Life and Death

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

To everything there is a season

A time for every purpose under heaven

A time to be born

And a time to die

My "little" brother, Ben, turned 16 years old today.

I remember the moment he was born. I was 11 at the time and present at his birth. I burst into tears when I first saw him. I didn't understand it at the time...but now I know that it was just seeing firsthand for the first time the miracle of life.

Happy Birthday little brother, I love you.

My grandmother, Beulah Margie Miller, passed away today.

I almost don't have any childhood memories without her in it. She was the best Grandmother any little girl could ask for. I burst into tears today when I heard the news. The miracle of death, while wrapped in sadness, is that we are promised, as Christian's, that "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." 2 Corin 5:8

You will be missed Grandmother, I love you.

It's over...

I told Jeremiah last week that I feel like I have been living in the "calm before the storm".

Well...the calm is over...and the storm of remodeling and moving has begun! We got the final ok on the sale of our house this afternoon...so, now the packing begins.

My soon-to-be new view looking over the pond...

Look who's sitting up!

Ella's new playroom =)

Late Memory Monday

Psalms 54:4

"God is my helper. The Lord is the one who SUSTAINS me."

Random updates, pictures, and videos

It's Monday night and the kids are in bed and I am finally finding time to catch up on my blogging. Here are some updates on our past week:

We decided to make a quick trip to VA this week to visit with our Via family. We loved all the family-togetherness with Meme and Poppee, Joy and Jay, Josh and Tasha, and Rainy and Zeke. We dyed & hunted eggs together...and indulged in way too much Easter candy =)





Ella has proved once again that she is 100% my daughter. She decided last weekend that she didn't want to "poop in her diaper anymore".

Hmmm...

Up until this point she had shown NO interest in potty training and with a move coming up I wasn't about to take on the task of potty training. So, when Ella declared that she wanted to "go in the potty" I just told her to go in her diaper =)

Uh, No...

"No, Mommy...I go on the potty". And ever since then she has gone on the potty. She knows what she wants and she knows when she is ready and then she just does it. Sounds like someone else I know.



Ezra is talking now! He started saying "Dada" today and has been saying it non-stop ever since. Too cute!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Ella and I started "school" this week. We are going to slowly go through the alphabet...taking on one letter a week. She can tell you the difference between big A and little A and the sound A makes...and sing a cute little ditty about the letter A. We've colored pictures of A's, cut out A's, glued A's...etc. She is loving it and asks everyday to do "school wif you".



Ella and Ezra have been having some "roomtime" together lately...here's a peek at what it looks like...

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our Easter service was awesome at Grey Stone this year! What a celebration of the resurrection...and how incredible to see people making decisions to follow Christ. The rest of our Easter Sunday was a fun day that included naps, a great dinner, a homemade chocolate pie, play-time in the golf-course sand pit behind our house while still in our Easter finest, and family togetherness with more of our Via-family Jonathan and Kelly, Cana and Kayil. What a great day!

Spring

Tomorrow marks the first official day of Spring. Anyone who knows me well, knows that Spring is my favorite time of year, despite the itching eyes and sneezing =) Everything is blooming and greening up. Everything seems new and fresh again. I know it sounds cheesy, but I always feel like there is "hope" in the air during this time of year. Spring is such a reminder to me of God's faithfulness. No matter how harsh or long the winter has been...the flowers and trees have never ceased to bud and bloom.

Isaiah 61:11
"For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations."







I took these pictures at the farm last week. I'd love to know the name of the 1st flower...does anyone know it?

Memory Monday

Proverbs 25:28

"Like a city without walls
is a man without self control."

Happy Saturday!

This morning was our home inspection for the new owners. We had to be out of the house for 2 hours...right during Ezra's naptime. So, we packed up the kids, lunch, toys, and some of our good friends, Andy and Michaella, and their 2 sweet girls, Emma Lee (3), and Kerri (2) and we headed to the farm. Ezra went down for his nap and Jeremiah and Andy took the girls on a boat ride...leaving Michaella and me some time to actually talk. And we didn't even talk about the kids =) We ate a picnic lunch on the lawn until the rain chased us under the porch. All the exercise and fresh air wore Ella out and she is about 3 hours into her nap at the moment...ahhh, peace.

