The Siak Four + One

10 years ago

2012-02-10T08:54:00.001-08:00

10 years ago I married my best friend. This past week I intentionally took time to think back on all the adventures we've had along the way, big and small. It was obvious the way God has had His hand on our lives through this journey and I am thankful for every blessing and even trial that has brought us here today. While 10 years seems like a long time, it is just the beginning of a lifetime of love and laughter for us. Matt Siak you are my rock, my hero, my partner in parenthood, the one I laugh hardest with, the one who humbles me and lifts me up at the same time, and my forever love. Happy anniversary babe.

My girl

2012-02-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

If she got any prettier it wouldn't be fair to all the other little girls in America. Ella has been shying away from the camera lately. So while we were playing outside this week I conned her into letting me take her picture. I'm always amazed when I look at pictures of her, at just how beautiful she is. She is my big time helper. She loves to play with Luke. And just this week, she became obsessed with vaccuuming (hallelujah!). I am so proud to be her mommy. I love you to the moon and back, my princess.

Pitiful Boy

2012-02-04T06:23:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been telling people "Luke is sick" forever now. We had to take our peanut back to the doctor on Wednesday night. Monday the wheezing came back, Tuesday brought the fever, and so on...

Evidently, back in December Luke tested positive for RSV and Bronchialitis which makes him have asthma like symptoms pretty much all the time. We had about a week and a half in early January where we thought he was on the road to recovery. He has caught another cold which makes RSV/Bronchialitis rear their ugly heads again. You can pray for my sweet peanut, that he will be better quickly. I hate seeing him so puny!

Grandparents.

2012-02-01T02:30:00.000-08:00

I'm lucky. I'm blessed. I didn't just get one or two, but I got 4 really awesome grandparents. And each of them have amazing qualities that I adore. I can still remember my grandaddy Scoggins laugh and I can't wait to hear it again one day when I am in heaven. My grandma Scoggins is one of the sweetest people you will meet. They were there for me so much growing up. My Cagle grandparents have been an example of ooey-gooey love for each other my whole life. In fact, we have patented a "Cagle kiss" based on how often they give each other smooches. My grandaddy Cagle has always had arms open for a hug, and has a heart of gold. My grandma Cagle gets funnier with age. I love her sense of style, and her giving spirit.

Monday I got the blessing of getting to spend the afternoon/evening with them in Marion as they breezed through town. I am so thankful for every moment I get to spend with them, and getting to watch how much they love their great-grandchildren. Noah and Ella were so excited to spend time with them, they squeezed in the middle of Grandma and Granddad in the booth at dinner.

I have a blessed life. A blessed family. I am blessed.

Noah's Birthday Party

2012-01-31T05:32:00.000-08:00

Saturday we got to celebrate Noah's belated birthday at a party with all the Siak/Cannons. It was a lot of fun. Noah requested a spaghetti dinner, so I made Grandma Scoggins famous spaghetti recipe and it was a big hit! It's been a big month of birthdays, and we were glad so many people who love Noah got to be there to celebrate his big day!

Winter or Spring?

2012-01-26T06:28:00.000-08:00

The weather guy last night warned that since January was so mild we should expect winter to show up in February. Well, I should hope so. Don't get me wrong, I love some mild weather, but I really, really, want to get some use out of our snow sleds!! We live in the area of NC that is known for having "four seasons." And this year, we seem to have skipped winter. Wednesday it was such a beautiful day (62 degrees when I picked up Noah from school!) so we headed to the park to enjoy the beautiful day.

Those are after school snack oreo teeth.

Ella lost her pushing priveleges shortly after this was taken. She thought it would be fun to see how high Luke could go while mommy was holding the camera.

Luke loved going down the slide with Noah and Ella.

This is her go-to angelic pose.

Yippppppeeeeee!!!!

Smarty Pants

2012-01-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

You might be tired of me bragging on how smart Noah is, but I just cannot stop myself. We got a note home on Tuesday asking us to attend PTO because Noah was going to receive a mid-year award. Four students from his class were selected to be honored. The teacher told us she never gave out two awards to one student, but had to make an exception this year. Noah got the reading award certificate and the citizenship award. We are so proud of him. Not only is he smart, but he is kind to others.

Their heart is in Ethiopia

2012-01-24T06:27:00.000-08:00

I love a good afternoon away from my kiddos. It's great to recharge, and rarely happens. As a matter of fact, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to and from the dentist last week. I got to listen to my own music and had a quiet ride without any questions from high pitched voices. However. I cannot imagine not seeing them every day. Smelling them (and sometimes wanting to not smell them). Hearing their funny conversations. Smiling without thinking because they are smiling so stinking cute-ly at me. Loving on them. And getting a good snuggle.

And my heart hurts for my sister and her husband as they are waiting. Loving via pictures and video, longing to smell his smell and witness his smile face to face.

Join with me in prayer. Pray that the doors will be swung open to grant Will and Bek a courtdate so that they can travel to Ethiopia to meet their son. That the obstacles will be knocked out of the way. That after the first visit that they will receive an equally quick second courtdate to bring him home to his forever family. Forever.

I admire their patience, perseverance, transparency, and how God has used them through this entire process. Thanks for praying. To learn more about their adoption journey, and how to pray even more specifically for them on a regular basis go to http://www.yestoadoption.blogspot.com/.

Blog-cation

2012-01-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. I never go over a week. So here's a quick recap of the past two weeks.

~ Sarah has a minor procedure on her forehead.

~ Then has an allergic reaction to Bactrin ( no more sulpha drugs!!) and enjoys a nice evening in the ER. My bff Kim came to the rescue and kept me company until 2:30 am - she is my rockstar.

~ Quick trip to Kings Mountain to celebrate Jack's birthday

~ Matt's watched football and is prepping for the super bowl, but thankfully fantasy football is over!

