I may still have to add some other exciting Christmas activities in another posting but here is Christmas. My parents were able to come to Frisco and we all went to a wonderful Christmas Eve service at Restoration then spent the morning at our house with Jed's parents and sister. My grandfather came over for a quick visit as well. Other than a cold running through the house we had a fabulous Christmas. Haley got a fun hair salon station and Evan got power tools from Santa. The kids were so excited and it was fun to see them so happy to experience the joy of Christmas.

Today I loaded up the kids and did a quick test run of some parks for our Christmas photo. I am not sure what we will get on the Big Photo Day...seriously, this shouldn't be so difficult. But, getting everyone dressed and happy with big smiles is not as easy as it sounds. Evan is really a wild card. You get what you get!

Oh, and get ready for some ties...Evan is obsessed these days. I can barely leave the house without one.

The kids were pretending to go on a trip this afternoon. They packed their suitcases and were rolling them through the house. I heard Haley exclaim, "Evan, good job buddy...you are taking your Word of God with you on the trip. That way it is with you wherever you go." Then, she went to her room and got her Bible and informed Evan that her Word of God was bigger than his. Toddler and child Bibles do come in all different sizes. It made me smile. At least they will have the Word handy on their trip.

Halloween isn't my favorite holiday but my kids think it can't be beat....who doesn't want to dress up and get candy all in one evening? We joined friends from Restoration Church and went door to door in Addison collecting candy and collecting canned food for the North Texas Food Bank. It was great to receive and give back in the same event.

Haley had a day off from school so we headed with a friend to the pumpkin patch. Apparently everyone else had the same idea so it was a little crazy. Evan peed a little on my shirt, I lost my iphone in the dirt (which thankfully someone turned in...hooray for honest people in the world), the lines were long, it was hot and sweaty but we had a great time anyway! Is it fair to say that?

The kids were happy and thrilled to go on the hay ride and play in the pumpkin patch.

I love fall and I hope the kids are enjoying these days as much as I am. I didn't want to send Haley back to school today but she wasn't sad to go. She was ready.

I am looking forward to another fun day together!

Haley's class went on their first field trip to the pumpkin patch in Frisco this week. Although it was a little toasty, the kids had a great time and they learned a lot about living on the prairie, how to measure pumpkins and even got to pick a little pumpkin to take back to school.

I have loved getting to know the kids in Haley's class and am so thankful that I have time to volunteer at Haley's school. I feel like it makes such a difference in feeling confident about what Haley does each day and who her friends are. We are LOVING Smith Elementary and are so excited to see what the year holds.

Thanks Ms. Lambrecht and all those that made our first outing a success!

I couldn't resist. This will be blackmail material one day for sure!

I am going to spare you the picture but you can only imagine the scene when I walked into the master bath and found Evan lying naked in the bottom of the shower. He was diagonal with his legs straight and arms out making the shape of a cross. The water was beating down onto his little body and his eyes were closed tight. (Jed was in the bathroom supervising this shower fyi.)

I told Evan it was time to get Haley from dance class so he needed to get out and get dressed. Evan said, "I can't get out I am dead." He continued on to tell me that he was "died like Jesus on the cross." So, I told him, "Well then, I am God and He raised Jesus from the dead so get up and dry off so we can get going!"

I had to reach in and turn "Jesus'" water off and pull him out of the shower. Oh, the spiritual lessons at our house just get better every day.

This week we had our first "talk" with the teacher after class. I was picking up Haley and she walked over and I knew something was up.

She started out, "I have already talked to Haley about it and I think that she understands..."

Lots of thoughts were running through my head, especially since almost all my friends have had a talk with their kid's teachers by now. Did she hit someone, did she push her friend, was she not sharing?

No. Haley kissed a boy. She kissed him on the arm because he kissed her friend. I am still not sure why she thought that warranted a kiss from her as well, but she laid one on his arm. Her sweet teacher told me that she reminded Haley that kissing spreads germs and that she should not kiss boys until she is at least 87 years old. I agree:)

So, we have a kisser on our hands....but I could have already told you that!

As if it wasn't bad enough the first time, on Wednesday Evan fell while playing with the neighbors and hit his head in the EXACT same spot causing the already big bump to swell even bigger. His giant goose egg is horrible. I was actually stopped by a stranger inquiring about his head. Yikes. At least I have witnesses to both events because it does sound super hokey. We better be praying for extra protection for this little guy.

Today I ran up to Haley's school to put a snack in her backpack and put a little sunscreen on her before P.E. (she has been coming home sunburned and teachers are not allowed to help put on sunscreen.). Haley was at recess so Evan and I met her outside.

Now that Haley is at school Evan is making up for all the space Haley took up talking by chatting more himself. My favorite comment from the last couple of days was about something we saw on our way to school. We live near Hooters Restaurant and they have a giant owl outside. I asked Evan if he saw the owl and he answered, "Oh yes, Bebe and Papa take me there!" Oh really Bebe and Papa....they keep insisting he is confusing it with another restaurant:)

His favorite saying is, "li'l bit".

"Evan do you want a drink?"
"li'l bit please."

He talks non stop now in the car without sister and is on a path to drive his daddy a little crazy. I guess we are making up for lost time. I am loving my time with my blond boy and look forward to our adventures together.

