Crazy how fast the summer has gone. We have been much more busy than I expected, but yet it has been an awesome summer. We have had the chance to hang out with several different people and just soak up time with our children. We have thoroughly enjoyed just basking in joy of where God has placed us. What an amazing opportunity to be in ministry full time. Charlie is full and absolutely loves his job. We could not ask for anything more.
The crazy part of all of this is that in just 9 short weeks we will be welcoming baby number three into our family. I am so excited to see how the dynamics of our family will change in the coming months. It is difficult to imagine having another little boy or girl, but yet I know not long after this baby arrives it will be difficult to imagine life without the new addition. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival and finding out if we are going to be adding a boy or girl to our family.
I pray daily that the baby would be healthy and I pray for the transition of Jack and Chloe as they once again are asked to share mommy and daddy a little more. I also pray for the strength to be a mom of three. I have always wanted a larger family, but I have to admit there are days when I just don't know how it will all work. I know God will give me the strength and wisdom to be the best mom I can be to my three children.
That is all for now, but I will keep you updated as we await the arrival of this baby.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Family Trip - picture overload
When we found out that Charlie was going to be moving to a new job we knew that the vacation we had planned for the summer would no longer be a possibility. Well, through God's amazing blessing and provision we were able to move our trip up and we spontaneously traveled down to Southern California to have an amazing family vacation. It was perfect timing. The two-three months leading up to this vacation for stressful(to put it lightly). Moving our trip up allowed us to have some rest and prepare for the new adventure that would be awaiting us when we returned. We were able to enjoy our road trip dreaming about what our future holds. We also had some amazing quality time with our children. I am so thankful that we were able to take this vacation.
We left for our vacation on Mother's Day. We had a wonderful day at church and BBQ with some of our friends and family and got on the road about 5:30pm. Yes that may seem crazy, but we have grown to enjoy traveling through the night with our children because they seem to handle it much better. Also, we made really good time without hitting any traffic.
Monday: We took the day pretty easy, just enjoying time with Charlie's aunt and cousin. We were able to stay with them the entire week. It was such a blessing. The kids were able to enjoy the pool and lots of toys. Also, they have three dogs. This was a little interesting on Monday since our children are no way use to dogs. However, by the end of the week they were best friends with the little pug, Mac.
Monday evening we had dinner with some of Charlie's friends from his swing dancing days. He has not seen them in almost 15 years. Crazy. We had a great time. This couple happen to have 4 boys and Jack was in heaven. This would be a family we would love to live closer to, in order to spend more time with.
Tuesday: We woke up bright and early Tuesday morning to meet my brother, Alan and his wife, Erin at Disneyland. We took Jack with he was 18 months old, it was fun to be able to take him again and take Chloe at the same age. Considering it was a crazy hot day, we really enjoyed our time and the kids did wonderfully. We were even blessed with free parking for the day.
When we first got into the park the marching band played for us and we got to see Cinderella. Jack wore his Mickey Mouse ears most of the day and I just loved it. Also, he was very excited to take Woody with us.
A favorite ride for both of the kids was absolutely the carousel.
We visited Toon Town. Jack loved meeting all his "friends". Chloe was not so sure. She really did not like the masks. We chose to stay away from Minnie Mouse so that we would not ruin her love of Minnie.
I took Jack on the racing cars "autopia". Can you tell he was excited about this ride. I get to drive a car!!!!!
We took the kids to see the parade. Jack absolutely loved every second. He was enthralled with everyone, the music and all the things there were to see. Chloe held my neck just like this about half way through the parade. She was terrified. Then she saw the princesses (she could see their faces) and she started to warm up to the whole thing.
One last carousel ride. We had a fabulous time and can't wait for the next time we get to take them here. We have been home for two weeks and they are still talking about Disneyland, Winnie the Pooh, Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse and Goofy constantly.
