Thankin' & Prayin'

So, I'm writing this after Christmas, but I thought it was appropriate to give both holidays credit through  their own posts. This one is for Thanksgiving.
We spent the day before Thanksgiving with Heath's family at his great granddad's house, and we had Thanksgiving day at my parents'. The day after Thanksgiving, my dad came into town from Chicago. He stayed here with us for a while, and we all loaded up and went to Waco to spend a little time with Jordan and his family. Heath, the kids, and I went onto Dallas for the weekend to shop and take the kids for some festive fun through the ICE Exhibit at the Gaylord. It was awesome! Heath and Luke went down the ice slides, but Landry was super jealous about not getting to slide, so she and I got out of there once she started climbing out of her jacket. Cold is an understatement. It was FA-REEZING in there! She looked like Rudolph when we got out.

In reflecting back on this last year, and the things I had to be thankful for, it went something like this: I am, of course, thankful for the health of my family and the fact that our cord of 3 strands has evolved into a cord of 5 strands (in reference to Ecclesiastes 4:12). This year, I have had more reasons to be in constant prayer than, quite possibly, any year before. We've done lots of praying for healing of hearts and health of friends and family, and we have been especially thankful for the Lord's provision during another year of these unfavorable farming conditions. It has been wonderfully rewarding to see the Lord answer our prayers. I'm by no means saying, "OUR prayers healed you people." But, the Lord is revealing himself to Luke through answered prayers, and that's the most rewarding part of it all. I think I wrote in a previous post how I wasn't sure how to make God real to my 3 year old..... but He's taken care of it. It's like He's saying, "You just stay faithful, and keep praying, and I'll make Myself real to Luke. I'll make sure he knows me." I'm glad it's not all up to me.

So, here are pictures of our Thanksgivings, my Dad's visit, our Waco visit, and the ICE exhibit.

Luke is a good chauffeur on his gator! Giving Londyn a ride.

We celebrated Keelee and Grandad's birthdays on Thanksgiving, too. Grandad is 95!

Kakee with shirtless Landry.

Busy body Londyn was a little blurry here!

Mom and Mike with the kids - Landry's putting on her lipgloss.

Dad's visit - at Jordan and Rachel's - picking up pecans.

Norah Rose saying "cheeese" with a mouthful of pecans.

Luke, Norah, and Landry - It was December 1st and 80 something degrees out.

Jordan headed back to the stadium. 

Sweet baby Ruby! I met her this trip. She was 3 weeks old. A week later, this poor baby got the flu which turned into meningitis. She had a rough time! We prayed for healing, and we thank God she got well!

And here's the ice exhibit!

Happy Fall!

I just love this time of year! Makes the cold bearable to have family nights at home by the fire, and the holiday spirit creeping into our house. By the end of winter, I'm over it and ready for playing outside and sunshine. I like it until January, anyway. 

I'm getting the feeling that Christmas is going to be so much fun around here with Luke being old enough to grasp the concept of it a little better. We've debated in years past about how far to take it, but this year, we're just excited that Luke's excited. My little guy just doesn't have hardly any imagination at all... So, if Christmas, Santa, and an elf will help him along with that, we're gonna do it! Last year, we tried telling him that Santa was the one who brought him the gator, but I am almost certain he could see right through it and knew that only his Daddy would know how much he wanted that thing. Even when we talk to him about Jesus, I feel like it's hard for him to get since he can't see Him. His little mind just has a hard time going there. He's good at praying, and thanking Jesus for things.. but I pray the Lord speaks through us to help Luke understand things better when he's ready. Another example of his lack of imagination is how he thinks my Dad lives at the airport. We drop him off and pick him up there, and Luke has even gone to the airport and left on a plane, but he doesn't understand that my Dad has a house somewhere too far for us to drive to. Luke has been up to Chicago 3 times, but he doesn't remember it. I'm not going to fret about it... I'm just gonna take it one day at a time, and we'll just enjoy Christmas and let him believe as much as he wants to!

