The Tregs

Cal is 2!! (October 16)

2011-11-22T14:28:00.001-08:00

Yes, Chancho Biggin's is 2! Though he is just about the exact size as his "big" brother, lol! (Both boys wear the exact same size shoes & clothes right now!?). We had a great day celebrating and my dad was even in town to join us! It's pretty cool, he was here when Cal was born & for his 1st & 2nd bdays. It was Sophie's suggestion that Cal wanted ribs for his birthday :), so we went to Famous Dave's for dinner and came home for cake and ice-cream and presents. Anything Thomas the train is a hit for Cal, so he was more than pleased with his presents :).

Cal is talking a whole lot more now and LOVING playing with his sis & bro - whenever you see those two run by, you know Cal will be trailing right behind them! We FINALLY got him sleeping through the night, about a week before his 2nd birthday!! He has been dubbed our "extreme child", and he is. He is sooo smiley and happy or he is angry and throwing a fit of grand proportions. He has a will like no other I have seen, but is the cuddliest most lovingest kid out of our 3. So we are constantly reminding ourselves of what God would do with this strong temperament- I mean, HE is the one who gave it to him! So we are trusting that by His grace, He will take it and direct it and use it for His glory and His Kingdom. We also joke that he'll be our preacher, cause he always goes into Nate's bag and gets his bible out and just carries it around and looks at it :). We love you Caly-boy and thank God for the gift you are to us!

Sophie's in Kindergarten - 1st year of Homeschooling!

2011-11-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that my baby girl is in school! And I can't believe that I am her teacher! People ask how homeschooling is going and I always reply "so much better than I could have ever imagined it!" And it's true. Sophie is thriving and enjoying the one on one time with me (well, sometimes we are accompanied by Chason because he isn't taking his afternoon naps very frequently anymore, but he is usually quietly at the table working on his own 'school') and I have to say that that has been the most rewarding and enjoyable part for me too! I feel like these times with her this year are gonna serve as some "glue" for our relationship down the road. She is such a great independent player, that with all the the boys demands I can easily neglect focused time with her. So this is a perfect fit for us this year! Here are some pics from her "1st day" and the evolution of our school area.

2nd Annual Family Vacation to Duluth - Part 2

2011-11-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

And these are actually from the beginning of our journey, taking off, arriving in Duluth, Lake Superior swimming, biking & hanging in Canal Park ... Like I said, hundred's of pictures i'd love to share, as you can see I had a hard time choosing :).

2nd Annual Family Vacation to Duluth - Part 1

2011-11-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

Where do I even begin with this post?? I have hundreds of pictures I would love to share, just proof of God's kindness and grace extended to our family and how family vacation with a 5, 3, & 1 and a half year old can actually be ... well, thoroughly enjoyable!

This was our 2nd year doing this. This year we rented a cabin about 13 miles outside of Duluth and stayed there for 4 nights, and 1 night in the middle of that week drove up the North Shore to Lutsen and stayed at a resort complete with Gondola ride up the ski mountain and indoor swimming pool. And we went up a night early because Nate's dad got us a room in Canal Park with his hotel points, balcony overlooking the lake and lighthouse, it was awesome! I can't emphasize enough how good God is to help Nate and I on these trips. Truly the grace to manage our expectations successfully and the patience to deal with the kids without letting it stress us out is HIS GRACE ALONE! The kids LOVE Duluth and Lake Superior. Sophie and Chason frequently talk about things from our trip and ask about our next "family vacation". I pray we can continue to make memories with our family for years to come doing this.

So here's part 1 of pics (I guess our order will be backwards, this is towards the end of our wk) - Gooseberry Falls, Grand Marais, a couple from our cabin & Canal Park...

Summertime Catch Up - State Fair & Fun in the Sun

2011-11-22T12:10:00.001-08:00

So it's been a couple months! We've had a lot of adjusting this fall - myself adding Kindergarten teacher to my repertoire and Nate, amongst everything else that he does, worship leader. So things have been a bit crazy around the Treguboff house. (Not to mention we had family staying with us for 24 days between Oct & Nov!). But by God's grace we have transitioned and are finding much joy in this busy season. So, I will try my best to post some of the highlights from July until now in a series of a couple blog posts.

This was the 1st year in about 4 years that we had gone to the MN State Fair, so that was a blast! The kids had a great time and I think enjoyed the eating just as much as we did :). I do love that Minnesotans really savor summer and squeeze every bit out of it that they can! So from the fair, to Chason's 1st set of stitches, backyard camp outs, ice cream, slip n slide's, picnic's and walks, here are some pictures of our summer...

Jonny Boy's Visit from AZ

2011-07-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last week our nephew Jonathan (who will be 13 next month!) came out to visit us from AZ - on his first ever plane ride on his own! He made it to us safe and sound, and we hit the ground running with a trip for pizza to Joey Nova's & then a walk around Lake Excelsior. Nate got to take a lot of time off, so we seriously had something going every day - which was really nice because the "bored" moments were very few for Jon :). The list of things included: backyard bonfire, Mall of America (lego land & rode the Sponge Bob roller coaster), darts & ladder ball, playing with a buddy he met last time he was here, going to work with Nate, Valleyfair (amusement park), his 1st pro-baseball game seeing the Twins, making chicken wings & fries from scratch with Nate (Jonny tore up the kitchen!), catching his 1st fish, swimming at our friends pool, dinner at Burger Jones (ate his 1st cheese curds there) & breakfast at donuts at Yo-yo Donuts ... phew! We couldn't believe it when the Saturday for him to leave had come, the week really flew by. But I think 1 week was perfect. I'm happy he didn't leave bored out of his gourd or looney because of all the questions Sophie & Chason would ask him every 2 minutes "hey Jonny...", "Jonny look at this...", "whatchya doin' Jonny??" haha! They really had fun with their cousin. And the crazy thing is the week he was here we had a couple days with like 106 degree weather & it was in the 70's in Mesa - go figure :). Thanks Mom & Dad for sending him out to be with us, it was great - we sure love you Jon and miss you already! (Here are some pics in random order - still haven't figured out how to move pics around without deleting others & it's been almost 2 years i've been blogging, lol!).

Dad's wonderful 2 week visit

2011-07-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

We really did have such a wonderful time with my dad when he came to visit us from CA the end of May. You would think 2 weeks is a long time, but my dad is seriously the most fabulous, hands-on, helpful "Grampy" there is. (For those who don't know, he was in MD when Cal was born 2 and a half weeks early, and he kept Sophie & Chason for the entire 2 days we were in the hospital. Seriously AMAZING!).

We certainly stayed busy while he was here. We had 3 birthday celebrations, including his own the day he arrived, of course we did Mall of America, Church picnic, lots of walks to the lake near our house, bonfire's out back. The kids LOVED to "jog" with him - when he's here he runs 7-9 miles every other day - Sophie actually went 2 miles with him! We went fishing, went shopping, played in the pool out back, went to the Zoo, went to a local baseball game and he even watched the kids over night so Nate & I could have a little 24 hour get-away! I am so grateful to the Lord for how he has grown and deepened our relationship with dad over the years. Fun times, great conversations and sweet memories made - thanks to his new bride Stephanie for giving him up for 2 weeks! We love you dad & thank God for the gift that you are to us! Here are some pictures from our adventures:

Chason is 3!!!

