Flock Of Sheep

Video for Angie Lopez

2011-01-24T14:15:00.001-06:00

I hope this option works so that you can view the video of Gabbie's episode. Thanks. Amy

All I want for Christmas....

2009-12-24T15:40:00.004-06:00

Kiera lost her two front teeth this month! She is excited to have a quarter from the Tooth Fairy for each one ;)

Adelynn thought she looked like a reindeer using the leaves as antlers - so cute!

Gabbie loves getting up to look out the window to see the lights on the front porch. Love those sweet hand prints!

Merry Christmas to all!

Ummm....its April!

2009-04-06T21:09:00.007-05:00

At Nana and Papa's - smiles and naps!

At the Children's musuem in San Antonio

Enjoying the sunshine - Kiera couldn't get the wind to stop and Adelynn wanted to wear the winter items one more time :)

Today was a fun day - okay so we did not really meet our goal of getting out of our pajamas today, but we did have a fun day at home!

Gabbie really enjoyed the peas she had today - liked it so much that there was not too much on her mouth or bib! She took one short nap in the morning and a long one in the afternoon - still working really hard on sitting up by herself.

Kiera and Adelynn did lots of coloring today and of course eating! Kiera tried to play chess -- I have forgotten most of the rules...I guess I should brush up on the game. They enjoyed the Kids In Action CD again - that always wears them out :) And we talked to Memaw and Papaw via Skype - and the girls were all awake and talking!

We had spaghetti and meatballs for supper with sweet potato fries - yes, an odd mix but it was delicious. We cant wait to hear updates from Poland :)

I thought I would add a few photos from our trip last week: San Antonio and then Seguin!
This one is from Nash Farm on Sat

Oh, that Chefs Point (gas station restaurant) was on Diners Diners and Dives tonight - we need to check it out as soon as possible!

Shepperds News

2008-12-09T21:47:00.003-06:00

On Friday after Thanksgiving, Chris decided that setting up the tree was a good job for a 2 yr old, a 4 yr old and one adult...maybe it will be a bit easier next year. Kiera obviously wants to give directions and instructions.

They did a great job - the tree is beautiful! We put it up on a coffee table and that space gap has discouraged them touching it too often...and of course we put more of the fragile ones up higher.

Cheryl hosted Thanksgiving at her new home in Princeton TX. Of course we forgot the camera (but did drag along puzzles, books, snacks, cars, games, nap blankets, dolls, pack & play, blankets, bottles, bouncer and a pecan pie).

On Saturday after the Shepperds did some more shopping and then they came over for most of the day - so we grabbed the camera.

Ronnie seems stronger everyday. He has clearance to drive and is enjoying that privilege. Charlotte is looking forward to retirement :).

Kiera and Ad enjoyed several games with them -- they shared the rules of Chinese checkers and another marble game the Shepperds learned from some family/friends. Kiera's beginners luck is starting to wear down as she understands the games now :). Adelynn interest wears off after about 20 minutes, but she enjoys the time with MeMaw and Papaw and Aunt Cheryl.

I'm off to do some prepping for tomorrow.

So where have we been?

2008-12-03T21:25:00.006-06:00

I did not think it would take so long for us to update everyone via the blog, but it did. The girls are growing so fast - everyday they are bigger and stronger than the day before! It is a blessing to be a part of their lives!!

(isn't that the coolest bouncer chair ever?!?! thanks felicia :)

In October when Naomi and her boyfriend Marcellus came to town to visit, we took a trip to the zoo. It was nice to spend some time with them. We wish they lived closer but they enjoy living in Oregon. Mom also came up the visit and stayed for a few more days to visit and love on us for a bit :) (especially cuddle with Gabbie).

Felicia came to visit this November and Nana and Papa came up to visit too. Felicia enjoyed playing and cooking with the girls (but was a little gun-shy with Gabbie - and we didnt even ask her to change an icky diaper :). We wish she lived closer too (NY is so far too).

The girls have been blessed with visits from grandparents this month. Adelynn still yells "Nana" when the doorbell rings - hoping all our visitors are Nana!

I'll update on the Shepperd side of the family later this week :)

And here comes Gabriella!

