MEXICO!

So, technically our anniversary isn't until May. But we celebrated anyway!

Getting ready to go snorkeling. It was fun except that the water was very rough. And towards the end I was a little sea sick.

The sun was perfect. It wasn't hot- just warm. We actually had to make an effort to get tan.

On Sunday morning we got up early (5 a.m.) to watch the sun come up. It was gorgeous. Jeremy and I both thought it was a great way to worship.

One of our favorite things was getting dressed up and going out to dinner each evening. It was absolutely lovely to not have to cook, or cut up food, or encourage good manners, or wrestle a little person who needs their face washed, or shout over little people noise in order to talk!

I have to admit I am still adjusting back to cold weather & being in the middle of the Christmas season. Our trip was amazing! And other than missing our girls it was absolutely perfect. We didn't have any travel issues. We had fun going snorkeling at a coral reef, shopping in Playa del Carmen, eating yummy food, laying on the beach, reading, walking (our resort was HUGE), listening to the ocean, and just having time with each other when we didn't have to share. Our biggest adventure was going to explore a cave. It was part of an underground river system so we had to wear wetsuits. Part of the time we were swimming. It was really cool. I don't have any pictures I can upload because they wouldn't let you have a camera (at all). The flashes can damage the cave (a.ka. they take pictures and charge big bucks!). So we hated to do it but spent $25 so we would have one picture to remember our adventure.

I think one of my favorite things about the trip was enjoying the fulfillment of a dream. Jeremy and I from the very beginning had set a goal of getting away every five years. It was so fun to reflect on the past five years and see the blessing of it actually coming to be. On our way to our resort the van we rode in dropped off some people at the resort we stayed at on our honeymoon! It was also great to realize I enjoyed this trip even more than our honeymoon. I am still crazy about my husband and he is still my favorite person to spend time with. The world tells us that all the "excitement" is before you get married and then everything is down hill from there. What a lie! The past five years has been full of challenges, but it is such a blessing to think about how my love for Jeremy has grown! I was very worried about being away from the girls. We both missed them, but they seemed to have a great time while we were gone. And they are enjoying the maracas we brought back for them.

Jeremy,

I love you more now than the day I married you. And I am already dreaming about 10 years! You are my best friend, an amazing husband, and my favorite person to experience life with. You have gotten me to do stuff I never would have (Caves were not my thing!) and I wonder what that will include in the future. Thank you for challenging me, loving me, and helping me to grow.

Jennifer

A Little of This & That

Well, as you can see from my countdown Jeremy and my trip to Mexico is rapidly approaching! We leave Wednesday night for St. Louis and then will fly out early Thursday morning. I am really looking forward to the trip and dreading it at the same time. (If you are a mom this totally makes sense to you) I have LOTS of details to finish ironing out and am trying to get our Christmas decorations up before we leave. But, I wanted to blog one time before we left. So here is what we've been up to lately. A little of this and a little of that...

Nana came to visit before she left for her trip to Michigan for Thanksgiving. She brought a fun edible project for Grace to help with. Grace loved it! (I however did not-I ate a ton of those things!)

The weekend before Thanksgiving we went to visit Grandma & Grandpa's house because Jeremy's dad had shoulder surgery that Monday. Grace enjoyed helping Grandpa feed his cats & taking a ride on the tractor. Here Faith & Grandma show off their beautiful jewlery.

On Thanksgiving Day we traveled a lot. First we went to visit Jeremy's grandparents. We enjoyed a yummy lunch and then they took the girls to see their farm. Grace like the horse and Faith had a fun tractor ride with her dad. Then we went to my family's later in the afternoon. We enjoyed getting to meet our new cousin, baby Felicity.

On Friday my sister and I threw caution to the wind and went Black Friday shopping in St. Peters. It was SO much fun!!!! Jeremy was a gem and stayed home to watch the girls. Here they are with my clothes on. (Daddy's just have a different kind of fun!) We got some great deals and then had lunch at Olive Garden. I enjoyed every moment of my mommy's day out!

Sunday we woke up to a great surprise, the first snow of the year! It was absolutely beautiful. The girls had fun looking out our big picture window before church. Grace also stomped through it in her dress shoes on the way into church!

Well, I have A LOT to do! I'll be back sometime next week-with a tan and a big smile.

Passing Down a Tradition

Grace drawing a "rainbow" for her box.

Grace packing her items in her shoebox.

This week I got to experience something really neat. Watching my daughter enjoy doing something I LOVE. Ever since Lindsay introduced us to Operation Christmas Child in college I have loved packing shoeboxes. Since then I have learned a lot about Samaritan's Purse as an organization and read several books about it and Franklin Graham. But, I had yet to do this project as a family. I was waiting for Grace to be "old enough." At Grace's class on a Wednesday night they got to help shoe boxes for our church. She LOVED it. She came home telling me about her friend (an older child) who helped her pack the box. She also told me many of the items she helped pack. After seeing what fun she had at church I decided it was time we pack a shoe box togethor. Before our trip to WalMart we talked about the box and that is would be a gift for a friend. She wanted to know if it would be for Jada or Brynn (her best friends). I explained it would be for a friend she had never met who had no toys and needed to learn about Jesus. I was so proud of her, she willingly picked out the items she liked to give away. I was amazed she didn't want to keep them for herself. Since she did such a great job I rewarded her with getting to pick out new hairclips to keep. She explained to her dad he was to "Take the box to Miss Ashley who would send it to her friend with no toys." Parenting is challenging(and I am sure the greatest challenges still lie ahead)...so I celebrate such a fun memory & teachable moment!