Moments

Good morning! I have had the hardest time sitting down and blogging lately, for some reason. Maybe it is because there is so much to say that it overwhelms me.

We are doing well here in Japan. I am not sure why Noah's snowboarding picture won't rotate upright but, you get the drift: this kid loves the snow.

We thought that since all 180" we had gotten thus far had melted that spring was on the way.... no such luck! We got aboujt 5-6" last night. The temp has been up and down so much lately that I am sure it will melt but it certainly is beautiful to wake up to the sunlight bouncing off of fresh snow.

I am reading "One Thousand Gifts" right now and if you haven't read it, I highly encourage it. Especially for busy moms who long for night time when you finally have some alone time... Like me. I am learning that God has given us THIS moment - it is to be savored, enjoyed, and we are to enter His courts with THANKSGIVING for all things in that moment of time.

I have started my 1,000 list but haven't gotten far... there is so much for me to be thankful for. Even the mundane can be given thanks - and giving thanks when you don't have a thankful heart is so difficult, but God doesn't care. He doesn't want us to blanket our thanksgivings to Him. He knows our hearts and knows our struggles. So if we can give Him the thanks even in the daily struggles, our blessings will abound. As I said, I am learning an awful lot from this book. And when you are "mom tired" as I am most often, it is vital that we remain thankful and aware of the moment. Moments we will never have again with our babies, our husbands, our daily rituals - for once a moment is gone, it is gone forever. I don't want to look back on my life wishing I had slowed down, for life isn't a race - once run on this earth, it is but a memory. I want my babies to look back on their childhood with me and know that I took time for them, for their dad, for our family, but most importantly, for our God.

Things like my kids singing to each other, the way Elly's hair curls and hangs around her innocent face, the sound of Noah's voice, the soft breathing of my husband as he sleeps beside me, the cat's meows as he talks to us, lying on the couch reading what God is trying to teach me, the mundane of the daily routine, the soft snow outside my window, the phone calls from my mama from so far away, my sister's constant dry sense of humor that never fails to make me laugh, a wave from someone you pass on the street.... my list continues into infinty.

I encourage you to order either the book or the devotional (which is just as awesome) and read it and savor your moments in time with what God has given you. I admit, I struggle to do that most days - I get so caught up in myself, my anxieties, making it one moment to the next. But when I slow down, God blesses me and that moment.

Heading out to start my day as the kids are at pre-school. Enjoy this day and give thanks for it!

Just... You know....

Most days, I wake up and at some point in my morning, I think that I will actually get back to blogging. But days come and go... and no blog posts from Katie Beall.

Why? Maybe because I feel like I can barely keep my head above water these days. Aside from being consumed with two little ones, I am teaching (new term) and prepping to sell this house, our cars, send Piper to her new home (sad), spend time with friends here, while preparing my little crew for a totally new country and culture. We. Are. Overwhelmed.

This weekend we had Danny Beall's sweet best friend, "Uncle Bansk" here. What a blessing he is. We adore Bansk. He was in our wedding and through thick and thin, Uncle Bansk has loved and supported us and our marriage. We love him so much. It was a precious weekend for him and Dan to have together - even just doing yard and house work (with lots of beer involved!), they had a great time and our babies always love having him around. As do I.

Dan won 8 Air Force Officer of the Year and is up for the Bomber Wings' (all over the nation) Officer of the Year award. We have a formal dinner both tomorrow night and then Thursday night where we will find out if he wins the next award. Nonetheless, I am married to the 8 AF Officer of the Year - and I am so proud. He is an incredible airman and troop. I am proud of him.

Going to put my babies to bed. But I promise to come back soon. Bear with me - I am hanging on by a thread here so hang in there, readers!

It's Fall Ya'll!!!

We are back in Alabama this week because Dan had to go TDY to Europe and because it is Troy's homecoming week. It is peak leave season here in the south and has been a gorgeous week. I'm thankful that I get to celebrate this Veteran's Day with my daddy (USMC) and my husband (USAF). And I'm thankful for the time that I got to serve our great nation. Thank you all who have served and continue to fight the good fight. You are appreciated.

P.S. As for the back of my hair, I WILL have Dan take a picture of it :) I didn't realize so many folks wanted to see it! I am flattered that so many of you want to see it and read my blog.