2008-10-17T14:33:00.005-05:00

Well, the Shepperd household has had a whirlwind of a month since Kiera's birthday…

October 2nd, Thursday night we found out that Chris’ dad had elevated cardiac enzymes and chest pains (a minor heart attack). As Chris was driving to Tyler to see him, Chris found out that his dad was heading into double bypass heart surgery. Surgery was over at 230am on Friday morning. I called Chris around 330am and told him I did not feel good (some contractions that were so unfamiliarly painful to me and I was having to go to the bathroom a lot) and could not sleep. And since I was not ready to head to the hospital, I thought I should pack my bag and took a shower – so I did that in between contractions. The contractions were not real regular or getting stronger or getting closer….so I kept praying that ‘false labor’ phase would pass…but in a few hours I called a friend and asked if I could drop the girls off at her house. I had an OB appt at 8am on Friday morning October 3rd so I kept that time and dropped the girls off and headed to the office. Praise God that there were less contractions while I was driving!

Chris called around 745am and I was still working to get to the Allisons' house to drop off the girls because I was so uncomfortable. (They were excited to have a playdate - and they were basically unaware that Chris was in Tyler and did not understand why I kept heaving over in pain and tears.) Anyway, he was planning on coming back to DFW after he saw his dad. I called Ms Bobbie from church and gave her the heads up that I might need a hospital buddy if Chris could not make it back. She was excited!!

While I was in the OB's office, my water broke. And the contractions were still going strong. Dr Cope said that we should just head to the hospital. Her nurse took me across the street to Baylor and we would try to get in the OR and try to wait for Chris (my previous deliveries were c-sections too). I called Chris and he was heading back to DFW. God carried him safely to Grapevine and he got there by 1030am.

Gabriella Grace Shepperd was born on Friday morning at 1111am. She weighed 6lb and 12ounces. Oddly my body must have an occupancy/weight and height limit…or is at least one for consistency!

Kiera was 6lb 13oz and 19.75 inches long
Adelynn was 6lb 11 oz and 19.5 inches long
Gabriella was 6lb 12 oz and 19.25 inches long

With the three girls’ births, I think I’ve covered most things:

Kiera – 15 hours of labor, water breaking while laying in bed, epidural and spinal block, she was over a week late
Adelynn – no labor, scheduled c-section, no water breaking, spinal block, she was a week early/right on c-section schedule timeline
Gabriella – 5 hours of labor, water broke/leaked while walking in office, spinal block, she was 12 days early from due date, 5 days early before scheduled c-section

Chris’ dad got out of ICU the next week and was home in Palestine TX by Saturday October 11^th. Continue to pray for his recovery from the surgery. They have seen the girls via Skype but I’m sure are itching to see Gabbie in person! Gabbie and I had our 2 week follow up appts today with great reports. She is up to 6lb and 14 oz and my incision seems to be healing very well and I've gotten clearance to drive again.

Kiera's birthday and Amy's birthday

2008-10-13T23:04:00.004-05:00

Kiera's birthday was a week-long celebration of sorts. We enjoyed a fun family dinner on her actual birthday and she was able to pick some of the food for dinner -- she picked green bean casserole! And then there was ice cream!! She decorated her own birthday party hat and wore it to school.
She got to take a birthday snack for her preschool class on the previous Thursday - which of course was a sugary snack. Then there was her birthday party. Aunt Cheryl decorated the cake for the SILLY MONKEY! Kiera has a list of cakes for her birthdays for the next 14 years - and Aunt Cheryl is excited :)

Kiera's class has a pet fish - it is really a stuffed animal, but a great project for the class. Kiera got to bring the home and immediately realized the fish needed to have a snack too. So she decorated a small box for food and a cup for water and then found a napkin to wipe off her face!

Adelynn has grown quite attached to her Minnie Mouse. She pushes her around the living room in the shopping cart, reading Disney's version of Mother Goose. She loves giving Minnie kisses and snuggles.

Birthday cuddles for the girls after the ice cream on Kiera's birthday!!

My birthday was about a week after Kiera's birthday, but we had more cake! The girls helped Chris make the cake (and lick the beaters) and decorate the cake. It was a wonderful treat!

Next post will be about Gabbie's birthday (and another cake!!)

