Should I stumble again

Cars with Jack

2011-12-30T09:24:00.001-05:00

Caught some video of Jack while he was playing with his cars.

So it's only been about forever...

2011-12-14T22:34:00.004-05:00

... since the last post. This season of life has found us looking more like chicken's running around with our heads cut off than anything else. We are running wide open with 2 kids in school and 1 still at home. It has been a fun adjustment trying to get some sort of routine in all of this. Here are a couple of pics of the kids from the last few months.

Water Water Everywhere

2011-09-27T16:51:00.001-04:00

Fun times with Jackson

Summer time fun

2011-07-18T17:10:00.002-04:00

Here's another video of the kids playing in the pool. They sure are water babies.

Summer Day from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

Pool Time

2011-07-14T07:56:00.001-04:00

Pool Time from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

Been a while....

2011-07-03T23:00:00.001-04:00

... but here is a little recap of our trip to Honduras. Thank you all for your support and prayers.

Chatting at the table

2011-04-21T09:36:00.001-04:00

Jack sharing bits of wisdom.

DC pics # 3

2010-12-13T22:45:00.002-05:00

DC pics #2

2010-12-13T22:39:00.001-05:00

DC trip pics #1

2010-12-13T22:31:00.002-05:00

Davis had the whole Thanksgiving week off so we went up to DC to see Tony and Lizzi. It was Erin and Annabelle's first trip to the nations capital. The weather was perfect and we had a blast. Here are some pics from the trip.

Hillsong - O Holy Night

2010-12-06T11:19:00.000-05:00

O Holy Night

2010-12-06T10:23:00.003-05:00

I have been loving the song, O Holy Night, this Christmas season. I think because I have been digging around a little, the words are just practically jumping off the page at me when I read the lyrics. It is my understanding that between the words of Malachi (which is the last book of the Old Testament) and the genealogy of Christ (which begins in Matthew, chapter 1 of the New Testament) there is a period of about 400 years where God does not speak. This is crazy hard for me to wrap my head around because I get impatient when I don't sense His presence for like 4 days! But, anyway, Malachi closes his book with these words..."Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction." So, basically all the people that live within these 400 years are waiting for this prophecy to come true of a Savior. And it's not as if they could be confused because this is literally the last word from the Lord.

Ok, so I explain all that because it makes the words of O Holy Night (especially the 1st verse) so incredibly dramatic and joyful! Imagine waiting and wondering if the Savior would come in your lifetime and then it happening!!! So, with that knowledge and imagination...listen to or read the words of this beautiful song!

O Holy Night

O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining;

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth!

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!

O night, Divine, O night when Christ was born!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His Gospel is peace

Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother

and in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His Holy name!

Christ is the Lord! And we shall ever praise him!

His power and glory ever more proclaim!

I am truly in tears reading and listening to these lyrics. No words can express how grateful I am for the love of my God who would send His only Son into this wicked world to die for me so that I can have eternal and forever life with my Father, my Creator, my Savior, my God. I can only grasp a shred of the love He has for us in loving my own children and I am just completely humbled and in awe of how God must have felt that night that Christ was born!

the little mermaid...

2010-11-14T07:46:00.002-05:00

Our sweet little redhead, Annabelle, LOVES the movie, Ariel (The Little Mermaid.) The other day she was watching it and after one of the songs, she asked, "What does reprimand mean?" A little backstory in case you don't really remember this movie...there is a song in the movie where Ariel is longing to get out of the sea and walk among the humans on the land. She sings a part that says, "I betcha on land, they'd understand that they don't reprimand their daughters..." Ok, so anyway, we respond with, "Well, it means to get in trouble when you make a wrong choice." Very quietly she responded, "I get reprimand alot."

Poor sweet thing! It really made us giggle to ourselves to see that she fully realizes the struggle that is going on. She knows the right thing to do and yet struggles daily to make those right choices. It is so hard for her to understand that 'getting in trouble' is completely separate from how we love her! She longs to please and do the right thing, yet there is a strong struggle in her soul to choose. I have learned that I have to show her how much I love her in the midst of those struggles...right in the middle of 'getting in trouble,' I have to stop for a minute and show her that I love her and that there is nothing she can do to stop or change my love.

And, I guess that bring me to my point...that I feel that way with my Savior! I truly long to do the right thing and yet, daily fail at that. I then feel myself pulling away from a perfect God, ashamed that, again, I couldn't do what I know is right. But, here is where I am wrong (again), He is so full of grace and mercy and pure unconditional love. He knows that I am going to mess up and he still loves me! So just as I have to be diligent and conscious to tell and show Annabelle that I love her, no matter what, I can also rest in knowing that God loves me too. How I know this is in Romans 8:38-39..."For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

stuff

2010-11-10T06:29:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was one of those days where I probably should have had a sign on my forehead that read, "beware, if you don't belong somewhere, I'm throwing you out!"

