Well it is officially December and I am so excited! This is my ABSOLUTE favorite time of the year. I do have a confession to make...I have had our Christmas stuff up since the weekend before Thanksgiving. I know I am crazy! If I could have a Christmas tree in my house all year round, I would!

I know Dylan is still a little young, but last year we started the "Elf on the shelf" with him and it was so much fun! So last night we watched the movie as a family and Elfie was right there with us to watch it... Now we just hope Dylan will be a good little boy so Santa will bring him all the presents he wants. Elfie will be watching!

Cheers to the holiday season...

Thanksgiving

Another beautiful Thanksgiving for the Lopez's. This year we had Thanksgiving at Greg's grandmother's house with his mom's side of the family and my mom. This year was extra special as Greg's brother Bobby was here to spend the holiday with us as he has not had a Thanksgiving with the family in 7 years. He lives over in Hong Kong and usually only comes out once a year. We were so excited to have him home! It was a great day and of course stuffed our faces with food and lots of dessert!

The next day my Mom, Dylan and I headed off to Palm Springs for the weekend for a little shopping, relaxing and a little time away. This was also to celebrate my mom's birthday that was on November 24th. We stopped at the outlets on Friday and yes it was BLACK Friday. I know we are crazy, but we actually found some really amazing deals! Dylan was such a little trooper and just watched all the people walking around. After shopping we checked into our hotel and had a very nice dinner. They had there tree lighting ceremony so that was very fun to see. We had a great weekend and enjoyed spending time with my mom and Dylan!

And were off...

Dylan being silly in the hotel room

Happy Birthday To My Beautiful Mom

Sweet Moments

Moments like these just melt my heart. My two favorite boys snuggling together before bed time! 

Hope in god, Not your bank account

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17NIV)

The only thing in all of creation that worries is human beings. Plants don't worry. Animals don't worry. Only human beings act as if we don't have a heavenly Father. When you worry about your finances, you're basically saying, "I think God is a liar. I don't really think he will meet my needs.” But God will, if you meet the conditions.

When I was a kid, I'd go to my dad and say, "Dad, I need some money.” Not once when I was growing up did I ever wonder, "Where is he going to get it?” It's kind of an unwritten rule: Dads make it, and kids spend it. Kids never wonder, “Where is my dad going to get this money?” I never worried about it.

Worry is really a form of atheism. Every time you worry, you're basically saying, "I don't believe there's a God who is going to take care of me.” If you're a Christian and you worry, you're acting like an orphan. You're acting like you don't have a heavenly Father who has already promised over and over again in Scripture, "I will meet your needs if you will obey me and do what I tell you to do.” Trust forces you to live by faith.

Worry is a warning light. Every time you worry about your finances, it's a warning that you doubt that God loves you and will take care of you. We always get into trouble when we doubt God's love. Always.

Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (NLT).

As long as you love anything more than God, that thing is going to be a source of anxiety. There was one thing meant for first place in your life, and it's not your family. Anything you put first in your life besides God will create anxiety, because that thing can always be lost.
Your bank account is not your security, no matter how big it gets. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:17,

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (NIV).

Put your hope in God, because he will assume responsibility for your needs if you'll trust him.

Funny Faces

The other night when we were out to dinner, I took my phone out to take a picture of Dylan and this time I said "Cheese" and Dylan could not stop smiling. Greg and I were laughing so hard and it was the cutest thing in the world. The pictures explain it all!

 

Dylan::17 Months

I cannot believe my little Dylan is almost 17 months. Where does the time go? This little boy has been growing like a weed these days. The last couple of weeks he has become a whole different little boy. Dylan is now crawling and I mean crawling. He is everywhere! He loves to pull himself up on everything. His eating is doing awesome and he is now wanting to feed himself. The past few weeks have been a tough one as all 4 of his molars are coming in. He has been really fussy with lots of drewl that come along with the teething.

Dylan is in about 4 hours of therapy a week now. He has Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and our in home therapist that comes once a week. Dylan is doing awesome! Starting January 2014 Dylan will be starting a program at a preschool near our house once a week. It is a Pre-K class that will prepare him for school and will help make his transition a lot easier. This program is a parent participation so I will get to join him every Tuesday. I am really excited about it. It will be great to meet other parents and for Dylan to interact with other kids. Greg and I are both looking forward to this as it will be a great class for Dylan.

We still have our beautiful and wonderful nanny Brittany 3 days a week. Dylan loves her very much! We are very lucky that God brought her into our lives.

Dylan is truly the happiest baby ever! He never cries, but these days he does not like to be told what to do. He is very independent and is very determined to do his own thing. I am very excited about Christmas this year. I think he will enjoy the presents and all the Christmas decorations.

We are practicing our standing

Thanksgiving # 1

Well the holidays have officially started in the Lopez house! Yesterday we celebrated our first Thanksgiving dinner with my Dad, Step Mom, Step Sister, Grandma and my Sister and her family as they will all be in Oregon at my aunt's house for the Thanksgiving holiday. We are sad that we will not be able to make it, but we will be there in spirit.

We spent the day playing with the kids in the back yard, eating and drinking. I LOVE spending time with my family. We always have so much fun! Dad and Cathy thank you again for a wonderful dinner and special day.