Special gifts...

Our families are always so kind and generous at Christmas and, of course, we LOVED all of the presents we received, but I wanted to post about a few, specifically, because they are really special!

Mike's parents really surprised me this year by giving me a book made from my blog. Anyone who faithfully updates a blog should look into this. I know my kids are going to love looking at it and reading what I thought of them someday! It's like a yearbook...hardbound, thick glossy pages and every one of my posts, from the beginning, up through mid-December, was included! It was such a thoughtful gift. I included the website on the collage below if you are interested in checking out the consultant's site. My mother-in-law said she was great to work with. :)

So, Mike walked into the house this evening to find me sitting in the living room (kids were in bed) dressing and undressing Natalie's new Bitty Baby and taking pictures of her. He was laughing and said I was weird...I didn't deny it. :) My mom MADE all of these cute little doll clothes to fit the doll baby she bought Natalie for Christmas. Aren't they so cute? I just love that they are handmade by her. They will be so fun for Nattie to play with! I did tell my mom that I was mad at her for not passing on her awesome sewing skills to her daughter.

I told my mom recently that Nattie will NOT leave a bib on. As soon as you put it on her, she rips it off. The velcro kind just haven't worked for my little Houdini. Anyway, my mom always had cloth bibs that tie around the neck for us growing up, and I knew Nattie couldn't get that kind off, so I asked her if she would make me some for Christmas. I know many people don't like cloth bibs because they don't wipe clean as easily and they don't have the little pouch for catching food, but I love them and I'm just glad she can't get them off!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Obviously, as is evidenced by the last two posts, my kids get PLENTY of gifts at Christmas time. So, Santa (not wanting to futher aid in the spoiling of my children) brought just one gift for each kiddo and a few small stocking stuffers for Benny too. Ben got a Darda racetrack and LOVED it! Natalie got a baby doll. She got several this Christmas from different people and, for some reason, she just got SO excited whenever I'd unwrap a package that contained a doll. I think it's so funny how she is such a girl already. :)

Finally, a short video of my sweet girl checking out her new baby doll! Please try to block out my annoying baby talk...oh my!

Moser Family Christmas...

We had fun spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Mike's family. I hosted Christmas Eve at our house. It was the first time I'd ever hosted that large of a group, but it turned out great and I don't think anyone starved...so I was happy about that! (By the way, I don't know how to post pictures in moderation...it's a real problem...sorry!)

I love the pictures of "the grandmas" (upper left) holding the calendars we made for them!

On Christmas morning we headed over to Papa and Nana's to open presents with them. I, for some reason, didn't take many pictures. I think, once I opened my gift, I was too enamored to pay attention to anything else (more on that soon). By the way, the ant farm is staying at Papa's...he is having ants shipped to him?! :) I know Ben will love it.

The day after Christmas we headed to Columbus to spend a little more time with Uncle Brad and Aunt Christina. Ben loved his digger and Natalie got some adorable clothes!

We went to the Columbus Zoo that evening to see all the lights and check out a few animals. We are blessed to be a part of such a loving and generous family!

Christmas in Missouri...

Ben, Nattie and I spent the weekend before Christmas in Missouri with my fam celebrating the holiday. We missed having Daddy with us, but he had basketball coaching responsibilities back home. We got to see most of our Illinois family too, so it was lots of fun and lots of people! I am blessed with such a big and loving family! Here is just a few bazillion pictures from our visit...

Fun with cousin Emma...

Opening presents...Nattie got lots of cute girlie things for her 1st Christmas!

Spending time with my extended family (wish I had gotten more pictures of these cute people!)...gosh I miss them!

Finally, just a few random shots from our visit. It's always good to be with people I love!

11 months...

