Spring Break in Texas

We decided to go to Texas this March and spend some time with my sister Katie and her kids. This was Kassidy and Ellie's first true road trip and we were unsure about how it was going to go. In the past the girls had struggled being in the car for any more then 2 hours. This trip ended up being about 14 hours and it went really well. God really blessed us as Nathan's brother Kevin came with us and he rented a mini van for us to go in(our car in not big enough for 2 car seats and an adult).




Every night when we ate dinner Kassidy, Bailey, and Savannah ate dinner together at the kids table. They laughed and played more than they ate but they all had a good time.


















Kassidy had to share her favorite movie "High School Musical" with her cousins. The girls had fun time watching movies.














A highlight for the all the girls as they went swimming in Katie's big tub. They took dips in the tub 2 times while we visited. In the end I think that more water ended up on the outside of the tub than in.












Here is a picture of all the kids while they were hanging out on the couch. From left to right Savannah, Hunter, Bailey, Ellie, and Kassidy. The kids had a blast together while we were there.















We colored some eggs on the day it rained. They made some beautiful eggs and for the most part all the fingers stayed the right color.











A big highlight of the trip was when we went to the exotic zoo in a small town outside of Killeen, TX. The zoo was setup so that we drove through the park and animals would walk up to the car or they would completely ignore us. Some were shy others were not--- right Michelle.

Below is a nice photo with me and my new friend. The zebra even smiled.




















Ellie really enjoyed being out of her car seat and being able to look out the window at all the animals. We saw lots of deer, rams, zebras, lots of little ostriches, a huge ostrich, and lots of other kinds of animals.













Here is our little soldier, Kassidy. We took a tour of Fort Hood and visited a museum for the 4th Infantry Division which is where Kassidy dressed up. The museum was really cool. It told all about 4th ID through the years of Vietnam and since.

4th ID was the division who actually captured Saddam Hussein. They had a display that showed how they came to finding the spot where Saddam was hiding and how they went about finding him. They also had some of the artifacts that he had with him at the time of his capture.

They also had a memorial for all the soldiers who have lost their lives while serving.










Here is a picture of all of us outside of the museum. Our photographer is none other than Michelle.

The trip was a blast and we really enjoyed spending the time with the Crabtree's.

Please remember to pray for Philip while he is serving in Iraq and for Katie and the kids back home.

Winter Fun

We have been able to get out and do some fun activites during the winter months here in Colorado.

Right after Christmas Kassidy went ice skating for the first time and had a great time. Unfortunately, Michelle did not fare so well as she fell and broke her wrist.

The weeks and months following "the crash" were extremely difficult as Michelle could not do much with her wrist. Although we tried hard, Ellie could not get in and out of her car seat by herself and so we really had to rely upon those around us for help.


Thank you for those that did help.

We have gotten some snow this year but not nearly as much as we have gotten in the past. Kassidy did get the chance to build her first snowman with her Aunt Mary.

Kassidy said the design and size of the snowman was all Mary's idea!!

Our girls are growing up-- but they love spending time together which is a blessing for us watch. Ellie has really started moving around. It took her a while to get the hang of crawling, but once she did, she took off and hasn't stopped yet. Her favorite place to go is under the kitchen table.

We have been trying to get out whenever we can. On this brisk morning we went to Garden of the Gods and went walking for a while. We followed our walk up with a trip to Manuel's-- some fine Mexican Cuisine.

I had to put a great picture of two of the prettiest girls in the world. It was such an amazing day-- truly a day where we can give thanks to the Lord, for His mighty creation.

On the colder days we have to be a little more creative when we go and do things. On this day Ellie asked if she could go to the mall to play at the play place. She had to bring her cousin Romes (Joshua) with so they could hang out together.

Kassidy came also but never stopped long enough to get a picture. She is non-stop.

Kassidy's Birthday Party

We celebrated Kassidy's 3rd birthday just a few days ago. She had some of her friends and family over for some games and cake. Kassidy loves penguins and so the theme of her party was just that. They played pin the bow tie on the penguin, musical hats, and opened some gifts. Kassidy had a great time and loved sharing this day with those that mean so much to her.

Here is our little Ellie. She is just as serious as her big sister was at this age. She is just getting her feet under her these days as she has more to bear than others her age :) .

Ellie is like Kassidy in so many ways and yet she is so unique in her own right. She likes to stick out her upper lip and her trademark move is sucking on her two fingers.

God has been so faithful in our lives over the last few months. Kassidy has had the healthiest stretch, probably of her life, and when we have gotten sick, it has passed quickly. We have had to cancel some trips we planned on taking, but in the aftermath we were able to see how He ordained each instance in our lives. We are eager to get up each day to see what God has for us, and we are continually seeking His will for our lives.