2008 Christmas Newsletter and Pictures

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This time of year...

it sure is busy. There are so many parties and gatherings to go to, so much shopping and organizing to do. I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now with everything there is to do. I think probably because this year I have to have my shopping and wrapping done earlier as to ship the presents off in time for Christmas. Christmas has to happen earlier. But, to be a little more optimistic, let's look at something joyful...
And as I think about the near future, this baby is not far off from entering our world. I like to think that I'm well-informed and am anticipating all the changes that will come, but there's a part of me that is scared that I have no idea of what is to come. I'm so tired these days from not sleeping well; and it's a glimpse into the future. I haven't forgotten the little to no sleep stage of an infant. I don't want to be that irritable person who snaps at her husband and children. Those days are not fun. I want to be able to enjoy the innocence of a newborn and watch with joy as Mason learns about his new brother. I'm excited, but also so nervous.

White, Snowy Beauty

I think we've all had an opportunity to be in the mountains on vacation in winter and experience the snow. But nothing compares to that when you wake up in your own bed to look out the window and everything is covered in a blanket of white powder. And what's even more interesting is the first time you have to shovel snow to get to your car, and shovel the driveway so you can get your car out. The city doesn't plow residential streets, so for the first time you have to drive, correction- idle, down the street so as not to lose control.

Thanksgiving

Our first holiday here in Colorado and it was spent without family. It was a little sad, because I'm used to spending the entire day and evening with our family. However, we did spend Thanksgiving with somebody's family. Most of you know that we have friends here that we knew in California, the Osterbergs. They have been our surrogate family since being here, and they were kind enough to invite us to their family dinner. So, we weren't alone and it was nice to be included with a family for such a family-centered holiday. Follow this link for more pictures from our Thanksgiving day.

A First for Malinda

I cooked my first turkey this weekend! We wanted to be sure to have turkey after, so we went ahead and bought our own and cooked it up. The only problem I ran into was it not being quite done. I cooked it upside down and put the meat thermometer in the bottom of the bird, which is less thick than the breast. So, the thermometer said it had reached it's temperature, when in actuallity it had not. Matt started cutting it up and realized this. So, we had to put it back in the oven for a while. But, when it was all done, it had good flavor and was moist; which is usually the most critical point. Here's a pic of the bird before we cooked it up some more. Matt was kind enough to take a picture before he chopped it up.

First Snow

Last Friday, the 14th, we woke up to snow on the ground!! It wasn't very much, just a little dusting. But, never had I experienced that before, unless I was in Big Bear. I can't wait for the first time we wake up to everything blanketed in snow! How exciting!!

Hello, Again!

Well- we're back (hopefully)! I know it's been a long time since I've given you any exciting stories. And I've missed it actually; being aware of crazy and funny things that happen throughout the days and turning them into enjoyable reads. So let's recap, shall we (be sure to click the link to see pictures)...

Our trip to California wasn't long enough. We were so busy, I felt we didn't even have time to visit long enough with anyone. The first thing we did when we left the airport was drive to an In-N-Out. We spent 3 days with Malinda's parents in Apple Valley. We celebrated Mason's birthday with her whole family. While in the area, we were fortunate enough to make it to our friends' (Brian & Kristine) wedding. Then we spent the next 4 days down in Upland/Glendora area. Monday we got to visit with our old small groups. Tuesday we went to Disneyland with our friends the Garlands. Though sadly, Mason was in rare form and at lunch we found out why when he threw up. I know, throwing up at D-land, how tragic. Although, he seemed to be feeling much better afterwards, so we hurriedly got pics of Mason with some characters and then headed "home". Wednesday we were able to spend the day with Matt's parents and so we went to Sea World. Mason's at such a great age to be able to get excited about seeing and participating in certain things. After Sea World we enjoyed a nice dinner at Anthonoy's Fish Grotto with a view overlooking the ocean.

Then the next day we left. So, there are things that we definitely learned from and hopefully or next trip back will be smoother sailing. I have discovered that aside from family and friends, the two things I miss about California, 1)In-N-Out and 2)the beaches.

The next major event was us moving again. We are officially out of the original house we were staying in. We are now officially renting the place we are in now, and it feels more like home; since we've been able to unpack our lives and put pictures up on the walls. Our place in California has no hope of selling anytime soon. And that's a reality we've accepted and are dealing with. For those of you who do not yet have our new address: 1430 Silk Oak Dr. Fort Collins, CO 80525
Although, don't write it in pen, because we will be moving again within a year.