It started yesterday morning. The house had reached a crazy, clutter stage! I went about the morning just purging things and reorganizing. I am terrible for starting something and getting about half-way through, getting distracted by something else and then starting another thing. By the time I get to the end of the day, I have about 10 things half done! This kind of project also proves difficult with a one-year-old in the house because in order to get one thing cleaned up, he is ultimately making a mess of some other one thing, so we really never get anywhere!

I really wish I didn't care about this kind of thing...like a clean and organized home (picture Martha Stewart or the cover of Real Simple:), but somewhere deep inside me is this pull to have everything "look" like it's in order and clean. Like, things might be a mess, but if my house is totally put together and clean then somehow that masks what is really going on. We have been in a funky season lately...that's really the only way I know how to describe it. Teddy has been crazy busy at work and schedules, functions, family (all good things) have squeezed our family schedule so tight that it squeaks! We have been in a hard season of discipline issues with the kids and I have felt the "war" that Paul talks about in Romans in my own life.

"For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members." (vv. 22, 23) I guess I take a weird comfort in knowing that Paul struggled with this thing of faith and 'doing the right thing.' In my mind, he is the one that stands out to me as someone who "got it." He completely gave his life to Christ because of what Christ had done for him. At times, he is a frustrating person to read about. It didn't matter what you did to him, he gave God the glory! He talks about our sinfulness in this chapter according to the law (the law being the 10 commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai) and how we constantly are breaking the law in our sinfulness. I know that I do before the sun even comes up! But what joy we can have in knowing that our sinfulness no longer leads to death...as it should!

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

I memorized this verse as a young child, but the weight of it has truly hit me as an adult. We are all dead in our sin...every single one of us. There is no one that doesn't sin, but where we can rejoice is in knowing that God sent the perfect, sinless sacrifice so that we can stand righteous and blameless before a perfect and holy God. The very God who breathed stars into existence and reigns completely sovereign over all that has been and ever will be. He holds it all in the palm of his hand.

In all my organizing and purging yesterday, I found things I didn't know we had or forgot we had, but God never misses anything nor is surprised by anything. And what amazing comfort that is to me that I don't have to know all the answers. My life can feel like a mess at times, but I know that He is holding it all together and all I need to do is walk faithfully in Him and press into Him and He will work all things together.

Little update on Jack

2010-08-13T14:19:00.002-04:00

Jack is growing up so fast! Here is a little video of him eating some cheerio's and chatting. Enjoy!

Crawling time

2010-07-05T11:47:00.002-04:00

So we now have all 3 kids mobile. Jack has started crawling and hasn't looked back yet. He loves being able to move around and chase his siblings around the house. Here's a little video of our newest man and his journey to freedom.

Walking the baby

2010-06-08T19:20:00.002-04:00

While Erin was vacuuming today, Davis went outside to walk Jack down the driveway. He encounters Oscar, the dog next door and has to reevaluate his plan. All in a days work.

Dancing Queen

2010-05-31T21:20:00.003-04:00

Annabelle showcasing her dancing skills

Southern Hospitality from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

La La LaLa LaLa from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

How Erin keeps it all together

2010-05-31T17:19:00.003-04:00

Here's a couple of videos of what goes on during the day to make things work here at the house. With 3 kids (1 being an infant still) things can and do get out of hand real quick. She's wise to have enlisted some help.

This video is when Ella came over to play with Annabelle while I was at work.

Crawling time

2010-05-30T21:50:00.004-04:00

As of 9:00 tonight, all 5 of the Winter clan are mobile. Jack has managed to figure out the mechanics of crawling and is now on the move. I'll be putting up the gate tomorrow to keep him from tumbling down the stairs. As if life with the little man wasn't exciting enough. Maybe now he'll wear himself out enough and Erin will be able to get some sleep. Here's to hoping!

Baseball season is upon us!

2010-04-19T15:44:00.003-04:00

Here are some pics from Davis' first game. He did really well. He had 2 hits and played well in the field. He's having a blast so far.

i love you, Jesus

2010-02-07T20:05:00.002-05:00

i just HAVE to share this story with you! just in case you don't know, our little annabelle is a TALKER! she always has something to say and i could probably be on this blog 20 times a day with different funny and cute things she says. what she said tonight on the way to church just refreshed my soul and i hope it will yours....i will try to break down the conversation so that you can get an idea of what we were talking about....