~ Ella discovered Bear Grylls (Man vs Wild) on Netflix and I would trust her knowledge if I'm ever lost in the sahara desert.

~ Noah is still loving his 3DS

~ And Luke got his second taste of chocolate, a chocolate dipped animal cracker (I made chocolate covered strawberries and had extra choc left over - not gonna waste it so I dipped animal crackers in it - delicious!!)

~ I've been skyping - with Grandaddy Cagle,Mom, Bekah as we do the 30 day shred, and I even got to see a quick video of my precious nephew Israel! (http://www.yestoadoption.blogspot.com/)

~ And we are currently having a blast with a quick JohnMark visit.

January Birthdays!

2012-01-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

January is a month of birthdays.

January 2 - John Sr (Matt's Dad)

January 7 - Mary (Matt's mom), LJ, and Jack. And Beau Buhler

January 8 - Noah Siak and Elvis.

January 9 - Buck Buhler

January 28 - Steve Scoggins (my Dad)

Getting together with everyone is impossible, but last weekend we were excited to get to spend their birthday day with Mary, LJ, and Jack. We met at the Fuddruckers in Greenville and thankfully got to enjoy time together in the closed off back room (to say we are a loud group of people, is an understatement). We enjoyed food, and playtime together. It was a great night!

These cousins love each other!

If Benjamin got any cuter it would be illegal

I wish I could say Gabe won...

All 3 born on the same day: Mom, Son, 1st Grandson

8 is Great

2012-01-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

How have eight years have passed since the day you were born... My sweet Noah turned 8 years old on Sunday. We celebrated in high fashion. Church with Granny + family, Chilis for lunch (Noah's choice) with the whole crew, Chuck E Cheese to play some games, Target to spend some birthday money, McDonalds for dinner (once again, Noah's choice), and a birthday cake at home to end a fantastic birthday day.

If you know my Noah, you know how awesome he is. He's a first born because he is driven and strives to please Matt & I. He is more smart than I was at this age. He loves to be a big brother and I would be lost without his help. He loves Jesus. He laughs til he almost pees his pants on a regular basis. His daddy is his hero. I could go on and on and on about the incredible young man God blessed me with. I can't believe how time flies by, and how quickly my "baby" is growing up. I am so proud of him!!

9 Months Old!

2012-01-06T13:54:00.000-08:00

Oh, Luke. You have captured my heart. Our little Lukey is in such a fun and dangerous stage of life. He is a speed army crawler. And just two weeks ago he started to pull up. He falls backwards and bonks his head on a regular basis- we are trying to teach him how to fall and not hurt himself. He squeals with delight when he was happy. And at the same time growls when he's happy too. He also magically makes his mouth into the smallest little o shape and says "ohh" all the time. Gerber Graduates Veggie puffs are on the menu daily - which makes Luke smell like a cool ranch Dorito all the time. Daddy has become a big fascination of Luke this month. When Matt comes home during the day Luke lights up and trys to jump from my arms to get to him. He's not gained much weight in the past few months although he's gotten a lot taller, and battled the croup/bronchitis/ear infection/cold this month. But he is healthy and oh so happy. And perfect.

Look What I Can Do!

2012-01-05T07:11:00.001-08:00

I am wishing time would stand still on a daily basis these days. Luke is growing up so fast. Noah's in such an awesome stage of life, and Ella, well, she's our princess. Last week Luke decided he was going to start pulling up. I know from experience what will follow soon behind this latest accomplishment... walking. If only I could freeze time...

Heads Up

2012-01-04T00:30:00.000-08:00

This is almost my favorite time of year. You wanna know why? The target Christmas toy clearance. About 3 years ago I discovered it. Target marks down a HUGE portion of their toy section all the way down to 70% off. I'm talking about row after row. Last year I got some AMAZING deals. In fact, let me tell you+ about one... Toy Story Super Shooter games marked down from 17.99 to 3.74. On the box was a $5 off coupon. I walked out of the store paying $0 + they gave me the 1.26 overage towards the other toys I bought on super discount. I bought 5 that day and used them as birthday presents throughout the year. Speaking of which, this is the perfect sale to stock up on birthday presents for the year/christmas presents for next year. My total for last year was about $50 out of pocket out of which I bought all of Ella's birthday presents (for November) nephew/nieces Christmas (19.99 vtech toys marked down to less than $5!), Luke's Christmas, 8 presents for my birthday gift closet, and some stuff for Noah.

So enjoy this little heads up. And let me know what deals you find. The mark downs begin now (they start at 30%, then go to 50, then 70) and end usually by the third week of the month. Enjoy!

Papa Siaks 60th Birthday

2012-01-03T07:42:00.000-08:00

We got the priveledge of celebrating John Sr's 60th birthday at our house this past weekend. Almost all of his kiddos were there + wives + grandkids. We ate some great food, laughed a lot, watched some old home movies, listened to entirely too much talk about football (ahem), and ate an amazing cake. The guys ended the weekend playing golf with their dad, one of their favorite things to do. It was a great weekend!

The Birthday Boy & his present- a picture of all his kids.

Luke and his buddy Benjamin

The kids played outside & especially loved this jump on rocket toy.

Let's sing!

A Scoggins Christmas

2011-12-30T01:30:00.000-08:00

Due to Luke's continued sickness (another trip to the doctor yesterday gave us the diagnosis of Asthma elevated by Brochitis + a nasty ear infection), Mom, Dad, and JohnMark came and had Christmas in Marion on Wednesday and Thursday. It was so good to get to see them. I love them all so much and wish I could see them every day!

Uncle JohnMark

Nana gave Ella a pedicure

They've always ad a special bond!

Don't tell her this, but she's my best friend.

Nana, Papa, and the grands.

