My 26th birthday

My girls loved the Easter bunny in the mall and kept giving him/her hugs over and over again. They're nothing like me huh mom? I was afraid of anything in costume and would scream and not go near them.

For my birthday I met my friend Sarah and her kids and we went to this huge indoor playplace called Edinborough. It was massive.

This is me, Emily and Elijah in the eye of the snake at the top.

Here is the play structure. I climbed through it several times and so did my 8 month pregnant Sarah. You had to twist your body to fit through all these little stairways and tunnels. It was pretty neat.

Here is Emily pushing Elijah.

Abby pushing Eva

Going down slides

Me and Emily-- she loved it and after everything she would say, "adain, adain."

Abby, on the otherhand, cried and didn't want to go down any slides. She was being a stinker.


My friend Sarah with the kids. She is such a blessing to me.

Here is a picture of the stairs you had to climb through. I would have to climb through a stair and then reach down to pull Emily and Elijah up to and then push them up to the next one. It was a tight squeeze.

Joel's mom made me some cakes and Seth and Liz came and we had dinner and cake with all of them.

The kids were all waiting for cakes

Here is Emily after the cake. She loved it.

Here she is nice and clean before cake


Me and Emily with my cakes

I am so grateful for my 26 years of life. God has been so good. He has blest me with the desires of my heart. I have two beautiful healthy girls. They are literally my delight. I have the love of a good man who I love in return and most importantly I am loved by God and chosen by God. This year has been a big learning year for me. I feel my relationship with God is on a new level as He showed me more of himself. I have been able to let go of a lot of my fears and misconceptions that I had before and embrace the truly amazing God that He is. I love knowing that nothing happens that is out of his hands or his control. I am just really thankful for where I am at in my life and praying for his protetion and guidance in the year to come.

Thank you God for proving yourself faithful over and over again. Thank you for taking the time to teach me and mold me, even though I am nothing. Thank you for making me something in you. You are truly an amazing God and more than worthy of all praise!

Happenings in pictures

We took a trip up north last weekend so I was able to catch up with old friends. This was my 2nd mom growing up, her name is Melody and I love her dearly. She has really been a huge encouragement to me in my walk with the Lord. She is a true picture of a noble woman!

This is my good friend Kari who is expecting her first baby in July. I am so happy for her. She deserves to have her own little one. Abby and Kari-- It is funny, Kari and I talk on the phone daily but rarely get to see one another. When Abby saw her this time she asked me, "mom is this who we talk to all the time." It was cute.

Emily being a goof

Welcoming a neighbors new baby. Both my girls are in love with babies so they really enjoyed meeting baby Asher.

Danie, Leah and I threw a baby shower for Paula at my house. She will be having my 4th nephew sometime in May.

Emily got hot I guess. The girls were a little too much help with the presents. Paula was great though and let them continue to help even though they were being pesty.

Prayer

I am feeling compelled to write this morning for prayer. A little baby boy from one of the blog's I have been following is in trouble. His name is Stellan and while his mom was pregnant with him they said he wouldn't live. They had issues with his heart while in utero. He is now 6 months old and has been perfectly healthy. On Sunday his heart started racing and they can't get it down. This poor little baby has been on countless drugs, they have even stopped and started his heart several times trying to get it to beat in a normal rhythm. What this baby is going through is appalling. Please join me in praying for him. Here is their website so you can read about it for yourself. http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Memory verse #6

Today is memory verse day and I went to Beth Moore's blog to see hers and found out she is having a little get together at her home church in Houston next January for those of us who have been faithful with the memorizing and posting our verses on her blog. I am so thrilled. She wants it to be an intimate event so only those who truly did their homework can come. Joel has wanted to go to Texas for a long time and has actually been in correspondence with a dealership down there. If we aren't already there I may really try to make it to this. Travis will be there leading worship too! (Mom- we are going to have to plan our family trip around the Jan. 22-24 weekend).

My verse this week is from Isaiah 49:15-16
"Can a mother forget that baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."

