My Haircut

Sarah and I have donated our locks a couple of times in the past. The last time we did it Joanna was not even a year old. Last summer Sarah was ready for a hair cut and it wasn't long enough to donate but we still got it cut. :) The first of this year I was to the point of needing and wanting a hair cut but wasn't sure if mine would be long enough.

In February I made an appointment and went in to see if it was long enough. It had to be 8 inches and we decided to cut 10 inches. :) 

Here is my 10 inch ponytail that was cut and I sent off to Pantene to be made into a wig for cancer patients.

One of my friends from church works at the salon I went to and she had her hair cut that morning. We thought it was a great time to have a picture together. ;) As you can see my hair cut was much shorter than I was expecting. Has taken time to get used to it but I am enjoying having short hair for now. ;)

Kitchen Table

Here is our Amish built 10' dining table. We really like it. Very nice when family is here and we can all sit at the same table together! There are five chairs on one side, two chairs at each end, and a bench on the other side. This table also has three drawers on each side. We have been using the drawers for games and school stuff. 

Joanna turns 4!

In January we celebrated Joanna's fourth birthday. On her birthday we we celebrated as a family and enjoyed spending the day with her.

I made cupcakes for us and to take to church to share with her friends. 

Each of our kids got her something for her birthday. They all like getting gifts for others and it is so sweet to watch them give to others.

Then grandparents came up and helped us celebrate!

Joanna loved opening her gifts! 

Pop and Gigi gave her a "Ziggle" and she loves riding it! We had basketball games that day and in between games we went to Davy Crockett State Park. They gave her the Ziggle there and she was able to ride it on the pavement. 

We enjoyed the time at the park. The weather was nice and the kids enjoyed being outside. 

Here is another view of her birthday cake. After ball games we went back to our house for cake and ice cream. Lots of fun celebrating our baby turning 4! 

4-H Public Speaking Contest

Isaac and Sarah started 4-H this year. One of the things they had to do was give a speech to their group. Then they were able to compete in the County Speech Contest. 

Sarah receives her first place ribbon for 6th grade.

Isaac receives his first place ribbon for 7th grade.

They both went on to compete in the sub-regional speech contest. Isaac won the 7th grade contest and Sarah placed 4th in 6th grade. Very proud of both of them! For Isaac this says a lot....when he was 4 years old he started speech therapy and continued therapy until we moved to Tennessee. God has done great things! 

Some Family Come For A Visit

These girls love spending time together. We all were excited when we knew that my cousin (Dodey) and her family were coming for a visit. 

Here are all the kids! What a full house...full of laughter and making memories. 

Here is Dodey and I posing for a selfie. ;) She is the closest thing I have ever had to a sister. We were always together growing up and now we try to keep in touch the best we can. We had a wonderful time with them. Took them to visit the Amish, Isaac and Sarah had basketball games, and lots of play time here at the house. :)

The Completed Kitchen

Here is a view of our completed kitchen. Very pleased! The bar stools are benches that we bought from an Amish man. Love his work. We also bought our table and chairs from him.

We are so blessed! We wanted a big kitchen because that is where we spend a lot of our time. The kids and I eat all three meals at home each day. I love to bake and we like having meals with family and friends. Already making lots of memories in this kitchen. :)

First Christmas in Our New Home!

Last Christmas (2013) was different than how we usually celebrate while living in Tennessee. It was good just different. Since we didn't have our own home we went to AL so we could spend Christmas with family. 

This year we were able to get back to our routine. :) This was our first Christmas in our new home and we were very excited! My parents arrived on Christmas Eve and we exchanged gifts with them and enjoyed spending time with them. Then we opened gifts between our own family on Christmas morning. We fixed a nice meal for lunch and then Dad and Mom had to go back home. :(

Here is my dad opening gifts from us. 

Mom opening her gifts.

Isaac got a set of Legos.

Sarah got PJ's.

Elijah and Timothy waiting for their turn to open presents.

We got all 3 boys a set of tools.

Joanna got Mickey Mouse PJ's.

There were more gifts to be opened and we were very blessed with each gift. Each and every year we try to focus on the True meaning of Christmas and point our kids to Jesus!