And so, I guess the next event would bring us to the celebratory season that just passed...Halloween. We carved pumpkins this year; and it was much more work than I remember. A task that I now know is too big for a two year-old. *As I wrote that last sentence, I realized that a lot of the things I think will be fun for Mason to participate in, actually turn out to be a frustrating non-enjoyable situation. Take for example, this morning. I thought he might like to make cut-out sugar cookies with me, well he did enjoy it, but it got out of hand and I had to cut him off.* For Halloween, we dressed Mason up as a train conductor. I know he didn't understand the concept of dressing up, but he sure did like going door-to-door to get candy. His version of "trick-or-treat"..."tricky-tricky". It was really cute, and everyone gawked over him when they opened their door.

I hope most of you know by now that I am pregnant. We're expecting a little brother for Mason February 26.

Long Time No Blog

hey- I know it's been a while. And I blame Mason. He broke the power cord for my computer so I haven't had access to the internet; and he also broke my pocket camera which I take most of my pictures with, and so I haven't been taking pictures. But, we are taking steps to get those things repaired.

So, just to catch you up a bit. We went on a camping vacation to Mt. Rushmore (pictures here). It was incredibly spectacular.

When we moved back into our original livng location we put Mason's crib together in hopes that he wouldn't be able to climb out...all for not. He still climbs out.

We're getting ready for our upcoming trip to California (Aug.21-27). I can't wait!!

And, that's about it. Life has been pretty uneventful here; aside from life with Mason. Sorry, this isn't much of an update.

TTFN

One for the memory book

Picture this...A rapidly moving river, a calm little cove, a little boy and his mom.

Here's how it went. Mason and I were on a bike ride along the Poudre River with our friend Brittany. We notcied this nice little cove shaded with trees and calm, shallow area that would be great for Mason to play in (after all he loves water!) So, Mason is having a grand ole time throwing rocks into the water and watching them splash. Brittany was wearing flip flops and I was in my running shoes, so I jokingly told her that she had to be in the water with him. We were standing at the water's edge as Mason was playing and I looked out at the river and an image came to my mind of Mason being swept down the quickly moving river and me jumping in after him fully clothed in my exercise outfit. Not 2 seconds after this horrifying image did my son go running into the water a knee's length and jump head first into the water. I quickly ran into the water and picked up my soaking wet son who had been startled by the abrupt dunking of his head. I think it scared me more than him because he didn't cry, he just wanted to keep on throwing rocks into the water.

Another moment for which I wish I had a perpetual videographer.

Milestone for Mason!

Well it finally happened. Mason climed out of his crib this morning! I kind of saw it coming. Because where we're living isn't our house and Mason's room is not set up accordingly, he just has his pack n' play in the guest room which is right next to a bed. THe other day we were on the bed and he climbed into his pack n' play to get a stuffed animal and he was so close to climbing back out. And I thought to myself, "it won't be long"...

So, this morning, Mason woke up kind of early and we didn't want to get up to get him yet. Well, he was getting pretty worked up; screaming and crying. Then all of a sudden it gets quiet and hear a faint thud come from the other room...then silence...then the pitter patter of little running feet come down the hall. Then a knock on the door followed by "mommy, daddy"! It was actually really cute, and I wasn't completely surprised that he did it. I actually been have been a great moment to capture if there had been a perpetual videographer.

So, what to do now...maybe I can teach him how to change his own diaper and get his own milk too! :)

Wanna go for a walk?

This morning I took Mason in his jogging stroller for a walk around our neighborhood, to see what is around us; oh and for exercise too! Anyway, I told myself that I would walk a minimum of 2 miles (I have pedometer on the stroller). So, I get to the end of the neighboring area and end up and a major road (which had already been 3 miles). I take the road north for a little ways and notice a trail. Trails are not uncommon here. Great! I think to myself. So, I hop on the trail and continue on. So, I'm walking for a long time and check my pedometer which is at like 6 miles. WHAT! I don't see an end in sight to this trail and I haven't intersected any other roads since I've been on it. So, I call Matt to see if he can figure out where I am. Luckily, I'm not far from the road we live off of, however I'm still 2 miles til the end of the trial and another 2 miles to make it home from there. So, what I thought was going to a quick little 2-3 mile walk ended up being 10 miles and 2 hours! YIKES!

Moral of the story- know where you're going before you adventure out! In any case, here's a picture of what I got to enjoy on this unexpected long journey...