September news from the Shepperds

2008-09-23T16:27:00.000-05:00

Kiera and Adelynn were so excited to head to preschool together this September. Adelynn claps and smiles with glee when she can see the preschool as we get closer in the car. I've been able to do some of my office work at the church on one of the days they are in school and then I get some 'free' time on Thursday.

Mrs. Bobbie and Mr. Mel gave the girls some special 'big sister' umbrellas - they really enjoy pretending it is raining on the porch :)

Adelynn is such a cuddly queen - she loves giving kisses on both cheeks and is so excited to play with her Minnie Mouse and her Care Bear everyday. We are so blessed with the girls love and affection toward each other, their friends and us. God is good, all the time!

Kiera's class at school has a class pet and Kiera got to take it home the first weekend. She quickly got to making it some pretend food and drink and decorated the outside of the containers. Then she and Adelynn set up the picnic table to feed the fish. I think Adelynn thinks the fish's name is "careful" since we have been reminding them to be careful with the fish and the plastic tank.

What fun!! I've got some photos of Kiera's 4th birthday party - just need to get them downloaded off the camera....

A few fun projects

2008-08-27T15:09:00.006-05:00

Aunt Icia (Felicia) sent us a fun project. I'm still not sure how it was made but it is pretty creative. We set up the trees, grass and mountain and then added water. This is Kiera with a few early sprouts. Then a photo of what it looked like before we knocked it over (it was rather delicate). The girls really enjoyed watching it change and grow.

We decided to set up some money lessons for the girls. It is a little rough around the edges but it will be a fruitful endeavor. Basically they have 5 banks (free money, saving for a bigger item, long term savings acct, giving to church, sharing with others). It started after a lesson at church about giving to God via the church and how she was already so attached to money. Of course we are going to have give some money to the project so they can understand the process better.

Some fun pictures of playing here at home and some new funny faces for Adelynn:

Also a hopeful yet selfishly sad event....a friend of ours from church has moved to FL after finishing seminary at SWBTS and finding a job. James has taken a youth pastor position and is excited about the move. We are sad to see another friend leave but we know that they are following God's direction in their lives. We have had the opportunity to work alongside many seminary students and we are thankful for that opportunity (but we lost another great friend and babysitter!)

And another friend and former co-worker at GRACE is moving this week to PA. Lucia has been such a blessing to me at work and to the family after I had the girls and stayed home. I will miss seeing her and her beautiful smile!

Monthly update...

2008-08-17T14:38:00.004-05:00

Although I had not planned to update this blog just monthly, that is how it is happening... We have lots of things happening so I'll do some summarizing this time :)

We took a trip to Kansas a few weekends ago to visit my grandmother. My parents joined us for the ride and Nana became the favorite book reader on that trip! Grandma was so delighted to see the "beautiful little dolls" and loved their gentle kisses. She sang a little with Uncle Emil and Mom but did not talk too much. We stopped by for 3 short visits over the weekend - Felicia said she had gone in late July to visit and was glad she visited too. (Mom and Dad took some pictures but I forgot to download them onto my computer from her digital....)

While we were there we took the opportunity to connect with many cousins! Tami and Chris hosted a great family dinner at their house. There were 19 people there (8 of the group were kids). It was a great chance to catch up on activities and children and plans! (Thanks again Tami for hosting)
Earlier that day we found a great splash pad at a local park. I'm not sure why we don't have more of these in Texas! The girls were a bit apprehensive for a few minutes initially....but as you can see they loved it!

Our garden was a bit neglected and torched by the blistering sun this summer. We did get another couple of large squash from the garden - and as you can see they are about to fly away!

Chris and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary last weekend! We were able to find some willing grandparents to watch the girls for 2 nights! We stayed in the Metroplex and enjoyed some time together and some time to stop by a few places we had not been too lately (i.e. Impressionists exhibit at the Kimbell Museum, IKEA, Fry's, Container Store to name a few). Thanks Shepperds for watching the girls - they had a great time!

Last weekend we also had a great ministry opportunity at our church - Back to School Bash. We were able to give out 230 backpacks full of supplies to area children, give out clothes and new shoes, and provide free haircuts (thanks Olge Beauty School for providing the free staffing for this)! It was quite an opportunity to support the community!

