A little prayer

 Good morning all!  Well I really don't have much to say or much to report.  Things here in the Maddox household are starting to get healthy again (that little thing that Alan and I swore wasn't a bug that Jude had - well it was a bug and a very contagious one at that!) Anyways, we are all out of bed and sanitized! :)

 Other that that we are just expecting a very busy month - details to come later......

 So this post is just a quick excuse to show some more pictures and to ask for your prayers for this month.

We ask that you please pray that We trust in the Lord in all that He has in store for us, guide us in His Will, and gives us peace and wisdom about the decisions that are ahead! 

Thank you so much, God Bless!!

Merry Christmas!

 You know it's been awhile since you blogged (or did anything with your pictures on your computer) when you go to download your pictures and there is well over 500 pictures! 

 So this blog is an ode to our wonderful Christmas, that we are of course still celebrating

 So stick with me as I make up something interesting to say as you scroll down a very random selection of pictures - please have mercy on my little tired soul, after a long car trip and realizing that I had so many pictures to go through I have not edited any of them.... one day I might :)

 So this Christmas we had an amazing opportunity to go up to Gatlinburg with Alan's family, we had a blast!  The kids loved seeing all their family members and their older cousins (they are well into their teens, and one is out)

 It was a wonderful trip, one that I hope at least Stephen will remember

 But this morning we got up and headed home :( after a long night of poor Jude the dude getting sick and mommy making sure he was ok to sleep before crawling in bed for a little bit, we got up and headed out before the sun rose (but not before Starbucks opened)

 So after a short discussion Alan and I decided that Jude was most likely just reacting to some mucus and all that fun stuff and he must not have a stomach bug..... so I gave him breakfast......I'll stop going into detail at this point

 So after an adventurous start to our trip we continued on our way

 Poor little Jude spent the most of the day sleeping off whatever is bugging him and I spent the trip wishing I could get to some more clothes.......(there was a nasty smelly bathroom involved in another stop on our way that added to that desire)

 But by the Grace of God we made it home with plenty of daylight left for Alan to clean out the van and the kids get the travel wiggles out! 

 Isn't that life, after a wonderful week in the mountains all I can come up with is the icky moments in the van...... let's see if I can end this post on a high note!

 There we go, these next pictures will do the trick for sure!  While we were there it SNOWED! (could someone please remind me next time my children see snow for the first time that if I sit them down for a scenic picture to make sure that someone is NOT standing behind them - b/c they will only sit still for one picture, even with a fast camera!)

 Up at the top of the mountain, there was enough snow for Stephen to make a snow ball - he has wanted to do that for as long as he's known about them (ok, that's not very long) He even got a chance to chunk a few right off the mountain!

And my sweet Abby was just so full of joy  - she just couldn't believe her little eyes!  What a great moment for everyone!!!

I promise I might post some for my favorite pictures from the week after I do some editing!!  Oh, I did get my new lens :)  Yippee for me!!

Something's missing

 So as I was going through my pictures and looking over past blog entries I happened to notice a very sad pattern....

 Cecilia and Abby seem to be missing from the majority of these things

 So this morning, while big man Stephen is at his Mimi and Poppi's, I took a very quick photo session of the girls

 And of course I caught Abby trying so hard to be sweet and loving

 But Cecilia just doesn't agree with her approach

So happy Wednesday!!  I am very late on cards this year :( I ordered them and long story short I had to reorder them, so hold tight that one awesome family photo is almost on it's way to your house :)

One proud mama!!

I would like to take a brief moment of your time to show off my littlest girl!  Though rolling over at 9 months is not much of a milestone "accomplishment" to the rest of the world, around here it is!!!  See Miss Cecilia has not been able to keep up with her brother very much, after we hit 6 months and they started to reach for things we realized that she was having trouble with her left side.  So I tried to do some things I knew to do and keep an eye on it until we went back to the Dr.  At her 9 month apt our pediatrician recommended we went to physical therapy for some more observations and all that comes with that. 

So after one visit, and tons of fun filled exercises Cecilia did it!!!  I am so proud of her!!  Though we still have a little road ahead of us to get her left side moving and grooving, her instant ability to strengthen her side is such a sigh of relief for me. 