we were on our way to church (it's a whole 2 miles from our house) and the kids were asking me if we were going to see our neighbor's dog in heaven (just a little back story on that...our neighbor had this really old sweet dog that we think just recently died and he now has a young dog who looks exactly like the other one.) i was trying to answer honestly and just said that, yes maybe we would, but that i wasn't totally sure. so, they started listing a few other people we have known that have died and we would one day see in heaven. then, the conversation shifted to annabelle asking me that if God created everyone, did He create himself. to which, davis answered,"God has always been and He sent Jesus to earth to be born and then die, but now He (Jesus) lives in heaven." i was instantly impressed with davis' very correct and direct answer. i asked him if he learned that at school and he said, no, i just know that!!!! LOVE that kid!!! then, annabelle started telling davis that Jesus was here with us in the car even though we couldn't see him. i agreed with her and said, yes, Jesus is always with you annabelle. then, she reached our her hands into the air, as if cradling someone's face and said, "I love you, Jesus." ohhhhh, how that must absolutely MELT the heart of God! i know that when any of my kids give me an expression of their love, i am just mush! so, how much greater does the heart of God...our creator....absolutely delight in such pure expression of love???!!!!!

we are DONE!

2010-02-02T18:03:00.002-05:00

our kids are officially OVER winter and so am i!!!! jack is pretty indifferent, but that's mostly because his world is always a nice 80 degrees!!

Jack on the snow day

2010-01-30T20:43:00.003-05:00

Since he is still a little too small to play in the snow, the little man stayed inside and watched Erin make a salad. He was eyeing it pretty good but we kept him away.

Snow Day #2

2010-01-30T20:39:00.002-05:00

So far we have had more snow in the last month than the entire time that Erin and I have lived here combined. Today we ended up with about another 7 inches. On top of that, we had a little freezing rain which gave the snow an icy topping. Great for fast sledding.

1st game

2010-01-23T13:59:00.002-05:00

Davis had his first basketball game this morning. He had a great time and really seemed to understand what he was doing and needed to do. I think this year will be a lot of fun for him. Probably for me as well. :-)

a true joy and real blessing!

2010-01-22T20:35:00.002-05:00

soooo, i realize it has been a long time since we have blogged! yikes! we have been busy since the holidays with school back in swing and taking turns with sickness! yuck...not to mention the EXTREME cold we went through for several weeks. but, today, my blog is ALL about my little man (the older one:). he received his very first report card today! he doesn't even know it...boy does that ever change! anyway, he received PERFECT scores (they don't give grades at his age, just check marks and such.) but, the comments on the back made my heart melt! his teacher, mrs. snook is SUCH a wonderful woman. we feel extremely blessed to have her as davis' teacher. she wrote...." Every teacher should have the joy of teaching Davis. I feel so blessed. He works so hard and it shows. He has a great knowledge of the Scriptures. Keep up the great work." my heart is just absolutely singing praises to our amazing Father who has given us this blessing...not only Davis but who he is! Beyond the fact that he is doing well academically, he is learning, memorizing and hiding God's word in his heart...and there is NOTHING more important or necessary than that! soooo, sorry to be the blubbering mom (i feel like the weirdo who takes out her phone and just starts showing everyone pictures of her kids and telling them to much information-ha!) but, i felt like i needed to share this joy with you...as i know mostly our family reads this anyway! here are a few pictures of the kiddos! enjoy!

my florida girl!

2009-12-20T13:59:00.002-05:00

so, as you have seen, we have thoroughly enjoyed the snow!! in fact, davis is still out there as i type this squeezing out every last minute with this tremendous amount of snow! we still can't see our grass!! but, i had a little funny story to share. after we had been awake a little while this morning, annabelle emerged from her room in a summer skirt and tank top and asked me for the matching hat out of the beach bag. she told me she liked to be warm. teddy and i laughed so hard...she is definitely her mama's daughter...a florida girl at heart!!

Snowed in day 2 pics

2009-12-19T19:49:00.004-05:00

Here's some more fun in the snow. Finally got the Jeep unstuck. Built a fort for Davis and Annabelle to hide behind for our snow ball fight. Also added a jump to one of our sled runs.

Snowed in day 1 pics

2009-12-19T10:13:00.003-05:00

Here's a couple of pics from yesterday. We got a solid 12". Kids had a blast and are ready to jump out there again this morning.

Snow day!

2009-12-18T15:50:00.002-05:00

Here's a little video from today. We'll post some pics later. Enjoy!

fall!

2009-11-04T08:37:00.000-05:00

a few fall pictures...

a few little stories...

