Cute flashy Minnie shoes

 Sweet cousin love

 Boy cousins digging away

Superheroes!

Layla's getting older, yet I'm staying young

I cannot believe my BABY turned 2 on Thursday. I honestly do not know where the time has gone. She is one of a kind, I tell you. I figured that since we wanted to have so many children, one of them was bound to be a girl. I also knew that I would have no idea how to raise a girl since I am not your typical girl. I blow dry my hair about 2 times a year, I wear minimal makeup, I don't understand fashion, I prefer sports events over any other type of event, and the list goes on and on. For the first year or so of Layla's life she wasn't into girly things. In fact, she's always wanted to be like her big brother so if I put a doll in front of her she would choose to take Josiah's cars instead. Then around 15 months she REALLY started to like jewelry. The more the better. And the shinier the better. I was a little scared because I thought it was the beginning of her girly-ness. However, as the months passed she continued to want to be like her brother (she takes after her mama). When I looked in their playroom I saw little pink and MANY cars and sports balls. About a month or so ago she started liking Minnie Mouse. Now, this girl won't watch television to save her life, but she will watch about 5 minutes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. So immediately I bought her a couple of minnie mouse toys which she seemed to like.
When planning her 2nd birthday I decided on a Minnie Mouse theme. I was going to have a birthday party with all my friends who have little children, but quickly decided Layla wouldn't remember either way, so it was just our families who came. My mom and Aunt Judi did all the decorations and Judi made cute Minnie Mouse cupcakes and Rice Krispie treats. The only thing I did was make pigs n a blanket and that took all of 4 minutes. Let's just say my craftiness skills are below average. The party was super fun. Layla had a really good time and I loved having both our families together for a few hours. Aunt Mindy was even in town for it!! Layla got a lot of Minnie Mouse toys and her and Josiah have already had fun playing with them, and Aunt Mindy got Layla a 2 foot Minnie Mouse stuffed animal which Layla now sleeps with every night (and dances with!).
I'm sure you're wanting to know what Layla is like, right? Well, she's a little fireball! She is very independent. She won't let me put her in her car seat anymore. She insists on "climbing up" herself. If she doesn't like something she will let you know by either throwing a fit or scratching your face. Her vocabulary is huge and she talks all the time! Most of it I still can't understand, but I catch a few key words and we are good. She loves to sleep, and is not a morning person (like her father, unlike Josiah). She finally is getting her K9's in. She's a tattletale. She tells Chris if I spanked her (she reenacts the scene for him, spanking and all) and won't let Josiah get away with anything. She LOVES to dance to any music, but her favorite song it Ha la la (a children's Christian song from the 90s). If she's heard a song more than 3 times she knows most of the words and sings along. She doesn't like going to school. As soon as we pull up she says "I don't want teacher". This is the complete opposite of Josiah, as today he wanted me to leave him at the front steps so he could enter the building by himself (which of course did not happen, but as soon as his classroom was in eyesight he kissed me goodbye and didn't look back). She loves to share! She shares her food, her toys, my phone with anyone who wants it. If Josiah tells me he wants what she's playing with she will give it to him almost immediately without me even asking her to share. She loves her grandmothers! Sometimes she cries when I come to bring her home, which I don't like, but I'm glad she is attached to our mothers like that. She thinks that a bandaid and a kiss from mommy will cure almost anything. And lastly, she is a HUGE mama's girl. She will snuggle with me all day if I would let her. It can be an inconvenience at times, but I love my hugs and kisses from her! Oh, and for her actual birthday dinner we went to Sushi Naki because she LOVES raw salmon. She ate about 6 pieces and then had 2 pieces of a vegetable roll, followed by steamed broccoli. That's gonna be an expensive habit to feed!!

 Yummy raw salmon

 Light up Minnie Mouse shoes (this is the best I could get as she kept moving)

 Layla, unlike her mother, is a dog lover

 Munching on a delicious treat

 I'm 2? Huh?