This verse really spoke to me. I mean, here is God, he is busy making sure the world keeps turning, and yet I am engraved on his palms. Ok, I am in awe here, and even more so that He related this to a nursing mom. I can tell you there is nothing more intimate and sweet and loving then my time spent nursing my babies. The love that pours out of me to them as we partake in this beautiful natural bond that God ordained is nothing short of miraculous. It is amazing. To think that he relates those feelings to the way he feels and takes care of us. Ah... It makes my heart melt. Through all my insecurities and anxieties I am able to rest in knowing that God will take care of me better than I do my own babies. (That has to be pretty darn good because I am very into my babies.) We are in good hands! I am in good hands, and that is enough motive for me to keep pressing on.

What's new

This is what happens when you give the girls some paint and and thier hands

getting ready to get started So- what all is new with us? This week is hectic, On Thursday we have a realtor coming to take pictures of our house and get it on the market. I am trying to make it spotless but that is very hard with two little kids. Here is an example, while working on my bedroom today the girls got into paint and decided to color the carpet in the living room. Then later in the day, Emily reached into her diaper and pulled out fecal mattered hands and put it on her toys. The cleanup is just non-stop.

Also, amidst all this I am hosting a baby shower at my home on Sunday and have 16-20 people coming. I know I am insane! I work closing shifts both nights this weekend as well.

I have been asked to be a bridesmaid in Caleb and Danie's wedding. I am so excited to have a part in thier day. Our whole family will be up there. Joel is a groomsmen and the girls are the flower girls. It is going to be precious. So far all the details Danie has told me makes me think this will be an amazing wedding! I can't wait.

We don't have any clue where we are going to move to when the house sells so if any of you hear of any good, cheap ideas for us let us know please! I am just anxious to get it done and move on.

Day at my parents

Danie and Abby

Leah and the girls

This is the all time favorite of Abby's. She loves barbies and can't quit talking about them and playing them. I didn't know these addictions started so young.

Kaden's first birthday

Happy 1st birthday Kaden. It is crazy how fast that first year goes but when it isn't your child it seems to go even faster.

All of the Kopkie cousins. Cute bunch if I do say so myself! :-)

The girls in matching jackets Grandpa and Grandma got them.
Bear hugs from Grandpa

Grandma and the girls

Emily snitching grapes

Abby pinning the tail on the donkey. She got it right on but we are pretty sure she cheated



Me taking a turn

Joel did really good

yummy

I have had this twice now and it is super good. It is MckMama's feisty,beany, tuna recipe
Prepare a batch of small whole wheat pasta shells. Rinse with cool water, drain. Mix with tuna, mayonnaise and a dollop of plain, whole yogurt. Mix in a can of cooked garbanzo beans (chick peas). Chop 1/4 of a white onion and a 1/2 red bell pepper and add both to the salad. Salt to taste.Serve atop greens. Top with raisins.

Trouble

The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Emily, what did you do? Did you eat the chapstick?"

Emily: "Yah, nummy"

.

Como Zoo

We decided to go to the Como Zoo on Sunday. Danie hadn't been to a zoo since she was little and our kids always love seeing the animals so we packed 7 of us into our little car and away we went. Emily is such a thrill to take the the zoo. She is so excited the whole time and does these little happy shrieks. She also makes the noise each animal makes as you are looking. For example, while at the monkey cage you hear, ee oo over and over again. It is too precious! For the Lions we hear, "yion, Roar". I wish I would have had my video camera just to record her. I want to bottle her up and keep her just like this.
Abby is older and more mature now but she still gets pretty excited too. They are a blast.

This is a picture from after the zoo. Emily fell asleep immediatly.

Here the girls are looking at fish. They loved watching them swim around.

Danie and Abby

Daddy and Emily at the giraffe exhibit

These fish were actually nibbling on Joel's fingers

The girls watching the fish

Danie and Abby

Some pictures

Grandpa P. and Emily with a barbie that Auntie Leah brought. My girls are so into barbies. Emily only is because her big sister is but they sure love them. Abby talks non-stop about them. Me and Leah were very into barbies when we were little and had huge kingdoms of them but I don't think it started this young.

Auntie Leah and the girls

This shows you how sick Abby was. This was Thurs. night and she never, ever falls asleep on us. She is a child who doesn't require a lot of sleep and as long as you are up with her never falls asleep. She feel asleep on Joel pretty instantly and snored away in his arms for several hours.