We have a crawler!

We officially have a crawler! Jackson's being doing what we call "the worm" for a few months now, but he's finally got this crawling thing down. When he wants to go somewhere quickly he reverts back to the worm, but he's doing pretty good at getting his knees under him now. He still has only his bottom two teeth (like razors!), but I think those top two teeth will be here soon. I swear he's saying "mamamamama" as if he knows that's who I am. Adam says no, but he knows who his mama is!!!
I love it when he comes over to me and pulls himself up with my pants so he can stand up holding on to me. It's adorable and it melts my heart. He really loves to stand up on anything now. It doesn't always work out so well for him because he doesn't really discriminate by what he uses to stand up. So, when he tries to stand up using one of Kylie's little chairs, it just falls over on top of him!
We are currently looking at schools for Kindergarten next year. It's been such a stressful decision. Her current school has been great for this year, but they have broken off from the parent school and it will be a different deal next year that we aren't comfortable with. So, we looked at an amazing private school today. I was so impressed by it and it is a strong Christ-centered curriculum. Basically, everything they learn goes back to the Glory of God so they are building not only intellect, but character. Pretty amazing. We'll have to pray about it and just see if that's where God wants us next year! I just want what's best for Kylie. She is such an exceptional little girl. I am humbled that God gave me such a bright, charismatic, sincere, and curious child. That's quite a big challenge for me to raise this young lady to the standard that she deserves, but I'll do my best!
Debbie got through her surgery yesterday and the doctor said everything went really well. They are feeling optimistic that maybe the cancerous cells were pretty localized and haven't spread to the lymph nodes. Won't that be a miracle. We'll know more on Friday, but praying for a miracle.
My baby girl turns five on Sunday. I want to be excited about it, I really do, but I can't just yet. I'm just seeing her grow up so quickly and I am overwhelmed with emotion. She's starting to look more like a girl now, losing some of that baby face and her little voice is getting older too. One of the things I treasure more than anything is the inflection in her voice when she says "I love you too." It is the sweetest four words a mother can hear. Gosh, my heart just explodes when I think about my kids and I'm even tearing up as I'm writing this. I guess I'm emotional today. Well, every day lately! For any of you moms out there, you know what I mean.

Here's to a New Year!!!

I said before that I was going to be better about blogging. Hmmmm, I haven't done good so far. There are just too many things to do to fit it in, but I'm trying! It usually means staying up later (like I am tonight).

I guess I should backtrack to Christmas. It was wonderful! We had good times with our families and continue to feel so blessed that we are all in the same neighborhood. It is so nice to have everyone right here. I am always shocked at how quickly Christmas seems to come and go, however, we just packed up the tree today! Yikes.

Kylie got a trampoline for Christmas from Grandma Mary which she loves very much. It really is a great thing. I've even enjoyed jumping on it with her. It's fun and great exercise! I actually have to stop here and there to rest. I'm so out of shape, uggggggghhh - New Year's resolution, right? She is growing up so fast. I can't believe she'll be five this month. I'm just in denial that she is that old!

Jackson is changing before our eyes. He is a mad man! He especially likes to seek out power cords and any other hazardous thing he can find in the house. His "worm" version of crawling is hilarious and it's amazing how efficient he is at getting where he wants to go. He actually just started crawling on his knees today! He has constant red rugburn on both knees. He has his two razor-sharp bottom teeth now and the top two teeth are working their way in too. Teething rocks... or maybe not. He really enjoys watching Baby Einstein while he plays with his toys and likes to pull up and stand on anything he can get his hands on. I told Adam we were going to have to anchor things down soon. He likes to pull kitty's hair and grab Harley whenever possible. The cat will just sit there and take it, but Harley likes to flee the scene! We're pretty sure he's going to be a talker like his big sister. He just blabs and blabs all the time and his laugh is the most precious sound I have ever heard. I love it! He is enjoying the new tastes of things and carrots, sweet potatoes and squash are his favorite. Green beans and peas, not so much. I am looking forward to him getting to eat some more real foods!

