Things I am thankful for....

1.  My Beautiful, Healthy, Loving, Sweet, Smart, Amazing, Absolutely PERFECT daughter.  She is the light of our life....She makes us smile and laugh every single day.  She has the SWEETEST spirit!  I am thainkful for having such the amazing blessing of being her mommy......

2.  My husband.....that he loves me no matter what I do....that he is there for me and supports me.  That he is an AMAZING dad.....That no matter how bad I upset him, he stays.....That no matter how hard it gets sometimes, I know he isn't going anywhere.  That our family is important to him.  That he is committed---truly committed....even when it's hard.....That he doesn't expect things to be easy all the time....For him understanding my dreams and wanting to make them come true.

3. My mom, grandma, and sister in law....that they watch Kinley so we don't have to put her in daycare...that they constantly enrich her life and they teach her values...

4.  Our new house in Conway....what a blessing it has been for me and stephan and our family.....God has provided more than we could ever ask for!

5.  Our family....for their constant giving, support, and love. 

6.  Our Church.....that we have a group of friends that we can worship and grow with.  That we have an amazing pastor who wants us to succeed in life in a Godly way....

We really have so much to be thankful for.....and we are so blessed in so many ways.   God has truly given us more than we could have ever dreamed of and we know that he isn't done! 
 

Prayers....

We need PRAYER right now...Stephan has his physical test for the Little Rock Fire Department.  I had a very vivid dream last night....I had a dream that Stephan got a letter from the Fire Department and it was telling him Congrats that he had been hired....I didn't understand because it had said that he was far down on the list, but that this person felt like he needed to hire him. In my dream I had this very clear realization....something that I know, but you know those times that it just seems to "click" more that it ever has before.....It made me say out loud "God can do whatever he wants to do....."  If it's God's will, he can make it happen...period....no matter what the circumstances....We are believing that Stephan is going to be high on the list and be hired.  I am praying that the people that interview him will see his heart and will know that they need to hire him.....I am praying for him to have strength tomorrow while he takes this physical test...Praying that even tomorrow he will stand out about the crowd.....that it will get people talking about him....I am praying that they will give him the BEST possible interview time and that everything will start falling into place for him.  I get emotional every single time I talk about this subject.....Stephan wants this so bad, more than anything.....I want this for him and for our family.  I want his perserverence to pay off for him.....I want him to be able to show in the interview how bad he wants this and how hard he would work for this.  So, this is my Prayer....Please join us in praying for Stephan.

God,
    Please be with Stephan.  Please set him apart from all the other men and women who will be testing and interviewing.  Please help the interview board to see that Stephan has been working towards this goal for eight years without giving up, but only trying harder and harder.  Please be with Stephan tomorrow as he takes his physical test.  Give him strength....help him not to tire.  Please help him stand out above the rest.  Please give him the words to say during the interview.  In everything he does help him to glorify you!  Thank you!

Dear Kinley

Dear Kinley,
      We just got finished having your very first Birthday party to celebrate the first year of your life and what a blessing you are to us. 
       This time a year ago, we were welcoming you into the world.  I will never forget the first time I saw your face....you were perfect.  I had prayed for you and dreamed about you for so long and then to actually see your little face and your little fingers and toes, It was more incredible than anything I could ever imagine.
        You have taught me a lot during this year.  When you were first born you taught me that there are things more important than sleep.  There were many a mornings that I was so tired and hadn't had much sleep, but you would cry, and I would get up thinking "if I could just get some sleep", but as soon as I saw your little face and smile, sleep did not matter one bit... More recently, you have taught me that things can wait....picking up the toys can wait, and you are just going to drag them back out.  You have taught me the meaning of unconditional love.  I never dreamed that I could love someone the way that I love you.
         You are so smart.  You learn new words and new things every single today.  Today you walked around the house saying "no ma'am", which you hear quite often these days :)..... I can tell you to bring me your shoes and you will go and get them and plop down in my lap.  I can tell you "let's take a bath" and you will lead me to the bathtub and wait for me to get you ready to get in.  I can ask if you are hungry and you will walk over to your highchair.....It's amazing how much you have learned in this past year.  It's amazing how every single day you are less like a baby and more like a little girl.
            You are growing up so fast.  I am trying to cherish every single moment and soak up how you are now and enjoy what is to come.  I will continue to pray for you and to love you. 
               I love you so much baby girl!
Love, Mommy

Changes....

I can honestly, without a doubt say that the last year has changed me more than I could have ever imagined.....A year ago tonight I was sitting in the hospital with my mom and Stephan "watching" the world series...I say "watching", because I was way to busy trying to grasp what was about to happen.....I was way to busy wondering and wishing and hoping and praying......I was trying to understand that this was REAL....that Stephan and I were about to meet our baby girl face to face......
The whole time I was pregnant, it seemed surreal.....Like I knew that Kinley was there, but it was hard for me to believe that this was actually happening and that I was going to be a MOM and have a BABY......and this time last year was no exception.....I was about to embark on childbirth....something that scared me to death, but at the same time I was so ready and so excited about.....
It's hard to believe that  year has gone by.....that a whole year ago we were sitting in the hospital room.....
It's been an AMAZING year... The best year of my life......
So a year ago tonight I was sitting in the hospital wondering what this little girl would be like.....and tonight I am at our house getting ready for a birthday party for the most amazing little girl on this planet while she is in her room sleeping!  And I'm happy.....and Life is Good!!!

Halloween Pictures!

Gracie, William, Carson, and Kinley all dressed up!

Our Sweet Cheerleader

Daddy and Kinley Grace

Kinley Grace

Xander and Kinley (this is the best one I could get!)

Sweet Xander in his firefighter costume

Countdown to Kinley's Birthday

Ok.....so tonight we are going to Benton to see our nephews and niece and go trick or treating....this reminds me of this time last year...and so the countdown begins to Kinley being a year old...
Trick or Treating last year with the nephews and niece, I was HUGE and pregnant...It was less than a week to my due date....I thought if I walked around the neighborhood with the kids that maybe, just maybe, I would walk Kinley out!!! :)  So there I was, walking and walking and walking......holding three buckets full of candy....and Carson saying "Aunt Rachel, can you pull us in the wagon"!  It's really starting to hit me that Kinley is abourt to be a year old....The time has really flown by.....and it makes me sad and happy at the same time. 
Oh, and by the way, Kinley said "horsey" today when we went to feed the horses at my parents house!
Pictures to come after tonight!

Stephan

Stephan passed his Little Rock Firefighter Written Test!! Now on to the physical! Thanks for your prayers, keep them coming!! :)