Our little getaway!

I know, I know...it's been forever since I posted! I promise to do better! :)

A few weeks ago, Ted and I had the privilege of going away with some of our best friends to the Lake of the Ozarks. My bestie turned 30 recently and we have a new pack with them that whenever one of us turns 30...we go all out!!! Jamie's Daddy owns a lake condo so we got away for 4 nights with NO kids! 2 wonderful families in our church graciously watched our 3 kids so that we could have some much needed adult time. All weekend I felt like I was forgetting something because when we would go out all I had was my purse. I'm used to a heavy diaper bag, a baby on my hip and two holding hands...it was very strange. I have only been away from Bobby for 1 night, so that was different as well. We had such a peace about going away and we really enjoyed our time. We missed our kids, but we managed to not call home and just put Ted's and I's relationship on high priority and just enjoy our time together with our friends.

Ted has been working a ton! That's retail for you, long hours and late nights. I can't even begin to explain the joy I had to spend 5 whole days with him and having his full attention. We all stayed up late talking and playing games, and woke up cooking breakfast together. One morning we slept in pretty late...it was awesome, I'm not gonna lie! :)

My favorite part of the trip was when we went shopping at the outlet mall in Osage Beach. Jamie and I have been on MANY shopping adventures together, but we've never had our husbands come with us when we do them since they're usually watching the children. This time, the plan was for them to come with us for just a few hours and then they'd break off from us to have some "man time." We were having such a great time, that they decided to stay with us the whole time! This really was an ALL day affair! By the end of the day, I said, "I'm shopped out!" Ted was cracking up because I NEVER say that! They were so great about going from store to store with us and maintaining a great attitude the whole time. They would find a seat by the dressing room and give us their opinions as we tried on a million different things. It was wonderful! In the 8 years I've known the Alvarez', this was by far my favorite day that the 4 of us spent together. Jamie and I talked all day how our husband's made our day by staying with us. They even found some good purchases too ;)

On a side note, I hit a major goal while we were there. Since April, I've lost a little over 30 lbs making it the skinniest I've been in a LONG time. I was very excited to get a few new clothes that would flatter my new found figure. The first store we went in was Banana Republic, and I wasn't real excited because all the times I'd gone in there before I could never find anything that fit me. Ted kept pulling things for me and telling me to just try them on. I have been in need of jeans for quite sometime now, but they only went to a certain size. A size that I haven't worn since the January 2003, the exact time I met Ted. I was VERY hesitant to try them on, but trusted Ted and tried them on. To my surprise they FIT!!!! I came out of the dressing room and my husband was VERY excited to see that they fit so well, and very excited about the way they looked. I ended up getting them along with a few 2.97 shirts! I hit the jackpot in the very store I could never wear anything in. The best part about the whole story is that the next morning I took off all the tags and put my new skinny jeans on. My husband told me not to throw about the sticker that had the size of the pants on them. I was really confused! My sweet husband didn't want me to throw it away because he now has that sticker on his wallet to be able to see it everyday. It was such a big deal that he wanted to save it to remind us of how far I've come. I'm telling you, I have the best husband! Thank you, Lord for blessing me with the most incredible man!

Jame, I hope we made your bday weekend special. I love you so much, and am blessed to have you. We made so many memories that we'll never forget! I can't wait to see what comes when Ted and I turn 30! :)

The Incredibles!

This was the first time we dressed up with the kids on Halloween. Last year at this time we were living with my parents while waiting for our house to be ready to move into. We were last minute getting costumes ready, and when the day came Scotty was disappointed that we didn't dress up too. We promised him that we would dress up with them the next year.

Every month we have a movie picnic with the kids. They get to choose the movie and we get our tons of blankets, make popcorn and watch the whole thing together. Shortly after Bobby was born, the kids chose to watch The Incredibles for one of our picnics. About half way through Ted said, "I know what we are going to be for Halloween next year...The Incredibles!" Then he said, "We are for sure going to be The Incredibles because we have 2 boys and a girl just like in the movie." So, it was set we were going to dress up as The Incredibles as a family. Luckily, I had plenty of time to search eBay and slowly get all of our costumes. We got awesome deals on all of them and have been looking forward to Halloween for quite some time now.