Work has been crazy. When I accepted a promotion and took on a new market to handle, I had no idea how that would change my workload. Some days it is overwhelming, but I am trying to take it one day at a time and be confident in my ability to do whatever is needed to get the job done. Some nights that means working until I fall asleep at my computer, but hey, gotta get things done before they pile up on me.

We have been enjoying our visits to a new church - Austin Stone. It's at Austin High School and is a bit more casual than our church. We have really gotten so much out of the services and music and feel as though God is calling us to be open to where He wants us to be. So, we'll see where He takes us!

Lastly, I dedicate my blog layout to my wonderful mom-in-law, Debbie. Many of you know that she is pretty much my 2nd mom. I have known her now for over 15 years and she is the best mother-in-law anyone could pray for. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery and treatment starting next week. To all of my Christian friends and family - please pray for her and that God will provide us with a miracle of healing!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed 2010!

I can't believe how bad I have been about blogging. I really hope that I will be able to spend a little more time recording the precious memories we continue to make every day. Where do I start?

Kylie was recently a flower girl in one of my dear friend Emily's wedding in Dallas. She was so excited just to get to go stay in the hotel and spend the night! She did such an amazing job. Watching her walk down the aisle really made me emotional. I had to fight back the tears. I was bursting with pride and joy at this beautiful creation God has given me. Even on the days when she tests me (many days!) I still go to bed thinking that she is such an amazing little girl. So many nights, Adam comes to me after putting her to bed and says "Aren't we so lucky?" and of course, I couldn't agree more.

We celebrated Adam's 32nd birthday on the 6th and had lunch at Tres Amigos with all the family. Gigi and Gramps even came in from Arizona! It was their first time to meet Jackson and they really had a great visit getting to spend time with him.

Speaking of little Jackson... well, not so little! He just had his 6 month check up and is weighing in at 18 lbs now! Funny thing is, Kylie was even bigger than that. He's already trying to crawl and can pretty much go anywhere he wants to go. He's quite the little stinker already. Some of his favorite things to do are:

• Pull Kylie's books of the shelf and eat them
• Play with the Christmas tree
• Pull the kitty's hair and whiskers
• Chew on his spoon
• Chew on anything, really
• Roll over every time someone wants to change him
• Play with the little lever on the diaper pail
• Pull his basket of toys off his bookshelf and play with the basket
• Watch Mickey Mouse - he loves that show!

He is quite a character and we can already tell we are going to have our hands full with this one. He's getting his two bottom teeth in now and I'm sure more will come soon. He really is such a sweet baby (even if he does pull my hair!). What a blessing he is....

We are getting so excited about the holidays and spending some time together without having to worry about work! I can't wait!

Fall Fun

We have been really enjoying the beautiful weather here in Austin. Even the rain has been nice! I took Kylie to a pumpkin patch to pick out her pumpkin and she had fun looking at the pumpkins and trying to roll them around. Jackson slept through most of it, but oh well, he'll have his chance later.

It was fun to hang out with Lisa and her crew. Kylie and Cole got to take a trip to Zilker Park to ride the train and it was a perfect day for it! Kylie also got to hang out with her BFF Lainie on Saturday for nails, lunch, and ice cream and then again on Sunday for Lainie's 5th birthday party. Even though they aren't at the same school anymore, they sure still have a sweet friendship. They really crack me up when they're together.

It's been nice to get back into church. Some Sundays it's just been Kylie and I because Jackson was sick and then sometimes it just is too hard for his schedule, but we're trying to get there whenever we can. Kylie has worn her pink cowgirl boots every Sunday for a while now. I told her that God loves her pink cowgirl boots, so go ahead! She's getting them nice and worn in for Halloween... she's going to be "rhinestone cowgirl". Jackson is going to be a pony. Every cowgirl needs a pony!

Adam and Kylie had fun carving pumpkins. They carved a sleeping beauty and a spongebob pumpkin. They turned out really cute! I was glad they got to do that together.