2011-06-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Our little big man is 3! Chasey Boy, as we like call him, is like a little firecracker - he's small but packs a punch! :) It's definitely been a challenge, finding that 3's are a bit harder than the 2's. But an immense joy nonetheless. We started off the day (May 28th) with donuts of course, then hung out and enjoyed a beautiful day at home with our family and with my dad who had just flown in from CA that week for a 2 week visit (blog to follow). Sophie & I had fun making the "race car cake" they had been eyeballing in a kids cake book we had, we had pizza for dinner and opened presents. So thankful for this little boy and am eager to see what all this personality transforms into as he grows and matures :).

Sophie is 5!!!

2011-06-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable! Our 1st sweet baby is 5 already! Though really it is hard to remember life without this girl :). We had the most wonderful day on her birthday (June 6th, yes, she was our 6/6/06 baby!) - I am pretty sure everything went according to her hearts desires: #1, Grampy was here! My dad came to visit and made it for both Chason & Sophie's bdays (and kind of his own as he arrived the day after his 55th). Donuts for breakfast at our new favorite spot Yoyo Donuts (bacon maple bar was a bonus!), Mall of America for a free unlimited ride pass for her bday (their kids club rocks!) and of course ribs for lunch at Famous Daves (though she did say she would have rather had her dad's :). Then we grilled dogs & brats, played on the slip-n-slide (me & my dad both amused the kids - and likely all of our neighbors - by going down. No pictures of that one, lol!) and birthday cake and presents to finish off a perfect day.

Here are some pics of our fun - of one of Cal just to make you giggle...

Motherhood as a Mission Field

2011-06-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

I HAD to post a link to this article. It rocked my world and is full of so much truth for mom's who are weary. This article found me in God's perfect timing and when I was feeling extremely weary as a mom.

I had a rough day with the kids, and feeling very "unsuccessful", I climbed into bed, I pulled up http://www.girltalkhome.com/ on my phone and found this article posted there. It convicted me to the core, but filled me with such hope and refreshment - like wind in my sails! I closed my eyes and went to sleep. Little did I know that at 3:50am, Calvin would wake up with wet sheets from a leaky bottle (yes, he is 20 months old and STILL not sleeping through the night), Sophie would then simultaneously wake up as we are changing the said sheets to announce an accident of her own, and after we got the two sets of sheets changed and kids back to bed, Chason would wake up because he couldn't find his cup ... and Cal screamed and wouldn't go back to sleep. And didn't take his usual morning nap. And I laid in bed in tears completely at a loss. Then I remembered this article...

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-as-a-mission-field

Psalm 103:14 "For He knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust." Thankful for such a compassionate Father who is faithful to meet us perfectly in our weakness.

Some video so u can see him in real life

2011-04-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Since most of you are far away from us, I thought i'd post a video. Just fun to see him in action rather than the still shots. Wish he would have done his fake yawn - with his huge mouth it's hilarious! But this is what you get :).

Oh, and these are from Dec, but still some of my fav's ... the last is Sophie, but I couldn't help myself, she is a riot!

Caly Boy is 1 and a half!

2011-04-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hair, eyes, cheeks, smile, teeth, cries, attitude ... everything about this guy is big, lol! The kids have dubbed him, amongst other things, "Big Baby" (from Toy Story 3 - if you saw him walk and palm his bottle in one hand like an NBA player palms a basketball you'd know why, ha!). We love you big baby!

Cal's 1st trip to CA

2011-04-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

So, as you can see, it has been 3 months since my last post. And the only explanation is that Mr. Cal has found his muscles and can pull himself up and onto anything and everything!! And he has such long arms too. He is constantly in drawers, pulling things off of counters, in the fridge, in the cupboard, on the table ... so it had been interesting to say the least :). Today he is 1 and a half too! So I guess it is fitting that I do an update from our trip that was in Feb to visit my fam. We had a fabulous time! And God was SO kind to work it out where my brother Derek was actually going to be in town from FL the very same week!! It had been 3 and a half years since I saw him last, and the same amount of time since all 5 of us kids were together (for Sophie's 1st bday), so it was a sweet time. Plus Cal got to meet his Auntie & Uncles and cousins for the 1st time.

Nate's "Vacation" & My "Staycation"

2011-01-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago Southwest Airlines was having a killer sale on airfare. Being that we hadn't gotten to go home to visit either of our families this past year with PC & the move back home, we decided that we would each individually go home to AZ & CA. I would bring Cal with me since he has never been to CA & still hasn't met any of my siblings (not to mention he is the only one of the kids that can still fly for free - this trip will happen in Feb) & Nate would go home to AZ on his own in Jan. Well, his sister Charity talked him into surprising his Mom & Dad and bringing Cal along, and I am so glad he did! Glad because it was such a blessing to his family to have Caly-boy with them (his last trip to AZ he was only 2 mos old!) and also glad because I actually had somewhat of a "staycation" here at home with only 2 kids.

I didn't realize how nice it would be with only 2. It was fun to be able to just sit with them and watch a movie & eat popcorn without needing to tend to Cal who would never allow that to happen :). And I even got time to bring Chason to toddler story time at the library while Sophie had a playdate at our neighbor's house, also something I have never been able to do with Cal in tow. I also enjoyed 4 nights of 5+ consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep - GLORIOUS! But, with that said, there was something missing in our house not hearing that constant growling sound coming from Calvin or seeing that big slobbery smiley face & those blue eyes. And we sure did miss daddy too, especially Chason who would run to the garage door looking for him every time I happened to open it and would cry "daddy change my biaper!" every time I had to change him :). Here are some pics from Nate & Cal's trip to AZ ...

A Bowling We Will Go ...

2011-01-18T10:32:00.001-08:00

Fun family day bowling with the kido's for the 1st time! And they lasted till the 7th frame, which was more than we expected :). And Cal sat by, eating his fish crackers & giving us celebrational high-five's - Sophie said next time we should hold him & let him kick the ball down the lane with his feet, haha!

Sledding with Soph

2011-01-04T13:20:00.000-08:00

This is a video I took my 1st time this winter

playing outside in the snow - me & Soph sledding

down the hill in our backyard while the boys were napping :).

Great Grandma Sena's Visit

2011-01-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

Those who know us know that the Treguboff's can never just have 1 visitor, they always come in 2's & usually 2 weeks apart or so from one another :). This is not a planned thing, it's seriously just how it happens. My mom was here 3 weeks ago and my Grandma (mom's mom) flew in from Los Angeles 2 wks and 1 day later for a visit.

We hadn't seen Grandma since we were in CA a year and a half ago for the kids' 1st & 3rd birthday's and this was the first time she got to meet her newest great-grandchild, Cal! We had an unusually "warm" day (it was in the 40's, really, it was warm!), so we got out and played in the snow (me for the 1st time this year) and took pictures. Did something TOTALLY insane and went to the Mall of America the week after Christmas - NEVER again!! But Sophie did have fun riding with her great grandma on the carousel & the swings. She whipped up ck enchiladas and Spanish rice - sooo good! And her & Sophie made tapioca pudding. She even watched the kids for us so we could get together with some friends kid-free for New Years Eve. SO thankful for the time we had and LOVE that Chason is at the age where he will now remember who she is when we talk to her on the phone :).

