beautiful

eden:  "mommy, do you know why i am beautiful?"
mommy:  "why are you beautiful?"
eden: "because of my lipstick and Jesus in my heart."

(hanging with sissyin their favorite climbing tree)

Our Boy

Life with 3...wonderful, full of laughter, never dull, joyful, busy, exhausting...I wouldn't change things for the world. I sure love my 3 amazing kiddo's, but there has been a bit of learning curve in figuring out how to manage each of them well. So blogging has been thrown to the way side a bit.

Our sweet boy is now 8 months old and such a delight! He is happy and easy going, which with two busy, loving sisters is a must. Sporting 4 big white teeth, chewing on things is a favorite pass time and oh the drool! Tru is all boy! He loves to make noise and the more physical you are with him the better. He is fascinated by the wheels on his dump truck and more than anything wants to be standing, so is pulling himself up on anything he can. Tru is not fully crawling, but manages to propel himself forward to get where he needs to go. Still preferring momma's milk, we're trying new foods little by little. Our boy is definitely getting all he needs, weighing in at whopping 22 pounds! He giggles before he eats just like the girls and his strawberry blond hair is starting to sport big curls. Tru eye's are green just like the rest of us and they sparkle and dance when he smile and laughs. He's a snuggle bug and shows his affection by holding your face or rubbing his hand across you and loves to head but...maybe he's showing that linebacker potential already.

This boy has melted our hearts, can't believe 8 months has already passed!

Happy Brithday 'Lil E

I still have so much to catch up on over the last four months, but want to wish my beautiful Eden JoAnna a very happy and amazing 4th birthday today!

Little one, we can't imagine life with out your contagious laughter, your beautiful smile, and your precious heart! You are cherished and loved today and always! We love you baby girl! Thanks for being ours!

Tru Mark Howard Teasley

July 27th at 1:43pm we welcomed our precious baby boy, Tru Mark Howard into the Teasley family, weighing in at 8 pounds and 19 inches long. We are so in love!

* Birth story and updates coming soon

gas

I've had cranky girls on my hands these past few days from lack of sleep and all of the end of the year happenings.

Yesterday, Eden was in rare form...crying and upset about pretty much everything. I think I could have given her a bowl of ice cream and she would have been mad about it.

After dropping off Ezri to school in the morning, we ran a few errands and I had to stop and get gas. On our way to the gas station, Eden started bawling in the back of the car "I don't want to get gas Momma, I don't want to get gas!"

As I pulled into the station, I turned around and asked Lil 'E why she didn't want to get gas and she told me with alligator tears dripping down her round, rosy cheeks "I don't want to get gas, Momma 'cause getting gas gives me bad gas."

Totally struck my funny bone!

highlights from the past 7 months

Not sure where to begin after a 7 month lack in posting...so here are the highlights!

• We found out in the fall we are expecting baby Teasley #3


• Ezri turned 6 in December and had her tonsils out at the end of the month...was grueling but now she sleeps like a champ, has sprouted up, and I think has hallow bones because we can't keep up with her appetite


• Found out in February that baby Teasley #3 is a little boy...we were a little doubtful, but he clearly wanted us to see that he is ALL boy. We are so excited, a whole new world in the Teasley house...watch out girls


• In March we purchased the house Levi grew up in and began a long and intense remodel project...all thanks to Pop Pops and amazing friends for helping us


• March also was the start to Levi's 1st season as head soccer coach at EHS. He had an amazing season...made it to the second round of state. First time EHS "man soccer" as we are now calling it has made it to state since 1986. And to brag about my hubby, he was nominated coach of the year...couldn't be prouder of him.


• After soccer ended we had one week with Daddy home, just enough time to get us moved to our new house over Memorial Day, and now we are back into football mode with the start of spring ball


• Still sitting in unpacked boxes due to a torn muscle in my tummy from being Mommy and working hard to get the house finished


• Ezri will be ending her kindergarten year next week and Friday we are celebrating with a class Luau and program...lots of Hawaiian songs and hula dancing these days


• This past weekend my beautiful friend Melissa took family and pregnancy photos for us...she did an AMAZING job...thanks dear friend


• At 33 weeks prego, looking forward to school coming to a close and anticipating baby boy July 22

eden is 3

every year as the girls birthday's approach, i wonder where has the year gone. why does time fly so fast when you want to freeze every moment (or a least most moments). i'm truly blown away that our sweet little joy, eden joAnna is now 3. the age her big sis was when we met her...

