a weekend get-a-way

After leaving our kids with my sister, Melissa (I owe her big!!), I met Chris in San Antonio, where he was completing a two week CE course. Time away from eachother, along with my pregnancy and our young kids, all added up to equal a much needed get-a-way. Chris picked me up at the airport with a rose in his hand, and we headed straight to the San Antonio's famous "River Walk". It was seriously breath-taking! We loved this quaint and picturesque part of town so much, that we ate dinner there every night! The boat ride was so fun, the food was great, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. We walked around holding hands, shopped, ate lots of ice cream, visited the Alamo, watched movies, slept (12 hours one night!) and enjoyed being together. We both fell in love with San Antonio and our time there.

It's a boy

We are thrilled to announce that we'll be having another boy in March. My due date is March 15th. I'm finally starting to feel better and the baby looks healthy, so we couldn't be happier. I have lots of work to do to get the boys' room ready for another one to join. Luckily, the boys room is the biggest, so it should fit all 3 of them fine. Mia will get to enjoy her own room for now, but she is a little disappointed that she's not getting a girl baby. Jonah KNEW it was a boy from the very beginning, because he "asked Heavenly Father for a boy baby". I didn't doubt that he was right =)

graduation

What an incredible day for our family! I've never been more proud of my husband and this ENORMOUS accomplishment of graduating from Dental School. I love thinking about Chris's rocky start in college. He was the first in his entire extended family to attend college. He and his parents didn't know about general classes and how they fit into a major, so Chris's freshman year was full of randomness in his schedule. I'm sure he had fun, but none of those classes really helped him toward a degree. Like many young men, he learned a great work ethic on his mission, and came home determined to do well in college. When I met Chris, he mentioned that he would like to be a dentist, but he really didn't think he could do it. I, of course encouraged him to follow his dreams and I hoped that this would all work out for us. When we got a phone call at 6 am one morning with an acceptance into dental school, that was a great accomplishment, but we knew that we still had 4 hard years ahead of us. Those years were difficult in some ways. Chris got very little sleep and studied A LOT. I birthed 3 kids and also got very little sleep, but the years have also been highlighted with so many sweet memories, and so many friends who made the journey very enjoyable. So here we are, 4 years later, with a full blown family, a place to call home, and a career for my husband.....I couldn't be happier. I'm so proud of you honey. Thank you for all of your hard work, dedication and sacrifices to provide a stable future for us. We love you!

our new home

We are SO happy to be in our new home. We still have some more unpacking and organizing to do, but for the most part we are just enjoying the space. Chris loves his job, although he is glad that he only has 4 years contracted with the Air Force. He'll be excited to be in private practice after this location. I took pictures of some of our main living areas. The babies were napping, so no pictures of their rooms yet =) We love the extra loft space that is used as a play room for the kids. It's so nice to have this room in such a convenient location. We also have an unfinished basement, which houses all the really annoying, but fun toys (bikes, trikes, ball pits, tunnels, tents, basketballs, soccer nets, etc...) It's a great place for the kids to be wild, and not destroy anything! Once I start feeling better, we'll think about painting...there's always something to do.

happy birthday jonah

Jonah turned 4 and we decided to celebrate with style....so we took a trip to Chuck-e-cheese. I have to admit that I have NEVER been there before, not even as a kid! Jonah has seen the commercials and just new without a doubt that he had to celebrate his birthday there. We were able to get lots of his friends to come and we had a ball!! Thanks to everyone for coming and making it such a special day for Jonah. There were non-stop smiles from all 3 of my kids. It was our last get together with our friends in Kansas City before we moved, so it's very special to us for that reason too. Transformers was the theme, since it's all Jonah can think about these days. He was thrilled with all the loot he recieved. Happy Birthday Jonah! We love you!

Birthdays Galore!

Brady turned "1

Mia turned "2"

We had so much fun celebrating Mia and Brady's birthdays last week. For 2 days, they shared the same age, until Mia turned 2. It's so hard to believe that another year has passed! I love nothing more than delivering a baby in the hospital, welcoming them to our family, and spending that unique time with them in the hospital. So, celebrating birthdays is also remembering that wondeful experience of bringing them into the world.

We just love watching these little people grow. They are so easy to please, so the simple decorations and cheap gifts were a hit. Some of the highlights were the jumping Tigger for .50 cents at a garage sale, and the Dora basket ball hoop, which was technically FREE!

