A bittersweet goodbye

This is my friend, Sarah. Anyone that knows her will tell you she is sweetest person you will ever meet. If you ask her about her summer plans, she won't tell about a planned trip to the beach or going to see family. Instead you might hear of the life-changing event of their family as they prepare to go across the world to a place so opposite of the United States that it's hard to comprehend. This week people are tramping in & out of their house as most of their earthly belongings are given away or sold for a meager price. They are currently figuring out how to fit everything they own for a family of five into 10 suitcases. 10. This includes books, toys, clothes, homeschool material, shoes, technology.....can you imagine, at this moment, pairing your life down to 10 suitcases? And they do it with joy, love, & no regrets. We will miss their family so much. But we are filled with joy with them as this time that they have been preparing for so long, has finally arrived.

It was such a sweet time as a few friends gathered to share our love with Sarah and pray over every aspect of their upcoming journey.

Our kids love their kids and it's hard for them to say goodbye as well. We were grateful to share in one last birthday party - and what fun the laser bowling was! It was Eden's first time bowling and she got a spare on her first turn. :) Those little ramps are so genius.

 For Valentine's Day, Andrew's gift to me was a "day away". I hadn't had a chance yet to take the time away, but it ended up that Sarah and Stacy (our pastor's wife) & I were able to plan some time away together. We got pedicures, had lunch, and shopped till we dropped at the Outlets. I was so thankful to share my day out with these 2 friends! Followed by a baby shower in the evening, I was gone from 9:30am-11pm! Andrew reminded me when I got home that my coupon was for 9-5. Oops. :) Thankful for his good care of the kiddos, even though sleep schedules were interesting that day. a-hem.

While mommy's away....the kiddos play........ 

I really don't recall french frys & hot dogs being in the agenda.

We got 6 inches of snow on March 25th. Anyone jealous??? Anyone???

spring will come....spring will come.....

And that's my 3 crazies.

Snowman Par-tay

I know I'm super lucky that so far I only have to plan one birthday party a year! Graham & I had fun looking back through his previous parties last week. Even though he doesn't remember year 1 & 2, he still thought they were pretty cool! This year, the right theme just wasn't coming to me...and then out of no where....it was snowmen! It was a fun theme, and gracious, so, so easy! You can do a lot with cotton balls & marshmallows. :) This was probably the easiest & lowest stress birthday we've done! Since we don't have family nearby, (although we were SO excited that aunt katie flew in for the weekend), Eden got her 2 friends, and Graham had 4 friends. It's so convenient that 2 of Graham's friends have little sisters. :) We were excited to include some of our neighbors this year who Graham plays with outside all the time. And his buddy Zephyr (from our Momtourage group), they've shared each birthday together since they were 1!

What to do with leftover invitations that you'll never use again?

Make a welcome banner!

I will have to share my sweet potato cupcake recipe very soon...so yummy!

The kiddos had pb&j snowmen and the adults had sloppy joes.

 

We had just enough snow to go sledding in the backyard - love being able to do an outdoor activity, even in February! And then they wrapped Andrew in TP like a snowman.

*Note to self: expect that using a marshmallow centerpiece will result in it being half eaten. :)

A fun day and thankful for the friends that made it special!

{and thanks to Katie for the pretty pics!}

Our little one is 2.

Last Sunday, February 10 was Eden's 2nd birthday. We see her leaving babyhood behind and becoming a strong, independent little toddler. Emphasis on I like to do things my way. :) She is spunky, feisty, and into everything, but cracks you up in a second with her hilarious faces & goofy charms. The other day I was getting frustrated because she was touching everything! And as I began to scold her, she broke out in this crazy dance. I could only laugh. I think God knew I needed that moment. :) I love to hear her sing-song words o-kay, (th)kank-you, mom-meeee?

I wish I could capture all her funny faces!

She is chattering more & more these days. She's always asking where "Gray"(ham) is. She has a naughty streak just for fun....discipline doesn't seem to faze her over it. I guess all we do is stay consistent and pray for patience and wisdom. :) All day she asks when we can go buh-bye. Apparently our house is a little dull? She loves going to church. Her main passions in life right now are coloring (lolor, lolor!) and reading books. I try to hold to the rule that anytime my kiddos ask me to read to them, I will stop and read. She likes this rule a lot. :) Her fave book is Moo, Baa, La La La and it's cute to watch her sit and read it, she seriously has it memorized. She loves to copy Graham. She eats very tiny amounts most meals. Like Graham, she would prefer to exist on only fruits & vegetables. Thanks to her big brother she has picked up the word "ew" a whole year sooner than he did. :) And boy does this girl have a sweet tooth! I don't think candy or ice cream was in Graham's vocab until he was about 3. She brings up one of them at least once a day. And most days is disappointed. :) She loves to sing and we love to listen to her funny little songs. We discovered a few months ago that going to sleep with music playing helped her stay in her bed. And now she sings herself to sleep.

She loves to get a blanket and snuggle. She is our snugglebug! 