Wednesday: Obviously Tuesday was a big day so we knew we had to take it easy on Wednesday. Chloe actually got sick while we were at Disneyland so she slept most of the day. We did make it to lunch at an amazing Pizza place in Yorba Linda. It is actually owned and operated by our families friend. For those of you who live down south or planning a trip, I highly recommend it. Amazing pizzas and great prices, at least for lunch. It is called Craftsman Wood Fired Pizza. Awesome!!!!
Thursday: We decided to take the kids on a small outings so we went to Irvine Regional Park. There is a small little zoo, a train and beautiful places to have a picnic lunch. We really enjoyed our outing. The kids got to pet and feed the goats and see just enough animals to please them. It was a small zoo, but perfect for a 1 and 3 year old.
Our kids never would have been this comfortable with the goats had it not been for the dogs around all week.
After our lunch we took the kids on this amazing train ride. Once again we found a train for Jack to ride. The best part is that the Engineer's name was Jack. They had an instant connection.
Thursday night Charlie had planned for him and I to have a date night. It was my birthday present. It was so much fun. We left the kids with Charlie's aunt and headed to Huntington Beach. We had dinner on the pier and then walked around downtown and along the beach. We hardly ever get to enjoy the beach or even a leisurely night like that. We really just took our time and enjoyed every second. We ended the night with frozen yogurt. What an awesome time together.
Friday: After being at the beach Thursday night we knew we wanted to take the kids to the beach. Being from Grass Valley we really don't have access to beaches, especially ones with nice sand, and waves. It was the first time either of our children had been to the beach and they loved every second. Chloe instantly took to the seaweed, then started playing in the sand and finally fell in love with the waves. She cried for the water as we walked back to the car. Jack loved the sand at first, but after Charlie took him into the waves he decided they were super fun. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.
I can't help but think of the coppertone sunscreen baby when I look at this picture. She just melts my heart.
Jack asked me to bury him in the whole Charlie dug. However, once he was buried it was difficult to keep him in the hole long enough to get a picture.
Friday evening we had a quiet night at home. We enjoyed dinner with my brother and played games and watched movies.
Saturday: We were driving home Saturday, but we did not leave until late afternoon again. We had Alan and Erin over for lunch and swimming. We had a great time.
Jack is getting pretty brave in the water.
We had a wonderful trip and felt completely refreshed. The greatest part is that we were excited to come home and start this new journey that God has in store for us. We have no idea what is coming, but it is going to be awesome and we can't wait to see how he will use us to impact the lives of the students we will be working with. God is great. Thank you for the blessing of such an amazing family vacation.
We left for our vacation on Mother's Day. We had a wonderful day at church and BBQ with some of our friends and family and got on the road about 5:30pm. Yes that may seem crazy, but we have grown to enjoy traveling through the night with our children because they seem to handle it much better. Also, we made really good time without hitting any traffic.
Monday: We took the day pretty easy, just enjoying time with Charlie's aunt and cousin. We were able to stay with them the entire week. It was such a blessing. The kids were able to enjoy the pool and lots of toys. Also, they have three dogs. This was a little interesting on Monday since our children are no way use to dogs. However, by the end of the week they were best friends with the little pug, Mac.
Monday evening we had dinner with some of Charlie's friends from his swing dancing days. He has not seen them in almost 15 years. Crazy. We had a great time. This couple happen to have 4 boys and Jack was in heaven. This would be a family we would love to live closer to, in order to spend more time with.
Tuesday: We woke up bright and early Tuesday morning to meet my brother, Alan and his wife, Erin at Disneyland. We took Jack with he was 18 months old, it was fun to be able to take him again and take Chloe at the same age. Considering it was a crazy hot day, we really enjoyed our time and the kids did wonderfully. We were even blessed with free parking for the day.
A favorite ride for both of the kids was absolutely the carousel.
Jack has an amazing love of trains so he insisted on going on any train we saw. That happened to be one of his favorite parts of Disneyland.