Yeah for birthdays!

SOLD

We were so blessed to sell our home very quickly. We first had a contract after just 10 days! Unfortunately that contract fell through, and I became very nervous about how things would turn out. Then just 5 days later, we had another contract. Phewww! It's bitter sweet to have to say good-bye to a great home. We close the end of May and everything seems to be moving along.

The best part about our sale, was that we did it for sale by owner to save on realtor comissions! It was a lot of work on our part, but definitely worth it for the money we saved. We listed on the MLS through through THE REALTY DOT at http://mlsyourway.com/ and now that I've done it once, I will definitely do it again. I was fortunate enough to have friends with knowledge on the whole process and they were a great help. If any of you have to sell you home, consider this option and I'd love to help you out with any questions.

our new home

The news is finally here! We got a call from the Air Force, and we've been assigned to Scott AFB just outside of St. Louis! We are very excited and have already begun researching the area and possible locations to live. I spoke with a Bishop in the area, and their ward has 3 nurseries and 2 sunbeam classes that are very full. So, it sounds like my children will have lots of playmates. That is very exciting for me. We will also just be an hour from my older sister, Melissa, who has 3 kids just about the same age as mine. And, of course there is a temple in St. Louis. I'm very confident that this is where the Lord feels our family should be. I'm going to miss Kansas City so much, but we're optimistic about this move. Chris will begin working the end of June, so after Chris graduates the first of May, Mandi will have a few months of working full time here in Kansas City until we move. We are going to enjoy our last months here to the fullest and are so grateful for all of the friends we have.

selling our home

It's hard to believe that we've been in Kansas City for 4 years! This home was our first, and for that reason alone, it will always hold a special place in our hearts. It's the only home that all 3 of my children have known and it's odd to think that they probably won't remember much about it. I was looking back at the pictures we took before we bought it and I felt a lot of personal satisfaction to see all the improvements we have made upon it. It really has become a special sactuary for us that I love! It will be hard to leave. We put our house on the market and I just wanted to include some pictures for those who may be looking for a purchase or know someone who is. I also wanted to document this home so our children can look back and see where we spent 4 great years as their Dad went through Dental school.

happy holidays

I love Christmas time. It's so fun to relect upon the year and remember all the great times and count our blessings. Chris is finishing up dental school in May and our family will pass a great milestone--we will no longer be students!! Chris can't wait to have a profession and put studying behind him. We will be relocating with the Air Force once he graduates and we'll find out that location in January. As a whole, we are very excited and optimistic about the future.

We have loved watching our family grow and this year was marked by the arrival of Brady (aka: Brady pants, Dee-dee, Brady boy). We just LOVE having a cute, chubby baby in our midsts. It's so fun watching all of our kids grow, but we really enjoy the baby phase which seems to be passing by so quickly. Brady will be crawling any day now and seems to have a very mellow nature. His favorite activities include doing anything with his siblings. He is so entertained by them and we have loved watching their unique relationships develop.

Mia is a beauty. Maybe we're partial since we are her parents, but we can't help admiring her beauty. She talks very well, so we are getting to know her better each day. We get such a kick out of what she says. Our favorite phrases include: "Stop it Jonah!", "No way!", and "Love you". She's got to be the most polite little one-year old around. She is constantly saying "thank you" and "sorry" without any prompts. Her femine side is emerging more and more lately. She now insists on sleeping with not just one, but two of her baby dolls at night. She is rarely seen without them. We sure enjoy having a little girl in our home.

Jonah loves being the big boy at home. He is so sweet with his siblings....most of the time. We're starting to see his creative side as he develops elaborate scenarios for him and Mia to play. It's not uncommon to see he and Mia crawling around barking like dogs, building forts or racing cars. He's attending pre-school three days a week and loves it. We've seen so much growth in him already and he loves his friends and teachers at school.

Mandi is a busy mother, to say the least. Taking care of the three very young kids is demanding, but she seems to be adapting well. She enjoys a break a few days a month when Chris stays home with the kids and she goes to work as a dental hygienist for a local dentist. It's a great way to make some extra money and for Mandi to keep up her skills. Parenting is so rewarding in so many ways and we feel so blessed to have our children.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and that you get to enjoy your loved ones as we celebrate our Savior's birth. Merry Christmas!