Spurgeon's Morning & Evening

2011-01-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

I know that many of you are aware of this resource, but I thought even if there was 1 person who could benefit from this it would be worth posting.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a British preacher in the 19th Century. I like how CJ Mahaney calls him the "prince of preachers", truly he is. His resources have been a means of tremendous grace to me, especially his "Morning & Evening" daily devotionals. There is a different one twice a day - morning & evening - and you can access them at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/morneve.today.html .

Here is an excerpt from one I have recently found myself going back to and referring others to. He just has a beautiful gift for bringing God's truth's to light.

November 12th Morning "The trial of your faith"

"Faith untried may be true faith, but it is sure to be little faith, and it is likely to remain dwarfish so long as it is without trials. Faith never prospers so well as when all things are against her: tempests are her trainers, and lightnings are her illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spread the sails as you will, the ship moves not to its harbour; for on a slumbering ocean the keel sleeps too. Let the winds rush howling forth, and let the waters lift up themselves, then, though the vessel may rock, and her deck may be washed with waves, and her mast may creak under the pressure of the full and swelling sail, it is then that she makes headway towards her desired haven. No flowers wear so lovely a blue as those which grow at the foot of the frozen glacier; no stars gleam so brightly as those which glisten in the polar sky; no water tastes so sweet as that which springs amid the desert sand; and no faith is so precious as that which lives and triumphs in adversity. Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too..."

Christmas Morning

2011-01-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

We pray that you all had a very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ!

This year we stayed ay home in MN, and though we missed being with family, we really had a sweet time. Christmas eve we had 15 friends over, who like us don't have any family here in MN. 20 people in our little house was cozy, but fun! Everyone brought appetizers & desserts, it was quite the spread. As we surveyed the room we were reminded afresh of God's kindness and how even though we don't have "family" here, the Lord has provided family for us in each other.

Christmas morning Cal was the 1st to wake up - no surprise - at 6am. The other 2 kids were so pooped from playing with their friends the night before I actually had to wake them up so that we could open presents & Cal could take his AM nap! We stayed in our PJ's all day, played with toys, watched movies & Nate dug the grill out of the snow & grilled steaks in about 15 degree's (in a t-shirt)! He's a devout griller :). Here are some pics from the day.

Blizzard Bunnies

2011-01-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

This is a video of my mom & Sophie playing in the blizzard

we had when she was here visiting from CA - CRAZY!!

Mom's Visit

2011-01-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

(Today is actually my Mom's birthday - Happy Birthday Mom! - so how fitting that I am finally putting up this post ... )

It had been over a year since we had seen my mom - the last time we saw her was when she came out to MD when we had Cal in Oct 09. This was my first visit with mom when I wasn't recovering from having a baby, so it was wonderful to be able to actually do things with her & not be exhausted & emotional - though the wknd she was here we had a blizzard which was reported to be the largest snowfall in 20 years here in MN (ranking #5 or #6 in history I think)! We did get out 1 day to the Minneapolis Institute of Art (mom is an artist & i've always wanted to go take her there. Though next time maybe without a 4, 2 & 1 year old in tow, lol!). But we hunkered down, blared Christmas music all wknd and made Christmas cookies, she brought supplies for the kids to make cards, got out 1 day in feet of snow for a "girl's lunch" at Leeann Chin (that was about as far as we could drive on practically unplowed roads). But the highlight was seeing her and my crazy girl literally playing IN the blizzard! Precious & fun memories made. SO thankful that we had that time with "Nani" - the kids are still talking about it :).

"Grow in Faith, Grow in Grace: Be Humble & Alert"

2010-11-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

We recently returned to Maryland for the annual Sovereign Grace pastor's conference. It was an absolutely WONDERFUL time reuniting with our PC class after 5 months! I didn't expect to be so overtaken by emotion upon reuniting with these dear brothers and sisters. Just reminded again, of God's lavish goodness, and humbled beyond words that He chose us to partake in such a rich year of growth, friendship and grace.

One of the highlights of the conference was a message that Rick Gamache from Sovereign Grace Fellowship located right here in Bloomington, MN preached, a message on anxiety & suffering. His text was:

1 Peter 5:6-11, "6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

If you have the opportunity, I would encourage you to take time to listen to it. (This is actually the original message he preached to his congregation, so it is geared towards everyone, not just pastors. I found the link on another blog I follow, http://www.girltalkhome.com/). All of us at some point walk through suffering and I know that most everyone struggles with anxiety and with trusting & having faith in the Lord. Even if you find yourself in a place of contentment & peace right now, it is never too early to combat these temptations that may come to your heart.

http://audio.sovgracemn.org/2010/06/13/grow-in-faith-grow-in-grace-be-humble-be-alert/

1st snow of the winter

2010-11-23T06:26:00.000-08:00

Nov 13th marked the 1st snowfall for us here in MN. We got a good dumping of about 8 inches that day. The kids had a blast, Nate had thought ahead and bought a sled to fit them all on so that we could get out and have fun in the snow (rather than stare out our window cursing the fact that it would be here for the next 5 months possibly). I was surprised that Chason lasted for as long as he did - usually he doesn't do well in the elements, lol. Cal on the other hand did not like it one bit - as you can see from the pics. Sophie is definitely our snow baby by far! I love that she savors every season, I pray that I can learn to be more like her someday :).

Pumpkins & Halloween

2010-11-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

Birthday Video's

2010-11-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple videos - Singing Happy Birthday to Cal and attempting to get him to eat the cake. Chason is hilarious in the 2nd video :).

Happy 1st Birthday Cal!!

2010-11-21T13:01:00.001-08:00

Yes, on Oct 16th, Calvin, aka Cal, Cali-Boy, Chancho, Chancho Biggins, Bigs, Sumo Baby, turned 1 year old! Hard to believe that just 1 year ago I was giving birth to this giant 9lb 13oz baby!

We celebrated with a small get together at our place for pizza & cake, and even my dad got to be here (which was fitting being that he was in MD with us when Cal was born - he's the one who kept the kids for 2 days while we were in the hospital, he rocks!). Poor Cali was teething pretty bad, so he wasn't much into his cake. I'm thinking that he will have to make up for it with a nice big frosty piece for Nate's bday coming up.

For Cal's 1 year check up he was 30 inches tall & weighed 25lbs. He already has 8 teeth (the other 2 kids only had their bottom 2 on their 1st bdays) and he is walking ALL over the place! His cheesy grin is contagious and he loves chasing after his bro & sis - and occasionally pinning Chason down on the ground (I really think he is stronger than his "big" bro, he's practically the same size, they share many of their clothes already!).

Peculiarly WONDERFUL Fall in MN!

2010-11-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

This could quite possibly have been THE best fall we've ever experienced in MN!

It was unseasonably warm - on Oct 9th I pulled the kids pool out from the rafters and set it up again on a 90 degree day! We had a whole week after that with temps in the 80's where we enjoyed the lake, the leaves, our backyard and a trip to Stillwater. I feel like it was extra kind of the Lord to give us this prolonged fall - giving us something to reminisce on in the middle of our 5 month winter tom come in the tundra :). As always, some random pics to go with the post - remember, even the ones of Sophie, dad & Nate IN the lake and the kids IN the pool were the 2nd week in Oct!