Christmas with the Cannon/Siaks

2011-12-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

What a great Christmas Day evening. We spent it celebrating with the whole Cannon/Siak clan. The food was great. The children were rowdy. The conversation was funny. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

A LOT of paper on the floor!

Gabe was missing!

Jesus' Birthday!!!

2011-12-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

5:22. That's AM, not PM. Yep, that's when they got up. We had a perfect Christmas morning as a family. I am so blessed to have these kiddos. I cherish these days with them knowing that time flies by too quickly!

Waiting for the "OK" to go in.

Ella got the most rockin dollhouse ever.

He has been patiently waiting for that 3DS all year!

Luke was only slightly as interested in what was going on.

Cookies

2011-12-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

There is only one day a year where I make Alison Reilly's cookie recipe - Christmas Eve. You wanna know why? Too many ingredients/too much work. But they are the BEST sugar cookies on the planet. So the kids and I set to work on Christmas Eve making cookies to set out for Santa. We had the best time!

We were skyping with Bekah in the background of this one.

Luke ate two whole cookies. He was in heaven!

Eve-Eve

2011-12-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

Today started off much differently than we had imagined. At 1am we woke to Luke barking with a cough like a seal. Matt and I looked at each other and knew exactly what had hit him - the croup. We stayed up and headed to the early clinic at ABC Peds before 7am. The doctor confirmed what we seasoned parents knew - the croup. We picked up some steroids and went on to meet the family at our favorite Christmas place to eat - Cracker Barrel. Ella and Noah had spent the night with Granny and we had already planned to meet them there. After a meal that stuffed us full, we headed to the Grove Park Inn for a quick tour of the National Gingerbread Houses. They were AMAZING. It was great to see family. Luke being contagious has changed some of our plans for Christmas, but this will allow us all to get some rest and enjoy the season as our little family. Pray alongside us for a quick recovery for our little man!

The Barrel!

A very, very sleepy family

Joey & Benjamin

Matts sister Sarah & Bart

Granny & Grandpa Coach

Tuckered out from a sleepless night!

Daddy & Luke taking a quick rest

Just part of the Grove Park, it's beautiful!

Christmas at Grace

2011-12-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

I felt like I was walking in my moms shoes last night. I remember so many Christmas services where the 5 of us kids would march up the stage after it was over (in our matching sweatshirts that had ironed-on nativity scenes) and we would be forced to smile for a Christmas picture. Out of all the ones I took this one was the best (?). At least Noah was smiling and looking at the camera.

It felt like it was finally Christmas last night. We all as a family went to the Christmas caroling/worship service at Grace. The music was amazing. The sermon pointed us to where our thoughts should be during this crazy season. And the kids favorite part - lighting candles at the end while we sang Silent Night and O Holy Night (which also reminds me of my mama).

I love Christmas, and can't believe it is just days away!

Countdown to Christmas

2011-12-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread houses. You just got to make them. They are like christmas cookies, that trip to the mall to see Santa, breakfast at Cracker Barrel, caroling service at church. All "have to's" for this time of year. Avery and Carter came over to help us decorate houses this week. It was a fun, messy time for everyone!

A Siak Christmas

2011-12-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

We met last weekend in Kings Mountain to celebrate early Christmas with all the Siaks. Nana and Papa came in from the coast, the brothers + wives + cousins all got to play. We ate an incredible meal and opened presents. It was a great day with family!

People let me tell you 'bout my best friend.

2011-12-13T16:10:00.000-08:00

Today we got to hang out with Sylvie. Mere was with us too, so it was an extreemly "girly" day at the house. The girls had so much fun!

Ella and Sylvie's imaginations went wild up on the field playing "drive through window" at the log cabin.

Tea parties, dance parties, dress up parties...

They laughed like extreemly silly little girls.

They even raced down the hill sitting on scooters.

What a weekend

2011-12-11T16:38:00.001-08:00

Matt, Ella, and Daddy went to Lowes to complete the Coal Car in their three week series. Last week they worked on the caboose, and the front of the train (which is scheduled for next Saturday) they made last year and it fits together with this set. If you have young children and haven't checked out the Build and Grow program at Lowes - do it. It's free, and such a great bonding experience!

Luke has been working on perfecting his crawling. Which means he's getting stuckin random places around the house (this picture, under his excersaucer).

Luke, Noah, and I had our own sing along at the kitchen table courtesy of Christmas songs + you tube.

(We still have Ella, she just doesn't like her picture taken much, I will trap her and take a few pics of her soon).

Baby in a Basket.

2011-12-08T11:40:00.001-08:00

I don't know why, but I wait until we are almost completely out of underwear to do the laundry. Yeah, realistically I could do a load or two a day to maintain... Today I was getting caught up on folding about 5 loads and Luke kept crawling over and messing my organzied piles (mounds) up. I grabbed a basket, stuck him in it, and you would have thought it was Christmas day. He had so much fun! And I got the laundry caught up, or at least until tonight at bathtime when the loads pile up again...

Noah's Solo

2011-12-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

My angel.

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

"Do not be afraid Mary..."

Sunday night we got to watch our Noah play the angel Gabriel in the church Christmas play. He not only had a speaking part, but he had a solo too. He was AMAZING. I am so proud of him! God blessed Noah with many talents and it's so great to get to see him using them.

8 Months Old

2011-12-05T15:40:00.001-08:00

It's getting harder and harder to take these monthly photos without Luke grabbing the paper and chewing on it before I can grab the camera. Today's distraction technique? The remote.

Sweet Luke. This has been a month of big changes. Luke is crawling! He started about two weeks ago. He's semi on his knees, but mainly uses his arms and digs his toes into the carpet. He can sit up and doesn't fall over... until he sees something and jumps for it. He's mostly sleeping through the night. He laughs hard. He loves these cheeto/baby puffs and eats them every day. He still would rather not eat vegetables, however he will eat them if they are on your plate. He is getting so big. And brings us endless joy. Oh, and lastly. He's a major mama's boy.

