Along the Journey

Happy Valentines Day!

2012-02-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

Baby Waller

2012-02-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Our parents have been anxiously awaiting two boxes coming their way and today they got them. Want to see what was inside?Well, if you guessed that its a baby boy then you are right!! We are so excited to have a little brother coming soon, we could not love him more. More importantly, he is healthy as can be and measuring right on schedule. It always blows me away to see God's little creation all perfectly formed inside. To see the spine, heart, to see him move around and those little fingers and toes wiggling, it is incredible. Emma got to come and this picture was the one that she really caught "I see his foot!" So cute!

So here is 21 weeks, getting bigger and feeling great! God is so good!

Finally did it.

2012-02-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to make our own laundry soap for ages and this week I finally did it! It was so quick and so easy. All you need are these ingredients and some water:

And after a little simmering and mixing you get about 550 loads worth of detergent! It made both of these plus one more jar, which has already gone over to wash its first load. I think once we are in our house I may have to buy some cute glass jugs to store it in.
So far the clothes came out smelling nice and fresh. I can't wait for Emma to get nice and dirty playing outside to see how it works on that. I love that it is all-natural, and I will add so much cheaper than buying! Finally - why did I wait so long to do this. Pretty sure we will not go back!

Birthday Party

2012-02-07T12:52:00.001-08:00

Emma had such a fun birthday party - I could have put up so many pictures, but here are just a few.

Thank you to everyone who came out to make it a special day! Emma loved having all of her family there and some new special friends - thanks for making it feel like home!

3 years old.

2012-01-30T12:02:00.001-08:00

Emma girl turned 3 yesterday. Sometimes its hard to believe, and sometimes I think she has been more 3 than 2 for a while. She is such a girl, just growing and learning more everyday! I was trying to think of some new things she is doing - talks all the time! She loves making up stories and having stories told to her. She can tell a really interesting story too, she's got her letters down and we are working on the numbers. The other day she successfully counted her crayons to 18 before going to "wamteem, emmateem, hallieteem" and continued on making up numbers with all her friends and laughing at herself. She is loving her dance class, she sings the songs all the time and is so focused during class. She has such a tender heart and has a hard time understanding when people tell her "no" or do not share, etc. We have had great teaching times working on her actions and not worrying about what other people do, but its what Emma does that matters. She has an amazing memory and I can't wait to really hone in on that with teaching Bible verses, its incredible the books that she will "read" perfectly from memory. She would wear a dress and play in the dirt everyday if we let her, and I love that! She still takes about a 2 hr+ nap everyday, she is like her mom- we need our beauty rest and apparently she wants a bison for a pet (you can tell we live in the country). She definitely knows what she wants and can understand so much around her, even adult conversations, that it can make parenting a constant fun challenge but we would not change her for anyone else! So good for me to write these things down before we forget what are little 3 year old is like, what a blessing she is!

And two pictures to show what a different a year can make:

2 years old

3 years old

Remembering His blessings

2012-01-21T18:27:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to believe that it has been 6 months since we came to Deer Creek.

6 months ago we moved into here

and 6 months ago we learned about saying "Yes" to God, and "No" to many of our desires and longings. What a ride it has been! Sometimes it is unreal to me that we can be only 2 hours away from where we were yet life has changed dramatically. I will admit - more days than I would care to admit it have been hard and frustrating for me. I have spent many days not appreciating the place we have been given, but ready to have a house. But then when we take the time to step back and look at what God has done it is so so good.

What a provider! We have been given a safe place, rent free while we build our home. The ability to be here at camp has been so beneficial for Emma and I because we have gotten to know camp. This is our home, I can tell you where they keep the eggs, extra toilet paper, and Emma knows exactly where to get food to feed all the animals! It is such a blessing and so often I do not see it. As I was going back through a journal I found times when Matt and I prayed so specifically for this opportunity to be here - and here we are. God knew what He was doing - He still does!

Ps. 145.7 says "I will celebrate your abundance goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness."

I want to remember His goodness so that when I have a day that I am not thankful I can look back and remember. So that when I am complaining about a small place I can see His hand on it. So that I can look at other things that are more important. God is good - and we will live here longer - and are so grateful for it!

House Update

2012-01-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well - the house is moving right along! We went by today to take time and walk around, take some pictures, and wrote on the studs of the walls. So fun building a house, already such special memories being made there!

Front of the house

Emma having fun

Back - love our porch!

Wrote the lyrics to one of our favorite songs, Invade all through out the house

Emma wanted to write her name and baby on the room across from hers :)

We wrote verses all around the house - love this!

Saturday hike

2012-01-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Matt had the weekend off so we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and get outside. Here are a few pics from our hike.

Another Year

2012-01-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone so quickly. I would never have imagined our life to look so different in one year. 2011 definitely had its share of challenges, struggles, tears, loneliness and adjustments. I will admit that I am glad it is gone - but I am also grateful for what the year taught us as a family. Through unwelcome circumstances we grew closer as a family, we grew closer to our Mighty God, I saw His hand work through tough situations, I have learned that I must rely on Him to be my ALL - not just some. I have learned that we can live on little and we have seen Emma adjust far better than I could have imagined, and thrived through it all. And we have seen that God is faithful, even though most prayers have not been answered, He is still faithful. Today I can across this verse:

Ps. 40.3

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in Him."

May that ring true in our lives. I am thankful for a tough year. Thankful that we can come out on the other side and still say God is GOOD!!

Looking ahead at 2012 I know their will be struggles - but there are two things that, Lord willing, look very promising:

Baby Waller!!

A HOUSE!!!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

We had a great long Christmas this year! Emma and I were at my parents house for about 2 weeks and Matt got to join for over a week as well! We were able to see his parents and grandparents, which was such a special treat, and spend a long time with my family.

