Summer... where did you go? (And update on life)

Literally, the title says it all. Life seems to be FLYING by right now. I can't believe that summer is over and that my firstborn started kindergarten this past week. Not to mention that in about 10 weeks, we will be adding another child to our family. Life is moving fast!

We had a great summer, though in went by fast. In June we took a trip to Minnesota to visit my sister and her family, as well as friends. We had a few days up in northern Minnesota visiting some of our favorite Minnesota spots (and restaurants!). We came back to Colorado on fire- literally. The fire in Colorado Springs was insane. I have never in my life seen anything like it; it was hellish. We were put on pre-evacuation status, and thankfully did not have to actually evacuate.

Hiking Gooseberry Falls in Minnesota. Levi was on my back.

World's Best Donuts- Grand Marais, MN 

Levi playing at the lake in Minnesota.

Cousins! Teddy Bear Park.

Though we did lots of fun things this summer there are so many things we never got the chance to do - because it seems that summer just flew by in a blur of appointments and naps and playdates. Next summer I am going to make a list of the things we want to do so that we can be a little more intentional about doing some of the fun things that are close that we so often forget to do.

Silas had a little surgery at the beginning of July. He was born tongue tied and it was never corrected as a baby because it didn't cause any problems. This spring we came to realize that being tongue tied was effecting his speech and decided to have the surgery done to correct it. It was a simple procedure- and the recovery happened amazingly fast. Literally, he didn't miss a beat. We walked out of the hospital- less then an hour after surgery- and he wanted to know where we were going to eat breakfast. We are so thankful it went well! Silas started kindergarten last Wednesday and LOVES it. He loves bringing a snack each day. He loves all of the "specialist" classes- he was very excited for today (computer day!). His teacher seems very sweet and the class size is great- not too big, not too small (I think 18 kids). He is only attending half day kindergarten- so he is done by noon each day- which I think is making it an easier transition for me. :)

Silas- all prepped and ready for surgery.

First Day of Kindergarten

Eliana is FULLY POTTY TRAINED. It happened in June- and we are so proud of her! She really needed to learn on her time table it seems. But now that she has it, she has it. Some days, a little too well. Last week I told her she needed to go to bathroom before she went to swimming lessons (so it was about 4:30PM). Her response? "Mom! I already went today!" Yep, she had been to the bathroom one time all day- and thought it was ridiculous that I would ask her to go again. :) She can hardly contain her excitement for her baby sister to be born. And asks just about every day when she will be coming. :)

Eliana at swimming lessons

Levi just turned 18 months old and has just started making some improvements in walking last week. Up until this point, he has showed really no interest in walking. He was just last week evaluated to see if he needed physical therapy (which they said he did). And now he is starting to get brave and take 3 or 4 steps here and there. And Saturday? He fell out of an arm chair in our living room. After much crying, I took him to urgent care. They did x-rays and found that his bone had a buckle fracture. In babies, it's very uncommon for bones to actually break because they are still softer. So his little arm is now splinted- and will be put into a cast on Wednesday. In the meantime, crawling is basically impossible because he can't put any weight on his wrist without crying. So he has started to walk even more. The only problem is that the walking is so new that sometimes it leads to falling- and falling on his hurt little wrist. :( On the plus side, he now has a good little weapon to defend himself against Eliana and Silas, who are less then thrilled when he hits them with his splinted arm. :)

Levi with his little splinted arm after leaving Urgent Care.

I am almost 30 weeks pregnant now- and feeling pretty good. A Walmart employee told me I looked "HUGE!!!" Yes, as you can imagine I was slightly less then thrilled, especially because I am not huge! :) I am actually measuring a little small right now, possibly because the baby is still breech. We have another ultrasound in 2 weeks and are hoping the baby will NOT be breech so that we can confirm it is a GIRL! Right now the baby is very active- which I am thankful for this pregnancy more then ever.

And possibly the MOST EXCITING news in our life right now is that Luke has a new job. Seriously. So exciting- so thankful. Luke started his new job this past week at Woodmen Valley Chapel as the Tech Director. Woodmen is the church I have been attending for Bible Study for the past 2 years, so I am already somewhat connected there and some of our best friends attend there too. It's a church we are excited about attending as a family. They have a children's ministry that we feel good about putting our kids in; we trust that they will be cared for, loved, safe, and taught about Jesus. It's closer to our house (thus cutting our gas bill in half each month- which will be a great savings!). It will better provide for our family financially and the benefits are great. We finally have health benefits for our whole family! We are so thankful to see how God provided this opportunity in His time; it was definitely a God thing and not something we can claim any part of orchestrating. My parents were over for dinner a few nights ago and my dad commented to Luke about how he just looked happy. Happier and more relaxed then he has looked in a long time. And that is how he feels. We feel like God has brought us to a great place and we are so excited to see what He has planned.

A love not lost...

