christmas wrap-up

Christmas day was spent with the Moffat side.

Great Annie (Michael's grandma) was still in the hospital/rehab so we all crammed into her room to open gifts and celebrate Christmas together. We sang songs and spent as much time as we could there...


as much time as you can with 4 little munchkins!



She loved watching the kids open their presents and wondered why we didn't bring ALL the gifts. Annie has always spoiled the grandkids on Christmas and we knew it might overwhelm her to bring the full car load of gifts...so we had one gift for everyone.



It was perfect.

When we couldn't contain the kids any longer we headed back to Granny's house to finish up gifts and let the kids play. They were all troopers and hung in there till late that evening.

I didn't get many photos that night. We were all so exhausted from all the wonderful Christmas celebrations!

christmas day in the morning

I saw three ships come sailing in

On Christmas Day, On Christmas Day;

I saw three ships come sailing in

On Christmas Day in the morning.

And what was in those ships all three,

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day?

And what was in those ships all three,

On Christmas Day in the morning?

The virgin Mary and Christ were there,

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;

The virgin Mary and Christ were there,

On Christmas Day in the morning.

Pray, wither sailed those ships all three,

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;

Pray, wither sailed those ships all three,

On Christmas Day in the morning?

O they sailed into Bethlehem,

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;

O they sailed into Bethlehem,

On Christmas Day in the morning.

And all the bells on earth shall ring,

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;

And all the bells on earth shall ring,

On Christmas Day in the morning.

And all the Angels in Heaven shall sing,

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;

And all the Angels in Heaven shall sing,

On Christmas Day in the morning.

And all the souls on earth shall sing,

On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;

And all the souls n the earth shall sing,

On Christmas Day in the morning.

Then let us all rejoice again,

On Christmas Day, On Christmas Day;

Then let us all rejoice again,

On Christmas Day in the morning.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:11

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

christmas eve

Christmas Eve 2009 was spent at our house with my mom & dad, my sister & her family, and our little bunch of 3.

We went to Christmas Eve service (Hunter wasn't in the mood and did NOT cooperate) and then came back to the house for traditional hors d'oeuvres and presents.

We don't normally open all our presents on Christmas Eve. In fact, growing up, we only got to open one. I always loved it that way. However, Christmas Day was spent with Michael's side of the fam so we had lots to open up.

My sister was working at the hospital and we weren't sure what time she would be able to make it but thankfully she had most of the evening free. We were all so happy to have her celebrating with us.

Hunter LOVES his Aunt "Kendy" (Kendra)...

The boys were soooo excited to open presents they could hardly sit still long enough for a photo. Little stinkers.

And then the mayhem began.



It was so fun watching them open presents this year. They were so excited and expressive.

We were all exhausted by the end though.

One quick family pic before bed time for the little guys.
Hunter was so tired he nearly fell asleep sitting in the chair...


We put the boys down and opened our present to each other in peace and quiet.

It was lovely.

Pretty sure THAT will be a new tradition :)

Then we watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (yet another tradition).

Such a fun evening.

christmas card

Its looking more and more likely that I won't be getting around to Christmas cards.

There's a slight chance I may pull a miracle off but it's highly doubtful.

So...just in case I don't get my act together...

Here's the picture you would have gotten in the mail.



You still might.

Who knows.

Merry Christmas.

May you feel CHRIST'S love this Christmas and through the New Year.

Much Love, Michael, Laura, Hunter, & Baby Moffat

heavy hearts

Hope you are still praying for our friends Julie and Ian...I know they covet your prayers!

A little update on our family...

Michael's grandma fell on Saturday and is in the hospital now trying to recover from a brain surgery and loss of movement on her left side.

Michael and I have been traveling back and forth to Denver to be with her during this time. While making improvement today, we know that the situation is still very serious.

Upon our arrival back to the Springs today, we discovered that my grandpa has been admitted into the hospital for pneumonia.

Please pray for us as we try to be there for our families, our grandparents, and our own little one during this busy season.

Our hearts are certainly heavy.

the johnsons

Please pray for my dear friends, Julie & Ian Johnson, and their sweet family.

Julie is due with their second baby, a precious girl, in late March (just two weeks ahead of our due date) but found herself in preterm labor last night.

Go HERE to read more and to get specific prayer requests so that we can support them and lift them up before the Lord.

still backtracking...

If you want to see the first post on Hunter's birthday go HERE. I thought I should try to keep the important events of the year in the months they actually occurred...

even though I didn't originally post them in that month :)

Enjoy.

lollipops and pumpkins

I'm backtracking...more than a month.

I'm going to be behind for awhile...probably a long while.

But these are cute and have to be posted.

Just because.






Love this boy.

Can't believe he's two.

Can't believe how fast time is flying by.




Next are birthday pics...

He turned two October 20th.

Yup.

Over a month and a half late.