Jackson got his first taste of rice cereal on Friday. He really seems to like it! He's still getting used to it, but he takes it like a champ! I attached a picture of him playing with Harley. He thinks Harley is just too funny. I tried to attach a video of him giggling at Harley but it didn't work, so I'll try again!

Love this time of year!

I truly love this time of year. It happens to be the most stressful time of year for me job-wise, but other than that, I love it. I love the feeling that you can wear long sleeves and shorts or sit out on the porch swing and not sweat a gallon. I love the crispness in the air and the anticipation of holidays to come!

I have been falling behind on my blog, so tonight instead of working (which I should be doing) I am blogging! I really should be sleeping, but that's a whole other issue in itself.

It's hard to believe it's already mid-October. Jackson is already 4 1/2 months old and is growing like a weed. I call him roly-poly because he could literally roll himself across the room if he wanted to. He's mastered the art of traveling by rolling. At his 4 month check-up he was 24 1/2 inches tall and weighed a little over 15 lbs. He's very strong! He's drooling like a mad man, so I'm thinking teeth have to be coming soon. He will have both of us covered in drool in a matter of minutes. He's quite the chatter box too. He loves to make all kinds of noises and he's very ticklish. He has the most precious smile and a laugh that would melt your heart.

Kylie has really changed in the last two months too! Just since she started school, I swear she has really matured. She is doing so well with her letters and sounds. I think she'll be doing well with her reading before the year is over. She gets stickers for great behavior all the time and I can tell the teacher really enjoys her. There are only 7 kids in her class so they get lots of one-on-one time. She has computer, spanish, art, chapel, P.E., as well as her daily activities like reading and math. It's quite a day! We are still trying to figure out how to get her to sleep through the night. Most nights, Jackson sleeps better than she does! We are also seeing an orthopedic doctor about her tippy toe walking. Although to me it is absolutely her signature, I must admit, it concerns me that she's almost 5 and still walking on her tip toes. So, just to be safe, we are going to make sure there is nothing going on that we need to address now. We'll see what the doc says later this month!

Adam is getting busier with work lately, which is a great thing. He's definitely had some frustrating moments just dealing with some of the logistics of home loans, but overall, he's really having a great time. It's great when he gets excited about his loans and what he's got going on.

As for me, it's mostly work these days. I don't leave the house much, but I know soon, it will get better. Just gotta get through this next month! I am sooooo looking forward to the holidays. In November, I get to stay at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs for a tradeshow - very exciting! I wish my family could come along with me. Kylie is dying to play in snow. Maybe I'll have to buy some fake snow for her!

Well, I think I've written enough for now. I'll attach some recent pics!

Bad Blogger

I've been a horrible blogger lately. I guess I've been a little busy. So, this won't be long, but I will try to post more very soon.

We've had a hard week at the Biehler house. Kylie has croup which is basically this nasty cough and chest cold. It keeps her up at night and she's been running fever off and on. It's hard to tell a very active 4 yr old that she needs to just chill out and relax. She gets feeling good (mainly because of the steroid she's on) and bounces around the house, only to start feeling crummy after a while. I wish I could just hang out with her and watch movies, but mom has to work... booooooo. What a bummer.

J-man is as happy as ever. He is my main squeeze (besides Adam of course). I love that little guy so much. He brings me so much joy. Just to see his sweet smile and to hear him laugh when I tickle him can take away any worry, no matter how big or small. God must have really known that I needed a little more sunshine in my life. Kylie brings me so much joy that I never thought I'd get again. Well, now it's double the joy!

Adam is really doing well at his job and working hard to create new business for himself. He's really getting out there and trying to be the best that he can be. I love to hear him talk business on the phone. He really is great at what he does and he's so stinkin' smart. Mr. Smarty Pants.

I love the first hints of Fall in the air. It's wonderful! I can't wait to sit out on the porch, watch football, get ready for the holidays. I love it!

More to come soon!

Jackson loves Kylie

I think this is really sweet. Jackson is so enamored with Kylie. He just loves to stare at her and always smiles when he sees her. It is adorable!