Well some of you may remember about 6 months ago, on Silas' 5th birthday, I lost my wedding band. You could say that it was a rough day. I was devastated and have spent many hours searching craigslist and ebay hoping that I might find it being resold... But that hasn't happened. We aren't in a place right now with 3 young children and a 4th on the way to just go replace it. And every time I look down at my ring finger and see only my engagement ring, I am reminded of my lost ring.

Well I am currently reading, "one thousand gifts" by Ann Voskamp. An amazing book that I would recommend to just about anyone. It's about learning to live with a thankful heart each day. After reading a chapter of the book the other night, I turned the light off and my mind went to my wedding ring. And it occurred to me, that though I have lost my wedding ring, I still have my marriage. I look around at people in my life and in our world who have lost their spouse through death or divorce. And probably many of them would gladly give their wedding band and much more, just to have a healthy, loving marriage.

So though I still wish I hadn't lost my wedding band, I am approaching it with a new perspective. The symbol of our love has been lost, but I have not lost my love. Our marriage is stronger then ever. There is no one I would rather be on this crazy journey called life with then Luke. I am so thankful for the amazing man that God has created him to be- and thankful that he is mine.

SoCal- Part 3

We left Carlsbad late Sunday morning. We decided to stop in Beverly Hills for lunch and cupcakes. And it's always my hope when we go to Beverly Hills that I will see someone famous. (Stupid, I know).

We parked our car and as we were walking down the stairs to the street, we passed a couple. I knew immediately she was someone I had seen. We passed them and I turned around and mouthed to Luke, "She's famous!!" I knew I had seen her in something and I was thinking her name was Amy. Thanks to the data package on Luke's phone, I was able to do a quick search on the internet. And it turned out to be Amy Smart- who I recognized from "Scrubs" and "Rat Race." She was with a man who had a hat on and sunglasses- so we didn't recognize him... As it turns out though, it was her fiancee, Carter Oosterhouse. Enough for celebrity talk...

So most restaurants in Beverly Hills are a little over our price range- and not appropriate for 3 small children. So we grabbed a few slices of pizza at a little pizza place and headed to the real reason we stopped in Beverly Hills. Sprinkles.

Our Beverly Hills destination: Sprinkles!

So many choices!

Top Row: Marshmallow Chocolate and Milk Chocolate
Bottom Row: Two Dark Chocolates

Silas devouring his cupcake...

Enjoying my dark chocolate cupcake...
Poor Levi, someday he will eat yummy food!

Miss Messy Face

And, she's done! 

After our cupcakes, we got back on the road (after a quick trip to Starbuck's for Luke). Our trip from Carlsbad to San Jose should have taken about 8 hours (without any stops). It took us 12.5 hours. We hit some traffic. Besides stopping for lunch and dinner, we stopped two times at Starbuck's, once to feed Levi, once for gas, and once for a bathroom break. That's a total of 7 stops. Yep, it was one long day!

One year ago... (Part Two)

If you didn't read part one of our move to Colorado click here.

So we moved to Colorado the beginning of June last year. To say it was wonderful at first would be an understatement. Our first few weeks in Colorado were like a vacation. Because we moved with no jobs, we put all of our belongings into storage and moved in with my parents. So literally, it was like a vacation. I was still technically working, so I did work from my parents house and in mid-June we returned to California to wrap up my job. One big part of my job was helping with VBS at our church. VBS at Venture is a BIG deal- lots of kids, lots of volunteers, and lots of logistics. So I was going to back to help and to train my friend, Allyson, who took over my job when we moved. Our time back in California was busy and wonderful. Both Luke and I worked with VBS in the morning and sometimes part of the afternoon. But we had lots of time to see our friends and visit our favorite places and restaurants. :)

We came back to Colorado at the end of June and really began the job hunt. Since we were actually living in Colorado, it made job hunting a lot easier. Luke had a couple of great potentials, but nothing came together. He had one ministry offer him a job two times, but the pay was literally poverty level. They wanted to pay him more, but the money just wasn't there. So he turned it down knowing that he could not support our family with that job. He continued to hunt for jobs. I continued to scour the internet daily for jobs. And nothing. The disappointment started to grow. We came to Colorado on faith and things were just not coming together as we had hoped. And on top of that, I found out I was pregnant at the end of July. (Side note: Levi was truly a "surprise"baby- and oh. my. goodness. The BEST surprise ever! Maybe that is just how surprise babies are, because I was a surprise baby too. And I am pretty sure I am my parent's favorite... :) At least that is what I always tell them).

In Mid-August, Luke got an email from a guy he had previously talked to about a job at a church here in the Springs. Josh wanted to hire Luke for a contract position. Obviously, this wasn't ideal for us. A contract position meant no benefits and no regular salary. But something is better then nothing, so Luke took the contract job. But we continued to search for a full time job at the same time, knowing that was what we ultimately needed.

