lamby and blanket every where she goes and the connection with her big bro and sis grows stronger as she gets bigger. LOVE watching them play together and take care of her!! She loves people and talking and we know that she is definitely going to be the little exhorter of the family. It is so precious how she cheers everyone on throughout out the day. She loves dancing and clapping to music and I love how music makes her whole face light up. Her smile is contagious!

We can usually find Ainsley in the pantry digging through the recycled stuff or the trash can. She is quite the explorer these days.

This is a silly pic of her laughing and having a good time. What a sweet face! I can't believe that we will be planning her 2nd birthday in just a couple of months!

Snow Days Part 2

Here are some more pics from our snow weekend experience last weekend:

THIS is what we woke up to - 12 inches of snow!! AMAZING!!

A picture of our snowy street.

We are all ready to play outside again!! (And probably more excited b/c they know what to expect. :)

Ainsley was interested in the snow at first, even kinda liked it...

LOVE those rosy cheeks!!

This boy was having a blast!

...then she was done with the "fun" in the snow!

Snowball fight!

LOVE these two boys!!



What a great weekend, but can I just say that I am done.with.the.cold!! It is supposed to snow again up here this week and I am not excited about it. I am a warm weather girl myself. :) Thanks for reading!

Thankful Thursday - My Sister

Today my little sis got on a plane and flew to Virginia to begin a journey that she has waited so very long to take. She is about to become an IMB (International Mission Board) missionary through a program that they offer called Journey man. I have been an emotional basket case all day (because of her and b/c my hubby is in mediations right now regarding the future of FBC Anna's worship facility.) When I think about this incredible desire that Suzanne had as a jr. high student to go to a different country and serve the Lord and how she has waited oh so patiently on Him to send her out, I just tear up every time. If you have never had the privilege to meet my sis, I will tell you that she is one of the most AMAZING people in the WORLD and I know that I am more than blessed to have her as a sibling and a best friend. She has always been way wiser than her age and so mature, such a deep thinker about godly things and someone that people are just drawn to because of her integrity and character. She is one of the happiest/positive people I know with such a servant's heart. All she desires is to glorify God in all she does. (Seriously! She is this amazing!!:)

I am so anxious and excited about what the next year has in store for Suzanne. In a selfish way I totally don't want her to leave. I need her!! BUT I also know that the Lord has called her to serve Him in this way and who am I to try and stop it? I have full confidence that He will place her right where He desires for her to be and that He will use Suz in a mighty way for His kingdom. I am just so thankful that my sister is my very best friend and that we have more crazy and funny memories together than I can count. She has always been there for me. ALWAYS. And this weekend I will daily be on my knees as she is in Virginia taking her next steps in her journey with Him. I couldn't be more proud of my sweet sis! Will you join me in praying for Suzanne this weekend and in the months to come? Little sis - you are dearly loved!!

SNOW!!

Last week was so much fun for our family! It snowed almost 12 whole inches over a 2 day period and broke all kinds of DFW records. This is definitely one of the fun aspects of living in north Texas! The kiddos had barely eaten breakfast and they were begging to get bundled up to go and play in the snow. It took me forever to find all the snow gear (it really is difficult to get 3 kids "snow ready"), but we were out there as fast as possible. :) Here are some pics of our morning:

Here is the crew the 1st day. I think Daddy was the most excited! ;)

Ainsley didn't quite know what to think about our winter wonderland, but she was a good sport - for about 15 minutes. :)

This kiddo was having a BLAST!

Audrey was very much into building her 1st ever snowman. It was precious to watch how hard she was working at collecting the snow!

And here is the final product. They were so proud of their "toddler snowman" as Daddy called it. They are saying YAY in this pic. :)

I am so glad that they are going to have a memory like this! Snow days are so fun!

Valentine Cuties

Valentine's Day this year as you all know was on a Sunday which are CRAZY days for our family, but somehow I managed to get some quick pics of our little sweethearts on our way out the door for church. Such sweet blessings!!

