Check out new pictures on Ainsley and Braxton’s picture pages. Just random fun we have had. I am sure I forgetting a lot in this blog, as it is quite random with no order to it whatsoever. But, here is a tidbit of what is going on.

Braxton recently had a birthday! He is officially 2 years old now and is growing into a more independent and full-of-personality little boy. But he is still my baby and loves his family so much. He prays every meal, the same prayer, but he made it up...”God, thank you for my family.” He says it over and over. His favorite song to sing is “Away in a Manger” (even though it is 2 months after Christmas). His favorite ball is a golf ball, and likes to sleep with it and bring it in the car with him. Braxton can spell his name, say the days of the week, and other fun things he has gained from watching his sister. His favorite book is his set of train books, which we have read every day since Christmas. He wants to keep pointing to Thomas, Percy, and Harvey. Those are his favorite trains. In fact, he had a Thomas the Train birthday party at the park, which was simple and fun. Braxton recently moved to a toddler bed. He is so proud of it, but still loves his time with Mommy and Daddy in our bed for a small part of the night. I welcome this and savor it. Braxton is our joy. We laugh OFTEN with him around. He is a great combination of funny, serious, tender, and rough.

Ainsley is turning 4 soon. I’ve been researching and observing preschools. She is going to start attending preschool for 3 hours every morning in the Fall. I am excited for her, but I wish I could freeze this moment in time because I really love having both my kids at home with me all day. We just really have fun together. Ainsley is our sunshine. She is our encourager and dreamer. She loves princesses and baby dolls. She treats her baby dolls like she is truly their mommy. And a good Mommy she is to them! She wants to have a princess party, but keeps changing her mind about what princess to have, so we will probably highlight them all! Ainsley loves to sing and has started piano lessons with Daddy. She also loves riding her bike and swinging on our swingset. I have enjoyed letting Ainsley have more independence in helping. She has really taken on this role of “serving”. Ainsley also loves to pray and reminds me at every meal. She is quite a family girl too, but she also cares very much for her friends. They mean a lot to her. But her best friend is her brother. They are always together. When I try to separate them to have individual play time, it lasts for maybe 2 minutes.

We are having a lot of fun around here! We’ve had an Olympics Party to celebrate the start of the Winter Olympics. Our Winter Wonderland Playdate was fun too, as well as the Super Bowl Party. There have been lots of opportunities to open up our home to share memories with people we love. Brian’s parents just left after a great week of fun. My Mom is coming this month too. Brian and I enjoyed 2 days of fun together away from home. The highlight was Cirque De Soleil, which I have been wanting to go to since we moved to Florida 7 years ago. :) I had a blast going on a girls’ weekend with 4 friends to run in a marathon relay. It was a national marathon with thousands of people from all around the country, all meeting together in Jacksonville to run for breast cancer. So, the 5 of us on the “Feet of Faith” team ran a relay, each running 5 miles, with the last person running 6.2. It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. People from the city were lining the streets cheering us on and thanking us for running for the cure. Balloons, signs, kids with oranges and popsicles, all lined the streets. Our team did well, finishing 60th out of over 200 relay teams. I think the highlight for me was while I was waiting for my team member to tag me. I was standing by the beach, soaking up the sun, when the first marathoners ran by. They crossed the mile marker 10 that I was standing out in only 55 minutes! Do you know how fast that was?! We just cheered them on so loud! And just kept cheering for every person running 26.2 miles that passed us. I encourage everyone to do something like this. Brian and I have a run in May that we are looking forward to. We are going to the beach this weekend with friends. They are so kind to let us join them in their condo on the beach. Brian has a lot of weddings coming up. We have a couple more Sea World trips planned where I am taking each kid by themselves. But, mostly, we look forward to time together at home, enjoying the sunshine and spending quality time together. Lord, please let these days go by slow!