Spring has Sprung?

The weather has been absolutely beautiful, and before daddy left to go to the driving range with Ben yesterday afternoon we all got to hang out and play in the backyard. Hayden is becoming quite the little soccer player, and he and David kicked the ball back and forth while I planned out the "landscaping" for the upcoming Spring ...




We're becoming quite the "routine" kind of family, and Hayden is quickly becoming a stickler for it. Every evening after bathtime Hayden brushes his teeth ... then he gets to run around for a little bit before changing into his p.j.'s ... after that it's a story, a prayer, and off to bed. It's the most precious thing in the world when we set him in his crib, say good-night, and watch him wave and then lay his little head down ... he's so beautiful and such a blessing!



We're enjoying our little guy so much and are learning lots of "toddlerisms," as he moves into his 18th month with lots of energy and an independent spirit! Time-out has been a wonderful thing for us and is helping to curb the bouts of hitting. There are several other couples with toddlers at the church and God has really blessed us as they've shared their own wisdom and lessons they've learned. We are excited because we know that God has something incredible planned for our Hayden!

This morning Hayden and I are off to mom and dad Kerby's while David spends the weekend at the bowling alley ... Big Brothers Big Sisters has their final Bowl For Kids' Sake in the area ... the end of an exhausting but exciting fundraising season! :)

We Love You!
KGK

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We just had our fourth service, but we're just getting the pic's sent to us from other Real Lifers. Our baby is just 1 month old and we're having a blast!



The ministry designed to help disciple children is called "Kid's Life". It's completey run by volunteers.


Our services are on Sunday evenings with the main purpose of attracting unchurched folk who usually travel during the weekends.

So...that's a glimpse of our church body. More info: Real Life Church

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Hayden LOVES bath time ... and has learned some exciting new things ... he had a great time balancing the water crayons on the edge of the bath tub.


Every so gently...


Yeah!


Now I'll try one more ...

It was a beautiful Monday in February here in Kansas, where the unpredictable weather brought the sunshine out with a 60 degree high this afternoon ... it owed us that after a weekend of rain! Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40's and 50's again, though, so that's no fun!

Happy Valentine's Day!
KK

Hi!

We've had a busy week! David is at the Junction City Big Brother Big Sisters annual fundraiser, Bowl For Kids' Sake and he's working hard and doing a great job! Hayden and I visited him this afternoon and everything was going smoothly and everyone was having a blast! We Praise the Lord for the strength he's given us ... especially David because being in charge of such an enormous fundraiser is a huge undertaking, and David never ceases to amaze me! He's a great administrator! He'll be home this evening and we'll get to have some family time ... maybe a movie! The Bowl For Kids' Sake "season" isn't over yet, though ... the one for Manhattan will be at the end of the moth.

I take over all of the Economics classes on Tuesday and am soooooo excited! I'm a planner, so I have been preparing for the upcoming chapters and actually learning a lot about Economics that I'd forgotten ... or never learned! HaHa!

Hayden continues to be an independent little guy who learns something new every day! "Boo" has been his favorite word, and he will play "Peek-A-Boo" with anyone who is willing! He's been doing so many new things ... when we read books he'll point to words and just babble ... he's reading something but I don't know what! He LOVES cheese and grapes, and could eat them all day long! He pulls his shirt up and points to his tummy ... we say "TUMMY" and tickle him and he giggles and giggles ... and then does it again! Like we've said, Hayden is very strong-willed and doesn't always listen when you say "NO," even when it's obvious he not only knows what NO means, but also that he heard us say it ... he usually flashes us a grin and does whatever we told him not to. This means the dreaded "TIME OUT!" Scary, huh? For Hayden it's about as as it gets since he's such a mobile little guy! It's actually working really well, and we're hoping that Hayden starts remembering that when we say no, it means no ... or else he'll have to take a seat! Please pray that God continues to give us wisdom and strength as we parent ... that He will guide us to be all that Hayden needs to grow up into the man of God that he was created to be.

It has been raining all day, so Hayden and I are enjoying all the toys we've not played with for the last few afternoons because of the warm sunny weather ... I think it'll be awhile before we have another taste of spring. Crazy Kansas weather!

Ear Infection Update! After many weeks, the ear infection(s) are slowly going away ... we've had several doctor's appointments in the last few weeks and it looks like we won't have to go back for awhile! Yipee!

Tomorrow at church we're having a banquet for RLC members and those who have visited and may be interested in joining. How exciting! During the service we're taking time for each of the ministry team leaders to share a little bit about their ministry ... I'm so excited and thankful for the opportunity to share and hear about what God is doing at Real Life Church ... we pray that God will continue to open hearts to Real Life Church ...

