It's just a house... with SO many memories.

A friend posted 10 things she loved about her house right before they moved out. I thought it was the most amazing idea and a great way to put it in writing so as the years fog our memories about this beloved place, we will be reminded of how amazing our time here truly was.

{Oh, sorry! Did I forget to mention we are moving? Yep. That's right... onto a new adventure. We decided to put the house on the market and within 6 hours we received our first offer. This was great and all, except the fact that we needed to find a new house and we hadn't quite figured that out yet. With the way the market is, we had to put this house up, get under contract and then a seller might, just maybe, take us seriously. Stressful you ask? No, not at all... especially with a 2 year old and 8 month old. I WAS FREAKING OUT! This whole time we knew God wanted us to take this leap of faith and trust him. We felt him pushing us to our knees and surrendering all of the details to Him. It wasn't easy by any stretch of the word, but when He speaks... you better listen! Long story short, we accepted an amazing offer on our house and within 24 hours God provided a beautiful new home for us. We had sold our home, and were under contract on another all in one weekend! INSAIN!}

It is so hard to pick just 10 things that I love about our home, but in order to keep this post relatively short and avoid having to re-do my makeup (if I don't already have to... from crying) I'll keep it to 10.

One. 
This home brought a new chapter in our lives as we build it from the ground up and started our grown up life in it. We began big people jobs and came back to our oasis.

Two. 
The joy (and sweat&tears) of making it home. From laying sod to planting trees to creating a garden space with yummy fruits and veggies.

Three.
It's the place we found out we were pregnant with both of our sweet babies. We also brought both of them home from the hospital here.

Four.
Where our strong boy learned to sit, stand, crawl and walk and where our sweet girl found that sitting wasn't so bad after all...

Five. 
Our covered back patio allowed for baby pool playtime, summer patio dinners, and lunchtime fun.

Six. 
The front porch where we sat on our porch swing and waited for Daddy to drive in. It was also the perfect spot for morning devotionals and watching the storms roll in. (oh, and I can't forget the calming effect on screaming newborns!)

Seven. 
Our driveway acted like a racetrack to see how fast Lightning MacQueen and Tow Mater could speed down it.

Eight.
In the Winter our backyard became the perfect toddler sledding hill (wasn't too steep or fast and gave our boy all the confidence in the world).

Nine. 
The yard became an oasis for our puppy to get away from loud kiddos and a great place for a nap in the sun. It was also home to a crabapple tree, burning bush, and rhubarb plant that was gifted to us by family.

Ten. 
The neighbors surrounding us and the blessing that they have been in our lives. We will forever cherish the conversations over the fence and the graciousness that each one of them has shown us.


This house has become so much more than we ever imagined it would and we are forever grateful for the opportunity to have taken care of it. The memories we made here first as a couple and then a family are priceless. We learned how to become parents here and love each other through it all. It became home.

(I made it through... only went through a few kleenex boxes! ha)

We are so excited for the next adventure and the memories we will make in our new home. God is so good and we feel extremely blessed by it all.

Gifts and Giving Back

A friend of mine brought over the sweetest gift after our girl arrived. Well, let me rephrase that, she brought over many gifts for us as they were purging and packing for their next life adventure {you can learn more about their amazing, crazy, exciting journey here} but this one made my heart melt.

In the bag there was the most amazing book for our boy and a beautiful onesie for our sweet girl. All in the name of an organization, Chosen and Dearly Loved. Come to find out my friend and the founders of the organization have know each other for some time now.

Chosen & Dearly Loved believes that every child is valuable, and whenever possible, belongs in a loving permanent family. Our mission is to love and care for children with special needs: those often the most likely to become orphans and least likely to be adopted. We are currently working to help care for rescued children in orphanages, engage local communities on their behalf, preserve families where possible, and support adoptive families when adoption is best. 

