I know, I know...this blogging thing really gets away from me!  Since the last post not a whole lot has changed (besides the addition of a new family member).  Pictures are below!

Here's the update:

Matt is in a groove at work and really thriving with the students and staff.

Malinda has embraced the stay-at-home-mom role for this season

Mason is in first grade and loving all aspects of school

Grady is in preschool and enjoys the change of pace

Oliver is just as cute as can be, learning and growing

You don't know what you got til it's gone!

I've completed 3 semesters of schooling over the last year and a half with 3 (maybe 4) more to go, and I'm proud of the work I produced (mostly) and the steps I made toward my goal.  But, Matt and I talked over Christmas break and decided that now would be a good time to take a break...with me being pregnant, and feeling overwhelmed with the classes that I was registered for.  I'm really looking forward to being a stay-at-home mom again.  It will allow me to really focus on the family and their needs and interests over just trying to survive the day.  Mason can do Awana, Grady can have a proper birthday party, and I can tackle some of my pinterest ideas...oh yeah, I guess there's that keeping the house clean and family fed thing too!

Well, here's to a new adventure, may God show me the meaning of sacrificial love, selflessness, and submission...CHEERS! *clink, clink* :)

You're Going to Want to See This...

Fall is in the Air!

Last weekend we took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. God has really blessed us with such a wonderfully long fall season thus far. We have truly enjoyed his creation and masterpieces this year.

Taking on the world

I like to think of myself as a sympathetic and compassionate person.  And lately, I've really been feeling the weight of others' trouble; as if I'm walking through it with them.  Not that that's necessarily bad, but at this time in my life, I really don't need any added stress.  The most recent stressor being that Grady broke his arm last night.  How do I balance the compassionate side of me with keeping it from consuming my energy?

Please pray for me that I can find this balance without forsaking my ability to act as family and a friend.

Kindergarten

To my first beloved:

You are loved!

God, please grant him wisdom to make good choices.  May he be a child of integrity; remembering what we have taught him and what Your Word says.  Lord, I ask that he would be slow to speak and quick to listen; that you would change his heart to be obedient to the authority in his life.  May You grant him patience with his studies and the learning process. Father, as the my firstborn goes off into this new adventure in life, I ask that You would place friendships in his life.  Teach him what it means to be a good friend, and that You would provide him opportunities to show love as well as be loved.   May he feel Your love so as to love others.  And as he faces new pressures and new realities, I pray that You would be more real to him than ever.

And as for me, I know this is what I asked for, and I'm so grateful that you provided this!  But, I am also sad.  Sad that I no longer will be the primary source of knowledge for him.  Sad that I will not know every detail of what goes on within his day.  So, Father, I ask that you grant me courage and trust.  To know that I'm not done with him, but that this is a stepping stone into the separation that is inevitable.  And to trust in our God-guided labor with him over the past 5 years.  Lord, may I trust in You even more to guide his steps independently of ours.  Reveal to us how we can continue to incorporate Godly living into his new world and new experiences.

Amen!

A new Chapter...

The fact that Matt lost his job at Faith Evangelical Free Church here in Fort Collins was pretty much public knowledge.  And I think we kept everyone pretty much up to speed via Facebook.  However, this blog not only serves as a vehicle to keeping people in-the-know of our lives, but also as something for was as a family to look back on.

So, just because I want to incorporate this into the memories I will retell the story.

The Thursday before Valentines day, Matt was home when I got home from school in the afternoon.  I questioned his being home at this odd time.  And he then informed me that he was being let go from employment at Faith.  I can't explain the emotions in their fullest.  But, I was confused, hurt, shocked and sad.  Not to mention that we had to continue in fellowship and service at this church until the end of May or until Matt found new employment.

Mostly we were concerned that God was going to take us away from the place that we have come to love and regard as home.  Fort Collins, is the place that we wanted to be.  We weren't sure of the chances that another church in the city would be looking to hire Matt.  Anyway, through a few months of no movement we came to realize that God has a plan.  We can't force it, and we can't dictate it.  We can only rest in His peace and trust that his plan is greater than our own.  I once heard trusting God described as this; we as His children are hold a flashlight.  With that flashlight, we can see just far enough to see where to take our next step.  Though, it frightens us to not be able to see the end of the path, He does not leave us without guidance and direction.

We trusted God before in the adventure of bringing us to Colorado in the first place.  And while it was an emotional ride, it was easier the second time around to trust Him in the uncertainty.  God not only took us through the end of May without another employer, but just for good measure, He added a couple weeks of unemployment.  God found a great fit for us at another local church.  We feel so blessed to have been able to stay in Fort Collins and continue the ministry that we feel uniquely designed for.

Matt has now been employed at Discovery Fellowship Church for 10 weeks now.  I think we both feel that  God had this place picked out for us, and Faith was a place that He could use us to help them while we were in the land between.  DF Church has been so welcoming and encouraging.  And we are excited to do ministry and life together; all while we serve and praise the King!

Tent Camping

We haven't been camping in 3 years, the summer we first moved to Colorado.  Mason 22 months old and I was pregnant with Grady.  I was little anxious to go tent camping with Grady, he's 2 1/2 years old now.

Thursday mid-morning we packed up.  Not wanting to go too far from home, we went up the Poudre Canyon.  We ended up staying at Mountain Park, which was our first choice.  They have a playground (which we figured we would need), and we were just steps away from the river.

We didn't forget anything that couldn't be improvised for, and we didn't eat a single hot dog or hamburger.  I failed to realize how slowly time goes by when you have only a couple available activities for the children.  On Friday we took a beautiful morning drive, which gave Grady a much needed nap.  When we got back to camp we all took a turn at fishing before we had to run for cover.  See the glitch in our getaway came that afternoon in the form of a thunderstorm.  We spend several hours under our canopy.  And as we watched the water starting to pool under our tent and the boys began to fall apart due to lack of sleep and cold, we decided that we should pack up and head on home.  The Lord graciously provided us a break in the storm long enough to pack up without getting wet.  Mason wasn't too keen on leaving, but sometimes you have to sacrifice for the greater good of the family.

Would we do tent camping again?  Yes!  Would we do it again with a young'un?  Yes, but only at a KOA where they have grass, a pool, and free showers! ;)

or check out the pictures here