It was so much fun! The kids loved it, and I know everyone enjoyed a laugh or two watching my husband and I where what felt like nothing. Teddy kept saying, "I feel so vulnerable!" all night long! I can't wait to see what we will be next year!

Hangin Tough!

We've had more craziness!!! Over a week ago my little man was running a moderate fever for about 3-4 days. We weren't real sure what was going on, but we happy when the fever broke! We were ecstatic to have things return to normal...which lasted about 24 hrs. Bobby then woke up with a rash, not bad just not normal for him. We didn't think much of it until the next morning he woke up with red bumps over his ENTIRE body! I ran him into Ted, and said, "this is not normal, right?!?! I'm not seeing things am I?" He reassured me that this was not normal and we needed to find out what was wrong ASAP. We both were thinking chicken pox, and then started thinking, "ok, 3 kids, so what 3 weeks of chicken pox???" Come to find out, my son has the measles!!! Yes, the measles!! Babies are not vaccinated until they are a year old, so he picked it up from some where. When the Dr. was asking if he's had these certain symptoms it was like are you reading my mind??? Yes, ALL of those and then some! My husband said, "Ame, the 1850's called and they want their measles back!" I LOVE that about him, I love his sense of humor! Measles is VERY contagious if you've not had the vaccine, so we haven't been able to take him out for a whole week. He looks so miserable, and I know he feels that way too. He's not eating like his usual self and is sleeping ALL the time. Seriously, today he took a nap from 10am-3pm! We are praying for a quick recovery and we are doing the best we can to keep him comfortable.

The other night I laying down in my husband's lap talking to him! One of my favorite things to do...he rubs my head and reassures me that this to shall pass and we're gonna be ok. Over the course of this year I've realized I'm not as tough as I thought. We've had thing after thing thrown at us. If you were to ask my parents or sister about me, I know they would tell you that I'm one tough cookie. They would say I have a high pain tolerance, hardly get emotional, am quick witted like my dad, and much more. Lately, I haven't felt so tough at all, and you know what??? I'm okay with that! It's been nice to really need my husband for encouragement mentally, physically, and spiritually. It's been nice to not try and do it all like I usually do. There have been some VERY unusual days in my house where there is laundry waiting to be folded, dishes needing to be washed, and the house not spotless. My sweet husband let me sleep in while he fed and dressed all 3 babies and folded laundry. He has been secretly putting my towels in the dryer while I shower and bringing them to me piping hot when I'm done. He has been going above and beyond to take care of me because I have needed that lately! He has been taking such great care of me, and lifting me up in this hard time...hard year really! By him doing all these things, it's given me the extra push to make it through this time. It's helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. It has made me so thankful to call this man MY HUSBAND! Paul talks about glorying in his infirmities in 2 Cor 12:9, and that's what I'm going to do! That's how I'm going to be tough and hang tough is to glory in these things that the Lord has clearly allowed to happen in my family. I'm going to be thankful for another day to serve Him, and another day to give Him the glory!! I hope you will do the same!

Filled with joy!

Hello everyone! I have like 5 different post I am wanting to do, but for today I want to share something really special with you about my sweet son. Ever since we had our first baby Ted and I have quoted to them FREQUENTLY...as in every day Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right." We realize that they didn't comprehend what we were telling them, but we see the bigger picture of desiring them to hide the Word in their heart. We know if we are saying and talking about it all the time, then it WILL be hid in their hearts. We explain to them that when they obey us then they are obeying the Lord. They understand that the Lord is pleased when they choose to obey. Scotty was able to quote the verse by himself by the time he was 18 months, and we are pleased to report that Olivia can now quote it as well. I don't know exactly what age Scotty was when Ted starting spending time with him and teaching him why the Lord has him here on this earth. If you were to walk in my house and say, "Scotty what are we here for?" He would right away say, "To preach the Word of God!" It gives me much joy to hear him say that, and know that from a young age he knows what the Lord desires from him. Ted and Scotty daily ask each other what they learned about in their reading. It's so cool to hear a 4 1/2 year olds perspective on things, such innocence!