 It's cool, mom. This yogurt will wipe right off

If you didn't know this, I'm obsessed with my children's feet. Look at those little things!

the hilarity of Josiah

Don't think I have a favorite kid. I will post about Layla after her 2nd birthday in a couple days. Josiah is a true sweetheart. He gets sweeter as the days go by. The other day I was watching him and Layla and Josiah picked her up kissed her cheek and said "you're my favorite girl". He didn't know I was watching, so that makes it all the sweeter. As soon as I pick him up from school he kisses my face, says "hi sweetie, how was your day?". I could go on and on. He is also HILARIOUS! Today I was on the phone with my mother and 5 minutes into the conversation Josiah says "I want to talk to Bebe", so I handed him the phone and he hung up. I said "Josiah, you hung up on Bebe". His response? "That's enough time on the phone!" On the way home from school today Josiah was talking about his friend Scarlett in his class (he is the only boy, but I don't think he minds). He said that she was nice and that they take a nap at the same time and then he covered his face and said she's pretty. I did not ask if she was pretty nor have I ever covered my face when saying someone was pretty, so I think it's pretty sweet that he has his first crush. He also has has this awesome dance move that he does, that I did not teach him. It must be engrained in him to love Elvis because he does Elvis's pelvis move. He also has great comedic timing and laughs at things that are actually funny. I hope he has his daddy's sense of humor because is one of the many things I love about Chris.

 Josiah, the ringbearer, and me

 He loves 10 gallon hats for some reason

His new favorite game. Setting up his pigs and Angry birds using daddy's guitar stand as a launcher. He spends hours playing this.

Saturday treasure hunt

I believe, as all wives should, that my husband is the BEST father in the whole world (with the exception of my father, of course :)). We didn't have any plans on Saturday except to hang out by the pool and spend time together as a family. Josiah has really been into Jake and the Neverland Pirates lately. We watch about one episode a day. Honestly, the show is not all that bad. It's fun and Josiah uses his imagination long after the show is over. Yesterday, Father's Day, we went to Sprouts to get some steaks to grill and the entire car ride Josiah pretended like he was Jake, Chris was Cubbie, I was Izzy, and Layla was Skully. Our car was Bucky and we had many obstacles to overcome on the 15 minute ride, including MANY coconuts to fly over using my pixie dust. It was awesome. And at some points, I think Chris and I were having more fun than Josiah. Who doesn't want to relive their childhood adventures?? Anyways, back to Saturday... Josiah and I were just chilling and Chris was at the kitchen table drawing. He then brings over this awesome map that he drew for Josiah to go on a treasure hunt for his squinkies (yes that is a word. they are rubber and Josiah has about 20 of them from Cars). Josiah thought that it was the coolest thing ever, and I was impressed at his drawings, because a donkey could draw a better stick figure than me. That's it. That's the whole story. I just wanted to give a huge shout to my baby daddy! The map is below. BTW... Josiah loved the first treasure hunt so much that he had his daddy draw another map for another treasure hunt.

My little ring bearer

The first weekend in May my dear friend, Kelly Bosse Burslem, got married in Brenham. Kelly and I met 7 years ago in Lusaka, Zambia where we served with Family Legacy Missions for a month. It was an amazing experience and Kelly and I bonded very fast as we wandered the streets of Lusaka trying to find a doctor for my staph infection. It was hilarious and I am forever grateful to her. Kelly met and fell in love with a wonderful English man and moved to London not too long ago. They got married a month ago in her home town and she asked Josiah to be the ring bearer. He was the cutest ring bearer the world has ever seen. Chris and I were extremely nervous that he was going to cry his way down the aisle, so we packed TONS of prizes and rewards for him. We tried to rehearse, but that was kind of pointless since there were no people to rehearse in front of. Cut to the ceremony and he was flawless. He pumped his chest out like he owned the place. It was awesome. Here's a picture (with the beautiful bride in the background).

Isn't he just the CUTEST thing ever?!?!

