P is for...

P is for Pumpkin Patch

P is for Partner, "Swing your partner" at the Hallelujah Hoedown, that is

P is for Playground with the cousins

P is for Parakeet on my head

P is for Prayerful

All cute pictures aside, we have been very prayerful during this election season. I have heard many christians say they were panicked over the election of Obama. The night of the election God woke me up several times to pray. We need to pray for Obama, our country, our freedom. We need to remember that we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of sonship.

I have been reading Psalm 31 out of the message and this is what has stuck out to me...

"You're my cave to hide in, my cliff to climb.

Be my safe leader...

Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,"

A song has continued to come to mind

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things on earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and Grace"

Blessings to you and your families...

M

i nevr bin so happy

"i nevr bin so happy in all ov my life. love, sophia"

This is a note sophia left for Steve the other day. (All by herself, as you might have guessed!) I asked Sophia what made her so happy and she pointed to her dad.

I know she is beautiful on the outside, but this shows the beauty on her inside.

These Are A Few of My Favorite Things...

Fall is maybe my favorite season. The weather is finally pleasant again and you can be outside without being in the pool. We have enjoyed this month and its weather to the fullest! These are some of my favorite things...

1. Fishing with Steve and the kids

I caught this little blue gill and when Steve dipped it back in the water a large mouth bass came and tried to swallow it, thus the fish above.

2.Horseback Riding

Uncle Dave and Aunt Deb (that's Aunt Deb in the video with Sophia) have gotten into horseback riding and have 3 horses. They have been generous enough to let us slide on their coat tales with this hobby. Sophia is in heaven! (Actually, we all are!)

3. Picnicking

A great way to wear out the kiddos: a ball and a field.

So tell me, what are some of your favorite things? What is your favorite season? Is there something you would recommend as a fall activity?

Sword Fight

I go a month with no posts and then 2 in 24 hours!

This is cute, listen to that giggle!

m

And Grace Abounds

Isn't that what we all need? A little grace....

Who really "gets it right"? I sure don't and haven't met anyone else who can brag that they do consistently, either.

One of God's great mercies for me right now comes in the package of CPA. Sophia is in first grade and this week has started full days. This is good for us all. Now she and I get a chance to miss each other after having a full summer together.

We LOVE Mrs. Craig!

You will notice she is not in uniform. After 2 weeks of school, the uniforms are still not in...
"Grace, Grace, God's Grace..."

I met with Mrs. Craig to talk about Sophia today. Sophia is brilliant, and yet not a people pleaser or a perfectionist....this is need for...
"Grace, Grace, God's Grace..."

(Let me not forget to mention she is as precious as they come!)

Daniel Nouwen doesn't sleep through the night yet, so I am often tired, forgetful and frazzled.

Thanks goodness for
"Grace, Grace, God's Grace.."

And thank goodness DN is just sooo darn cute!

Steve is awesome, as usual! I truly think he is the all time best dad ever!

The latest talk is when and what kind of dog to get. Sophia has decided on a black poodle named CoaCoa Calypso. Steve and I are large dog fans. Steve is thinking a golden retriever. I say one of each...

There again we would need some "Grace, Grace, God's Grace"!!!!

So, what do you think?

Poodle, Retriever, another shepherd? Do you have a good dog story or recommendation for a family pet? How soon is too soon to get another dog? Give us your input!

In loving Memory of Moses Soll

Moses Soll
3/8/2000-8/7/08
Moses, Lovingly called Momo or Momo Ryder, had a terrible accident this week. Tuesday morning I woke up to Moses unable to move the back half of his body. I thought he had strained a muscle. Adrienne and Willy came over to help me get Mo down the stairs and to the vet(Dr. Talbot - we love you!). It turns out a disc in Moses' back burst and there was spinal cord damage. The next two days he was at the vet heavily medicated and we were all hoping for a recovery. Unfortunately, Moses deteriorated and we had the hard job of having him put to sleep Thursday evening. Steve and Lizzy and I went. (Thank you Gabriella and Daniel for watching my kids.) I needed that time to just lay across Moses and cry.
Moses was my first baby. I have been reminiscing....

