1st Time in the SNOW

The snow finally came and we couldn't resist giving Logan his 1st experience playing in the snow. I think we spent more time bundling up then we did playing in the snow, but we sure did have a fun time watching Logan's reaction. We got a few giggles out of him and then when he was ready to be done...he was READY to be done. Kevin and I hope to bundle him up at least one more time to enjoy a few sled rides!

Enjoying the snow from our warm and cozy home.

Not sure what to do with this cold and fluffy stuff.

Logan's 1st try at a snow angel.  Next year should go better!

FAMILY FUN!

Our Little Man

I can finally post our family pictures that we had taken for Logan's 9 month photo shoot. Certain poses were taken for this years Christmas card and Logan's 1st birthday invitation. Now that our Christmas cards have been mailed out and received I can finally share them with everyone!  We are thankful that our friends lets us spend a Saturday afternoon in their backyard with our photographer. Love each and every one of them!

11 Months and Counting...

November brought Logan his first 3 teeth! As you can see from the above pictures we had a few days that Logan needed some extra love.  Overall he did really good for getting 3 teeth in one month.  Three nights out of the month Logan needed mommy in the middle of the night. I didn't mind the extra cuddles! 

As we were counting down the days to our first snow storm I thought it would be a good idea for Logan to get use to his winter hat.  He is not a fan of hats and I wanted his ears and head to stay warm this winter. He has made much progress!

One afternoon Aunt Tami and Nikki were baking cookies as they counted down the days to head to Grandpa and Grandma's to celebrate Thanksgiving. Nikki thought Logan's hands were just the right size to make turkey cookies. So cute!

Logan has been walking the walls non-stop of our home every day. We are now counting down the days to when he has the confidence in himself to let go and take off! 

One afternoon Logan was a little too quiet for my comfort.  I went into his room and found his cute little face staring up at me with this smile. He found his drawers. I am now counting down the days until I am able to train him not to empty his drawers!

It is so fun to walk into Logan's room after his naps to find our bright eyed boy ready to play the afternoon away!

A few other fun things about Logan at 11 months:  He found his dance moves for the 1st time, He has a slight fear of  TALL towers and the vacuum, His favorite toy is his stuffed Noah's Ark and all the animals, still loves being changed on his changing table...lots of giggles can be heard during this time, says Dada and Baba (bottle), he thrives on his schedule: bedtime 6:30/7:00,wakes up for breakfast at 7:00 a.m.,nap at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., bangs on anything we will let him, officially started  crawling on all 4's this month (he has had NO problem getting around before crawling by scooting and walking the walls), favorite books are I Love You Through and Through and Where is Spot?, loves his back to be softly scratched, gets so excited when he hears Daddy coming home from work that he can hardly contain himself (my favorite time of the day), favorite songs Logan likes me to sing to him are The Ants Go Marching One by One and This Little Light of Mine and his favorite thing above all is when Mommy walks into the room! ;)

Our Christmas Letter to YOU!

Hello Family and Friends,

Kevin, Logan, and I would like to say Merry Christmas to all of you! Christmas this year, in our home, looks completely different from the last 13 years of our marriage.  We now have the gift and blessing of seeing Christmas through a child’s eyes.  Activities outside the home have slowed down drastically and the view inside our home is full of activity and giggles.

Logan turns 1 on December 30^th, 2012.  He has the BEST belly laughs and is becoming quite the chatterbox.  He has no fear of water and we can say with confidence that he will be an amazing drummer one day!  His favorite toy is his stuffed Noah’s Ark and all of the animals.  He spends most of his days walking the walls of our home.  We are sure he will be walking on his own in no time.   Logan LOVES his sleep and food.  The Lord blessed us with one sweet little boy that melts our hearts each and every day.  He is growing up too fast, but we are enjoying every stage to its fullest! 

