The Love of Change

I have a new addiction... Facebook! Oh my goodness. I guess everyone is using that instead of email now??? Well, I have had more than enough time this week to do laundry, surf the web, clean, reorganize and clean some more... my kids have been home with strep.
One thing that I know about me for sure is that I LOVE change. I am not a homebody and I love to be busy. Change of scenery, change of meals, change of clothes, etc. I rearrange furniture more than anyone I know! haha Cooper is sweet and complies and I really do appreciate that about him. We are hoping to place our house on the market this summer and move to where God leads us. We would love a little more space and I would love to be in the city limits of Marietta. Bella only has one more year until kindergarten so that will play a big role in finding a house.
I have started a few new habits lately: walking 30 minutes a day, eating better (for bathing suit season-yikes!), and spending more time LISTENING to God. Consistency is something that I really do struggle with in balancing my love of change. I pulled out an oldie but goodie this past weekend... "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers and read on April 17th:

"If you have heard Jesus Christ's voice on the waves of the sea, you can let your convictions and your consistency take care of themselves by concentrating on maintaining your intimate relationship with Him."

That is so encouraging to me! So I am concentrating on my RELATIONSHIP with the Lord and not on everything I am not...Thank you Lord for that word... Hope today finds you all well and STREP free-concentrating on your intimate relationship with the Lord. He is waiting for us! :)

Asthma in the Jones' House

So one thing that was passed down from daddy to children is asthma. Bella has always had it and Andrew has had it worse. My kids are great about going to the Dr b/c they have had to go so often in their little lives. The same drill... little runny nose, turns to a cold and then goes straight to their chest...wheezing, coughing, steroids...miserable. A couple of months ago we decided to be proactive since Andrew's is so much worse and go to an allergist. It was the best decision Cooper and I have made! Both kids are on a maintenance routine daily for prevention and boy has it worked!!! Andrew is on the neb daily and takes Singular. He is such a trooper! He just sits and watches Barney and waits for it to finish. Bella is also on the neb but thankfully does not have to take Singular. I can say whole heartily that the hardest part of parenting for me has been when my kids are sick. I did not realize how much stress and anxiety that would bring me! Thank the Lord for Dr. Kalish and that we have had a semi healthy couple of months compared to how it was 4 months ago! Here are the kids in their daily regime of nebulizer treatments...

The love of Cousins...

Bella and Merritt at our church Easter Egg Hunt.

Riding the canoe on land! And the boys shoved in the back of the car...

There is one thing my kids love and that is family. When we pretend to talk on the phone we are talking to any number of them... there are 9 cousins. My brother has 4 children...not so little anymore, my sister has 3, and Coopers brother has 1. Needless to say they are the sane ones. Ha ha. Anyways, my brother and his family live in Buford, GA. He is the head football coach for Buford High School and has made quite a name for himself! We don't get to see them very much, but when you are family love knows no miles. Just so you know, every one of Bella's baby dolls is named "Emma" after my brother's little girl. I am blessed to have my sister 10 minutes away from our house. My kids are overjoyed when we get to see the Knox family. For a while Bella would tell people that her name was Bella Knox! In the rare instance of no homework, baseball, football, tennis or gymnastic we try to get together. My sister's boys have to be the sweetest boys I have ever encountered. If I could clone them to make Andrew act like them I would. I know I am the aunt, but also know I could get an AMEN from many of you out there! I thought I would share a few of my recent favorites with the Knox cousins... the pictures say it all!

Bella and Andrew... do they look alike?

This is Bella and Andrew at the same age in life. About 19 months. It is so fun to see their differences. Bella was and still is SO girly!!! But she acted so much older than her age which I did not realize until seeing Andrew now. It is HARD to believe that Bella was potty trained at this point and I CANNOT imagine even attempting that with Andrew! Andrew does play by himself better thank Bella ever did. Andrew is MUCH more serious about everything and Bella is my social butterfly. They both have a heart that loves to make people laugh. It is truly amazing how they both capture my heart daily. Someone once told me that the love our Father has for us is 100 times more than the love that we have for our children. I cannot imagine nor grasp the love God has for me.

P.S. Andrew enjoyed a bowl of spaghetti...:)

Lazy Days...

This is my life in a nut shell... don't you love it! Peekaboo, our dog, Bella and Andrew hanging out while I am getting ready for the day. These are the days we are not running around to carpool of course! I savor the days of not rushing around first thing in the morning... I am sure they are watching Barney which is the only thing that makes Andrew sit still for a little bit. Bella is sweet to comply and watch a "baby show" with her little brother.

Oh how sweet life is with these two babes!

Where has the time gone???

I know that we always say time goes by so fast, but this is true now more than ever! How did I get here? I have been married almost 10 years and I have two children... Bella will be 4 in June and Andrew will be 2 in August! I am constantly cracking up at my kids. God has such a sense of humor and I know that He shows me that through my kiddos. Life is busy but in a great way. Cooper and I really do look at eachother and wonder where did that week go??? I desire to be more intentional with my time as it is a fleeting thing!
Here we go in the blog world.... :)