Mom fail

Today I tried to be a fun mom and failed. We live in an apartment, so we don't have a backyard and our patio isn't huge. The kids love playing in water and I haven't yet been able to find a water toy for the kids that fits well on the patio. So instead, like a genius, I bought a blow up pool. It rained pretty hard in our neighborhood last night so it was gross out this morning and the mosquitos are starting to creep back into our lives, so I thought it would be fun to put the pool in the living room (Chris helped lead worship this morning and was gone from 7am-3pm so I was alone in this). Josiah and I filled the pool with about 4 inches of water (which took a good 45 pitchers full back and forth from the bathtub) and the kids played in it for over 30 minutes. They had a really good time. They love bath time and going to the pool in our apartment complex, so I knew they would love this. Well, the water got cold, as it does, so I took them out and put them in their room to play while I moved the pool to the patio to drain it. Fast forward 1 hour and the pool is in our bathtub and the living room and carpet in our bedroom is soaked. I didn't get mad once because I could only blame myself for being so dumb as to think it wouldn't be hard to transport 4 inches of water (about 4 feet wide) by myself. However, the good thing out of this hilarious situation is that my kids spent one whole hour in their bedroom (they share a room) without fighting, reading. I really wish there was a camera on me during this because it would have provided people many hours of entertainment. Chris laughed pretty hard at this and is laughing as I type this. He sweetly pointed out that there is no difference between the pool in the living room and the bathtub 10 feet away and that I had my I Love Lucy moment. If you can't laugh at yourself, then what's it all for??

Middle names

I don't know who decided that people should have middle names. It must have been started by a mother who, in her infinite wisdom, decided that if you use their full name, the child knows you mean business. If you don't know, both our children have Spanish middle names, as will all our other children. This is because I want there to be some sort of Hispanic heritage associated with them. Probably once or twice a week I have to use their full name to either get their attention or to let them know they are fixing to be in trouble (I know you're thinking there is no way my children misbehave because they look like angels). Yesterday Layla was doing something to annoy Josiah.. surprise surprise. He clearly had had enough and looks at her and says "Layla Amada Munselle, stop it!". It took everything inside of me to not burst out laughing. Not only have I never heard Josiah say his last name before, but I was proud of him for using his words, not his hands (i.e he didn't push her). You probably don't find this funny, but I do and had to share it.

Life is but a zoo

Life with little ones is so freaking awesome. I love how they are always changing. Just when I think I've got them figured out, they do something that contradicts what I thought. Josiah still has just the sweetest heart and is so kind-natured. He genuinely cares about others, even at the ripe old age of 3. Yesterday when I got home from taking a math test I walked through the doors and he was on the couch watching cartoons while Chris was finishing cooking dinner. Josiah looked at me and said "mama, give me a kiss". I nearly melted. I can't count how many times a day I put my hands over my heart and just melt by things they do. Don't get me wrong, he has his moments (several of them) during the day when he acts his age and I have to get stern with him, or as he says "yell at him", but the good WAY out number the bad.
Layla is my little fireball. Her personality is coming through strong at just 19 months old. She will be as happy as can be and smiling and laughing at something, then out of nowhere she will give you a "go to you know where" look that I just think can't be coming from my sweet little angel. She doesn't let anyone boss her around. She puts up a good fight with her brother (and mother and father) when she doesn't want to do something. And she can hold her own. If Josiah starts to wrestle with her, she wrestles back... usually pulling his hair or scratching him, which gets her in a time out fast, but at least she recognizes she doesn't want to be played with that way. I feel sorry for any boy that has a crush on her.

As you may have noticed, I'm one of the worst moms when it comes to picture taking. Usually when they've done something picture worthy or posing wise, by the time I whip my phone out it's too late and the moment has passed. So I try very hard to take mental pictures and hopefully those will last my whole life. But here are some pictures that I did manage to capture.

 This is how Layla normally eats her food... smeared everywhere and in places that are hard to get out

 She's going to be a heart-breaker!

 Daddy and Layla in front of the monkeys at the zoo

 Layla's first finger painting excursion. She didn't really understand that the paint was for paper...

 ...maybe because her brother was not a good example

 Brother and sister playing together

Success on our Easter egg hunt!

A semi-working mama who is also in school's life...

