We Are Truly Blessed

We are so priviledged to be able to share with you that we are expecting our fourth gift from God. We learned of this blessing this week. According to the time table we looked at on the web, he or she will arrive in mid December. Jon and I are both very excited and look forward to the coming months. So far, I feel great. I have not had any real symptoms other than headaches. We are grateful that God has blessed us once again with Life!

Our White Easter

As you can see, we awoke to a snowy Easter this year. Compared to last Easter in Florida, our pictures are like night and day. I must say it was very pretty though. I don't know if you can make it out but, the children's Easter basket is at the base of the front door. When the children opened the door to get their Easter basket, Susanna started crying and said it was too cold!! Wes said, "Quick grab it and shut the door". Therefore, we opened our basket this year in front of our fireplace!! Brigham was already into the Skittles as I took their picture. Wes and Susanna had a bit more self-control.

Ready for Easter Service

Despite the snowy weather, we dressed in our Easter finest to celebrate Christ's resurrection at our church. Susanna's Gampy gave her the white sweater and she wore it proudly. Brigham and Wes were not quite sure about their outfits since they were a bit dressier than their normal church clothes. However, they were good sports and posed for the camera.

Our Little Cowboys and Cowgirl

All three of our gifts from God speak different things to us about Our Heavenly Father. Wes speaks to us about answered prayers, as he was our answered prayer for a child. Susanna speaks to us about God's beauty. Brigham speaks to us about God's provision. We are so grateful for these three treasures!!

Susanna is our joy and a true delight. She is a steel magnolia in every sense of the word. Tough at times when we think she will wilt, and delicate at other times when we don't expect it. It is a riot to she how her tenderness affects Jon in ways the boys do not. Jon and I are learning to nurture her with love and understanding. Her unguarded self is rarley seen by many of you. Therefore I wanted to include a glimpse of it with this photo.

Brigham, on the other hand is "wide open" with his little personality. What you see is what you get. He is fun loving yet tough as nails when he feels strongly about something. His favorite toys are guns (pictured) and cars. The positive thing about his playing with guns so much is that he will hug and kiss you just before he shoots you. I wish we could play an audio feed of his sound effects when he plays soldiers. There are very impressive!!

At the Peak

The "High Point" of our visit with Mom and Dad in early March was our trip to the top of Pikes Peak. The COG train carried us to the top of the mountain. The magnificence of God's creation was on display for all of us to see. The view was breathtaking. You could see the continental divide as well as the entire city of Colorado Springs. We decided to take along our TORCH for a fun shot.

Susanna, the smallest of the bunch, wilted amidst the cold and wind at the top. Dad concluded that climbing Mt. Everst was not ever going to be on his "to-do list"!!

The Wild, Wild West

Our time with Pops and Mia was priceless. They came to visit the 2nd week in March, during Dad's spring break. We tried to catch all the main attractions during their visit. One such attraction was a Wild West Museum. The boys enjoyed shooting targets with mock rifles and Susanna liked getting in all the buggies on display. We were also able to visit some ancient Indian ruins built into the side of the mountain cliffs.

It was fascinating to see the creative housing these ancient people constructed. Brigham loved climbing and crawling in all the doorways, balconies, and windows available. Wes and Susanna were a bit more cautious of the site but throughly enjoyed the gift shop!!

Day at the Zoo

In early March, we visited the Denver Zoo. Brigham's favorite animal was the giant catfish in the aquariam area. We told him he could see all the catfish he wanted at the Chattanooga Aquarium and to pay more attention to the rare species on display. However, our advice was to no avail and he stayed parked at the catfish. Susanna loved the seals and giraffes. Wes enjoyed the lion cubs but kept asking us how long he had to walk around. This picture was taken at the gate just before our departure to go pick up Pops and Mia at the airport. It looks like Brigham already has Pops on his mind.

First Trip to the Slopes

Our first trip to the ski slopes was a memorable one. We were able to go along with Jon during a policy conference at the end of February. The kids and I have learned not to pass up a free nights stay in a hotel! Susanna gets a special look in her eye when she sees that the TV in the room has cable. Even though Brigham's social graces made dining out with executives a bad idea, the trip was well worth the work and stress on my part keeping him under wraps. Jon and Wes got to both ski for the first time, in Breckenridge! It seems my first ski trip may have been Ober Gatlinburg, but I am not resentful. We were not sure how Wes would do. But, once he made it down the mountain, he said he loved it! He and Jon got a little bit of instruction from one of Jon's co-workers. We were so proud of Wes! He has had a lot of new experiences in a short amount of time, but he took this one and ran with it!

Snow Babies

From Surf to Snow: The children have done great with the climate adjustment. They probably have adjusted better than we have. Brigham went from screaming when we put a jacket on him this past fall in Tennessee, to always wanting a coat, hat ,and gloves. Moreover, Susanna is thrilled with her winter accessories since they are pink. Brigham and Susanna caught the eye of a ski instructor as they were playing in the snow in Breckenridge. He commented on how much fun they were having just being in the snow. When I told him we recently moved from Florida and these were their first months ever seeing snow, he smiled and said, " AWESOME!!", in a way only a ski junkie could.

Greetings from Our Home to Yours

This is our homestead in Colorado.

God has truly blessed us with this home, which perfectly fits the needs of our family. As time passes, we are adding our personal touch little by little.

Did we mention that there is room for out of town guests?