5 Months

Here is Devyn's happy, bright face at her five month mark. You just can't help but want to kiss those cheeks!

Merry Christmas 2010!

Okay, I know this is so lame, but better than the alternative of nothing. I made myself PROMISE (to myself) that I will do a real Christmas card next year with a family picture, updates, stamp, envelope, the whole bit. But for now, this is as good as it gets! ;)

One of the biggest changes for the Young Crew this year was our move to Oregon. On January 1st we will have been here a whole year! We can hardly believe how fast the time has flown! While each of us has missed Georgia very much, we have loved living near my family and getting to soak in Oregon's beauty between trips to the Oregon Coast, Crater Lake and also doing day hikes to waterfalls with the kids. Oregon, despite it's sogginess in the winter, truly is one of the most beautiful places in America and we look forward to exploring more in the coming year.

The other big change this year or rather addition I should say, was the birth of our sweet daughter Devyn on July 26th. We struck parenting gold on this one because she is just the sweetest baby you could ever meet! She truly is a little ray of sunshine and I am soaking up every minute I can get with her. I cherish those bright, happy eyes, her spit bubbles and coos, sweet baby smells and yes, even her special talent that has earned her the nickname Barferella...hey I'll take as much spit-up as she can dish out as long as I get a little girl as sweet as she is!

Lauryn, who turned two this summer, has the ability to wrap pretty much anyone around her finger. I'll call her a piece-of-work and my mom will smile and say "She is magnificent!!" Lulu, as we often call her, truly is a force of nature and I just love that kid! She is very much into her baby doll, keeping up with her sisters, and shooting off orders one minute and batting her eyelashes the next. Her vocabulary has taken off by leaps and bounds lately and she has also hit a growth spurt and is shooting up and getting taller and leaner. I realize more and more every day that she is more little girl than baby now and while that makes me a wee bit sad, I am excited to see her grow. With Lauryn at the helm of her ship of life, I know there are some great adventures ahead for that saucy Little Miss!

Brynna, who is now five, started Kindergarten this year and is loving every bit of it! It's been fun seeing my little Brynnie getting out there in the world and take it all in! As always, Brynna still loves monkeys, a good knock-knock joke, accessorizing, using her imagination, playing with her friends and has decided that she would like to be an artist when she grows up. She is always drawing pictures for me and writing me love notes. I just love that kid and her dreamy blue eyes and fun laugh! It's also been fun as Brynna has started to learn to read to see her confidence grow. She is in the highest level reading group in her grade and it seems she has caught the 'book bug' that the rest of us share! I just love how reading has opened my girls’ world right up; it truly makes a momma proud!

It's wild to think that Maryn is now seven years old and in the 2nd Grade! It's not always easy being the oldest kid and the biggest sister, but she has such an amazing heart and tries her best to take it all in stride. I told Maryn one day she should get a special blue ribbon or something for being the oldest kid and walking along beside me as I learn how to be a parent at each new phase we go through together. I just love that girl and am so thankful for her generous spirit. Speaking of blue ribbons, Maryn took 1st Place in her age group at the County Fair this year for an ink and watercolor piece she did. We were so proud of her! Maryn is also doing very well and excelling in school. My buttons about burst at Parent/Teacher Conferences when her teacher was telling me how awesome she is! Maryn has decided she would like to be an author/illustrator when she grows up. Needless to say, coming from two parents who love writing, this makes us really smile! Her teachers all say that her writing has excellent "voice". She wrote a short story that her teacher read to the class that had all the kids laughing in all the right places, they loved it! Maryn still loves horses, playing with friends, reading and using that terrific imagination of hers in her spare time!

Sarah has kept busy this year adjusting to life in a new place and as a mom to four, beautiful girls. It is amazing how much laundry one family can create! I have love, love, loved being able to spend this year home with my children though. After being a workin' momma the previous year I don't take for granted that I get to be there to eat breakfast with the kids, do their hair, drive them to school... little things you can easily take for granted. So I am so thankful I can share those simple moments with my Little Women. As crazy as motherhood can be with four kids, I can honestly say I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Justin, in characteristic style, has been a very busy boy this year. Three weeks after moving to Oregon he started working for Brooke Communications, which is the company that owns the five local radio stations. He is their Web Editor and manages all things web for all five stations. Also if you know Justin, you know something sports related is not too far off. He co-hosts 'The BP&J Show', a sports talk radio show, with his pal and co-worker Brian. It's fun listening to him on the radio and thinking "Hey, that's my husband!" He also had the opportunity to cover Football this past season for the station, which was a lot of work but something he wanted to do after covering Basketball for so many years. Since the Oregon Ducks did so dang well this year, Justin is flying to Glendale, AZ in January to cover the National Championship game, which needless to say he is very excited about!