Yesterday, our church had the annual picnic at the park. Each person has 1 minute to share a verse that the Lord has laid on their heart over the year. When Ted woke up yesterday he had a HORRIBLE migraine, which is unusual because my husband is hardly ever sick or down with anything. We went to church and he quickly realized that he needed to be home in bed lying very still until the migraine passed. Scotty was SO disappointed because he had been looking forward to going to the park all week. My bestie offered for her family to take him, which I was so happy to be able to focus more on Ted while the other 2 napped. Apparently while everyone was sharing, Scotty decided that he wanted to share something too. Uncle Mike said that was fine and he took Em's bible up with him in front of our whole church. He quoted Eph 6:1 and said the Lord was teaching him to obey. :) Makes me tear up even now thinking of him doing this. He came home and Ted asked him if he did anything special at the park. He VERY excitedly said, "Daddy, I preached the Word of God at church today! I told them about how I'm learning how to obey. Just like I'm here for, I preached today!" Ted and I took one look at each other and we each had tears in our eyes. Happy tears!!! We were filled with joy as we could first hand see the fruit from raising our children according to the Word of God. I still am amazed that my little shy son got up and spoke in front of quite a few people. We have NO excuses! If a 4 year old can comprehend, then we can too!

This encouraged me so much! Remember our children are little sponges and they ARE listening as you speak...make sure it's according to His Word!

Ahhhh....the Rose Garden

Last Friday was Ted's day off...Woo hoo!!! Since we've been back from vacation he's been working really long hours and his days off have been few. Our brother-in-law has a brother who is an amazing photographer, and we've been planning for months to do some family photos. For weeks we've been looking forward to doing this especially since Bobby is changing so much every day! So, Friday was finally here and time for pics! We couldn't decide where we wanted to take our photos and then they mentioned the Rose Garden. Everytime somebody talks about that place it makes me all happy inside. That is Ted's and I's "place." It's the place where his parents got married, it's the place where we would spend many evenings walking and talking about our future, it's the place that he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, it's the place that we fell in love! So, we were pretty excited to take photographs there...

We started out with a Duff family photo including Ted's family. Then we took many more photos of the kids! Ted and I decided that we'd like to have some special pictures taken together. Chris (our photographer) asked us what spot we'd like to take our pics together, and Ted and I immediately said, "how about the spot where Ted proposed!" As we're walking there, Chris is giving us many compliments on our family and Ted and I's relationship, and how happy he is to be able to photograph us FINALLY! We get to our spot and it was like deja vu! The flowers looked EXACTLY the same as it did the day he proposed and I felt the same butterflies in my stomach that I felt that very night. For those next 10 min it was like time stood still. Chris did some creative poses with us and most of them were us gazing into each other's eyes. I kept thinking how blessed I am to be this man's wife, and how blessed I am to be the mother of his children. 7 years later, 3 kids, and madly in love with each other. When my husband looks at me, it's pure love in his eyes. I'm not kidding when I say that he gives me butterflies...frequently! He makes me feel like I'm the prettiest woman in the world, he makes me feel important, and he gives me a confidence that I wish I had years ago. As we stood in this same place I kept thanking the Lord for saving this man for ME! I prayed for years for my future husband and WOW the Lord gave me BETTER that what I was praying for! We hadn't visited "our spot" for quite sometime, but I'm so glad that we did! I'm thankful for that 10 min that we shared where time felt like it did stand still for us. Having 3 kids under the age of 4 is CRAZY! We're always on the go and Ted and I have to really work hard to make sure there is time left in the day for each other. But in that moment, I felt 19 all over again!! Thank you Teddy for being my leader, my best friend, and my true love!

All this to say, I encourage you to take some time and just BE with your spouse. Be with them in the moment without thinking about babies, dishes, laundry, etc. Be in that moment and thank the Lord for ALL He's given to you!

Black Bean Soup

Ok, after a month off I think it's time to get back to my blogging. After my husband posted that sweet post about my triathlon, I think he's even hooked. You may be seeing more posts from him in the future...

My sister, who lives in Guatamela, is looking for some new receipes. I think we can all relate to getting in a "rut" so to speak when it comes to cooking. I wanted to share this receipe with her, and then I thought I should share it will all of you. I found this receipe in one of my Biggest Loser cookbooks. Usually I wouldn't be too excited about a receipe with no meat in it. I was hesistant because I thought we won't get full, and I wasn't so sure my children would like it. When Ted was laid off this was a go to meal a lot because it's so inexpensive to make and YES, you will be satisfied! My children even like it!