2009-11-04T08:18:00.002-05:00

i just wanted to share a little story from the kids. well, obviously i mean davis and annabelle since the newest 'kid' isn't contributing a lot verbally yet...hehe. the other day, annabelle and i were getting ready to snuggle on the couch and watch mary poppins...shocker, i know!, when she told me that she wanted her heart to break. i looked at her to make sure i heard her right and asked her why? she said so that she could have Jesus. i thought this was so precious. kids are so literal and everything is so black and white! she truly loves Jesus and talks about Him all the time.

a few weeks ago, annabelle really taught me a lesson about grace. it was maybe a week or so before jack was born and i was feeling really awful! i know i was super short on patience that day and wasn't wanting to 'play' anything! anyway, towards the end of the day, she came to me with one of her disney stickers (one of her prized possessions) and a piece of princess paper (another prized possession) and told me that i was the best mommy so she was giving me a sticker and a paper to put it on. i was so touched and that now rests in my Bible. it was such a picture of God's grace to us...we don't have to earn His grace...we don't have to do everything perfect...we can't and He loves us in spite of our shortcomings. He knows us perfectly and knows that we are going to mess up, but he still loves us. just like annabelle saw my shortcomings that day, but she doesn't know anything else but to love me!

last week, davis had come home from school and was having a little bit of an attitude issue. i sent him to his room to think about what was going on and how he was acting to annabelle and i. after about 10 minutes, he asked if he could come out. i told him yes, but i wanted him to come tell me what he had been thinking about. he told me that he prayed about it and decided that he wanted to not lie about anything and choose to obey. it was so sweet! i am so thankful that even though the kids are young, they are learning to depend on and trust in Jesus.

anyway, just a few little random stories about the kids. things that i want to remember and treasure. they are such a joy and i feel so privileged that God has chosen me to parent them here on earth!

2009-10-11T17:30:00.002-04:00

YAY!!! our little jack is here! he came fast and furious on monday, oct. 5. we got to the hospital at 11:15am and he was born at 1:30pm. he weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. he is such a sweet baby and we couldn't be more excited. davis and annabelle were not able to come and see him at the hospital with all the precautions of the flu so, needless to say, they were beside themselves when we finally arrived home on tuesday evening. they have loved holding 'baby jack' and they have been great helpers!!

Video Saturday

2009-08-29T12:22:00.000-04:00

Here's the kids singing a little diddy.

2009-08-24T14:41:00.002-04:00

these are a few pictures of the 'pick-up from school' this afternoon. we got home and as he was jumping out of the car he said, "i missed you so much, mommy but i had so much fun!" yay, that was soooo good for my heart to hear!

2009-08-24T14:33:00.000-04:00

davis' 1st day of kindergarten!!!!!

2009-08-24T13:36:00.002-04:00

well, it's officially here! davis started kindergarten this morning at Asheville Christian Academy. He has been really excited about it. We have enjoyed shopping for his school supplies, picking out a lunchbox, getting his uniforms and talking up the whole school experience. mama did not get much sleep last night (neither did daddy) and we had to wake davis up this morning, but we had a great little quick breakfast of sunshiny eggs to start off our day. he was a total champ and walked with great confidence into his classroom and sat at his desk. we took a few pictures and then headed out. i held it together until we were in the car and then let it all go! life's little transitions can be so hard sometimes. davis slept last night so peacefully not knowing what stands in front of him. teddy and i a wreck because we know that when he is done with school, he will be leaving home. i totally think that was such a glimpse into how our relationship with God is. we are sleeping peacefully, not knowing what is around the corner, but He always sees the bigger picture! what indescribable peace we can rest in!!!! w ell, i will post a few more pics of the rest of the day! enjoy!

About to get nostalgic

2009-08-21T11:46:00.008-04:00

So, Monday Davis starts school. I've known it has been coming but for some reason these past 5 years have flown by. Here's some pictures of him over the last five years. So incredible to see him grow up and we're so proud of who he is becoming. God has blessed us beyond what we ever could have thought.

Daddy! We need some help.

2009-08-05T10:23:00.003-04:00

The blessings of having an independent little boy and a little girl who encourages him to do anything. Too much fun.

Sqaure Dancing!

2009-07-23T18:33:00.004-04:00

We took the kids over to Montreat to go square dancing last Friday night. Erin and I have been going over there during the summers for about 15 years. Tons of fun for us. It's even better for us now that we can take the little ones.

DC Trip

2009-06-29T22:57:00.001-04:00

IMG_0048
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Davis and I took a whirlwind trip to DC to see Tony and Lizzi this past weekend. We had an awesome time seeing the sites and getting to do some incredible things. You can click on the picture of Davis and it will take you to our Flickr site that has all the pictures from our trip. We actually got to go down to the Senate floor and see all of the things there but were not aloud to take pictures so all we have are memories. Hope you enjoy!

2009-06-07T15:24:00.002-04:00

these are some pictures from davis' spring soccer season with the county's youth league. he enjoyed it sooo much! he asked me yesterday, as we were driving home from his last game if he could play again in the fall. one of the pictures is of him scoring a goal (he scored 4 goals that game and they are only 30 mins. long!!!!!!) the picture of him and the other little boy is porter...his best bud! they are inseparable and they really enjoyed being on the same team this year.

2009-06-07T15:19:00.000-04:00

some more disney pictures...