Our hope is to devise new strategies that increase awareness and participation on behalf of orphans with special needs, and we believe everyone can play a part in helping these children live a better story. Together we can confront one of the biggest and most heart-breaking challenges of our time, and experience profound joy and purpose by doing so. Together we can make a life-changing difference – one child at a time. Each child is worth it!

How awesome is that? If God places it on your heart to find out more or shop some super cute stuff you can discover for yourself here. 

Okay Mamas... this one's for you

Let my start by saying the transition from one to two kiddos has been rough. Way harder than I ever thought. So worth it, but tough... I guess I underestimated the challenges of having two babies constantly needing my care and attention (let alone having to make dinner, do a few loads of laundry so we had something to wear, not to mention clean the house, and a hubby that I wanted to care for and spend quality time with). It wasn't anyones fault, just how life went with a 2 year old and newborn. About a month ago I hit my breaking point and needed a course correction (and sleep...).

A friend told me about a new addition of a book that was about ready for release. I went straight to Amazon and ordered my copy of Hope for a Weary Mom. If you are at all like me, I knew it was going to be a challenge to get some time to myself to even read the first page, but it was going to happen. I needed some mommy encouragement and this was just the right medicine.

Let me tell you... it is amazing. I am no where near finished with it but it is meaty and I am only on chapter 3. There is something about hearing other moms tell you that they are struggling with the same things that picks you up and keeps you going. A talk on the phone with a dear friend gave me a jump start and a new perspective on my role as a mama of two, what that looks like in ministry and how I can encourage other moms that are going through the same struggles.

I love talking to other mommies about what it is to be a mommy and the distractions that take us away from our most important job. I am the first one to admit that I get sucked into the to-do list for the day that I push away precious opportunities to roll around on the floor with my boy... beware wrestling with your two year old can cause eye injuries... (but that's a whole other story).

I definitely feel like I am on a better path and have my head on somewhat straight again. Not perfect by any means, but refreshed and resting in the promises of God and the hope that only He can give.

___________

Mama, 

God has placed you in your role as a mommy to love on your babies and show them what it means to live. He has given you tasks, often hard to except or complete, so you can encourage other mommies around you that are going through the exact same things. Keep up the great work and let Him lead you when you have nothing more to give. 

___________

Weary? I would love for you to join me on this journey. Pick up your copy of Hope for Weary Mom here.

distracted by life.

Not sure where to begin other than by sitting down with a Nalgene bottle of water and taking a deep breath. This past 9 months (yes, it's been that long since I have written) has brought me to my knees more than I can count. Thank you Jesus for loving me in my weary mess! I wouldn't have traded one second of it.

Early September brought the arrival of our precious baby girl. After discovering our little princess was breech we had to make some adjustments to the birth plan (to say the least...). After many tries to flip her on her own, including practically standing on my head, we realized she wasn't budging. The Dr's performed an ECV to manually flip her. This brought up the fact that I could go into labor at any point after the manipulation or they could break my water while trying to flip her. Scary stuff for only being 36 weeks along. Thankfully the ultrasound showed she was strong enough and completely developed so if I did go into labor they would feel comfortable delivering her. After a failed ECV I came home with contractions and at 6:30am the next day my water broke. Since she was still in the breech position we were off to the hospital for a emergency c-section. Yippee! Two hours later our sweet girl arrived. Pink and crying.... and nothing else mattered. God is so good.

Our little man turned 2 in November. He is an amazing big brother and loves his sister to pieces! Everyday we both learn something new and I am discovering quickly that he is way too smart for me. I am so thankful for the person he is becoming and love that he is my comic relief throughout the day. 

My hubby has been my rock over these crazy months and I have no idea how I would survive without him. His encouragement and grace overwhelm me. He definitely is my better half. So blessed to be able to call him mine. 

I'm on the edge of my seat to find out what 2015 holds for us. Check back soon for some exciting resources that I hope and pray will help your family as much as they have helped mine!

it's a......

On Monday we got to see our littlest baby again. It's so fun to see all of their features and know that in a few short months we will be kissing that little nose and smooching those cheeks! 

