We're moving!

In a few more ways than one! We are moving out of the apartment in a few weeks and will be spending the remainder of our homelessness bouncing between both our parents houses. We are hoping to move into our new house the beginning of March! I will still be able to blog and post pictures during this transition time. Secondly, we are moving blogs! It's about time I changed from "atleyandavery.blogspot.com" to something that fits the entire family. We will now be at www.4godbetheglory.blogspot.com. Everything will be the same over there. My same attempt to update as much as possible, my lack up updating, and my constant stories about our crazy nomad lives :) Stories such as this: While typing this the girls are "trying" to nap - something that has been HARD since we've moved into the apartment. They are sharing a queen bed, in a room with no curtains and full of sun, and lets face it...they are still 2! After much screaming, I finally decided to go in and check on them, Avery was on top of the play refrigerator standing up! We are anxious for their new room, which they will still share, that will be big enough for two twin beds!
again, our new blog is www.4godbetheglory.blogspot.com
i'm signing off, so long to this blog!
Shelly :)

Baby, It's COLD outside!

We took Phillip to work this morning and it was 25 degrees outside, freezing wind and snowing. We all had on our winter hats and ran to the car. What better excuse for Starbucks drive through right? Needless to say, we are staying home the rest of the day, making cookies for our cookies exchange at MOPS on Friday, and trying to come up with creative ideas to pass the time. Anybody got any?


Canon and I the other day, he had an animal cracker in his mouth :) This boy is the sweetest thing. Last night he went with Phillip to a big basketball game with all the boys (the girls were at Noah's playing while the mommies were at the Christmas Tea). Phillip said that Canon sat with him and watched 75% of the game, ate his dinner, clapped when everyone else clapped, was SO happy, and loved having that daddy time. He fell right to sleep in the car, woke up when Phillip got the girls, watched them in the car, and at home when Phillip was putting on his jammies he was smiling and laughing and so calm....just waiting to be put to bed. Phillip layed him down and we didn't hear a peep out of him until 7:45am this morning. He usually does not cry to get out of bed until we are getting out of bed. What a polite little cutie pie! Too bad the girls are up anywhere between 6-7am every morning, regardless of what time they went to bed :) Canon is also standing on his own now. We will stand him up and he stays there for up to 10 seconds at a time. He loves clapping for himself while he is standing up so proud!

His new hat. I love it!

We took the kids to a Parents as Teachers event on Saturday called Winter Wonderland. They got to do many kid friendly projects and games.

Canon really liked pouring the rice....or just eating the shovels...

Our house is really coming along! They are putting shingles on the roof this week and we are getting more and more excited with all the progress.

Sitting with daddy looking at Christmas lights

Canon snoozing in the backseat...he missed the whole thing :)

Avery driving the car :)

Atley "smiling" while driving the car. She smiles all the time, but when we tell her to smile for the camera, she does this funny pose. What a cutie.

Here are just a few of the random things the girls have said lately:
Avery: "mommy, your hair is dark." the next day I showered, and she said "mommy, your hair is yellow now"
Atley: she was playing in the bathtub and Phillip walked in, she said "look, it's a giant!"
"get your hats on kids" "I need to take a bathtub"

I can tell 3 is going to be a fun age with lots of talking and many new funny words :)

It's all about Jesus

I saw this today on a friends blog, thefourbroomes, and had to do it with my kids as well. The nativity is all about Jesus, not Mary and Joseph-even though they played an important role. So we are going to start setting up our nativity like this instead. Thanks Lindsey for sharing!


despite the rest of our apartment looking like mayhem and toys everywhere...we did put up our stockings and little Christmas tree. I actually put them up weeks ago and planned on posting about it, but I accidentally deleted ALL of the pictures on my camera on Saturday - leaving me with no Thanksgiving pictures either. sorry!

today was pajama day. we all stayed in our pj's all day (well, except Phillip who works from about 8:30am-1am on Wednesdays) and the girls really enjoyed painting with finger paint.

Canon didn't get to paint today, but I did attempt to have him color. He usually is really good at it, but today he only wanted to eat the crayon :)

I had an enormously long ultrasound on Monday. Champ was breech and on his back, making it difficult to see all of his organs perfectly. He was so still the whole time and not much of a mover. It is wonderful now to be able to feel him move more and more, but I am praying this is a sign of what's to come, a calm and peaceful 4th child! I am still having the same issues as with my other pregnancies, a shortening cervix, and am currently taking weekly progesterone shots again - which proved very successful with my full term Canon! Please continue to keep our family in your prayers as we keep our eyes on Jesus, trusting Him to walk us through our next 4 months of pregnancy, moving OUT of the apartment at Christmas, living with both our parents for 2 months, and moving into our new house hopefully by March! Praise the Lord for all His blessings in our lives right now~
also, keep your eyes open for some new changes to my blog coming soon!

Canon's Birthday, Dallas, and the haircut

We were moving out the day of his birthday...sweet house we loved.

how much can I stuff in my mouth?




in Dallas, the girls spent so much time with their cousin Brenley. She would spend the night some nights and they would play all day together. They would go on the walking path to the park each day with Nana and Pops and sometimes ride in this wagon...it was so cute!

