Five Years Ago Today I Married My Best Friend

There is so many thoughts rushing through my head and I just can't put them together. The last 5 years have been incredible. They have gone by so fast! I can hardly remember my life pre-marriage! Looking back to my wedding day, I never thought that in 5 years I would have 2 children and one on the way and be living in Leo, IN serving at Gateway. It's probably a good thing that I didn't know, or else I would have been terrified! God has truly blessed our marriage and I wouldn't have changed one thing. Well, I guess there is one thing that I would change, Slow down and enjoy every moment.
Dustin, I love you so much! Thank you for choosing me! Thank you for always being there no matter what life brings. I'm sure that I haven't been the easiest or most fun person to live with at all times! :) I wouldn't want to spend my life with anyone else but you and our children. You made my life complete they day we became one. I'm excited to see how God leads over the next 5 years!
I LOVE YOU!!

Sweet Children

I just love this little boy! :) Tonight he was just a little stinker though. Dustin had gone to play softball with Gateway people and I was home with the kiddos. They did some crafts and had fun doing them together. It was getting about bedtime, so I thought that I would read them a couple stories before bed. Well, when we were done reading, Caden was not! He threw a small fit, but then we convinced him that he could continue reading by taking a book to bed. (we being Libby and I) So we got our PJ's on and I sent them back to their rooms. I even let them have another 10 mins. or so reading together. Well, when I went back to pray with them, he lost it. He did calm down a bit for the prayer, but then when Libby went to her room (ever so nicely) he lost it again. Screaming and crying that he didn't want to go to bed. I tucked him in and gave him kisses and told him I loved him, although I'm not sure he heard it over all his screaming. I went to Libby's room and tucked her in. He kept screaming and crying and I kept telling him it was time to go to sleep. Then, I heard him say, "But mom, there's a shadow!!" Well, his nightlight makes a SMALL shadow on his wall and he just is so scared of it. So I went in and turned it off and that calmed him down alot. Then Daddy got home and he decided that he "needed" something else. Daddy went into his room and very sternly put him back in bed and told him not to get out. This happened two more times. After the second spanking, I think he finally got it and fell asleep. (or at least got too tired and fell asleep) It was a long hour and a half. But through it all I couldn't help but smile and think of how much I love that little guy. He has so much personality and makes me smile and laugh everyday. I don't know what I would do without him. I love you Caden Joseph so much!

Now on to the drama queen. This picture was taken at her birthday party at Grandma and Grandpa "Tick-Tock's" in Illinois. I will say that Erin has an even better picture of her in this pose. But mine will have to do for now. My little girl is growing up so fast. She just turned 4 about 2 1/2 weeks ago and I can hardly believe it. She is not only growing up physically, but she is just getting older mentally. Like tonight for instance. She was such a great help with Caden. She did a great job trying to convince Caden that it was okay to go to bed. She even told him that she was in the next room and would be with him through the wall. She's such a great big sister! She also just LOVES to do crafts. She sat at the table for probably an hour or more just working away. It's fun to see the stuff she makes and how she uses her imagination. Although she can be a major drama queen and throw her share of fits, I still wouldn't trade her for the world. I love you Liberty Joy and am so glad God gave you to me!!

So I was looking at my blog and noticed that the date on my most recent post was the end of September. I just posted that yesterday which was the 6th of October. So, just putting a post to see if it does this again.

Have a good one!

FInally an Update

Hello All! I know it has been FAR too long since I have updated my blog. My sincere apologies!! :) So on to the update.......

Things are going well here at Gateway. We are adjusting and this is becoming more normal everyday. I do have to say that I am still terribly homesick, but God keeps reminding me that this is where He wants our family and that we are doing His work.

Most of you probably know this, but we are expecting baby #3 the end of January. We are very excited and can't wait to meet our baby girl! Liberty and Caden as very excited as well and love to feel mommy's belly and talk to the baby. They have enjoyed their baby cousin Abel so much and that makes me excited to see them interact with our baby. The pregnancy is going pretty good. I get tired very easily and am alot more sore than I have ever been. But overall I can't complain.

Libby is adjusting to life here so well. It makes me very thankful. She started preschool the middle of September and is loving it. It makes me tear up from time to time when I drop her off. She is just this "big" little girl going into school with her backpack. She waves at me all the way in. Time just goes so fast. I remember when she was a little baby. She is has learned to write her name. Although it isn't perfect is is pretty good for a just 4 yr. old who just started preschool. She knew how to write it before then, but I think they are practicing tracing their names, so that helps her get better. For the longest time she would only write Libb, she would never put the Y. Now she puts the Y and is SO proud of herself. She's getting so big and I just love her more and more everyday.

Caden is doing wonderful adjusting, too. He loves Gateway and loves the fact that he can play outside so much more. He enjoyes the barn so much. He will go outside to play and I will go to look for him and he will just be in the barn feeding the horses or playing with the ropes. He just plays outside doing "work", just like daddy. It is so cute. Yesterday he came inside with a stick just about as tall as him. He just loved it and had a fit when I wanted him to play with it outside. He loves the girls in our house and talks about them all the time. I feel like him and Libby almost think they are apart of our family. It is so neat to watch them interact.