1 TBS olive oil
1 lrg chopped onion
1 TBS chopped garlic
28oz can fire roasted tomato (I have used rotel in its place before)
1 TSP cummin
1 TSP chili powder
1 TSP red chili flakes (optional)
3 (15 oz) cans of black beans (you can also use kidney beans, white beans, or chick peas) or 4.5 cups of cooked beans
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
OPTIONAL: 3 cups fresh choppen spinach
Combine in large pot and simmer for 1 hour.

We top ours with some low fat mozz cheese!

It's so yummy! I hope this helps you Sara Beth! Check out her blog here http://fragrantaromaofchrist.blogspot.com/

The TRIATHLETE

So, Amy and I were talking about how we need to update the blog so here I am. I really just wanted to get on here and tell you all how PROUD of her I am, and that she completed her first Sprint Triathlon!!! What an amazing event to witness, and to top it all off she meet a professional triathlete the day before who also was an olympic sliver medalists. But it gets better, while she was in the last portion of her race, the run, Michellie came along side of her and paced her for a minute to give her that extra boost she needed. Not many people came say they have completed a Triathlon, even fewer can say that they have completed in an event WITH a professional athlete along side of you. WAY TO GO AMERS!!! I guess you have set the bar and now I need to be inducted into at least one of those groups.
Love you babe!
Ted

#2

Happy Friday to everyone!!! I know it's been awhile again since my last post, but my goal is to post more often! So, we shall see!

I wanted to give my husband props today! As you know he just started working for Sprint only 2 short months ago, and previously he was in the construction business since I've known him. He was so nervous about the change of career path because as always he wanted to succeed. Well, he sure has!!! He is #2 for top sales at his store! There are about 14 other people working there, so we were SO proud to hear that he's #2! Anyone who knows Ted, knows that this is the perfect job for him...he gets paid to talk to people! :) It was so great seeing him come home this morning after his meeting and seeing his beautiful smile...he is truly happy! I'm so proud of you, Teddy!!! I knew you would be awesome at your new job! We love you so much!

P.s. he has had 3 professional football players come in in the last 2 weeks...isn't that so cool! He got great feedback from all of them!

Have a great and profitable weekend!

Prove it!

Deut 13:3
"Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

I have been getting so much from the Lord in Deut. The Lord really convicted me yet again on my love for Him. This verse is talking about proving just how much we love the Lord. I can say ALL day long that I love the Lord to a million different people, but the words aren't enough. The Lord wants me to prove to Him just how much I love him. Since I've had three kids and since Ted's started a new job, it has become difficult to juggle everything. I'm with the kids 24/7 and without Ted a lot more than I used to be due to his new long hours. I'm having to be diligent about getting in the Word first thing in the morning before our day with a full schedule starts. The Lord keeps asking me, "Amy how much do you love me?" Of course I love the Lord, but do I love him with ALL my heart and soul? Meaning, am I willing to daily sacrifice sleep so that I can get up and be with Him first thing in the morning? If my flesh isn't willing to do that, then I don't love Him with all my heart and soul...see where I'm going? How much are you willing to sacrifice temporally in order to reap so much more eternally?

Saying you love someone isn't enough! Your actions speak louder than words. My father is a man of very few words, and he didn't say 'I love you' every day to us. Even now, I hear it a few times a year...maybe. But, the actions he did told me that he loved me. I never questioned if my dad loved me, I knew by all the things he was physically doing for me. Even as a grown woman he still is helping me physically. I say I love the Lord, and I really do, but what is my testimony projecting? People are always watching, even at times when we think otherwise...what do they see? Do they see that I have an awesome intimate relationship with the Lord or do they view me as just another worldly woman? I want to stand out, and I want to be different because I know what my eternity is going to look like. I don't care if people think I'm crazy, all I care about is pleasing the Lord!

I hope you too take the time to sit and think about how much you love the Lord. Is it will ALL your heart and soul, or only the parts that are convenient for you?

