Let's Play Catch Up

It seems I tend to get a little slack on my posts sometimes.  So, let us catch up with some happenings I have missed and not posted on.

Layne turned 8 in January.  Mark was also there to celebrate her special day before heading back to Qatar. She had a roller skating party with mainly school friends and enjoyed the celebration.

Jumping ahead to the end of March, Spring Break up in Virginia with Mark and with my brother-in-law and his family in Pennslyvania was a great mini vacation.  It was great to get to explore Ashburn, VA with Mark and to see the surrounding areas and where we will be moving to and getting settled this summer.  It was great to spend time with Mark.  The kids were very excited to see their cousins and enjoyed being together and being separate; boys vs. girls.  Brenne and Cole did a lot on their own, but Brenne tagged along with the girls club when she could.  It was great for me to get to see how Greg and Ashley interacted with the college students and see how they are impacting the student's lives with their ministry. Finally, right when we got back we had Easter. The kids loved hiding the plastic eggs.

Birthday Awareness

I think a 'light bulb' moment came with my 32nd birthday.  There are many things that define all of us, we are each unique and God made us that way.  I do not need some 'that's it' defining sentence or list of words to describe me.  Plainly stated, 'God created me, by his design, that I would do wonderous works.  Who am I? is no longer my search.  I am a child of God with many talents.  I will cherish every moment I have with my loved ones.  I will continue to search the scriptures, knowing that whatever comes my way, I will be prepared with the full love and assurance I receive from believing God.  I will cherish my husband, as one of my gifts is being a wife. I will train my children to do the same, as one of my gifts is being a mother.  
I will be M E!!!!!!

It was great to be surrounded by so many loved ones this weekend.  I had a great chat over a cup of coffee (which I rarely drink) and outing with Loreen, my mother by love.  I then enjoyed a decadent chocolate cake and gelato ice cream with my Mom at Macaroni Grill.  Mark arrived right before the kids got home from school and we had a fun weekend together.  Other family members were present, so it was great to just feel the love from everyone who was there.  Thank you to all who provided me with birthday wishes and gifts.  I appreciated them all.

A successful new start for Mark

Mark has been welcomed into Northern Virginia. He has reported back with high marks and a 'two thumbs up', that the Asburn, Sterling, Reston area of Virginia is very beautiful and will be a great place for us to move to and settle down for awhile. The kids and I plan to venture up there for a short stay during the kids Spring Break and do a little exploring.
As for Mark's new job with Accenture; he is very pleased with his new opportunity and really feels that his position with Accenture will be very beneficial to his career goals.
Our tentative plan is to all move up there sometime this summer before the new school year starts.  It will be a new and exciting change that we are all thrilled about.  I do look forward to sharing all the new adventures with you as they approach.

Slowly making progress

Okay, I started off this new blog site with a goal in mind and the progress has been very slow. But, I am leaving my self-discovery in the hands of the Lord, for he is the one who knows my heart and will reveal my inner being to me. It is a very true bible verse, but it is hard to take it all in sometimes;
Psalm 139:13-14: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (NIV)
As I read in another friend's blog, spring is quickly emerging and a sense of renewal has sprung in me. I know that discoveries can take awhile to be found, so thank you for your continued support as I continue to travel in my search for definition.
With that, I would like to give a huge 'SHOUT OUT'to all mothers out there. Being a Mom is really, really hard work. It is for parents in general, but there is this extra bit of responsibility that I think falls on moms. So, all you Moms, know that you are not alone in your ups and downs of raising your children to be unique, well-educated, respectful, obedient, and curious individuals; and the list goes on and on. Praise and prayers to you all.
So, for now, I will let you know that I am aware of new changes within my self. I just cannot define them yet.

Pictures of Snow Fun Saved

So some of my pictures of the kids playing in the snow were saved. Hooray!!

Mark is Home...Let it Snow

On Friday night, Jan. 29, the kids and I headed to the airport and picked up Mark from his long flight from Qatar. Qatar is no longer a part of his life. His last day at his job in Qatar was the day before. Mark and all of us are glad that he has left a job environment that was not suited for him. Mark will be with us here in NC until the beginnning of March. On Monday, he accepted a job offer in Reston, VA with Accenture and will be working in the Information Technology department. We are all excited that he has found a job within the United States. The kids and I plan on joining Mark in Virginia once the school year is over.

As for the snow, it began to fall as we were heading home from the airport. We had about 5 inches of snowfall here in Raleigh. Today is Tuesday, Feb 2 and the kids are still at home. The kids are enjoying being at home, but I think secretly would like to be back in school. They did enjoy playing in the snow on Saturday. It has been kind of mushy since then. I had really adorable photos of them playing out in the snow, but lost all the pictures when I was uploading them to Picasa.  Now, I know to be more careful when I upload pictures and make sure that they are all saved before anything gets deleted.  It is suppose to snow again, so maybe I can get cute pictures at the next snowfall.

Brenne is 2--Birthday Celebrations Part 1

Brenne Loreen Sovereign turned two on December 11, 2009.  She had a wonderful birthday celebration with family members.  I made up a Dora the Explorer adventure for her.  She had her own map and backpack and had to go to areas in the house to get to her final destination, the birthday party.  She had a lot of fun with it, even if she wasn't sure of everything that was going on.  She has a very sweet personality and loves to play games with Layne and Liam.  She really is coming into more vocabulary words and loves Dolls and Dora/Diego.

Here is a look at the many faces and changes of Brenne from birth to age 2.  I have many, many more photos, but uploading photos takes FOREVER, so I went with what I already had on Picasa.  Enjoy the slideshow.