Wednesday: Obviously Tuesday was a big day so we knew we had to take it easy on Wednesday. Chloe actually got sick while we were at Disneyland so she slept most of the day. We did make it to lunch at an amazing Pizza place in Yorba Linda. It is actually owned and operated by our families friend. For those of you who live down south or planning a trip, I highly recommend it. Amazing pizzas and great prices, at least for lunch. It is called Craftsman Wood Fired Pizza. Awesome!!!!
Thursday: We decided to take the kids on a small outings so we went to Irvine Regional Park. There is a small little zoo, a train and beautiful places to have a picnic lunch. We really enjoyed our outing. The kids got to pet and feed the goats and see just enough animals to please them. It was a small zoo, but perfect for a 1 and 3 year old.
Our kids never would have been this comfortable with the goats had it not been for the dogs around all week.
Thursday night Charlie had planned for him and I to have a date night. It was my birthday present. It was so much fun. We left the kids with Charlie's aunt and headed to Huntington Beach. We had dinner on the pier and then walked around downtown and along the beach. We hardly ever get to enjoy the beach or even a leisurely night like that. We really just took our time and enjoyed every second. We ended the night with frozen yogurt. What an awesome time together.
Friday: After being at the beach Thursday night we knew we wanted to take the kids to the beach. Being from Grass Valley we really don't have access to beaches, especially ones with nice sand, and waves. It was the first time either of our children had been to the beach and they loved every second. Chloe instantly took to the seaweed, then started playing in the sand and finally fell in love with the waves. She cried for the water as we walked back to the car. Jack loved the sand at first, but after Charlie took him into the waves he decided they were super fun. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.
Friday evening we had a quiet night at home. We enjoyed dinner with my brother and played games and watched movies.
Saturday: We were driving home Saturday, but we did not leave until late afternoon again. We had Alan and Erin over for lunch and swimming. We had a great time.
Friday, May 2, 2014
God is Good, All the time and all the time God is good
This is a saying I started hearing sometime in college. Since then it always seems to come up and it is always true. Even in the difficult times God is good. He is a plan and it is pretty amazing when you get to the point in any situation where you are able to see how God's plan is working out. Over the past two months, 9 months, 6 years (I don't know where to start) I have seen God to miraculous things and I am beginning to see how is plan is perfect, we just have to wait for his perfect timing.
A little back story. About 5 months after I moved home from college I started attending a college group with my sister. It took a lot of convincing on her part for me to even go once, but again God had a plan. The first night I walked into the group I met Charlie. Even that was God ordained that we would meet that particular night. He was going to be leaving the group the next week, but because of me decided to stick around. I guess he was intrigued and wanted to find out more about me. Obviously it worked because here we are 8 years later with two kids and one on the way.
Anyway, at the time I met Charlie I was actually pursuing a teaching job in Africa. God obviously closed the door because he had things for me here, but I always knew that at some point I wanted to be in full time ministry. Also, not long before I met Charlie he had been an intern at Christian Encounter Ministries (a place my dad had always been connected to while I was growing up). This place was the reason he had come to Grass Valley and it is a lot of the reason he had such a deep relationship with the Lord. He too knew that God had ministry in store somewhere down the line. Talking about full time ministry was actually one of the first conversations we had together.
Fast forward several years. We got married, bought a house, and started a family. During this time I was able to use my teaching credential in many different ways and Charlie worked diligently in the banking industry. A difficult field to work in, but it was a job and it provided for our family. We were also very involved in our church through leading small groups, being a part of the worship team, and many other avenues. We pursued ministry through our church and for a while we knew it was exactly where God wanted us to be. Our time of growing a family and strengthening our marriage has been absolutely amazing. However, full time ministry has always been in the back of our minds.
Last summer the call to full time ministry came full force into the forefront of our minds. All we knew was that God had placed the calling on Charlie's life to enter into ministry, but we had no idea what the meant or how we would even begin to pursue this. We looked into Charlie going back to school. However, it always seemed as though doors were being closed. It also seemed that the more we pursued this dream, the more push back we received. It has been a very discouraging time.