Thank you Jesus!

A sneak peek

Here's a sneak peek at our lovely Christmas picture.....this would be one of 113 I took....most look like this :)  But One, oh yes one where NO ONE is crying, the light isn't completly blown out and we might even have a few smiles :)

So if you've moved in the last year, yes that's you I'm talking about, please email me or message me on facebook your new address!!!  You don't want to miss the final product!

Hello there

 I think on a few occasions I've mentioned "survival mode". Well, that's what we've jokingly called our life for the past 9 months.  Not b/c we are unhappy, or not making it - but b/c the maximum we could do around here is survive :) 

 Having four amazing gifts from God under the age of four for a bit was wonderful, but I'm glad that's over!!  So we've been finding our groove, trying to stay ahead of the laundry pile (not very good at that one) getting everyone fed, then again, and of course trying our hardest to keep the inside of this house decent b/c we are still trying to sell it :) - so that's survival mode

 But these little angels are growing and getting more and more independent (well, as much as a 9month old can be).  They are playing together, moving all around to get toys they want, reminding me to vacuum every 10 mins :)

This weekend might have officially marked the end of survival mode!!!  Why might you ask??  Well, one of the signs of our crazy, fun filled life has been our yard - it has been severely neglected over the past 9 months.  

So this weekend we did it!  The twins had an amazing nap while we tackled the weed infested front yard and got it looking like we actually want to sell this thing!! :)  So to me, I say we are official done just surviving!!  Thank you Jesus and all our friends and family who have helped us get here!!! 

A Little Perspective

 So Alan has this job - he designs ships.  People often ask me what he does and I try to explain it and then laugh my very silly self out of it by saying "oh, it's just all Swahili to me." And it is! 

 When Alan comes home from work I ask "so how was your day?" (b/c that's what good wife's do, right?)  Most days he knows just how little I get what he does, and he really has no desire to relive some very tense stressful moments that don't belong in our home, so he says "I'm just so glad to be home" or "it was busy, but I got a lot done."

Period, end of story, let's move on to eating and finding out why there are four very small people screaming right now. 

But some days he'll say something like "oh, I just designed an analysis for a lift of a panel......"

"Wwhhaat" I think to myself, as I smile and lovingly hand him a baby and then continue to think "Swahili, Swahili, Swahili"

"Yea," he continues on "we have to lift a panel of the ship and move it"..blahh, blahh, blahh

"Um, honey, I mean really - it's a heavy duty piece of something that you designed, it can withstand missals and stuff, can't you just hook a crane up to it and just move the thing already"

"Of course sweetie, of course" with a singe of sarcasm that I of course ignored (or didn't hear) and then that's it, it's all still just Swahili to me!

So this past weekend Alan tells me that they are opening up the facility where they are building, lifting, and flipping all these panels and stuff that has been his work life since I've known him.  So of course I jumped at the opportunity to see where my husbands second home is and I knew Stephen would love, love, love it!!

Off we went, and as we walked in Alan began pointing out these "panels" and sure enough I thought - Swahili Swahili, hello I knew it, that thing can totally be picked up and moved, why as he been so stressed?  Man this guys needs a day in my life!

Then, Alan led us to The Hanger and Deck House of this ship - these two main key components that all those other things where going onto.  My jaw dropped, my heart sank, my mind was blown away

"ummmm, sweetie, you do WHAT???"

Alan smiled, realizing he made the right decision bringing me there

"Alan, is that massive, large thing in front of me the thingie that you designed a thing for other people to know how to pick it up, flip it over, and set it down over there?"  I'm very technical about my words!

He smiled, got really into explaining everything to me (which was awesome, but if I told you I'd have to kill you) and then from behind the barricade he was called away.  Off Alan went to check on something, and Stephen was left to play with the security guard that was very aware that this little mischievous red head wanted nothing more than to jump that gate and build a ship with his daddy!

So as Sunday morning (um really I would call it Saturday night, since it was 3am) came and Alan woke up to head into work (first time on a Sunday since we've been married :( ) I knew just how amazing what he was doing was!

As Alan supervised and spoke some more Swahili to the other amazing men and women that day, I prayed for them, and prayed for them. 

It's just amazing what a little perspective can do!