2009-06-07T15:12:00.002-04:00

i'm FINALLY getting some of these disney pictures up here!!! this is just a snapshot of all the fun we had!!! annabelle with her beloved mary poppins and then her twinsy picture with cinderella in the castle! the kids had such a blast and keep begging to go back...annabelle prays almost every night the mommy and daddy will take her back to disney world.

Soccer season has begun!

2009-04-18T18:56:00.003-04:00

Today was Davis' first game of soccer this year. He had a blast today and did an amazing job. He scored 2 goals and really played well. Probably helped that I wasn't his coach. We're both happier that way. Here's some pictures and a couple of video's from today.

swim lessons!

2009-04-14T21:40:00.002-04:00

well, we have started swim lessons and we are now officially half-way through. davis is like a fish to water and is doing great. i am sure he will come out in the end swimming laps! annabelle is doing great too, but had a bit of a rough start. she cried through the first 3 lessons, but really turned the corner on the 4th and didn't shed a tear! here are a few pics of them at their lessons. by the way, when we are not at swim lessons, annabelle is STILL in her bathing suit. sometimes she even naps in it. that's about all she wants to wear. so, the picture of her and mia is at home and that's because annabelle talked mia into putting them on and she was showing her how she does swim lessons by jumping onto a blanket in the basement.

Snow tubing!

2009-03-04T09:54:00.004-05:00

Sunday night we got the largest snow that we've had since the kids have been born. Monday was too cold to get out and enjoy but it warmed up enough yesterday for us to go tubing. The kids (and Erin) were a little apprehensive about sliding in a tube down a sheet of ice but eventually got comfortable with the idea. Soon Davis and Annabelle were racing each other down the run by themselves. We had a blast getting out and enjoying the late winter snow. Here's some pictures and some videos of the day.

Snow tubing! from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

Davis and Annabelle snow tubing from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

Little video of the kids

2009-02-10T13:49:00.002-05:00

They got out and enjoyed the spring like weather. Annabelle even throws out her favorite Mary Poppins song.

Times like these..

2009-01-24T13:50:00.003-05:00

well, i am trying to upload a cute photo of the 3 kiddos but i can't get it to work...so i will at least write about it. (photo added now) 3 weeks ago i started watching a little girl during the days. she is from china and some friends of our adopted her last september. she is about 6 months younger than annabelle so currently, i have a 4-year-old, 3 year-old and a 2 year-old running around my house during the days! it's interesting to say the least.

it's been a little tough...transitioning from our comfortable home life and accepting in a 3rd. the kids have had some adjustments to make as have i, but it's all really gone relatively smooth. mia is full of life and has had so many changes in her little world over the last 6 months. she was left in china, presumably by her mother and was found and taken to an orphanage. she also spent some time with foster parents while in china. i tell you this brief story to let you know how blessed teddy and i feel to be a part of her life. a year ago, her parents approached us and wanted to know if i would watch her whenever they got her and i totally felt like this was something God wanted me to do. of course, even though we do things God wants us to do, it's not always easy or without challenges.

God had laid this on their hearts over 5 years ago...to adopt a little girl from china. 3 years ago, God brought us to our church where teddy works and where we first met kevin and bridget (mia's parents). they made first mention of me watching her last year at the super bowl party at church. then, we started making plans to build a house up here in north asheville. we sold our house in june. we bought this house in august and just a few short days later, kevin and bridget left for china to get her. i guess today, since it is relatively quiet at my house for the moment, i am just reflecting on how God uses our obedience and blesses us. not that He has too, but because i think He wants to. it's easy to write all of this in one paragraph and make it all sound so nice and neat, but it's not that way. there was a lot of faith building and trusting going into all these changes. but, now that i feel like i am somewhat on the other side of it all, i see how God has a plan. he doesn't necessarily need us to complete it, but if we are willing and obedient to what he has for our lives, we get to take part in this amazing journey and experience Him and His glory along the way! we serve an amazing God who takes on a wild ride...not without hard times or even pain, but a journey so worth it!!!

snow day!

2009-01-14T09:31:00.002-05:00

i am turning a new leaf...again...i am really going to try to update the blog MUCH more often. it is snowing here today and the kids are very excited! it's super cold and is only going to get colder! the forcasted high for friday is 25!!!!! so, for those of you in florida reading this...i am super jealous of your weather right now!

Some Thanksgiving Day fun

2008-11-27T10:32:00.001-05:00

Here's a little video of the kids getting excited about Thanksgiving. Hope you all have a wonderful day! We miss getting to see you all but hope to catch up soon.

Thanksgiving Day Dancing from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

The past couple of weeks

2008-10-23T23:05:00.001-04:00

Deedee Doodle on her scooter
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

We took the kids to Clemson for their first Clemson game and also celebrated Annabelle's 3rd birthday. We are going to have her party this weekend and she is so excited to see everyone.

