Happy 1/2 Birthday.

Today is Reeve's 6 month birthday, or his 1/2 birthday as I like to call it. I made him a 1/2 birthday cake and Trinity made him some very messy cupcakes. We celebrated with a big party with our favorite people and closest loved ones.
What is Reeve up to?
He is rolling, still crying, sleeping much better, eating solids 3 x a day and laughing a lot more. He is getting his first 2 teeth.

For those of you wondering why you weren't invited to his party it is because there wasn't one. I am just making sure I got readers here people! HA!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

I know, it is so early in the season but this mama is a planner! There is no way I would survive long Santa lines with 3 wild kids so, I went early and checked it off my list. Ho Ho Ho!

Did You Do This?

Did you do this at Thanksgiving at school when you were a kid?

I do not remember much from this age, but I do remember making my Indian dress and headband and doing a little show at school. I remember my dress being a paper bag though. They have come a long way.

Trinity had a Thanksgiving Feast at school. They sang sounds about God and then had a large feast for their class and any visitors. Eddie's parents came to watch and participate. Thankfully they did because they were a *huge* help with the boys. I was able to watch the performance without worrying about the little ones. That was priceless!

Happy Thanksgiving.

This is the time of year I love to look back at all I am thankful for and make a list. It is hard to remember each month but there are some things that are unchanging, or eternal you may say. I am most grateful for my salvation. Jesus is still my #1 love. I am grateful for His Grace.
My husband: This post is not long enough to list all the things I am grateful for in our relationship. I am blessed with a happy marriage, a loving relationship and the certainty that we will be together forever.
My kids: I am most thankful they are healthy and happy. I try my best to contribute to both.

Moments/Events/Experiences/Memories of Thanksgiving:
January: 20 week ultrasound of Reeve shows a healthy and happy baby!
We watched Eddie's sister and brother-in-law get baptized.

February: Eddie took Trinity to their first Daddy/Daughter dance.
We put our condo on the market and crossed our fingers.

March: Trinity celebrated her 4th birthday at Pump-it-Up.
We took her to see her first Broadway show, Mary Poppins. It was great!

April: After a nasty case of vertigo and a scary MRI, I got a clean bill of health!
Despite a nasty fever, I made it to see Rent for the 5th or 6th time and loved every second of it.

May: We celebrated 7 years of marriage! Two days later we celebrated to birth of our 3rd child, Reeve Rafael. Luckily 2 weeks before, we took a Chicago vacation and celebrated silence at the Park Hyatt and dinner at Spiaggia.
Oh, and we sold our condo and bought our current home.

June: Eddie took Trinity to the Oz Ball which may have been her favorite event of the year.
My family visited from Arizona. There was a lot of help packing and baby cuddling.
We closed on our condo and were left without a dwelling. We are so thankful for friends that let us stay in their home.

July:Trinity did a summer program with her best friend and had a blast. She also did VBS at church. Although we were not in our home, we were thankful to have one last month in the city enjoying the Chicago summer and all there was to do.

August: We moved into our new house! YAY, a yard, legroom, an attached garage!
Trinity started preschool and cheerleading. Everett enjoyed running all day, every day in the backyard.

September: We had a housewarming party, a reunion, birthday partys, unpacking. We had a lot going on but so thankful to be surrounded by such great things and people.
Everett celebrated his 2nd birthday with an airplane party at our new house.
He decided he wanted to start talking and has been non-stop ever since.
Reeve cardiologist appointment went well and his heart murmur is nothing to worry about.

October: I joined a moms' group at a local church and am starting to get connected with new friends.
Pumpkin Fest, Fall Fest, Pumpkin Patch, Apple Orchard, oh my!
Reeve is rolling over!
We all survived the flu!

November: We dedicated Reeve!
Trinity had her Thanksgiving Feast at school and says she is thankful for her stuffed animals. :0)
I sit and write this list in tears of all the great memories and opportunities we had/have. They have come and gone in a blink of an eye.

Futbol

Trinity has joined soccer. She really enjoys it. Not sure if it because she enjoys the sport or that Daddy is her coach. She plays great when she has family come to watch her. If not, she tends to get really tired and wants to sit down. She is fast running up and down the court but stops right in front of the ball and won't kick it. Good thing it is not a competitive league. :0

Thank You God!

On November 8, we dedicated Reeve to the Lord.

A note on baby dedication: There's no greater moment when parents sense that children are a gift from God. In these joyful moments, pastors have the privilege of sharing how parents can express their full appreciation to God through baby dedication. While some Christian churches baptize babies, our church dedicates babies and lets baptism be a personal choice for the child when they are old enough to make that decision.

Children are a gift from God. Psalm 127:3 proclaims that "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him." As believers we are called to recognize that children belong first and foremost to God. God in his goodness gives children as gifts to parents. They not only have the awesome responsibility of caring for this gift, but also the wonderful privilege of enjoying the gift. Because children belong to God and are given by grace as gifts to parents, it is only proper and appropriate that children be dedicated back to God.

We were asked to pick a verse for Reeve to present during the dedication. I had his verse picked out before he was even conceived:

For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him.

1 Samuel 1:27

Reeve was greatly prayed over. We desired another child for our family and prayed and prayed that God fulfill our heart's desire. God has been faithful and has indeed richly blessed us. That is evident through the amazing children He has given us. Words are too little to describe His love and grace. We catch glimpses of it through our children's eyes.

Reeve's Auntie Abby (Eddie's sister) is his godparent and has taken on the challenge of being his prayer partner which means she will be praying for him daily for at least the next year. She wrote to most beautiful prayer for him which she prayed over him during the dedication:

Dear Heavenly Father,

We present Reeve Rafael to you this day, that you protect him in his play, his sleep, his night and day. I pray that as he grows older as a boy and a man, he will live a life for you. I pray that he will grow up to be on fire for you and that he preaches your word, prays and reads the Bible, and most importantly, loves you. I pray that whatever he says and does will serve you and that anything that tries to interfere with Reeve's relationship with you, you will bind it. Protect him in every way. I pray that as a kid and adult, he will make good decisions that honor you.

Amen.

Amen!

I Love This Picture of Reeve

Park Day

Trunk or Treat

We extended Halloween by visiting our friend's church and doing some trunk-or-treating. The body of the church decorated their trunks with different themes and passed out candy. It was a day they got to wear their costumes once more and also it was more pleasant of a day to be outside.

Halloween

The Ice Princess

The Astronaut The Pilot The Gang
The Fun
The Loot