Wednesday, April 30, 2008

news.

Keller at his first Luau at church.

1.Keller's new words are hat,duck,hot,yuck and Jack...maybe he is just saying hat and duck and we are pretending the other ones because they sound the same-but we'll give it to him. He actually says "haaaattttt", "duckkkkk".He likes to enunciate. Very cute.
2.James and Keller have started going on a weekly lunch date. Today they went to Chikfila. I love that my husband takes time to do this during a hectic day of work-chooses to engage his son and give mommy a bit of a break.
3. I mowed the backyard today. It's not a first in my lifetime but a first since, O, 7th grade. It was very enjoyable.
4.My picture sharing is limited these days because our computer is sick. pray for her.
Happy Wednesday.

Monday, April 21, 2008

namesake.

Yesterday morning at 8:23 am. Carolina Bell Areheart arrived into this beautiful world. I do not have a picture yet because I rushed to Austin the minute she arrived and of course forgot my camera and to eat breakfast,brush teeth or wear deodorant. Worth it all. She is beautiful and perfect. Robyn did amazing. She has Brad's nose and Klatt eyes. I of course will love this baby girl all of my days because she belongs to my best friend, but we will have even more of a special bond because we share the same middle name. Precious, huh? What a privilege to have such a special girl named after me. So I will post pictures of Carolina Bell as soon as her mama sends them to me.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Happy Anniversary a few weeks late.

A little late, but nevertheless....
The last five years of my life have been extraordinary. James is the most kind,serving,authentic, true, hard working, fun, adventurous,pure,and whole person I have ever known. I think dating him via email/webcam for a year was the best thing for our relationship. We were forced to have our own lives, discovering still who we were and not confined to a typical dating relationship. I never took for granite, not once, our chat dates or an email from him in the morning. I learned to choose my words carefully and to not just rant something off quickly that I would later regret but was allowed to sift and think before speaking. There really is a romantic element to writing that you loose in face to face contact and James is such an elequant writer, I felt like every email was a love letter. The anticipation of being together was sometimes too much to stand that I would day dream of what I would feel when we were face to face again. It was not without its hardships but it is for sure a gem in my treasure chest of life and I am thankful that was our lot for our dating season.
Our engagement was a rush, only three months long:) Our wedding was beautiful. Sure there are things I wish I would have had more money for or things I would do different if I were getting married today, but for where we were and who we were at the time, it was perfect. I was telling a bride to be the other day that I remember our ceremony with such clarity it seems like a gift from God. I was so present. I loved it. The days and months to follow were blissful, getting to spend everyday and night with my favorite person traveling all over the word. One day we were in Germany, just a few months after we were married, and we were riding a motorcycle on the autobahn and riding so fast that I had to hold my head against James' back or I felt like I would blow off the back of that crotch rocket. So telling of our lives together. We lived on nothing our first year of marriage but it was such a rich year. We lived overseas our second year which was the hardest year of my life but the sweetest yet for our marriage. Moved back to America, raw and full of questions. I have memories of us sitting in our bare living room because we did not own anything but a bed when we moved back from overseas, each on one end of the couch, journaling our hearts out to the Lord, what are you doing with our lives? Some questions answered, some not but today we still sit on that couch, and every once in a while we will share something that God spoke or ask each other a question about life or God and I smile at what a gift that is. To walk daily with this man and to have a person to discover God and life with is amazing. Now having a son with him just adds depth to an already beautiful painting. He is the expression of both of us in so many ways and also his very own person. The greatest thing is that there is still so much to come, still more to discover about one another and to fall in love with. Many more April 5th's to celebrate. I love you James.

Monday, April 14, 2008

BUNNIES!!!





Is what Keller Cade loved the most about the Farm. We took our first trip out to the World hunger Farm which is such a cool place for "Farm Day" on Saturday. We also took Eric who is like family to us. The petting zoo got a thumbs up. The hay ride got a thumbs down- Keller did not like it because he was contained and was not allowed to run free and frolic with the goats and Eric did not like it because " the man talked too much". Beautiful day and great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Back.







Well we are back in the real world, the blog world for those of you reading this:) Awesome trip. James and I celebrated our five year anniversary on Saturday and it was the sweetest time together. Highlights from our trip-
1.lots of time reading and laying on the beach,
2.watching a beautiful sunset on our annviersary in our bathing suits drinking champagne,
3.nachos and red stripe at 10 in the morning- when else would we be allowed to do that?
4. Great food,
beautiful scenery,
5.being beckoned to the stage to play the calipso drums because we were dumb enough to sit on the front row,
6. no responsibility or decisions to be made except " curly fries or regular?"
7. sleeping in until 8- I know only parents will understand that this is indeed sleeping in.
8. snorkeling beautiful reefs and sailing,
9. getting a tan,
10. dirty bananas- an amazing drink that probably equals all my weight watchers points for a day but it was vacation!

James and I said as we were sitting on the beach one night that vacations are awesome but really we have such sweet times together in everyday life and can duplicate most of the experiences we had on our trip-minus the ocean. So now we are home enjoying our greatest gift of all, Keller boy.