we made the most of eden's actual birthday after celebrating with friends on halloween. eden and i had a special momma-daughter date while ezri was at school. we had yummy smoothies and she picked out a special movie and outfit at the store. we picked sis up from school and met daddy for a quick snack. when daddy got home from practice, we went to dinner at the roadhouse. it was conveniently tuesday and tuesday's at the roadhouse are all about kids...kids eat free and hugh the balloon man comes! we had a great dinner and a complementary birthday ice cream sunday! when we came home, eden got to open her birthday gift from momma, daddy, and big sister...eden got her very own "american girl" doll (our generation doll from target) just like ezri. her name is lily anna and it was so fun watching the girls get so excited about playing with their dolls together! it was a wonderful day! the girls went to sleep with their dolls in jammies sleeping next to them! (sorry for the picture below, our camera is not happy these days)

at age 3, our eden joAnna is bubbly, funny, energetic and sweet. she's still in the 75% for her height and weight and starting to stretch out a little. she makes us laugh whenever she can, but has the gentlest little touch and a very sensitive spirit. she is her big sisters shadow and looks up to ezri in the most precious way...they truly are best friends! she loves coloring and creating, dancing, pretending of all kinds, playing with dolls and anything small...especially pet shops! she wants to be going to school so badly, and walks into sunday school and tuesday morning bible study childcare without hesitation because she's going to class like big sister! it's been so special having her to myself in the mornings while ezri is at school. i get to see a whole new side of her without sister around. she gets lost in imaginative play and is so creative, she's really excited about learning how to cut with scissors and put puzzles together. she is such a talker and quite the storyteller. the main character in all her stories is her "gwampa." she talks with the most adorable lisp, and has a cute little "helium" voice as my mom calls it! she's very tough and brave...she volunteered to get her flu shot before big sister and didn't even cry, but needs a band-aid for any kind of bump or ouch regardless of the location. she has the most precious prayers, and is always thankful for her sister and something silly and random like cheeseburgers.

our precious eden, we are so proud of you and the beautiful little girl that you are! you bless our family everyday and we love you beyond measure. you are a kind friend and a loving sister! your smile lights up a room and your laugh is contagious-one of the best sounds in the world! eden as you step into the next year ahead, we pray that the Lord would cover you in his protection. that he would guard you and keep you safe. we pray that you would continue to grow in your love for Jesus and always have a heart that is open to him. that you would continue to have wonderful friends around you to play with and grow with. Lord we ask that you would continue to bless eden's relationship with ezri and their bond as sisters would never be broken. Lord we thank you for eden's sweet and gentle spirit, continue to grow that in her so that she can share who you are with others. Father we pray that eden would desire to be obedient to you and continue to be filled with the contagious joy that you have given her. help us to be the parents you designed for eden to have, bless her and hold her tight in you arms Father! Jesus thank you for our precious baby girl! Amen!

eden's 3rd birthday party and halloween

our sweet baby girl turned 3 on november 2nd. wow! so hard to believe!

we had a very special birthday celebration with our amazing small group on halloween! our small group (which should really be called a large group), with kiddo's decked out in adorable costumes, came for pizza, crafts, and of course cupcakes! eden wanted a tinkerbell themed party, so the kids made fairy wands, decorated candy bags for trick-or-treating, and went on a hunt for captain hooks hidden treasure. after all the birthday celebrating, all 14 kids and families headed down the road for mob-style trick-or-treating! we had so much fun celebrating our baby girl and we are so blessed by amazing friends!

the girls wore the dresses they picked out from our trip to disneyland in june (yet to be blogged about)...eden was one of the fairies from the new tinkerbell movies named rosetta and ezri was princess tiana. i must say they were absolutely adorable (but i'm a little bias).

first day

this week was an exciting week in the teasley house. we started soccer and kindergarten.

wednesday was our first soccer practice. i volunteered to coach and managed to rope my dad into helping...major time warp for him. our 1st practice was hysterical...we were only on the field for about a half an hour and had kids saying they were tired and needing to sleep, they were doing kart wheels and somersaults, picking grasss, just about everything but paying attention...way too funny! it's going to be a fun season with these little ones. tomorrow is our 1st game...should be interesting.

thursday was our first day of kindergarten. ezri is thrilled to be at valley view and has the most amazing teacher in the world...miss selzler. eden and i were able to stay and hang out with sister for the first part of class. miss selzler read us all "the kissing hand" which is a perfect book for anxious momma's and kiddo's getting ready to leave each other for the first time. we kissed each others hands, leaving reminders that our love goes with each other even when we're apart. ezri had an amazing day, had p.e., ate frog slime with flies in it for snack (mint, chocolate chip ice cream), saw her buddy jack at recess, and was sent home with her very own book to practice reading. she was so ready to head back today! i'm so proud of the little girl she is and is becoming. what a joy it is to be her momma!

ezri just seems like such a big girl all of the sudden. i wish i could freeze time, it all happening too quickly.

