Our Big (Little) Buddy!

I didn't post about it
but on his birthday
we celebrated our Jacob Sterling
with extended family!

We put together a few favorite prints of Jacob

We decorated in green,
since Jacob had started talking about GREEN a lot!

We did it as a "potluck" and had hot dogs, burgers
salads, watermelon, jello, baked beans, etc...
Great two-year-old food! LOL!

Praying over our precious gift!

Look at this big boy with his "Paw-paw!"

 And we celebrated with Tres Leches Cake!

Here's a video of Jacob loving the attention of all eyes
on him while he blew out his candles =)

Remember, to view the video
you may need to go to our site directly
hickles.blogspot.com

And opened gifts-- thanks for lovin' our boy so well!

We're in love with this boy!

Happy Birthday Jacob Sterling!

We pray God bless you,
that you know Him profoundly,
that you influence others kindly,
that you grow in integrity and strength,
that you be a good friend, 

an honorable husband, 

a caring father.

We love you!

The Woman: Sharon Lee

Mom,

 

You are lovely inside and out.

You are a gift I can't imagine living without.

You are caring, loving, sharing, growing

You are deep, wise, forgiveness flowing

You are my friend and supporter throughout

You are the best mother for me, no doubt

 

I am blessed because you pursue me

I am humbled by your gifts to me

I am loved, cared for, cherished, prayed for

I am safe with nothing to be afraid for

I am a daughter of the woman God chose for me.

I am thankful, grateful, joyful, I am me

...Because of you!

 

Here's a tour of our relationship!

 

1983 in Ventura California

Four Generations

 

April 1990 in Quito Ecuador

Easter Sunday

 

 

June 1996 in Cuenca Ecuador

At the Panama Hat Making Factory

 

 

May 2002 in Quito Ecuador

Good Times with Nico at Neil's High School Grad

 

 

 

March 2003 in Los Angeles California

In your Conference Hotel visiting me at Biola

 

 

May 2004 in Folsom California

My Bridal Shower at Aunt Joan's House

 

 

December 2005 in Lake Tahoe California

Family Ski Day for Christmas

 

 

June 2007 in Laguna Beach California

Great Day for a Hike

 

 

December 2009 in Fountain Valley California

Taylor Lee meets her 'Buela

 

 

January 2012 in Fullerton California

Robbie John meets his Buela

 

 

May 2012 in Billings Montana

My Bday present was bringing you here

 

 

February 2013 in Lake Geneva Wisconsin

Grandkid Invasion

 

 

December 2013 in Billings Montana

Christmas

 

 

January 2014 in San Diego California

Visiting while Caleb was deployed

 

 

August 2014 in Guatemala

Tuk-tuk ride into the tourist market

 

 

August 2014 in Guatemala

Special times with Jacob Sterling

 

 

January 2015 in Folsom California

Happy New Year!

 

 

Amazing to think of all the miles traveled

to be sure we get face-to-face time together!

(Not to mention all the hours logged on Skype!)

 

I love you Mom!

Happy Birthday!

 

This is Us

I wanna log some blog time!

So here's a simple update on each of the Hickles Five

Greg
1) Work- He enjoys it. He has made some friends with co-workers.
  He has a variety of tasks with all different types of needs for his patients.
  Every day looks different. Every week's schedule is completely different.
2) His shifts vary day and night.
  When he works day shift he leaves at around 6:30am,
  and returns home around 8:00pm.
  When he works night shift
  he comes home in time for breakfast with the kids at around 8:00am,
  and then sleeps until 4:00pm, showers, eats dinner with us
  and leaves for work by 6:30pm
3) He is currently "into" paintball season,
  and trying to find more venues where he can play.
4) He's playing softball again this summer, and his team is quite competitive.
  Looks like they may take the championship based on their current record.
.


