Change is in the Air

This is a picture of the girls opening their movies from Mimi and Papa-stinkin' cuties!
This is all the cousins on Steven's side of the family watching Polar Express 3D on Christmas day! How much fun they had together!

The big girl cousins heading out to the trampoline-look how cute my Sky is :o)

This is daddy and Skylar in the tree, what's funny is she was actually really scared, but I told her I wouldn't help her down til she gave me a smile (am I mean or what?!?!).

And this is my Skylar swinging on the authentic rope swing (made with rope and a stick):And this is the beautiful sky on Christmas day, the day that our savior was born. What a view we had on our walk!

And lastly, this is my hubby on Hannah's razor scooter. I'm not trying to brag, but he is catching mad air and is one of the most amazing athletes I know! You rock, Steven! I especially love how his hair is flying up :o)

And that's pretty much our Christmas in picture form (and if you're wondering where Aidan was while we were playing outside, she was taking a three and a half hour nap in Reed's big boy bed!!!)!

Moving on to other things now, if you can't already tell by the look of my blog, I'm ready for a change! We've been talking about moving for some time now, and I'm ready! I'm also ready for the new year.

These past few years of my life have been pretty rough and tumble. There were times when I couldn't even tell you which way was up because I was in such a dark place, but I'm beginning to feel all that is changing. I've just been feeling "moved" lately. Like I know God is talking to me. Sometimes I am still not the best listener, sometimes I'm sure I even "hear" it wrong, but I know He's talking, and that for me is huge! All this time that I've been angry and bitter has just been wasted time. It has been nothing but detrimental to my relationship with my husband, children, and even my friends. So, it has been a long time coming (and a long time in the works), but I'm ready to go public with my change! I am going to be happy. Happy happy happy. I love my children with all my heart and, if you ask me, I couldn't have asked for a better husband to spend my life with. Here's to being thankful for what you have instead of longing for the things you don't. This may seem silly to some, but I really have been feeling almost lighter, if you will, because I know that there are things being lifted off of me that I've harbored for a long long time. I'm super excited about this!

So, here's to the new year and to all of you out there making new year's resolutions, I wish you the best of luck! May God bless you and your's in 2009!

I thought it was high time I sit down and post. I read a friend's blog today, and it basically stated, "Can I still write, even if it's not life altering?" I often have deep and profound thoughts that I would love to sit down and write on, but by the time I have the time, I've usually forgotten (either that, or I'm just too tired). So, inspiring, or not, here's what's been going on with the Van Tyles (and unlike her, I'm going to start at the beginning :o).

Thanksgiving was wonderful. We spent the good part of a week at a mountain house in Blue Ridge with my in-laws. The girls thoroughly loved spending time with their cousins, and I must say, we really enjoy the atmosphere up there! The girls are expert hikers, waterfall climbers, and creek dwellers. Not to mention rock wall scalers and marshmallow roasters. Our Thanksgiving meal was to die for, my only contribution being my delicious (if I do say so myself) homemade pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream and the French's green bean casserole (which is always a hit).

Daddy and his girls at the top of a waterfall on our first hike of the trip

Grace on her way back down the mountain trail. Determined as ever.

Sky chillin on a rock in the Toccoa River. Our second stop of the first day.

The view outside our home the morning of Thanksgiving. Totally breathtaking. A constant reminder of God's glory and creation.

Then we rushed into December with a visit from my very missed cousin and her DARLING baby boy (whom I don't get to see nearly enough). We celebrated with a trip to the Pink Pig followed by some Chik-Fil-A. My best friend, Sara, and her daughter, Natalee, came along for that as well.

Jessica and Little Ry Guy (aka, Rylan)

The very next day we set up the Christmas tree as a family. Our good friend Nick was there as was my momma!

Then we took a day trip to North Georgia to see Tallulah Gorge. Over our Thanksgiving trip we had the opportunity to visit a suspension bridge that crosses over the Toccoa River (I believe it's 278 ft long). After that we were all really wanting to check out the one that went across the Gorge, a whopping 300 ft. off the ground! However, they failed to mention that the climbing of 330 stairs (one way) was in order (not the easiest task with a highly independent almost two and almost four year old...). But we succeeded nonetheless and it was breathtaking! Here are some shots from our day: Or not! Frustration has set in! I've tried four times now to post the rest of the pictures with no luck. So I can either not post and wait, or post without them and update more later... So post it is.

Since then, I've been busy helping with the little shepherds for the Christmas play, nursing sick family members back to health, and enjoying playdates with new friends. More pictures and updates to come soon, this post is over the limit!