Is. 9.6 - "For unto us a child is born, to us a son is give, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

This verse stood true so many Christmas' ago and rang true this Christmas as well. This year He orchestrated so many details for my whole family to be together. It was a cherished time of playing and laughing, quality long night talks, worshiping together, and being thankful. What a precious family He has granted me with - I could not be more grateful.

Where do they come up with this?!?

2011-12-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

A conversation with Emma over dinner last night - as she got very thoughtful

"Mom - if cows give milk, and chickens give eggs, what do alpacas give?"

I (trying hard not to laugh) answer, their fur

"But I don't want to eat their fur!"

No - its just for wearing

"Oh, thats so nice of them."

Really - crazy kid... officially starting to document our conversations, we need to remember them!

Proclaim it.

2011-12-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

Today as I was reading I came across this verse:

Psalm 105.1

Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

And so today that is what I am going to do. For two years now Matt and I have prayed that God would use the current struggles in our lives to bring Him glory, in some way, to help others know Him. We have consistently longed for our trials to be our testimony, for God's mighty hand to be revealed in ways that we could never know. For almost two years now we have struggled with the desires to grow our family, the physical pain of loosing pregnancies, and the waiting period of taking in children without a home, knowing that He would do it at the right time. Trusting that God would grow our family how He saw fit, taking the faith walk to just wait (which is really hard for me to do).

Over the last several weeks, I have struggled more than ever with the meaning of life. It is not until a life close to you is threatened that you begin to evaluate, to look at, and to wonder what it is all about. We have been faced with the uncertainty of life and attempting to trust that God is in control.

And now we see the hand of God reach down in both situations and show His faithfulness. As I sit tonight and try to put into words my overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. That He would choose to answer prayer. That He would give my mom something to look forward to. That at the exact time that we are needing Hope, He gives it. That the Maker of all life would choose my family to perform a huge miracle through a tiny life. Through that He has given us another child, a healthy pregnancy. LIFE - and only by the Hand of an Almighty Maker. Praise be to our Father in Heaven, who hears our cries, and gives LIFE and gives it abundantly!

Our prayer for this precious new life is that he/she would bring glory to God, from this day to their last. That we would not forget to proclaim His mighty act and faithfulness. That this story could bring others to know Him. May you be reminded today that He is good, His timing is perfect, He is in control, and He knows the deepest longings of our hearts.

So the facts: Jen is 12 wks, baby is in the right place! Due June 17th. Yes, a few wks into summer camp, again - trusting God's timing!

Santa Fe Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

We had a great time over Thanksgiving! Matt was done with his final paper and we got to just be together as a family. We talked the entire 11 hour drive there, so nice just to be able to talk. Daddy and Emma had lots of play time, which was a nice break for Mom too and we were able to enjoy just being together.

There was some riding bikes.

Time in town square with Christmas lights.

Fun times with Pops and Susu!

Emma's Thanksgiving plate - I love her face "what, I shouldn't eat this huge piece of bread first?" And she did clean her plate!

And beautiful sunsets!

So much to be thankful for - Happy Thanksgiving!

Trusting

2011-11-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we TRUST in the name of the LORD our GOD!" Psalm 20.7

Today I am reminded to Trust in our powerful almighty God:

So we are trusting that God is bigger than Stage 3 cancer.

We are trusting that God is all-knowing.

We are trusting that God is bigger than statistics.

We are trusting that His word is true and that He will never leave us.

We are trusting that He will be glorified.

We are trusting that prayers are answered.

We are just trusting - because that is all that we can do.

The strength of a mom

2011-11-10T13:09:00.001-08:00

I wanted to take a post to write and ask for prayer for my mom, and also to take the time to write about what an amazing woman she is.

A few months ago my mom started having some pain and stomach issues, so first she had some blood work done and found out she was gluten intolerant. Great - change of diet and things will be better. They also came back that she had a parasite. She had suspected that and so got on some medication and a pretty strict diet to get rid of it. It was a pretty aggressive one that seemed to have really done some damage, so she really had some strong medications and had to follow the diet right on. Through the whole process my mom showed so much of what I have always known, strength and endurance. She did not skip a beat when we asked if she could come watch Emma or slow down during visits, she continued as Gigi, mom, wife and friend. It was easy to miss all the sickness that she was having because she never drew attention to it.

Just a few weeks ago she went back in to another doctor, just for another opinion because it did not seem to be getting any better. When the results came back that the parasite was gone, he suggested to get a biopsy to see if the parasite had done further damage. Brings us to this week when my mom went into get the biopsy done. First they found a bleeding ulcer, which they were able to cauterize, and then they found a mass in her stomach. They said it could be a number of things, results from the parasite or other. So we would have to wait for the results.

I will never forget the phone call I had with my mom on Wednesday. We were talking, she was telling me how she feels God has been so faithful through each step of this and just ready to have the results, when my dad drove up. These words will forever ring in my head - It's cancer.

It's cancer... we are still in shock. To go in for a parasite biopsy and come out with that result was not what we ever would have thought. So now begins CAT scans and then whatever steps are after that.

So I am writing to ask for you all to pray. Pray for healing, pray for peace and understanding, pray for wisdom for the doctors, pray that the pain and sickness levels will not be too high, pray that our family will come together even more and see God's hand all over this situation.

To you mom - I am grateful for dad who is so supportive and loving to you. I am grateful that you are not alone in this and that we all get to walk through it with you. I am grateful for your strength and faith. Years ago you and dad made a choice to change the course of our family, and by choosing to follow Christ, you have changed so many lives. I am thankful that you walk the faith walk that you so diligently have taught us to walk. I know you have been through so many difficult times in your life and your testimony is such a powerful one. I pray that this test will soon be another part of that testimony.

