Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Christmas Wishes

 
We are looking forward to the holiday season and getting to see all the "cousins".  After time with our Texas family, we'll be roadtripping out to Kentucky where we'll be with the great big Dorr clan! 
We pray each of you enjoy this holiday season,
 and take time to reflect on the Lord's goodness and mercy in 2012.
 
 


"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."
Isaiah 7:14


"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David..."
Luke 1:32

 
Wishing each of you a very special Christmas season, full of
love, family, and Jesus.
 

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Just a {holi}Day

It's just one of those normal days that happens to be in the holiday season.  We've passed Thanksgiving, but haven't put away the thankfulness.  We're not yet to Christmas, but enjoying the advent season.  Sitting on the back patio with the girls, I found myself overcome and particularly grateful today for the many blessings we've been given.



 
 
 
"A thankful heart prepares the way for the Lord"

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

The Oil Ranch!

For those of you wondering why we would be visiting a place called The Oil Ranch, please remember we are living in Texas.  Contrary to its name, we encountered no oil.  We did however meet a lot of friendly little farm critters.


Baby bunnies!


 




with Pop & KiKi


Hayride & feeding cows


            
 

Serious conversations
 
Uncle Stone - funny guy.





Thursday, November 1, 2012

Cousins, Costumes & Candy



Mid-October found us celebrating our cousin, Lilli's second birthday!  Such a celebration!



Avery, Lilli & Kylie
The girls with the GREAT grandmothers
So stylish

This Halloween was our first attempt at trick-or-treating.  It was a blast!  We met up with several other families and went out like a herd, descending on any neighbor brave enough to have their porch light on.  Kylie dressed as Snow White, and Avery as Minnie Mouse.

Scary Faces


Sweet Faces


Friends!
And Avery about to get her eye poked out...it's tough being the youngest!


Loves her Daddy  :)

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Our Three Ring Circus



At Barnum & Baily's Circus w/ KiKi & Pop


Facepainting! 
Philip is by far the more fun parent ; )

August-September brought a whirlwind of activity, as I know it does for most families.
  • We have officially started "school".  We meet once a week with other homeschooling families to learn in a more structured classroom setting, while learning at home the rest of the week.  Thus far I am very pleased with the routine and the lovely families we have met.  Of course so much of our progress (or lack thereof) depends on my keeping everyone on schedule.  So, I have really come to appreciate that "list-making gene" I inherited from my mother!


Soccer
  • Kylie has begun her first season of soccer! I don't know how good she is yet, but she is DARN cute in those shin guards and tall socks! ; ) Her team consists of 9 little girls called the Butterflies, and they sport turquoise jerseys with matching tie-dyed socks!

Attack that ball!

The team


The Savior
  • Philip has gone and returned from 6 weeks of filming THE SAVIOR in Bulgaria and Jordan.  There is a certain boisterous joy missing in the house when he's not here, so we're glad to get him back!  This film is the long-awaited capstone to a project he has put ten years of his life into.  I am so proud of his work and the many lives it is touching.  I was able to join him for one week in Bulgaria, so here are a few of the pictures I took. 
Philip had a cameo role as the Roman soldier that nailed the sign on Jesus' cross.


John & Philip having set discussions.

The Lady of Freedom in downtown Sofia.  Erected after the fall of Communism.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia.


Natural spring water that comes out in the city square.  People bring jugs of all sizes to fill up.

Spice Market

Pretty little flower shop


 
 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Lazy Days

So nearly a month after the July 4th holiday I sit here updating this little online journal.  I've decided something mysterious happens to one's time management skills when you have little ones.  I am perpetually busy, yet when asked what I do everyday, I find myself at a loss for words. 
 It's true that I do tend forget a lot of the little tasks that keep us occupied all day, but it's also true that most people don't want to hear the mundane, like - -
"Actually, we changed wet underwear mulitple times, washed the pee sheets for the third time this week, medicated mosquito bites repeatedly, worked on Kylie's handwriting, settled a major squabble over 'Cera' (the triceratops dinosaur), and that was all before breakfast!"

So here is a recap of our Fourth of July!  One day that does stand out this month...

We stayed the night at the farm and the girls collected the morning paper with Gan, one of their most favorite things to do.  It's almost worth going to bed at night if they know they have a paper to fetch in the morning.


Before going to the annual picnic we snuck out to see the freshly baled hay.


Kylie enjoyed a little hoist up...



...while Avery scowled at us from the truck.  She was not about to get up there.


Then we spent the evening at Big Der's. 
We enjoyed great company, a super cookout, and of course...


 lovely fireworks over Lake Palestine.




In Other News...
  • I've been reading "Seven" by Jen Hatmaker and finding it a very convicting book about waste and stewardship and in general, just holding myself to a higher standard in daily life.
  • Philip has been to Orlando and back, enjoying all he is doing with G2.  They are looking forward to filming The Savior very soon!
  • Kylie had a super t-ball season and is looking forward to trying out soccer this fall.  We have also joined a local homeschool group called Classical Conversations.  It follows the classical education model and starting in September we will meet once a week with other preschool families embarking on the homeschool journey.  An exciting challenge for all of us, no doubt!
  • Avery is recognizing and testing her little powers and personality, as all 2.5 year olds do.  She is feisty and funny (and sometimes not so funny), but overall such a delightful spirit.  We are rapidly learning that she is our family's litte piece of drama and comic relief! 



Saturday, June 23, 2012

Summer Love

Summer is suddenly in full swing and we are LOVING all of these days
full of sunshine, swimming, and fun.  Hard to believe June is nearly finished,
but we've got lots more in store for July!


Kylie's preschool ended with a bang:  Field Day!
They even let Avery participate!


Kylie has started t-ball...her first experience with a "ball" sport!  So far it's going well.  At her first game Philip offered her a drink of water and she replied,
"No thanks, my sweat will keep me cool."
Yes, we have awesomely strange kids  =)




 We're also in the midst of our first round of swimming lessons.  She started off a little nervous,
but has proven herself a fish in the making.



And...we recently had a visit from our Hot-lanta, Georgia cousins (yay!).
We welcomed 'em Texas-style with one of our famous hotdog cookouts @ the farm.
Here are a couple shots of the girlies from that evening.