So there is the Young Crew in a nutshell. We are so excited as Christmas approaches to celebrate the life and birth of our Savior. I find myself so thankful, as I reflect on my life, for all the rich blessings I enjoy because of one tiny baby born in a stable so many years ago. I am so thankful for every good thing, including amazing family and friends like you! I hope that this Christmas Season finds all of you feeling equally blessed and wish you all a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Much Love,
Sarah, Justin, Maryn, Brynna, Lauryn, and Devyn Young

Ahhh, Memories!

All I have to say, is I love modern technology! (Unless I am working on a Word document and the blasted thing refuses to do what I want. Then I want to throw technology out the window. But anyways, as usual, I digress...) This week has been full of blasts from the past. Earlier in the week, Justin and I stayed up and found all of our favorite old songs and didn't even have to dig up old, scritchy-scratched c.d.'s. Thank you i-tunes. Then tonight a friend of mine dug up a pile from her old stash of tapes and listed them on Facebook which got a conversation going with our other friends about all our old favorites. So I looked up old videos on YouTube and laughed my butt off! (I wish literally, it could use some whittling!) Seriously though, way too much fun! It's crazy all the memories that come right back! I went from ABBA's 'Dancing Queen'-in' around my kitchen remembering a certain EFY Talent Show Performance to my moody Freshman year with Candlebox's 'Far Behind' to my nerdy and whole-hearted 11-year-old lovefest with Bryan Adams 'Everything I Do I Do It For You'. Totally awesome 'possum! It's got this girl in a skippity-in-my -steppity kind of mood! I know, I'm a total dork. But I am so at peace with that! ;)

Seriously...

I need to get my hands on some good rainboots. I just came home from running errands and my pants are soaking, sopping wet half way up my calves. Ugh. Welcome to Oregon winters folks!

Libby Boom

I just bought this book for Maryn for Christmas and I am certifiably in love with it! I love everything about it! The verse, the awesome illustrations, even the texture of the cover and the attention to detail. I thought to myself, "Man, if I ever had my own book, this is the 'feel' I would want it to have! On top of that I've decided I love the author just as much as the book. She loved writing and wanted to be an author, so she started her own publishing company and did just that! Lovin' the gumption on that girl!

Airhead

It's official, I'm a total airhead. Last night I braved the cold, wet weather to get out to the grocery store to get some ingredients at about 9:30 at night. Our Christmas Party at church this year is a Polar Express theme and I signed up to bring a breakfast casserole and fruit since they are serving breakfast for dinner. First thing this morning when I woke up I browned my sausage, whisked my eggs, grated my cheese, got everything ready to go for tonight. Resisted eating all the cut fruit I had bought to go with it. Put it in the fridge to mingle before baking it tonight before the party. I was ready, I was set. Bathed the girls, picked out Christmasy outfits to wear. I had a couple hours before I had to bake the breakfast casserole and went over to my folks to hang out since my brother Jesse and his sweet wife, Michele, is in town. I sat down to feed Devyn and asked my mom if she had made her breakfast casserole for the party yet. To which she replied "It's not tonight, it's on the 11th, Sarah."....quick math in my head...today is the 4th. I AM SUCH AN AIRHEAD!!! So it is 8:45 at night and I am not sure if these things can over-mingle, soooo looks like I'll be having a sausagey, cheesy late night snack and as much fruit as my belly can hold! Seriously, am I an airhead or what?!

Letter Words

This morning Brynna went into the bathroom and yelled "Maryn! Why does it smell like a big fart in here?!" I don't necessarily think fart is a bad word, but it's not the nicest, so I have asked the girls not to use it. So after I heard her yelling at Maryn I gave her back a disapproving "Brynna, don't use rude words!" Then Brynna, who is learning how to spell and sound out words, hollered back down the hall "Oh sorry Mom, I used the F-word! I just have a hard time remembering not to use the F-word all the time! Because, the F-word is not a nice word, so I shouldn't use it!" She continued on about F-word this and F-word that...I sat there chuckling to myself hoping that a conversation about her problems with remembering not to say the F-word came up at school!

Better Late Than Never!

So I'm a few days late getting this up, but here is my big 4-month-old girl Miss Devyn Ryan! I took her to the doctor on Monday and she is 13 lbs. and 24 inches of pure sweetness! I just love this nugget!