We love you and are praying you through ever step of this.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Rom. 8.28

Bumble Bee

2011-11-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Well - this year we had a bumble bee - and she was pretty cute! So yes - another tutu costume, they are just so easy to make! Deer Creek took their inflatable slide to a few trunk or treats and so we got to go along. Emma spent a lot of time going down the slide, but loved walking around and talking to everyone.

We took a few fun shots of all three of us going down the slide - but I think we will be saving those for Christmas cards :)

Striving.

2011-10-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

What am I striving for - a peace to move along with what God has placed in our path. Today was one of those days when life in one room was not fun. As I was washing dishes Emma looked at me and said, "Mom, where is yours and dads room?" I turned around and pointed at our bed and just had to laugh - she said, "Oh, in the kitchen?" Yes dear - in the kitchen. I love that kids can bring laughter to everything, even tense moments in my life.

I just sat down to read a little and stumbled across Ps 37.3 - "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart" and verse 7 - "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him."

The last week we have spent looking at rent places near here (which are not many) and trying to decide if we go ahead and pay for rent, and a new house mortgage at the same time. All in attempts to get into a house and get reopened as a foster home so that we can start taking kids again. It is a desire, a calling, but is it wise to do now... we have been struggling with that decision for a while. Obviously God knows what he is doing. He knows that we are licensed and ready to receive kids, we just need a home, he knows that it is hard to live in one room, He knows it is lonely living in a new place and trying to meet new people, He knows, He knows.

So - all that to say, it is hard to go against your own desires, but it is so good to just give them up and "be still". So for now thats what we are doing. We are going to be still, let God do the work that He started, and sit back in anticipation for what he has for this family. What a weight off my shoulders...

Thanks for letting me share my heart - perhaps this spoke to one of you and our desire to make things happen, I know that is me and it is just a good reminder that He will do it far better then I could have ever even imagined.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

Today we had a special treat of having some of our favorite people come to visit. Kristen, Hallie, and Macey Jo made the drive out to Medina to see our home and to take a trip to the pumpkin patch. It was so special. Emma has been counting down the days until her bff Hallie was going to be here and the girls did not skip a beat - it was so sweet to see them right back on track even though they had not seen each other in well over a month. I may have been more excited to have my dear friend Kristen here and to see MJ who is getting so big! We have only had a handful of people come to see our home and there is something to say about enjoying time with people who "know you"... I could go on, but we had such a fun time today - thank you ladies for coming out to see us.

And - the pumpkin patch was so much fun, so here are a few cute pictures from the day.

Our Little Dancer

2011-10-10T18:54:00.001-07:00

Tonight Emma had her first dance class. It was about the cutest thing I have ever seen, all 2 and 3 years olds so you can only imagine! Emma joined into a class that had been going for a month so we were wondering how she would do and she did awesome! She followed exactly what they said to do and she loved every minute of it. She talks about how her shoes go "clickety-click" and was hilarious trying to tell Pops and Susu about what she did (thank you two for going along with it). Love how fired up she is and we cannot wait to go back next Monday!!

Tapping the sticks

Waiting her turn to do summersaults

Excited for her first class - yes I had to wake her up from her nap so the hair was a little crazy...

Lost Maples State Park

2011-09-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

We were able to make it out to Lost Maples a few weeks ago and could not be more excited that it is so close, about 30 minutes (which is closer than the grocery store). We had a great time hiking, had a fun picnic and bought a year pass so we will becoming back a lot.

Fired up for a hike.

Beautiful hill country (even with it being so dry).

Scoping out the campsites - we will be coming back this fall!

The Lake.

2011-09-14T19:32:00.001-07:00

We got to spend a few days relaxing at the lake and loved every minute!

Just one picture- fishing with dad.

Teaching her young.

2011-08-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

Emma's view of camp.

2011-07-26T12:56:00.001-07:00

Today I told Emma that we needed to take some pictures to send to everyone and that she got to pick... so these are some of her favorites - minus the river, the walk there is really long, I'll take a picture of that one later!
Enjoy!

The outside where we are staying - we are top right.

They have their own school bus, Emma LOVES to sit on it!

The cabins

Sitting on the hay - I think she looks so big here.

And of course... the cows.

New view.

2011-07-25T13:11:00.001-07:00

This morning I was drinking coffee and looking out on this view...

Welcome Home Waller family. So to catch anyone up... we moved :) Matt has taken a job as Director of Deer Creek camp in Medina, Tx, so we packed up, said goodbye to everything familiar and on Saturday moved to the middle of the hill country to a small town and a new camp to be used by Him. It has been fun so far, learning, exploring and growing. We are currently living in a one room garage apartment and loving it. Sure its an adjustment, but Emma has done well and I am enjoying the quiet time in the afternoons - it forces me to sit and read and just be still. Today Emma and I went out on our first trip to town... we needed to go to the grocery store for some milk, strawberries, you know the basics - and the nearest one is 35 min. away. So - I think we may be buying in bulk! The drive there was beautiful, windy 2 lane roads through the fields and hills - it will take some getting used to, but I think we will manage :) I just may need someone to send me a picture of Target or Starbucks so that I don't forget. Tomorrow's goal is to get our PO Box set up, and Emma cannot wait to swim in the river! So we are adjusting and looking forward to how God is going to teach us and use us here at Deer Creek. It has been fun to get to know the staff and campers - and of course they all love Emma - and she is pretty fond of them. We will keep you all posted (now that I figured out how to get on the internet) and will try to take more pictures. It has been a good arrival and we have felt nothing but peace and assurance that this is right - it might be hard - but so right! Thanks for all your prayers, we have felt them so strong!

Following Him is always a fun journey!

Happy 4th.

2011-07-04T19:18:00.001-07:00

Cookie baking.

Camp fun.

Face painting.

Hope your day was filled with celebrating also!

What's happening at the Waller house you ask?

2011-06-08T19:30:00.001-07:00

Going in a big girl potty...

And helping dad with projects around the house.

