Miracles

He is tall and pencil thin. 
His white hair and thick beard can't hide his contagious smile. 
He is the strongest man I know. His faith incredibly steadfast...never wavering or fading. 
For years I have watching him sit back 
and quietly take everything in. 
And he is truly happy when he is surrounded by his family. 
My grandpa. Grandpa GG. 
This month he turned 90. 

And last week he gave us all a big scare.
Phone calls were made and prayers were sent up. 
Our prayers were answered and a miracle unfolded right before our eyes. 

And so today I am lifting my hands in praise...visiting my Grandpa in the hospital and reveling in the miracle of life - his life. And God's amazing miracles. 

My Little Valentines

Little Miss Callie Catherine peed in the potty today for the very first time! She has been showing signs for a few weeks now that she is "ready" to be potty trained, so late this week I went to Walmart and got a pink potty chair. For the first day or so, she acted scared of it - so I decided I would just let her go at her own pace and see how she handled it. Yesterday she sat on it for the first time...decided she liked it and didn't want to get up! Silly girl - but I thought she still didn't understand and it would be awhile before we got anywhere. Today Gabe had her most of the day because I had to go to Vincennes, Washington, and Loogootee - but I got home in time to give her a bath tonight. Before she got into the bath she wanted to sit on her potty. I ran to the laundry room very quickly, and by the time I came back into the bathroom - she had peed! She was so proud of herself and stood by the potty and clapped. Oh, this sassy girl just amazes me every single day. She is still a complete Daddy's girl and will not let anyone else put her to bed at night. She is really talking - more and more everyday.

 Her favorite phrases are: 

*"I peed and pooped." (She says this constantly, even when we are in public, which is so embarrassing!!)

*"Tank you." (Thank you)

*" I want nack." (I want a snack.)

And her favorite names to say are: 

Mama, Dad-dee, Bubba, Nae-Nae, Elisha, Isaiah, Mallory, AunaRay, Papa, Nana, Alicia, and Nate

She has learned to climb up on the kitchen stools to reach the island countertop...we are in trouble now!

We have been having lots of family nights at our house - my family will come over for tacos or pizza and we will just hang out and play games, talk, and laugh. These are my favorite kinds of nights!

We celebrated Valentine's Day with small gifts and lots of hugs and kisses:)

 Max came home from school with lots and lots of treats and VDay cards - I think he was on a sugar high from his party! His favorite thing to do right now is look thru all his baseball, basketball, and football cards - I remember my brothers collecting those cards and now Max is really into it. He has so many sports statistics in that head of his...his memory is insane!!

 Happy February, everyone!

Dishes and Puzzles

We've had a lazy snow day around here...just hanging out and even started a 1,000 piece puzzle:) Jessica and Lauren even brought us donuts this morning - how thoughtful!! We have a fire going in the fireplace and Elisha came over to play...I think we might even order some pizza soon. I'm just lovin' this day:)

My kiddos have been super busy - Max is reading up a storm and really loving school. Callie has started talking in sentences. Her first sentence ever was "I WANT CHEESE!" which is very fitting since this is her favorite food and she is constantly asking for it. Now she is on a kick of helping me with the dishes...and is constantly saying "I DO DAT DISH." (I do that dish). I can't help but laugh every time I hear her say it!

Last weekend our sweet Janae (Nae-Nae) was in homecoming - she is a senior and I can't even believe how much she has grown up. She is so beautiful!! Since she was born, she has been a huge part of my life and that will never change. Now she loves on and plays with my kids, just like I did with her:)

Also, last weekend we had a surprise party for Raylene's birthday. We had some great food and visited with lots of family - the kids all played and ran around like wild Indians.

 February has begun and I kept believe how fast this school year is going!! I got my hair chopped off this week - I can't seem to let it grow out for long. 

 Goodnight y'all...

Oh, the places she will go...

Ugh...I'm tired. Been wrestling my sweet baby girl to sleep. Yes, I said wrestling.
She isn't sleeping well...correction - she never sleeps well, but the last few nights have been worst then usual. 
I don't get much sleep. 
Gabe doesn't get much sleep.
Callie doesn't get the GOOD sleep that she needs.
And Max just sleeps thru it all:)
Not sure if it's teething, an ear infection, a tummy ache...but whatever it is needs to go away. And fast!
As much as my baby girl drives me crazy, tests all the limits, and makes me think about pulling my hair out most days...I love her more than I could have ever imagined. She is truly one of a kind. 
I did snap this sweet photo of her tonight and thought to myself...
"Oh, the places she will go..." (can you tell I'm a book fanatic:)!!

