Still here . . .

We have been taking advantage of the wonderful weather every chance we get. We haven't forgotten about you. The kids are very excited about Grandma Maxine's visit next week. I will make sure we post pictures of her visit. We are baking bread weekly and treats for Dad and his office mates. (Grandma Wilson had a recipe for honey-wheat bread and I don't have the recipe. If anyone out there has it please email it to me.) The kids love wheat bread with honey and butter. More good news, we've finally picked a curriculum for the kids' home schooling. We are going to use a book called The Well Trained Mind, which is based on a classic cirriculum. Please pick up a copy from your library and tell us what you think. We are very excited. The kids are also enjoying thier Brainquest flashcards and lots of art time and lots and lots of outdoor time.

We are getting things ready for little sister's birthday and she is starting to get very excited about it. I can't believe she will be 2 this month! Yikes, where did the time go. Big brother is learning his letters and is really wanting to learn to read. We are still heading out to the library 2 or 3 times a week to restock our books and dvds. The park is right across the road from the library so it makes for an easy, fun outing for the kids -- and they take good naps for me! The kids are also very excited about going to the farmer's market on saturdays, the produce is cheaper and much better. And I'm happy for them to pick the vegetables that they want to eat this week. We are looking forward to spingtime and the herb and flower seedlings that will be at the farmer's market.

Hopefully I will have time to break out the sewing machine this weekend and get some stitching done! I have aprons at the top of the list for this weekend. Those I will definitly post pictures of.

We're back! And better than ever!

Well, the title may be a slight exaggeration but we are back at the very least. We have completed out move to Maryland and are trying to get settled into our new home. It is a very nice townhouse. The kids are loving it here except for all the mosquitos. I'm hoping to have all of the unpacking done in the next few weeks. We decided to give Big Brother a break on schooling because of all the changes and moving, etc. He is really getting excited about going to the library and actually wants to go everyday. He "reads" books to his sister and the cat both of whom seem completly oblivious to his efforts. Little Sister is trying really hard to be completely independent, which is a challenge for the rest of us. Russ is loving his job and that makes everyone happier. I'm hoping to have my sewing room/guest room organized soon because I'm itching to get back to sewing!

We are moving -- again!

We will be moving in with a friend until Russ finds a new job. My cell phone only works when it feels like it so please email us if you need anything. Please keep sending us your love and prayers.

Prayers

We are sending out our prayers and positive thoughts to all of our friends and family in Bastrop County. We love you guys and hope you are safe. Please send us an email or leave a comment to let us know you are safe!

What Daddy does after a long day of job searching!

Sometimes daddies just need to "horse around"! We are still here and still hanging on. Russ has a job interview in Houston on Friday, 2/13. We are asking everyone we know -- please pray for us and send us all your positive thoughts.

Jillian likes blackberries. Alot! By the end of breakfast she was covered in them! Head to toe. Did I mention she was very, very messy!!??

And Charlie is my pancake loving boy! If given the choice he would eat pancakes everyday. He's also a big fan of cream of wheat, but don't forget the brown sugar! I can't believe he's already going to be 4, well next month he will be. I just feel like I blinked and the years just flew by. We'll keep you all posted on the interview in Houston. Please don't forget us in your prayers and positive thoughts. You all are in ours! And a special shout out to those of you from story time, Charlie asks everytime we go to the library if his friends are going to be there!

Yeah for Spagetti!!

We love spagetti around here. I always try to make sure we have plenty on hand for days when we are just to tired to make something that takes too much work. And it's very cheap! What more could you ask for? Cheap, easy and the kids love it.

We are still on the hunt for a job. We know things will get better and we appreciate all of your warm thoughts and prayers, keep them coming! We miss all of you alot and you are in our thoughts!

Refletions on a very tough year

Wow, is it already 2009. Well, almost! This year has been the thoughest one I think I've ever had. Having two small children and not know where we were going to end up living and what we were going to do about a job. People always say, "I don't know how you do it, I don't know what i would do." Really, I don't know that I've done anything at all. I just keep going for my kids. They need me and I can't let them down. There are two mottos we use around our house:
1. Keep moving forward. (from Meet the Robinsons)
2. Keep calm and carry on. (from a WWII poster)
There really isn't much else you can do. Well, really you could give up but then what??

Anyway, something I'm working on is reflecting on how lucky I have been and how happy we are as a family. This lady has a good take on it: http://simplemom.net/new-years-eve-questions/ . It is simply a list of questions to ponder over. Try it and see where you end up.

In a strange way I think that Russ gettting laid off, the first time, helped us as a family so much. You really get a chance to learn what's important to you and what is just filler. He always says that he feels lucky to have spent so much time with the kids and I love the fact that he missed them so much when he was working. Also, we really pulled together. It is so easy to lay blame and say mean things but what good does that really do you at the end of the day. One thing that helped me, besides my wonderful friends and family, was finding other families who are going through the same thing we are. Seeing how other people deal with the struggle and the joys is helpful.

We are hoping that everyone has a safe and wonderful New Years Eve and a blessed New Year.