Baby

Well, God is so good. It is amazing to me how I have done this 5 times now and I never quit being in awe of all God does in forming the human body! Better yet, he chose me to carry this precious child of His. I am not real sure why it says the name it does and the date, I think he was in a hurry when he did this. It is a profile shot of the baby with the head on the left and the foot is sticking up all the way on the right. In the middle is a hand waving at you! I am about 11 1/2 weeks and the doctor says everything looks wonderful! We are very excited about this little one and I just wanted to share a little of him or her with you.

Our Snow!

Well these pictures are almost two weeks old, but better late than never right. This is Michal Kate and Noah outside in our 4 inches of snow while mommy was away scrapbooking. Daddy was so good to take them out and take pictures of them so mommy could see them. They only stayed out for a few minutes but Daddy said they had a lot of fun in our winter wonderland!!!



Michal Kate and Noah each made a snow angel which I thought was precious!

Thanksgiving

I am so thankful for this precious life that God has given me. I have a wonderful husband, who loves me unconditionaly, and two beautiful children whose awe and wonder never cease to amaze me, and one more on the way!!!!
Yes for those of you who don't know, well now you do. I am due July 1 and so far everything looks good. We had a sonogram about a week ago and I saw the heartbeat and the little blob of a baby! Every time I am pregnant (this is number 5) I am taken back by the way God creates us! The very ability for me, women, to carry a child and nurious it completly for 40 weeks and for every little piece of a human to develope in a certain order and manner, is simply amazing, and what a precious gift that God chose me to carry this little one. We are thrilled and already debating. I think it is another boy, but Richard is dead set that it is another girl. Either way, we will be happy.
Last Tuesday we got in the van and drove to Merkel and had thanksgiving dinner with most of his family. The food was yummy and all the kids had a blast together. I am blessed with such wonderful inlaws and I really do love spending time with them. Then on Wednesday morning we climbed back in the van and drove in to Dallas. On Thursday we had a traditional Thanksgiving with my family and once again, it was really a delight. I am very thankful for the family that I have. I love each of them very much and each one of them adds so much to my life.
Today, we are hopefully putting up our Tree!!!! One of my favorite things to do! Then I leave Wednesday for my annual scrapbooking retreat! I am so excited. I have already started sorting through my stuff!
To those of you I didn't see this last week, I am also very thankful for each of you. Sometimes you don't really realize how much someone brings to your life until you aren't around it all the time. I miss those of you that I am not around, and I can't wait to hear from each of you through this holiday season!!! I love Christmas Cards!!!!!

Halloween Week

Okay, so here we are over a week later and I am just now getting around to posting Halloween activity pictures. So here it goes!
On Saturday morning the Parrish's came over to help carve pumpkins with the kids. Michal Kate wasn't really into it, but Noah loved it as you can see.


Lezli carved ours to look like Michal Kate's favorite Disney character, JoJo. We added the hat as a cutsie final touch.After the kids went down for a nap the kids and I got ready for the Fall Festival at church. Michal Kate decided that mommy was dressed up as a princess. She was Nemo and Noah was Squirt. The kids had a blast, and as a church we were really able to give something fun and safe for kids to do for Halloween. We had over 100 kids show up which for our church is AWESOME!

Noah got really into the games and getting to throw things at objects. He played "Smack Jack" several times! He thought the best part was getting the candy and prizes for what he viewed as no big deal!
Michal Kate played "Hoop a Pumpkin" several times because it was outside. She loves the outdoors, and this way she was able to keep watch of anyone who might show up. One little boy was dressed as Superman and she followed him around for most of the evening.
Daddy came home from Poland on Monday. He was very tired, but we enjoyed a wonderful night out as a family. The kids were so excited to see him. I was too of course.

Then on Tuesday all Michal Kate talked about all day was going Trick or Treating. So when the time finally came, she was so excited. She had asked if she could sit by her pumpkins outside in her Nemo costume, and I wasn't going to argue.
Our little Squirt loves to dress up so he gladly sat by the pumpkins as well.
For some this is normal, but for us, to have both kids looking at the camera is amazing!!
Walking the streets.
Noah loved it. He did not understand why he could go up to a door, and someone would answer, give him a treat, and then walk away. He thought he should be invited into every house. As we would walk away from each house he would have to stop and pull out whatever had just been placed in his bucket to make sure he liked it. He did it so many times it was very funny. It took about an hour for him to be okay with the way Trick or Treating works. Michal Kate really had the hang of it this year. She was so cute going up to the doors and saying "trick or treating" to everyone.
Our halloween family photo.
Then on Wednesday we bought out long awaited mini van. Richard and I are so excited about it, and it was a fun way to continue his homecoming week

Fun with Fall

This weekend has been a lot of fun! We all miss Richard very much, but the good news is, I get to talk to him everyday and I get emails from him just about every morning. The kids are really beginning to wonder where their daddy went. Richard is really enjoying himself while in Poland. He said that their schedule next week is very busy with students wanting to here about Jesus! I am so blessed to be married to a man that is willing to go wherever God needs him to teach His word to others!
Anyways, since he is gone, my mom, Gram, came in on Wednesday to help me out with the kids and keep me company. On Thursday as the kids were starting to wake up from their naps we started playing dress up. We put Noah in a Tigger costume, Konner in a Nemo costume, and Brooklyn in the bumblebee! They had so much fun and were all smiles.














Michal Kate decided she wanted to dress up too but only as a Princess, Jojo, and I don't know really what to call it.



