The newest member of the family!

2011-12-03T09:47:00.001-08:00

My sister Bekah and her husband Will finally received the long awaited referral call last night. They have been blessed with a son! Pray now for a speedy court process so they can bring their little man home as quickly as possible. Read more about their adoption story at http://www.yestoadoption.blogspot.com/

We are all so excited!!!!!

I won it. Fair and square.

2011-11-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

The three sisters have an annual tradition of fighting over the mom's favorite ornament. Years ago Bekah bought it at Cracker Barrel and it became the tradition to "fight" for it. We have to decide between the three of us who wins it. Mom is not involved (that would be wrong, wouldn't it?). If you have a baby or a near death experience that is a "trump card" and you usually get it. But since Rachel and I both had kids this year it was going to be a toss up. Rachel and Bekah decided I deserved it and I couldn't agree more :) I guess I'm not just mom's favorite.

It was a day of many celebrations

2011-11-28T05:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday was not only a celebration for Luke's dedication, but a belated birthday party for Gabriel and Matt. Gabe turned 17 earlier this month, and Matt was 32 on Saturday (I hopefully will have a belated birthday post up for him soon). After we all got home from church we enjoyed coffee (everyone sacrificed sleep to travel to church for the 8:30 service!), soup, and fun time together. The guys enjoyed football, the kids drove the crazy coupe cars down the hill, we ate some cake... It was a great day.

Luke's Baby Dedication

2011-11-27T16:46:00.001-08:00

Today we dedicated our Luke to the Lord in front of our church family, and our own family. We were blessed to have so many people from Matt's family there, my mom, and friends to support us as we took this big step in Luke's life.

Today we promised to pray daily for Luke, to live a Godly example, discipline him according to the principles of Scripture, love him unconditionally, encourage him to become an active part of a local church, and equip him to be a world changer. That is quite the huge task, and we are going to try our best!

I love baby dedications at our church. We publicly agreed to our commitment, and Jerry charged the church to support Luke as he grows to know Jesus. We took a stroll around the congregation to show off our little man while a slide show played. Then received a parenting book, that is going to be a fabulous tool for us. And were prayed for by our children's minister.

We do not take lightly what we commited to today. And are so thankful to have been able to share today with everyone!

We missed Daniel and Lindsey

2011-11-25T11:39:00.001-08:00

This moment, where my grandparents met Luke for the first time, was something I had prayed would happen. God is good.

Hannah Beth is like a doll. So tiny and perfect! And beautiful!

I love these people.

The whole gang (missing Daniel though!)

The Buhler Bunch

Oh Beau, you are such a handsome, fun little man.

This one was serious.

In the photography business, they call this "All hands on deck"

Nana and Papa's grandkids

The Kids Table.

A funny thing happened.

2011-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Never order your Christmas cards while holding a 7 month old and having a conversation with a 5 year old. You might just forget to delete the automatic fill in/example line on the template.

At least I only ordered 15 of these. And I got a really good deal on them, so I'm only out a little. Or maybe I'll just go ahead and mail them. Who knows, maybe Martha, Paul, Julia, and Simon would appreciate me including them.

Isn't she lovely?

2011-11-21T14:26:00.001-08:00

My sweet Ella. I'll love you forever.

Noah Matthew Siak

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love you to the moon and back.

Brothers.

2011-11-20T17:36:00.001-08:00

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero." - Marc Brown

Which one will be my Christmas Card photo...

2011-11-17T09:00:00.001-08:00

Here's a sneak peak of our family photo shoot. Now to pick one for the Christmas card... Yikes! They are all fantastic. We owe it all to Joey Siak's photography gift!

A Sneak Peak

2011-11-15T17:39:00.001-08:00

Once again, Joey has wowed us with his photography gift. He blessed us by giving up his afternoon last Sunday to come shoot pictures for our Christmas card/wall frames. I needed a few of Luke to send to the church for Luke's baby dedication (November 27th) so he emailed me these tonight. I can't wait to get the rest! So enjoy, my precious Luke. There's nothing cuter on the planet.

Luke's Love/Hate relationship with the Santa Hat.

2011-11-12T14:33:00.001-08:00

"There might be something on my head."

"But you are funny mom!"

"There is definitely something on my head!!!"

Bring on the Christmas, baby.

2011-11-12T14:28:00.001-08:00

I am well known as an "early decorator." And I'm ok with it. You can judge, or accept, but it's not going to change the fact that our little family LOVES Christmas. Today we turned on the music and put up the tree. (That sentance made it sound easy, but after the tree light 5 hour catastrophe trust me, it wasn't easy). Everyone got involved, and grinned the entire time. We LOVE Christmas!!

Ella's 5th Birthday Party

2011-11-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

We went to Chuck E Cheese for Ella's party this year. It was her choice, and it was a crazy afternoon! She actually started running a fever right before we got there, and spent the first half of her party sitting in my lap. Thankfully Aunt Heather ran to target and got her some tylenol so she could perk up. After that kicked in she enjoyed playing with her friends and cousins. It was a jam packed couple of hours!

Loving life.

2011-11-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and spent most of the afternoon outside today. It was so perfect! We all had so much fun. As much as I want the holiday's to get here, I am going to miss the pretty weather!

Sporting her birthday princess crown!

Working on extra credit for school. That boy loves to learn!

This was the first shot I took today, all I had to say was "Hey Lukey" and he looked right at me and grinned. Check out those new teeth!