Love it when I can get all 3 of them to smile! Believe me! It is hard work! :)

Thankful Thursday - SHE DID IT!!

We are so thrilled to announce that Ainsley at the age of 19 1/2 months took her first steps this week!! It has been quite a journey getting our sweet little girl to walk (she didn't even start crawling until 14 months old) and some days we honestly wondered if she would ever get to this stage. It has been such a fun week for our family all cheering Ainsley on in her new fun talent (watch the video below. :) Here are also some fun pictures from the day after she opened up this new world of discovery.

This is a pic of the night she took her first steps. She actually was sick and running fever all day that day, but she was motivated and we went for it! :)

Walking with Audrey's stroller (that doesn't hold her up.)

Sweet sisters - Audrey loves that Ainsley can now play with her in a new way. I can't wait to watch their relationship blossom even more in the days to come!

I seriously have been waiting to be able to take a picture of the girls playing like this (Austin was at school when I took these pics). How cute is Ainsley's little Lamby?!

And here she is!!

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us during the last 6 months. Ainsley's physical therapist kept telling us that walking was going to have to be her idea to get up and walk and she was going to do it in her own timing. (Boy, was she right!!) We are just thrilled that we are moving forward and the anxiety of this for our little girl is over. Ainsley, here's to many more adventures and discoveries!! We love you so much and are sooo proud of you!!

Thankful Thursday - My Favorite People!

As many of you know, I am one proud mommy and wife and I love to show off my family on my blog. They are my world and today especially, I am so thankful for my 3 kiddos and my sweet hubby. Andrew and I leave tomorrow for a special weekend in the piney woods of Texas and I already know that I am going to miss my 3 little munchkins a ton. We just don't spend too many nights away from them and as Austin would put it - "We like being a family." So, thanks for letting me brag a little more about these amazing people the Lord has placed in my life. :)

Austin had an Art Show at his school last week. It was so fun to see some things he made in his class. Here he is beside "his piece". He chose to call it - "Chuggington Dogs". Chuggington is a new Disney show about trains that he is really into these days and the dogs part is of course the subject we discuss every day with him - getting his own dog one day. This kiddo cracks me up! At the art show we were handed a packet where the teachers described each student (or artist). Here is what Austin's teachers had to say about him: "Austin is a passionate artist. He likes bold colors that make an impression." Ummm - YES! That description pretty much sums my first born up! :)

How adorable is this sweet girl?! This is the new rain coat that Andrew bought Audrey. She was so excited to get a "special gift" from her daddy. She walked around all day like this. It was too cute! This girl LOVES her daddy and LOVES being dressed up as a princess (as she calls it). We have a very special surprise for her 3rd birthday next month!! (We are going to Disney World!! Shhh! ;)

All I have to say is look at those dimples!! (And it looks like she has also inherited the Mauritzen-front-teeth-gap. Sorry kiddo. :) Ainsley is almost 20 months old and she is in full toddler mode getting into everything (purses, bags, drawers and the trash are her favs) these days. She is sooo curious about everything! I love watching her mind work as she processes how to put something together OR take something apart. Ainsley is persistent and we call her a little scrapper all the time. I guess you have to be when you are the youngest. :)

Austin and Audrey help Daddy all the time in the kitchen. I walked in the other day to see this. I just love how they pulled the stools into the kitchen to "help". Daddy is by far every one's favorite person in our home. When I say that he is the center of what this family is all about that is an understatement! All four of us can't wait until he comes home each night. It will never get old hearing the kids scream "Daddy's home!" and run to the front door to greet him. I am such a blessed woman!

And this is just a cute pic of the kiddos watching a movie one night last week. They get so excited about our movie nights. These simple family times are the best!

A-Team - Mommy and Daddy love you so much! We are going to miss you guys this weekend, but we know you are going to have so much fun with Nana, Papa and Grandma. Be good! ;)