We Love You!
KK

We're Back!

This week has definitely been a full one and got off to an amazing start with the official launch of our church! Sunday was a great time of fellowship and God blessed our service in countless ways ... we have over 200 people for the worship service ... Hayden and I were in the nursery, and we had a number of new little faces and had a great time learning about Jonah! David said the service couldn't have been better, and we praise God for His perfection, His refreshing encouragement, and His presence at Real Life Church! We are so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of such a special ministry ... God is teaching us so many things during this time and we have been richly blessed by the relationships we are building with our family at Real Life Church!

Last night we went out as a family to Valentino's, an Italian restaraunt in Manhattan! This was especially exciting because it was the very first time the our little guy got to sit with daddy and mommy in the booth ... in a booster seat! He definitely favors the booster seat over the high chair and ate without any disastorous event (like throwing his plate over his head ... not that it's ever happened ... more than once, anyway)!


This is a face that Hayden makes all of the time ... it's hilarious because it looks like one of those faces you make when you're pressing your face up against a window ... HAHA!


Ok ... so I said that there were no "incidents" like throwing the plate over his head, but Hayden, as always, provided some entertainment.


No, we don't feed Hayden every second of the day, but for some reason most of our pictures lately have been of him eating something. This picture is significant because Hayden has graduated from the little bits and pieces of bread/turkey/cheese to a full-blown sandwich (half a sandwich) and he seems to like the idea of the sandwich much better than the pieces of food all over his high-chair tray ... what can I say, I was a little "over-concerned" about him eating too much at once, but I'm getting better!


This evening we had a SuperBowl party at Real Life Church! During halftime we had our worship service, and there were plenty of games, other movies to watch and WAY TOO MUCH food to eat for those who aren't so interested in football. The rest of us (myself and all the other ladies) just talked the entire time! :) Best-Buddies Hayden and Ben chomped on some Cheezits and sat in the bleachers for about 30 seconds, then kept themselves on the move, running from one side of the gym to the next, then around the halls of the school. We had a great time and are thankful for another great evening of fellowship and meeting all of the new and wonderful people that the Lord is calling to Real Life Church!

Tomorrow is an Inservice day, and I get the entire day off! Hayden and I are going to run errands, deliver cookies to some RLC visitors, and visit daddy at his office! The KU/KSU game is here in Manhattan this Wednesday, and Pastor Eric invited David to go ... how awesome is that!? David is thrilled and I'm sure he'll provide a full report on Thursday! For those of you interested in economics, I'm planning a unit on supply, demand, and prices & decision making ... fun, fun!

The Lord is my strength and my song.
Exodus 15:2

Have a Great Week!
KK

A full week

No blogging all week...we're sorry about that. This week has been pretty full which kept us away from our normal habits. All of our volunteer and child files were audited at my Big Brothers Big Sisters job and...the bigger news...we launch our new church tomorrow! Katy has been handed the batton in her student teaching experience. As a family we are focusing hard on not allowing certain demands to overcome other demands. I expect a "slow down" in the next couple of months. However, I've never been right when I predict a slowdown.

So...be patient...Monday should display a wonderful story along with picture after picture of the great event.

Pray for us today, tomorrow and Monday. We prepare today, we begin tomorrow, we follow up on Monday. Check out more info: Real Life Church

I CAN DO IT!

We are all independent by nature ... no matter who you are, I believe that there is an inate sense of satisfaction that comes from being self-reliant ... a thought that we're learning now more than ever with our little guy! The last few weeks have been full of him discovering new things that, although seemingly new to him, have actually been in his presence for his entire life ... he's just seeing them differently (what a thought for us to chew on!)! From taking our car keys and trying to put them in our front door when he's ready to go "bye-bye" (he usually grabs his coat and the keys at the same time ... persistance!) to grabbing the Cheez-Its out of the cupboard and getting himself a snack ... we're having a ball, and our little baby is not such a baby anymore!

Last night the Real Life Church Youth invited everyone to the ice rink for a skating party with hot cocoa and other goodies at the church office afterwards. It was sooooooooo cold, but one of the funniest things we've ever done as a family! In his usual independent way, Hayden ruled the "rink," not even slowing down his quick pace to realize he was on ice ... I was proud of David and I because instead of following on his heels, we hung back (not too far!) and let him explore! He had a ball and even laid down once and started making the "snow angel" moves ... he's our little angel and we are so richly blessed by Him!