My girl

2011-11-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

Ella is 5 years old today. Sigh... How did 5 years fly by so quickly! I can remember the day we found out we were having a girl. I thought it was a joke. I had never even considered that God might bless us with a girl (matt is one of 6 boys, his dad is one of 4 boys, etc...). Then she came. We fell in love. She wrapped herself around her daddy's finger tighter than I thought was possible. Her smile is infectious. She is loving and kind. She can be fiesty and sassy. She is my biggest helper (sorry Noah, but it's the truth). She takes care of Luke like a little mommy. She loves her friends. She loves to be in charge. She loves to dance and jump. She loves to be creative. I can't remember a day when she hasn't made me something (cards, pictures, and other crafts). She has the biggest imagination and can get wrapped up in a pretend world and stay there for the longest time. She loves to dress up. She loves to talk about heaven and Jonah from the Bible and she's afraid Lady Gaga is going to hell (this is a really, really, long story). Her prayers are the sweetest, purest, honest prayers you can hear. She loves potatoe chips, strawberries, and chicken nuggets. And eats peanut butter from the jar. Her blue eyes are the prettiest on the planet. In fact, she is the prettiest little girl on the planet. She knows how to be patient, and uses that knowledge most of the time. She makes me laugh, hard. She loves to spend time with her daddy. She loves to be outside.

I am the lucky one. To get to celebrate her 5th year. To be her mommy. To get to love her, care for her, snuggle her, and experience life with her. Happy Birthday Ella. I'll love you forever.

7 Months Old!

2011-11-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

7 Months Old! Luke is such a nut. He's 26 inches long and weighed 17.4 pounds at the doctor yesterday. He is such a joy. Right now he is a roly-poly. He rolls from one end of the room to the other. He's curious about what everything tastes like and puts anything in his mouth (except for vegetables). He still hasn't mastered baby food and is curious about big people food. He laughs hard. His favorite noise now is to say something that sounds so much like "Ella" and he says it all the time. He's not sitting up yet, but he tries. It's hard to find balance when you are young. We love every second of life with our Lukey!

No tricks just treats!

2011-11-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

We spent Halloween with my buddy Kim and her family. We hit the street with the kiddos and then enjoyed a great meal with her family. It was a fun night!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

Nana came by for a super quick action packed visit on Sunday. We had saved our pumpkin carving for that day and the kids loved doing it with Nana.

Carving Pumpkins with Nana

All finished!

She really is a lot happier than she looks

Luke testing out Noah's harry potter glasses

He's really gonna love her one day.

Don't be jealous

2011-10-30T16:02:00.001-07:00

We have matching pajamas.

Fall, fall, fall...

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's less than two months til Christmas. How did time fly by so quickly? The weather is about to turn cold again, so the kids and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and played outside for a couple of hours today. I am so thankful we have the field above our house. It's like going to the park, but not leaving home. Luke loved watching the kids have races across the field, trying to swing as high as possible, and playing take out at the window of the club house. I am so thankful that I get to stay home and witness all the little things between my children!

Noah and Meredith

Swinging!

Crazy Coupe cars. The best yard sale find. Ever.

Luke loves watching them play! He wouldn't even look at me for fear of missing the action.

Fall Festival in Marion

2011-10-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

We found out at the very last minute that the fall festival was going on today in Marion. So we quickly threw on our costumes, loaded up the gang and headed downtown!

Ready to load up on some candy!

Luke really didn't care too much for this outing.

This lady asked Meredith what her costume was. Meredith said "I'm a kid!"

The girls had matching hearts painted on their faces.

Noah chose some kind of wierd blood drool. Oh boys....

Camping!

2011-10-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

The crazy Siaks braved camping last weekend on the coldest weekend so far in NC. They had a lot of fun!

The first of many.

2011-10-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago Matt took Noah on a really special outing. Tonight was the much anticipated Ella outing. It was a date. First Matt came home and brought Ella roses. We ate a quick dinner and then Ella and Matt went in opposite directions to get ready. Ella picked out a dress and didn't even complain when she put on her tights. Matt put on cologne and a nice sweater. Then they were off to get dessert and to see the movie Dolphin Tale.

I love that I have a husband who realizes how important one on one time is with our children. I am so blessed to have him!

Courageous

2011-10-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

Courageous - In Theaters Now

I dont' do movie referrals on here. In fact the only time I mention movies are if it's our personal home movies or if it's describing Matt or Noah acting out a movie they saw that made me giggle.

But today I am changing that. Matt and I were priveledged to go see Courageous on Monday night. If you are a dad, know a dad, want to be a dad, a mom, know a mom, know what a mom or dad is.... please go see it.

This movie is challenging, heartwrenching, and true.

You will be inspired, and God will move. Go see it, please.

Student of the Month

2011-10-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

I could go on and on and on and on... Noah is such an awesome student. We hear it from his teachers, see it the way he studies at home, and in how he loves to read just for fun.

This is a picture of Noah receiving the Student of the Month award this week for his second grade class. He got a medal and a certificate.

We are so proud, all day long, of our boy.

Eli and Sylvie's birthday party

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we got to go to Eli and Sylvie's birthday party at Montreat Park. It was absolutely beautiful. The leaves are changing, the weather was perfect, and we got to hang out with some of our most favorite people.

Luke really liked the Lemon Cake

Do you know my friend Sylvie?

Luke's New Favorite Thing

2011-10-18T04:11:00.000-07:00

Going down the slide is AWESOME!

And the winner is...

2011-10-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Jesse Siak!

Matt and his family had the opportunity to go to the Omni Hotel in Charlotte on Sunday night for the Metrolina Theater Association's awards. Jess was nominated in the category of Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor for his role in teh play Bright Lights, Bright City. And he won! Matt was so glad to get to be there with Jesse and his family for the big night. We are proud of you Jesse!

Granny time!