It is very difficult to get her to play. Seems like she spent an awful lot of the last year fussing because she was bored! But slowly she is starting to play a little more on her own and with G as well. Happy day! She loves playing games on my phone...however it only takes about 30 seconds for her to hit a button that backs her out. :-/ Graham is teaching her how to play angry birds. And it cracks me up to hear a barely 2 year old say angry birds! The TV is very rarely on when she is awake, so the few times I would have liked for her to sit and watch something, she loses interest after about 2 minutes. I guess that's not a bad thing, but I wouldn't mind having that option occasionally. :)

She loves her football shirt. :) And love, loves her daddy.

She finally has enough hair to put in a ponytail, but her brother still has her beat. :)

Some pics snapped by Aunt Katie at her birthday party!

 

 

Keepin' it real.

We love you Eden Hope and are so thankful God chose to put you in our family!

Happy four.

Whether he is.................

doing flips

 loving his game time with mommy & daddy after Eden goes to bed

 Super Owl

learning to play piano

 loving his sister

(opposite moments happen as well, but he is a good big brother)

 reporting for duty & making a lot of arrests

 playing

 drawing

 dressing like dad

(he always puts on a tie....and when was the last time Andrew wore a tie?!)

asking every day when "his brother" is going to come share his bunkbed

 or LOVING the snow

this boy always manages to stay busy! We have very few dull moments since this one joined our family.

Funnies........
*Dad said I couldn't have gum for the rest of my life.

*told his friend, "You need to be patient. Only the Lord can help you with that." Mmmm, he is occasionally listening. :)

*told me "let's play the rhyming game, I'll give you a word and you tell me a word that rhymes.  Here's your word: Albuquerque." Say what??

Here's his list of birthday questions for this year:

1. What is your favorite color? blue & black and other colors that are bright

 2. What is your favorite toy? Buzz Lightyear

3. What is your favorite fruit? every kind

 4. What is your favorite tv show? Dumbo

5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? ham & cheese sandwich 

6. What is your favorite outfit? Big Ben shirt (go Steelers!)

7. What is your favorite game? Candyland

8. What is your favorite snack? graham crackers (ironic.)

9. What is your favorite animal? Barf Boo. (his dog and I don't know how this name came about)

10. What is your favorite song? b-i-b-l-e

11. What is your favorite book? Curious George

12. Who is your best friend? Avalon

13. What is your favorite cereal? granola & yogurt

14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play in the backyard

15. What is your favorite drink? juice

16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween

17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  his Bee

18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? granola & yogurt

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? ham & cheese sandwich and no vegetables.  Although he eats his veggies very well, we may be able to comply for one meal. :)

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a dad

We love you Graham Owen, you make us laugh every day and we love seeing you grow & learn. Happy Four!

happy birthday.

Birthday mania has begun....as in 3 birthdays in 12 days!

Andrew's day was pretty low-key. I and the kiddos have been battling sickness for about 2 weeks. It appeared to have cleared up for the weekend and then Monday we all got hit hard again. So beside not feeling well, we've both been up a lot at night with Eden who sleeps terrible when she's not feeling well. :-/

I am so, so thankful I had made a lasagna & breadsticks last week to take to a family with a new baby and said baby had not arrived yet (although ironically, the baby was born on his birthday!), so I was able to pop his favorite meal right out of the freezer. I am sure God knew I was going to need that for this day. :)

But we managed to make Deep Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake with a yummy Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting. Although the inside did not look exactly like the picture. Pinterest shocker, I know. :)

 Graham's card says, Dad, You the best. You are special. I love you. Happy Birthday to you. And he signed all our names. :) Graham & Eden LOVE their daddy. As soon as Eden hears a key in the turn she starts squealing "daddy!"  G's favorite thing is to go somewhere with daddy. Daddys have a big responsibility being in the hero category. The post-dinner nap lasted about 30 seconds. I think Andrew would have preferred longer.

Happy birthday. To you.

I'm a Big Girl now.

Well, they say girls are easier to potty-train than boys, but let me tell you, I think I got pretty lucky here. For every mom that says "I just used this sticker chart, sang this song, and fed a few m&m's and bam: potty-trained" you have 10 moms that have pulled their hair out for months, done loads upon loads of laundry, and cleaned up more pee than they want to see in their lifetime. So when people ask me about Eden's potty-training I am very clear: I had little to do with it. I got really lucky. :) The thing that most surprises me is that she comes and tells me when she has to go. I still often have to force Graham away from what he's doing sometimes to take a potty break.

When kiddos train before 2, did you know it's really hard to find underwear that fits? At first she was swimming in 2t/3t, but that's the smallest I could find. I actually ended up using a lot of those little diaper cover pieces that often come with little dresses. If at 12 months they fit over a diaper, at 18 months they fit a bum perfectly. :) I also hate kids stuff with cartoon characters on it...finding underwear without that? Good luck! But Old Navy came through for me.