I'm sure you're DYING to know how my life is going... because that's why you read this, right? To keep tabs on me? Wait... But I'll fill you in nonetheless. The first semester of me being back in school is almost to an end. I have 2 weeks left and then I will have a 3 week break before summer school starts. Somehow I have managed to maintain a 97 average in my Biology class and a 95 in my statistics class. I guess I really am learning something! I am pretty proud of myself. I was never really told that I was smart growing up, so I never put too much effort into getting high grades. But since I actually want to succeed in school this time around I am actually studying and really letting the information sink in and not just retain it for a test. Hopefully this will be a pattern for the rest of my higher education (and something I can pass down to my kids). I do miss being with my babies all the time. I have to break mid day on my non-work days to go to class because you can't take any science classes online. I am very grateful to my mother and mother in law as they watch my babies when I'm at school. This summer, however, I am only taking one class and it's not a science class so I won't have to go campus until the Fall. That I am super excited about. I will definitely need some suggestions on what to do during the summer to keep us from getting in a rut and not enjoying all that Dallas has to offer (preferably free or cheap suggestions). I am an absolute dufus when it comes to crafts, so maybe I can work on my craft skills as the kids work on theirs. You might actually mistake a craft I have made for one of Layla's, that's how sub-par my talent is. Since we are in an apartment complex, we are fortunate enough to have a swimming pool right behind our building, so the plan is to spend a lot of time at the pool and teaching my kids how to swim.
I'm still kicking butt with Jillian Michaels and Billy Blanks and now that the weather is awesome, I'm perfecting my running skills too. And just so you get a laugh, I fell the other day because I was trying to change the song on my phone and wasn't paying attention to the sidewalk and tripped over something. I got a few scrapes from it, but nothing too bad, and the worst part of all was that no one was around to witness it. I know that I love a good laugh at other peoples expense (if they haven't really hurt themselves of course), so I was sad no one could laugh at me or tell their friends about the idiot runner who got laid out on the sidewalk. So there you have it. My life in 500 words or less. Thanks and Gig 'Em.

I did it!!

Okay, so it took me 73 days instead of 60 days to complete Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and Get Ripped in 30, but I did it! And I'm so proud of myself! It was incredibly hard and many days I didn't want to do it. I just wanted to sit on the couch and veg, but I didn't. Of the 13 days that I didn't work out I was either working and didn't get home until too late to do it, or at school taking an exam. I never chose television over working out. And it has paid off! I feel absolutely amazing! I'm the fittest I've been since I got pregnant with Josiah and it's the most fun I've had working out since before then. After my 2 DVDs were done, I started working out to Billy Blanks Tae Bo all over again... hello 2000! One of my BFFs, Allison Cunningham, and I did that all the time our Freshmen year of college. It was awesome... and is awesome. It's a killer workout! I have also picked running back up. Since it's not 40 degrees anymore (except for the past 4 days) I decided it's time I get back to enjoying the outdoors while being active. And let me tell you... I thought I would be slow because I hadn't run since early November, but the first mile I ran, was the second fastest mile I had run in years. And then the other day I ran under an 8 minute mile, which hadn't happened since high school! I was/am incredibly proud of myself. This has clearly helped boost my self confidence and I'm no longer embarrassed by how I look, because the excuse "I just had a baby" ended one year ago. I'm excited to continue to find new and exciting workout programs/videos that motivate and encourage me. If I can do it, YOU can do it!

Randoms

 I just thought you should all see how awesome Layla's hair is after she's had it in a ponytail all day. Her crazy eyes say it all!

 This is a much delayed picture of their Halloween costumes. Josiah was Lightning McQueen again and Layla was a spider.

And this is one of the two cutest feet in the world. Josiah knows how much I love his little feet so he took a picture for me to find on my camera. Isn't he so thoughtful?

 Aunt LeLe and sweet Layla. Do you think they like each other? And yes, that is chocolate on Layla's mouth.

 Josiah was being uncharacteristically shy when we were singing Happy Birthday to him. He covered his ears and then lept into daddy's arms. Then he thought he was just hilarious.

Well hello, gorgeous!