Fall Visits From Family

2010-11-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

Late Sept Nate's Mom, aka "Nannie", came to stay with us for a week from AZ. We had a great visit with her - the last time we had seen her was Christmas last year and Cal was only 2 mos old!

2 weeks later, my Dad, aka "Grampy", came to visit from CA and stayed with us for 10 days. He had come to see us in MD in May, so it hadn't been as long since we had seen him as Nate's mom. It was actually in the high 80's when he was here so we really got to enjoy the outdoors which was off for the 2nd week of Oct in MN, but we LOVED it! Here are some random pics from their trips ...

Part 1: 1st stop - Gooseberry Falls!

2010-10-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

This was out very 1st "family vacation" (we took it at the end of Aug, but i'm just getting to the posts now). We stayed 3 days in one of our favorite places, Duluth, MN (which is about 2 and a half hours north of us, right on Lake Superior).

Our 1st stop was Gooseberry Falls (about 30 mins past Duluth, but with the good weather that day and rain in the forecast, we knew we needed to go there 1st). It was an unseasonably hot day, of course it was when I was getting ready to a lug 24+ lb kid on my back! The kids loved it and were champs, we hiked quite a ways too! Realizing that "vacations" with small children are a labor love love, not lot's of relaxing. But I pray that it was many priceless memories made for the kids - I know it was for Nate and I.

Part 2: A scenic afternoon ...

2010-10-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

Part 3: Vista Fleet Cruise

2010-10-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

We knew going into this hour and a half tour of Lake Superior, that it could be an absolute disaster! Yes, Chason was a bit moody - what's new :) - but all in all it was a fun time had by all ... well, kinda fun for Chasey ...

Part 4: Canal Park & Fitger's

2010-10-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

We spent a lot of time walking around Canal Park visiting the shops and walking the pier to see the lighthouse and lift bridge up close - and throwing rocks into Lake Superior. And of course we visited Fitger's Brewhouse, our favorite place to eat while in Duluth. And one warm evening got ice cream cones at Bridgeman's - super cheap and they give you a TON of ice cream. SO many fun memories made with the kids :).

Part 5: Where we stayed - the Great Room

2010-10-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

Nate found this place on Craigslist - great deal, right on the lake (it was right over the lift bridge on the sand bar), but no bedrooms (it was a newly remodeled great room attached to someone's house) and we were going to be staying 3 nights with a 4 year old , 2 year old & a 9 month old. We struggled making the decision to put the deposit down, BUT, we knew we'd regret it if we didn't. So we went for it, carefully managed our expectations, and were pleasantly surprised!

The kids did great - Cal's pack-n-play fit in the bathroom, so we set him up in there, and the other two slept on the hide-a-bed mattress in the kitchen. So even when they were sleeping we were still able to hang out and talk and watch movies etc. The view was AMAZING too! We will definitely be visiting this place again and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to stay in Duluth in the future.

Chason the budding artist

2010-09-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Finger Painting Fun

2010-09-11T08:10:00.001-07:00

Frog Princess

2010-08-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

This froggy caught me by surprise as I bent down to empty the water from the kids pool - I screamed loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear I think!

Sophie LOVED this guy ("Froggy-Jumpy"), this little girl has no fear!

After they played with him for a bit in a little tub, we walked him down to the lake to be "back with his mom & dad and grandma & grandpa" :).

HOT day at Como Zoo

2010-08-14T07:44:00.001-07:00

Luther on Changing Diapers

2010-08-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Nate emailed this to me last month and it brought me to tears - what doesn't though, right?? ;) It's long, but well worth the read if you're a momma who changes diapers or even a daddy who helps. Wise words from the 16th century ...

"Now observe that when that clever harlot, our natural reason (which the pagans followed in trying to be most clever), takes a look at married life, she turns up her nose and says, “Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores, and on top of that care for my wife, provide for her, labour at my trade, take care of this and take care of that, do this and do that, endure this and endure that, and whatever else of bitterness and drudgery married life involves? What, should I make such a prisoner of myself? O you poor, wretched fellow, have you taken a wife? Fie, fie upon such wretchedness and bitterness! It is better to remain free and lead a peaceful. carefree life; I will become a priest or a nun and compel my children to do likewise.”

What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, “O God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash its diapers. or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? O how gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labour, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight.”

A wife too should regard her duties in the same light, as she suckles the child, rocks and bathes it, and cares for it in other ways; and as she busies herself with other duties and renders help and obedience to her husband. These are truly golden and noble works. . . .

Now you tell me, when a father goes ahead and washes diapers or performs some other mean task for his child, and someone ridicules him as an effeminate fool, though that father is acting in the spirit just described and in Christian faith, my dear fellow you tell me, which of the two is most keenly ridiculing the other? God, with all his angels and creatures, is smiling, not because that father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith. Those who sneer at him and see only the task but not the faith are ridiculing God with all his creatures, as the biggest fool on earth. Indeed, they are only ridiculing themselves; with all their cleverness they are nothing but devil’s fools."

Oh How Time Flys - Learning to Savor my Littles

2010-08-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Aug 5th marked the 1 year anniversary of our arriving in Maryland for PC! I cannot believe that we were already there and back, and that already the memories are becoming blurry... I keep saying that, but I can't get over it. That makes me very sad, but this may be God's grace to me... in this season I find that I am easily overwhelmed with 3 small kids. I easily get caught up in all that needs to be done and how i'm not getting any of it done. My focus falls on everything that is not happening with the kids (i.e. Cal still waking 3x a night, constant struggles in obedience, Chason's tantrums and whining, potty training that needs to be done with him, pre-school with Sophie etc etc etc...). But with this 1 year anniversary comes the fresh reminder of just how quickly time passes and things change.

With that, I am trying my best to make more sweet memories with my babies while they are still my babies and savor their littleness and all that that entails, good and bad :). So i'm trying to take more video especially, to capture them in this season .. Here's a video that kind of captures a glimpse of an average day at home for me with them:

Duluth Get-Away

2010-08-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

After a long year of transition & changes, my thoughtful hubby planned a 2 night get-away for just the two of us to Duluth. Our dear friends Becky & Emily manned the kids while we spent two days reconnecting after our 10 month jam-packed PC schedule and then the busyness of trying to get settled back in at home and him getting back to work. It had been over a year since the last time we had a night without kids, so this was some much needed and savored time.

From walks around Canal Park, to dinner at the most quaint little restaurant that served the most fabulous food, our 1st movie at the theater since we couldn't even remember when, breakfasts at Starbucks, an afternoon spent sitting on the shore of Lake Superior reading & enjoying the beautiful scenery, to many very purposeful & thoughtful conversations that Nate led us in that will serve our family and our marriage in the days and year to come ... more in love with you Nate than ever! Thank you for a weekend of making more memories together in one of our favorite places. Can't wait to walk the streets of Duluth with you when we are old and gray and to sit down at Fitger's and munch on those amazing fries & juicy burgers with our dentures, ha! Love you!

Backyardigans

2010-08-10T06:01:00.001-07:00

Thee guys live for the backyard in the summertime! Slip-n-slide, wading pool, picnics, sidewalk chalk, popsicles, watermelon, neighborhood dogs, friends & much more. Have I said I love MN in the summertime? Cause I do :).

The Gospel Song

2010-08-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

This is the kids FAVORITE song. It is pretty much heard once or twice a day in our house, either at family worship time (as requested by these two) or at bedtime. Chason picked up the words from listening to his sister perform the song MANY times :).