Katrina
1) I'm trying to find balance in the midst of a lack of routine.
   My emotions seem to swing as quickly as Greg's schedule changes,
  and I'm trying to find some solid ground.
2) I was listening to a Pandora station yesterday, with "hit" songs,
  and I realized after 4-5 songs that all of them were about people
  who couldn't find satisfaction in who they were-
  and I was thinking about how they (the "royal they")
  don't know who God is,
  therefore they don't know who he made them to be,
  therefore they don't really even know who they are.
  I'm glad that even when things around me feel unsettled,
   I still know who I am cuz I know who He is! Just a musing.
3) I read the book of Hebrews in the MSG yesterday.
  What Christ did for us is AWESOME!
4) I hit a garage sale today
  and got a beautiful real-wood dresser for $25 dollars!
   It'll go in the guest room
   (hint: visit so you can try it out!)


Taylor
1) She is very excited to turn 5 1/2 next month!
2) For her graduation ceremony
  (she has called it her "Congraduation from Pre-school" for the past month!)
  she received her folder of work from the last two years.
  Amazing how quickly time flies!
3) She will be in Kindergarten next year---- at HOME!
  We decided to home school (we're just taking one year at a time).
  We have joined a co-op that meets at our church,
   and we'll have fun "project-themed" group classes there every Monday.
  The boys get to go too, and will get to do some fun activities.
  She has started to tell people
  how proud she is that her mom is gonna be her teacher.
  I'm looking forward to doing life with her
  day-in and day-out this coming year.
4) She "almost" reads-
  she fully understands that the first letter gives the first sound of the word,
  so she just guesses what the rest of it might say.
  She's pretty accurate =). Lol! But it's still just a guess.
  She says she can't wait to start reading all the words in her books.
5) She is a really good big sister,
  and keeps either boy laughing and enjoying life.


Robbie
1) He's such a boy!
  His definite favorite thing is to throw a rock (huge or teeny tiny)
  into any kind of water (puddle, pond, river, stream... anything!).
2) He will start a T/Th Preschool this fall,
  at the same place Tay did hers these last two years.
  He is already talking about how much Mrs. Smith is going to love him.
3) He loves all things super heroes,
  and today decided he wanted to be Hawk-guy
  and that Tay could be Hawk-girl.
  (The real one is actually Hawkeye, but he didn't care!
  He wanted to be Hawk-guy!)
4) He is a creature of habit and routine,
  and loves to have things in order.
5) He especially loves to laugh with/at Jacob and Taylor
6) He is still my cautious one when it comes to heights
  or something that appears dangerous- but he's also strong and adventuresome.
7) He loves to wear ball-caps like Daddy.


Jacob
1) He is changing every time we turn around.
  He now has 3 of 4 eye teeth poking through.
  His back molars are all the way in.
  He's been easy to upset these last few weeks,
  and I think it just has to have been all those teeth!
2) He has fully learned to throw fits.
  He goes "bone-less" and ducks his head down and cries hard.
   But it never lasts longer than 3-4 minutes.
3) He's super into trying to do what his sibs are doing.
4) He's still a MAJOR fan of monkeys,
  and also loves elephants, puppies and any kind of bird.
5) If he got his way, whenever the tv was on it would have Curious George cartoons on!


The Hickles Five
A) We had a "sickness" make it's way through all three kiddos,
  and they coughed for ages,
  had fevers that spiked at night,
  and got sore throats.
  We seem to be mostly past it, and have finally
  put the Tylenol bottle back in the closet
  instead of having it out where we can get to it at a moments' notice!
B) All three of the kids like to go to Garage Sales with me.
  They've been good about learning to "window shop" too,
   without throwing a fit that they didn't get everything that looked interesting.
C) We're also greatly enjoying being outside when it's nice.
   I have such a new appreciation for what SPRING actually means
  after now having lived in Winter!
  We're loving the opportunity to picnic on our lawn,
  or go for a walk after dinner. It's great!
 D) We're looking forward to a 1/2 Bday party for Tay and Robbie,
  a family week up in Big Sky,
  the Little Spurs Rodeo (or Radio- as our kids usually call it)
  swimming lessons,
  and day trips on Daddy's days off to enjoy beautiful Montana.

