Spartan Race 2011!

On December 3rd, Ryan and a couple of friends ran the 8 mile Spartan Race in Glen Rose. They ran through obstacles, mud and water to complete their race. The day was rainy and cold, and the water they swam in was 55 degrees! It was grueling, and they did a great job. Ryan's dad and I got to watch and take pics!

Before......

After.....

Here is a glimpse of the in between fun... (and this is just the stuff we could actually see)

And, it only made the guys want to race in some more races just like this one!

Hanging out at Night

Here we all are, hanging out at the house. The kids are growing so much!

Hiking with friends...

As fall sets in, we try to use the few days of beautiful weather and enjoy the crisp colors of the season. On Saturday we visited Dinosaur Valley State Park to hike with some friends, Jeff, Becky and Drew, for the day. We all had a great time, and little Rachel did fabulously! She, like the other two, loves the outdoors!

Rachel Elizabeth Higgins

Three months ago we added our newest addition.... Rachel Elizabeth Higgins! She arrived on August 5th, weighing in at 6 lbs 10 ozs, 20 inches long. She barely made the 5th, coming just eight minutes before midnight. We welcomed her with loving arms and happy faces!! God blessed us with a healthy baby girl, such a gift from the Lord!

Swim Lessons

In the past two weeks the kids spent 30 minutes each day learning swim strokes, underwater diving, and swim kicks. The lessons are offered up at the Pecan Activity Center pool. Andrew and Rebekah did an excellent job getting the basics and feeling more comfortable in the water!

Rebekah's Fourth Birthday...Princess Party

Rebekah's birthday was a success! We celebrated her actual day on Wednesday when she received her doll house. Then she got to help make her birthday cake, hence the chocolate covered face pic. For her party, we went to the park and celebrated outside. The weather was great, and she enjoyed running around with her friends, as much as opening her gifts! Thank you all for making her fourth birthday a great one!

Easter

Easter this year was very nice and relaxing. The kids had tons of eggs to look for, and their baskets were bursting! More importantly though, with Andrew and Rebekah being a little older, we were able to really talk about the reason for Easter and why the eggs aren't important, Jesus is!

Hiking

Today we got to go hiking with Jordan and Brooke, and we had a blast! We first had a picnic then we hit the trail. Andrew led the way, and did a great job following the colors that kept us on the right path. Both Andrew and Rebekah love hiking, and it was a treat to have Jordan and Brooke drive over from Dallas! What a fun day we had!!

Dallas Arboretum

This past week we visited the Dallas Arboretum! We met Mumsie in Dallas for the day.
It is beautiful with all the tulips and their color varieties in bloom! We had lunch amongst the flowers and walked a much as our legs could take us!

Part of the arboretum, was a set of seven princess castles constructed for children to run around and walk through. The castles were scattered all throughout the beautiful park!

Castle Rapunzel:

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters Castle:

Princess and the Pea Castle:

The Little Mermaid Castle:

Aladdin's Castle:

Jack and the Beanstalk's House/Castle:

Beauty and the Beast Castle:

What a beautiful place.... It just made made me want to come home and plant my own flowers!

Rachel Elizabeth Higgins

God's plan is beyond what we imagine and what we expect... and is it always the best. August 1, 2011, we are expecting a little girl to arrive into our family. Can it be that an entire year will have turned from the first doctor's visit I had for Issac, Aug. 2, 2010, losing Issac, being blessed to be pregnant again, and having a new little life growing inside me. It does amaze me, and it goes beyond what I would have imagined and expected. But that is God's plan. And even as I sit here and write, I feel the gentle kicks of Rachel, and I am reminded of the miracle of life. God has blessed us again to carry a miracle and get the chance to raise and care for another child. I miss Issac very much and it is hard to believe that in just a few days would have been his due date, March 16th. But the joy of another due date to look forward to, carries me along and brings me peace with Issac and where he is, and peace with our new little one to come. Do we really know what God has in store for our lives each day? No, but we can trust Him completely each day.



Here she is, our little girl!