Holy God in love became

perfect man to bear my blame

On the cross he took my sin

by his death I live again

Every Time I Turn Around ...

2010-08-10T05:31:00.000-07:00

Summertime in Minnesota ...

2010-07-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

Swimming with friends, outings with dad on family day & hangin out on the patio trying to stay cool (our hose was broken, so the tub was the best I could do, lol! It has since been fixed!). Just some random pics of summertime here in MN ... I love the way summer is savored here, every ounce of it!

Father's Day with Dad Treg

2010-07-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

Since Nate's dad helped us drive back from MD, he got to stay and be with us for Father's Day weekend! 1st week home and Nate broke out the smoker and smoked some DELICIOUS ribs for an early Father's Day rib feast. It was a beautiful day, great food, and a tremendous blessing to have "Poppy" here with us for that special occasion. Here are a few pics ...

Army Crawl Cal

2010-07-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Cal is 8 and a half mos and has been mobile since

about 6 mos! The other 2 kids didn't crawl till they

were 10 mos old. He is starting to get up on his knees

and crawl, but this is his preferred mode of transportation.

He is even starting to try and pull himself up on things as

of this week! And I thought Chason kept me busy, lol!

On a rainy day ...

2010-06-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

if all else fails, make cupcakes ...

then pray for sunshine so you can send them outside once the sugar kicks in...

the kids who ate them, not the cupcakes.

PC by numbers (a year in review)

2010-06-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

17 Students

16 Wives & 1 Friend/Girlfriend/Fiance/Almost Wife (Congrats Mr & Mrs Shea married Sat June 19th!!)

8 Babies Born in Maryland - half of our class! The 1st was a girl, then 7 boys followed.

80+ inches of snow (A Historical Record)!

38 weeks of class comprised of:

4 weeks of New Testament courses

3 weeks of Old Testament

8 weeks of Systematic Theology

1 week of Biblical theology

3 weeks of church history

2 weeks on Preaching

2 weeks on Biblical counseling

1 week each of Hermeneutics and Apologetics

3 weeks of Pastoral Ministry and Leadership

1 week on Missiology and Church Planting

1 week on Evangelism

1 week on Worship

1 week on Marriage, 1 on Parenting

Taught by a mix of seasoned pastors and world-class theologians/Bible scholars.

10,013 pages assigned to read

And on top of this, throughout the year—every Friday afternoon— was spent on New Testament Greek— equivalent to one year’s worth of seminary-level Greek (the language of the New Testament). Then 17 of those Friday's each student took turns presenting a sermon for Preaching Lab, which would be critiqued by Jeff and the class afterwards.

Totaling over 900 hours of lectures and an additional 1100+ hours of outside work, reading, papers, and exams.

12 States Represented

17 churches in 17 cities

10,205 Total Number of people in our churches on Sunday mornings, whom we get to play a small part in serving.

AMAZING GRACE.

Nate & Jeff Purwell

CJ Mahaney, Nate & Gary Ricucci

Julie Purswell, Me, Betsy Ricucci & Carolyn Mahaney

Nate & I

Packing Obstacles

2010-06-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

And this is what Nate & I were up against as we tried to pack the house to move back to MN ...

that's our son, crazy as can be! If you haven't seen the pic of him scaling our car in my post "Chason" in April, or the infamous "What keeps me busy" video posted back in March, you should check them out... and Cal is right behind him, oh what to expect with these boys just 16 and a half mos apart ... maybe Cal will temper Chason a bit ... I can dream :).

The Journey Home

2010-06-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 12th, we loaded up the 26ft Penske - after a 3 hour wait for the Penske guys to show up to open the Penske store to give us the truck, kids in tow and all - I realized that this was God's grace to me saying "see, you don't want to be on a 2 day car ride with these guys." LOL!). So that got done around 1:30 thanks to an AMAZING crew, we finished cleaning most of the house, grabbed a shower before Nate, myself and Cal had to head to the airport at 3:30 to pick up his dad (who was driving the truck) and drop off Cal and I to catch a 7:10 flight to MN. Our neighbors the Lowe's kept Sophie and Chason while we packed the truck and volunteered to keep them while we did the airport run to Baltimore - what a blessing that was Helen, thank you! So rather than spend more time in the car, they got to run in the sprinklers and play outside with their buddies - perfect way to spend their last day in the hood :).

Cal did great on the flights (we had a layover in ATL), not perfect, but anything was better than 20+ hours in the car with him! Our friends Becky & Emily were at the airport to greet us and Cal and I stayed with them until Nate, his dad and the kids got in on Monday evening.

Back at home (in MD), Nate and his dad did any last minute cleaning & picking up needed and crashed in the empty house with only bedding & the kids to pack up the next day. Phil Dufrin, our good friend & classmate who lived across the street, insisted on making a big breakfast for everyone before they hit the road at 6:30am, so they all went over there around 5:30am and had the works with the Dufrins and the Nelsons - classmates from WA state who were leaving that day too and crashed at the Dufrins (their 5 kids and the Dufrin's 6!). After a wonderful breakfast and goodbyes, they were off!

Dad was in the Penske and Nate in the car with the kids, manned with lot's of snacks and DVD's. That first leg was about 12 or 13 hours (I think) and they stayed near Columbus, OH. The second day they made it home in really good time - not without many melt downs, especially Chason who only slept a total of 15 minutes that 1st leg! All the while I was enjoying getting reacquainted with my girlfriends Becky & Emily and enjoying their very peaceful home with Calvin - napping when he napped ... ahhh, it had been a while, and re-cooping from the crazy whirlwind we had just experienced the past 2 weeks.

Really good to be back to our home of 7 yrs, it's a lot smaller than the house in MD, but it truly is home. Our renters were WONDERFUL! The house was in the same condition we left it, if not better. The boxes are unpacked and pictures are hung - took a couple weeks, but it happened :). The kids are still adjusting to their new sleeping arrangements (Chason is in a big boy bed now and he and Sophie share a room ... Cal is in with us and is not sleeping through the night, again! Though he is officially cutting teeth, so I think that may be a lot of it), but have fallen right back into place here with the neighbors & neighborhood dogs, making sure to pay everyone visits when we are outback on the patio.

Thanks everyone for your prayers in regards to our journey back home. God is so kind and gracious. How precious each one of you are to us, near or far, whether we've seen you last week or it's been years, you are all God's good gifts to us!

Goodbye Maryland!

2010-06-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Last photo shoot to capture our little family in this very special season of our lives - only 3 days before our final farewell. I pray that even though the kids are small, that this season of God's abundant faithfulness, kindness & grace is etched on their little hearts too...

*Special Thanks to Ellie Berry for taking these photo's, and even more for loving our kids as you served our family by babysitting this year - we will miss you!

PC Graduation - TOMORROW!!

2010-06-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night, Nate will graduate from Sovereign Grace Pastor's College ...

I am in COMPLETE amazement at how quickly this 10 months has gone by. But even more than that, amazed at ALL that has taken place in the midst of this 10 months. It seems like 10 years of growth happened while we were here in Maryland. I have said this many times, but this TRULY has been one of the most challenging, but also one of the sweetest years of my life! In fact, I would even go as far as to say possibly the best year of my life so far.

