Forgiveness

The other day I was trying to get something done on the computer and Jonathan kept playing with the keyboard, pulling things out of the drawers, begging me to read him a book, unplugging things he shouldn't, etc... After awhile, I got fairly frustrated and raised my voice with him- which ended up with Jonathan crying and me more upset. All I wanted to do was to take 20 minutes to get whatever it was done on the computer without any distractions. And things didn't go as I had planned, then blew up at someone who was just vying for my attention. A few minutes after the "eruption" I calmed down. I decided to let go whatever it was I was doing, and to sit down with Jonathan and play- because it was obvious that is what he longed for. As we started playing I glanced at Jonathan and was overtaken with love. I looked at him and said, "Jonathan, I am sorry that I got mad at you. I love you." He simply looked back at me, smiled, handed me a book and plopped on my lap. What a lesson in forgiveness for me! How many times do I hold grudges, and like doing it? That day, Jonathan taught me- even though he wasn't intentionally doing so- what forgiveness really is: to forget and continue to love!

Catherine and Catherine

When we moved to north Denver, we were introduced to an incredible family that attends the same church and live only minutes from our house. Over the past year we have grown incredibly close with them and spend as much time with the family as we can. A lot of our Sundays are filled with donuts, coffee and brunch with one another. Several times I have even been asked if I am the sister of Nicole- the wife and mom- the woman I have become so close with. There are people at our church who have a difficult time telling us apart. :-)

They have three girls and a boy, and their second daughter is also named Catherine. The other day they were over and we decided to take a picture of the two of them together! Soooooooooo cute!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend down in Colorado Springs with my family. This is the first Thanksgiving that Chris and I have spent with my family- for the past several years we have been able to travel to see Chris's family for the holiday, which has been a blessing. (But traveling with two little kiddos is difficult- at least for us. :-) )

Thanksgiving was a fantastic day filled with fun, lots of yummy food and great conversation. Thanks to my mom for doing all of the cooking and hosting! We are truly thankful for the incredible family- near and far- that we have been given.

Over the weekend, my parents reserved rooms for all of us siblings to stay in Breckenridge. Most of my family skied, but Chris and I opted out and decided to just hangout, use the pool and jacuzzi's and just plain old relax. We spent quality time with all of the family and enjoyed the beauty of the mountains. It snowed all weekend- which made everything even more spectacular, but made the 2 hour drive home a 5 hour one... the roads were terrible. But, despite the bad drive home we are truly grateful for the time we had together as a family and that we arrived home safely.

On the way home, Jonathan got tired... and this is the way he fell asleep:

I hope you all had great Thanksgivings as well! Thank you for your friendship and being so faithful in reading the blog.

More fun in the kitchen

The other day I was making pizza dough... and Jonathan was excited to use the rolling pin too. He did a great job and figured out how to use it all by himself! He is well on his way to become a world class chef. he he

Catherine is 4 months!

Time sure flies when you are having fun... or super busy with two kiddos. he he Catherine is now 4 months old. She weighed in at 11 lbs 12 oz (5th percentile) and measured at 25 in (75th percentile). So, she is long and lean. She has been a true joy!

Jonathan's 1st Halloween

I am not a big fan of Halloween. Dressing up is not my thing. On top of that, Chris (who likes Halloween) was out of town at his grandmother's funeral. So, when Halloween rolled around I was not looking forward to it. I decided to buy an outfit for Jonathan anyway- a few days prior and I am SO GLAD that I did! He was extactic to put it on first thing Halloween morning. He roamed around the house "roaring" in the constume. Later that evening as trick or treaters came to the house he was excited to go outside too... so I reluctantly brought him with some neighbor friends to go trick or treating. People just thought he was so cute in his tiger outfit.

Tonight, he dragged out the tiger outfit again and asked to go trick or treating. Sadly we told him he could, but could still eat some candy.

The moral of the story... I am warming up to Halloween. It could be a fun holiday after all.

ROAR!!

I LOVE candy!

Jonathan and Catherine

For the first time the other day Jonathan held Catherine... it was REALLY cute. He was all smiles and kissed her non-stop. Ever since, he has been asking everyday to hold her. It is so cute to see how much he loves her!