I would also like to mention a couple of friends from Seguin in hopes that you will add them to your prayer list. Joe and Angie Z lost their youngest of four children (Mark, 2 yrs old - only 2 days older than Adelynn) after a water-related accident last week. Even as we weep with them, I cannot imagine the anguish and grief they are experiences nor the sadness and sorrow of the other children. They are a God-fearing couple and I know they are relying on the Lord in this time of deep sorrow. Please pray for them. Thanks.

Birthday Girl

2008-07-19T15:26:00.005-05:00

Adelynn celebrated her 2nd birthday last Saturday - we had a great time with friends and family. And of course with cake and presents! (Thanks Aunt Cheryl for your creative design on the puppy cake!) Adelynn is already denying that she is getting older - we ask if she is two and she cocks her head to the side, swats the air and says "NOOO!" Okay, maybe she is just at the age where every answer is no :) We played in the water and it turns out that baseball is a summer favorite for the toddlers too!

Update on the garden: We have enjoyed watching the tomatoes and squash grow beyond our bird netting. Adelynn and Kiera have each enjoyed one cherry tomato each from the garden - the next harvest should be 3 cherry tomatoes and I can enjoy one with lunch. The squash should have a great harvest in a few weeks - there are probably 10 baby squash out there now!

Here are some older pictures but too cute to leave out:
I asked Kiera to read to Adelynn while I fixed supper -

Kiera and Adelynn on a shopping trip to Home Depot -

All ready for church one Sunday morning -

Ad is growing up!

Ad has not got that staged smile to mellow down -

As I was putting away some winter clothes (yes, I'm a bit behind), I had to take one of Ad in the ladybug pajamas -

Water Baby!

Kiera loves her braids and her little sissie!

Ad and her birthday flowers -

It's a GIRL!

2008-06-13T15:40:00.004-05:00

We did not find out the gender of the girls before they were born but we had more curious minds involved in the process this time!! We are having another girl - now we have to do some more searching for a relatively unique name....that will probably be revealed in October! (we have to keep some mystery in the process). Below is the photo of the sweet baby girl getting ready for being on the bottom bunk - you know, kicking the top bunk with those legs pushing up! Wow, it is amazing babies have room to grow inside that tiny space!

The pregnancy has been very smooth (okay aside from the morning sickness of the first few months, but that is generally expected). The doctor said to just keep doing what I am doing (I was not that forthcoming that my Cheetos intake is a bit more frequent than even I would like :). I think the heat and activity of next week (Vacation Bible School) will probably wear me out so I'm sure we will all nap when we arrive home!

The garden has been very exciting and now we have 4 tomatoes. Kiera is patiently waiting for them to turn red! The squash have not blossomed yet so it will be a while before harvesting. The flowers have grown and bloomed and are very fun for the girls to water! (Didn't Chris do a great job laying the stone?!)

Kiera has been so excited to play with a little girl in Sunday School who just finished Kindergarten because it has encouraged her to write her name. She has written so many notes and cards to share her abilities. She loves writing and erasing and writing on the dry erase board - this week we purchased some rainbow markers for the board and now she writes each letter in a different color to make rainbow Kieras!!

We played with some shaving cream last week - both girls enjoyed the porch time and the mess!

Summer is here

2008-06-01T16:18:00.006-05:00

It has been a long while since we posted any news so we will hit a few highlights....

Kiera finished up this school year and is excited to spend more time with Mommy and Adelynn. I think she is really looking forward to Vacation Bible School and spending some time at church while I get some work done (and there is a trike that she can ride in the building - what a treat!)

Adelynn has become amazingly more vocal in the last few months. She still likes to say works with strong constants - so horse is always replaced with donk-key! It is so precious to hear the 'peas' and 'ank u' so often from her.

We went to visit Nana and Papa in Seguin a few weeks ago and it was great to see them. Kiera and Ad loved the new playground they had in the yard! The weather was wonderful the entire weekend and they spent most waking hours outside (it definitely trumped cooking or doing art projects in the house)!

We took a trip to the zoo before the heat arrived - in fact it was rather cool all day and the girls had goose-bumps most of the day! We usually go 2x a year for the our b-days!

We've also enjoyed lots of celebrations this spring - birthdays, graduation parties, and holidays (so lots of cupcakes and treats :).