There is so much that I want to write right now, so many things I want to testify of, but I don't even know how to articulate them all at this point. Maybe I will have to do some flashbacks when I get home and settled back in to our little house on North Bay Drive :).

Thank you Oasis Church for sending us here ... tears ... I am overwhelmed by your generosity and selflessness. That you would allow us to have a year such as this ... my marriage will never be the same ... the way I parent and love my children will never be the same ... by God's grace I pray that I will be a better friend and servant to you all through what I have learned and observed in the lives and teachings of these precious saints & brothers and sisters here. I have learned to trust Jesus more, seeing his sovereign plans for us and this SPECIFIC year. How at the beginning it didn't make sense, sending me, 7 months pregnant with 2 very small children to the other side of the US, to make a new/temporary home for 10 months. To give Nate to a rigorous school schedule during one of the most intense seasons of my motherhood. But I now see. My faith has been strengthened and I have seen afresh God's kindness and goodness, the PERFECT plans that he has for his children. Plans for good and not evil. The scripture from Ephesians 3 just came to mind and I think I shared this the Sunday we left. And 10 months later it holds so much more weight than it did then. My affection and desire to be with you all is greater and my view of the vastness of God and ALL that is provided for us through His Son and the gospel is even deeper. So I will leave you with that, because who can say it better than God Himself? :)

Ephesians 3:14-21 "14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Big Boy with the Big Blue's

2010-06-05T19:00:00.001-07:00

Some recent pics I shot of Cal. at 7 and a half months old, he is wearing Chason's 12 month clothes, even some clothes that Chason was wearing when we first moved here to MD!

As you can see, he's not a big chub, just really long and sturdy. He is FINALLY sleeping through the night and he's been army crawling around the house for about a month now - the other kids weren't mobile till 10 mos! He's a fun dude. Pretty demanding still, loves his mommy that's for sure, but I am learning to savor that a bit more knowing that soon he won't want me holding him, he'll just want to be running around with big-little bro, lol, and sissy.

Strawberry Picking @ Larriland Farms

2010-06-05T18:49:00.000-07:00

Strawberry picking ON Memorial Day in 90 degree heat! Needless to say, our visit only lasted about 20 minutes before Chason started to loose it, but we did get a couple cute pics :).

Sophie turns 4!!

2010-06-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Look who turned 4!!!

These pictures are random since I STILL don't have the hang of posting pictures on the blog and moving them around without loosing them ...

So because Nate graduates on Sophie's birthday and it's our farewell morning at Covenant Life Church, we decided to have a birthday day for her today. We started off with donuts. Then we dropped off the boys and she and I headed out on a shopping extravaganza! It was a blast! We tried on lots of clothes, went into fun accessory stores, played at the park in the mall, ate McDonalds for lunch, got candy out of the candy machines and played the quarter games in the food court - and even won a plastic dinosaur (which she is sleeping with at this moment). Then we came home and had pizza for dinner and cupcakes that she picked out for dessert. After that she headed out with daddy for some time at the park.

What a special, special girl she is. It is tremendous the changes that have taken place in her even from age 3 to 4. We stopped for a potty break before we headed out of the mall and as we were exiting a woman saw us and said "ohhh, she reminds me of my daughter when she was that age ... now she's 13 and doesn't like me very much." That made my heart so sad. Lord by your grace, let each year bring more affection and fondness in my daughters heart for me, and I for her. Most of all, let that affection and fondness be rooted and overflowing from a deep affection and love for your son Jesus.

Chasey Boy Turns 2!

2010-05-31T03:29:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that my little boy is growing up so fast! We celebrated Chason's 2nd Birthday on May 28th. I can't describe the joy that swells up in my heart when I think of how much I love this little boy! I am realizing more and more how special "sons" are. My friend Emily would always tell me, just wait till you have a little boy, there is something so special about a little boy & his mom ... now I know :). We love you Chason!

(Baby Chason)

(Chason & his watermelon face after his birthday dinner)

Arlington National Cemetary

2010-05-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

Birthday/Mom's Day weekend

2010-05-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful 31st. My dad was in town visiting, so though Nate had school, it felt like we got to celebrate all day. He and Sophie made me cupcakes & we took the kids to feed the ducks at a favorite spot here in MD called The Rio. Nate grilled steaks for dinner & he surprised me with a beautiful birthday cake made Moriah Dufrin (i've talked about her before, she is our friend's the Dufrins 14yo daughter. She babysits the kids. She's been taking cake decorating classes this year and does fabulous cakes!).

Since dad was here, he also watched the kids Saturday and we drove to DC for a post birthday dinner at "Founding Farmers" - delicious!

Then 4 days later was Mother's Day, we had a fun time celebrating at Famous Dave's - a taste of MN here in MD :). I picked it because Sophie LOOOOVES ribs and it brought me joy to watch her eat them, ha! It was the perfect birthday/Mother's Day weekend.

Dad/Grampy's Visit

2010-05-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Sophie

2010-04-27T17:54:00.001-07:00

I think that this picture says it all! She is quite the character - picking up all of the typical girly hand gestures, head shaking side to side when she talks, finger on her cheek when she's thinking with her eyes looking up to the side, toe tapping, funny little phrases etc. She is well aware that she is turning 4 on June 6th - and lets everyone know it. It's funny cause she was telling someone "Mommy's birthday is coming and Chasey's birthday is next" ... I thought she was being so thoughtful thinking of us, but realized the only reason she was sharing this was because it led up to "and THENNN it will be MYYY birthday!!" Haha! But she really is growing in servanthood and has such a big heart for others.

Her new big thing is keeping the play room picked up for me, and she is always getting after Chason for making a mess after she has just cleaned ... hmm, where did she get that from?? And anytime anyone says they are hurt or not feeling well she immediately offers to pray for them, and does it on the spot. I am constantly amazed at the spiritual things that she comprehends, or is attempting to comprehend in her little mind. Calvin was lying on the floor fussing the other day and she says in her baby talk voice to him, "Don't be sad Calvie, God is with you. He is everywhere, God is with you!" thinking that that would be consoling to him. :). And in prayers that she says or conversations that we have with her you can see some articulation of the gospel starting to peek through.

She has challenged us this year with all of the struggles she has had adjusting to the move and everything else that has come along with this year at PC. In our flesh, it is so easy to focus on all of the headaches and setbacks, all of the times she has disobeyed or needed correction. But when we reflect on the evidences of God's grace at work in her, we are more in awe of God and his faithfulness - he is at work in our little girl's heart!

Chason

2010-04-27T17:36:00.001-07:00

Oh my Chasey boy, my joy ... at times my heart attack, but still my joy, lol! This guy is something else. Chason is gonna be 2 in just 1 month and I have to say he is at my FAVORITE age right now. He is so much fun, always running around and climbing and jumping off of something - you can probably see the bruises on his forehead in the picture - he has a head of steel! Nate just took the clippers to his hair for the 1st time and now there is not a curl to be seen :(. He looks so much bigger with the cut, but I really like it. He is talking so much now, it seems like every day he is putting another 3 word phrase together, and he is totally into cars. Today he refused to wear any shirt that did not have a car on it. And this weekend we had a BBQ at our house, so kids were running in and out and the doors were left open. I walked into the living room and looked out the front window ... there was Chason ON TOP of our Pacifica pointing to the sky saying "look, birds!" I ran outside and at the same time, Helen my neighbor was running down the street to come and save him too. Scared both of us, but when I grabbed him down he was looking at us like, what's wrong with you guys?? I could go on, my little man keeps me very busy, but gives me many stories to share with friends :).