Back at Christmas things started to change. Things were getting difficult at the bank and we felt the need to pursue ministry even greater. However, we still faced the same challenge of not really knowing where to start so we diligently prayed and sought the Lord, waiting for his perfect timing.
Now two months ago...we were told some time in March that Charlie was going to be loosing his job at the bank. We had to find a new job and we had about 6 weeks to find something, anything that would provide for our family. Charlie pursued anything he could find...everything and nothing was working out. We were trying to trust, but terrified about what we were going to do if Charlie lost his job. It is so hard to trust when you are in crunch mode. We did the best we good and we have had amazing family and friend supporting us and praying for us every step of the way.
During this time God had been working on my heart and really laying Christian Encounter Ministries on my heart. I did not know what this meant, but it kept coming up in conversations, in prayer times and just randomly in my thoughts. Charlie and I talked and we agreed that he just needed to go talk to the director. Not knowing where this might lead Charlie set up a meeting. One week later Charlie was asked to come back for an interview, one week after that Charlie was offered a full time job and yesterday he started working at this amazing place that really has his heart.
What an incredible answer to pray and we are really seeing how everything is coming full circle. 11 years later Charlie is returning to a place that molded him as a man of God. We are now there, in full time ministry working with youth and investing our lives in helping them to pursue a relationship with our personal Lord and Savior. I am so amazed at how God has orchestrated every single detail. It is only through it awesome power that this has become a reality. God has been preparing us for this journey for years and it is so exciting. We are so excited to share with you our journey as we enter this new adventure. Please continue to pray for us as we step out in faith and trust God to provide for our every need. Thank you for all of you who have been praying for us through this entire process.
In closing this verse has been carrying us for the past two months and I can honestly say that I believe every word of this verse even deeper today than I ever have. We will continue to live by this verse and live anticipating what God will do, very well knowing that HE IS ABLE.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine, according to his work that is within us. To him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
A little back story. About 5 months after I moved home from college I started attending a college group with my sister. It took a lot of convincing on her part for me to even go once, but again God had a plan. The first night I walked into the group I met Charlie. Even that was God ordained that we would meet that particular night. He was going to be leaving the group the next week, but because of me decided to stick around. I guess he was intrigued and wanted to find out more about me. Obviously it worked because here we are 8 years later with two kids and one on the way.
Anyway, at the time I met Charlie I was actually pursuing a teaching job in Africa. God obviously closed the door because he had things for me here, but I always knew that at some point I wanted to be in full time ministry. Also, not long before I met Charlie he had been an intern at Christian Encounter Ministries (a place my dad had always been connected to while I was growing up). This place was the reason he had come to Grass Valley and it is a lot of the reason he had such a deep relationship with the Lord. He too knew that God had ministry in store somewhere down the line. Talking about full time ministry was actually one of the first conversations we had together.
Fast forward several years. We got married, bought a house, and started a family. During this time I was able to use my teaching credential in many different ways and Charlie worked diligently in the banking industry. A difficult field to work in, but it was a job and it provided for our family. We were also very involved in our church through leading small groups, being a part of the worship team, and many other avenues. We pursued ministry through our church and for a while we knew it was exactly where God wanted us to be. Our time of growing a family and strengthening our marriage has been absolutely amazing. However, full time ministry has always been in the back of our minds.
Last summer the call to full time ministry came full force into the forefront of our minds. All we knew was that God had placed the calling on Charlie's life to enter into ministry, but we had no idea what the meant or how we would even begin to pursue this. We looked into Charlie going back to school. However, it always seemed as though doors were being closed. It also seemed that the more we pursued this dream, the more push back we received. It has been a very discouraging time.
Back at Christmas things started to change. Things were getting difficult at the bank and we felt the need to pursue ministry even greater. However, we still faced the same challenge of not really knowing where to start so we diligently prayed and sought the Lord, waiting for his perfect timing.