our lil' e had a rough time leaving sister, so we had a hot cocoa date and enjoyed some great one-on-one time together. i'm looking forward to spending mornings with eden. i get to see a new side of her with out sissy around. thank goodness school is only a half of a day, eden and i were ready by lunch time to have big sis around againg!

all in all, we're excited for what fall is bringing!

thankful

that is how i find myself today...thankful! thanful for the beauty of God's creation, thankful for the mini-blessings He lays in my lap everyday, thankful the amazing man He gave to me, thankful for the spirited little girls He gave to me to raise, thankful for my lack of perfection and shortcomings...they are pulling me toward Him...refining.

this past year was hairy, i've titled it my "learning year." i was far from the momma, wife, sister, and friend i desired to be, but found that Gods grace was abundant and His peace sufficient in the midst of my overcommitments. i'm thankful for new beginnings, because his grace is new every morning and it's a new morning.

thank you Lord for where you've placed me, for the joy in my heart, for allowing me to try again- you are the potter and i am the clay...mold me.

i yuv you with...

After dinner Sunday, Eden leaned over to Levi and whispered "Daddy, I have a secret...I yuv you with carrots and ranch!" He must be pretty special!

bedtime prayers

Last night, as the girls are getting in lost in the mass of pink and yellow covers in their beds, they are chatting away telling me what we need to pray for before sleep.

Our little Eden's standard prayer requests are for Dadda, Mommy, and Sissy as well as the animals at the zoo, usually a specific animal. Last nights selection was leopards and hippos. Our new favorite request is to pray for chicken nuggets...not sure all she means in that, but cute none the less (treasures I keep in my heart)!

Our Ezri on the other hand - true to her character - has big issues she needs to address with the Lord, often precious thoughts for Grandparents we don't see often, or a friend. Last night Ezri said "Mom, we should pray for the people that had the earthquake."

We haven't talked about Haiti in a while. I love that she has a desire to help hurting people and remembers what happened. Ezri went on to tell me "We need to pray for those kids Momma, maybe there's one who doesn't have a family, maybe we should go and get one. We could adopt one Momma. If we adopted one, would we bring their car seat with us?"

As she chatted on about the kids, I just teared up. I love the tender awareness God puts in the hearts of children. Ezri prayed a precious prayer for "the people shaked by the earthquake." My prayer is that her heart is always soft and open to God's prompting and that Levi and I can learn from her heart as well!

if you're not a monkey...

...you can't eat banana's upside down.

While I was in the kitchen making dinner, Ezri was snacking on a banana at the table. I turned around and she was laying backwards in her chair with her head under the table. She looked at me and said "It's not easy to eat a banana upside down if you are not a monkey."

Another quote added to the list I don't want to forget!

"there are monsters in my nose"

In the car today...

Eden: "There are monsters, monsters, there are monsters!" Covering her eyes and peeking through her fingers.

Momma: "Eden there are no monsters, you silly goose!"

Eden: "No Momma! There are monsters in my nose! They are trying to eat my boogers." Then grabbing her nose and yelling, "Monsters DON'T EAT MY BOOGERS!" Then looking at me with a smile starts laughing!

trying to keep up...

It seems these days with teaching part-time (which often feels like more), being a momma and a wife, I'm not so good at keeping up with much else! But I'm hoping to do better. Be prepared for another round of blog-catch-up!

my love

My best friend, my better half, my true love...my Levi. We've had a wonderful week of Daddy being home right after school, now that football is over. I didn't realize how much I missed having him home in the evenings, to play with girls, to tell about my day, to make dinner with me, and just be together - as a family! When he's here home feels like home, I have more peace. I am so blessed by him...he truly is super Daddy/husband. He jumps-in in all arenas...laundry, dinner, bath time, whatever is needed. I appreciate him more than he will ever know! But what I love the most is the way he loves me and the girls. He makes us feel cherished and treasured. I feel so thankful that the girls have his example of a fathers love; that they will compare the way Daddy love them to the way God loves them; that they will look for a husband that treasures them the way Daddy does. Thank you Lev for being our "home" and for the way you love us...you make life joyful! I love you!

Happy 5th Birthday Ezri!

Today is Ezri's 5th birthday. Five, really? I can't believe that our baby girl is that old, when they say kid's grow up too fast, it's really no joke. She's flown through babyhood, jumped past toddling, and has blossomed into this sweet, joyful little girl!

Treasured beyond measure, I can't imagine our family without Ezri Shannon! All week I've been flashing back to the week we welcomed her home. A week over due and so ready to have my precious babe in my arms, but December 4th she came in Ezri form...dramatically after hours of labor and 4 hours of pushing. At 7:01 am, weighing in at 7lbs 7oz, our precious girl made her appearance. Eyes wide, without any yelling or crying, she laid on my tummy just looking at Levi and I. A girl...really...we just figured we'd have boys! All I could think of, looking in those deep, little blue eyes was God's perfection. He knew we needed this little angle.