The girls finally went to the dentist (no problems, just a check-it-out type appt for Ad and a first time full mouth inspection for Kiera). We did find a local pediatric dentist and that proved to be a great idea - the girls had a wonderful experience (Kiera said after that the only problem was they had to keep her mouth open so wide and so long). Adelynn enjoyed the train set in the lobby more than the visit with the dentist, but overall, quite uneventful. Praise God! Matching outfits for our dental trip! Adelynn loves her pockets!

Chris installed a new addition to the back yard - a raised garden just on the edge of the porch! We planted some food items and some flowers! The porch is a wonderful place! (photos to be added later)

Kiera is proud of her watercolor painting!

We have our sonogram at 21 weeks this Friday - Kiera is praying for a boy! We'll keep you posted if we find out :)

Easter Fun, A Funeral and Floridian Fiasco

2008-04-19T13:45:00.003-05:00

Adelynn helping me make some muffins. After this Kiera helped me make banana bread. Yummy!

Kiera and I made some Easter Lilies - Adelynn helped destroy some Easter Lilies :)

Chris' grandmother passed away earlier this month and we were able to get to Snyder for the funeral. Gamma Botsford had fallen in mid-February and broke her hip. After a series of complications and hang-ups, she seemed to peacefully enter heaven's gates in early April.

We last saw her at Christmas and Kiera knew she was hurt as we prayed for her a lot. Kiera understands that she is in heaven now but there were a few things that were a bit tricky to explain to a 3 year old at the viewing and funeral. She is excited about heaven and spending time with Jesus and enjoying some chocolate with God :) - so she does not see the downside (that her family and friends dont get to spend time with her anymore).

One of the tricky areas was at the viewing - she did not understand why Gamma was living in a box if she was supposed to be in heaven (makes sense now that she mentioned it). She also did not understand why the box did not have wheels so she could drive to heaven. She did not seem to make the connection between the open casket on Friday and the closed casket on Saturday at the funeral or the cemetery (which I am glad I did not have to explain why her body was going in the ground).

When we were driving away she seemed to have processed most of the weekend's experiences quite well - she said "I wish I could see Gamma just one more time in her house....that is sad." She knew that Gamma would not be on earth again but we could enjoy talking about her. Overall, Kiera seemed to be a great cuddler for MeMaw and Papaw and Aunt Cheryl. She was great with offering many hugs to everyone. (Adelynn offered many hugs too but was not as serene and peaceful as Kiera in the midst of services and chapel visits. She spend much of the time outside with me.)

After our trip to Snyder, we had a planned trip to Florida - the destination DisneyWorld. Kiera has been so excited about this trip (even though she is not attached to any Disney character). Disney was a bit busier than we had hoped although we did enjoy a great number of rides and activities. Adelynn seemed a bit overwhelmed by the activity and the noises - her favorite place seemed to be the bed and the pool.

Well after two fun and stress-filled days, we headed to the airport. Unbeknown to us (as we had not watched CNN, read any papers or checked any websites while at Disney), AA had canceled so many flights that there was no way 3 stand-by travelers were going to get on a flight for the rest of the week. We had to find another room for 2 nights and purchase a one-way flight back to DFW for Sat night. On top of that, our suitcases had enjoyed a trip back to DFW while we were still in FL. The hotel did offer to take Chris to the store for necessities (diapers and wipes and at least one new shirt). We got to do some creative things like kick the can, look for bugs, try to find the smoothest and roughest trees, try to fit sticks and leaves and such into the empty 2 ltr bottle we had. Well, we were glad to be home on Sat night! God really kept our hearts and attitudes calm throughout the week and I hope we were a good example to the girls about flexibility and patience.

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some fun news!

2008-03-22T14:15:00.002-05:00

We have some exciting news - we are expecting Baby Shepperd #3 in early October!!!

I am almost 11 weeks along and a bit more overwhelmed by nausea this time than I recall from the last 2 pregnancies. I think that it usually ends around the 13-15 wk mark so not too much longer.

Kiera has been quite good at sharing the news saying "I'm going to have a baby - not now but later, after my birthday...in October." Adelynn seems to think that Mommy's new nickname is "Baby" since Kiera is always talking about the baby and pointing at my tummy!