Then on Saturday we went into Lubbock and took the kids to a pumpkin patch. They had so much fun climbing on all the pumpkins and trying to pick them up. They each got a small pumpkin to bring home. Michal Kate spent the rest of the day talking to hers and hugging hers and treating hers like "Simba" singing The Circle of Life. I am not sure what to think about that, but at least I know she loved her treat. She won't even let me put it outside with Noah's pumpking or our other pumpkins. She said that it needed to sleep inside until we found its' mommy and daddy.

And last but not least, Saturday night we went to a Fall Festival at a school here in town. Michal Kate got her face painted and they both loved playing games. Their favorite was bouncing in the bounce house!
I hope you all had as much fun as we did this weekend. We love you all.

Our Big Girl!

Well, I know that it has been a week or so since my last post, but, we have had quite a bit going on. Richard left today for a two week mission trip in Warsaw, Poland and we have been preparing for that until he walked out the door this morning. Please, when you think about it pray for Richard and his parents as they are over there.
On to the good news! Michal Kate as started potty training. Until last week she had never even teetee'd in the potty. Last Tuesday I sat her up there just for grins and she went! I had stepped out of the bathroom to get her some clothes since she was still in her PJ's and she started yelling, "Mommy, I squirted in the potty." She just kept saying it over and over. we made a huge deal about it and she got a package of Smarties. We have "squirted" in the potty several times since then, so it's a start!

Fall Pictures

These are some picture we had taken last week while we were in Dallas. The kids did so well and they pictures turned out wonderful, at least we think so.

Attachment

Okay, so this week has been interesting. Noah, for some reason just decided that he is going to be jealous whenever I touch any other child. Which for me is tough being that he has a big sister and then I keep two other children during the day. He is only happy when I am holding him and only paying attention to him. I have really struggled with this during the week because I am not used to it. Don't get me wrong, I love both my kids, and I would do anything for them, and I know that there are already times I look at them and just wish they would let me hold them for a little while, but this is a bit ridiculous. Then I stopped and thought about it for a while. What if I was that attached to our Father? What if my only happiness came from the times spent with Him holding me? I think of how tough that is for me and then I think about how many children God has and remember that he has the desire to "hold" all of us all the time. How amazing it is for us when we allow Him to hold us. Once again if we were to look at Him as our Parent the way our kids look at us, what an amazing faith and relationship we would have.

Bouncin' Around

This week Michal Kate, Noah, and I are in Dallas visiting family. My birthday was this last Sunday and my nephew Carson's birthday is this Saturday. We are really enjoying our time with the family. I felt very celebrated for the big number 28 though it is sobering to realize that in two years I will be 30.

The last two days Gram and I have taken the kids to different places that have bounce houses or bounce play toys. Michal Kate goes into the rooms a little timid, but as soon as she tries something one time, she loves it, and begs to do it over and over again. Noah on the other hand has no fear of anything. He thinks he is just as big as any other kid in the place and that there isn't any reason why he shouldn't be able to do the same things they are doing.

We were in down town Wylie today and Michal Kate and I went into the coffee store to get daddy a treat, when we were leaving she looked up and the lady and said, "I would like some french fries and a Dr. Pepper." The sales lady I and both laughed out loud because Michal Kate was serious. I still can't figure out the Dr.Pepper thing, because she has never even had one, but it was still very funny.

The last week or so watching the kids has allowed me to reflect on what life is like through the eyes of a child. The innocence they approach life with (most of the time), the ability to enter a situation without hesitation knowing that mommy or daddy will be there to help them through it,the joy found in the littlest things.

This has all allowed me to reflect also on faith, after all "faith like a child". To have that innocence in my faith when I approach the throne, or to have the innocence that I would never come through an evil thought or action, to be able to enter any situation without fear truly believing and knowing that God is there to help you through whatever it may be, and to find joy in the little things, like shouting with glee that the wind is blowing, or that I see a flower, or that the moon is out. Just a thought!

Survivor

As crazy as I know it is, I'm addicted. I am so excited that Survivor: Cook Islands starts tomorrow I can hardly wait. We of course DVR the show and watch after 8:30 when the kids are asleep, so I will be off my computer during and after the show until I have had a chance to watch it. I laugh at myself when one season ends and I am already researching the beginning of the next season. I know that it is a show that really doesn't matter, but to me the idea is fun. This season has received a lot of hype due to its controversial division of teams. I saw an interview with Jeff Probst yesterday and his take on it was that each individual ethnic group has so much pride within itself that it is fun to see what they do with it when they are having to vote one of their own off. He was sure to let us know that they will merge quickly but that he thinks that it turned out to be one of the best "creative" ideas they have had yet. In a lot of ways the division concerns me due to the fact that we pride ourselves as a nation that we are the melting pot of the world. Some interesting questions arose that made me think not only about racial division but monitary and the like. How many times can I see a homeless person, or someone who is ill and not think differently of them? I don't ever remember struggling with racial division, especially now, but other divisions I think should be included in the "melting pot."
I know a lot of babbling, but I am still trying to figure this blogging out! I still haven't figured out how to post pictures on here, but I am sure someone will help me.
Let me know what you think. D

My Box of Chocolates

Since this if my first experience here I decided I would start by just explaining the name. I love the movie Forrest Gump, or at least the quotes from it. The idea that "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get" is fun for me, especially when the majority of my blogs will consist of rambling about life with 2 toddlers!!! I am excited about this and hope this will help me keep in touch will all of you and let you in on a little bit of life with the Castleman Family.