coming soon...

NYC trip, santa claus, christmas traditions, and whatever else i am forgetting. i guess the craziness of the holiday season has gotten the best of me and blogging has moved to the bottom of the list. i promise that i will update soon. hope everyone is having a happy december and enjoying the season with friends and family. check back soon!

our little baby boy...

is 6 months old!!! i can't believe it!! where has the time gone? olivia doesn't remember life without him and i am starting to feel the same way. he is such a blessing to our family. he brings so much joy to our home with his priceless smile that is ALWAYS on his face.


i have not been "on top of things" these last 2 weeks so we haven't been to the doctor for the 6 month stats, but those will be coming soon. i did call and schedule that appointment today!! jack has changed quite a bit since my last post about him. he has 2 teeth! they are on the bottom and super sharp. i can't wait for them to get a little bigger so i can get a pic. he is eating 3 meals a day. he continues to love anything that i put on a spoon and stick in his mouth. he much prefers the apples and pears to the sweet potatoes and pea, but who wouldn't! due to his good eating habits he is growing and gain weight. he is finally developing some rolls on his little legs. i love a "healthy" baby! he is ALMOST sitting up by himself. he could do it if he wasn't so interested in his feet or the floor. as soon as you sit him up he bends over to put his feet in his mouth or tries to taste the floor.

that is the update for now. those are little milestones that we have been celebrating in jack's life. how lucky we are to have him!

turkey day at the lake...

was so much fun!!! tuesday after mark got home from work we loaded up the kids, the stuff, and the casseroles and headed to cedar creek lake to the bowlin lakehouse. this is our first thanksgiving to have the lake house so we were thrilled to spend the long holiday weekend celebrating thanksgiving and just hanging out together as a family.

wednesday we prepared for our thanksgiving feast. sarah and i finished up making some yummy pies and the girls made placemats for everyone.

olivia hard at work gluing feathers to her turkey.

the finished products!!

thursday we had a super day hanging out, making christmas ornaments, eating, and of course watching football.

the girls painting their ornaments. they are SO PRETTY, anyone want one?? olivia's turned out very "mari gras" all purple, yellow, and green.

mark and jack watching football. not sure if that is spit up or pumpkin pie on mark's shirt. :)

we also made a live "jack-in-the-box." how cute is he??

we had some family/church friends from dallas come out on friday afternoon. i played mexican dominos for the first time. it was super fun. i can't wait until i have at least 4 people together that are up for another game really soon.

it was a really great time with family and friends. as i was riding home this morning, i was thinking about how blessed i am to have such a precious family that i love so dearly. i really feel rested and ready for the christmas season. now if i can just get all the decorations up and the gifts wrapped i will really feel ready to enjoy december.

i love the fun memories that we are making as a family. look how happy everyone is!! we love the lake!

thanks bowlin family for a great thanksgiving. can't wait unitl thanksgiving 2010 to do it all over again.

thankful heart...

seems a little cliche, yet totally appropriate to post about what i am thankful for, so here it goes...

i am thankful for...

- trusting, loving, and serving a God that brings peace and joy, teaches how to love, faithfully answers prayers, and demonstrates grace.

- my precious husband. he serves our family so well.

- the opportunity to be a full time mommy! what a joy (well most days) it is to watch my kids grow and change. i love that i get to be there for the tears, the laughter, and all the sweet moments.

- my life being changed by knowing Emily Sha Martin.

- the chance to serve in the children's ministry at my church all because Sweet Hopkins believed in me.

- the unconditional love that i feel from my entire family. how lucky i am to have so many people love me so well.

- my bible study girls.

- my friends, you know the ones that REALLY know me and love me anyway. (you know who you are!)

- a restful holiday weekend at the lake with my bowlin family.

i could go on and on, but those are my thoughts for now. now it is your turn, just think about all that you are thankful for. happy thanksgiving!!

my sister, my sweet friend...

well actually sarah is not my sister, she is my sister-in-law, but she is amazing and i like to pretend that we are REAL sisters! (i don't have a sister so it is perfectly acceptable for me to feel this way.) this post is all about her because i was in las vegas during her birthday (which is generally when i write about the adults in my life) so i did not get to share with everyone how special she is to me. she is a kind and thoughtful daughter. she is an godly wife that loves her husband so well. she is a creative and fantastic mom. she is my husband's supportive sister. she is an aunt that loves my children almost or as much as i do. she is a true and loyal friend. i love all of these things about her, but i especially love the special relationship that we share (selfish i know, but true). i love that we can talk about christmas presents in september! i love that we both get excited about new organization ideas. i love that we are will eat chick-fil-a just so we can have time to chat while our kids play. i love our trips to canton. i love that we are family. i love that we work together well in business (hee, hee :)) or as roommoms. i love that running errands together can be one of my favorite events of the week. i love when we share a cafe max lunch. i love that sarah is such a good listener. i love that she shares her wisdom on parenting, relationships, and faith with me. i could go on and on. i am so lucky to have sarah in my life and call her my most precious friend.

sarah, thank you for loving me and living life with me. i love you!!

baby dedication...

(notice the smile on olivia's face. she is so proud to be "presenting" her baby brother.)

sunday was baby dedication at our church. we were so happy to present jack to our church family. it is so encouraging to know that we have their love and support as we commit to raise jack in a home filled with truth, love, and grace. we were thankful to have our family there to support us as well. here are a few pictures from this special sunday morning...

pop & b with baby jack

jack with his great grandpa terry. he is one proud papa!!

gramps and jack. they are always "playing" together.

in true bowlin fashion, we celebrated by all going to lunch at amigos. it was a first visit for several of our family members. they loved it, of course!!

bring on the veggies...

jack can't get enough!! jack has enjoyed sweet potatoes and carrots and he can't wait for the next jar of tasty pureed veggies. i am thinking we will go green next. maybe some peas??

notice how he is leaning in...yummmm!

"can i have some more mom? please!"i wish olivia would be this eager to gobble up her veggies, oh well! i settle for one eating whatever i put in front of him.