Phil 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
This is my life verse because I love the Lord with ALL my heart and soul and to be with Him is better than anything this world can offer! I look forward to meeting with my Lord face to face. I encourage you to live a life that pleases the Lord. Love Him FIRST, your spouse second, then your children, and I guarantee everything else will fall into place!

Charge, Encourage, and Strengthen...

Deuteronomy 3:28 "But charge Joshua, and encourage him, strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see."



In my daily reading, the Lord showed this verse to me and it really convicted me. Three keywords are in this verse: charge, encourage, and strengthen. This really convicted me as a mom because this is what I am to do with all my children. Everyday, I am charging them to obey like Ephesians 6:1. I sound like a broken record sometimes because I'm always saying, "choose to obey" to the kids. Even as small as Bobby is, I quote Ephesians 6:1 to him because I want it to be hidden in his heart. But, the Lord showed me that charging them isn't enough! I must encourage my children daily...Paul talks about edification over and over in his epistles and that's what I'm to do too. As weary as I may get some days, I must continually encourage each of my children. They need to know that Ted and I are their biggest fans. They need to know that we believe in them to obey. The Lord showed me that by us encouraging them, then it will automatically strengthen them. It's a domino effect. Throughout the days now, those three words are being played again and again in my head to remind me of my responsibility as a Mommy.

I am so thankful for a Lord who can always show me through His Word areas that I need to shore up on. Thank you, Lord! I want to please Him and bring glory to Him in every area, even in being the best Mommy I can.

Family Pics!

I know it's been well...FOREVER since I've posted anything! It's been a crazy month...my husband having a bike accident, putting our dog to sleep, and getting a new puppy. But today I want to share with you our new family pictures.

My cousin and his wife are in town from Denver, CO this week. We've been having so much fun swimming and visiting of course. I asked Stephanie, who is a photographer, if she would take some family pics for us. I was expecting like maybe one good picture because I have 3 kids under the age of 4 and frankly one who doesn't like her picture taken. Let me tell you, I have come home in tears before after trying to get my daughter's picture taken. We always go for their milestone pics, and the Target photographer can never get her to smile. I have had the photographer smile and say, "oh we remember you! You won't smile for us!" Which after hearing this time after time I came home and shed a few tears out of frustration and having my feelings hurt.

Today it was a beautiful sunny day up until the time we were to take our pics. We hurried over to the park and it was thundering the whole time. Again, I was thinking oh boy, this isn't going to go well. Was I surprised!!!! Steph does amazing work! We got SO many awesome shots! I want to share just a few with you, and if you want to see more...check out my facebook page!




Party of 5!!



My sweet first born!!


I LOVE this of my little girl!!


Isn't he so sweet! I could kiss those cheeks ALL day!!!

I hope you enjoy looking at them. I also hope you all have a great weekend! I will post more often...really I will :)

Proud Mama moment!

I must share a wonderful moment I had yesterday with my sweet Scotty. We have school time everyday, and lately we've been working on writing his name. He has been having a hard time with the letter S, but once we get past that he does pretty well. At the end of our school time yesterday I wrote his name on a paper and asked him to write his name below it. HE DID IT!!!! All by himself, I was so proud of him! We took a pic and sent it to Daddy since he was at work. We know have it dated and posted on the fridge. You should see Scotty's face whenever he walks past it, he is so proud of himself. He even wrote it again today! We celebrated his accomplishment and today watched a movie together while the two little ones were napping. I can't believe how fast he's growing up! *tear* :)

First Day!

