Life is Good because God is!

Just a quick update (since it's been forever!).....We finally did get a house. Yay! We are super excited to actually own a place of our own. It's so nice not to feel like our money each month is going nowhere....although now our money just goes into our house...and lots of it! We bought a fixer-upper because we enjoy doing projects. But I think I've about had enough painting for the next 10 years! It was somewhat crazy trying to get the house ready to move in while trying to take care of two little boys, but we had a lot of help from Andrew's family and my sister, Lisa.

Andrew is amazing......We didn't have a whole lot of money to put flooring in, but the house needed it pretty badly. So, Andrew came up with a whole new flooring that looks awesome! He used 4x8 sheets of plywood with an oak veneer and then cut them into 4x4 squares, stained them, varnished them, nailed them in and grouted them.....yes, I said grout. I know it's a bit unorthodox to grout wood tiles, but it looks awesome! It's a really large area that he did it in, so it looks so cool to have the huge wood tiles. We're still not sure how long it will hold up, but so far it's doing great. :) Right now, it's a lot cheaper than any other flooring we could have done.
We finally moved in to the house about two weeks ago. It's been a lot of work. We can't wait to have all the boxes unpacked and the projects done. But from what I'm told, the projects never end.

Our boys are still growing like crazy. While Ashton is doing a lot of intellectual growing, Caedmon is still doing more than his share of physical growing! Our doctor said that most babies at 1 year old are 20 lbs. Caedmon was 22 lbs. at 6 months old. Yea, a bit big...but he is sooo cute! Ashton has started talking quite a bit. He can put sentences together, but I think Andrew and I are the only ones who can understand him. :) Andrew is teaching him all kinds of intellectual sayings like, "stinky booty" and "sweet mother!" (from Curious George). I'm so glad our children will grow up with such a cultured vocabulary. :) Ashton will be 2 yrs old in May and Caedmon is 8 months old. We enjoy our boys so much! For those of you who didn't know, we had gotten pregnant again about 2 months ago, but the Lord saw fit to take our little one. We didn't know the gender, but we named her Abagail Hope. Thank you to everyone that prayed for us through this time. Many people were such an encouragement.

Thankfully, Andrew's business has picked back up, and things are as busy as ever. The busyness is good though, because that means food on the table!

I stayed home from Easter celebration with the family today because I have been pretty sick. But it was good, because it reminded me to stop and truly revel in the grace of God that this day represents. May you, also, not forget to offer up every second and every ounce of energy as praise to our Savior for what He did for us undeserving sinners!

"Dancing Through Life" (for all of you Broadway "Wicked" fans)

This fall Andrew and I have been taking waltzing lessons....yes, you read that correctly....Andrew has been learning ballroom dancing! Colorado Springs has the oldest Waltzing club in the country, and a couple from the club offers free lessons to anyone who is interested. So, we thought we'd give it a try, and we have thoroughly enjoyed it! Andrew is actually quite "smoothe" on his feet. :) Anyways, this past Wednesday night was our first time to actually go to a ball and try out what we had learned. We definitely made some blunders but overall we did pretty well. Most of all, we had a blast doing it. The Waltzing club had their Christmas ball in this huge old five-star hotel. It's been there since 1920. It was absolutely beautiful! I wish I had gotten better pictures, but you can see a little of what it was like. It was nice to get away from the pressures of business and the formula and diapers of parenting to do a little of our own "Dancing Through Life."

Fun "In" and "Out" of the Snow

We just had a snowstorm a few days ago. Andrew thought Ashton might enjoy going out in the snow. So, he preceded to get him all bundled up. Talk about "The Christmas Story".....Ashton looked hilarious. He had on a snow suit, his clunky snow boots, and a big old snow jacket that was huge on him! His walking was quite slow and awkward. At one point, he fell down and couldn't get himself back up. He would push himself up halfway and then fall back down. And he kept trying, all the while thinking he must be doing something right because we were laughing at him. It was so humorous to watch.

Later on that day, Andrew was getting quite restless, so he decided to make an Indian costume for Ashton. Yes.....things get a bit weird out here on the range when we're all couped up. :)


Caedmon had his first helping of "solids" a few days ago. It took him quite awhile to get the hang of it. But by the last couple of bites he was starting to get it. I think he ended up with more of it "on" him than "in" him.

Caedmon, Ashton, and I (Renee) have all come down with a cold, so that's been no fun. Andrew has done great taking care of us, though. If anyone has any great home remedies for getting congestion out of the lungs of a 4-month old, I would love the tips!

