New Year till Valentine's Day 2013

Our family rang in the new year in Colorado and headed back to Texas to resume work and the boys activities.  Colorado was awesome but gosh we missed Texas and our wonderful friends and church here!!!!!!!  The boys have been BUSY and wonderful.  LJ started his "fiddle lessons" (Suzuki Violin) and loves it and Nolan started gymnastics classes (the mommy and me class before big bro's class) and he's loving every second.  The boys have become the best of friends and it brings us much joy (and relief:) that they can finally play together (even though many times we need to intervene when they are wrestling:)!  They both love to play on their new "park" in the backyard, ride trikes, play "space", play baseball soccer and tennis, and just be boys!!!  It is such a blessing to see them grow and learn and to teach them about our awesome God and His divine ways.  They are like little sponges.  LJ is still LOVING his wonderful preschool and looks forward to the two days a week mornings when he gets to go.  He brings me the most beautiful artwork and today even brought me home a necklace he made just for Mommy out of noodles.  I am so proud. :o) At his parent teacher conference, his teacher (who we just love) had no negative comments for me (I had my notebook in case she had ideas of what we could work on:) but she said with tears in her eyes that our precious Landon is such a joy in the classroom, always singing, always happy and caring for his friends in class, good at sharing, and the most patient little boy she's ever had in class.  Wow.. Like music to my ears.  So so thankful for our sweet boy and that he is learning the most important lesson we could ever teach him...to LOVE! :o) Nolan has enjoyed the mornings when LJ is in school by having playdates with his first girlfriends McKenzie and Sydney and going with Mommy to baby story time at the local library and going to church meetings with Mommy and fun friends.  Such a blessing to get one on one time with our smallest little man.  He is such a joyful and funny guy.  16 months old and still wants to be with Mommy and Daddy at all times.  Finally went to MOPS nursery last week for 3 hours and it felt so weird not having him attached to my hip!! :o) Still not walking but trying really hard and we know he CAN do it as he's taken 6 steps by himself...he is very cautions and fast crawling so probably finds it unnecessary to walk when LJ gives him push toys to walk with all the time anyway! :) We are still loving our precious town of New Braunfels, James is loving serving on the United Way board and at our church in the youth group, and I am loving serving through the MOPS ministry to other young moms in our community.  God has shown us His faithfulness in this time as James' job has been very stressful...but He is holding our little family together and showing us, through amazing families He has put in our paths etc, that He will provide and show us His ways and help us to follow Him and seek Him especially in the tough times.  It has been amazing and hard all at the same time.  We look forward to what our awesome God will do with our future and how He will continue to make our paths straight and show us His will for our family.  We are so thankful God has given us His amazing grace and kept us together during tough times.  We look forward to a wonderful Spring and are hopeful for the future.  God is good!!! :o)