The big reveal

2011-06-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

A huge house project is done and I could not be more thrilled with how it turned out!

Front of the house when we bought it.

Front of the house today!

Back of the house before

Back of the house today.

Love seeing the transformation, fun stuff, next on the list... gutters.

The Beach

2011-05-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

Over Mothers Day we got to spend a few days with Matt's family at the beach. It was beautiful! This was Emma's first trip to the beach and she loved every part of it (and we did too)!

Emma and Daddy watching a video Heading to the beach!

First time in the ocean - she giggled every time the waves would come!

Having a snack with Pops Us with Susu and Pops

Can't get enough of her

2011-04-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

I just think she is too cute...

A day of celebration

2011-04-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Easter - I am struck by the pure joy that we get to celebrate a risen Saviour everyday, not just on Easter. What a day to remember. As Emma has been getting older it has become more of a reality the task upon us, to raise her and teach her of the Lord that Matt and I know and follow. I love seeing her learn about Christ and pray that someday that songs that she is singing and stories that she repeats will become so real to her and penetrate deep into her heart and that she would know that He is risen - He is risen indeed!

New Room

2011-04-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of Emma's new "big girl" room. She loves it!

Bunk Bed - we bought these pillows in New Mexico about a year ago as the inspiration for her room, sad I know, but I really like them. There are two more in the next pic in the dollhouse, she likes to set them up for her tea parties, which is too cute.

The dollhouse that our neighbors gave us, again, a long time ago just knowing it was perfect for her room. All it needed was a good paint job and some Mod Podge.

Emma her first night in her big girl bed... can you find her :)

It's so fun to watch them grow up so fast - maybe I can slow the process down a little - or just continue loving every day and every stage!

Family.

2011-03-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

Love family! Such a blessing to be all together - here are a just a few pictures from our time so far.

The dads and kids going for a ride while us ladies shopped!

Uncle Matt and noodle wars - I think he lost.

Someone can ride a tricycle!

All the cousins

All together

Bitty Baby

2011-03-11T12:07:00.001-08:00

Emma got a bitty baby for her birthday and lets just say, she loves her! This morning they were too cute in the matching pj's I had to take some pics. I am not sure what she thought was so funny in this first one, but she had tears she was laughing so hard!

She really likes to "take care" of her. In the last one I caught her saying "see the birds baby". She is going to make a great big sis. Speaking of which, have we mentioned that we are about one step away from becoming a licensed foster home?!? We are amazed at how God has grown this in our hearts for about 4 years now and cannot wait to live out James 1.27 - but more on that to come later, this post is just cute pictures :)

Overdue

2011-02-25T11:32:00.001-08:00

We are needing a new family pic...

This was the last time we were all together, Easter 2009, way too long! We are packing up right now and getting ready for some family time. Love you all and cannot wait to all be together so soon!

Blessed with amazing grandparents!

2011-02-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

Emma has some amazing grandparents! I cannot talk about her birthday without putting a special post just for them. Over the month of January Matt and I had a number of Saturday long commitments and our parents were amazing and came each weekend to hang out with Emma. For her birthday she got to have both sets here, they took her to the children's museum and did a lot of playing. Our dads did so many projects around the house, our moms cleaned and cooked and they all just loved on our little girl. Thank you to Pops, Susu, Paka, and Gigi for your love to us and Emma, not just those weekend, but all the time! We are all truly blessed.

2.

2011-02-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

We had a great 2nd birthday celebrating our precious Emma -

we had a mini party with our park friends.

We love you Emma, you are growing and learning so much everyday. You are such a joy (98% of the time). I love hearing you sing and talk so much, you have the sweetest voice. You are really into knowing what everything is and chances are if I tell you, you will remember the next time you see it. You are such a good listener and are really learning how to obey right away. You notice that dad has to do school work a lot, and it is easy for you to convince him to come out and play. He is glad to only have a few more weeks left. You still love to read books and to be outside. Its hard to say no to you, especially when you put your little hands on my face and say "pink cooookie with bown spinkles pease". We cannot wait to see what you will learn tomorrow. Thanks for being such a joy, we are so blessed!

Happy 2nd birthday sweet Emma.

One year difference.

2011-01-30T17:41:00.000-08:00

Wow - here is Emma at 1 year and now at 2 years old. They really do grow up fast! Pictures of her fun birthday coming soon.

Love this girl!

2010-12-30T18:13:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-19T20:29:00.001-08:00

Snowball fight with dad

2010-12-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

The chain of pictures, too much fun in the snow -

Thanksgiving at the Lake.

2010-12-01T12:57:00.001-08:00

We had a blast at the lake, I could have picked out tons of pictures... but here is a small glimpse of the week.

Gigi, Emma, and Mom

Aunt Shana and Emma, she loved doing the gingerbread house!

It was cold, but we still had fun!

Thanksgiving meal

The crew - Thanks Pops and Susu for letting us come, all we needed was you two and the Raymicks to make it complete, love you all!

Say "Cheese"

2010-11-19T18:57:00.001-08:00

Letting you in the back room...

2010-11-13T18:56:00.001-08:00

There is a room in our house that many people do not see... "The Hole" as we like to call it. It is a room of storage, projects, books, and for the past several months - my husband. I want to take this post to brag on him. What an amazing man! Matt is almost halfway through getting his masters in Non-Profit Management right now and, to say the least, it has been a challenge. Only through the Lord's strength have I gotten through long nights and days of being mom and upkeeper of the house, but more impressive is Matt. He somehow is balancing being husband, dad, full-time employee (and many of you know ministry is not 8-5) and student. There are more nights than not that I do not know what time he stays up till, he is usually brewing coffee while I am sliding into bed. I am so proud of him and his hard work! This week is finals week, two papers due and he has been in "the Hole" all of the time... as you can see by the picture, it is his position. But somehow, he finds the time to go on adventures with Emma and has yet to miss a single bedtime story reading, what a man! It will be worth it, we are halfway through, and what a blessing from the Lord to allow Matt to get this degree. We only pray that it will help use Matt to further His kingdom in the future.