Today is a big day in the Duff household! Ted starts his new job today at Sprint. Let me tell you, we are both so thrilled that this day is finally here. Let me tell you why...
For the whole 7 years that I've known Ted he has always worked in construction. We have been very spoiled by his 7am-3:30pm hrs, rain days, and weekends off. When he joined the Carpenter's Union 5 years ago it was a different economy and work was booming! We had AWESOME benefits and had a very decent salary which along with much prayer allowed me to stay home full time and leave my job as a dental assistant. About 2 years ago work starting becoming very slow, and we experienced lay offs from time to time. They never lasted long, and we just looked at it as a mini vacation. As the economy has gone way down it has effected construction jobs...when there is no money to build, then no building will be done. Ted was on several jobs that started and now are still in the middle on the project because the money ran out. Last summer it hit us hard...he was laid off for 3 months in a row! That was a very long 3 months for us. Luckily, the Lord continued to provide side work and we were able to withstand it. When we went to do our taxes we were shocked to find out the he only worked a total of 6 months in 2009. WOW! We looked at each other in disbelief and then automatically started thanking the Lord that He took care of us during that time. Mind you that we were able to move, buy a house, and even have some wants purchased. It's all because of the Lord! Not to mention Ted's wisdom with our finances. I'm so thankful the Lord gave me a husband who is SO disciplined and a saver when it comes to money.
The Lord put several things on Ted's heart during this time. The first thing was to realize that the Lord would not give us more than we could handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). He also reminded us to put our trust in him and not in men (Proverbs 3:5-6). The last thing was a career change. With having 3 kids now we wanted something more stable. It was getting to the point where we didn't know from day to day if he'd have a job tomorrow. We also knew that me staying home full time was a must and we trusted in the Lord to make that happen. Me going back to work was never a thought that crossed our mind during this time because we know our kids are SO important! Yet again Ted got laid off at the end of March. This time was a little more intense because we received a letter saying we lost our insurance due to him not having enough hours. What a blow that was. That was the first time I broke down and cried. Yet again, the Lord provided a way for us to continue having our insurance month to month. We have to pay for it, but we have it! Praise the Lord. During this time, Ted called tons of contractors. We also put in his resume at lots of other places as well. An opportunity arose with Sprint...it was the ONLY door that kept opening time and time again. We were walking by faith and seeing where it would take us. It took us 2 months before he started...and a long process. There were times that the door closed and then out of the blue would open again. See, they have this online testing to even get an interview...well, Ted was 3 questions off from qualifying. Then after several weeks, they called him back for an interview based on his personality and determination. That led to a second interview, which led to the offering of the job. Anyone who meets my husband falls in love with him. He has the best personality I've ever seen! Anyway, we accepted the job on faith because we will be taking about a 60% hit on our salary. Most of this job will depend on commission as he will be a salesman. The Lord gave us confirmation that this is where we need to be, so again we are walking by faith.
Last night I spent several hours getting every thing ready for his first day. I know he's nervous and excited all at once. We were talking last night about this wild journey we've been on and how cool it has turned out. I can tell you that our faith has been stretched...a bunch! I'm thankful for all the prayers we've received and all the encouragement. It really did help carry us through some hard days. The Lord has been so good to us and have had an abundance of blessings! All I can tell you is put your trust in Him and you will be just fine. I can't even begin to tell you the amount of people who said we wouldn't find a job due to the economy, but we never let that have rule over us. We continued saying, "The Lord is in control! We choose to trust the Lord!"
Needless to say, I can't wait for Ted to come home and tell me all about his first day of work!!! I will be anxiously awaiting his arrival!

P.S. if anyone needs a Sprint phone or renewal come find Ted!!! :)

I LOVE being an Aunt!!!

Happy Friday to everyone!!! Well, as most of you know my sister is in town for a few weeks with my sweet niece, Bella. Last time I saw Bella she was only 4 weeks old, and I was 8 months pregnant!
I was so spoiled to have my sister here for a full 2.5 months and was able to spend a lot of time with her. Being pregnant together is something that I will never forget. We were always taking belly pictures and talking about the aches and pains we were both having. The night Bella was born, I didn't sleep hardly at all. Andy was spending the night with us and I was waiting by the phone all night long. I kept thinking, "I hope that mom doesn't forget to call me!" I wanted to be at the hospital with her so bad, but with me having all the kids and being pregnant, my job was to "abide by the stuff." I still remember getting the call that Miss Bella was finally here! My sister was able to do it without any pain meds (GO SARA!) I was so proud of my sister! Then after I got off the phone, I couldn't sleep! All I could think about is when is it going to be morning so that I can go meet my sweet Bella?Morning finally came, and I took Andy to the hospital first thing so that we could see her. I will never forget the moment that I held her for the first time, because it finally clicked that I was truly an Aunt (or Tia to her). My sweet husband would let me go see her at least every other day if not every day. Even if I only had 2 minutes with her I would hold her and rock her. Saying goodbye to her was so hard because I knew she would be so different when she came back. I still desire for her to know me well and of course for me to be her FAVORITE aunt! :) Good thing Edgar doesn't have sisters, because I'm the only Aunt! I love it!
I saw Bella last weekend for the first time in months! I was hovering over everyone holding her, because I couldn't wait to get my hands on her. I was also very excited for Sara to meet Bobby as it would be the first time. Bella came right to me and I could've stayed all night with her. Ted and I kept teasing each other on who she liked better. I must admit that he got her to laugh way more than I could. I have seen her almost everyday since and I'm enjoying every minute. My kids are having the best time with Tia and Bella, so I thought I'd share some photos from our last few days...

