Friends make life fun!!

Last weekend we went down to help with the Food Pantry in Giddings. This month we got to take Perryn's new BEST friend, Adaline with us. She is quite precious and adorable. Here is there fun on the trampoline AFTER we handed out 225 baskets of food that nice, cool, Friday morning!!

Perryn is 5!!!

Today, Perryn turns 5!! It is so hard to believe that 5 years ago today we were welcoming our first child into the world.

Perryn you are the light of our lives. You are creative like me and adventurous like your daddy. You are flexible, loving, kind, and generous. You love everyone with your whole heart. You are quick, witty, and funny. We love you heart for God and for helping those less fortunate. You are one of a kind and we wouldn't trade you for anything. We can't wait see what your 5th year has instore for you and what God has instore for your life. You are beautiful and we love you. Happy birthday sweet girl!!

Perryn today at school wearing the silly birthday hat that I got for her!!

Perryn and Gabe leaving for the Daddy/Daughter Dance!!

Perryn's birthday cake (we had a My Little Pony themed party on Sat.)

Perryn at her party where everyone was singing to her!!

Christmas 2008

This was our first Christmas in Austin and Gabe had to work!! So, the kids and I loaded up and went to my grandparents house. We went to the Christmas Eve service with my grandma (she is an AMAZING handbell player), went to look at lights, and then spent the night. Since Gabe was working, we spent the ENTIRE day there. We got to open presents throughout the day. These are all the pictures I have, but this is first thing in the morning. We got to open gifts when my parents came, then again when my aunt and her family came over. The only other low point of the day (other than missing Gabe) was Teagan got a fever and puked right before we left to come home.

Abby

I know that you are dying to see Christmas pictures, but they are still on my camera. With the move and work, I am WAY behind to get them up for you.

Tomorrow, little Miss Abby starts her hardest round of chemo treatments, will you please pray for her? During this time her life is going to be the most vulnerable and the hardest to survive.

Abby is just a bit younger than Perryn and for the first time, I was able to 'try' to put myself in Michelle's shoes. I couldn't do it very well. I began to feel very overwhelmed with the possibility of what life would be like if Perryn was sick. I am choosing to pray for Abby, her family, her health, her life. That's all I can do right now. Please pray for her family as well. Her new treatments start tomorrow.

I will try my hardest to get pictures up by this weekend!! Here's one of Abby though!!

URGENT Prayer Requests:

The holiday season as wonderful as it is when it comes to being with family and friends, remembering that very first Christmas, does have some difficult times for some families that have been struggling a bit throughout the year. Please pray for these following families as they are leaning not on their own understanding, but God's.

MckMama and family: As many of you may remember her son, Stellan, had heart failure while he was still in utero. He was born healthy and has a great 8 weeks, but now he is battling a SEVERE case of RSV. He is on the edge of needing to put on a ventilator and is in the Pediatric ICU for the next 7-10 days! Will you please pray with me for Stellan's healing, especially tonight, and that he would not need to be put on a ventilator to help him breathe.

The Riggs Family: Abby is about to turn a sweet 4 years old is battling leukemia. This girl is a fighter, but her fight is long from being over and she continues to have SEVER side effects from her chemo treatments. The next few rounds are going to be the roughest on her little body. (I just realized today that Perryn is just over a year older than Abby.) Please pray for her healing and that she will be able to tolerate the chemo.

Chad and Nicole: I recently found Nicole's blog through my friend Laura over at String of Pearls. Their baby Dylan was born yesterday with Trisomy 18 and lived a perfect 7 hours. Please pray for their healing during this time of grief that they are experiencing. Please pray for the hands of God to be on them right now.

The Burrell Family: Many of you may remember that my first String of Pearls order was for this sweet and precious family as they celebrated the life of their precious little girl, Savannah. I check in on Christina every so often, and she is really struggling with not having her baby here with her right now. She trusts in God, but He is feeling far away from her right now. Please pray for this family as they continue to work through their grief!!

Thank you so much for praying for these families.