Matt and Emma exploring.

The Hole.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

This year we headed to the "Trunk or Treat" where we:

saw a lot of friends.

had a blast on TBarM's obstacle course.

rocked it in her clown costume.

And had such a blast. She had a smile all night!

Emma's new friend

2010-10-06T20:05:00.001-07:00

Lately as we have been outside Emma has talked about "little be". Today I finally discovered what little boy she was talking about. This is her new friend and their game that the played for so long today... they pass things back and forth through the fence and Emma loves him! When I told her it was time to go inside she turned around, said "Bye-bye Little Be", blew him a kiss and walked inside. Too stinking cute!

Wedding Pictures

2010-09-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

I was so blessed to be in my dear friends wedding a few weeks back. It was a beautiful wedding and Naomi was the most gorgeous bride ever. More than that though, her and her new husband love each other and are living a life serving the Lord. The wedding was such a testimony to their lives and their families, it was perfect! Here are a few pics from the fun day!

The beautiful Bride

Us Girls

On the Dugout

Love this man.

5.

2010-09-11T19:13:00.001-07:00

Here's to another 5 - Love you Matt!!

There's nothing better than -

2010-09-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

A tea party with Dad!

Seeking Him Daily

2010-08-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend we finished up Family Camp here at TBarM, and what a great week it was! We were so blessed this year to have my cousin, Dana as our camp coach to love on Emma, and just to hang out with us. Dana is precious in every way and it was so great to get to know her better this summer as she worked under Matt!

We were so challenged this week, in a good way, to live sold out for Christ, in our everyday lives. I want to try and share a little of this, but I do not know where to begin. So here are a few things I walked away with. God is our one Hope! That means in everything that I do through out my day, I need to live like that. What does that mean in my life personally... loving on our neighbors, loving on the people that we see at the store, at the park, not being afraid to Talk to others about Him, actually trusting in His plan for my life. So much more, but it really really hit home. Many of you know our struggles with growing our family lately. It has been a struggle spiritually for me more than anything, "Why not us, why would this happen to us, are we not supposed to have more kids..." You know how it goes. I completely forgot that He knows! Things are happening just as He knew it would and He has such a plan to bless us and use us! I truly feel as though these struggles are bringing me closer to Christ and forcing a dependence on Him - which I did not always have before. I was in control, I decided what happened. Now I am fully aware that He is in control and wants to use me for so much more than simple birthing more children. Don't get me wrong, I still pray for it and long for it - but not more than longing for God. It has been such a growing time for our family, I am reminded of the verse in Romans 8 "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." So my prayer is this - that if you are in a place of wondering or confusing or hurting, know that He loves you and has such a perfect plan. Glorify Him - focus on Him - He is our One Hope, which is so great since that Hope is perfect in every way!

Sorry I wrote a lot, as you can tell, He has tugged hard lately and we are ready to pull others along.

May you seek Him and find Him today.

What a Week!

2010-08-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

Last week Jen and Emma got to hang out in Houston with Gigi & Paka while Matt was in Colorado doing some training for staff. We had a great time, lots of playing and lots of spoiling! Jen was mainly in town to help out and do a lot of events for a dear friend getting married. It was so helpful to have my parents there to watch Emma so that I could fulfill my matron of honor duties! The wedding was absolutely beautiful and I was blessed to be a part of it! Matt got to come for a few days and hang out and come to the wedding. Here are just a few pictures from last week.

18 Months old, what a big girl!

Emma's new BFF, her Paka

Running in the sprinkler park with cousin Anna, she loved it!

Somehow the only picture we left with, taken by a guest at the wedding on their phone and emailed to us, sad I know! I will have to get more than just us tying cans on the back of the car... like the ones of us on top of the dugout at Minute Maid Park!

29!

2010-07-22T13:48:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday Matt turned 29! I am so blessed to have an amazing husband and father to our Emma. We got to celebrate, just the three of us with dinner at home and a quiet night.

We love you Matt,

Happy Birthday!!

The 4th.

2010-07-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

I know its a little late, but I could not resist putting fun pictures up from our weekend at the lake celebrating the 4th. Matt's parents were there and Jen's mom was there (Paka was in Guatemala and was missed!). Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

Emma had a blast at the parade...

Well - looks like the grandparents had fun too.

We even had time to throw Matt an early birthday party.

She absolutely loved playing with the pots and pans, sat here cooking her fish for hours.

So silly

2010-06-28T18:06:00.000-07:00

I love this picture - so typical....

Asheville!

2010-06-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Last week was such a busy fun-filled week. Jen's family was in town and we got to hang out all week until we went to Asheville for a family wedding. Both plane rides went great, Emma was a gem during all the crazy moving around and tons of people in her space, and there was lots of pool time. What fun - here are a few pics from the trip to North Carolina.

Talking and Walking.

2010-06-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Emma turned 16 months a few days ago and is just learning so much. I think her biggest learning has been in vocabulary.

I think her speaking vocab is around 30, some new ones are: belly, strawberry, girl, flower, eye, bite. No - they don't all sound perfect!

We have been working on animal noises a lot and it has been so cute, we need to get a video... she can do: elephant, dog, giraffe, lion, gorilla (does the fists on the chest), sheep, bear, duck, rooster, horse, cow, turkey (my fav by far, so cute)

And body parts that she knows: eyes, mouth, teeth, tongue, ears, toes, fingers, back, belly button, knees, and elbows (which is again, my fav watching her fold those arms and touch her elbows!)

Let's admit, she's pretty much genius :) or just a girl who likes to talk.