So, around our house, we've been in full harvest mode. It's such a bittersweet thing! We are thankful to have something to strip, but we miss Daddy when he's gone! Sometimes I think the kids being young makes it hard, but at the same time, I don't know if it will ever get any easier... When they're not babies at home needing naps, meals, and baths, it'll be school, homework, soccer, meals, and baths. So I try not to complain! At least he gets to come home every night. I know our harvest life would be a luxury to some families. They finished up last Friday, so we're getting back to normal again in time for the holidays!

Luke loved getting out there every day and learning how things operate. We'd take lunch to the field everyday, and then he'd make a few rounds with Heath. We saw a lady we know in town yesterday, and he went on and on telling her how the stripper dumps into the boll buggy, and the boll buggy dumps in the module builder, and the module builder packs the cotton and then raises up and moves. He told me this week he wants a stripper birthday party. Ha! I was hoping he wasn't going to church spreading that news. 

Other big things lately...

- Landry is walking! She's trying to run, actually. She started walking good about 3 weeks ago. Both kids were late late walkers! With Luke, I can still pin point THE day. It was 8-9-10. He was 14 months and took 3 steps one day, 8 the next, and walked on day 3. Landry's wasn't so clear. One night right before Heath started stripping, it was like she was just determined to get it down. For over an hour, she'd take 3 or 4 steps, get excited, and fall. Then, she'd get right back up and repeat the cycle. We laughed at her for thinking she was so cute! She did that several evenings in a row, and then got a little better at it. She'd still crawl some if she got in a hurry, but she hasn't crawled now it a good week or two. She's loving the independence it's brought her, too, and she's wanting to get down and run around every where we go.... restaurants, grocery store, parking lots, church, etc.

- Halloween! Luke and Landry were Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. A few weeks before Halloween, Luke wanted to be McQueen, so we ordered the costume and got it in. I had gotten the material to make sister an owl costume, and then three days before Halloween, Luke changed his mind and wanted to be Peter Pan. I jumped on it! I normally wouldn't have catered to his request like that, but I'm so over McQueen and Buzz. I went to 8 different stores on Monday (2 days before Halloween) getting their costumes together. Of course, there is no toddler Peter Pan costume in existence. They weren't sold out of them, they don't even make them! So, after an exhausting day, and a few snips with some scissors on a t-shirt, their costumes were ready by Wednesday. We went around to visit friends and family and got way too much candy!

- We have a new family member! Jordan and Rachel had their baby girl, Ruby Meredith, on Friday morning. She is beautiful and healthy, and I'll get to meet her a week after Thanksgiving! I love loving on new babies.

- The last big thing is the not so fun one. On my last blog, I talked about how Landry had lost weight and was a super picky eater. Well, come to find out, they think she has oral aversion and have referred us to therapy. Her eating just isn't getting any better, and it has become pretty frustrating! She doesn't even eat as many foods now as what I listed last time. She's cut out cereal and chicken. Every day, she has oatmeal for breakfast (made with heavy cream, 760 calories a bowl), greek yogurt with fruit and crackers for lunch, and she has pizza 5 nights out of the week for supper. She refuses milk, bread, veggies, smoothies, cheese, meats, and noodles/pasta. If I offer something she doesn't like first, she shuts down and refuses to even eat the things she likes in the same setting. So, for insurance purposes, we'll be starting therapy in January. I've pulled every trick I know to pull, and we're not getting any where, so I'm gladly accepting the help. So, prayers please for us in this!

As always, here are some pictures!

First Halloween Costume...

Peter Pan & Tinkerbell

Kids being silly!

Grandkids with Kakee

 Landry's crazy hair

This year's harvest

And just for fun, a look back at our last few harvests!

2010

2011

First non-cousin sleepover! Good times!

Wreck It Ralph at the new theater.

Landry is ONE & 5 Year Anni

I already miss having a baby baby around here! At times, I could see how some people would want 15 kids. It's been such an incredible experience to carry, birth, and then love on Luke and Landry. It's everything and more that I ever imagined it being. It's even difficult for me to picture myself with older kids... because I've always just imagined myself being where I am now. I was quickly reminded, however, how I am here because it is where the Lord's plan is for me, and the next phase of my life will also be the Lord's plan for me, not my own.