2011-10-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Granny camed to spend the day with us last week! We love having her around!

I love this picture so much!!

"Mom you gotta see this!"

2011-10-08T06:30:00.001-07:00

Luke and Ella were hanging out in the living room when I heard "Mom you've gotta see this!" She had put Daddy's hat on luke's head. So I scooped him out of the excersaucer and took these pictures. Ella was so proud of herself.

How dare you

2011-10-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

strip me down to my diaper and take pictures of me... shame on you mom.

Best big sister ever.

2011-10-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

Ella loves her brother so much. I count on her every day to be my helper and she loves helping me. Today she found the passy (if you have a baby, and have ever lost the passy, you know how frantic the search can be) and was so proud of herself. While we were taking Luke's 6 month picture, she wanted to get in on the photo action. I love my big girl so much.

On another note, she's going to be five in a month. How did that happen so quickly...

It's His Half Birthday

2011-10-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

6 whole months! Where would we be without our Luke-y. He's such a nut. He smiles now all the time. He belly laughs. He's hit a major growth spurt and is topping the scales at around 18 pounds. We are still experimenting with food, and the verdict is fruits are ok, vegetables are nasty. He rolls over but doesn't like it when he gets there. He's trying to sit up. He moved into his own bedroom and has done fantastic. And he is an all around joy. We love our boy!

Papa Siak came to visit!

2011-10-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Papa got to come up for the morning and watch Noah be Goalie at his game. We got to enjoy a quick lunch with him before he and daddy went off on a golf outing. It was great to get to spend time with him!

Goalie!

2011-10-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yesterday I had one of those mother lion roar moments. Noah was goalie. It was his first time. I had never realized the responsibility of the goalie (shame on me, this is Noah's 3rd year playing soccer). Every second of the first half my blood pressure was escalated, and I was on edge. Noah did a FANTASTIC job of guarding the goal. He stopped many balls and only 2 got by him. I was so proud of him! PS; Noah is in the yellow shirts in these pictures.

Superheros!

2011-09-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

Last Christmas my sister gave the kids the most fabulous gift ever. Superhero capes. She made them. They have their first letter on the back and came with matching masks. The kids play around the house in them all the time, and last night they decided there was work to be done in the yard, saving the yard from perilous danger.

Superheros!

Luke loved watching, and really loved playing with his new favorite toy - stuffed Dora.

Running off to save the yard.

He's a spitter.

2011-09-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Luke has started spitting when I put something in his mouth he doesn't like (all vegetables). And sometimes he likes to spit just for the fun of it. Enjoy!

2 minutes.

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken within two minutes, in consecutive order. Silly, crazy, sweet, rotten Luke.

Love.

2011-09-26T17:33:00.001-07:00

scarowinds

2011-09-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

Matt and Noah headed out after Noah's soccer game yesterday to Carowinds. They had been plainning for awhile to go to this annual halloween event. If I had realized how scary it was, I probably wouldn't have let him go. Hindsight is 20/20 :) Nevertheless, they had a fantastic time with the cousins and Aunt Heather and Uncle LJ. Ella is looking forward to her one on one daddy date soon!

The Frog-Themed Play

2011-09-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

Each month in Mrs. Yelton's 2nd grade Noah and his classmates will perform a different play. Friday we got to go and watch the frog-themed play. We learned everything from how they develop, their environment, and some silly songs about frogs. It was a lot of fun to watch! And Noah loves to perform!

Common Ground: A Gathering of Moms

2011-09-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

This is my third year of being a part of Common Ground at Grace. We are a group of mommies who meet, fellowship, and focus on raising our children to have a real relationship with Jesus Christ. I love these ladies and have grown so much from our time together!

They make me proud. All the time.

2011-09-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

I went through Noah's test folder this afternoon. This week he came home with a special sticker because he made all 100s all week (have I told you just how smart he is?). I think his teacher is catching on to how incredible of a kid we have on our hands. The #2 Questions below is "Why do you think the author wrote this story?" To which Noah wrote: so you can learn a lesson of forgiveness. The teacher wrote a "wow!" beside his answer. I love Noah's heart.

On another note, Noah joined the church today. Ever since he was baptized he wanted to go to the front and tell the church about his decision to become a Christian and officially become a member. On the way out he told several people "I'm a member now." It was so stinking cute. I love that boy so much.

Saturdays = Soccer!

2011-09-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

It was a cold day at the field this week! It had rained right before we got there and was super chilly outside. Noah is doing a great job on defense and hustling on the field this year. We love watching him play!

Benjamin is 1!

2011-09-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Riding the tractor was so much fun!

Rebecca asking Benjamin if he was done with the cake.

Cupcakes!

I smell trouble.

I loved how Benjamin dug into his cake!

Watching their cousin.

Benjamin and his daddy.

Sweet Bobbie Hare spent a lot of time with Luke.

I have to tell you, this was one of the cutest birthday parties I have ever been too. Rebecca did such a great job with the decorations. We all had a blast celebrating Benjamins first year of life. I can't believe he's one already!

The end of an era.

2011-09-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have this video when Noah was four of him walking out of his room on Christmas morning. He walked straight to the fireplace, his eyes got wide as saucers, looked at the empty plate and have filled glass of milk and squealed "He did come!" Santa Claus.

Some people choose not to indulge in this fairy tale but for our children, we have. However, the day came last week where a boy in Noah's second grade brought the fairy tale to a screeching halt. Noah came home and asked Matt the question we knew we would have to answer one day, "is there really a Santa Claus?" First of all I wanted to march into Noah's class and have a strong word with that little boy. We considered lying to him but after all
1. thats wrong.
2. what would it have bought us, another couple of months?
3. at least we finally get the credit on Christmas morning.

