Thursday, January 22, 2015

Overflowing With Personality: Our Daughter Anna

Anna, at the age of 6 1/2, is a character.  

Currently her favorite show is Good Luck Charlie. The main character in the show has a video diary that the  show is created around. 

One particular evening Anna decided that she too wanted to make a video diary. She asked me to curl her hair like the main character's and I agreed to film her. However, in her video diary she just made a bunch of stuff up. So no, I do not walk around the house drinking soda and eating popcorn, and Paul does not watch TV like crazy.


I asked her permission to post this video on my blog and she said yes. That is a BIG deal for her because  she is typically a private child. 

Because I like to encourage my children to do what they are passionate about, I asked her if she would be interested in trying out for the local play of Rapunzel.  Her response?  "But mommy, I don't like doing things in front of people. I'm too shy."

Fair enough.

So, for now, I will enjoy the mini glimpses of her performances that I eye as I walk through the house.   

Though she sometimes allows me to sit down and watch her "show," most of the time she becomes embarrassed when she sees anyone watching her.

It is such a treat to watch this little person's personality blossom.






Paul's Exercise Video




Last night I taught Paul how to do a plank. I told him that it works all the muscles in the body. 

I guess I might have exaggerated with the ALL statement.  

He promptly informed me that it did not work your eye lid muscles and would not put that to rest.

I sent a text to some friends about this child's need to always be right. One friend sent back that he should move his tongue in and out because the planks do not work the tongue muscle. Another friend sent back that he should breathe in and out through his nose while doing planks in order to work his nose muscles. 

Well, Paul being Paul, he did just that.  

Another friend sent message that she would need a video of Paul doing said exercise. 

Paul was more than willing to shoot a video showing how he can infact work every single muscle in his body at the SAME time.

Enjoy! 



Thursday, January 8, 2015

Living Fully In The Moment

“Time is a relentless river. It rages on, a respecter of no one.
And this, this is the only way to slow time: Fully enter time’s swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all your attention, you slow the torrent with the weight of being all here." - Ann Voskamp



 

Thursday, January 1, 2015

2014: Our Year in Pictures

This  past year (2014) I was intentional about keeping our photos in order. Because of that, when New Years Eve came around I had an easier time of reflecting on our past year. Boy was it a year. I didn't realize all the stuff that we had done until I looked over all the photos.

 

January

New Years Eve of 2013 was spent with our friends Colt and Ashley in South Carolina.  We stopped to stay the night at their house on our way to North Caroline.  


We spent the first week of 2014 at a beach house with Roger's Family.

While in North Carolina we took the kids to see the Medieval Times Dinner Theater

February

In February a  big snow storm came rolling through which caused the kids to miss an entire week of school. We had the neighborhood kids over for smoothies and dance parties.


March

In March my mom came up to spend the day with us and Anna got her first (and only this far) manicure.

Layla (Roger's sister) also came up in march for a visit and we went exploring in the woods because the weather was unusually warm.

April

In April a Jasper Family meeting was called to order. My mother-in-law Scarlette had been accepted as a CBF Missionary and needed help brainstorming for the upcoming year.

We also had more warm weather and took advantage of it by going to the Zoo with friends.

May

May was an incredible month. I turned 30!  My cardiology team celebrated this milestone with me at the clinic. 

In May Roger and I also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We celebrated this 1st decade by spending a week alone in the Big Apple . . .  New York City.

my favorite spot in NYC

the house we stayed at on 19th street

We attended our 1st Broadway Musical. Wicked

June

In June our youngest, Anna Catherine, graduated from Kindergarten.


We traveled to Georgia to watch Roger's mother, Scarlette,  commissioned as CBF Field Personnel.

And took part in the wedding ceremony of our dear friends Kelsey and Tyler

Roger trying his best to direct the rehearsal in the rain.

 July

In July we took Paul and Anna to the Frazier History Museum. Paul was insanely excited to see all the armor.

We also spend many lazy summer days with friends and around the house in our own wonderland of a backyard.



In July we also said "goodbye for now" to Roger's sister Layla and her husband Aaron. Shortly after this picture they got on an airplane for Micronesia. They are currently teaching High School there.

August

In August our friends Colt and Ashley, who we visited at the first of the year in South Carolina, came back to Kentucky to get married. Roger was asked to officiate the beautiful wedding. 


Anna started gymnastics for the first time.  Which, it turns out, she is awesome at!

And the kids started 3rd and 1st grade. Can you tell little Paul is not excited about summer being over?  Can you tell that I am totally ready for a break from parenting all day long?

September

 In September Paul started back his soccer season.

In July Paul turned 9 but we were unable to have a big party for him until September. He requested a Scottish themed party. My friend Rachel made him a bagpipe cake and my father in law brought his DJ equipment out to pump Scottish music into our backyard.


We also took mini getaways into Louisville for ice cream and cake at the Pie Kitchen.

October

In October Roger, the kids, and I traveled to Pennsylvania where we stayed in a condo in the Pocono Mountains.



Days were spent sipping coffee, playing in the backyard and hiking down the Delaware.

  

 Because we were so close to New York City we opted to take the kids there for a day trip. 
traveling to see Lady Liberty

Exploring Ellis Island

People watching in Time Square
At the end of October we celebrated Halloween back in Kentucky with our neighbors. Our street REALLY gets into Halloween which makes it fun for all ages.

 



November

November was a crazy month. I was trying to finish out my semester strong and the kids were getting very much ready for winter break.The long nights of homework, followed by the hours spent working in the ER, as well as the hours spent traveling on the road (6hrs a week), were wearing me down. But we tried to take breaks when we could and spend as much time together as possible.

 

We were out to dinner and Anna convinced us that we NEEDED to take a carriage ride.

Took time to visit my grandma Beaulah in Northern Kentucky.

December

Like for most people, December for us is a bit busy, but not nearly as the previous month. However, I should not speak for Roger. Pastors always have a rough December. Any and everything seems to take place during advent.

Christmas Dinner at the church
 While Roger was busy with his pastoral duties, the kids and I spent cold lazy days binge watching Christmas movies.


Oh, and sometime during the month of December Paul had to have tests run on his heart. This was just a precaustion because of my heart history. However, he was super excited to have his heart looked at and requested that I go with him and take photos. He told the nurse "you don't need to call a chaplain in for me. I already have one. My mom is a chaplain."   It is sweet to see my child proud of what I do.


This year Roger and I opted to celebrate Christmas with the kids on the morning of Christmas Eve. We had all day to lay around, open presents, laugh, sip coffee, and eat candy, before he had to head into work to prepare for the Christmas Eve service. Now that the kids are older it is important to me to start our own family traditions.

The simple kid got his magic tree house journal.

She begged for high heel leather boots and that is what she got.
 
New Years Eve was low key this year. Rog and I let the kids stay up late ( they barely made it to midnight), we munched on left over food, played board games and watched movies.  When the year rolled over to 2015 I stood on the front porch and blew this little horn that Anna had gotten from a friend. It embarrassed the kids which made me stand out there even longer and blow even harder.

We attempted to take a New Year selfie but Paul was still mad at me for standing on the front porch blowing a horn.   The poor dog is probably thinking 2015 is going to be another rough year for him.


 Happy 2015!!!