The weather in our region has been unpredictable this winter, and we have seen extreme cold and also spring like temps over the last several weeks. Fortunately, we had just enough snow a few weeks ago to get outside, enjoy the much-needed sunshine, and play in the small amount that we had in our backyard. Our nephews were able to join us, and it made for a really wonderful day of spending time together outside.  The hot chocolate afterwards was an added bonus as well!

The lack of snow, however, is breaking Jaxon’s heart. The three-year-old has loved winter his whole life, and has dreams of creating a gigantic 'dinosaur snowman’ this year. We have yet had enough to create this fantastical snow dino, much to his disappointment. Winter is still young, however, and we are nothing if not hopeful. Our fingers are crossed that all of our patience pays off, and we will soon have some real snow in our future!

Until then, we hope you are finding ways to enjoy the winter season. God's blessings!

-John and Shannen

P.S If we do end up getting enough snow this year to make that snow dino, you can bet that we will make a blog post about it. It will be epic!

The last day of 2022 is always a special one for our family. Our oldest nephew's birthday is on New Year's Eve, and we have spent the last 12 years celebrating him and the start of a whole new year. Jaxon absolutely adores his oldest cousin, and was thrilled to be a part of his party and all of the festivities.  He is still a little too young to stay up until midnight, but his night ended with poppers, noise makers, and fun hats none the less. It was a great night and a really wonderful, family filled way to say goodbye to 2022.

New Year’s Day was one of much needed rest, relaxation, and reflection. The holidays always go by so fast, and it was really nice to just sit down and think about the highs and lows of the past year. A new year always brings anticipation of what could be, and we can't help but hope that 2023 will bring new adventures and possibly a new member for our little family.  It is a wonderful feeling of hope that only comes this time of the year.

Our first night of the new year ended with a special movie night, filled with popcorn, strawberries, and gummy dinosaurs. Jaxon chose “How to Train Your Dragon” and actually watched the whole movie from start to finish! This kind of together time is special, and we soaked up every buttery, sticky moment of it.  We can’t think of a better way to start the year!

Blessing to all of you in the year to come!

-John and Shannen

We are officially in the special week between Christmas and New Year’s Day where time is filled with Christmas leftovers, playing with new toys and gadgets, and lounging around the house in our new Christmas jammies. It is a much-needed rest and gives us time to reflect on the holidays and the new year to come.

This year we continued our tradition of spending Christmas Eve day with John's side of the family. He or his dad, Bill, smoke a ham, we all make sides and desserts and open presents after everyone has ate their fill. John's nieces do so well with Jaxon, and he absolutely adores playing and pretending with them. When all of the wrapping paper and boxes are hauled away, the new board games are broken out and we spend the rest of the afternoon in friendly competition and snack on leftovers until our bellies and hearts are full.

We also have the tradition of attending our church's candle light Christmas Eve service every year. It is a tradition that I, Shannen, have loved since I was a little girl. There is something about singing Silent Night with a hundred other voices in a darkened church that is lit only by candle light. It is the best way to remind ourselves of the true reason for the season, and I love that Jaxon also looks forward to holding the candles (like I did as a kid!)

Christmas morning came and Jaxon was speechless when he saw the presents that Santa left. He is really into monster trucks, farm equipment, and dinosaurs at the moment; and Santa came through for him once again this year. After we opened presents together as a family, we packed up the truck and headed over to my mom and dad's house for Christmas breakfast and to exchange gifts. My brother, his wife, and new baby were able to come up from Tennessee for Christmas Day, and it made the time together extra special. 

We also hosted a Christmas Day dinner at our home for my side of the family later that day, and it was really nice to spend just a little more time together laughing, eating, and enjoying the new gifts everyone had gotten earlier that morning. My brother and his wife had to leave to head back to Tennessee early on Monday morning, and it was important to spend as much time together as possible. We really love and value the time we can spend together with our families, and it is something that makes Christmas time so important and meaningful every year. It is something that I hope Jaxon enjoys and chooses to carry on with his own family someday!

We hope that each of you have had a special holiday season and also have had some time relax and reflect on the previous year.  Know that John and I are grateful for your time and are praying for you and your family in the new year!

Sincerely,
John and Shannen

It isn't really Christmas around our house until an absurd number of cookies have been baked, decorated, and ate in large quantities. It just one of those things that we look forward to every year, stress about in the moment, and then happily enjoy for the week leading up to Christmas.  Jaxon is old enough now to get in on the fun and he was super excited to be a 'big boy' and help decorate cookies for Santa.