I can't believe how much I took for granted my time in college. I had all the FREE time in the world. I can say that studying was never really an option for me. I would rather have been doing anything else. I didn't really care what my grades were. All I knew is that I was supposed to go to college, even if I had NO idea what I wanted to do with my life. So I went, not knowing what I wanted to do. And that continued until I graduated. Going into the real world I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. And I would say that up until a year ago I had no idea what I wanted to do. Well, now I do. I want to be a nurse... specifically a labor and delivery nurse. So I'm taking my pre-reqs to get in to nursing school. Since I graduated with an Arts degree, I only needed 2 science classes and it didn't matter which ones I took, so I took the easiest ones. And now, 9 years later, I am paying for that mistake. I have 5 science classes that I need to take (and 4 other random ones). And I can't take any of them online. So I have to go to school 2 days a week, for 6 hours just for one science class. Now I know that doesn't sound like a lot of time, but it really is. I have a job, so I am already away from my children 3 days a week, and adding 2 half days is really painful. I don't like being away from them. It sucks. But, I really want to get my nursing degree. It is, however, going to take a while. They offer summer classes, but they are every day and I can't do that since I have a job and 2 children to take care of. So I will be done with my pre-reqs December of 2014. Then I will apply to get into nursing school for Fall of 2015. And that will take 1.5 years. So I should be done with nursing school by Spring 2017. 4 more years from now. I will be 35. Why didn't I figure this out when I was in college?? I am, however, kicking butt in my classes because I actually want to do well and succeed and I know I need to have good grades to get in to the school I want. Okay, sorry for the pity party, but I am at the library doing my statistics class and my brain got overloaded with information, so I thought I would procrastinate and blog. Pray for me.

Happy Birthday, Josiah!!

I can hardly believe my little man is 3 today! What a true blessing he has been in our life. He has taught us about patience, unconditional love, kindness, gentleness, so on and so on. He has such a sweet disposition. He takes the role of big brother very seriously and is always looking out for Layla (which doesn't mean they don't fight). If I'm upset, he knows and is comforting me. He wrestles with his daddy and helps Chris re-live his own childhood. He loves learning about God's Word, and we pray that we are doing a good job loving our children as Christ loves us. We are truly blessed.

Celebration

One of our personal New Year's Resolutions came true on Valentine's Day. Chris got offered a job at Right Now. It's a ministry organization and you can check out their website at www.rightnow.org

We are beyond thrilled and are humbled by God's mercy and grace on our family. I am so proud of Chris for pursuing a new career path that will lead him towards Christ. We are truly blessed! If you think about it, congratulate Chris. He spend a lot of time in prayer and fellowship about this decision and I couldn't be more proud!

36 days of 2013

January came and went faster than the blink of an eye!! I finished Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and am now on day 7 of Get Ripped in 30. I have really enjoyed getting my butt kicked every day! There were many days that it was hard to fit in my schedule, but I was determined to do it, so I did. It's true what they say, do something for 21 days and it becomes a habit. Now if I haven't worked out before lunch I feel lazy and actually miss it. On the days that I work I have to wait until after the kids go to bed to get my work out in, but Chris is extremely supportive and encourages me, so that makes it easier and I don't feel guilty neglecting him for 35 minutes. I wouldn't necessarily say I've lost any weight, it has just redistributed to muscle and my pants fit better, and most importantly, I FEEL better. Now if I could only get my love for chocolate under control!

Chris and I are still reading the Bible every day. It's been awesome. We are both learning so many things about some of the main people in the Bible (i.e. Moses and Abraham) and getting to know God's character better. There have been several times when I have gasped out loud at what has happened or thought to myself, what an awesome movie the story of the descendants of Israel (also named Jacob) would make. Getting to read the New Testament at the same time as the Old Testament is pretty cool. Jesus refers to the Pentateuch often so it's getting to the point where I know what he's talking about! Like I said before, it's become a habit and one I will NOT give up!!

School has been going great! Chris took his first Economics test and made a 100!! I was/am very proud of him. I knew he would succeed, and now he knows it too! I have also been doing really well and actually understand what I'm learning. It's interesting how much I care to do well... that was not the case in college!
Layla and Josiah are getting cooler each day! They play incredibly well together and absolutely adore each other! Josiah is really good at puzzles and loves to draw while Layla bolts for the door every time it opens because she loves the outdoors. Have I mentioned her obsession with necklaces and blankets? Because the girl won't go anywhere without either of those. I am beyond blessed with my children and family and am so thankful for them!