Also, we finally got a video of Emma walking. She has been getting more and more confident and it is just so cute. Yesterday she took a few steps backwards which was fun to watch her figure that out. So - not the best video, its hard to do it with just you and the kid, but you can get the point.

Having a sick day.

2010-06-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess we were due a sick day, I can't remember the last time Emma was sick. Last night she woke up with a 102 temp and just crying. It has stayed in the 102-103 all day and she has just been so tired, but so cuddly. I don't mind. I decided to put a video in for some relax sick time:

This is how she started out (notice the bottle of tylenol, ha)

And this is how she looked the next time I walked past, too tired to even sit up.

And here she is waiting at the doctors office - poor thing.

Turns out she has a pretty bad ear infection in both ears so I am glad we decided to take her in and not wait this one out. Good thing because Morgan and Bobby are coming to visit tomorrow! We can't wait.

Well, its nap time again!

Two things Emma loves.

2010-05-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

Reading books! She has always loved flipping through them, but now she will pick up a book, come sit in your lap and you get to read to her. We do this for literally hours a day. I love it too!

And... cleaning out her drawer. Isn't that so helpful of her?!? She does pick it up, although it takes a LONG time, and it's not always to my liking, but at least it is off the floor.

Easter

2010-04-29T11:20:00.001-07:00

Did I mention that Emma got to meet the Easter Bunny - pretty handsome rabbit if I do say so myself. She wasn't too sure though...

And let's not forget about Mrs. Bunny!
There were so many great pictures from Easter Family Camp, but I had to narrow it down to two. Thanks to both sets of parents who came, we had so much fun hanging out and hope to do it again next year!

The Canopy

2010-04-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is why we bought our house, I love these trees! We don't have to go far for a good picnic.

I guess it wont be long before Emma is climbing them, but for now, we enjoy the blanket together.

I can tell a difference...

2010-04-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

The pictures do not do it justice, and perhaps I can only tell the difference because of the pain in my back, but here we have the updated look for the front of the house. We took out the bushes hiding the walkway, took out the crazy tree and made a new bed with fun plants and flowers. We got to use the truck for sure - 1.5 ton load of stone, a bed load of dirt, many squares of sod, and plenty of plants. Well on our way to getting this place looking better. Next project - I bought paint for the bathroom today. Goodbye fish wallpaper!

Bluebonnets

2010-03-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

We took some fun pics in the bluebonnets this weekend. Of course the battery started to die about 5 pics into it, but we still got some cute ones (at least I think so). Here is just an example...

Fun Dinner times.

2010-03-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight was so much fun. Emma practiced eating with her spoon, which was amusing but pretty impressive. She just looks so grown up.

We had some fun times and just laughed pretty hard. Here is a little video of dinner at the Waller house.

Craftiness

2010-03-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

I have been in a crafty mood lately. This may just be the next project, how clever! Most of my fun has been with sewing, since so many friends are having babies, its fun making gifts. Here are some of the latest:

Little storage pouches

Swaddle blanket-this turned out so cute, it may be my favorite yet.

Just sweet

2010-02-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

This past month has been such a crazy growing and learning time for Emma. I feel like everyday she does something new. I think we are ready to declare the first words as Dad! She has said it for a while, but in the last weeks it has been very directed to Matt and its not Dada, but clearly Dad. Her vocabulary is really taking off, some words that we hear daily:

Du (duck)

Do (dog) - and yes you can hear the difference even though the ending is not there yet.

Bebe for baby

Dad

Bu (trying to get bird, she knows it starts with a b)

Uh-Oh

Voo-"whats a cow say"

Ba ba-"whats a sheep say"

And her signing is crazy fun also:

Still doing all done, more, and waving (at everyone!)

Now we have eat and help, please and thank you

She will put her hands on the side of her head when we say Oh my and up with we say touchdown, and make the face in the picture when we say cheese.

It just amazes me everyday how much they already understand. I love teaching her new things, so much fun!

Upgrades

2010-02-23T13:08:00.001-08:00

When we moved into our house, the list of upgrades was huge, and is still growing. But, it is a challenge we are willing to take on and it has been so much fun doing it ourselves (so far). So- thought I would put up the biggest thing we have tackled, the kitchen. We are so happy with how it turned out. Thanks for all the help from our parents, all had a part in completing the project. Also, this weekend we built our garden. Matt and I worked most of the day and Emma either napped or roamed around the backyard, it was perfect! We had a pretty decent garden in Wisconsin and loved it so we were determined to get this one ready by spring, here it is! Hopefully the fence will keep out the pesky deer, we will see! Can't wait to fill it up!

Two Great Things...

2010-02-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

Sitting forward in the car!

The Kid Seat in the stalls at Babies R Us!

Birthday Bash

2010-01-31T17:52:00.000-08:00

Saturday we had Emma's birthday party and it was so fun!

Here are some pictures:

The Birthday Girl, I got the idea to make her shirt from here.

The cake!

Flower pot I made with pictures from each month, turned out so cute.

Emma and her bff, Hallie

Family that came to celebrate

Shopping cart from Aunt Shana, Uncle Michael and cousins, Thanks guys!

Not sure what to do with the cake...

Us and the birthday girl.

It was a great party, thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate. It was such a beautiful day! With lots of sugar, lots of people and missed naps, Emma was pretty tired and ready for bed by the end of it all.

What a fun day.

A whole year

2010-01-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Can it be that one year ago our precious Emma came into our lives. She is such a blessing everyday and we are so grateful for her.

It seems like only yesterday you were born.

We are so blessed to have you in our family.

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet Emma!

Easter Family Camp is Coming

2010-01-22T07:04:00.000-08:00

T Bar M Easter Family camp is aroung the corner. Check out the video on you tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUgopOz9__Y

Great Sunday.