Now two months ago...we were told some time in March that Charlie was going to be loosing his job at the bank. We had to find a new job and we had about 6 weeks to find something, anything that would provide for our family. Charlie pursued anything he could find...everything and nothing was working out. We were trying to trust, but terrified about what we were going to do if Charlie lost his job. It is so hard to trust when you are in crunch mode. We did the best we good and we have had amazing family and friend supporting us and praying for us every step of the way.
During this time God had been working on my heart and really laying Christian Encounter Ministries on my heart. I did not know what this meant, but it kept coming up in conversations, in prayer times and just randomly in my thoughts. Charlie and I talked and we agreed that he just needed to go talk to the director. Not knowing where this might lead Charlie set up a meeting. One week later Charlie was asked to come back for an interview, one week after that Charlie was offered a full time job and yesterday he started working at this amazing place that really has his heart.
What an incredible answer to pray and we are really seeing how everything is coming full circle. 11 years later Charlie is returning to a place that molded him as a man of God. We are now there, in full time ministry working with youth and investing our lives in helping them to pursue a relationship with our personal Lord and Savior. I am so amazed at how God has orchestrated every single detail. It is only through it awesome power that this has become a reality. God has been preparing us for this journey for years and it is so exciting. We are so excited to share with you our journey as we enter this new adventure. Please continue to pray for us as we step out in faith and trust God to provide for our every need. Thank you for all of you who have been praying for us through this entire process.
In closing this verse has been carrying us for the past two months and I can honestly say that I believe every word of this verse even deeper today than I ever have. We will continue to live by this verse and live anticipating what God will do, very well knowing that HE IS ABLE.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine, according to his work that is within us. To him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
Friday, March 28, 2014
A beautiful Mess
A couple days ago I was thinking about my blog. I was trying to decided what to blog about and debating whether or not to change the name. I was considering a beautiful mess. Lately, life has felt a little chaotic and I have felt completely overwhelmed by most things. It has been difficult to get the day to day things done. Since I am a little OCD, that is really difficult for me. God has been working in my heart and teaching me to find his beauty and blessings in the midst of the chaos. I get to choose how I will respond to each situation that comes my way. I can let things build up and cause me to be stressed out and frustrated. Or I can choose joy in the midst of those same circumstances and allow me self to find the beauty in each day. This not easy, but as I take time each day to focus on God's blessings I find that I have been able to enjoy me children more. I feel more rested. I have even come to grips with the fact that there will always be dishes and laundry to be done and that is okay. If you know me at all, you know that is really hard for me to say. I am not the kind of person that can look pass a mess. There is joy in every day, no matter how small it may be. I am so thankful that God is teaching me so much and helping me to enjoy the little things and not always try to figure the future. I am thankful I am learning this now because I really don't want to get to the other side of raising my children and feel as though I missed out. I don't want to have regrets. The fact is I will have dishes to do the rest of my life, but my children are not always going to want to cuddle or play with me. They will not always need me so I want to soak up their desire to be with me all the time. This is such a precious time in life and I realize it really does not last very long.
So here are a few pictures of our life lately. THis is my life and I am loving the beautiful mess that is life.
One of the most amazing blessings was the opportunity Chloe and I had to travel to my cousin, Lisa's wedding in Colorado. We had a great time visiting with family and old friends. We also go to enjoy snow and sunshine in the same weekend. I had a great time and can't thank my parents enough for this incredible blessing.
Jack and Charlie had a great time with each other while we were away in Colorado, but we missed them very much. I had to add this last picture in because I just love that our children are so involved with us when we do music. The both just join right in.We are so blessed by everything that God has given us and we pray each day that we can be all that he asks us to be and raise our children to come to know him. That is what matters. Not how clean my house is, or what extra things get done, but how we are guiding them toward a relationship with the Lord.
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