Our ray of sunshine, at age 5 today, is a precious big sister. Always looking out for and thinking of Eden...she even let Sissy help open her gifts this morning. Such buddies they are. Ezri loves school and is quit the social bug. She's really into dancing and singing and I can't get over her creative little brain. She's always making up songs, to her own tunes, that rhyme and have a story line...a poet or song writer someday maybe? She loves snuggling and probably tells all three of us she loves us 20 times a day! She's my little helper and her favorite thing to do with Daddy is dance...most commonly in the evenings you'll find us Teasley's having a dance party. A girly-girl to the T, Ezri wants to be in dresses, wearing pink or purple, playing something princess related. She's super into cheerleaders, considering all the football games we attend and watch, and have I mentioned dramatic. This little one is full of emotion, when she's sad and upset there's no denying it, when she's happy it's contagious! But have I mentioned joyful? I'm so proud of this little one and so thankful the Lord has entrusted her into our care!

Happy Birthday Ezri Shannon! Momma and Daddy love you beyond measure and we will never fully be able to tell you how much that is! Thank you for lighting up our life, for helping us to see who God designed us to be through your touch in our life! You bring insurmountable joy into our house! We love the beautiful little girl God has designed you to be! Thank you for the way you love your little Eden, how you compromise to make her happy, how you help her, and play with her! Treasure her friendship forever, it's a gift from the Lord! Lord, we pray that over this next year you would bless Ezri. That Father you would cover her in your protection, that you would continue to draw her heart toward you! That as she starts Kindergarten next fall, she is confident in the little girl you've made her to be. We pray over her friendships Lord, that you would bless them and give Ezri genuine friends that can play well together and can encourage each other. Continue to bless Ezri and Eden, thank you for the way they love each other and help their relationship to keep growing! Lord, Ezri is such a gift from you, she blesses us each day! Help Levi and I to be the parents you made us to be for her. Give us grace and patience and help our actions to direct her towards you! Lord we love this little angle so much and help her to know that without a doubt! Amen!

We love you precious girl! Happy Day today!

october

October's happenings in the Teasley house:

Ellensburg High School's homecoming this year was a Disney theme, and as many of you know anything Disney in my family is not to be missed. We attended the Friday night game, of course, to cheer "Daddy's team on." We only stayed through half time (that's about as long as the girls will last). The cheerleaders were throwing out Mickey Mouse dolls and the girls each got one, which made the night and the fireworks were super exciting!

Our first FCA of the year:

We are so excited about the route FCA is taking this year! We had at least 30 kids come for our first huddle, student leaders have stepped up and really become involved (which we've been praying for), and we had an amazing family donate money to the Huddle for shirts for the kids and any other needs! Wow, God is good! Pray that He continues to move through the school through this ministry!

Preschool cider press field trip:

For our fall field trip at the preschool this year we picked apples and made homemade apple cider. Our friends Pam and Dave opened up their house and let the kids pick apples, make cider with their cider press, and the best part of all...taste the cider!! Dr. Lundy came and sang songs with the kids at the end. All in all it was a really fun morning, and Eden loved getting to be with the big kids!

Suncadia Harvest Celebration:

We took the girls up to Suncadia to enjoy all the fall activities they offer during their Harvest Celebration! We had such a fun day, the girls were able to ride ponies, get their faces painted, wonder through a hay maze, go on a hay ride, and pick out pumpkins...and the best part...it was all free! It was a great family outing, I think we will look forward to each year!

Cheerleader Camp:

Every fall the EHS cheerleaders put on a cheer leading camp and of course our sweet little Ezri was tickled to be part of it! She had one afternoon of practice and then performed at half-time during the game that Friday! She was super into it even performed this year, last year she was a little too shy in front of all the fans :0) I love what a girly girl this little darling is! Can you see how excited she was?

Another great Harvest Celebration:

Our good friends the Holts have a harvest celebration each year, in order to celebrate God's goodness and share in it with friends. They have a great house with lots of critters, apple trees, and great places to play! They had an apple launcher, roasted a pig (the real deal, butchered the day before), an apple cider press, there was a pie baking contest, and a fire to warm up around! They even had hay for the kids to dive for prizes in! It was an afternoon spent with good friends and was great fun!

Pumpkin Carving:

Trick-or-treating:

My camera battery died, so this is the only photo I have of the girls at Trick-or-Treating. We made Mini Mouse costumes...Eden's pink and Ezri's purple of course! We decided Mini should have a tutu instead of a dress...so the girls and I had fun making tutu's together! Don't you love how poofy they are!