Fall pics

2008-10-13T22:01:00.001-04:00

Looking out from the porch
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

We've posted some new pictures of the kids on Flickr. Just click on the picture and you'll be taken to the new ones. Enjoy!

The rockin' princess

2008-09-21T23:20:00.003-04:00

Annabelle has started to enjoy performing for everyone now and is quite good at it also. Here is a little video of her getting ready for a show. She is quite a handful. We are having a blast.

The Rockin' Princess from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

Davis has learned to ride his bike

2008-09-21T21:09:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures of Davis riding his bike this week. He was able to do it without much effort. He really is enjoying the long driveway and hasn't had a bad wreck yet. He's doing awesome!

Moving in

2008-09-01T14:21:00.001-04:00

Front of the house 1
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

So, we are in the midst now of unpacking at the new house. We are officially out of our old one and have moved all of our stuff in. Not sure where the stuff is but we are certain it is in this house. Somewhere. We have everything finished on the house except for the driveway. That will go in when it quits raining. Finally got our internet up and running so we can post some pictures. Enjoy!

House update

2008-08-17T22:03:00.001-04:00

Garage side
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Things are really picking up at the house. We will be in the house in under 2 weeks. It is looking really great and we are more than excited to move in. Here are some pictures of the progress.

This is what we do...

2008-08-06T16:36:00.001-04:00

Guitar Hero! from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

Davis taking a slow ride. Annabelle trying to throw him off his game.

Summer nights

2008-08-05T11:59:00.002-04:00

Sunday we had a get together with our Sunday School class at a friends home. The kids played on a water slide, road bikes, and ate ice cream with some friends. Looking forward to our house being done so we can do this more often. Davis and Annabelle didn't want to leave. Gonna be sad when the sun starts to go down earlier.

House progress

2008-07-28T21:39:00.004-04:00

Siding is going up today and will be done tomorrow. Drywall starts Wednesday. We close on our present house Thursday and will be renting it back from the lady who has bought it till the end of august when the new house is done. It's getting pretty exciting here.

Wii time

2008-07-28T18:41:00.002-04:00

We just got a Wii. Here's some video of Davis playing it.

Davis on the wii from Teddy Winter on Vimeo.

More of the house

2008-07-16T23:18:00.002-04:00

IMG_5471
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

House is moving along quickly. Should be all dried in by the end of this week. Drywall goes up next week!

More photos

2008-07-03T14:16:00.001-04:00

Basket time
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

We have put up some more pictures of the house and also one of the kids playing at home. Hope you all are well.

House progress

2008-06-28T13:46:00.001-04:00

Driveway
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Here are some pictures of the house. Framing starts Monday so progress will pick up quickly. Enjoy.

Beach pics

2008-06-24T21:06:00.001-04:00

Sunset walk #2
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

We have posted the pictures of our trip to Sarasota. Enjoy!

Clip from Sarasota

2008-06-18T13:44:00.003-04:00

We are in Sarasota for the week on vacation. Kids are having a blast in the pool and on the beach and we are really enjoying relaxing. Here's a little video of Davis enjoying the new Coldplay album.

Oh the days with Annabelle

2008-06-09T15:22:00.001-04:00

Dish duty
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Put some new pictures up of the little girl. Been some fun times and also some crazy times. Enjoy.

And we're off

2008-05-16T20:30:00.001-04:00

Driveway
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Broke ground on the new house today. Lots of excitement. Click on the picture to see a couple more pics of the groundbreaking.

Davis' first soccer game

2008-04-21T21:18:00.001-04:00

Davis' first soccer game 4
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

So Saturday was our first soccer game. It was cold and slightly rainy so that made for an interesting time. We started the game by allowing 6 goals in the first 3 minutes. Not a real good way to start the season. We regrouped and scored two goals in the second period but that was it. By the end of the game, we only had 2 of our kids playing. The rest were cold and tired so they quit playing. Fortunately, we don't keep score. I couldn't count that high anyway.
Click on the photo to see more of Davis in action.

Soccer Practice

2008-04-08T16:56:00.003-04:00

So, we had soccer practice Monday for the first time. It was fun and no one got injured. Actually, the kids on the team were really attentive to what I had to say. Although, having not played soccer before it was difficult telling them what to do. The other teams coach had his whistle out and had his kids doing all these soccer drills. My kids were doing basketball drills such as suicides and defensive slides. Gotta do a little more research before next practice. Fortunately, they are only 4 and 5 years old. Plenty of time to learn how to play correctly from another coach.

Here's a picture of Davis in his uniform. (Matches my sweet Gazelle's that Erin made fun of me for buying several months ago before Davis was signed up to play. Looking good now.)

You should buy our house

2008-04-03T09:45:00.004-04:00

We're getting ready to move up towards church. If you know of anyone moving to Asheville and looking for a house, we got one. Check us out here.

http://www.owners.com/WTJ2621

Sickness has struck again

2008-03-21T19:35:00.002-04:00

Sickness has struck again
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Davis is sick and has been on the couch for the last 3 days. Hopefully no one else gets it. We posted some new pictures on the flickr site. Just click on the little sick boy.