Hack Bome =)

Our visit to Charlotte was great! We had a blast hanging out with Josh, Tasha, Areyna (3) and Zeke (20months). The kids did awesome and loved playing with their quasi-cousins. I actually don't think there was a single fight between them. Amazing!

We adults even got in some talk time and bocce ball games! We are very thankful for their friendship.

It was a really quick trip though...so I woke up this morning thinking that maybe we just dreamed it =)

And we're off

My not so little anymore brother, Ben, will appreciate the title of this blog. He used to tease me all the time because I would say this every time I pulled out of the driveway to go somewhere.

Yes, we are headed out on a short road trip to Charlotte to visit best buds, Josh and Tasha. Jeremiah is going with me on this trip, so, of course, I am feeling uber-confidant about our ability to travel with the little ones.

Eavesdropping

I overheard a conversation taking place this morning between Ella,Guacamole (Ella's much loved baby-doll)and a wooden alligator puzzle piece:

Ella to Guacamole: Its okay baby

Ella to Alligator: I told you not bite Guacamole. You hafta get a spanking...cause you disobey.

3 smacks later...

Ella to Alligator: I wuv you...hafta obey. Please God. It go well wif you. I wuv you.

Memory Monday...

2 Thessalonians 3:13

"Never tire of doing what is right."

Proverbs 16:9

"The heart of a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps"

What are we gonna do with her?

Ella swallowed a dime today. She keeps saying, "I ate a dime-ond".

She also told me that she wanted some "snake-juice" tonight. I asked her what snake-juice tasted like and she said...sweet potatoes.

Silly girl.

Ezra James...

Our baby boy will turn 6 months old next Saturday. Wow. I can't believe it. He remains a laid-back, easy to please, happy little man. He loves people and being in the middle of things. He can roll over and sit assisted for short periods of time. He loves to splash in the bathtub and get everything wet. He LOVES his big sis. His favorite toy of the moment is a measuring tape from my sewing kit =) He hasn't tried a food yet he didn't like...and it shows =) He is just starting to fully realize the fun possibilities his exersaucer and jumper hold for him. He is a great sleeper...sleeping 11-12hours a night and 2 - 2 hr naps a day for me. These next months with him are going to be a blast!

God has truly blessed us.

o-r-a-n-g-e

Ella had her roomtime today at 10:30am, just like normal. I went in to get her around 11am and was greeted by a not so normal site. Orange marker on the walls, the dresser, her quilt and pillow, her shirt and pants, her step stool, her bed rails, and a few other miscellaneous toys.

Hmmm...

We had a "discussion" on where her artistic endeavors are allowed to happen.

Yes, the markers are in a very safe spot now.

Any suggestions for getting non-washable marker out of fabric?

Pictures from our trip...

L to R: Ella, Mya, and Leah holding Ava

My Grandparents meeting Ezra for the 1st time

Girls night out with my sisters...Leah, Catelyn, and Nataly (L to R)

My younger sis, Molly and her boyfriend, Mike, whom I met for the 1st time

Princess Ella having fun with Aunt Mya's costumes

Coloring...the Brigg's way!

It's done!

Yes, our house is officially sold. We'll, maybe not sold sold...but a contract on it and will be truly officially sold April 21st. Yea! No more having to wake the kids up from nap and leave the house for showings. No more having to leave the house in perfect shape anytime I left, not knowing if we'd get a call for a showing while I was out and wouldn't have time to get back and make the beds, wash the dishes, etc. I think tomorrow I will let the dishes pile up all day and leave all the beds unmade =) And I won't make Ella clean up her toys either!

Memory Monday

1 Thess. 5:16-18

"Be joyful always. Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

back to blogging...

I've been slack in the blog world all week. It's been kinda crazy here. We currently have one offer on our house and another one in the works. It's been like a roller-coaster ride all last week...and we're still on it today =) The 1st offer would have us moving by March 13th, the second offer would have us moved by the end of April. Benefits to both, but, obviously less stress with the later move date. We'll see...

Ella had her stitches out Friday and was a real trooper! Daddy took her for that one =) She is over her strep-throat and thankfully no one else here has come down with it...Praise God!

It's beautiful and sunny and 70 today...I think we'll pack a picnic lunch and go play at the park!