CHOP CHOP CHOP

 watch out

 Craig cut down all the big trees :)

 yep...working hard

Saturday morning our small group went to a local Pastor's house and helped him do some yard work. I don't think we had any idea what we were getting ourselves into when we signed up! There were a lot of TREES to cut down. Needless to say Craig was ok with that. In fact, I overheard him telling the Pastor's wife that, "this is just what the Dr. ordered." Boys and their chain saws! :) Anyways...it ended up being a gorgeous day. It was a good experience to work side by side with our class mates and potentially future co workers. The kids had fun too! The pictures don't show it but I did actually do a little work too.

Daddy's Shoes :)

Hudson's New Trick with Daddy :)

Handsome Boy

Can't believe how big our little boy is getting. He seems to be changing so much recently. Just so much more alert and aware of what is going on around him. He is so sweet!

Looks to me like he is saying, "What's up mama?"

smiley boy

Pictures from Hudson's "teacher"

what a happy smiley boy

little drooler (totally not a word but you know what I mean)

This kid LOVES to chew on his hands. He gags himself all the time it is so funny!

looks like he is filling his diaper or something

WHAT A BIG BOY!
While Craig and I are in class in the morning (9-12) the missionary training center offers child care for kids birth-kindergarten. The nursery is just about 100 feet from our classroom so we can go and see the kids whenever we want. The nursery is run by both staff missionary women and also student moms are in a rotation. I get to help in either Hudson or Stella's class about once a week. SO FUN! The kids do really well too. Sometimes it is hard to get Stella to go home with us at the end of the morning, she loves it so much!

Hudson rolls over...

What a blessing...

Even at 2 am this morning this thought was running through my head...what a blessing our children are. We are daily thankful for the two beautiful and healthy children that God has blessed us with. It is crazy to think about how fast they grow and change. It is easy to find myself wanting them to grow up fast (so I could get a little more sleep at night)...but I know that it is happening fast enough.
Estella is 20 months now and is still very much our petite peanut :) She loves reading books, especially a BIG ABC book that our friends left for her. She loves to be outside and has really enjoyed our random sunny days...can't wait for Spring. She has started calling Craig and I "Daddy and Mommy". SO SWEET!
Hudson is changing all the time. He is almost a "hip sitter" and if you are a mom you know what I mean and how fabulous that is. He is quite content to lay on the mat on the floor and play with the animals hanging from the mobile above his head. He has a very mellow and sweet personality. Can't help but melt when he smiles at me! :)

A little glimpse into what we are doing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6AEObN7Cew

Valentines Party

These are our E-linc advisors. Basically they lead small group discussions and mentor us. We have really grown to love and appreciate both of these couples so much! On Friday night they put on a special Valentines Dinner for our group.

Just being us...

Our friends Joe and Kandi

Crazy Coleton and Shawna :)

I know it is sideways...but still so cute! This was the Valentine that we made using team work. We stood side my side with our arms around each other...I was the right hand and Craig the left. He did a pretty good job writing with is left hand! :)
What a team!

Winter Wonderland...or something!

Thats some deep snow!

and a very snow covered man :)

what is daddy doing?

not so sure about all the snow

who is that?!?

yep, Stella in her make shift sled (aka laundry basket)...she had fun!!!
These days have sure been filled with a lot of snow. Although it is beautiful I do long for warmer weather...and sunshine. Maybe someday!

so different yet so alike...

First we have a few pictures of Estella when she was about 3 1/2 months old...

here are my sweet kiddos playing together...Stella is really having more and more fun with Hudson all the time. She loves to play peek a boo and tickle him :)

and here is Mr. Hudson at 3 1/2 months

AC Soldering....

If this title of this post once again confuses you that is ok...because our class missionary technology continues to boggle my mind. All this talk about electricity, solar panels, batteries...I just get so lost. I know it is good and valuable stuff but I just get so confused! All that to say...today we had a lab on AC soldering. Craig is a pro!

applying the solder

as you can see I was a huge help to Craig :)

there ya go, the finished product! doesn't look like much but I am impressed!

Cousin Love!

Although this picture might not capture it well...it was SO awesome to have Craig's sister Ali and her daughter Evie spend a week with us in MO. Stella and Evie are only a few months apart and it has been so fun to watch them grow and change over the last year and a half. It is hard to believe they are almost two. They really did so well together..but of course had a few fights...ha ha! Learning to share is never easy!

Evie is going to make an awesome big sister some day ;)

The Gilley cousins all together...so fun!

Refrigerator..what?!?

So, if you are thinking this is an odd picture to see on my blog...you are right! Just giving another little update on what we have been learning. YEP today we spent 45 minutes talking about what is the best refrigerator to take overseas....not only that but we talked about the golden rules of operating these battery powered fridges. It is pretty crazy to think about...did you know that your open ice cube trays are making your freezer work A LOT harder?!? I never knew that until today. HA HA! All that to say...wow we have so much to learn and we are so thankful to be here at the Missionary Training Center! Definitely didn't think we were going to be learning about this..ha but SOOO glad we are!

Exciting Christmas Holiday

Aj with his brothers...

Aj with his sisters...

Gilley Family at Aj and Kaley's Wedding on 1-1-11!

It is hard to believe that our Christmas break is done and over with and we are already back in classes. SHEESH! We had an awesome three weeks in Jackson, MI spending Christmas with Kayla's family and then Aj's (Kayla's little brother) wedding. In the midst of the fun we also ended up with both kids in the ER. Nothing too major but it was not fun to have sick kids while we were away from home :( Good thing we have such sweet and flexible kids!
Now we are back at the training center and into classes. We are currently taking Missionary Technology learning about solar systems, how to build an odorless out house, cleaning your water, and many other useful things that I never knew that I needed to learn. This morning they were telling us about the possibility of waking up with green hair if you went to be with wet hair in the tropics, yea green with mold. YUCK! Oh Lord...help! There were some other pretty scary stories that definitely caused me to think, "God are you sure you want this for me!" But I was once again reassure that yes, this is where God is leading our family.
We are also taking Parents and Education learning about the various options for our kids education as well as important things to keep in mind with parenting. Today we spent most of the time talking about the challenges and blessings of having Third Culture Kids. It was an interesting change in thought for me. Usually when talking about Third Culture Kids or Missionary Kids people were talking about me, my siblings, my friends...but here we were discussing our kids and what life will be like for them. Very different to think about.
And exciting!
Well...there is my brief update and hopefully a newsletter will be completed soon and you will get even more info! :) If you aren't on our mailing list and would like to please let me know!