Today my little girl is 11 months old. She has learned a lot in the past month. She is walking around everything now and has even taken four or five steps on her own. She is getting more brave now and it won't be long before she is walking! She waves and says "hi" about 100 times a day. If you say hi to her she puts her hand up by her ear and says it back...like she's on the phone. She loves to raise both hands in the air when we say "Nattie is SOOOO BIG!" and she gives the best hugs around the neck. She has five teeth (three on top and two on bottom) and she still drools a TON! Every outfit is soaked through in less than an hour of getting dressed (she's already wearing size 18mths!). She has many more bruises and scratches all over her little body from crashing into things and falling. She has the sweetest little personality and is such a pleasant, smiley little thing. I love this girl!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

This Wednesday Mike will turn 31 years old! We have a busy week ahead, so we celebrated tonight as a little family. Ben had fun helping me fill out Dad's card and wrap his present. He wrote out "Happy Birthday, Daddy!" in his own handwriting (I just had to spell!). We love you, Mick! Happy Birthday!

Ben REALLY wanted to sing Happy Birthday to Daddy. Here he is...

Prayers for Grandpa...

I would greatly appreciate prayers for my Grandpa right now (my Mom's Dad). He is currently in the ICU recovering from two brain surgeries to stop bleeding in his brain. He is 84 years old, so any surgery (let alone brain surgery!) will be extra tough on his body. I am told he has a long recovery ahead. I have a large family who, thankfully, are close by and able to visit him and take care of him. There are a few of us who live away, but love him just the same. I know I can't really help him or my family in a tangible way right now, so if posting this would cause one more person to pray for his recovery and healing..it's the very least I can do. Please pray for my Grandma, as well. Thanks so much! Grandpa, we love you and are praying for God to heal you!

Friends...

We had a fun, kid-free, evening hanging out with good friends (we've been in a Bible study together for the last two years). We went out to eat, shopped a little, and enjoyed some Starbucks and good conversation. While in Nordstrom Rack (I love this store!) Travis tried on a lovely pair of shoes (see below) that I really thought he should have purchased. I can't figure out why he didn't??? Travis, you look awesome. :) Thanks for a fun time, friends. We can't wait to do it again!

Deck the halls...

Ok, so my posts are not really in sequential order, but I felt like I had to write about Thanksgiving before I could talk about decorating the tree...even though we did this last weekend. I wanted the house to be decorated before my family came to town. Benny had a blast, as usual, helping us decorate the tree and house. He is a great little helper and wanted to put out EVERY single Christmas item we had. With a 10 month old in the house this year, I wanted to stick to the basics, as I was envisioning her being a little terror. :) She has, surprisingly, been pretty good about not bothering the tree. Hmm...maybe it has something to do with the fact that everytime she goes near the tree Ben tells her "No, no, Nattie!" and pulls her halfway across the living room?!

Tonight, Ben helped Daddy finish up the lights on a few of the trees out front. We used big colored lights this year and Ben loves it. I think my bud looks so cute in his new winter coat and hat. :)

Nattie stayed warm inside with me and decided to terrorize Santa by pulling his beard and eating it.

Finally, a few random pictures my mom took when she was here. Please don't judge me for my LOVELY attire in these photos. I have to admit, however, that this is how I look about 90% of the time when I'm home with my kids...no shower...ugly pj bottoms and one of Mike's t-shirts. I really love snuggly mornings with my family. :)

Turkey time!

My Mom, Dad and little brother, Eric, came for a visit this past week for Thanksgiving. We had fun just relaxing with them at the house and spending Turkey Day at Papa and Nana's with all of Mike's family. Benny and Nattie enjoyed getting to spend so much time with family. Poor Nattie had a terrible cold for most of the week, but she is on the mend now ( it seems I got it!). Here are some pictures from our time together...

I LOVE the bottom right picture of Nattie looking up at Eric. He was doing some studying for his finals this upcoming week and I guess she was interested. :)

Just a few shots from Thanksgiving Day. We ate like pigs, as usual.

Finally, some Grammy and Pops shots...

Hope each of you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

A blessed life...