So we came clean. Not just about Santa but all the other fake people we pretend to be during the year (i.e. the tooth fairy and ridiculous Easter bunny). We explained to him who the real Saint Nicholas was and how there is a little bit of Santa in us all.

This Christmas will be different, Noah promised he will still sit on Santa's lap. Mainly to hear what Ella says to him so we can be spot on Christmas morning with the gifts (No more cranning my neck behind the rope to figure out what she told the big guy in the red suit). He has the ability to keep secrets (he doesn't get that from his mama) so I trust he will be our "helper" with the scheme for the next few years until some punk tells Ella the truth.

Noah has gone up one more rung in the "becoming a little man" ladder.

Ham Rolls

2011-09-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

I have never seen a baby with hamstring fat rolls until I met Luke. Yes, they are edible.

Soccer is back!

2011-09-10T14:45:00.001-07:00

She Rocked It.

2011-09-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Not just the pose, but her first day of preschool.

Ella was nervous yesterday. For some reason she thought she wouldn't make any friends. Or that people would be mean to her (ridiculous). So this morning I thought she would be nervous as we got ready to drop her off on the bus. Nope, she walked right in and didn't even say goodbye. I yelled up the steps "goodbye Ella, I love you" and her teacher had to get her attention. She yelled back "ok mom." I knew it was safe to leave.

5 Months Old!

2011-09-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Noah and I were hanging out with Luke, changing his clothes, the other day and he remarked about how huge Luke is. We reminicsed about how we think we brought home a 6 pound baby, but it's hard to remember, it feels like he's been "husky" for so long!

Luke turned 5 months old on Monday. He's such a nut. This month he has figured out his jumperoo. And boy does he love to go to town in that thing. We are dabbling in the world of food. He prefers what we are eating and we sneak him bites as much as we can.

We love every square inch and minute of this little guy!

Avery and Sky

2011-09-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

For my Anniversary/Birthday/Mothers day combo present last year, Matt bought me a nice camera. More than a point and shoot. He bought it with the stipulation that I won't have a professional photographer take our pictures in order to compensate with the cost for three years so it will pay for itself. Luckily my brother in law takes professional grade pictures now! Anyway, I really would love to figure out what all the buttons and frills do on this thing but I don't have the chance to play with it as often as I would like. Saturday I went and visited my BFF's horse with her little girl Avery. Avery wants to send pictures of Sky and herself to a magazine that she gets focused towards kids and their horses. So I got to play with my camera. Here are just two out of the 200 pictures I took. I hope the magazine will publish one for Avery, she's counting on it!

I love how she's on her tip-toes in this one.

Love.

2011-09-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Recently someone I know had only one child and they were considering having another one. They asked me what the best part about having more than one child is... I didn't have to think about it:

Watching them love each other.

Whether it's watching Noah and Ella get wrapped up in some amazing imaginary world, catching them giving each other a hug on the porch (like they did tonight), or wanting to make their brother smile... I am so thankful to be able to witness the love between my children.

~Disclaimer: This love is always present, however there are times where there is "dislike". I just don't take pictures of those times :)

Food. A day in the life.

2011-09-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

Dr E said we need to start baby food in the next month or so, and I was going to wait. But you should see how this little man's eyes lust over every bite we put in our mouths. So we have been testing the water for a few days now. We've discovered that Luke will only eat pears and rice cereal. Together, not seperate. Everything else gets smeared and spit out. And as a lover of pictures of babies with food all over their faces, I give you these:

Did you really, just put carrots in my mouth.

Carrots are nasty, but my mommy is really funny!

Ahh, my fingers. Better than baby food.

More pears please, toss out the carrots.

31... It's not just how old I am.

2011-09-01T17:37:00.000-07:00

Seeing my sis and Will snuggle and love on my babies at the beach made me so excited that the day they will get to snuggle their own sweet little one is quickly approaching. God has blessed them immensly through this process. And as they are getting closer and closer (they are almost to number 1 on the waitlist for a boy!) there are a few more financial hurdles to jump through.

I just saw on her blog (yestoadoption.blogspot.com) that a friend is donating 20% of the sales this month from her sales profits in a company called 31. Go to Bekah's blog, follow the link, and order something fantastic. My friend Jen was sporting a fabulous 31 cooler bag to the park this week. Not only are they trendy and great quality, you can get them embroidered too!

Cover them in prayer as the details and paperwork get worked out in these last (hopefully few) months. You can also read more about that on her blog.

There will be one less orphan... and you can help him or her get to their forever family!

Kings Mountain to Charlotte in a weekend

2011-08-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

All summer they have been talking about it and the weekend finally came... Carowinds. We headed to Kings Mountain to stay with LJ and Heather along with a whole bunch of other Siaks & Cannons for the weekend. Saturday morning everyone went to Carowinds except for Luke and I, we headed to Rachels for the day. The kids had such a blast. Ella gave me a play by play of every roller coaster she rode with hand motions and loved spending time in the water park with Granny and Barry. Noah loved riding the rides with his daddy and cousins. We all celebrated the August birthdays with the best country cookin place on earth - Cracker barrel.

Rachel, the kids, and I ran an errand and when we got back I left Luke in his car seat for a minute. Beau crawled over and he and Luke smiled back and forth at each other. It was precious. I can't wait to watch their friendship grow as they get bigger!

The kids are already talking about going back to Carowinds next summer...

First Day of Second Grade

2011-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

Oh Noah. You are so precious. How in the world are you old enough to be in second grade? (Better yet - how am I old enough to have a second grader?) The first day of school crept up on us. This morning Noah waltzed into my room at 7:05 completely dressed with his backpack on. Yesterday afternoon we went to meet the teacher. Noah's teacher loves to do plays and does several a year (perfect teacher for our son). He looked around the room, tried out his desk, and got really excited about coming back the next morning. I am thankful that God has given him a wonderful teacher again this year, and that we are able to have such a great school to send him to. My prayer is that he will be an example to others, to radiate Christs love, and to learn above and beyond what is required.