Cheyenne, Wyoming

This past Saturday we weren't doing much so we decided to go for a drive, and that's where we ended up. It's only a half hour drive and we're actually closer to Cheyenne than we are to Denver. Anyway, we didn't know really where to go so we just followed the signs that led us to "Downtown Cheyenne". It was actually pretty neat. Some really interesting history. We did half of a walking tour which explained some of the history behind some of the buildings. We cut it short because it was 2 hours past Mason's nap time and we were tired ourselves. But, before we left we went into the Wranglers store. I've always wanted a pair of cowboy boots. They had a couple good pairs that I wouldn't have minded paying the high price for; only thing is we didn't have the money to pay the high price. Well, anyway, I'll get my boots some day! We had Mason try on a pair of boots too, he looked so cute in them (although, not so sure I'd pay the high price for a pair of kids boots).

So, we headed out from Cheyenne to come back home; enjoying the scenery that you would never find in L.A. :)

Home is Where the Heart is...

that's what I need to keep reminding myself of. Due to the nature of our rather quick move out here, things aren't as situated as I would like. Although, I also need to remind myself that the Lord has provided for us in incredible ways. We are blessed enough to have a place to live for only the cost of utilities until the end of June. But, my human nature is to focus on the difficult part of the situation; which is that this is not our house and so we can't fully unpack and get settled. We have to unpack as little as possible but still try to be functional. Also, if our place in California doesn't sell before the end of June then we'll have to move into a rental, which would lead us to moving for a third time when we are able to purchase a home of our own. It's stressful and daunting to think about the things to come. Please be praying for this situation.

Aside from the stresses of moving after being here in Fort Collins for a week...I have realized that it takes a lot longer to get to around b/c the speed limits are lower and things are spaced out more. I have also concluded that they have the most inconsistent weather. We've had a couple really beautiful days, but mostly we've had stormy weather, take for example the tornado that touched down in the next city over. Keep in mind that cities don't run together here like they do in LA, there is actually open space between cities. But, it was only 15 miles away. Let's also not forget to mention that a tornado hasn't hit this area in like 20 years!


Besides the speed limits and weather, I really like the city! It's just the right amount of city and small town. I get the conveniences of Target, BBB and Walgreens with the quaintness of locally owned businesses. I like that b/c then the city isn't taken over with franchises and big chain stores; the city actually prides themselves on their locally owned businesses and are very selective about which chains they will allow to build. There are so many parks and bike trails; a lot of time will be spend outdoors with fresh air. It's just so pretty here. There are trees and wild life everywhere and we are right at the foothills of the Rockies. The picture below was taken in our current backyard.

Colorado or Bust

Well, moving weekend has come and gone. It's taken us a little while to get things set up and to get Internet and all the things that would allow me to keep you all updated. So, let me fill you in on how things went. The week before we were to move we were actually on vacation so we weren't able to get anything done then. When we returned we were frantic to get all of our belongings packed up in 4 days. Which proved to be a little difficult since every single night we were hanging out with friends to say good-bye. Well, Thursday came and the house was in disarray, but we were blessed to have many of our friends and family show up to help with the process. It was a long, long day but we made it. Friday we officially moved out of our home in La Verne and made the hour trek to my parents house in Apple Valley.

There, my family gathered and we said our good-byes. On Saturday morning my parents and everything I own headed out to Colorado. Matt drove the giant yellow Penske truck and my dad drove my car and they left at 5 AM. I woke up sick in the middle of the night and after tossing and turning Mason, my mother and I left at 9 AM. It took us quite a while to get through Vegas because we continually had to stop because I felt sick. But after I got some food and energy it was a much more enjoyable drive. My car made it to Colorado Springs at about 11:30 PM, where we met up with the boys and spent the night. The next morning we were up to finish the last leg of our trip. We made it into Fort Collins about 5 PM. I saw some of God's amazing creation on our drive and was able to capture it for you to enjoy...see below

Estes Park

So, Matt's first day was yesterday (Monday). And he has such a slave driver for a boss that he gave him today off! So, since my parents were still staying with us, and technically they were on vacation, we went to a local hot spot and tourist attraction called Estes Park. It's an incredibly beautiful valley amongst the Rocky Mountains. There's a lot to do, but we spent our time in the shopping area. Going through all the very unique stores. Since Mason was getting restless in his stroller we stopped to let him play in the water some. I'm pretty sure that there is alot more to do, but seeing how we couldn't spend ALL day to find out, it'll have to wait til another day. Enjoy these pictures of our little trip...

or you can view them here

To Our Wonderful Small Group...

We had such a wonderful time getting to know you better and developing those friendships. Our small groups played a very important part in our lives especially during that stressful and faithful time of change for our family. We hope that we have created life-long frienships with you all and look forward to staying updated with you as your families grow (hint, hint :) ). We love you and will miss you very much!