Kiera's room is ready for her sister as the bunkbeds are now in place and Kiera enjoys sleeping up for naptime. Adelynn will probably not be relocated until later this summer.

That's all the news I have for now - thanks for your prayers for a safe pregnancy!

Basketball skills

2008-03-20T13:50:00.003-05:00

We have recently learned that Adelynn possesses some strong basketball shooting skills! Watch the video and see her shooting form! We are quite impressed!

The weather was very very nice this morning so we painted outside and did chalk drawings on the driveway. Even with the aprons on, paint found its way onto their clothes ;-)

Chris recovered from the flu last week and no one else in the house got it. He has been at work all week and is thankful the medicine worked - he said that was the worst he has ever felt.

oh the weather....

2008-03-13T07:29:00.003-05:00

Last week we had the opportunity to wash the cars in 80 degree weather and then a few days later got to play in the 3inches of snow! Kiera and I had a good time in the snow and were anxious to make a snowman but Adelynn was not excited about the falling snow or the wind.

This week has been a bummer for Chris as he has the flu! We got the flu shots but this year they were not right on target with the variety of strains out there. He feels awful and hopes the Tamiflu works quickly.

More news later... :)

February - so soon!

2008-02-04T11:44:00.000-06:00

Where is that wind coming from in the house!?!

Well, it is already February and we are getting a fun package for Aunt Omi's 30th Birthday ready this week to send to her! Wow, she is so old! We love you Naomi!!

Last week we tried one pig-tail to pull back Adelynn's long bangs, and yesterday I put Adelynn's hair in 3 pig-tails and it was adorable. Today she had 2 pig-tails and just so cute. Kiera likes to "wag her tails" when we get around to putting tails in her long hair. Of course, Mommy tends to wear one everyday!

Kiera and I are working on a project for our Valentine exchange at preschool - we are making large crayons out of small pieces (melting them in heart shaped metal cups). The bottoms are so smooth and marbled. A fun and practically free gift to go with the cards! (I'll add that photo in a bit)

Lounging on the couch

Enjoying the fun of a few leaves and sunshine on a cool day!

Kiera helped me write thank you notes after Christmas

The girls giving hugs and wrestling a bit!

Holiday Treats!

2007-12-31T16:38:00.000-06:00

These last few weeks have been filled with so many sweet memories and treats! I know it is old news but I wanted to share some of the photos.

Chris and Kiera went to see Frosty the Snowman at Casa Manana in Fort Worth and they had a great time together. The next day we packed up to head to the Perez family for Christmas! Kiera's favorite thing about Christmas seemed to be helping Nana and Papa wrap presents! Adelynn loved finding pecans in the yard.

Then we were off to the Shepperds for a second Christmas! The girls found the Hallmark toys that sing quite fascinating (and rather addicting)!! We had to move them out of arms reach after the first day :) Kiera enjoyed making cupcakes with MeMaw.

Some of the girls favorite Christmas presents: a gingerbread house kit and a mop & broom set -

More info soon. Have a great day!

Adelynn - the entertainer!

2007-12-03T16:29:00.000-06:00

Adelynn is quite the show-boat! As Kiera says "She just cracks me up!" - they both love the camera and want to hold it, but Adelynn has figured out how to grab our fingers to get us to push the buttons so she can see herself on the digital camera viewer.

We are frequently floored by her witty responses and hilarious expressions - she has a few faces she does, just to get us to laugh! And we all enjoy some great bell laughs when they tickle each other!

She picked up two critical phrases in sign language that have helped a lot (more, please and thank you) but she is rather resistant to verbally saying those words. She has learned how to say "orry" verbally since we did not use a sign for that word. So now we are saying "say help please with your mouth" and she proceeds to open her mouth and stick out her tongue every time! Now I think she is doing it on purpose!

Adelynn has also been the target of many loving hands wanting to squeeze or squash her adorable cheeks! Well, now when she hears "squash" in any context, she starts squeezing her cheeks and usually tries to squeeze someone else's!

Okay, Kiera and Daddy make some funny faces too!