I cried.

2011-08-24T17:34:00.001-07:00

You're welcome.

Long story short: We are watching Lost again, and since I've seen it I half watch it/half play on the computer. My sister got me into pinterest (which is so amazingly addicting). Out of curiosity I typed in "Lost" and somewhere on the page I found this picture. I showed it to Matt. I laughed until my belly shook and tears were coming out of my eyes. Matt did his signature laugh and woke up Luke. Ahhhmazing.

One last hurrah

2011-08-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

I love that Noah still uses his imagination!

Umm... I need some bangs.

Inside the bubble.

Tomorrow Noah starts the second grade. I know he is going to have so much fun. He is the best, quickest, learner I've ever seen. But to be honest I've gotten used to having him around the house this summer, and I don't want to see him go back to school! For our last free day before school started, we headed to Kid Senses with Eli, Sylvie, and Jen. The kids had a so much fun using their imaginations.

Walk-A-Roo

2011-08-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

Luke has a new trick. He's discovered how to walk in his jump-a-roo. Not jump. Just walk. If he could just figure out how to lift both legs he could have a whole world of new fun in that thing!

BP isn't just an oil company

2011-08-18T14:12:00.001-07:00

I had to go in for my BP check today. I (and some people who develop preecclampsia) tend to have an elevated blood pressure after the baby is delivered. With Ella I was on blood pressure medicines for 6 months post partum. Today my pressure was at 118/74, so I got the go ahead to be weaned off the meds. I'm excited to be off of them so soon!

Umm... No Thanks.

2011-08-18T14:07:00.000-07:00

This week Luke had his four month check up. He weighed in at 15 pounds. I forgot to ask exactly how long he is, but he is 25% for length, and 50% for weight for his age. By far, our biggest baby (Ella weighed 15 pounds at her 6 month check up). The doctor told us sometime between now and before he turns six months old, to start him on cereal. Out of curiosity, I thought I would try to give Luke some tonight. He did not keep one speck of food in his mouth and maintained a "what in the world is this?" look on his face the whole time. I gave up after about one minute. We have plenty of time to work on it...

Shark Obsession.

2011-08-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

My kids love sharks. It started when Noah started asking last year to be able to watch Jaws for his seventh birthday. After much debate, and much persistance on his part, we decided to let Matt watch it with him. And so the obsession began. Ella caught on to it.

Currently, I think we own every book out there for kids that is about sharks. The kids got Shark themed Easter baskets and are regularly seen sporting one of their shark temporary tattoos. They have stuffed sharks, plastic sharks, and regularly act out shark attacks between "Jaws" and the plastic "Free Willy." We've watched almost every shark documentary. And Ella's favorite movie is Soul Surfer.

When we found out Matt was going to get to go deep sea fishing while we were on vacation, the kids just knew Matt would catch a shark. AND HE DID!!! He caught a two foot Atlantic Shark. I'm waiting for a blown up version of this picture to arrive in the mail and will frame it for the kids room. Just one more reason their daddy is their hero!

Scoggins Beach Trip!!

2011-08-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Luke loved his first experience in the ocean!

Chillaxin'

I heard all week "that is a Siak baby." He looks just like his daddy!

I could eat his face for a snack. It is so adorable!

2011-08-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

We love our Noah!

Sweet Beau on the beach!
Precious.

The Buhler babies.

Silly Nana!

I love this guy!

One of the funniest duo's I've ever met.

This was supposed to be goofy... but isn't she pretty!

Ella, as Alan Jackson. Courtesy of Uncle Will.

2011-08-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

My quick picture, of the photographers picture on the beach.
Ripley's Aquarium with the whole gang!

Oh, JohnMark. I love him for so many reasons.
#87: being the sneaky creepy guy in photos.

Papa and Beau!

He wore that fanny pack everywhere. And rocked it.

Ella body-boarded with Nana.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Noah. It was our first glance at the ocean. He was so excited to be at the beach he put his head in his hands and laughed.

My spunky girl didn't feel like posing, and I love her face in this picture anyway!

The first walk to the beach of the week!

Bekah took this one of Luke, shopping with the ladies. He could be an add for the outlets.

We all went out on Monday night. The hottest night of our trip. But the heat didn't keep away the fun we had!

Noah's Baptism... The Video

2011-08-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

Baptism on the beach

2011-08-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

This morning Noah was baptized by my dad on the beach. After a short devotional in the house, a hymn on the beach, dad and Noah went in the ocean and took the next step in his Christian faith. I was such a proud mama, and thankful that my dad was the one who got to baptize him.

4 Months Old

2011-08-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Oh, sweet Luke. Four months have passed so quickly! Luke is such a sweet baby. He loves to talk and stand (with help). He's not into rolling over, although he's done it in his sleep. He loves to eat and watch his siblings play. He has really become content in the last month. He's a snuggler. The joy he brings to this family is immeasurable!

What do you do when it's stifling hot outside?

2011-08-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

Eat Popsicles!!!

The highlight of my week.

2011-08-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yes we are going to play in the sand. We're going to laugh until my belly and dad's belly bounces like Santa Claus. We're going to visit the fishes at the aquarium. Swim until we are prune-y. Sneak HannahBeth "real" sugar food. Eat until we bust. Play games. Have a water balloon fight with mom... All thing I can't wait to experience.

But the highlight of my week? Watching my Noah be baptized by my father. I was 8 when he baptized me. Now he gets to do the same for my son.

Noah asked Jesus into his heart last Christmas Eve. Since then I have watched the seeds of faith blossom in his heart. I am so excited to have my father be the one to usher in this next step in his Christian walk.