Here is the shot I took running to get him off the car ...

Cal

2010-04-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy is 6 months old already! Thinking about that really puts into perspective just how long we have been in Maryland being that we had him 2 months after we got here!

His big blue eyes and wide smile melts our hearts, and we are constantly laughing at just how big and long he is and how he is bound to pass up Chason very soon. He is eating baby food like a champ and is already starting to pivot around on his tummy and push himself forward with his strong little legs. On the flip side, he has proven to be an even bigger challenge than the other 2 kids were as infants - which I didn't think was possible! He is still crying lots during the day, is not content to play on his own, pretty much just wants me to hold him and nighttime ... well, i'm not even going to go there, ha! But I have to say that he has caused me to draw nearer to Jesus and depend on HIM even more than any of the other kids have at this point, so that's a good thing :). But next thing I know, we are going to be celebrating his 1st birthday, he'll be wrestling with his little-big bro and running around the house with sissy, and i'll miss this.

.gram.

2010-04-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

If you spelled "love" any other way, it would be g-r-a-m.

We were blessed to have my paternal Grandmother here for a week with us and ate up every moment! She lives in CA, so we don't get to see her too often. And with our growing family and having to purchase 4 plane tickets to go anywhere now, we probably won't be getting out there as often as we'd like anymore, so we took advantage of making as many memories as we could while we had her - took the Metro to DC and saw the sights, picnics, feeding the ducks, making cookies, walks, shopping, playing, talking and reminiscing ... my prayer is that even though the kids are small, that even just an portion of these memories made with Gram would remain with them as they grow. *Thank you to the Holter family for offering your ticket voucher & to my wonderful hubby for thinking of Gram when you got that e-mail!

National Cherry Blossom Festival

2010-04-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

On Monday we ventured out to DC with our friends the Prado's for the Cherry Blossom Festival. The trees actually peaked early this year, so we just missed it by a couple of days. It was still a gorgeous sight and we couldn't have asked for a better day as far as the weather went. The kids were troopers, we made it to the Jefferson, Roosevelt & the WWII memorials and walked all the way around the tidal basin. As we were going to our car we actually got to see the President drive by too, so that was neat. I am happy we got the kids out to DC, even if just once while we are here, so when they are older they can say they went there - and Sophie can tell her kids she saw "Barack Omommy", as she now calls him :).

Easter

2010-04-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

It really was the most beautiful day! We started out celebrating Our Savior's resurrection at Covenant Life, enjoyed the gorgeous weather and took advantage of the cherry blossoms with a mini photo shoot and then joined our friends at the Kauflin's house for an amazing lunch spread and an afternoon complete with an egg hunt and games for the kids. Here are some pictures from start to finish. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter, Oasis church we missed celebrating with you all!

They are FULL of personality!

2010-03-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am amazed every day at what they come up with and the things that they say and do. I am humbled that the Lord sees me fit to be their mother and AMAZED at the grace He provides for me to fulfill that role. And as you can tell by some of these pictures, that grace is much needed!! (Make sure you check the video out below this post, will show you the whole "powder" fiasco in the works!)

What keeps me busy ...

2010-03-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

... nuff said

I'm still here!!

2010-03-08T18:45:00.001-08:00

So it has been quite the month it seems. Though looking back I honestly can't give you a list of specific things that have kept me from blogging. I guess I could give you three: Sophie, Chason & Calvin :). I feel like this mom of 3 ages 3 and under has finally caught up to me. I am feeling my to do list piling up with no hope of ever catching up ... will those baskets of laundry EVER get put away into the drawers? Will the toy explosion ever get cleaned up in the basement? Will I ever catch up with my blogging again?? Though I did hear something this weekend that gave me hope. "Only God gets his to-do list done." (A quote from CJ Mahaney). CHRIST lived the perfect life because I couldn't!

Do you think that means his clothes never sat in laundry baskets like mine? ;)

The Kauflin's are headed home tomorrow!!

2010-02-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

Check out Tali's blog to see the latest update on little Jack - AMAZED that it was just 1 week ago they were given this diagnosis and now they are headed home ... God is great and greatly to be praised! Thanks friends for praying and inquiring.

http://www.kauflinfam.blogspot.com/

Urgent - Please Pray for our Friends

2010-02-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got the news that our classmates here at the PC, Jordan & Tali Kauflin, found out that their 2 year old son Jack was diagnosed with Leukemia. Today they were informed that the type of Leukemia it is is Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), which was actually good news because the doctors said that this is the easiest type to treat and has a 90% cure rate. It is cancer nonetheless and little Jack will begin chemo tomorrow.

The Kauflin's have a blog if you'd like to follow it for updates. I will do my best to update our blog as well . http://www.kauflinfam.blogspot.com/

This is another family that has become very to dear to us over these past months here in MD and even just witnessing their faith and hope in the Lord over these past several days has been awe inspiring and could only come from God and His abundant grace! We are privileged to be a part of their lives this year and are believing that through all of this God will be glorified. Thank you for your care and prayers as well.

So thankful for the hope that we have in Christ Jesus! That our lives do not lie in the hands of men, but in the hands and everlasting arms of THE living God, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe!

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" Psalm46:1

Random pic's for good measure ...

2010-02-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Calvin - 3 and a half mos

2010-02-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

Oh little Calvin - AKA Cal/Bigs/Chickie Boy/Chancho ... this guy has a big cry and a big will already, but even more, he has big blue eyes and a big smile that melts my heart every time I see them! Here are some recent pics of him at 14 weeks...

"Janu-Hairy for Gary"

2010-02-06T17:48:00.000-08:00

In honor of our PC Pastor Gary Ricucci, the guys had "Janu-Hairy" for Gary. For the month of January, they all grew out their facial hair and at the end of the month shaved their faces and to the best of their ability sported rockin' mustaches like Gary - though one student who will remain nameless had no ability at all to grow a mustache, therefore ordered a fake one online, lol! They had a whole little ceremony type thing in class, they shared evidences of grace with Gary as well as Betsy his wife and had a couple other pretty funny things they did. These guys are a hoot, seriously has been a lot of fun watching Nate grow in relationship with them all. Oh, and don't worry, that scary mustache is gone now!

He Gives & He Takes Away

2010-02-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

If you follow our blog, you may have heard us mention the Dufrin family or Sandy or Moriah. They have become very dear friends of ours since we have moved here to Maryland. Phil and Sandy live directly across the street from us and have 6 children. They came from Michigan where Phil left behind a very successful career as well as their family farm to pursue Pastor's College. We have learned so much just by witnessing their lives, the way they care for and parent their children, the way they love each other and the way they have cared for others, including our family (Moriah, their oldest daughter, serves us by watching the kids on Saturday nights for date nights and Sandy had even been keeping Calvin for us so we could be totally child free those evenings!).

This coming Monday, Feb 8th, will mark 6 years since their little daughter Hannah went to be with Jesus. I wanted to plug the book that Sandy wrote in regards to this because I have been deeply affected by it. Theirs is a powerful testimony and account of God's sovereignty in the midst of suffering and how God's grace abounds to those grieving the loss of a child. What a gift this family is to us, and what a gift and means of grace this book has been to even people who haven't lost a child. Dufrin's, you guys amaze us and make us glorify God!