At 15 months she started asking to go in the potty and I would sit her on it and she would go. What? Half the battle right there. At 18 months we gave it an offical full-time try, but ultimately decided she wasn't quite ready. At 22 months she decided she hated wearing diapers, so it was definitely either train or start cleaning up a lot. She has had very few accidents and even mostly stays dry during naps and overnight. Hello polar opposite of Graham.

 Seriously, it's like magic.

I used no sticker charts, candy or songs.

We cheer when she goes potty.

Yay for simple motivations.

It's really cute at 11pm when she goes and starts half-heartedly clapping and saying yayyyyy........yawn. :)

Took a few weeks to get #2 in the potty, but she seems to be getting more consistent. I'm still keeping her in pull-ups for now when we're out & about till we're 100% in that area.  The only down-side: the nights. Graham has yet to stay dry at night and doesn't seem to care to that much. Eden, not so much. So she's been waking up 2 or 3 times a night for the last few weeks. Really not fun. Can you just pee in your diaper, really? :)
After almost 4 years of cloth diapering, I am beyond excited to have a break. I think CD moms are twice as excited when their kids potty train. :) Although, we could get a baby in the next few months, but for now I'll enjoy it!
Good job, big girl! (and thank you very, very much.)

 

The transition

Well, this seems to be old news now, in the busyness of the holidays I didn't have time to stop and write about it. But most of you know that as of the beginning of December, Andrew began full-time at Three Rivers Grace Church as Director for Media, Music & Outreach. Ever since we began our seminary journey 7.5 years ago, this has been the desire of our heart to work full-time in church ministry if the Lord would open the doors. God led us on a different path than we would have anticipated, but knowing that "all things work together for good to those who love God", we fully trust in His sovereignty and are grateful for the different opportunities we have experienced along the way. Even knowing many of our friends from seminary days are still in those journeying days, waiting with full anticipation this transition as well, we know that God in his perfect timing has the perfect scenario already in place and can't wait to rejoice with you as God reveals that plan!

So what does Andrew do? Well, his job decription was approximately a page long and ended with something like "and whatever else comes up....." :) He will continue as he was in his part-time role to oversee the worship services each week - planning the services & music, coordinating & leading the worship team, scheduling monthly music team practices, overseeing purchases & planning for the AV team, and whatever else might go into a Sunday service. He also is overseeing a new church directory, involved in helping launch our new church website, re-designed the church bulletin and writes it each week, & re-worked the church's phone number (which now goes to his phone). If you are a small church where the church number is going directly to the pastor or staff member, you should definitely check out what he did with a google number! It is a neutral number that can be routed to any different number at any time, i.e. the pastor goes on vacation and so it can go directly to someone else. And there's lots of other amazing features - technology is so great!

Here are some the other thing he's been involved with this month:

• meeting about an outreach concert in our building with MonoCcord
• meeting a member to walk, pray, & talk with people throughout our church neighborhood
• city meeting to talk about using our church as one of the free food programs in the summer
• meeting a member of the International Mission Board about our friends from church that are getting ready to go to the Middle East
• Human Trafficking awareness meeting at Heinz Field (Steelers stadium)
• cleaning & organizing rooms in our church
• coodinating upcoming events at our church where ministries are coming in to share about victims of exploitation, crisis pregnancy centers & foster care.
• running the sound booth for weddings, both in January & February.
• 6am Tuesday morning, men meet for prayer at Starbucks every week
• He rotates with teaching our twice a month community group
• He's also so excited to go with our pastor to the Desiring God Pastor's Conference in Mpls. next month. His work schedule has rarely allowed him to go to conferences the past years and now the fact that they are part of his work is an unbelievable blessing.

*

So you can probably get a sense that he has plenty to occupy his time. :) He is loving it and loves being involved in such a wide variety of tasks. Because he loves what he is doing so much, at times I have to be sure he is not working 70 hours a week. :) He is using our home office in the basement as his home base. It's worked out pretty well because he is well out of sight of the kiddos, but he can still come up for lunch or snacks. :) The flexibility has been amazing. The other day we were both able to go to see Sesame Street Live with the kiddos on a weekday morning (we had received free tickets). We've also had greater flexibility in finishing our fostering requirements and getting all those appts. done. {We are excited that all we have left is our home study to be fully certified!}

The one thing that has been the most challenging to adjust to is the what can feel like the random chaos of his schedule. He has so many meetings this month which may range from a 6am Saturday elders meeting to meeting someone for coffee at 8pm at night. So it feels slightly unpredictable right now and will definitely take a few months (at least!) to adjust to how everything will be. We've also always been able to get along on one car since we've moved to Pittsburgh as Andrew has always been able to take the bus to work. But right now he is jetting all over the city suddenly and this mama has been feeling a little housebound! :) So we may have to think about adding a 2nd car here in the future. But we are so thankful at how God opened this opportunity and love serving in whatever capacity we can at our church. We are excited to see how our church is growing and the greater capacities of ministries where doors are opening up.