2010-01-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

Today was a fun day. Jen's mom has been here for a few days visiting and it has been great! We started the day with dedicating Emma at church. We have daily commited to raising her as God has called us, but what a great testimony to outwardly do so. It was also so real as the church stood and commited to the same, many families there have already prayed and impacted our lives for the Lord, we are so grateful for our community we have found in such short time.This afternoon was a sewing afternoon, I made this bag!

Then just tonight, Matt and I went on our first date in such a long time. Thanks Gigi for babysitting for us. We had a great time walking around the Forum and having a great dinner just the two of us.

We are now home and relaxing on the couch. This is how we found Emma sleeping away. So cute!

What a great day!

Christmas came.

2009-12-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

What a Christmas! This is the only picture to post because it really says it all.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, on to finishing out the year!

Whoow!!! What a crazy past few days

2009-12-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

Well, we were trying to avoid it but Jen had to go in to have surgery for the ectopic pregnancy. She passed out at home and Matt called an ambulance to take her to the ER. Doctors there figured out that the pregnancy had rupture and need emergency surgery. The Surgery went well, only an hour long but she lost a lot of blood. 6 units overall were transfused through out the whole ordeal.
We have had tons of support and help from our friends and family. Our neighbors across the street sat at our house with Emma from 11pm - 6am the night Jen went in. My parents are here right now taking care of Emma and the house while I am at the hospital with Jen.
Jen will now have to take it easy and enjoy a relaxing Christmas at home with everyone taking care of her.
To add to all of this, her whole family is still in Hawaii on the family vacation that we were supposed to be on too. We are so blessed our doctor recommended we not go on the trip.
Praise the Lord!!
Matt

A day we will not forget

2009-12-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

We wanted to share the last 48 hours of what has been going on in our family.

Two days ago Jen took a pregnancy test with the result coming back positive. We were of course excited, but nervous because of some spotting that had been going on. After a few visits to the doctor and some blood being taken, we found that it was an ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy outside of the uterus making miscarriage inevitable). Today was spent most of the day doing ultrasounds, taking more blood and discussing our options. The least invasive option was to take a drug to facilitate the natural process while reducing the risks to Jen's health. The most difficult part of this timing was having to cancel our trip with Jen's family (we were leaving Friday morning for Hawaii with the whole family). Hard part now over: God's peace and healing now comes in. The Lord's provision has been all over Jen's health and safety. Because we found it so early Jen has not had pain or any ruptures (both are very much associated with this). Also because we found it this early we were able to avoid surgery which could have upped the chances of this happening again with future pregnancies. We are grateful for the Lord's hand in this situation, as difficult as it has been. Doctors orders for Jen to relax and stay close by for a few weeks, which means Matt gets to do the cleaning and cooking for a while (Jens interpretation). We appreciate prayers just for continued healing emotionally and physically. He is good and we can only continue to trust Him, even during difficult times. We will be sure to update as things progress, but for now we wait and enjoy a holiday at home with a healthy family.

Thanksgiving in Pictures

2009-12-03T12:20:00.001-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving in Santa Fe. The flights were so good, the food was great, played in snow, and needless to say Emma had plenty of attention from Pops, Susu, Nana, and Papa. Here are just a few pictures from the fun week.

Rainy Day Fun

2009-11-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

It rained almost all day today, but that did not stop us from having some good times. We played in the puddles a little, did lots of laundry, and went to the Christmas Tree lighting. I love the holidays!

On the Mend

2009-11-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

Well what a week of sickness it has been. Matt came home from Peru with a little something that he passed to both Emma and myself. I recovered pretty quickly (with the help of Matt playing mom) but Emma has taken some time to get past it. Today we finally decided to take her to the doctor after a long night of high temps. Hopefully it is just a virus but we should know in the next 24-36 hours. BUT, with all of the sickness, spirits have been pretty normal around here. Emma also turned 9 months old last week! No, she has not been out of the belly as long as in, that will be next week, but she is still such a joy even with the sickness. New mad skills: crawling and clapping. We did manage to get some pictures of Emma in her pink octopus on Halloween (5 minutes post sickness)and some 9 month pictures (5 minutes pre sickness). Hopefully soon we will all be back to normal, until then we will enjoy the snuggle time!

Little crawler

2009-10-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Emma loves going from her room and down the hallway, it is just too cute! We got this video about one day after she started the hand/knee crawl.

Clear the floors

2009-10-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

It's official, Emma is a forward mover! She does more of an army crawl right now, but she sure is getting around! It is fun to watch her get to places she has never been before and she is keeping me on my toes for sure! What fun!

8 Months

2009-10-06T11:27:00.001-07:00

Last week Emma turned 8 months old. I say this every month but she is growing so fast! Hm...what is new this month. She now has 6 teeth, is pushing up onto her knees (no progress forward, just straight back down), and is just interacting more and more. So fun. Two days ago I went to get her from her nap and she was sitting up! We will see if she figures out how to do it again. And, as you can see, she is a great help with folding laundry!

A Full Weekend

2009-09-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend was packed with fun! Matt got off Friday for the Comal County Fair, so we went to the parade in the morning and then the fair that night. Emma loved the animals! Saturday started the project of taking apart the kitchen and re-staining all of the cabinets. It was a lot of work and really messy, but it is looking so great! Thanks to Jens parents for coming and helping. We still have more work to do, but it is coming along. Emma did great just playing outside a

lot and taking long naps so that we could work

hard. Here are a few pics from the fair.

Week at the Lake

2009-09-14T12:27:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a whole week at the lake house! It was such a great week of playing and relaxing. While we were there we celebrated four years of marriage, and Emma got in her fourth tooth! We did swimming, boat rides, got some play time in with Pops and Susu, and made a lot of fun meals. Emma also learned her love for dogs... looks like we will have to get a puppy?!?