Moses loved to sit in my lap when I drove the car, it was a hard day when he could no longer fit and had to move to the passenger side. Moses loved to swim, whether in a lake, uncle Dave's pool or the Harpeth River when we took him canoeing. Moses loved the snow - we have lots of snow pictures. Most of all Moses loved his people! He was loyal, loving, gentle, and sensitive. Moses had to sleep in the same room as me or he would have a melt down. He was very attached! (He actually ate through my bedroom door once to get to "his couch".) Mo loved to play "blay blay" with Steve and chase his blanket. I don't know how much he loved it, but he would always willingly dress up with Sophia. If we took a walk Moses had to have his ball, he held it like a pacifier. Moses just had to hear the words "park", "walk", or "go" and he was at the back door with his leash ready to go.

I still look for Moses when I open the cabinet where his medicine is. I expect him to come running. Steve said he was surprised Moses was not at his feet this morning when he opened the cottage cheese container. I haven't vacuumed up his hair or moved his dog bed. I just am not ready to let go.

Sophia wants to "get another puppy, one that will stay small". I can't bring myself to do that yet, I feel like it would be an atempt to replace Moses and Moses is irreplaceable. Like Dr. Talbot said, "Moses was an icon around here." Everyone loved Moses.

How my kids look alike!

It is fun to see Daniel Nouwen's expressions and remember Sophia at this age.

These are Sophia at around 6months

Now here is Daniel Nouwen

What's a mom to say? Are they cute or what!

Kiddo Update

Well, I wish I was better at this, how do people with kids find time to take a shower, let alone blog! We all have been sick, so I have not been sleeping. This means nap time is nap time for me, too, not post on the blog time.
Sophia has been very busy this summer. She has lost another tooth, made up a myriad of dances to High School Musical songs, loves to fish, and is starting a zoo in my backyard! We have caught a turtle, grasshoppers, daddy longleg, tadpoles, frogs, toads, snails, moths, butterflies and even a caterpillar that we watched transform into a chrysalis and then butterfly!

Daniel Nouwen loves to suck his toes. I am so proud! He is sitting up now and has no interest in being on his tummy and trying to crawl. He lights up the minute he sees Sophia, which is a really good thing since she tends to be in his face quite a bit! Imagine that!

Steve and I are starting to get the hang of being the parents of 2 kids. It still is wierd for me to use the word "son"! What an amazing gift from God! Date night is nil, but on our "to do list"....

July is a busy Birthday month. It started with Annie Grace. Cousin Morgan Curtis turned 5 on the 14th. Angel Perez would have turned 18 on the 17th. (Please pray for the Perez family. Angel was murdered 2 years ago and his family doesn't go a day without grieving the devestating loss. May they feel God's presence in what has been several difficult years!) Uncle David Soll's birthday is the 24th. Friend Jeri O'Connor is the 25th, and my mom's is the 26th. (I won't put years!:) Happy Birthday all!

Happy Birthday Annie Grace

Happy Birthday Annie Grace! AG is 1 year old today. She is my precious neice (daughter of sister Lizzy) and I can't imagine life without her...what a blessing she is!

These are the sweet cousins at Annie Grace's birthday party.

Sophia (6.5), Daniel Nouwen (5.5mo), Isaiah (7 mo.) and Annie Grace (1yr).

Isaiah is the newest answer to prayer in our family (son of my brother Daniel and his wife Kara)

Daniel Nouwen is almost as big as Annie Grace. We are waiting to see which of the three babies is the first to knock the other ones out!

Welcome to our Blog!

I am new to the blog scene, but wanted family and friends to be up to speed on all of the Soll household drama and great photo ops. I am starting with a catch up of our eventful year!

Enjoy!