Well, since she is finally sleeping and all seems quiet around here - I'm gonna snuggle in while I can. Good night all!

"Snow" much fun:)!!

We officially survived a "blizzard" at the end of December/beginning of January in southern Indiana - and even had fun while doing it:) I LOVE getting snowed in - and we were definitely snowed in a couple of days (our driveway is pretty scary when it has snowed/or is icy)!! It was even bad enough to keep Gabe home for one day, which NEVER happens...we mostly just relaxed, watched TV, ate lots of yummy goodies left over from Christmas, and of course had to play in the snow a little. Uncle Caleb and Aunt Mallory even came to visit one day and make a snowman and have some target practice with Caleb's new gun. 





















 





I also wanted to get some family photos in the snow - so I set my camera on a timer and we got some cute ones. My mom also came over in the middle of our photo session and snapped a few for us. I thought they turned out really great for an impromtu session!

We also got our new puppy right when all this snow fell - which makes potty training so much fun...ha ha! I've cleaned up more messes than I care to remember...from both kids and pets:) 

My family thinks I need to start potty training Callie - but I don't even know if I want to tackle that with her only being 17 months!! She has started telling me "I POOP!" and then bringing me a diaper. Today while we were at my grandpas, she told me she pooped, got a diaper, laid her blanket down to lay on while I changed her, and then went back for the wipes ( I never said a word to her about getting anything out). She is such a stinker - surprises me everyday with how clever she is.  This is Callie when her and I got hung up in our driveway in the snow one day this week - she is saying "STUCK!"

Max decided what he wanted to spend his Christmas money on - he came home one day from school wanting to order a Colt's jersey. After  browsing all the options, he decided on "Hilton," which I know nothing about, but Max can tell you the guys stats and his whole life story:) Max has a crazy, awesome memory that he uses to store all kinds of sports statistics and information. He is too smart for his own good, I tell ya - this kid is so funny!! His jersey came in the mail today, but he is at his dad's - I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees it! I think this is the first time he has ever spent his money on anything - he usually hoards it and his piggy bank is busting at the seams!

 Max and Elisha having some fun in the snow (above).  Max wrote me this note one night and had it waiting on my pillow - oh how I love this little man (below)!!

Happy New Year, everyone:) Prayers for a blessed and joy-filled 2013!

Celebrating JESUS:)

 We had many celebrations to attend over the Christmas season...and lots of opportunities to celebrate family, traditions, and the birth of our Savior! We started by going to Gabe's mom and dad's for Christmas on the weekend before - we had a yummy supper of steaks & baked potatoes and then opened gifts, then played some games before heading home. Max got an amazing remote controlled truck that is HUGE, and Callie got a wooden kitchen (which she hasn't stopped playing with) and of course her new little puppy from the last post. Here are some photos from that evening...

Next up was Christmas Eve at my Grandpa Raber's house - always a night with lots of memories made and lots of laughs!! Memories of my grandma surround me in that house...but not in a sad way - it makes me feel like "home" and warms my heart. Christmas Eve has always had a "magical" feeling for me...

After the Raber's we had one more party for the night - the Swartzentruber's! We played a lively game of BINGO and then just talked and caught up with the family!! Here is a photo of the great grandkids... I love that the girls are all holding the babies and homemade baby blankets that Grandma Swartzentruber made for them!! And Max got to hold the real baby, Mr. Parker!

Christmas morning we woke up and opened gifts as a family, then my mom, dad, and brothers came over - we had a huge breakfast and then opened gifts!! Before my family arrived - our little family looked thru our stockings and then looked at what Santa had dropped off:) Max is such an amazing big brother - before he ever glanced at his own gifts, he was helping Callie open all of hers. It was so precious to see his excitement and joy for his sister's reaction to her gifts. (Yes, in the photo below, Callie is drinking from a bottle. YES, I realize she is WAY too old for this:( 

At noon on Christmas day, it was time to head to the Beasley's for appetizers and gift-giving. 

And Christmas night we went to Gabe's grandparents, the Paulus's. The family is growing and starting to outgrow Melvin & Gladys's home - but we all squeezed in and ate (again:)!! Then we went to the living room to talk and watch the kids play - and of course I took some photos:). 

Then it was time to head home and fall into bed - another wonderful Christmas with tons of memories made:) I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas, and now we are ready for the New Year!