Here are just a few pics from the week.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-09-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

This past week we celebrated 4 great years of marriage! It is so hard to believe that we have been married for that long. They have been some great years. We have grown so much and experienced a lot. We cannot wait to see what happens in the next four!

To my husband: I love you more than I did the day we married, thank you for being a wonderful man!

Johnny Jumper

2009-08-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Emma loves her jumper! When we put her in, the jumping does not stop. Earlier today she was going straight for about 40 minutes. It is too cute. Sorry, not the best video but you can get the point.

Creative Minds??

2009-08-11T18:54:00.001-07:00

The Wallers are in need of some creativity. This is a really fun chest that we have had sitting in our garage and cannot think of what to do with it... So, we are open for suggestions. We used to keep magazines in it, but they curl up and we do not really like that.

Bring on the ideas!

Summer Nights

2009-08-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

Being in Camping Ministry, our summers are pretty crazy. Matt usually does not get home until pretty late at night, so Jen has picked up a new hobby: sewing. It seems there are so many fun things to make for Emma. So, my first project came when I found this online. My birds are done and now all I have to do is put it all together.

These turned out so so cute, our little nephews look adorable in them!
These are some little bags that I made for my sister. They are an Amy Butler pattern, I really like her stuff. They turned out a lot better than I thought they would and definitely took up plenty of time working on them.
So, that is what Jen has been up to till all hours of the night. I have some other cute things in the works but I can't share them yet...

Always look around

2009-08-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well. Emma had been showing great signs of another tooth coming on this past week. So, as the great mom that I thought I was, I put that Orajel along those top gums and daily I would feel to check if anything was coming through. So, today as we were eating some yummy apples for breakfast I notice that she no longer had two teeth on the bottom, but three! Who knew, I never even thought to look at the bottom, isn't it the rule that once they get two on the bottom next comes the top?!? So... Emma now has three on the bottom and is much happier today as it has finally broken through!

6 Months

2009-08-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

Emma turned 6 months old this week. We had her 6 month check up and Emma is 27.5 inches long and weighs 18.5 lbs. The time has really flown by, it is so hard to believe that she is half a year old already. She is just growing so fast and just as fun as ever.

Some new things in the last month:

-mastered the roll from back to front and has an occasional roll from front to back, still working on that though

-she is loving her sweet potatoes and carrots

-sitting, of course it does not last too long before she is on her face

-she loves playing peek-a-boo

and

-she has her two bottom teeth in

Emma's new face

2009-07-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

We do not know where this came from, but this is Emma's new face she makes all the time. It is so funny, she gets really excited and squints those eyes so hard. Its so fun to see her discover new things everyday.

Happy Birthday Matt!!

2009-07-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

We have started the birthday celebrations already, it has been a week of fun, but tomorrow is officially Matt's birthday! I am so blessed to be able to celebrate another year with an amazing husband, my best friend, and now I can say a loving father! Matt, thanks for all you do for this family, I could not ask for a more devoted and godly man to spend my life with. As a tribute to Matt, I thought I would share some pictures from a few past birthdays and some of my favorite Matt memories! Enjoy!

The Pink Tutu

2009-07-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Every little girl needs a tutu, so here is Emma enjoying her first of probably many!

She did not know quite what to think of it, but we had fun taking pictures anyway.

2009-07-05T13:31:00.001-07:00

My friend told me about this great place to get fun swimsuits. I just got mine in the mail, so fun. I just had to share! I got this one...

Time Away

2009-06-30T19:11:00.002-07:00

This past weekend Matt surprised me with a night away in Fredericksburg and then we spent the day at Enchanted Rock. It was great to be just the two of us, and we tried not to talk about Emma too much! E-Rock was some great adventures. We got there early in the morning and did some hiking on the trails, we did some bouldering and then we summated the top. I think our favorite part was the caving; mostly crawl space, dark, and we were the only ones down there. The temp was around 103, what a great day to spend out in the sun!

Emma had a great time with Jen's parents. Of course she was excited to see was when we got home!

Good times were had by all!

Here are a few pictures:

New Arrival

2009-06-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

We have a new arrival in the Waller house, Emma's first tooth! This morning Matt went in to say good bye and he saw a little tooth sticking out! So amazing how things happen everyday when they are this age. She does not seem to be too bothered by it all, we will see if that continues. Emma had just spent the weekend with Gigi and Paka, we are glad she waited till we got back to show her new tooth. More on our fun weekend trip coming soon...

1st Fathers Day

2009-06-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

What a Dad!

Happy Fathers Day Matt, we love you!!

Plants and Flowers!

2009-06-16T13:50:00.001-07:00

We went to work! Matt had Monday off and so we took advantage. It was so fun to work ALL day in the yard. We added some plants to a much needed empty flower bed and then made some new additions to the backyard. It looks so good and we are really excited about it. Some plants were given to us by our neighbors and then we used the mulch from our compost we have been making, so fun! Now all we have to do is water them and keep them alive in this summer heat. Here are some fun pictures:

This bed was totally empty when we started (besides the bush in the middle, it got to stay).

We added this in the back, its our butterfly garden.

We made this bed around the tree, thanks Matt and Susan for the plants!

Emma's new trick

2009-06-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to get a video of Emma's newest trick she is just so cute and so proud! This is the best one that I could get so far.

And it begins!

2009-06-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

Hmmm... what to share for our first post:

Let's start with the most obvious, Emma. She is just so big and as precious as ever. She is 4 months old and growing so much.

Matt is in the second week of summer. It is hard long days, but so good. He feels blessed and is excited to see what the Lord does this summer.

Jen is loving being at home with Emma. Our days are spent playing and working around our new house. Jen has picked up sewing, mainly cute things for Emma.

And that is our life right now... here are a few pictures.

Emma loves swimming: Thanks to the Thompsons for Sunday swim days!

Our first trip to San Antonio since we moved back to Texas.