Medicine of Immortality "It's a cold, and it's a broken, 'Hallelujah!'"

Antonio’s First HaircutPosted by Rachel on December 29th, 2008

Before:

After:

(Dude, what just happened?)

(Papa is trying to put some finishing touches on it)

Antonio’s Birthday PhotosPosted by Rachel on December 17th, 2008

Antonio had a great day on his birthday last week, despite an icky cold. We had the fam over to help us celebrate his first birthday.

Favorite Pictures from 2008Posted by Rachel on December 15th, 2008

I’ve been organizing some of my photos on the computer today and I have really enjoyed remembering all the great moments we’ve had this year. 2008 has been a crazy, wonderful year for us, full of changes. Here are some of my favorite snapshots from this past year.

1. January:

I love this photo. It’s one of the first ones I took of both of my kids where they were both smiling at the camera. There’s something so playful and fun about it, and I just feel so blessed to have these little ones in my life.

2. February:

Okay, not surprisingly, another shot of my two kids. This is one of the first ones I took with my new camera, when I was still figuring out settings and such.

3. March:

Need I say anything? The sheer cuteness is reason enough to love this snapshot.

4. April:

This is Kyrie sitting on the grass as we watched a water-skiing performance at ULM. It was a warm and beautiful day.

5. May:

Yep, this is the first one that isn’t one of my children. We took a day trip to Seattle in May so that I could meet two of my online friends. We went to the Aquarium earlier in the day.

6. June:

Kyrie swinging at Auntie Bekah’s house. Yes, in her underwear.

7. July:

Antonio spent much of the summer in nothing but a diaper.

8. August:

We ate lots of delicious fresh vegetables and fruits from my mom’s garden. Kyrie is enjoying a freshly picked carrot.

9. September:

She’s such a darling.

10. October:

We went to the Arboretum and had tons of fun in a huge pile of leaves.

11. November:

This is Antonio watching the first snow of the season, on Thanksgiving Day.

12. December:

I only have two photos from December uploaded onto the computer. This is the best of those two. I need to upload more. But I still like this one.

More cuteness from KyriePosted by Rachel on December 15th, 2008

Me: “Kyrie, do you want the rest of my juice?”
Kyrie: “Sure! Thanks for offering!”

Kyrie: “Papa scares bad guys. And I scare some bad guys, because I’m strong like Papa.”

Kyrie, this morning, looking out the window: “The snow is all gone now!”
Me: “No, there’s still snow out there, on the ground.”
Kyrie: “Yeah, but there’s no snow on the sky anymore.”

KyrieismsPosted by Rick on December 9th, 2008

Kyrie says hilarious things all the time. Most of the time we just lament that we don’t remember to write them down. Here’s a few I did remember though:

Said randomly to me: “I want to put a bad guy in the trunk.”

I promise she hasn’t seen this on TV!

Said randomly to Rachel, pointing to our basement stairs: “Bad guys fall down there.”

After our elderly Greek landlord left our house…she had previously smothered Kyrie in hugs and kisses while repeating her first and middle name: “That grandma lady gave me lots of hugs and kisses.”

Antonio’s VocabularyPosted by Rachel on December 3rd, 2008

So Antonio might be more reluctant to give up crawling as his main mode of transportation (despite the fact that he can walk), but his vocabulary is expanding by leaps and bounds! Kyrie wasn’t really a talker before her first birthday, so I’d say Antonio is ahead in this department. Here’s a list of the words that he can say in context:

Kitty (one of his first)
Mama
Papa
Baby
Puppy
Ball
Uh-oh
A-boo (for peek-a-boo)
Hi
Pretty
That
Go! (He says this after his big sister says, “Ready, set…”)

He just keeps adding more all the time. He even said “Hi, Papa” to Rick last night. He’s our smart little guy!

My Thankful ListPosted by Rachel on December 1st, 2008

I know I compain far too often about little things, but I really am grateful for all the blessings that God gives us. I don’t deserve His love, faithfulness, mercy, forgiveness, and all the little gifts on top of all that! Some things I’m particularly thankful for:

A new home, close to family: Just when we felt like we’d never find something that was right for us, we found this house. It’s beautiful, spacious, in great condition, in the perfect location (near work, family, shopping, across the street from a park), and our landlord is great. He is very quick to take care of any issues we might have. I just feel very thankful for everything about our new home.

Family and friends who love us: We’ve always had them, no matter where we’ve lived. It’s so nice to be able to see some of them more often, and I feel extremely blessed to know that there are so many people who care so much about us and help us out when we need help (you all know who you are!)

My children: My babies continue to amaze me every day. They are beautiful to me, and they are my joys. They keep my heart light and full at the same time. I love ‘em so much I could squish ‘em!

Rick: I don’t tell him this often enough, but he’s an amazing, godly man. His heart is what made me fall in love with him, and he takes care of me like I’m a princess. I don’t deserve all the affection and love he pours out on me. He never leaves me wondering if he still cares about me or still thinks I’m beautiful after all these (okay, just over four) years of marriage. I couldn’t do any of this without him.

New furniture: Our new sectional is so great. I love it. I was a big whiner when we received one of the wrong pieces and had to take it back to get the right one. It wasn’t that big of a deal. I feel blessed to have such nice furniture to snuggle up with my family on or enjoy with company.

There’s more, but I think it might get boring if I list everything. Suffice it to say that I am very happy with this wonderful life that God has given to me, and I want to spend the Advent season giving to others so that they can also be blessed by our God in wonderful ways. And that’s the last thing on the list: I’m thankful that God has given us the means to share our blessings with others this year. I hope we can change lives and maybe even save some.