2013 Goals

Goals, resolutions, whatever you want to call them, here are some of ours for 2013 (we are keeping some private too):

• Follow Highland Park Presbyterian Church's Read Through the Bible in a Year
• Get all A's in our classes
• Kristine complete Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred in January and Get Ripped in 30 in February
• Kristine pick up sign language again
• Find somewhere to volunteer monthly as a family
• Spend more time outdoors/cut down on Josiah's television time
• Chris be able to spend more time writing music

So far we are on track with the Bible program and Kristine is on day 6 of the 30 Day Shred (I started a day early as to have Get Ripped completed by Febraury 28... see how I plan ahead? :)). Obviously our main focus is to continue on the path God is leading us, wherever that is, and be good servants of His and follow Him even when it's something we don't want to do.

Our friend, Jason, sent Chris this verse this morning:

Proverbs 30:8-9 (NIV)

 

⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

 

This is a great verse for my family to rest in and pray on. I love when friends send verses of inspiration and reflection as to make us more holy and be in awe of God and all his blessings (seen and unseen)!

A Season of Joy

This is a long one!

This has been the best, most exciting Holiday Season the Munselles have had! To start off, Thanksgiving was so wonderful. Chris and I were unable to make it to Dallas for Thanksgiving the 3 years we lived Nashville, so it was such a blessing to be with all our family on Thanksgiving day. We hung out at my parents most of the day and Josiah and Layla loved all the food (if you know anything about Layla, it's that she will eat whatever is put in front of her, whenever she can!). Our only responsibility was to cook the sweet potato casserole, which Chris did without my help... what can I say, I'm terrible in the kitchen! The following day, my parents took Layla and Josiah to a farm in Waco with my brother and his wife, Naomi, and her whole family. Josiah LOVES his cousins more than me I think. When I ask him who he wants to pray for at night, he always says "Abby, Jakey, Robby". I love that he loves them, because it makes for fun family get togethers. While our children were in Waco, Chris and I moved into our OWN place!! We lived with Chris's parents through August, then we moved across the street from my work for 3 months house-sitting. It is so great having our own place with our own stuff. I forgot what all we had! Moving from a 2100 square foot house to a 1300 square foot apartment has been a slight adjustment. We had to get rid of several things, but de-cluttering/downsizing crap you don't need is one of my favorite things, so it came really easy for me. I must admit, not having so much excess is really nice. It makes me really appreciate just being with my husband/kids and not worrying about how much stuff we have. Besides, we have 2 wild children who destroy most things in their path, so what's the point of having stuff in their way?
12/12/12 was my 31st birthday (the best day ever created). My parents took the kids for the night and the hubs and I went out on a lovely date. He saw Breaking Dawn part 2 with me (what a loving hubby!) and then we got sushi to go and came home and watched an uber chick flick. It was a great celebration and I am just reminded constantly of how much I am loved by my husband and how undeserving I am of him. The week before Christmas was perfection. Chris's sister, Elyse, and her husband, Carter, were in town. Instead of buying gifts for each other, we went out to dinner. It was so fun just hanging out with the two of them and catching up and getting to know them better. Josiah is kind of obsessed with uncle Car Car. For instance, today Josiah told me that he wanted 2 mommies. Me and Uncle Car Car. I'm not sure how I feel about that... Josiah also is obsessed with Christmas lights, so one night we went to the Deerfield neighborhood in Plano and just walked around for a while. It was pretty incredible and a definite redo for next year.
Christmas eve my sister came in town from San Francisco. The last time she came in town was in February and I visited her in August, so it was so great being with her again. My brother, Matthew, and his family came in town that day too. So for the next 3 days it was controlled chaos and I loved every minute of it. We spoiled our children and loved doing it. One night all the siblings and their spouses went to Trinity Hall and had such a hilarious time. Man, I love my family. At one point I thought "in a few years there could be 8 of us". While the younger years with children are hard, the older years are all worth it!
Chris and I start school on January 22. He's going to get his bachelor's in business administration then go straight into getting his master's in healthcare administration. I am going back to get my pre-reqs so I can apply to nursing school. The last time I took a science class was well over a decade ago, so I might be horrible at it, but for over a year I have had a strong desire to become a labor and delivery nurse, so I am going to see if God gives me the ability to do it! We also start our new community group this month. We are so incredibly excited to begin/continue life with 2 dear couples that we love/adore/respect/cherish. I begin a woman's Bible study with some new friends on the 14th and it is such an answer to prayer. God continues to bless our life and we are very aware that we don't deserve any of it.