Kevin is one of the most loving and hands on daddy that I know.  Some of my hardest laughing moments are watching Kevin changing dirty diapers, giving Logan a bath, or hearing Kevin laugh out loud at something Logan does.  This year Kevin has worked more than he has in the years past.  We are extremely thankful for Kevin’s side jobs as they are allowing me to stay home with Logan.   Kevin is in his 1^st year of Men’s Fraternity, which meets each week for Bible study.  They encourage each other to be the husbands and fathers the Lord has called them to be.  Kevin still has a huge passion for his fantasy football.  I will admit it is fun getting to watch all the guys bond and get some good smack talking in with each other.  Kevin has also added a new game to our game collection.  7 Wonders has become our new favorite games this year!

I absolutely love being a stay-at-home mommy.  I spend my days playing with Logan, preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, cleaning, laundry, blogging, spending time with the Lord, play dates, reading, and running errands.  I cannot think of anything else that I would rather be doing!  The Lord has been so good to me and I call myself one blessed wife and mommy...even on the rough days.   One of the things I look forward to most each week is my Monday night Bible Study.  It is a pleasure to get to walk through life with these amazing ladies. 

This year has been full of many changes, activities, and travels. We would love for you to take a moment and scroll through our family blog to get to see a glimpse of all that has been going on in our lives this year. 

Year after year the Lord shows us endless amounts of grace.  All that we do not deserve.  The blessings that He has given us are countless.  It can be challenging at Christmas, in the world we live in today, to truly celebrate Jesus and what He has done for us.  Kevin and I are trying to be more intentional about not turning Christ’s birthday into a selfish holiday and putting all the attention on us. We really do want our hearts and minds focused on Christ as we celebrate who He is and what He chose to do for us.  We serve an awesome God that deserves way more then we can ever give Him!

Merry Christmas,

Kevin, Nicole, and Logan

Happy Thanksgiving

This year Kevin's parents hosted all of us at their home to celebrate Thanksgiving as a family.  We all arrived safe and sound  on Wednesday night. As each of us trickled in Mom had BBQ sandwhiches warming on the stove to fill our empty tummies. With the travels it was an early night for us all. We were up and going  the next morning preparing breakfast and our Thanksgiving dinner!

Logan decided to join us in the kitchen. He is always needing to be where the action is taking place. Aunt Brenda took a break and gave him a little love by feeding him his lunch. His belly was calling for food before we were able to finish all the Thanksgiving fixings. 

We each took a moment to share what we were thankful for this year before we passed around all the food. Our family has grown to the size that we now usually have the grown-up table and the kids table. Kevin has now graduated to sitting at the grow-up table. He will always be missed by the kids! 

Logan showing off his two front teeth!

Our Family Picture on Logan's 1st Thanksgiving.  We waited
a bit too late. Memories! 

Logan hanging out with Uncle Gene.

The BOYS!

The girls and Grandpa around the keyboard practicing for their
special music on Sunday Morning.

Logan brushing his teeth and getting ready to call
it a day. Night night Aunt Kim and Lizzy! 

I sure was spoiled this year for my Birthday. Loved every
moment of it. My kitchen is extra happy with all the fun, new,
and useful gadgets it now has!

Logan's 1st time rocking in Grandma Helmer's rocking chair. Kevin's

mom shared with us that each one of her kids and grandchildren

all have had their picture taken in this rocking chair. One special chair! 

Time to kick back and relax....

Logan has been getting around by scooting, army crawling,

 and walking along the walls and furniture. He finally chose

to crawl on all 4's for the 1st time! 

Grandma bought Logan a soft and sweet little bear. As we were leaving I
made sure everyone knew that no child needs more then ONE of these cute little guys! 

A happier family photo during Thanksgiving weekend!

Logan with Grandma and Grandpa Youel at church on Sunday morning.

Grandpa singing with 3 of his Granddaughters.

The perfect way to end our Thanksgiving weekend together was worshiping our Lord together as a family!