A boy and his bike...

Jeremiah has learned to pedal his bike this month!  We have been fighting these cold winter days by trying to exercise in our basement!  I walk around in our basement circle (yes it is boring but at least I am moving) and Jeremiah follows me in his little tricycle pedaling as fast as he can!  It has been a great way for us both to exercise in these cold winter months and keeps a very active boy able to run and use his legs!

Lydia- 11 Months...

Lydia is 11 months old- moving closer to the BIG 1.  This month she has begun babbling up a storm- she loves to talk to anyone who will listen.  She still has no teeth and is content for the most part to sit on the floor and play.  She has a great reach and often puts her face all the way to the floor from a sitting position.  She has just this week begun to master a spin where she turns herself all the way around from a sitting position but no crawling yet.  She bobs up and down like she wants to move though.  Lydia has enjoyed eating lots of Avocado this month- thankfully they have been on sale at Aldi and we even had a sweet friend (Amy S.) bring one to us.  Her other favorite food- mac n cheese!  Lydia has also learned how to play peek-a-boo with her hands and holds them to her face when we say- "Where's Lydie..."  We have moved the kids in together again for the 8th time this year.  She is still waking up at times but I think overall they are doing ok together.  We think Lydia could be a light sleeper like her Daddy. Lydia has also really loved the snow this month as it has been a very cold month and winter so far!  So that is Lydia at 11 months old...

Jeremiah when Lydia is 11 months old- he wants to take a pic too!

Daddy when Lydia is 11 months old :)

Cousins...

Love these two sweet little ladies... Some fun in their Christmas dresses during the month of December. Yes, Lydia is not too happy toward the end of their time together... Yes, there are tears at times...

Our Friend Katy :)

Today we are watching our dear friend Katy... We are having fun with her...  but 3 kids sure can make a mess in no time!  And it is too cold to go outside- so we settled for Jeremiah and Katy chasing me in the basement. :)  At least they are getting exercise and in the bitter cold these days- we don't dare go outside.

Cookie Baking...

A few weeks ago- we made Gluten Free Sugar Cookies- mainly for Daddy- Jeremiah loved them and made a mess but had fun decorating and cutting them out. Lydia- is not so much help this year but enjoys sitting on the floor and watching! We love cookies! We have also enjoyed using cookie cutters for jello jigglers this year and my friend Amy S. told me she uses cookie cutters to cut out her PB and J sandwiches for her kids- what a brilliant fun way to eat PB and J!

Nancy Guthrie & Community Groups

This weekend, Nancy Guthrie is in town for a Women's Conference Friday night and Saturday afternoon!  I am so thankful to my husband for watching the kids so I can have a bit of a break!  Looking forward to a time of refreshment in the Word and Worship with other women- without kiddos!  Praying God would work on my own heart during this time and hoping to get to know some ladies even better!

We are also getting ready to launch Community Groups at our church.  Michael has been busy training the leaders who will start groups next week.  We have really enjoyed having this group of leaders in our home- they are all amazing leaders and will be great shepherding people in their homes!  Though, I have to admit, I am sad to not have them come over to our home twice a month- it was such a highlight for me!  So here is the group- they are a bit crazy!

Family Shots

Flashback: Wanted to include some of our favorite family shots over the holiday months in December...

Lyons Christmas 2013

Since I am still updating Christmas posts...  We celebrated our Lyons Christmas gathering after we got back from PA on New Year's Day this year.  It was a fun time together though personally it got a little chaotic for me with all the paper and ribbons and kids grabbing toys and wanting to play with things right now.  I struggled through the evening with being upset at my ungrateful son and feeling like the present opening was a little chaotic.  I can see why some families allow kids to open gifts at a separate time and open adult presents at another time- I am liking that idea more and more.  This Christmas we tried to teach Jeremiah the importance of thanks but honestly, I saw more of a greedy heart than I would like to see.  Here's to hoping his birthday in a few weeks will go a little better.

Shower for My Sister

While we were in York, PA over Christmas- my mom and I planned a shower for my sister, a little early, but it was fun to be involved in helping plan a shower for her and we definitely surprised her! My sister is due to have a little boy around the beginning of May. The only problem with our shower day was- literally the day before we were going to have the shower- she got a bad virus and ended up in the hospital. But thankfully she was doing much better on shower day- she just was feeling 100 percent. While in York, we also got to visit with my Mom-mom Delp and Lydia got to meet her Great Grandma for the first time. I am sad I don't get to see my Mom-mom more often but really do try to make the effort to see her when I get to PA!

Delp Family Christmas 2013

On Christmas Eve this year- we journeyed to PA- we had a great week with my family. My mom- being the elementary teacher that she is- had a flannel board all ready to tell the Christmas story. Jeremiah loved that and it carried on a tradition of something we always did when we were young. We had fun being together on Christmas day and then the day after Christmas we headed to a Children's Science Center. Jeremiah and Lydia loved exploring the train display and the different cars to drive as well as grocery shopping with Pop! Jeremiah even got to go to Walmart on our trip with Pop. Even now Jeremiah will tell me what Pop gets when he goes to the store. My dad always took all 4 of us kids grocery shopping and now with 2 in tow- I don't know how he did it and managed to get all the groceries home and not leave any kids behind. :) My brother Jon was home from his internship in Montana this Christmas and it was fun to spend time with him. I think Dad held Lydia most of the time- he had a little bit trouble sharing her- I think she reminded him of my sister and I when we were little. :)