The Laws Family

Luke 2:10-11 "..behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

I am so thankful for my family. I always pictured being married with children, but you never know what the Lord has in store for you. And I am so thankful that the Lord entrusted me with an amazing husband and two precious children. Thank you Lord for the here and now and for my family.

Not so happy.

Much better.Ready to play. The "Queen of the butterflies" is ready to go

We had a great halloween! We had a neighborhood party with a bounce house, food, candy, and trick or treating. It was so much fun! Noelle had a blast going door to door with her friends Zane and Maggie. Our whole street practically stayed home, so it made it really fun for the kids. And we got to spend some time with our neighbors and our friends Josh and Elly :)

Last Thursday, Noelle had her preschool halloween party. I got to go up for an hour and help out. It was so fun to see the kids all dressed up and so excited. Noelle was supposed to be a clown, but at the last minute decided she wanted to be "queen of the butterflies" :) Not quite sure where she came up with that, but we made it work. I threw her costume together the night before, and it worked out perfect. And she was excited!

Ready to head in to see Mrs. Farmer. Noelle kept telling me, "Mrs. Farmer isn't even going to recognize me!!" So cute! Ready to head into the gamesMrs. Farmer and Noelle

Noelle had a birthday party last weekend and she had alot of fun! Lots of girlie things to do. Fixing hair, making purses, decorating cupcakes, and getting tutus. I was telling the mom that Noelle really likes cars, trucks, and animals. And I look over and she has taken her tiara off and put on a car helmet :) Too funny.

Sam and Noelle decorating cupcakes Ready to blow out the candles

So Noelle is 3 1/2 and Holt is 13 mths. It is funny to see them interact together. Lots of sibling rivalry going on around her lately. Noelle just gets easily annoyed with the little guy. It is just hard right now because he wants to be with Noelle, but Noelle doesn't always want to be with him :) So trying to figure out new things for them to do together.

Big sister :)Holt trying to get in on the picture and Noelle not so thrilled

Noelle loves firetrucks! We headed out to the Lewisville Fire Open House earlier this month and she had a blast. She got to check out the rescue dogs, the fire truck, the fire rescue boat, and of course the careflite helicopter. And we got there just in time to see it fly off :)

So this last month we found out Holt is allergic to eggs! It was such a huge relief to find out what the issue was, but sad at the same time. Now I just have to learn to cook egg free, and it has been quite the challenge. I started going through the pantry and refrigerator as soon as I found out and definitely got quite overwhelmed at the large number of things that have egg in them. I have gotten an egg free cookbook, and have tried out some of the recipes. Some are good...some are NOT so good! But we are adjusting to the changes that need to be made, and have our benadryl and epi-pen on hand at all times. I am just praying he outgrows it! And when and if he does, we will definitely have a huge EGG party with cake, muffins, eggs and all :) And in the meantime, I just make a mean face at the eggs as I pass them at the grocery store ;)

Just some of the things that we had that contained egg/egg products

I can't believe Holt is one already!! It is just not right! We did have a fun time celebrating with friends and family over labor day weekend. We had a birthday bash at my parents house with a bounce house and all. It was lots of crazy kid fun, and it was good to see everybody. I can't believe our little guy is so big. He is such a sweetheart! He is crazy active like Noelle was. Walking and climbing like crazy. He loves balls, and loves to throw and climb. He has such a sweet nature to him, and he is so cuddly. I love it when he lays his head on my shoulder or comes and grabs my finger to take me where he wants me to go. It gets my heart everytime! We have had a lot of random medical issues with him from infant mastitis to clogged tear ducts to gastric reflux to food intolerance and now food allergies. But we are getting through them and finding answers so that is good. I just pray health and grace over him, and I just pray that the Lord would grab him for his own and Holt would come to know the Lord at a young age and have a real, intimate relationship with Him. I am so thankful to the Lord for Holt, and I look forward to watching him grow and develop more and more!
Here are just a few pics to document the occasion:
The birthday boy trying out the small bounce house

The birthday cake
Not quite sure about the cakeMe and Holt

Noelle had her first day of preschool this last Tuesday. And yes I did bawl like a baby. As soon as we got in the car and headed to the church where she is taking preschool, I started to loose it. But I did not let it all go until after I left her classroom :) As we were pulling up, I prayed for her and her day, and then asked her if she was excited. She said, "I don't know Mommy....I am just really going to miss you." Oh goodness....that did not help my emotions. And then we got out of the car and she tripped and skinned her hands and knees. Still not looking real great, because now she was crying and of course I didn't want her upset right before taking her in. But she pulled it together and as soon as we walked into the classroom she was excited and sat right down in front of the alphabet magnet game. She loves learning and she loves meeting people so I knew she would do great. It is just really hard letting go and entrusting her to other people. So that just means lots of praying and trusting the Lord to watch over her as she is away from me. And thank goodness she is good about keeping me informed of things :) And it is only tues/thurs from 9-1!

Noelle and her backpack. Still holding her hands from falling down :(

Mommy and Noelle

Excited about the alphabet magnet game.

Just after singing the alphabet song :) I think she is going to do just fine.

For those of you who don't know, Holt has had a clogged tear duct since he was born. We were hoping and praying he would outgrow it, but unfortunately he did not, so he had to have it surgically fixed. It has been a long journey of eye infections and eye issues, so I am glad to finally have relief for Holt. And praise the Lord for an awesome opthmalogist who loving and carefully took care of our little man. He even had his sister do Holt's anesthesia! And she was awesome too!
We went in for surgery last Wednesday morning at 6:30 am. We filled out all the paperwork, and they took him back about 7:30 am. Thankfully, he was so distracted that he did not even notice he was getting nothing to eat or drink. The surgery went great. They were able to open up the duct with two different wires without any difficulties. And a huge answer to prayer was the fact that they did not have to leave anything in. He is on an antibiotic and eye drops for a week, and then we go in for a follow up appointment in a couple days. His eye looks great, and apart from the bloody nose and a little fussiness he hasn't had many issues. So thanks to all for your sweet prayers on his and our behalf!

Daddy and Holt before surgery
The nurse trying to get his blood pressure. He wasn't staying very still :)

The Village Church Group Leaders Retreat was this last weekend, and Kevin and I were able to get away to it thanks to Kevin's parents. It was our first night away from Holt, so it was hard leaving him, but it was a much needed get away. It was a great time of fellowship, teaching, and worship. We got to catch up with friends and meet a lot of new people. It was just great for me and Kevin to be able to spend that quality time together. Especially since this week is going to be hectic and crazy with Holt's eye surgery coming up on Wednesday. Please be in prayer for us and for Holt. Pray for much peace for us and for much safety for Holt as he goes under anesthesia and for the Lord to guide the doctors hand.

Kevin and I

At the retreat with our sweet friends Julie and Travis Benson

This has been a great summer! Lots of fun with the kids and lots of time with family and friends! I thought I would just post pictures to document some of it :)