Hayden and Daddy trying out the ice ... Hayden never likes to be bundled up, but actually liked his little snowsuit!


Moving right along ... quickly!


Lately Hayden has been doing all kinds of new things ... becoming much more independent (if that is at all possible!), and exploring his toys even more, for instance, he climbs up on his little pony all by himself, turns on the little button for the music, and happily rides without any help from us. It's so much fun to see him discover how to use things and words cannot describe the joy that we are experiencing with him and through him. It has been pure delight for us as parents, because we feel like we have the most perfect and happy and easygoing and precious little guy in the world!


Ok ... so there is a tie for Hayden's favorite two toys ... the pony, and his LEAPFROG drum ... he usually takes the drum with him when he climbs onto the pony, but this was a rare occasion when he decided to keep it on the floor and play it. There's a little yellow star on the left side of the drum (the right side in the picture) that he is constantly pushing because it plays this little beat that he loves to dance to ... oh yeah ... he dances, and can bust some moves! :) The drum can do the alphabet, numbers, and different kinds of music, and since he can switch to whichever he wants to do all by himself he is ALWAYS playing it and enjoying it so much more than when mommy or daddy helped.

This morning at Westview Community Church, we had the opportunity to go and be involved in a "pre-launch" prayer time. It was very heartwarming to experience again their love and support for us and for Real Life Church ... and as we prepare for our official launch next week, we take great comfort, peace, and strength knowing that God has put so many in our path to encourage us. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? WE'RE LAUNCHING NEXT WEEK! :)

We Love You!
KK

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13

The Sweetest Thing

The other day Hayden said two of the most beautiful words as clear and as precious as we've ever heard ... DADDY and MOMMY! He's been mumbling them for months, but to actually hear them spoken so clearly ... it melted our hearts, and for the rest of the evening we just repeated them over and over and listened joyously as he would say them back to us! YIPEE!

Love,
KK ><>

Other words that our adorable little guy jabbers: ball, dog, Abby, cheese, pig, papa, bye, cat, dee (not sure what this one means, but it's his favorite and most often used "word"). :)

Life As We Know It ...

What a week! We've had ice, snow, freezing rain, sunshine, and more ice! Last week was actually my first full week of student teaching, but the week before that, we enjoyed some family time since neither David or I had to go to work because of the crazy weather!

Yes, I've returned to high school, and what an amazing blessing it has been! Junction City High School is everything and more that I'd hoped for ... it's a huge school in terms of numbers, but the atmosphere is very warm and inviting and the teaching and administration is so innovative! It's been such an enriching experience already, and I am looking forward to getting to know the staff and students more and just learn all that God has put me there to learn! (This is definitely a #1 on my job "wish-list" already)!

The past few weeks have been incredibly exhausting, especially for Hayden, as more time in the nursery and at Gwen's means being around more kids, which means more exposure to yucky viruses. Hayden has definitely had his share of colds, but after a visit to the doctor this evening, we discovered that he has not only the dreaded pink-eye, but also an ear infection ... so, after calls to every parent of children in the nursery last night, all of my cooperating teachers, and Gwen, we have cleared the way for our little guy to rest well at home tomorrow and let the medicine kick in. The doctor said he won't be contagious after 24 hours, and I'm thankful to get to stay home with him another day! :)

David is playing basketball right now, so I will tell you a little bit about his NEW OFFICE! The desk was donated from BreakPointe (Pastor Eric's, too) and is so beautiful! It's very heavy and very large and has a commanding presence in the office ... he's got bookshelves that have been filled with books and KU memorabilia, and it is looking so wonderful! I must say that David has a knack for organizing, and has made it look phenomenal! We'll take pictures and let you see for yourself!

Last week after a long day at school, I was ready to hang out with my guys! Hayden is in a kissing stage ... but is very silly about them ... it's like a little game, so sometimes mommy just steals a smooch! HaHa! He's the most precious and perfect little boy ... and is growing up so fast!





At RLC, Pastor Eric has been preaching on stewardship, and this is a verse that God has used in David and I's lives and hearts often ... it is one that I love to quote because it conjures up so many wonderful thoughts ... and gives a beautiful and vivid reminder of how important it is to nourish yourself with the Lord ... to not just claim to know Him ... but to really and truly seek a relationship with Him ... to envelop yourself in His love. It's Jeremiah 17:7-8, and says

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.

God Bless You!
KK

Rock Chalk Jayhawk...KU!

I'm not ashamed...I'm a KU addict. We knocked down another college powerhouse yesterday. Just wanted to point that out to everyone.