Vegas...

as every year before, since we've been engaged, we went to Vegas to visit with Matt's extended family. This year, was a little different though. For one, it was going to be our last chance to hang out with his family and two, we stayed for a whole week due to our time share. We were able to get a suite with a kitchen and seperate living room; Mason slept in the walk-in closet...he he :) We actually kept pretty busy and luckily were indoors during the hottest part of the day due to Mason's nap. So, you may be wondering what we did with a 19 month old in Vegas.

Well, we went swimming...

we took him to the arcades and won some things...

we went the Shark Reef and aquarium...

took him to his first baseball game (Dodgers minor league)...

And we of course went to the family reunion and spent some time with his Uncle Randy, Aunt Asma and cousin Kushmala (I'm sorry if I spelled that wrong).

Before we knew it we had spend too much on valet, stayed up way too late, had lost our gambling money, and it was time to head home. So, there is plenty to do in Vegas with a toddler without getting into trouble.

Or you can view them here

Colorado, Here we come!

So, Matt did it! He landed the job in Colorado. He will be the Youth Director at Faith Evangelical Free Church of Fort Collins. We are both really excited for this new opportunitiy and adventure in life. Although, we are both extremely disappointed to be leaving our families and friends. It's going to be a tough transition, but we are fully confident that this is where the Lord wants us to be. We already have a couple of friends out there so, having friendly faces will be comforting. We are also excited that we will be able to buy a house. This move to Colorado will provide us with amazing opportunities to prosper in life. We have been truely blessed by the Lord and are excited to see what He holds in store for our family in Colorado. So, everything has happened so quickly. We found out that Matt got the job on April 22 and were told that he is to start work on May 19th. So, with only 3.5 weeks to move we have been so busy. Trying to sell our mobile home, packing, looking for a new place to live, planning our trip out there. It's all such a whirlwind. I want to thank everyone who has been praying for us as we wait for the Lord's plan to unfold. At this point please be praying for the sale of our house and an anxiety free move. Thank you!!

Something I found funny...

This post has been moved to "Malinda's Finds".

Mason Started Preschool...Malinda's thoughts

I really can't belive that I've put my 16 month old baby (ok toddler) in preschool! Mason started on Monday at our church's preschool; I guess it would technically be daycare for his age. Matt drops him off at 8:30 and I pick him up at 3. The whole school has nap time from 12:30-2:30 and they sleep on little cots. When I first heard that I thought that there was NO WAY that Mason would sleep on that thing, at least not for a while. Well, when I went to pick him up he was having a ball! They told me that he "owns the place". He did so well that no one belived that it was his first day in preschool. He even slept during nap time!! I was speechless, amazed, and in shock. I don't feel so bad leaving him there knowing that he has such a great time. I've had wonderful opportunities for "me time"; devotions, working out, errands. I had forgotten how much I can get done in a day when I don't have to take a baby in and out and try to keep him entertained. Anyway, Mason loves it so all is good!

P.S. I tried to take a picture on his first day, but he was so excited he wouldn't hold still for one.

Matt's Employment

As most of you know Matt is no longer the High School Director at our church. In August 2007 Matt posted his resume on a website for a possible job change, just to see what would come of it. He was contacted by a couple of churches interested in him. At that point he informed our Senior Pastor that he would be looking for new employment. And since then has actively been sending out his resume. Our pastor decided to go ahead and bring in a replacement for Matt. He is however keeping Matt on staff to help in various ministries until he graduates in May; or until he finds another job. Please keep us in your prayers as we wait on God for direction to take us to the exact right place for us.

New Year's 2008

New Year's this year was pretty low key. Nobody in our circle of friends threw a big party as in the past. Which was actually OK because there's really no available babysitters on New Year's. So, a last minute phone call to Malinda's parents landed us at their house in Apple Valley. Malinda fixed dinner and we snacked on candy and dessert all night while playing card games. By the time we realized we should have celebrated on Eastern time (because we were so tired) it was too late. So we actually all stayed up all night and then promptly went to bed. The next day was pretty relaxing with no obligations. To say the least, God has truly blessed us in 2007.

Malinda worked part-time a portion of the year and then she was able to be a stay-at- home mom to Mason. She was also able to join in a small group of women her own age for spiritual growth, fellowship and accountability. She has been blessed to see that God's provision does prevail even though it's not in her timing.

Matt had pleasure in watching Mason grow into a toddler and enjoys any time he gets to hang out and play with him. God also allowed Matt the time to be in a small group with other young men in our church. He was blessed to see God's working hand in the youth group, knowing that his ministry was not in vain.

Mason is a vibrant, energetic toddler. He has about 30 words (which only mom and dad can translate). He is healthy and independent. Praise the Lord for his health and exceptional development.