Soccer days

2008-03-05T13:36:00.005-05:00

So, since Davis has now turned 4, he is able to play Upward soccer. We don't offer this at our church at this time due to a lack of flat land (we are in the Blue Ridge Mountains) so we have signed him up to play at another church. They have had a tremendous turnout and told Erin that Davis would be on a waiting list since they don't have enough coaches. So, she signed me up to coach. I know nothing about soccer. The only sport that I was remotely capable of playing was basketball. Hockey may be the only sport that I know less about. This is gonna be interesting. Fortunately or unfortunately, I'll be coaching 4 year olds. I've been searching the internet for information on herding cats as I believe this may be a useful strategy. First practice is April 7th so we'll let you know how it goes from there. Now I have a good reason to wear my blue suede gazelles.

Davis' 4th Birthday

2008-02-26T20:11:00.007-05:00

Today has been a really great day. Davis woke up a little late for him (7:15) and was excited to celebrate his birthday. He's been ready for this day since Christmas. We opened some birthday cards and then he opened his present from us. We got him an ipod shuffle. He's a huge music lover and since he can't read yet, we got him the only ipod that doesn't have a screen. He has been carrying it around all day listening to Jack Johnson and David Crowder. Two personal favorites of his. He has also been listening to Louis Armstrong's "Mack the Knife." He's really looking forward to his party on Saturday. Can't wait to see you all then.

update #3

2008-01-29T10:29:00.000-05:00

Davis slept all through the night and woke up this morning at 6:30. That was amazing. He was in good spirits this morning and was ready for his candy. So a bowl of Nerds candy later it appears that we have moved to the next step. Whatever that is. Oh, still trying to potty train Annabelle. She will go and knows what she is doing but it's all on her terms. She'll do it when she is ready. Too much like her dad.

update #2

2008-01-28T20:09:00.000-05:00

8:00 and now D's down. He protested but now I believe he's gonna be ok for the evening. I told him that if he stays in his bed all night we'll celebrate in the morning. Not sure what that's gonna be. Erin has some Nerds candy in the cabinet. Is it bad to give a 3 year old candy at 7:00 am? We'll see in the morning.

update #1

2008-01-28T15:57:00.000-05:00

It's now 4 o'clock and the 6-8 month old has left. Davis hasn't taken his nap because he doesn't have the paci. Plus, he's mad at me for taking it and throwing it in the dumpster. Erin is gonna be gone tonight so I'm on bedtime duty. This could get ugly. More updates later.

Big steps today

2008-01-28T12:43:00.001-05:00

So today is the big day. We've prepped Davis for the past couple weeks and have given him today as the day that he gets rid of his pacifier. He seemed pretty ok with it this morning when he gave it to me to put in the dumpster for him. (We have a friend who owns a waste removal system so I told D that I was gonna put it in one of Mr. Chad's dumpsters.) To make this day even crazier, Erin told a friend of hers that she would watch there baby who is around 6-8 months today. He cries every time she puts him down. Crying baby, toddler who's going of the paci cold turkey and all the other joys that come with a 2 year old, red headed daughter have all the makings of a rough day for her. I'll keep you posted with the results.

Hawaii pics are up!

2008-01-04T16:28:00.001-05:00

Yes sir
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Click on the picture and then click on the set called Hawaii for all the rest of them. Enjoy!

Davis' sick day

2007-12-19T10:00:00.001-05:00

Davis' sick day
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Crummy day.

Annabelle's sick day

2007-12-19T09:59:00.001-05:00

Annabelle's sick day
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Looks like the sick bug has hit our house. Just in time for Christmas.

Annabelle's Christmas Prayer

2007-12-17T22:17:00.000-05:00

I saw the light

2007-12-04T15:51:00.000-05:00

Grooving to the beat.

Harmonica time

2007-11-02T12:42:00.001-04:00

Fall Festival

2007-11-02T11:57:00.001-04:00

Mr. P in costume
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

New pictures are up. I predict you gonna enjoy.

A trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

2007-10-23T20:12:00.001-04:00

Pumpkin bread at the table
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

This afternoon, we took a trip out to an apple orchard. We went with a friend, Stephani and her two kids, Porter and Sayer. They are enjoying some pumpkin bread in this picture. We took wagons through the pumpkin patch and the kids each picked a pumpkin. It was so much fun! Hopefully, we will have some pictures soon of them carving the pumpkins.:)

Annabelle's 2nd Birthday

2007-10-22T12:40:00.001-04:00

Annabelle posing
Originally uploaded by Teddy Winter

Yeah!! Annabelle had such a 'happy birthday party.' the polka-dot party was a complete success! i think all the kids had a great time...including all of our family! she absolutely loves the pink tricycle she got from all her grandparents. as you will see, davis loved it too!! a great blackmail picture, by the way, for when he is a teenager:) just a side note, we are trying something a bit different with the blog site. you keep coming to this website, but now you can click on the picture (to the right of my comments) and it will take you to another site (called flickr) that is storing all our photos. this is going to be a much easier way for us to upload a whole bunch of photos. once it directs you to the site, there is a little grey/white tripod camera (to the right of the photos). you can click on that and it will show you all the pictures in a slideshow format. you can always view them this way now. Enjoy!!!

