Family Snaps with Courter!

Family pictures are probably not the priority they need to be in our house, but I make an effort to keep them fairly updated especially since I am surrounded by wonderful photographic resources as friends.  Therefore, I have no excuse to not have some good family portraits.

My (VERY) long time friend, Courtney, was planning on taking the Davis Family Pictures, but through some schedule debacles, it turned into the Weenie Wineinger Family Picture session.  This worked out SUPER well actually, because Ruthie had just turned one so it was a two-fr! If you remember, Court also took Ruthie's newborn shots.  Now, I understand that a photo becomes outdated as soon as you take the picture, but now I am struggling with what to order with a new addition being added to pictures in a few months.  (We are gonna be a family of 4... WHAT!?!)

Oh no worries...I will still order TONS, but now I guess I need more pictures taken...

Here are the pictures from Courtney!  Our belly growing just happens to be a week apart from each other as well.  Make sure to check out her photography & her Hands of Love Project!  Both are stunning!

Also, just to preface these (prefacing is another one of my spiritual gifts), I planned on picking out 3 or 4, but I just kept downloading....I'm sorry. Wait...no I'm not.

The family Picture we decided on

SO BIG!  She had tons of fun.

She loved wearing her boots...Gigi, don't look! They're not CAT

Peek a Boo!

The serious look.  Also, only the 2nd time Nathan has worn his Chuck Taylors...I love them

Please see my conundrum in trying to pick only a few to post.  She's just so stinkin' cute!

She was really getting ready to cry in the picture, but you can't tell.  It was cold. 

This is her about to get in trouble.

There is Life on this side of the computer.... I swear...

So I swear my attitude of gratitude has not disappeared.  In fact, there is this BRIGHT green sheet of paper that has been in my purse since the middle of November with the rest of the days in the month and what I am thankful for.  I was planning on doing a GIANT blog of what was left on that list, and there still might be the possibility of that coming, buuuut I left my purse in my car (I think) and I really wanted to get a blog post done, so it’s not this post!

Funny actually, the time that I stopped blogging, I found out the oh so exciting news that baby number #2 was making his/her debut.  Now, I didn't talk about if for about a month after that, but believe me…I was sleeping or laying on the couch semi miserable and not even remotely interested in writing about life. 

Nathan and I knew that we were thinking about another kid-ling soon, and after looking into my insurance policy I had from October to October to make that happen.  Silly you may think to plan my children around my insurance policy, but you pay two deductibles and tell me how that goes, because it isn't happening to me!! 

This pregnancy has been totally different.  I haven’t been as miserable and I was with Ruthie.  I’m nauseous and sooo tired, but probably since I was expecting it, things don’t seem so bad.  My food wants are POLAR opposite.  I could eat milk and steak and bread and cheese continually, but show me a ripe banana then hand me the paper bag in your other hand.  **We think it’s a boy.** Now that I typed it, I have evened the jinx playing field.  Ruthie hasn't a clue that I’m pregs.  She is 1.5 now and will be just 2 weeks shy of two at baby’s arrival.  It won’t hit her until weenie arrives.  

The holidays were a hoot!  Christmas was fun with Ruthie.  She was in awe over all the presents, but was done after one.  For New Years we went to Florida.  This was Rue’s first time on the beach which was fun, but it was pretty cold, so we mostly just basked in the 65 degree sunshine.  I would have loved to have my champagne as we watched some amateur fireworks over the beach, but my Welch’s was great. 

I will write again soon with a more structured blog, but mostly just writing to prove I’m still alive.  Below are some fun pictures also.  I mean, let’s get serious…my daughter is a hoot. Who doesn't love those cheesy smiles?!?!

Davis/Cashdollar/Wineinger Family Christmas Picture 2013

Back: Yours Truly, Nathan, Tree, Andy, Brittany

Middle: Shelley aka Gigi & Papa Mark

Front Kids: Austin. Ruthie, Bella, Layla, Madison

Please understand how hard this picture was to take and find appreciation in this...HOLY COW

Opening her stocking

This picture made me cry... That's Big Papa Shelly serenading Ruthie with Christmas Carols.

At the beach in Clearwater.  She didn't mind the sand, but HATED the water.

HAPPY NEW YEAR --Love, Ruthie

Her Christmas Present

So question....would it be weird to send a Valentines Day letter or maybe St. Patty's day letter?  Christmas letters just weren't going to happen. 

The Thankful Project: #17- Surviving the Winds

Today lends to a whole new depth of thankfulness.  The safety of my family has become in my face lately.  I even told my husband, he needed to show me how to load a gun.  If you don’t know, I refuse to touch, hold, if someone else in the room besides my husband is touching it or handling one, I usually leave.  But there are personal fears that I WILL get over if it interferes with the safety of my family. 

But today I couldn't grantee her protection.  We were at church.  The sirens went off, the TV people were pleaing/crying/even praying that people make it to their basements in time.  The storm that was coming was deadly, and they knew it.  As a church, we sat in the fellowship hall, all together, checking and double checking that we saw everyone we could think of.  Nathan was holding Rue, and in my head I’m going over what I would do if something were to start…where I would jump.  We all calmed down when we starting hearing the reports of the sighting across the river. 

Dad told everyone, we had about 30 minutes to get home before the next cell would hit.  It would just be rain and we all knew that.  We had lunch with some friends, and when we got home we started to hear the stories…

One of my youth girls, Kiersten, lives in Pekin.  With in 4 streets surrounding her, three separate tornadoes touched down.  Her block of houses was one of a handful of house still standing within a quarter mile.  She, along with her family and her 16 mo old son, were minutes away from danger, but made it to the basement in time.  A few houses down, when she left to come to church tonight, they were still working at freeing a family with a 4 mo old; they were still stuck in their basement.  They have been evacuated until further notice because of a gas leak.  They also do not have power and water. 

One of the girls who has been apart of our Sunday school class is a teacher at one of the grade schools in Washington.  She is still clueless about any of her students. 

High school girls club volleyball tryouts were downtown at the RiverPlex in Peoria.  One of my co-leaders in youth group was there with her daughter.  They were with a friend that was literally shaking…His wife was out of town on business in Springfield.  He was with his eldest at tryouts while his 3 younger kids (oldest being 14) were at home in Washington.  He knew his kids were in the basement, but his world started crumbling when he found out the house just two houses down was leveled.  He left during those 30 minutes between storms and arrived home to nothing…no house…nothing. Kids were safe but nothing remained.  

My niece and nephew were in the basement of their house with their mom and came up to find two of their neighbors’ houses gone.  I can’t wait to hug them again. 

In my high school sports Conference 3 of the 8 schools are closed until they have power and stability for students to attend school.  My fellow athletic secretaries, Terri, Sherry, & Michelle, I’m praying continually for you.  My heart is breaking right now.

Pray for Washington; the hardest hit.  They have reported 1 death and 28 hospitalized injuries, 8 being classified as trauma.  Pray for East Peoria and Pekin.  I have a feeling this holiday season will be a little different around here.