It's been six months since my last post. I decided to take a short break, not knowing that break would turn into a complete withdrawal from blogging completely. At the time, I felt a lot of my time could be better spent with my kids, my husband, friends and family, rather than trying to design, update and keep tabs on this blog. But lately I've had an urgency to write and share our stories with you. In the past six months God has done amazing things in our life, and being able to share it with you is not a chore, but a blessing. I intended this blog to be about our family and so it will continue. My posts may not be as frequent because what the Lord has brought before us will require more of my attention, so I appreciate your understanding. Thanks for coming back to visit and I hope you enjoy watching our family grow in Christ, each other, and life. Here's what's been going on in our neck of the woods...
JUNE: We found out we are having another little Shantine baby! Our due date was calculated to be January 27, 2014. This will give us an 18month spread between JoJo and Baby #3. Having two kids under 2 will be quite the challenge, but with Him, it will be possible. 
JULY: The Summer seemed to start and come so quickly! We spent 3 weeks in Shannon's home town of Chicago and we celebrated Jojo's 1st Birthday Bash there. My mom and sister were able to fly in for the party, while Shannon's parent's hosted. It was a hot and humid but perfect for swimming. We loved seeing our family and knowing that it will be hard for us to travel with 3 kids, we made the most of our trip seeing and relatives at the party.
AUGUST: Tatum had her first day of school! Well, her second first day of school. She started Kindergarten and was so excited! She kept asking me if I notice how big she was. As she grows she becomes more independent and sassy. Since school started she has spend most her weekdays at her dad's house, and weekends with us, but she is just growing like a weed! As a mom I want to teach my kids everything, but it is them who have taught me some of life's greatest lessons. I wish I could stop time to really relish these moments of innocence in my children, but watching them blossom, learn, and grow is an immeasurable privilege.
SEPTEMBER: We found out the sex of Baby#3! As most men do, Shannon was rooting for another boy, but God had different plans for us and so in January he will welcome a baby girl of his own. I have a feeling Shannon will be cleaning his guns a lot more meticulously and frequent as she gets older. I, on the other hand, will be busy making bows and buying all things pink!
OCTOBER: At the height of Shannon's on-cycle training (13 hour work days), our October was fairly quiet. We started some nesting with buying a new crib, but we really just laid low as the reality of having 3 children sank in. When we found out we were expecting another baby, we were excited, but once we found she was going to be a girl, I feel like the actuality of it really started to present itself. We only had Jojo for Halloween and Shannon was able to come home for trick-or-treating, so we decided to take him to a friend's neighborhood to get some loot. He was a lion this year and surprisingly did very well in the snowsuit of a costume. Jo really enjoyed seeing the kids running around in the costumes, and although he didn't understand what was going on, he did enjoy his first piece of candy.
NOVEMBER: That brings us almost up to date! As you can see we've had an eventful past 6 months, but man was it fun! God is oh so good and this is proof. How appropriate is it that, during the most popular time of year for retrospection, I decide to come back to blog? Perhaps the urgency to come back and blog was not for blogging itself, but the Lord's way of saying, you need to take a deep breath and just look at all you have to be thankful for. All praise to Him! As our family approaches the holiday season, I can say that I will have plenty to be thankful for, not only for the past 6 months, but for so much more.