Olivia giving sweet kisses!

Holding my sweet girl for the first time in months!

The 2 babies! Only 10 weeks apart, Bella is older!

I love watching them play together!

P.S. It's my Mama's Birthday today!!!! Can't wait to celebrate all together later!

Our Story...

I LOVE reading people's blogs, so after talking with Ted we decided..why not have our own?!?! I guess the best place to start out this blog is to share our story. I love telling it over and over, it never gets old to me...so I'll share it with you today.

Ted and I met 1 month after I turned 19 in Jan. 2003. We were both attending Penn Valley Community College. I must admit that I was all signed up to attend SBU, but didn't have a peace about it so I backed out. Praise the Lord that I listened to Him!!! After my 1st semester at Penn Valley I finally had met a friend that I loved hanging out with. We had History together and were really bummed that we didn't have a class together the next semester. After comparing schedules, I decided to see if I could switch the time of my speech class so that Erin and I could be together. I was told that the class was full and I was stuck in my original time slot of Tu/Thur. So, I come in the first Tues and sit in the second to front row (odd for me). I'm sitting quietly watching my class mates come in when Ted walked through the door. I took a second look and had butterflies as he took the seat in front of me. I kept thinking, "wow! He's really cute, and very put together!" Then I watched as he talked to everyone in the class (somethings never change!) I was determined to get to know him! Then a week later we were paired up by the teacher for an in-class assignment. That's when I learned about him and his faith. We were surprised to find out that we shared the same faith and had a lot in common. I don't think we got much done that day, and I would've been content talking to him all day long. Then the next week he asked me to come to church with him, and I turned him down due to me having already made plans. He was shocked that I said no, and I was so scared that he'd never ask me out again. Low and behold one week later he asked, and this time I accepted very quickly! :) Right around this time the wall incident happened...

We would always walk out to the parking garage after class and chat for a minute or two before going our separate ways. This day, Ted decided to hop on a wall while we talked. This wall also had a 5 ft drop to the parking garage below, and he had a backpack on full of books. I see him hop on the wall and glance back only to see his legs up in the air and him going backwards. I was in shock! Not to mention scared to go around the corner for fear of seeing what injuries he suffered. He got up VERY quickly and was white as a ghost with torn pants and blood running down his leg. He was out of it! I walked him to his car and offered to call for help, but he would have nothing of it. That was the day we exchanged numbers and we talked on the phone for the first time that very night. Apparently, he would replay the voicemail I left him over and over to his friends and family. I also learned that after that first day we met, he told his best friend about seeing me and that he wanted to marry me. :)

After that, we were inseparable! We did everything together and we were quickly falling in love! 6 months after meeting he proposed to me on July 15, 2003 in the Rose Garden (the same spot his parents were wed)! We set a wedding date for July 17, 2004. Over our year engagement I can't tell you the amount of conversations that we had of people telling us we were too young and would never make it. I was told that I still had time to back out, but Ted and I didn't listen (Praise the Lord!) we knew we couldn't live a day without each other. I really did come complete the day I married him, and he has made me a better woman. I love him even more 6 years later!


Here's one of our engagement pics...


The famous kiss!

Dancing at our reception together!

So it was on July 17, 2004 that I became Mrs. Theodore Duff! It still gives me goosebumps to say that because I feel so privileged to be called his Helpmeet and his wife! Biblical men are hard to come by these days, and I'm so thankful that the Lord had our paths cross back in 2003.