Here, There, just...Everywhere

These past two months have been INSANE! I literally just unpacked my suitcase for the first time since August. Not kidding. 4 Alabama trips, 1 Florida trip, 1 Ohio trip, and 1 trip to South Louisiana for a Troy game. We are tired. But, we are happy, safe and thriving. I am thankful.

I am back into another school term with Troy University and of course, love it. It is such a nice "adult" outlet for me. I truly don't know what I would do without my link to the world of higher education!

We have had such fun this Fall. Troy games, lots of laughs and memories at the Waters in Alabama with my family, a GREAT trip north to Ohio for my sister in law, Annie's surprise shower I helped put on (I'm gonna be an AUNT for the first time! Due 31 December! WHOO HOO!), and so many fun moments with our two kiddos. They love each other very much and constantly make each other belly laugh. And having Noah as a big brother, Ellyotte is guaranteed to be a tough child. She gets kicked and rolled around all day! And she loves it.

My beautiful beach girl - 15 months old

Right at home in the sand

Nothing compares to the beauty of the Florida Panhandle

Go Troy!

Two peas

Enjoying the view from the press box at the Troy game

Ellyotte and gorgeous Aunt Kelly

I got to meet up with one of my lifelong friends, Trish, and her kids while at the condo in Panama City Beach. We were supposed to go from Alabama to Nashville but my BFFs kids got sick there and so we postponed our trip and went to the beach with my folks instead. I hadn't seen Trish in ages. She was a cheerleader at Troy back in the 90s and was my gymnastics and cheer coach. We have been friends for 20 years now and I love meeting up with her whenever I can! We flew kites with the kids on the beach and just loved seeing one another. Isn't she a knock out?! And she has three babies!

View from my folks' place

Noah is stll so into the Troy Sound of the South marching band but he's also decided he wants to be a Troy football player when he grows up. So when he's not marching all around the house, he's throwing the football and practicing his hike. And the kid is so entitled: he expects to be on the field constantly when we are at the games. He doesn't understand that normal kids don't get to sit in a luxury box or go down onto the sidelines during the games! He even got to be on the field of the Super Dome in New Orleans last year when Troy played in the NO Bowl! He's a mess.

We are continuing to miss Bella (please see my previous posts), Noah's friend who went to Heaven on 17 September. Her Tiger class is not complete without her there. They talk about her and remember her every day. Today's Halloween festivities were fun but her absence was noticed. Through this tragedy, I have made great friends with her mommy and daddy. It is wild how two babies born worlds away (Noah in Hawaii in Feb 2008 and Bella in England in April 2008) could end up in the same small MDO class in Bossier City, Louisiana and through the passing of one of them, two mommies could become such good friends. I am thankful for the Paquettes and admire them immensely for how they are going on with life without their Bella here on earth. But Janelle is doing well as she can be doing while grieving and yet pregnant with their baby boy, Noah. Please remember her and Calvin in your prayers.

Bella's backpack hook at school

The Tigers miss Bella

Happy Halloween!

I am thankful to have a good friend who lives in England because I am able to avert future crises: Ellyotte has a kitty that was given to her when she was born. To say she can't be separated from that cat for a second is an understatement. Wouldn't you know the cat is no longer made and is out of stock worldwide. I finally tracked ONE down in a boutique in London and my girlfriend ordered it, had it sent to her house and is mailing it to me to save on the astronomical costs of shipping directly from the boutique. The other night, Ellyotte got poop on her kitty right before bed so I had to wash it. Of course it wasn't dry before putting her down so we had to distract her enough to get her ready for bed. We literally watched her sort through all of her passies and babies in her crib (over the video monitor) and start screaming uncontrollably. Elly is not a cryer so it was pitiful. I ran into the laundry room, turned the dryer up to high and prayed the cycle would hurry! I ended up giving her a wet kitty but she fell sound asleep. All was right in her world again. So, if you run across the Gund Huggybuddy Kitty then hook me up! I will pay you back! We need lots of back ups :) And THANK YOU LESLEY! You rock.

Here are some cute pictures from the fall fun we have been having. I love making memories and taking pictures but the uploading and sorting through the pictures is not something I enjoy doing! SO I will post more in the upcoming days.