Many are the plans in the man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21


We celebrated Landry's 1st birthday on the actual day, August 30th. We just had a family party for her since it was on a school night, and Labor Day weekend was coming up. We had fun! She, of course, was oblivious to the occasion, but she loved seeing everyone.
We had her 1 year check up this week. My little girl's stubbornness is catching up to her! She has lost weight since her 9 month appointment! She weighed 18 pounds, 1 ounce...... Not all that surprising to me, though, since she is SO picky. She was weaned from the mama about 2 weeks ago. She now refuses milk of all kinds, from any cup, at all temperatures, with anything mixed in it. No meats, and any veggies she gets is because I sneak them in with her yogurt. She does like greek yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, cinnamon toast, cereal, crackers, goldfish, PIZZA, POPSICLES, FRENCH FRIES, and FRIED CHICKEN. Haha - Not my proudest mommy confession. She has to get fat and cholesterol somehow!? People have commented to me how ironic it is for the woman with the nutrition degree to have a daughter who favors the unhealthy foods. Oh well, could be worse! Maybe she'll come around. In the mean time, we have found a full fat greek yogurt she likes, and we are letting her eat it up.
So, she was in the 19th percentile for weight, and the 48th for height, and her head circumference was off the charts. No wonder why she's not walking!? Small feet and a big head make things a little complicated! :)
She's standing on her own, though, and taking a few steps if we bribe her with something. Otherwise, she's still prefers crawling. She loves cuddling and any form of kisses (blowing, real). She really only says "mama", "dadda", "muh" (more), "buh" (boo), and "tha-tha" (thank you). I'm really trying to work with her because she says "eh" and points to get what she wants. Totally not like Luker! He was a talker, and an eater.. still is, in fact!

My kids are both just the opposite of each other. I think I've mentioned it before, but it's bringing a new light to Luke's strengths... because we, for so long, focused on the fact that he didn't sleep and had such terrible separation anxiety. We have now learned to further appreciate his good eating habits, communication, cautiousness, and interest in TV! Landry is a good sleeper and will go to anybody, but she is not the least bit entertained by any TV show, and she is a dare devil, a biter, and a climber.

Luke is one active little boy! He is full of energy and super sweet. He loves to help me in the kitchen, and he really likes playing with his big trucks these days. We have asked him what he's gonna be when he grows up, and he says a "farmer". I give him several options, too. I'll say, "What about a football player? or a fire man? or a airplane driver?" He has always said "farmer", until one day when I asked him if he'd rather work at Disney World. Ha
He is always in Heath's shadow. Heath broke the handle off of his grill, so he uses whatever is handy to open it. Luke has a toy grill with a perfectly working handle, but he wants to use something handy to open his, too. We let him sleep with us on Friday nights, and he would rather snuggle up with Heath than me.
He has just started choir and mission friends at church. He wasn't too sure about going at first, but he quickly caught on. He has friends (Kale, Charley, and Addie) and then his cousins, Miley and Jaxon, are in there, too. I hope they aren't too much trouble together!

We left for 10 days this month to visit family. We started out at the lake with my parents, then went to Waco to visit Jordan, Rachel, and Norah, and then on to Georgetown to visit the Doug, Sissy, Hank, and Davis. We shopped a lot, and we were slow getting around every day. My kind of trip! We went fishing one day at the lake, and we went to see the Baylor Bears in Waco. We celebrated our anniversary while we were gone, too! 5 years! We have came a long way in a short amount of time. Two houses, two kids, 6 crops.... Eventful!

We had this scripture read at our wedding, and it's still one of my favorites - a good reminder, too.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12


Here are pictures from Landry's birthday party!

And some more of what we've been up to lately!

Our anniversary - at Mighty Fine in Round Rock.

Mom's birthday

Boys being boys!

Trying to get Landry to walk! She let go of the chair and took 5 steps last night!

Luke playing with space sand (flour + baby oil). He loves it!