Birthday boy again. We really miss his hair :)

We carved a pumpkin and being the girls that they are, no one wanted to touch the icky insides:) Here are all the grandkids. Sweet Brooklyn is hiding in the back, precious baby!

About to get his haircut!

What are they doing to me?

Stop what you are doing to me!

Ok, I'm happy now it is all over.

Back in the car with mom and dad...what a cutie with his haircut. We still miss his hair...

Playing with his friend River.

Happy Birthday sweet boy! I love you!

Back to life, back to reality

We've had a pretty crazy couple of weeks. Now I am sitting down to my Christmas music, kids napping, computer time and trying to catch up on life. I have almost no pictures to show for any of our current craziness, but will try to catch you up somehow!
*we are having a BOY!!! Champ (no middle name yet) Hunter, due April 30th, 2010.
*Canon had his first birthday, first "real" haircut, and first trip to Dallas in a forward facing carseat! hurray he did so good!
*we moved out of our house - we filled a POD in one day, and had all of our furniture left!! Phillip made about 15 trips in the ZOE van to a friends basement! (thanks Cossey's)
*we lived with Phillip's parents for a few nights, went to Dallas to see our sweet niece Brooklyn!!!, came back to Phillip's parents, went on a ZOE girl's retreat, and then finally moved into an apartment last night!
*there has been lots of cleaning, moving, laundry
*all three kids including myself have a cold...no fun! it's hard to get rid of when you are moving all around
*Avery and Atley are sharing a queen size bed
*They are doing wonderful with potty training, despite our crazy life. thank goodness!
*Atley had her first eye doctor appointment. She got many tests and her eyes dilated today. Please pray for healing in both her eye muscles by January, and no surgery required! (sometimes either of her eyes will turn in, broadly known as a lazy eye, but it has a more specific medical name and diagnosis)
*I've been so out of touch that I still don't really understand or know what happened to MckMama's son Stellan?! could someone fill me in :)
*I'm adjusting to life in a two bedroom apartment, sharing a room with my one year old, and using couches, dishes, furniture that isn't mine. I will be very excited for a brand new house!!!
*Despite circumstances, Jesus is my JOY! Man, if I let every little thing get me down I think I might just live under a rock some days. Praise the Lord for freedom and life in Him!
Pictures to come:)
Shelly

Annual Pumpkin Patch Picture

Each year we go to the same pumpkin patch and take a picture in the same exact place. Well, as I'm learning, each year it is getting a little more difficult. I love pumpkin season, FALL, and all that it entails. Here are a few pictures from our trip this year.

The girls holding hands this year...and below was last year. They sure have grown!

Mommy and the girls

Playing in the pumpkin wagon

Sweet Canon...who will turn ONE tomorrow!!!

Sweet Avery loves to smile for the camera

Sweet Atley likes to smile too, but usually looks away before you have time to snap the picture :)

2009
Each year we keep adding one more to the patch
2008

I always love these kissing pictures :)

This was where we take our family picture every year. Our attempts were so difficult that Phillip didn't even get in the picture this year! We took another one in a different location. Two year olds are sure on the go!


The annual Pumpkin Patch Pictures:

2006 - pregnant with the twins

2007

2008 - very pregnant with Canon

2009 - 12 weeks pregnant with #4

We can't wait to see what next year will bring! Our life is full, and blessed. Praise the Lord!

What I'm loving right now

Fall colors, smells, activities
Christmas music!
my new little niece, Brooklyn, will be born Friday!!
the pumpkin patch
college football
the homecoming parade
pumpkin spice lattes
not being at all surprised, but still joyful, of the Lord's provision in our move and decisions
TOT school - it is going great
not really leaving the house Mon.-Wed. and staying in PJ's all day, every week!
my hubby let me sleep in today
being more in love with my husband all the time
my morning (afternoon and night) sickness is SLOWLY, but surely going away
it's getting dark earlier at night
the girls are doing better potty training (finally!)

my little boy standing and happy, almost ONE YEAR OLD!

My "little" girls all bundled and ready for the homecoming parade!

Even though I'm not enjoying packing, I do like that they all love playing in the boxes so much

cutie in his new carseat! he LOVES it and looks so cute and big in it! He literally couldn't fit into his old one with all the winter clothes I've been bundling him up in!

Sweet Atley posing for the camera, showing off her pumpkin shirt. I was made fun of for my smile until I was about 18, so hopefully she will grow out of this before I did! :)

Avery posing for the camera. Her hair finally fits into one ponytail and it is so cute! I made them all pumpkin shirts a few months ago and can't wait until the weather is nice so we can go take our annual pumpkin patch picture!

Spending time with my hubby (and all our friends) for a really fun limo ride, picture taking, salsa dancing, nice dinner, scavenger hunt date!

My Pumpkin Patch

What 11 month old doesn't want to eat the pumpkins?

I love this time of year, packing, moving and all. We are slowly packing and will move out the week of the 23rd-29th. We will stay in a rental apartment until we move into our new house in March...just in time for the new baby to arrive! Lots of change ahead for our little, growing family. The Lord is taking care of us, praise His name!!