Spring Break--Chicago Day 1 through Pictures

 Watching our plane land at the Branson airport.  Makenna was excited to fly for the first time.

 Playing in our hotel room at the W Lakeshore.  Great hotel and great location.



 Justin and Makenna on our way to American Girl.

 

 Love this picture because of Makenna's expression.  She had just spotted Kit and was pretty sure she was the doll she wanted.

 

 Exploring all the Kit books.

 

 Makenna and her new friend, Kit.  We were waiting to get her ears pierced.

 

 Justin and Woody--make out of Legos.  We took this for Beckham who is currently obsessed with Toy Story.

 

 

The Chicago Cityscape at the Lego store.  Very cool.

 

We spent our first night at Navy Pier, which was right across from our hotel.  We ate at Bubba Gump's Seafood House and just explored the area.  After that, we headed back to the hotel to relax and get ready for the big day ahead of us.

 

 

 



Spring Break 2013

It is in the books and it was a wonderful week.  We bought a new vehicle (a few months earlier than planned, but got an amazing deal) and spent 4 wonderful days in Chicago.  I will do a recap of the trip when I get the pictures transferred and edited, but for now, I will just say that Makenna loves her new doll and can't stop talking about our time in the Windy City.

T-minus 7 days

And we will be in Chicago.  Hopefully by this time next week Makenna will have selected her American girl doll (she says she knows which one she is going to get, but we shall see) and we will be enjoying our time in one of our favorite cities in the US.  We cannot wait.

February Already

I can't believe 2013 is already 1/12 over and by my lack of posts, you can tell it has been a busy one for us. January is Justin's busiest month at work so in between long work days for him, teaching and learning new curriculum for next year for me, celebrating birthdays, trying to potty train a little man, etc. this past month has been crazy.  However, we have a lot to look forward to in the near future and hopefully I will find more time to post about them.  One special thing coming up is Makenna's spring break trip, which we are in the final stages of planning.  And to end, here's a few hints of her special vacation...

Image courtesy of www.americangirl.com 

Image courtesy of http://www.atlasls.com/images/atlas-chicago.jpg

Happy Birthday, Makenna!

How can it be that we are the parents of a five year old? It is hard to believe that we have been parents for half a decade now.  Each of Makenna's other birthday I have felt that she is growing up too fast, but this one that feeling is intensified.  FIVE--it just seems like over night she has advanced so much although there is the same distance between 4 and 5 as there is between 3 and 4.  Perhaps it's because she will begin kindergarten this year, but I almost feel like she is leaving one stage her life behind and entering a new one.  Lord help me when she becomes a teenager, graduates, gets married, etc.  If having a child turn 5 is this sentimental I cannot imagine what the future milestones will be like.  However,  there will be time to be nostalgic tomorrrow. Today we are celebrating the creative, sweet-spirited girl named Makenna Leann Coffer.  We love you, Doodlebugs!



Back to Reality

Tomorrow I go back to work after a 16 day break.  It as relaxing and refreshing and I may or may not have slept in with the kids a few days. :)  We had a wonderful Christmas visiting with family and friends and this week we will be celebrating a 5th birthday of a very special little girl. 

From Us to You

 

Day of Silence

Prayers

From the words of a children's book...What a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  The events that occurred today at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT is simply very tragic and unnerving.  I couldn't even bring myself to watch any TV, surf the web, or check updates on my phone until about 5 o'clock this evening because as an educator myself, I just can't imagine what school officials, students, parents, and members of this community have gone through today.  To be honest...it is a living nightmare and I just can't make sense of any of this.  As teachers, parents entrust us to care for their kids and today, there were 40 parents who once again sent their children to school thinking this would be another day of learning.  Tonight they will go to bed with any parent's worst nightmare sadly being a reality for them.  I know everyone has their opinion on how this could have been prevented, etc., but let us know forget that the lives a many were forever changed today by the acts on a single person.  I pray that these families and this community find peace and comfort from the Lord during this time of grief and that we as a nation, instead of pointing fingers or looking for answers, simply remember that tomorrow is not guaranteed and to rest in the everlasting promise of our Almighty King.  And don't forget to hug those you love a little tighter tonight.

Would I?

The holiday season completely brings on a new meaning once you have children.  This year is my 5th Christmas as a mother and boy are we having some fun.  Art, our elf from Santa, is definitely keeping us all on our toes and on our best behavior and we are having a great time making other Christmas memories as a family...making holiday decorations and treats, driving around to see the lights, watching holiday movies, and the list goes on. 

But amidst all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I can't help but wonder what it was like to be Mary.  Throughout my life, I have often wondered this and have greatly respected her giving birth to the King.  Would have responded in the manner Mary did when she learned she would be the mother of the world's Savior?  I can confidently say no.  A co-worker of mine, who just became a mother herself,  has also had this on her heart and she shared about this this morning at our weekly FCA meeting.  It is crazy to think that Mary was only 13, the age of many of our students, at the time of Jesus' birth and I think this really hit home with many of our kids.  I know that I for sure definitely don't have the obedience of Mary at the age of 31, let alone the age of 13.  I can't imagine having the knowledge of knowing one of my children was going to die, but she did, and lived a full life of glorifying God and being unselfish all the while--something I definitely struggle with. But I am so thankful she did.  I pray that we all remember the sacrifice not only Jesus made for all of us, but also the sacrifice of this earthly mother and the heartache she ultimately endured for us.