My Papito

My gracious, wise and special father
turns just another year older
This, the twenty seventh of April day
soon followed by the beginning of May

There's a generous amount of heritage he gives
to his kids and grandkids by the way he lives
Because, you see, he's chosen to follow Christ
Live in God's forgiveness which cannot be priced

He gives wisdom, care, growth and health
Comfort, depth, joy, safety- true wealth
The beauty of this inheritance type
We relish and use it long before goodbye

Dad, your example of continued growth
Has been a catalyst for me in both
My own personal growth and journey o'er the years
And my wife-ing, parenting and friending endeavors

Thank you for sharing your life openly
For following God's call on your life daily
For pursuing your kids and grandkids fiercely
Your legacy lives on and loves you dearly

Happy Birthday Dad!

(And here's a few fun ole' pix of this man
I am so thankful to call my dad!)

Movin' and Shakin'

Rest assured,

Life is SUPER busy
but not a single one of YOU is forgotten!

 

 

Here's a general "Top Ten" list
of what's on our minds and in our lives these days!

 

10) Greg is studying for his NCLEX test.
Last night he received his code to register for his test date.
He'll sign up for a date in mid February.
He'll take his test, pass it, and
almost immediately report for orientation at the hospital!

 

9) We "shopped" rentals in the area briefly
and have signed a lease for a great duplex
just 1.8 miles from Gary and Kathy's,
so about 2 miles from Tay's pre-school,
and 2.3 miles from the hospital where Greg'll work,
and 8.4 miles from church!!

 

8) We are moving TWO WEEKS from today!

I'm busy sorting, packing, and standing in awe
at the fact that we can still make a big mess with what's out
even though a bunch of it is already packed away!
Where does the "end of stuff" begin?

 

7) We are emptying (by "we" I mean the guys mostly)
the storage unit next weekend,
and filling the garage here so we can fill the truck the next week
and take it all to the duplex on the same day.

It'll be like opening wedding presents again!

I'm excited to see what all we "have"!

 

6) Taylor is FIVE, is in preschool for her last "semester"
is super into counting to 100 aloud,
enjoys writing her whole alphabet at a time,
and has specifically gotten more into drawing with detail
and staying in the lines when coloring!

We are currently talking about "tact" and "politeness"
as she's said some awful things about people to their face
(think "fat", "old", "gray", "wrinkles", etc!).
She'll get it. She's such a sensitive soul!

 

5) Robbie is THREE, is in the big boy class at church,
still favors the number 2 over any number,
loves the color green, but also likes "dark" (black),
and his new favorite letter is Q. But only the capital Q!
He is officially potty trained!
We had him in awesome super hero undies,
but his skin isn't handling the elastic,
so we're back in pull-ups.

We've been accident free for over a week!

The other night his prayer before bed was,
"Dear Jesus,
Thank you for you being a baby.
And thank you for your Father God.
And for your family, Mary, and your other dad Joseph.
In Jesus Name, Amen!"

 

4) Jacob is ALMOST ONE AND A HALF,
wears size 4 diapers, loves to eat and eat and eat,
has a sense of humor now,
loves to "cheers" when anyone is drinking anything,
takes 1-2 naps per day
depending on our morning outings.
He sleeps through the night about twice a week.
He just moved into mostly 18month clothes!
He's growing SO much!

We're transitioning to all three kids in one bedroom
when we move into the duplex...
Let's hope we still get some sleep!

 

3) My incredible husband sent me KIDLESS to
Northern Cali to visit with my folks,
my brother Caleb and his family,
and both my Gowan and Hillis grandparents!

Plus I got to see scads of aunts, uncles,
cousins and 2nd cousins!

My heart had been hurting as I pictured not seeing any of them
knowing my parents were State-side,
and let me tell you,
I've got an amazing Hubby that doted on me!

I'm feeling blessed!

(Pictures to come... SOMEDAY!)

 

2) Christmas here in Billings was wonderful.
We had most of the Hickles here,
although we sorely missed Nathan and Tricia,
who celebrated in Minnesota this year.
There was a big amount of snow on Christmas Day
so we awoke to a white wonderland outside!

Christmas with a 5, 3 and 1 year old
is some AWESOME times of excitement!

 

1) This 2015 is a year full of transition for us.