We are in the process (actually Dustin is in the process) of repainting the kids' rooms. We painted Libby and the baby's room Electric Lime and Bright Pink and Caden's room Navy and Orange. They look so good and I will post pictures as soon as they are done. I hope to be able to figure out how to post pictures soon. We should have internet at our house by the beginning of next week, so after that I will def. update my pictures here and on FB.

Well....that is about all I have time for tonight. We are on duty and it is almost snack time. Sorry for being so bad in posting lately. Hopefully I will do better. I just need to update a couple times a week. I haven't posted in SO long and it just seemed like there was so much to update on. I have probably missed something, but I guess that's okay. Have a good evening everyone!

Night!

Randoms

Hello All!  Just thought I would update everyone on a few random things that have been happening here in Leo.  Things have been going good.  Adjusting a little more every day.  We are on duty for the first time by ourselves starting tonight and will be here for 3 days!  Kinda scary, but I know that things will go okay and we will learn everyday as things happen.  If you would want to say a little prayer for us that would be marvelous.  Thanks! :)

Dad and Mom Hodel were here for the weekend and it was amazing to have them here!  I think I needed a little something from home to get me till Thursday. (that's the day we go home for 5 days!)  We had so much fun with them and the kids were just in their glory.  Friday we went to a park in the morning and let Libby and Cade play for a while.  Then we had lunch and they took naps.  While they were taking naps Dad and Dustin started to investigate this leak we have had in our house since we moved.  It's been kinda frustrating.  So, the plumbers have been out several times along with the leak detection guys and they thought they fixed it, but then realized that there was another leak.  They were gonna have to put another hole in Libby's room.  But then my amazing father-in-law came and Dustin and him fixed it within an hour.  It was amazing!!!  I love those two men so much!!  After they fixed the leak we went shopping and the to Chili's.  It was a lovely day.  Saturday we took the kids to the zoo and then D and I got a much needed date night.  We haven't had that in a LONG time.  Today we went to church and just lazed around and ate at Culver's before they left.  It was sad to see them leave, but I know that I will be going home on Thursday, so that makes it easier.  

Well.  I better sign off.  I'm starting to get blurry eyed and need to head to bed so I can function properly tomorrow.  Have a wonderful evening and a wonderful week!

G'nite!

It's been a while....Sorry!!

Hello All!  Sorry it's been a long time since I've update you all.  Life has just been crazy.  We are doing great though.  Alot has happened since I posted last, so I will try to update you on all of it.  

Last week we were in training all week long.  It was a long week, but we learned so much and feel a little more confident in doing what we do.  We trained all day Tuesday - Friday and then had our First Aid and CPR training on Saturday.  So needless to say, my brain was tired by the end of the week.  Our kids were at different peoples homes during the week so that was hard to leave them everyday.  Liberty did wonderful as usual, and Caden had a harder time with it.  

Speaking of Libby and Caden, they are having so much fun at Gateway.  Most of the day they are outside playing and I don't know where they are half the time.  When we first came here I thought that I would know where my kids were ALL the time.  Oh has that changed!  We are just so busy during the day that before I know it, it's been a half hour and I haven't heard from my kids.  Libby is usually playing with some of the kids and Caden just wanders around Hickory House.  It's kinda cute, he never wanders off too far, but just walks around the house playing in the dirt or with sticks.  So with them outside pretty much all day, they get VERY dirty at the end of the day.  I don't think Libby has ever been as dirty as she was yesterday.  Boy do they sleep good at the end of the day though!!

This week has been a busy week as well.  We started to work more in the house and today we are actually by ourselves!  It's kinda exciting.  The girls are doing great, but not going really easy on us! :)  The days really make me tired!  But hopefully I will adjust and not get quite as tired.  So we are going to be on duty all day today until about 9 or so.  Then tomorrow Dad and Mom Hodel are coming to visit!!  We are so excited to have them coming!!  But I have Lots to do before they get here.  I will be running around crazy tomorrow morning trying to get my house cleaned.  Oh well! 

Caden is still in awwww of the all the horses out here.  The poor Amish people probably get tired of seeing him point at them and their horses.  I wander just how long it will take for it to wear off.  I hope pretty soon, because I'm quite tired of hearing, "Mommy, Do you know what I saw?  A horsie....or a "clip-clop".  I still smile when he says it though.  He is just so stinking cute!!  

Well, I think that's all for now.  I am really going to try and get some pictures posted.  Sorry!  I hope you all have a great day! 

Life at Gateway so far.....

First of all I want to say, "TIME HAS FLOWN BY!!!!" I just can hardly believe we have been here over a week. Life has be great. We all have adjusted very well and are really loving our new home. Libby and Caden have done wonderful and I am so thankful for that. They have already made lots of new friends and are building friendships. Libby went to Sunday School on Sunday for the very first time, ever!! I didn't know how she would do. She did wonderful!

We officially started on Monday and have been doing lots of training since then. We are excited to start working in the house though!

I know there are lots of things to update everyone on, but I just can't really think right now. So, if you want to know how something is going or ask a question, leave a comment and I will respond!

We miss you all!! Have a wonderful day in Jesus!