Apple orchard...

2007-10-02T21:50:00.000-04:00

The kids were taught about the apples and how they harvest them. They were most excited when they told them that it was time to go on the hayride. After that, they took their bags and picked apples. Davis was totally intrigued by the ducks and wanted to throw all his apples to them. We had a great time and got to take home a fresh caramel apple.

First Preschool Fieldtrip-the Apple Orchard!!

2007-10-02T21:42:00.000-04:00

Davis was too excited about riding on the big bus! He was actually giggling in the backseat of the car on the way to preschool because he was so excited! He got to sit right behind the driver and with his friends. We got to the orchard and we went down to feed the animals. Davis wasn't too excited about actually feeding them so he chucked his apple over the fence to the sheep. Then we went to the pumpkin patch and took a few pictures.

dress up has begun!

2007-09-30T21:32:00.000-04:00

here are some better shots of the tutu she has been wearing every day. she loves it and anything that is pink! don't you love the socks and shoes too???

singing and playing cars

2007-09-30T21:23:00.000-04:00

davis found a zucchini in the kitchen and thought it would make the perfect microphone. annabelle wore this tutu for about 3 days straight. sometime a shirt, sometimes not. i am glad she likes to play cars now so we can share! :)

mama in the making

2007-09-14T20:19:00.000-04:00

she drug the stool out from the bathroom and needed to change her baby because she "pooped." now that she is talking sooooo much, it is so funny to hear her say the things to her babies that i say to her!!! :)

1st day of preschool!

2007-09-14T20:09:00.000-04:00

Davis went to his first day of preschool at our church. he is just going for one or two mornings a week. he totally loves it and so does teddy because he gets to take davis to work with him. they usually stop for starbucks and a donut before they get there (who wouldn't want to go). annabelle is not wild about him being gone. i was totally looking forward to having some one on one time with her, but i am not sure she is seeing it that way.

pappy comes to town!

2007-09-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

gam (durlene) was here to visit the kids a couple weeks ago and annabelle kept asking her about pappy and we were telling her he was at work. she started walking around the house saying, "pappy...work" he didn't like that one bit and he got in the car and drove 7 hours to come see them for one night!!!! they were too excited! in the pictures, they are taking a pappy crab walk.

1st smores!!

2007-09-14T19:58:00.000-04:00

well, a few nights ago we had hot dogs and the kids made their first smores. i don't have a picture of davis because he didn't want one, just the marshmallows. annabelle was hilarious, though because she is amazing at being messy!!

a day at the zoo

2007-08-10T15:56:00.000-04:00

we have a little playgroup of moms and kids that meet every thursday morning. so, this past week we all went down to greenville, sc and went to the zoo. we had a great time and it was my kids' first visit to a zoo. davis was totally pumped about going and we talked the whole way down about all the animals we would see. well, we walked up to the ticket booth and purchased our tickets and the first exhibit past that was the elephants. he immediately stepped back as far as he could and just looked at me with an expression like, "this is what you meant by the zoo???!!!!) he was a little taken back by the hugeness of the elephants. annabelle, on the other hand, just started saying, "COW!!!" really loudly and everyone around us was laughing. i told her it wasn't a cow, but it was an elephant. she just looked at me all the more certain and said, "MOOOOO!!!!' so, i said whatever and tried to calm her brother down! the pictures aren't that great, but that's the two of them watching a turtle and the last one is a picture of our playgroup kids with the exception of a random girl sitting at the end.

riding bikes

2007-08-10T15:50:00.000-04:00

we rented bikes with the child seat on the back, so this was the kids first ride on a bike with an adult. we told davis he had to wear a helmet and he wanted no part. annabelle didn't care in the least. we put her helmet right on and off she went with daddy. then davis saw how much fun she was having and decided he would try the helmet. they had a blast and everytime they saw the helmet's in the room, they wanted to go down and the ride again. the one picture is them trying to give each other a hug...a little hard with the helmets.

vacation fun

2007-08-10T15:41:00.000-04:00

davis is sharing some ice cream bites with annabelle, a little reluctantly and they are both such water babies!

pool time!

2007-07-07T20:38:00.000-04:00

davis has a lot of confidence now in the water...he loves to run and jump in!