“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” -George Mueller
Vega ~
Vega is 7 months old and a few days – she pulls herself up and I think she has stood for a couple seconds on her own, but not sure; after much experimenting with every possible scenario, she has landed on “sleep is terrible and I will avoid it at all times”… it’s all very sad for Mom; she is becoming more and more strong-willed and independent, much like our other daughters (I don’t know where they get that from?!), this morning, Vega discovered that crawling underneath the coffee table was not a great idea; she likes eating new foods, but mostly she still just wants to nurse. Her favorite food so far, below breastmilk, is french fries, which we discovered trying to keep her from being crazy at a restaurant; she’s still the happiest baby in the world; she’s so curious and loves exploring – new people and places can calm her down even when she thinks she is starving; she adores all her older siblings; she tries to grab and/or kiss her Daddy when he’s on Skype. I think she thinks he lives in the computer; other than never really sleeping – she’s still perfect!


Britta ~
Britta has put school on hold after finishing her first semester in Greensboro. She is currently staying with my sister, Marci, in Atlanta, hanging out with her cousin, Matthew, and seeking to find where God wants her next. She’s awesome!

The other five kids ~
The other kids are all amazing as well. They all stay busy, and continue to be productive members of society.
Justice camps a lot, runs lots of errands for me (which is so nice), is really looking forward to getting out of high school (which he views as pretty pointless and I can’t say I really disagree but don’t tell him that) and joining the military. He’s going to be an amazing soldier!

Jarvis has started practices for the spring soccer season – only they should have called it winter season, because the games start at the end of January this time (ugh – I hate being cold). He’s so helpful. He camps with Justice sometimes, and still loves his Xbox360.

Darby is doing great in school – except for math, and I’ve given up trying to explain it to her and am just hoping for a passing 70 out of each semester, but she has good grades in everything else. She is considering becoming a cheerleader. She helps me out a lot with taking care of Paige and Vega, and with cooking. She rocks.

Jacob is a typical almost-7 year old boy. Dirt, rocks, toy guns, swords, cars, bikes, mud, superheroes, acrobatics, and did I mention the dirt? He still loves his girlfriend, Katie, who he has had a long-distance romance with since they met at age 2, and he’s still my loving cuddle bug!

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Paige is three. ‘Nuff said.
No, seriously, Paige is kind of a mess, but she’s my mess, and I love her. Between her stubborn nature, her meltdown-causing sensory issues, and her tendency to do whatever occurs to her in the moment, she is definitely my most high maintenance child. But she gives me the best smiles, hugs, and giggles, so I let it slide. She is currently in love with horses, Mickey Mouse, Lalaloopsy, and Yo Gabba Gabba. She’s quirky and not even remotely neurotypical, and she’s going to grow up to be an amazing lady like her big sister, Britta!


Other stuff ~
Andrew will be home in less than five months, Lord willing. He is awesome, and our marriage and relationship has never been better than it has been lately. God has taught us both so very much about what it means to be “one”, and He has shocked us more than a few times. Last year, we went through the Mark Driscoll series, Real Marriage, and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. We’ve read a lot of books, heard a lot of sermons, and even been through counseling, and I think this series just nails it on the head with what couples need to hear. You can watch the video series online for free at the Mars Hill Church website under ‘sermons’, and you can buy the book by him and his wife, Grace, on Amazon. I even recommend it for single people – there’s a lot in there about preparing for marriage as well! And no, Mars Hill Church didn’t pay me for that promo – it’s just that good! Anyway, 18 1/2 years into our marriage, and we love each other more than ever – and those who know us, know that we’ve had some low (very low) points! God has amazingly blessed us, and allowed us to learn what real love for each other is, and with His guidance, we will continue further on this path, growing even closer, for many years to come!

I haven’t updated my ‘getting healthy’ series because the holidays and kids have kept me busy, but I’ll get back to that soon enough.
Now that Vega is getting bigger, I plan to promote my photography business more and hopefully fill up my weekends with pictures this spring. I took some family photos for friends yesterday, and they turned out so cute! I love photography and I’m hoping to continue to improve on my skills this year, and to also buy the lens I’ve been coveting.
I’m thankful for some good friends who have helped to keep me sane during this deployment. Martha and Karyn – I’d go nuts without the adult interaction you give me, so thank you!
And kids beckon, so that’s it for now…

***please excuse the poor quality of most of these photos ~ I’m on my phone and decided to just add random iPhone snapshots to this post***
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