I don't always have a thankful heart. This past Sunday in church I was reminded that I am, as a Christian, to be thankful to God in every life circumstance. Is it just me, or is that really hard? It is so easy for me to dwell on the one thing that feels stressful or overwhelming in life at the moment and let that consume me. How foolish is that? Why do I ignore God when I know He is the only answer? What a sinner I am! I spent the better part of the Sunday service (and this week) thinking of all of the things in my life that I have to be thankful for…and let me tell you, the list is long.

Things I thank God for...

The beauty of His creation….from the intricate design on a monarch butterfly, to smoke covered mountains, to changing leaves on trees. I feel so happy when I’m able to spend a day outside hiking or playing at the park with my kids. There are so many tiny, intricate details in nature that fill my heart with happiness and peace and remind me that I serve a pretty powerful and creative God.

Our ability to provide for our family…Mike and I both have great jobs that fit our personalities and talents (aside from our #1 priority of being mom and dad). We have a place we call home in a great neighborhood and city. We can afford to put food on the table and clothes on our backs. All of these things are easy to take for granted, but today I am so thankful for the basics in life.

The blessing of Godly parents…two sets who have each been married for over 30 years and who have taught me (and Mike) so much about relationships, parenting, and life through their example…but more importantly they've taught us about the importance of having a personal relationship with God.

The blessing of giving and loving grandparents…what a gift they are to us in so many ways…from caring and loving on our children while we work, to making us meals or doing our laundry just because they love to help...sending us cards with special notes about why they love us…and the list goes on.

The love of siblings (and their spouses and kids)…Adam, Jenny (and Emma!) , Eric, Brad and Christina fill our lives with lots of love and fun. We love spending time with them…whether it’s hanging out watching a football game, sending goofy text messages, going on vacations together, singing dumb songs, or just making each other laugh. They aren’t just family…they are friends.

The extra special gift of extended family….and boy do we have a lot! We have 31 aunts and uncles between us (that’s crazy…I know!) and I can’t even begin to calculate all of our cousins. All I know is that some of my most valued friendships are family. We don’t see all of them as often as we’d like, but they hold a special place in our hearts and have contributed in such a huge way to who we are. (I love each of you..sorry I can't include every one of your faces here!)

The blessing of friends…how thankful I am for friends who know me…don’t fault me for my weaknesses…pray for me when I’m struggling…encourage me and love me.

The gift of being a wife and mother….my little family is at the very top of my list of things to be thankful for. God has blessed me with a life partner who loves God, loves me and loves our kids. Four and a half years ago God changed me forever when he entrusted me with a funny, smart, sensitive and loving little man, Ben. He blessed me, yet again, when he gave me a sweet, snuggly baby girl, Natalie, just 10 months ago. I can not thank Him enough for these two precious little people. They have filled my life with more joy than I can adequately put into words.

My life is filled to the brim with blessings…more than I can list here…blessings I don’t deserve. I have a Savior who loves me, even when I forget that I need Him…even when I forget to thank him. He is the reason for everything good in my life.

“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19b-20

Just an ordinary day...or week...

I've been in a blogging slump (yes, I consider a week without blogging a slump). I keep thinking that maybe one of these days I'll have something really interesting to say, but for now it's just another everyday life post. I love my life...even it is ordinary.

Mike ran ANOTHER trail marathon last Sunday (along with his brother, Brad). If you're keeping track, that's three marathons (one road, two trail) in five weeks. Is the human body supposed to do that?? I said he was crazy before and I'd like to reiterate that now. It was a VERY hilly race and really difficult. He got sick with one mile to go...but he stuck it out. He's taking a nice long break now...thank goodness! His basketball coaching responsibilities have started up, so running will take a bit of a backseat for awhile (his body deserves it!). He's already talking about a 50K race (31miles) for next summer though...whoa!

