Now Stop.

Our first picture of Piprah after we met her when she was two weeks old.

Piprah adores Autumn, always has.

She is an amazing companion

Autumn and our family photo sesh winter 2013

Most days these two love each other, a lot.

It took some time but once she lost her baby teeth Dom started to warm up to her

Our precious babes growing too fast

Dom is all boy, all heart and all wonderful

older pic but he finally picked up dirt last summer

I hope this toy is still around when he gets his Senior pictures I want to compare them

Dana, Autumn and I were in the local Cantata at our church last winter, Dana was Paul, or Peter or John, Autumn was a child needing healing. It was powerful it was wonderful. We love our Celebration Family. 

Autumn played soccer this year, they were short refs one day so Dana was nominated, he did great!

Our "part time job" but full time life. We still share DoTerra and teach people how to use essential oils. It has become a lifestyle and we love it. It's like any people business, it goes up, it goes down but we can't stop sharing because we believe in them all the time.

Our kids keep us on the go. Like all the time. From the second they wake up to the moment their eyes close for the night if their mouths are not moving their bodies are and usually it is both at the same time.
Dominic walks down the hall every morning around 6a.m. I am usually sitting in the dark checking emails, answering oil questions on Facebook or simply checking out mentally scrolling through people's lives on there. Some mornings I will be sad that in order to check on a friend I have to check their facebook, that I can not or will not just pick up the phone and call and say hello. I sometimes think "I'm just going to stop over", then I realize how that would quite certainly bother me especially if I was in the middle of doing nothing in sweats with a dirty house. Who wants to get caught in the act of nothing. Recently a friend came over and I was reading the Bible. Yeah, me. Don't roll your eyes, I don't do it all the time, like I should, and I don't write that to say "look what I do in all my spare time". I was as shocked as you that I chose to sit still for a minute and actually read something that wasn't in a study I am doing, recommended by my Mother, a friend or our Pastor. I just felt like it. It felt nice but to be honest I did feel a little sheepish that I was "caught" reading the Bible.
Our lives have drastically changed in the last year. For the awesome.
Someone invited me to an event (over Facebook) and I said I would go. When the time came I didn't want to but I had clicked that dang "Join" button and sent a message I would see her there. Something in my heart changed and something in Dana's heart change (I made him through slight convincing he had to go because I couldn't do all the work for his salvation). Our entire experiences would be too long and I would lose your interest. In a nutshell we rededicated our lives to Christ and we dove head first into our church, Celebration Community Fellowship. We went through an experience before all this that we tried to handle on our own with our own experience and some input from friends and family. It was so hard. It was hard on us, our kids and life in general. We lost friends and in the long run looked at each other like what did we miss. Where did we go wrong and what the hell is the point. Yes, I said hell.
So, where better to find the answers than a Church that follows the Bible in it's entirety. I have known Curt and Noreen since I was a kid. I really couldn't see myself anywhere except under their wing. We dabbled at first. Show up late enough to miss Praise and Worship, for sure miss the greeting of everyone. We usually didn't take Dom and only took Autumn once in a while. Then we started going on time. Then my crazy Mother mentioned sit in the front, get rid of distractions. It's amazing how much more you hear, see and feel when you pay attention. Then a woman said to bring Dominic, "he will get used to it", she is the same woman that said over my shoulder "it is good to see you in the front". My face got red and I wanted to come back with something because she must be making fun of me because because because! I turned around and she had a genuine smile. I looked for that smile every Sunday and today she is a dear friend.
Our kiddos love it there. Last winter we went  every night for a week for some special speakers. When it was over our babies were sad. It is quite amazing to now sit with my husband and chat about our "God moments" of the day and the blessings He has given us with wonderful friends, a stronger marriage and relationships that are meaningful and lasting.
We have a long way to go but it is a great trip.
As the pictures show our babes have not received the message to slow down on growing. I wish they would. Our little Autumn is loving kindergarten and her teacher. She has an incredible teacher. I was so nervous that we would never have another teacher like Miss Amy, her pre-school teacher. Now I am hoping that Miss Sullivan decides to follow Autumn until she graduates college. We have been very spoiled with great women for Autumn's first school experiences.
Autumn played soccer and still tried to make it to dance but sometimes we were all just too tired. She is excited to be back at it but sad that this year their will not be a Christmas show. I hope our little town misses the talent over the Holidays. Miss Janet puts her heart and soul into those productions.
Dominic has come even more out of his shell. We credit the oils for some of that and pray, lots and lots of prayer. He has an incredible personality. When he smiles his eyes twinkle and his chin goes down to his chest so all you can see are these amazing bluish greenish eyes that are shouting "I'm ready for you!". He tests me every day. He tests my playing skills, he tests my speed and he always tests my judgment. "why should I wear a coat? why should I wear pants? why eat anything but bread and honey? WHY!" We did the whole love and logic in parenting or whatever. Then we came to the conclusion that some choices are fine but all in all it goes back to old school parenting. I am the parent and you are the three year old, that's why. Not that we say that to him but there is a fine line of choices and caving. He has been all over Lewistown in a diaper and slippers and he has also gone out in freezing weather without a jacket. Been there done that. The best is when I get parenting advice on social media from people that don't have pets let alone kids. Go ahead and keep those thoughts in your own little pile of "when I have kids I will be awesome". Dominic is going to be 4 in January. He loves ninja turtles, shadow fighting, robot fighting, super heroes, neon dancers and watching his Dad play the drums. He also love to box, to jump kick, donkey kick, fly off the couch and throw snowballs (yes, the boy that wouldn't go outside last winter loves snowballs). He wants to go to school with his sister, he wants to fly a plane and he loves to give us "the best kind of love", which is a great big bear hug from a 30lb boy. He also asks to be in the middle of us while we squeeze him tight.
Autumn loves hot lunch, her teacher, her shoes that tie (she does not tie yet), math or anything with numbers, reading (she can't wait to be at a level 3), her cousins (she misses them all), making her own songs then writing them, doing "homework", playing "wolves" with her friends at school, free choice (in school), choosing her own outfits, her short hair (that she has no decided to grow long) and her brother. She is an amazing sister. They can throw down. We even have a fight shirt we stick them both in. Chill out, we have only used it three times. When it comes down to it they adore each other and they always look for the other one when one of them is away.
Autumn is the reason I finally got back on here. She came home early from school with a nagging cough. Dana thinks it is from her past sickness and all the garbage she swallowed when sick. I am hoping it doesn't turn into croup. We put up a tent, pulled out the oils and the humidifier and for the day watched movies and read books. I have introduced them to Ronald Dahl and I am so happy they love him like I do. Anyway, we weren't getting the steam I thought she needed so we set up a bed in the bathroom and she fell asleep while the shower ran out of hot water. I am losing weight sitting in here and the computer is sliding around the counter. I started to do the norm, facebook. Then I thought I would go down memory lane while Autumn slept on our bathroom floor.
This is where I ended up.
Our son and our daughter influence when we go and when we are just still. Precious Autumn, now steamed through and through and eating fruit. Our babies that test the boundaries but also look to us on how to be, how to grow how to love. Wonderful Dominic that teaches me daily to stick to my guns and he will stick to his. He is going to be a strong leader someday.
My still time has ended.
Happy Friday friends and family.