This year's cookie selection was both gingerbread and sugar dough snowmen and gingerbread men. Jaxon had a blast using sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, sparkly sugar, and M&Ms. Needless to say, most of the decorations ended up in his belly but we all had a great time, the cookies turned out adorable, and Santa will have his yearly treat with big glass of milk on Christmas Eve!

These silly sweet moments as a family come so easily, but it's also easy to forgot that Jaxon was just a prayer 4 short years ago. Christmas and other holidays were not as joyful or as fun. We were praying for a family, and God's timing was so perfect. This year, as we continue on a new adoption journey, we can't help but imagine another set of little hands helping to spread the icing or decorate a snowman in the future. The wait is sometimes difficult, but we know that once again God's timing is perfect. We will enjoy these moments as a family of 3 with joyful hearts!

Merry Christmas to each of you!

-John and Shannen

This week, we are grateful to live in an area that provides dozens of Christmas and winter attractions for our family to enjoy. From the week after Thanksgiving to the last week of December, we are able to visit museums, botanical conservatories, zoos and local businesses that really go out of their way to make the season special for kids and adults alike. This week, we were able to visit a local gem that has been highlight of the holiday season for our family for many years: a drive through holiday light display of gigantic proportions!

This event has been a part of our lives since we were Honors Society members in high school and volunteered to check thousands and thousands of individual lights bulbs on their displays. It has grown so much in the last few years that it is now not uncommon to wait in line for an hour or more on the weekends! This year it has over 150 displays and it is well worth the wait. It is beautiful and magical way to start off the season, and a tradition that we get to enjoy with John's mom and dad each year.

John's mom, Linda, and dad, Bill, started the tradition when our nieces were born. They would take the girls to their favorite restaurant and then they would enjoy a drive through the lights. When Jaxon came along, we were more than happy to take them up on the offer to continue the tradition with us. Jaxon's excitement at seeing the lights grows every year, and its heartwarming to see him make memories with his grandparents. To be honest, we get just as excited to see the lights as he does!

We can't wait to see what this week will hold for our little family, and we will be sure to write about all of the holiday fun in our next post. Until then, we hope your week is merry and bright!

-John and Shannen

It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas! This weekend we enjoyed some much-needed family time and continued one of John’s favorite family traditions… gingerbread houses!

John has been making gingerbread houses with his family since he was a little boy, and we were very excited to introduce Jaxon to the tradition last year. This year, John found a book at the library that has simple gingerbread house plans that are created with graham crackers. Jaxon picked out his favorite design, and the boys spent Saturday and Sunday making and decorating their masterpiece. Jaxon is so proud of how it turned out, and it was really fun to watch the boys work together.  Their house now has a place of honor on our kitchen counter where we will enjoy it for the next several weeks!

We hope that you are able to enjoy a few moments like these this holiday season. Its easy to get caught up in all of the gift giving and stress, but making memories with our little family is really what it is all about. These are the things that we will remember and will live on for years to come!

Until next time,

John and Shannen

Why does it seem that our favorite season always seems to fly by? September rolls through our region with promises of cooler weather, fall color, and time spent in the outdoors. It is hands down the best time of year for our family. It is busy and beautiful, but the weather soon reminds us that the colder weather is on its way and a new season is right around the corner.

Thanksgiving always seems to be a much-needed pause between the seasons for our family. It is fall’s finale; full of time spent together with family, incredible food, and the inevitable board game or two that brings out the competitive side in even the most mild mannered of our siblings and their spouses. Memories are made, the bonds between cousins grow stronger, and we each take a moment to be grateful for the incredible blessings that have been showered on us over the past year.  It’s a beautiful family tradition and one that we look forward to year after year.

                                     (Shannen's Family at our home enjoying an amazing meal)                                                                                            (John's family deep in friendly compitition)

As we start to decorate and prepare for Christmas this week, it’s nice to know that we’ve had this brief time to come together as a family.  What better way to start off a new holiday season than to reflect on the gifts that we have been given over the past year? To say that we have been blessed is an understatement!

We pray that each of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to take a moment to pause and give thanks for the blessings in your life. We sincerely consider this community and those that are a part of our adoption journey as a major one for our family. Thank you!

-John and Shannen