This is the kind of extracurricular activity I spend many of my days participating in...wrestling small children. It might look easy, but it's almost as hard as running a marathon...kind of. :)

Apparently I didn't take a picture of Ben this past week...sorry buddy! So, here's Nattie in all her glory. She is a full-blown crawler now and is pulling up to/walking around everything. It's almost like overnight she figured the whole mobility thing out. I really wish she would take a break from teething for awhile though. She's chewing our whole house...shoes, furniture, magazines...it's like having a puppy. :)

Finally, a little video clip of Nattie from this weekend. I've only posted one video of her ever, so I thought it was time for another. She's such a happy-go-lucky little thing. :)

Art by Ben

Just wanted to share some of the "artwork" that Ben came home from preschool with today. Here he is in his turkey hat. We were pulling into the garage after preschool and realized that we had accidentally left his hat at school. He was so upset. I had to turn around and go all the way back to get it. Luckily, it's not that far...plus, he was super cute posing for me in it!

The piece below really made me laugh. I wrote captions next to each of the items in his house as he explained them to me at lunch today. He started off by telling me that he had an invisible puppy and kitty in his house along with his sister (who apparently wasn't invisible...or recognizable...ha ha). You'll have to click on the drawing to read the captions. I can't explain why he felt the need to write his name twice...guess he just wanted to make sure we knew it was HIS house?? :)

Finally, a picture of my baby girl. Ben brought up some of his stuffed animals in a bin from the basement. I stuck Nattie in the bin to be silly, but I thought she looked cute smooshed in with her furry friends. :)

My sunshine...

Sweet

Little

Girl

Gosh I love her!

9 months, wild thing, and more Halloween...

Nattie turned nine months old this past week. I can hardly believe that in three short months she will be a year old. Crazy! At her check-up we found that she is growing taller, but is thinning out a little. She's in the 97th percentile for height (29 1/2 inches), but has moved down to the 50th-75th for weight (19 lbs 7 oz). She's learned all kinds of things over the last month or so. She's doing the army crawl thing everywhere now and is starting to figure out how to do the real thing here and there too. She is still eating and sleeping like a champ and is generally a happy little thing. She loves mimicking her big brother, screaming really loud, and saying "da, da ,da ,da" over and over again. :) Here she is in her new winter hat. I just love that little face...cold nose and pretty blue eyes. :)

On Friday night we took Benny to see the movie "Where the Wild Things Are." He has always loved the book and I always kind of thought his imagination reminded me of Max's. The storyline was more complicated than his four and a half year old brain could understand, but he was intrigued by the "wild things" and really enjoyed it. He asked a billion questions throughout the whole movie and I kept having to remind him to whisper. I can only imagine how many people we annoyed. There was probably about 30 minutes left of the movie when he decided he REALLY wanted popcorn. :) Of course, his Daddy got him some. It was a fun evening with our little guy.

Here he is after the movie...he was "out" as soon as we got in the car.

Finally, here are a few shots from our trick-or-treating adventures last night. Ben ran into his preschool friend, Sophia, while we were out. He LOVES her. He told us that he wanted us to have another baby girl and name her Sophia. As cute as that sounds...I think we'll wait a bit, buddy.

Jack-o-Lanterns

Daddy and Ben had fun carving pumpkins tonight. Ok, so Daddy did most of the work, but Ben was very proud of his "gut" removal support role. I must say...I am very impressed with Mike's carving skills. The bat was pretty detailed, but I thought it turned out great. The two jack-o-lanterns are now sitting proudly on our front porch just waiting to scare trick-or-treaters on Saturday!

A pirate and a monster...

Last night we made our annual trip to "Boo at the (Akron) Zoo" with Papa and Nana. Ben and Nattie got to get dressed up in their Halloween costumes, collect treats, and look at the animals. They were both pretty cute, if I do say so myself. :) It was pretty chilly, but lots of fun!

I especially love Nattie's striped tights and monster feet... :)