After contracting for almost 3 months, the church offered Luke a full time job. We were THRILLED! The offer was a little different then what we had anticipated, but we knew that it was the right fit. Luke started officially on December 4th and we began hunting for a house to rent. We moved into a townhouse at the end of December and Colorado began to actually feel like home.

This past year has been a roller coaster, which I honestly didn't anticipate. (Which was pretty naive on my part!) Moving is never easy. It's lots of work and lots of changes. But it's also an adventure. Some days the adventure has been exciting and somedays I just wanted to go back to California. But we are where we are supposed to be; we know that. For this season of our lives, Colorado is home. And it's finally starting to feel that way.

The Waiting Game

Two weeks ago, Luke found out that his boss had accepted a new job. Though Luke has loved working with Josh, his leaving potentially meant a new role for Luke- a step up. This was obviously exciting; part of the reason Luke really enjoys his job is because of the potential for job growth and learning. Unfortunately, the lady making the decisions about how this would all pan out left for a scheduled vacation literally the day after Josh announced he was leaving. And then she returned from vacation, and we all know how that is. She was swamped. So it has very much felt like our lives have been in limbo, waiting to see what is next and how that will effect Luke (and thus, our family).

Well today I had a particularly bad attitude about the waiting. I am tired of waiting. I just wanted to know. So tonight we were having two friends over for dinner; two guys that attend the Air Force Academy. One of them, John, was from our church in California and Luke was a youth group leader to him. The other guy, Andrew, is John's friend- and now our friend too. We love having them over for dinner and hearing what is going on in their lives. And Silas and Eliana absolutely love playing with them. Literally a few minutes before they walk in the door I sort of word vomited my thoughts all over Luke about his current work situation...  I am just frustrated. But the reality is, so is he. So all of a sudden having people for dinner felt like the last thing I wanted to do. But you know what? Within a few minutes of them being here, I felt better. Because I was forced to not focus on and worry about something I have no control over anyways. We had a fun evening with good food, great company, and we ended the night by watching some Jim Gaffigan clips on youtube. Perfect, right? :)

So as they were leaving, I went to our bedroom to feed Levi. Because the guys were watching youtube clips, I had no computer to use (and normally I read facebook or news on the computer while I nurse). So I picked up a book (that I love) on my nightstand. It's called "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young- and there is a short devotional for each day of the year. The devotionals are based on the Bible (the specific verses are listed on each page). And the author writes as if Jesus is actually talking to you. There have been so many times that I pick it up, and it applies directly to my life. Today was one of those days. The first words were, "Hold My hand- and trust." A few lines later, "Fearful, anxious thoughts melt away in the Light of My Presence. When you turn away from Me, you are vulnerable to the darkness that is always at work in the world. Don't be surprised by how easily you sin when you forget to cling to My hand." And that, my friend, is exactly what happened to me today. I chose to worry and be fearful about a situation that I have no control over. My worrying about it isn't going to help us get answers any faster. Rather then worry, I need to continually trust God. He has a plan and though we can't see the end result yet, He is at work. He has never let us down or failed us, why would He start now?

I need to start focusing upwards and stop worrying about what is happening around me. I am so thankful for the devotional I read tonight. It was exactly what I needed- and I know that wasn't a coincidence. I am thankful for a God of second chances. Because I screw up. All. The. Time. So next week we should find out what changes lie ahead for Luke with his job (and just fyi, it's not like he is at risk for losing his job or anything- just changes). And regardless of the outcome, I know that God is in control. And that is enough for me.

7 years ago...

7 years ago tomorrow was one of the happiest days of my life.. My wedding day! It's amazing to think how much has happened over the last 7 years. One thing that remains the same is that I continue to love my husband with all of my heart. Here is the video montage from our wedding...

I will never forget the first time I saw Luke... I attended a meeting for youth workers at our church. I had just moved to California and was interested in helping out with the high school group at our church. There were only a handful of people at the meeting and this hot guy walked in late. He was wearing a Linkin Park shirt which caught me eye. Linkin Park was a pretty new band at the time and happened to be a band I really liked. This guy had spiky hair and earrings- and I found out later that night, rode a motorcycle. I guess you could say he caught me attention. :) We eventually became friends- and started dating almost a year later. I could tell a story about that long process, but we'll save that for another day... In November of 2003, Luke asked me to marry him. And much to his relief, I said yes. :)

Happy Anniversary Luke! The last 7 years have been an adventure and there is no one I would rather have by my side. Thank you for being a loving husband. You always put me and our families needs before your own. Thank you for working so hard to provide for our family- and for allowing me this chance to stay at home with our children. You are an AMAZING father to our children! I remember when we first started dating, you were a bit uncomfortable holding my niece, Natalie. You've come a long way baby! :) One of my favorite parts of the day is watching Silas and Eliana sit out front, waiting for you to come home. And as they see your car pull in the driveway, watching the joy wash over their faces and seeing them jump up and down with excitement that their daddy is home! You are my best friend Luke and I am so thankful that God brought us together. I want to live every day of my life with you by my side.