You can get the book on Amazon, here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/142089224X?tag=openlibr-20

Meeting with the Mahaney Gals

2010-02-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

We have had some pretty amazing opportunities while we have been here in MD. One of the highlights of the year has been that the 1st Thursday of every month we get to meet with CJ & Carolyn Mahaney. We rotate, some weeks the class meets with them as couples, other weeks the men meet with CJ and the women meet with Carolyn. What a joy it has been to glean from their wisdom and to learn from their humble example and love for the Savior and one another. This past month though, we were blessed with the chance to sit down with their 3 daughters, Nicole, Kristin and Janelle, and have a Q&A time on everything from mothering/parenting, to being the wife of a Pastor, to what things they felt their mother and father did that had the greatest impact on their lives. If you haven't checked out their blog you should, it is a wonderful resource for women - http://www.girltalkhome.com/

Ping Pong Battle

2010-01-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

Don't be fooled people, PC isn't just all work and no play for the guys ... this is Nate's classmate battling their Professor Mark Mullery

to get out of having essay questions on their test at the end of the week. If he lost, the guys had to plant a tree in Marks name

(he has forestry background I guess). Fun stuff!

Family Photo Ops

2010-01-11T20:58:00.001-08:00

So on the trip to AZ, of course we had to attempt to get some pics with ALL of the family ... this was interesting to say the least with all the kido's - Nate set up the tripod in the front of the house - but how precious these will be to us years down the road. This was the 1st time in 7 years that Nate's whole family had been together! I pray it's not as long till the next time!

Phoenix Zoo

2010-01-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks Rose! Mom's friend Rose works at the Zoo and got the whole family tickets to go. It was so much fun to get to do this with everyone together. The kids had fun, I think the highlight for me was the Baboon who was enthralled with Calvin, it really was amazing ...

Christmas in AZ

2010-01-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who prayed for our big trip - it was amazing! The plan flight was close to miraculous, kids did amazing and we were even surprised when they informed us we were going to be landing, it went by that fast! We arrived Christmas eve morning at 10am and were greeted by Nate's mom & dad, nephew Jon and sister Charity and her husband Mike and Jared and Abby their kids. SO great to see them all. Enjoyed Christmas morning complete with mom's homemade cinnamon rolls, the Christmas story read by dad and of course the fun of watching the kids open their gifts. Here are some pics - have tons of pics from the trip, so I figured I would blog them by category ...

"Bringing you up to speed"

2010-01-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

Isn't that a funny saying? As I typed that I thought, do they really want to be "up to my speed?" Cause it feels like time is absolutely flying by - I feel like 2010 got here and I am at warp speed, cheeks all pulled back like you see in the movies. Though you couldn't tell it by looking at my life day to day. But when I get ready to "go to sleep" at night (I put that in quotations because sleep is relevant to a mom with a newborn), I think about June 6th (not only my baby girl's 4th birthday, but Nate's graduation from Pastor's College) and for a moment get this anxious feeling like it will be here when I wake up. I am so excited to be back home in MN, back in our own little house, back with our dear friends and church family, but I still desire so many more opportunities with our new friends here, more chances to pull from the amazingly gifted and wise people God has surrounded us with, time to savor the most stretching and most beautifully amazing season of my life...

Lord, there are no words sufficient to express the gratitude I have for your sovereignty. Your leading is PERFECT. Help me to rest these last months knowing that ALL that YOU have planned for us will come to past if we trust in you. Help me not to get in the way, help me to yield to you daily, that I may look back on June 6th and joyously say I have no regrets.

Ode to Snow No. 2

2009-12-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

Snow, oh snow, off to Maryland did we go.

Thoughts of not seeing you for a year filled us with glee,

go figure we'd move here & it's record snowfall for DC!

...So we thought we had seen the most MD had to offer as far as snow went - we were told it would maybe snow a couple times and even then wouldn't stick around for that long - yesterday we got about 25-28 inches in 24 hours!! This is literally an all time record for the DC area. And I can only remember maybe 1 time in the 11+ years we've lived in MN seeing this much snow fall at once.

Friday was Nate's last day of class until the 4th, so most of our friends were heading out that afternoon to drive to their destinations or were flying out the next day for the holiday. It was great for us, the storm started late Friday and we don't leave for AZ till Thurs, so it was perfect hunker-down-with-the-fam-cozy-in-the-house weather. For those traveling, some had to turn around and come back or were stranded on their way. All flights were cancelled and rescheduled for Sunday. Church was even cancelled this morning! God is sovereign over ALL things including the weather, and I am eager to hear our friend's testimonies of how that all came into play with their trips and how God met them even through the delays.

Here are some pics I shot while out with Sophie, it was literally up to her waist - Chason didn't come out cause he would have literally been up to his neck in snow, lol! 4 more days and it's AZ or bust - 6 hour flight leaving at 6:50am (meaning we have to leave our house at 4:30am!!) - reminding myself "God is sovereign over ALL things", even flights like this with 3 kids :). I'm sure I will be blogging about that upon my recovery, ha!

The PERFECT "Mommy, Thank You" Saturday ...

2009-12-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

When I came downstairs to get Chason his 5am bottle on Saturday, there were lights strung above our fireplace and a colorful handwritten banner saying "Thank You!!!". I thought, how sweet is Nate. He knew that I was having a really rough week with the kids, what a thoughtful thing for him to do. Coincidently, I also had my PC Ladies Christmas Tea that morning, and he volunteered to keep Calvin for me along with the other two kids so I could have some mommy time to myself - awesome. So i'm getting ready for the tea and he tells me that it is "Mommy, Thank You Day" and that when I get home from the tea, I am also free to go out for a couple of hours and do whatever I wanted - kid free!(Granted I had to make sure I pumped enough milk for the baby). Then he ran out and came back with flowers and my favorite drink from Starbucks. (Note: Saturday's are usually a school day for Nate, he studies at the PC and tests out for that week, so he was sacrificing that to serve me that whole day).

The tea was AMAZING! I am in awe of how much I love each of these ladies so much already and it's only been 4 mos! (I don't say that lightly. I feel like just yesterday I was crying b/c I had to leave MN, now just the thought of having to part ways with my new friends brings me to tears). We were spoiled as usual, and even got letters from some dear friends at home to top off the morning.

Then I walked around the mall, got my haircut - I had to explain to Nate that getting my haircut was not an "errand", but ladies actually enjoy getting that done, lol - and concluded the evening off with a wonderful date night with my hubby and a delicious dinner at Maggiano's (thanks Legans!).

It was the perfect day and I felt refreshed and ready to face another week of mommy 24/7. Reminded that in this "season" of my life, I AM fulfilling my purpose by just caring for my children and husband. When all I have done in a day is feed kids and change diapers, correct and correct and correct my toddlers (LOL!) and attempt to provide a decent meal of frozen pizza for my husband when he gets home, the Lord is pleased. No matter if the laundry basket is overflowing and there is a toy explosion in the living room. I am fulfilling my God given role as a mom and wife - thanks Nate for affirming me in this and being sensitive to remind me of it when I need it, I love you!