No pictures....just words... :)

Everytime I want to blog I always feel like I have to have pictures ready to insert and sometimes that keeps me from blogging because I don't have that much time. So, this blog will just be words. Hopefully the next one will have pictures. :)

I can't believe how much time has flown by since my last blog post! A lot has happened since then. I will try to recap most of it if this brain can remember!! One of my dear friends did a Christmas letter once and she used the alphabet to recap the prior year. I'm going to give that a try....maybe that will help keep this scatterbrain a little more organized!! :)

A - Avery - She continues to bless our lives so richly! She is a very high-energy little 2 year-old!

B - Birthdays - We celebrated Avery's 2nd birthday here with us and her twin brother's, Landon's, 2nd birthday in heaven with our Lord. We celebrated with a Mickey/Minnie Mouse birthday. I made 2 cakes. Minnie mouse for Avery and Mickey mouse for Landon. We had a wonderful time and we also had a huge blessing that day. The blue and white tulips that we had planted last November in Landon's flower garden poked through the soil for the very first time on their birthday! So, B is also for blessings!!

C - Christ - We would not have gotten through losing Landon without our Father. He has continued to reveal Himself to us and has shown His love to us in so many amazing ways.

D - Dance - Addison is continuing to take dance lessons at Jenks Dance Academy where she is taking ballet, tap and tumbling. She absolutely loves it and makes up her own dances all the time!

E - Easter - We had a great Easter, spending a lot of time with family. The kids decorated an Easter basket for Landon and we set it by his marker at Floral Haven.

F - February - Always a very bittersweet month. Feb. 26th was Avery and Landon's 2nd birthday. Two of my friends also lost their full-term babies this past February. It was a very hard month.

G - Grace - Oh my goodness. I have been amazed by how God has shown his grace to me. I have a really neat story about grace that will hopefully be my next blog. It's a very involved story so it will take up its own blog. :)

H - Healing - We continue to heal everyday. I'd have to say that we are better where we are right now compared to 2 years ago. There have been many hills and valleys and I know there will be many more. But, we have come a long way.

I - Ice cream - Well, that one came easy! We made our first snow ice cream this past winter when we were literally snowed in and completely going crazy!!! It turned out really yummy and the kids loved it! :)

J - Jesus - Continuing to surrender everyday to Christ.

K - Kallan - My best friend had her baby girl, Kallan, on December 5th! She is so adorable and looks just like her older brother, Katch. :)

L - Linley - I almost become speechless when I think about her. To be completely honest with you, she saved me. She is such a blessing to our lives. I don't know what I would do without her!

M- Mexico - My amazing husband surprised my sister and me with a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico in May! We had such a great time. It was a wonderful bonding time for us....something we don't get to do very often!

N - Nutcracker - Addison and I went to the Nutcracker this past December. We have made a tradition to go every year and I look forward to when Avery and Linley are old enough to join us!

O - October 5, 2010, the birth of our 5th child, Linley Gregg Bristle!

P - Physical Therapist - I went back to work as a part-time physical therapist at the Oklahoma Surgical Hospital. Going back to work has also played a part in helping me to heal. I feel a little more "normal" doing something that I use to do and enjoy very much. My whole perspective has changed when it comes to my job. I enjoyed helping my patients and all, but now there is a lot more compassion. I have been able to share my story several times with some of my patients and they have been able to open up and share with me some of their trials and how they pressed on. It has also helped me to become a better mom. I look forward to my days off with my kiddos and those days are a lot more purposeful now.

Q - Q has always been a hard letter. Hmmm....let's see, I would have to say "quiet." I have learned to be quiet and still and listen to God. Also, to listen to others. You can learn a lot when you just sit still and listen.

R - Ryan - My husband continues to be my rock. I have put him through so much during this journey of grief and he has stood by my side.....completely unwavering....and has loved me unconditionally.

S - Soccer - We have spent many days on the soccer field and it has been so much fun! Logan and Addison both play soccer for the Metro Tulsa Soccer Club. Logan plays for the Destroyers and Addison plays for the Rainbow Unicorns. Gotta love the team names! Ryan has really enjoyed coaching Addison's soccer team. :)

T - Tulsa Tough - I recently biked the Tulsa Tough with my best friend. It was a 30 mile bike ride through Tulsa. We had a great time, but was I ever sore! This was the first time either of us had been back on our bikes in about 1 1/2 years! It's time to get back in shape!!

U - Upwards basketball - Logan enjoyed playing in the Upwards Basketball league at our church. Logan is really becoming quite the basketball player. Ryan really enjoys coaching the team.

V - VBS - I recently helped co-direct the preschool side for VBS at our church. The theme was "Pandamania" where the kids learned how God is crazy about them! They loved it!!

W - Whiteside Gym - Avery got to take her first gymnastics class at Whiteside gym. She absolutely loved it! She is our little monkey...she climbs on everything! She will make quite the gymnast someday!!

X - Another hard letter!! I'm going to cheat and say Expedition. We went on "Expedition Everest" while at Animal Kingdom at Disneyworld. We got to spend 4 full days at Disneyworld and we enjoyed every bit of it! I'm ready to go back!!

Y - Youth group - Ryan and I continue to serve as D-group leaders with our youth group at church. We have done this for the past 4 years and have really gotten to them very well.

Z - Zoom - Logan and Addison's teachers did an ABC countdown during the last 26 days of school and they used the word "zoom" for the last day...."zoom out of second grade," "zoom out of preschool." I still can't believe that the school year is over. It seems like this year is zooming by. But, I do have to say, that I am learning to slow down, breathe, listen and learn.

Well, that sums up a little of what we have been doing these past months. We are so blessed and so thankful of the many ways God has blessed us. We are so grateful for our family, our friends, our amazing church. Our hearts are still healing. I know it will take a long time. Probably the rest of our lives. But, I have learned to just sit still and think and reflect about all that I have here right now on this earth and about the amazing promise of eternity that we have ahead of us.