Yep! You guessed it! Levi is going to be a big brother to a little sister!!! We are so excited. Levi already is infatuated with babies and when I ask him if he wants to give the baby a kiss... he smooches my tummy. Love that they will get to go through life together! 

What a gift. We are truly blessed. 

Baby girl is healthy and growing right on track. We are thanking Jesus for the gift of another little one and praising Him for a healthy report. God is good. 

The day a boy stole my heart... forever.

I am thankful for him. 

Thankful for this moment.

Thankful for a year of memories.

Thankful for a growing personality.

Thankful for a boy who changed me forever and taught me more in a year that I could have dreamed.

Happy Birthday! I love you buddy.

Levi. 10 months old

We have been wanting to make a camera purchase for awhile now... and I guess we finally got the nerve to make the leap! Let me just say this. Best. Decision. Ever.

The clarity of the pictures is amazing and I have loved practicing on Andy and Levi. Andy has enjoyed the new purchase too. He has some mad photography skills.

Here is the photo shoot we took with Levi a few weeks ago at Daniel's Park. Gotta love Golden Hour*.

*in photography, the golden hour (sometimes known as magic hour, especially in cinematography) is the first and last hour of sunlight during the day when a specific photographic effect is achieved due to the quality of the light. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_(photography)

What in the world have we been up to?

I am still blown away by the fact that today is September 1st. Don't ask me where the summer went... I won't be able to tell you. I'll be honest, I am ready for this heat to be over. Looking forward to pumpkin bread, latte's, falling leaves and enjoying crisp, fall evenings cuddled in a blanket.

The last month or so, life has been crazy! Levi is on the move, so my moments to get on and blog are few and far between (taking advantage of a little naptime to update).

WARNING... photo bomb coming (sorry in advance.)

Fair has come and gone again and Jesse did awesome! So hard to believe that she only has a few more years of showing. So glad that we could be there to cheer her on and celebrate her successes with her. Levi loved the rodeos, animals and tractors!

hanging in the trailer!

everything is bigger at the Fair!

After Fair we had the opportunity to travel to South Carolina to spend a week at the beach with Andy's family. It was such a fun time to reconnect and relax (although, all of you with kiddos know, you need a vacation after your vacation to recover).

cousins

fun at the beach!
(notice the sand all over Levi's mouth... he liked it a little too much!) 

walking around Savannah, GA 

we helped Auntie Rachel settle into her apartment at Seminary!
We miss her like crazy and can't wait to see her at Christmas!

And what would summer be without spending time on the porch swing and exploring places you've never been!

the coffee table's cool mom!

Check back soon to see my first completed project of the fall... and a few other things that I will be working on!

Spring in Colorado.

Seems like we have been going non stop this past week, but I wanted to sit down and share some fun pictures of a little thing we call life!

Levi's first Easter was a success. He obviously didn't understand what was going on, but his parents sure had fun making it "a day not to forget". On Saturday we went to a Easter Egg Drop (eggs are dropped out of a helicopter onto the high school football field. Pretty fun to watch!) Then, Sunday we went to church and headed to my parents house for Easter dinner. Here are a few pictures.

Yep. Levi's shirt says "chicks dig me". I just couldn't resist.

Jess also got baby ducks last week. Levi loved watching them crawl all over him.
Just wait until he is crawling and they are following him around!

Friday I tagged along with the boys and took Levi to his first Opening Day. The weather was beautiful (75 degrees to be exact) and the Rockies won! It doesn't get better than that! My dad, having never missed an Opening Day in all 20 years of Rockies existence was on cloud nine that his little Levi now holds the same record. :)

Papa, Grandpa, Levi, Me and Andy

That 75 degree day seems like a distant memory now! The wind is blowing and we are supposed to get 10-15 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. Maybe even hit a record low tonight. I'm cold just thinking about it. Better trade my shorts in for some long underwear... winter is making a comeback, oh I forgot... I guess this is just Spring in Colorado!