Sunday, December 26, 2010

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Ours was wonderful! We were able to visit with a lot of family and the best part is we have more to come. Sophia has had a blast thus far! In fact she has been so blessed this Christmas that we were forced to transform our spare bedroom into her very own play room!

Though her assignment as an angel did not quite work out, we still enjoyed our Christmas Eve service where we were reminded of the true meaning of CHRISTmas! Kris, Sophia and I are so thankful for the lives that we have. Thank you, God for abundantly blessing us! Merry Christmas!




Thursday, December 23, 2010

Our little monkey is gonna be a big cousin SOON!

As most of you know, Kris and I are anxiously awaiting the birth of our first niece/nephew. We could not be more thrilled and excited for Jenn and Jeff. We know first hand how exciting their life is about to become and wish them the very best as they prepare for the arrival of their little one.

We are counting down the days and anxiously awaiting that special call...it should be less than a month away!

Love you guys;-)


The creative way they chose to tell the family! Sophia assisted!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Thankful to Give...

I LOVE this time of the year! It seems as though everyone is busy baking, hustling up last minute gifts and preparing to celebrate the birth of our Lord! For me, this time of the year also always serves as a reminder to be thankful for what I have!

A couple of weeks ago on my way to Walmart to return a duplicate gift Sophia had received for her birthday, I stopped by the local Walgreens. I had quickly stopped at the store in search of a gift I had been unable to find anywhere else. I stood at the toy aisle frustrated because I realized they did not have it and my search would continue.

And then something quickly changed my frustration....

A little girl (about 3 years) was asking her mother if she could have this little $25doll that was on the shelf. Her mother softly told the little girl she was not sure because her daddy had just lost his job and "Santa" did not have much money this year. At this point I looked up just in time to realize the little doll was the exact same doll I was going to return! I looked at the mother and told her that I had something in the car I would love for her to have for her little girl. Initially, she kindly refused the gift, but then after some persistance she said okay and followed me to my car. I gave her the doll, along with another little toy I had in the back and they went on their way after the teary eyed mother thanked me.

At this point, my eyes were tearing up and as I started the car, I realized the same song (One Friend) that we had played at my granny's funeral was playing on the
radio. Something special happened that day....and it made me more thankful this Christmas than ever before.

We may not have all the money in the world. We may not have the perfect life. We may not even have the perfect attitudes all the time. What we do have, however, is a chance to live and a chance to give! There is something really special about truly giving to those in more need than ourselves. In fact, I think this type of act is the greatest gift we can give ourselves!

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Happy Birthday, Daddy! (aka Kris)

Tomorrow is a special day. It is the day we will put aside all of the Christmas excitement and celebrate a big day for one special daddy and husband!

Happy Birthday to the best husband that continues to be my biggest supporter and best friend! His love for our little girl amazes me and makes me so glad that he is such an intricate part of both of our lives. We look forward to many more exciting and happy birthdays!

As Sophia would say we are going to eat some "Happy Cake for daddys birday!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRIS BARTELS! We Love You!



Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Tis the Season...& Enjoying Every Minute

It really is the most Wonderful Time of the Year! Holidays have always been a wonderful time and this year has not disappointed. Sophia is in love with the lights, sounds, images and spirit of Christmas. It is so special to hear her pick up a piece of one of the many manger scenes we have in the house and utter the words, "Baby Jesus." Although, I do like hearing her talk about Santa and the deer, it's also awesome to see her begin to learn the true meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate!


We have done so much already and have lots of celebrating left in the season. For now, I will share the pictures from the trail of lights with Santa Claus and our little cookie baking experiment that left our kitchen looking like a tornado hit the bag of flour! All I could do was smile, because there is nothing like the light I saw in Sophia's eyes as our reindeer cookies baked. She could not wait until daddy got home that night to show him her "Paula Dean" creation! We have so much to be thankful for this season! We are so blessed!

















It's About Time!

You always hear the saying, "Better Late Than Never." Well...here we are...a little late but I finally decided it's time to learn the ropes and begin our own family blog. Here's to hoping I can keep up with this crazy fast paced world we live in and let you all know what we have been up to on a regular basis!

Tis the Season and like all other families we are preparing to celebrate Christmas. Sophia certainly has added tons of excitement to this Holiday Season with her anticipation of seeing Santa and his arrival with the "toys and candies" she keeps asking him for. Kris is getting ready to celebrate his 29th birthday and I am busy checking off the names on our Christmas list!

So for now, my plan is to catch you up one post at a time and allow you to enjoy our Holidays along with us (one post at a time)!