I'm a cool mom like that.

:)

It's a...

BOY!!!!

Just found out today that we are expecting another boy.

More trucks, cars, airplanes, dirt, bugs, and...

cuteness :)

We are so excited.

And a little tiny bit surprised.

Hunter said all along that he would have a baby "ister" (no prompting from us...I promise!) so he is adjusting to this brother thing.

Can't wait to meet our new little boy around April 7th.

finally

getting around to working on some posts from the last month and changing the look of the blog a bit...

stay tuned...

first gift

So if you don't read Jody's Blog (unlikely, I know) or the many other hundreds that have joined and already written about this special day, then I am happy to invite you personally to participate in what could be one of the GREATEST days of the year.

TODAY people all over the country are joining together in an effort to raise money for CLEAN WATER.

$10 will provide one person in Africa with clean water for 10 years. It will literally change, and possibly save someone's life.

A mother.

A child.

A brother.

A grandfather.

We are rallying together for a cause. For clean water. One day. $10. Asking everyone to let this be their first gift of the season.



Click HERE to be directed to a secure donation site of the highly recognized non-profit, charity:water. All donations are tax deductible, and 100% of the profit goes directly to clean water solutions in West Africa.

Click HERE to learn more about First Gift.

Go NOW. Don't wait.

This could be BIG.

Just imagine what we can all do together.

I lied

and I REALLY hate to lie.

So it turns out that I didn't have to charge any shipping yesterday at the fair...which was AWESOME...

but I can't change the free shipping online like I thought I could.

Grrr. Very frustrating.

And makes me look very....silly.

And I got you all very excited for...nothing.

Well maybe not nothing.

You should still be a little excited because the books are awesome...and kids and families LOVE them...and they make for GREAT presents...and they are educational & fun...and you don't have to leave the comfort of your chair & computer to order... and it will make lots of people happy...oh yeah, and most titles are under $10...

These were the H man's favorites when he was a wee one...


and there are hundreds more...

and I'm done. :)

Sorry I lied. Really, really sorry.

If you are local call or e-mail me your order before next Friday and I won't charge you shipping.

If you aren't local you can order HERE if you like and it will still go towards the Focus on the Family Fair...which is STILL a very good thing.

books

I sell Usborne Books.

Most of you probably didn't know this.

I love these books.

Hunter loves them more.

They are seriously his FAVORITE books. I'm not just saying that.

Even if they are upside down...















For the locals, I will be at Focus on the Family's craft fair tomorrow (Friday) selling them.

10am-3pm.

Come see me and check them out.

And for those that don't live here...

you can browse HERE and tomorrow I will let you know how you can order and not have to pay any shipping or handling!

Stay tuned...

The End.

two (part two)

On Hunter's actual birthday, we celebrated with just our little family. It was perfect.

Just one incredibly blessed mommy and daddy...

and one adorable TWO year old.

We did mostly videos that night. Here are a few...

two (part one)

(Disclaimer: this is a looong post!)

Hunter turned 2 years old October 20th.

This little guy has blessed Michael and I beyond words.



He is so tender-hearted (just like his daddy), so full of life, curious, funny, and down right adorable (most of the time).

We threw a little party for him the weekend before his actual birthday. It was mostly family and a few other buddies.

It was great.

Hunter said he wanted a "Light-een Ma-keen cake" (Lightning Mcqueen from the Disney movie Cars) so that's what we got him. We threw in a few other "Cars" goodies and he had a blast.



He loved having everyone sing the happy birthday song to him and was a pro at blowing out the candle.



Here's a few pics from the big day...





He was spoiled rotten with clothes, coloring pages, books, and lots more...but the biggest gifts were waiting in the basement. This was his reaction when he saw a swingset, bike, and mini trampoline...



I'm not sure who was more excited...Papa or Hunter :)

He didn't know what to do first! All the kids had lots of fun playing with everything and we are looking forward to having a place to run around and exercise during the cold Colorado winter.





Now, before you think we went TOO crazy...you should know that we purchased the swingset off of craigslist. Trust me, it was a steal...and we are all about the deals! As for the bike, that was from Granny. And the mini trampoline was from Nana & Papa Burt.

I feel the need to clarify :)

All in all, it was such a fun day celebrating Hunter with friends and family.

**************************************************************************************************
Now on a more serious note...

Reflecting over the past two years with Hunter has been filled with many mixed emotions. So much has happened in the last year that has made me truly grateful for the GIFT that Hunter is to US.

He makes me want to be a better mommy. A better wife. A better friend.

But most importantly, he makes me want to have a deeper relationship with the Lord. I want to model for him just how meaningful and purposeful our lives are with Christ and how he, too, can find his value and worth in our Creator.

How can a two year old do this?

I'm not really sure.

But with every smile, every laugh, every hug & kiss, and every "I love you" I get a glimpse of just how wonderful our God is and how incredibly blessed Michael and I are to be entrusted with such a precious little boy...for however long we have him.