As we reflect on all  we've experienced,
through God's provision and the generosity of others,
even through the government financial help we've received,
we can't help but turn and THANK HIM,
and then bless His name and remember Him
as we move into our next stage of family life!

Thank you for walking this journey with us!

Friends and Family are one of God's greatest provisions!

 



Happy 3rd Bday Robbie John!!

Incredibly, we've had Robbie John in the family
for an entire THREE YEARS!
He is such a gift of joy and wonder!

Here are a few pics of Robbie from the last week or so,
and then some birthday pics from today!

 

Last week he got to watch Taylor in her program.

He was SO proud to be her brother!

 

Robbie LOVES firemen, firetrucks, fire hydrants,
and so he and Tay and Daddy
took some yummy Christmas cookies
to our firehouse in our neighborhood,
and then got to tour the big fire truck!

 

Jacob was excited about it too!

 

 

Robbie's favorite person is Joe Mattson,
2nd cousin through Greg's cousin Marianne.
He sure loves his Joey time!

 

Robbie told Santa that he wants a
DARTH VADER
for Christmas this year.

What does that even mean?
I dunno, but Santa did some lookin' around
and finally found something that will
hopefully meet the requirements =) 

 

Today Robbie awoke at 6:20am.
He meandered into our room,
and asked if it was okay to be awake =).
I said, "Hey Robbie!

Happy Birthday Buddy!!!!"
And he said, "Thanks Mom! I'm three!"

 

He requested Christmas Tree pancakes.
So we did Christmas trees, gingerbread men,
Snowmen and stars.

And of course, we served them on Superhero plates!

 

And to make it feel extra special
we decorated the kitchen table area
and put gifts out so he could get excited while he ate!

 

What a cutie patootie opening his gifts!

 

A Lightening McQueen Sleeping bag (not pictured) from Buela and Buelo
Angry Birds Toy game (not pictured) from Uncle Nate and Auntie Tricia
A toy Spiderman and Green Goblin (not pictured) from Auntie Anna
A new Batman outfit (below) from Grandpa and Grandma

New cowboy boots (below) from Mommy and Daddy

 

And, of course,
we already dug into his cake at lunchtime,
as we'll be celebrating Christmas tonight,
and wanted to give him our full "attention"!

 

GREEN cake (favorite color)
THREE candles
SPIDERMAN and WEB (favorite superheroes)

What more could a big dude ask for?!?

 

 

Robbie John,
I love you!

Your smile, giggle, and pure volume
bring me great joy!

I love being your mom,
and I'm forever grateful that you're a Hickle!

May you hear the voice of God
loudly in your life as you grow,
so that you may follow him closely!

He loves you oh-so-much!

Happy Birthday Little Man!!



Happy 5th BirthTay!!

 This beautiful soul
has graced our family with her presence
for FIVE WHOLE YEARS now!

Unbelievable!

Here's just a quick set of pix
of the last week or so
that capture some of the joy she brings to our home!

 

Last week Taylor got to celebrate her upcoming birthday at school.
Like last year she chose to take finger jello and banana bread.
So we "spiced it up" this year by making
finger jello with mini marshmallows in it,
and banana bread mini muffins with a tid-bit of cinnamon frosting.

 

Taylor told Santa she wanted a unicorn from Christmas last weekend.
Hmmm... dunno what we can do 'bout that!

 

 

Preschool Christmas Program

 

 

 

Turning FIVE today and opening fun presents!

Sleeping bag from Buela and Buelo
Ballerina Outfit from Uncle Nate and Auntie Tricia
A beautiful necklace (pictured above) from Auntie Anna
A new outfit (not pictured) from Grandpa and Grandma

New cowgirl boots (not pictured) from Mommy and Daddy

 

The Birthday Crown from her b-day at school

 

For dinner tonight
Taylor got a say in what we served,
and when asked she insisted
that we MUST consider it being Christmas time
so the meal needed to have red and green!

Hence, red spaghetti and green garlic toast =)

 

Taylor Lee
I LOVE YOU!
What a gift you are!

May God continue to grow you
and bring you closer to Him!

He's got HUGE plans for you!!!