Portland Vacation

2007-10-11T18:19:00.000-05:00

We got back from our Portland vacation this last Tuesday evening. It was quite a trip. We started the vacation last Wednesday here in Fort Worth going to the zoo (half-price day ;). The girls really love the animals, and each time we go, they want to see more and more.
We packed that evening and left Thursday morning on our 4 hour plane trip with Ad and Kiera. Ad is a great sleeper at home or in the car... She can go to sleep extremely quickly whenever we put her down. However, in an airplane, not so much. She spent the majority of the trip there playing peek-a-boo with other passengers, crying, making me walk with her and trying to get comfortable with me holding her. All in all, a very stressful experience, that both Amy and I went to sleep rather early once we got to Portland.

We went to several different playgrounds, farmers market, Roloff Farm, public library (where Kiera thought the potties were so cute because they were small size fit for kids, with small sink and small towels... it was so so cool as Kiera says). We ate lunch with Aunt Omi on Friday at the Nike campus where she works and fed some ducks. Amy and I got to go out both Friday night and Saturday night on rare dates, since we had a babysitter with us (thanks Omi!!!). The girls enjoyed some reading and baking with Aunt Omi inWhile in Portland, we got to do many things. parks and a the cool, cool hotel.

On Saturday we got to do Kiera's favorite thing for the trip which was going to a Children's museum. It was quite cool, since there was a play store with everything built for kids, a play digging area, a play ambulance, a theater stage, a building area and the coolest part which was a water play area. There were several things that just poored water or had water flowing, and the kids got to play with the water with scoops, funnels and other floating things. This was Kiera's favorite. Ad enjoyed the water quite a bit as well among some other building block games... All in all a very fun day.

On Sunday, we went to Aunt Omi's church for service. I enjoyed it quite a bit even though we were a little late and missed most of the singing. The sermon was powerful and reminded me that lay people in the workplace have as tremendous of a responsibility as missionaries or pastors. He also had two quotes that I enjoyed quite a bit and want to share.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison
"Prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity to be worshiped." Calvin Coolidge

On Monday we had to stay an extra day since the flights didn't look good to get home, so we went to the Nike employee store (Omi gets us in) and got some shoes for Ad. We also hit a couple playgrounds and ate dinner with Omi at a very cool Portland German type restaurant in a restored barn.

The trip home on Tuesday, Ad was extremely tired the whole time. Again she just wanted me to hold her the whole time and she tried to get comfortable on me. She cried less, but I felt so bad for as we got home around 9 PM and she had been trying to sleep for the last 4 to 5 hours. It was a tough trip, but I'm glad we got to see Omi and Portland was really beautiful!

Picnics, Pumpkins and Walking

2007-09-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

Life around the Shepperd household has been filled with playing outside, decorating pumpkins and picnics on the back patio on the red picnic table. Kiera really enjoys helping me assemble and make large projects, like the patio furniture.

Adelynn's been walking now for a couple of weeks which is great for chasing her around the couch. She's speaking some basic words like hi, bye, dadda, momma, puppa (puppy) and please occasionally. Of course dadda is the best word, and one I've been trying to get her to say for quite a while. We think she is saying Kiera but it is a pretty rough version.

Kiera can spell her name now along with spelling mommy, daddy and Ad. We're trying to get her to read, but she keeps claiming she doesn't know how to. Go figure...

Amy has been working about 10 hours a week at our church (South Haltom) as the church secretary and many more as a mom. She's been in charge of the church directory lately which we have this Tuesday and a host of other miscellaneous tasks.

I have been learning the power of giving over your burdens to the Lord. The last 3-4 months have been the most stressful for me in my work career. I've been overwhelmed with the tasks at hand and quite often thought the weight of the world was on my shoulders (it's really only airline food that I deal with). But God has taught me that he wants to shoulder the burden and it's not my responsibility. What an amazing God who demands us to give our biggest stresses, burdens and concerns to him. When I've given over the burden and done my best, regardless of the results I know God sees it as a success.

This week the family is going on a long awaited Vacation to Portland, Oregon to visit Amy's sister Naomi and to see what the great Northwest has to offer. We are going to the zoo here in Fort Worth on Wednesday to celebrate Amy's and Kiera's birthday and then will get on a plane Thursday morning to Portland and return next Monday. Please pray that 4 hours on a flight won't make Ad go crazy from confinement and that the four of us can enjoy the time we have together.