Household of boys

Household of Boys!

It's been so long since we've updated our site, that you all have probably stopped checking. But just for those few people that are hanging in for an update...here is one, finally. As you saw from our previous blog, Caedmon arrived healthy. He continues to be "healthy." I feel like all I do is feed that kid! He's huge! He fits into clothes now, at 3 months, that were big on Ashton at 6 months. He's all smiles now, which is so much fun! Ashton is really good with him. He's learned to be very gentle and kind to him. We thought he might be a little more jealous of someone taking Mommy's time, but he's adjusted very well. It works out well for me, because now when Ashton sees me holding/feeding Caedmon, he actually will want to sit on my lap for a few minutes. Ashton has never been a "cuddler" so when he sits for a few minutes, that's a big deal! I'm holding out for Caedmon to be my cuddler, although he seems to have just as much energy as Ashton, if not more...keeps my life moving and crazy, but lots of fun.
Ashton is in such a fun age right now (of course, we'll probably think every age is fun). He's starting to say a few words. He says "help" "up" "more" "da" "ball" "jes" (yes) "horse" "shoes" "truck" and of course "no" is his favorite word. :) He knows a ton of animal sounds, which we probably like to show off a little too much. We just think it's so cute!
My sister, Lisa, is staying with us until Christmas. She came in September and will probably be returning to Northland in the spring. She is working, earning money to help my parents out with the college bill (they have 3 kids in college right now...ouch!). It's been great to have Lisa here. She helps out with housework when she's not working and helps a lot with the kids. Ashton enjoys having her around as well.
The business is beginning to slow down a bit now that winter is close. We're trying to come up with some ideas for this winter that could help with some income. Landscaping isn't exactly a year-round business in Colorado. The Lord was very gracious and good to us this summer, though, and we've been able to save some money to get us through the winter, in case we're not able to come up with anything else to do. We have learned so much through starting this business.....A lot about business, but also a lot about trusting God. It's been very good for us.
Andrew got a new toy....he had a job that required a 4-wheeler, and so of course, that was a wonderful excuse to get one. He found a used one in Colorado and was able to get it much cheaper than expected. He loves it! He spends a lot more time "feeding the horses" now. :) One of Ashton's favorite pasttimes is riding the 4-wheeler with Daddy. He could do that for hours! It's great for him because he gets to be with Daddy, outside, and moving....perfect combo.
Ashton is our little ball of energy. The Lord is teaching us a lot about parenting. We're constantly re-evaluating how we discipline/train Ashton and learning as we go. Sometimes we say, "Nope, that didn't work. We won't do that with the next one." :) And sometimes the Lord allows us to find something that really works well. People always say parenting teaches you a lot about yourself, and it does. But I think the thing that has impacted us the most is that now we understand more, how God deals with us and why. Once we became parents and had to think through how we were going to raise our child, it made us much more aware of God's training, love, discipline, grace, etc. for us as His children.
I spend most of my time at home with the boys. Two extremely energetic boys, 15 months apart, keeps me pretty busy. I do teach a drama class on Fridays, which I have enjoyed. But other than that, I take care of my family and do some paperwork for the business. I am so thankful that I have been able to stay home with the boys. I can't imagine missing all those precious little moments throughout the day.
Well, I think I've gotten you pretty much updated. Hopefully we won't take so long next time. Sorry to all those that kept checking and found nothing new! Thanks for reading.

Yeehaw!!!!!

Caedmon is now out of hiding. Sunday morning (Aug. 6th 2006) Caedmon Newland was born at 9:48am. Is was 8 pounds 10.5 oz. He and mommy are great, very healthy and even more happy to be home.

You are wondering what his middle name is... well he doesn't have one yet. We are going to give our kids a middle name when they get saved. We really want to make that time special as God did in bible times. Also we will know their personalities by then. I feel a little strange picking a name that has a meaning but i don't know if that is who they are. I know that isn't a big deal but we really want to make their salvation a big deal.

Any way we are home and happy. Here he is...

Any Second......

Ashton at about a year (May 06)

Caedmon is due Aug. 9th but Renee is feeling him coming any moment. We can't wait. Although Ashton is a bit jealous that mommy's lap is getting smaller because Caedmon is taking up all the space.

Having kids is the greatest thing in the world. If you don't have kids or are waiting because you think they will ruin or change your life forever, throw that untruth and take it from me and the Lord that kids are awesome!!!!!!!! You may be tired and confused but you will never regret it or wish you didn't have them.

Well, my soap box is getting a bit shaky so i will postpone any other rantings.