This was Evan's first week at preschool and boy was it a busy week. Evan had a great first day. He was happy to leave us and even took a nap with his class. However, he started mentioning something about a kid making bad choices. So I asked what bad choices. Evan said, "A boy ate my arm." I asked him if that meant a kid bit him and he said yes. Great. First day and we had a biter. The truth is, I was just thankful he wasn't the one doing the biting. Jed and I agreed that we just need to keep praying that when provoked, Evan wouldn't bite back. Oh, the things that happen at school.

This morning Evan kept insisting that he did not want to go to "shool". It was super hard to leave him crying but he was precious when I picked him up. He wanted me to stay and read a Dora book in the classroom. Precious. No bites and no naps today. We take what we can get.

Haley's teacher said that Haley mentioned numerous times throughout the day that it was Evan's first day of school and that she hoped it went well. They are missing each other and it is precious to see them excited about the other one. Sweet.

Evan, Evan, Evan. What a crazy, fun guy you are! We are so thankful God brought you into our lives and turned our world upside down. It has been 3 exciting years with you as a son. The first three weeks after you were born you barely made a peep. You slept like a rock and were quiet as a mouse. Then you woke up and I haven't stopped moving since. Now you are a whopping 26 pounds and 36 inches tall.

Over the years you have been called, "e" a name you gave yourself, "iggy" because you were the unpredictable enigma and "the evster" by your sister. You are often a mystery, we never quite know what you are thinking or what you will be up to next.

But what we do know is that you are the cutest little preschooler we've ever seen. Your charm and charisma lights up a room. You are clever always thinking outside the box. Although you may have trouble with colors or numbers, you more than make up for it with your amazing motor skills and death defying jumps.

You make us smile and laugh every day. When we are not praying for your safety we are praising God for the amazing son and brother that you are! You are a delight to raise and I am honored to be your mother. Please don't ever lose your guy-like sparkle and passion for life.

We love you Evan Reay Roseberry and pray for many more years of fun to come!

We went splash park firefighter crazy:) Evan had a blast!

It is amazing how you hear it a thousand times but it doesn't mean much to you until things change...."Cherish each moment because they are gone before you know it". I love being at home with my kids and we have made sacrifices to make that a reality. I chose to stay home when many days I wanted to be at work. We run on a super tight budget with an extra measure of faith so that I can raise our kids. Many days would drag by and I would look forward to sending them to school so that I could gain a piece of "my life" back.

Well, over five years, everything has changed. People tell you that too when you have kids but you can't really understand it (except for the lack of sleep and chaos in your life). But, everything has changed. I don't want my kids to go to school. I want more hours in a day. And, I feel like I just blinked and Haley wasn't a baby anymore but a big girl heading off to Kindergarten. Where did the days go? How is this possible? I hear every mom in my head reminding me how fast they grow up and now it happened to me too!

Evan will be 3 at the end of the week and Haley is at school everyday. She is super excited about school and has been getting up at the crack of dawn to get dressed and ready (I don't know where she gets that???) We are so excited about this new chapter in our lives and are mourning the days when were all home together. Evan is pretty sad too. He doesn't really like me as much as he likes Haley but I guess he'll get use to spending his days with me. Come on Evan, I am kinda fun::)

We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead.

A moment you hope you never have to face as a parent happened to us last weekend. Jed was working so I met some friends at a beach in Little Elm. The kids had a wonderful time playing in the sand, swimming and running on the beach. The morning was a success and we just finished lunch when I announced, "we are going to take one last dip in the lake to rinse off the sand, pick up our toys then head up to the showers and go."

I saw Haley and her friend Hannah run into the water to rinse off and Evan stayed behind with me. I walked forward to pick up sand toys and was sorting through things on the ground when I looked up and Evan was GONE.

He was no where in sight. We started calling his name and I instantly ran into the water wondering how in the world I could have missed seeing him get in. The lake water is not as clear as a pool so unless you were standing right near him you might not see him. I looked and my friends looked, calling out for help from others to find our missing boy. Nothing.

After a few minutes past I had a terrible feeling in my heart that he must have drowned. How in the world could he have disappeared so fast?

Making another scan of the areas with my eyes, I spot his tiny blue rash guard top and white blond hair dancing on a retaining wall at the other end of the beach up on the way to the shower. I ran across the sand and grabbed him up into my arms.

He is smiling and says, "You said it was time to take a shower....the sand was HOT so I run REALLY fast!"

What a horrible moment that had the best possible outcome ever. Thank you Lord for watching over my adventurous son. Thank you Lord that I can count on you to be eyes when I am trying my best but a child slips out of sight. Thank you Lord that you are a God who protects.

I wonder now how in the world I have lived this long in life and how we all survive. It is a dangerous world and we can only surrender our fears each day into the hands of a God who loves us and brings us peace trusting that it will all be ok:)

After two days of travel as well as a chance to stop and see friends and family along the way, we arrived in Avon, CO. Wow, it is as beautiful as I remember! We love the cool crisp air and quiet mountain house that overlooks the valley below.

We spent an afternoon at a friend's 5th Fancy Nancy Dress-Up Birthday party and Haley had a blast. The girls all got "up-do's", sparkles everywhere, nail polish, jewelry & eye shadow. They thought they were pretty hot stuff:) They then danced, walked the pink shag carpet runway and enjoyed some cake and ice-cream parfaits.

I asked Haley if she wanted to close her eyes and nap in the car on the way home and she said she wasn't tired. Really???