Kiera's Birthday

2007-09-11T15:16:00.001-05:00

Kiera had her birthday party a bit early this year because there was an opening at the big Treehouse at the parent church of our mission church. She had some of her friends from school and church at the party - it is so cute to see them giggling and talking together! After playing in the tree house, we made butterflies with coffee filters and pipe cleaners, played pin the flowers and butterflies in the garden, and a bowling game with empty water bottles and a ball.

And Aunt Cheryl made a special bug cake with large dots (Kiera loved the big M&Ms)!

K-I-E-R-A -- Kiera has been able to recognize her name for over a year but now she can spell her name! It is so fun to hear her excitement when she says "I can spell my name K-I-E-R-A!" Our next project will be her last name and phone number.

Adelynn is a great deal more confident with her steps. She made a full lap from me to the couch and back without falling or tipping over. She is trying to carry things and that is a bit challenging - she loves wearing Kiera's backpack but that makes her tip over when she lets go of the wall or finger. Adelynn went with me to work today - she did not sleep much but she has learned a lot about the church office responsibilities!

Chris and I "ran" a portion of the 5K run on Saturday for Mercy Heart while the girls sat in the double-wide stroller (since I was on the planning committee, we only ran the last bit 1.5 miles down and up a hill). The event brought out 177 runners and 30+ volunteers. It was great to see the results after all the work our committee put into the project!

I thought I would also add a family photo we took at the Southlake Town Square - Kiera and Ad love the fountains (and the cookies or ice cream treats we usually get when we go)!

Open the doors and see all the people

2007-08-24T13:57:00.000-05:00

Kiera and Adelynn play this silly game with each other at the doll house. Kiera calls it "Open the doors and see all the people!" It is a wonderfully silly game of peek-a-boo and a sure giggle-buster for everyone.

Kiera is so excited about September - a month filled with special days: birthday party at an indoor playground at our parent church, cake, visits with grandparents and aunts, the first day of this school year at Discovery School (she attended last year), a birthday celebration with her friend Nathan (who cant make it to her birthday party), her birthday on the 22nd, more cake, and general anticipation of Mommy's and Aunt Cheryl's birthday in order to make, decorate and eat cookies! (did you catch the pattern?)

Adelynn is very close to walking solo - she does take 4-5 steps on her own, but generally lunges forward at the end of her run. Her little legs are getting tired everyday as she works so hard to climb up and over everything in the living room. She is such a happy and giggling girl. Wednesday night at church she was greatly enjoying her peek-a-boo games with Mel, Bobbie and James.

On our way to church earlier this week, Kiera and I were talking about God and she continues to ask where He is. I mentioned that He lives in our hearts and in heaven getting ready for us. She then commented "When we visit God, he will have cookies for us...chocolate chip cookies!" She is so precious and continually reminds me of our responsibility to raise the girls up with a solid foundation in God. :)

We're finally bloggers

2007-08-11T16:42:00.000-05:00

After reading Seba's last blog, we decided that the world had to hear about the musings of our family. So here is our feeble attempt at authoring a weekly sometimes more often, probably less glimpse into our lives.

Our good friends Seba and Erin left this week for Virginia to prepare for their 2 year missionary stint in Poland. We've been so thankful to the Lord for providing a place for Seba and Erin to serve and we've been praying even longer to prepare the Pols for dealing with Seba. And just like our prayers for Erin's survival have been greatly answered, we know the Lord will bless the Pols with a persistence and patience only the Lord can give. ;) Of course we will miss Erin, I know the girls already do.

This week marked our 9 year anniversary. To celebrate, Aunt Cheryl babysat the girls today and Amy and I went to eat tacos and see Bourne Ultimatum. It was a great movie, although I think Amy could have gone for a little more light and a little less sound. But our once a year trip to the movies was quite fun all in all, and Amy and I got some much needed time to talk alone. Kiera got to make cakes with Aunt Cheryl and had a good ole' time.

Adelynn is starting to talk (the usuals... hi, bye) and is wanting to walk pretty bad, but is a little chicken when it comes time to put her feet where her mouth is, uhhh I mean walk. Kiera is looking forward to school and showed us her snapping skills this morning for the first time. Both are growing quicker than should be legal and we continue to marvel at the blessings they have become to us.