We love you SO much, little buddy.

5 years

with the man I love.

Denver.

Dinner.

Diamonds.

Perfect.

i hate flu season

the two boys are down...

and I am hanging on to healthy life, trying really hard not to catch it.

this is a big week.

5 year anniversary and Hunter's 2nd b-day party.

not the best time to be full of flu germs.

hoping it makes its exit as quickly as it made its entrance.

i'll be back to regular blogging...someday.

thought you should know...

for those of you who don't.

We're pregnant!

Well, actually, I'M pregnant...

WE are expecting :)

I was going to wait to announce once I had my first appointment and an official due date...

but we are switching insurance and I can't get in until Oct 2nd...

and news is spreading...

like wildfire...

and its getting a little hard to "hide" the belly.

So...there you have it.

I'm about 12 weeks along.

By the Lord's grace, we should have a little one arriving early April.

:)

I'm back

I think it's official...I have been away from "blogland" the longest I ever have (at least I think so).

The last few months have been some of the busiest and craziest months we have had as a family. We are talking BUSY! Company, family illness, traveling, work, birthdays, etc, etc, etc, etc!!! ;)

When I've had spare time I have had no desire to blog because I am SO VERY FAR behind on posting and pictures. I seriously don't know where to start. I have soooooo many cute pictures of soooooo many great things...but I fear I'll never catch up. Ugh. I hate that feeling. After much debate, I've decided to post whatever I feel like. Maybe it will be happenings from the day or maybe it will be from two months ago. It's not going to make much sense but I'll do my best to give you a little background. It's the only way that I'm going to stay sane...and actually keep up with blogging.

I feel like I have to start with Julie and Ori's trip to Colorado - just to visit us! Yep, this was way back in JULY! I told you I am waaay behind!

Julie and I are GREAT friends. She is wonderful. We met in College through our mutual friend, Jess, and hit it off quickly. She understood my silliness and played along with my shinanagans. I love her to pieces. Our friendship has continued to deepen and grow through life's ups and downs, triumphs and defeats, joys and deep sorrows. She's always there for me. We don't get to see each other a lot but when we do we pick up right where we left off.

I have over 100 photos of Julie and Ori's trip...I'm barely scratching the surface. But I'll give a few highlights...

Our first big event was shopping at the Outlet Malls in Castle Rock. The boys didn't find it all that amusing...but Julie and I had fun.
(At least that is what I'm telling myself - this was when Hunter was going through his rough patch and I'm pretty sure I had to leave at least 3 stores to discipline him while he threw some of his BIGGEST tantrums EVER. Ahhh. Lovely.) You can see a little bit of Hunter's "attitude" in this one...

This was the first time Hunter and Ori had ever been together. I've seen Julie and Ori but never with Hunter and I loved watching them play with one another and interact. The did pretty much everything together!
Ate together...

played together...

even bathed together!

This was Ori's first time in a big bathtub. He loved it! And I loved this sweet picture of he and his momma.

We managed to BARELY make it to Focus on the Family to play in the Toddler Room before they closed. We were two tired moms chasing after these two busy boys! They loved it and burned off some energy crawling and running around.

We spent quite a bit of time at home and enjoyed resting and relaxing (as much as we could). Ori LOVED playing with all of Hunter's cars and trucks. He has the BEST smile and is such a happy little guy.

Another stop was the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The boys seemed to enjoy it but all week we had been dodging rain and gloomy weather. Poor Ori was dressed for Kansas heat and his legs were cold as the weather snuck up on us. We managed to make it to most of the "fun" animals before the downpour!

This was our last full day together and the boys were fast friends...


This trip was extra special in so many ways and we had a wonderful time. I'll treasure it forever.

It was also a sad time for Julie and I as we enjoyed seeing our boys together but knew that Cora wouldn't be with them on this earth. Jess, Julie, and I have been good friends for years and we never thought we would see the day that our children wouldn't be growing up together. It felt so weird for us to be together but to not have Jess and Cora with us. Granted, the trip was never intended to be the three of us with our kids (Jess & Joel were enjoying a trip to Canada while Julie & Ori were visiting) but we've always done things together and we had so many plans for the three of our munchkins. Jess, Joel, and Cora were heavy on our hearts and we decided to do a little shoot with the boys and the "Cora doll" that I bought from Etsy. Oh how we would have given ANYTHING to trade that doll for Cora and watch all of our children together...



I try to remember that one day...they WILL be together...and I can only imagine the smile on Cora's face as she brings our boys to Jesus and shows them all the wonders of heaven as they walk, hand-in-hand, down the golden streets. Until that day, I pray that we can teach our children the love of Christ, tell them of Cora and how the Lord has used her (and her parents) so mightily, and cherish each day with them...because we never know if it will be our last.