A little Update

So it has been a while! Like a year and a half....

Well we are here in Texas, and guess what.... WE LOVE IT! I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions our family has ever made. We took the jump and went in both feet first. We know NO BODY in this little town of Fate and guess what? God showed up. He brought us community. He surrounded us with awesome neighbors and dear friends.

Texas has been such a blessing for our family financially. There is absolutely no way (outside a miracle) that we would be able to afford a home like we have here. The slower pace has allowed us so much more family time. The cost of living is actually affordable. And home ownership has been a true blessing. At our one year mark it was so wonderful to not have to move. The kids did not have to change schools and we did not have to pack up our lives and move due to rent going up or a landlord issue.


Noah has really taken to baseball. It is wonderful that we ALL can be part of his games and practices.  He has excelled in his skills and knowledge of the game. He really has a love for the sport. Hopefully once school starts he will come out of his shy shell more. Hannah has continued to love art. She decided to not sign up for a sport but to take an art class. Once the class becomes available she will get signed up.

Answered prayers are one reason I really to type out all these thoughts and things going on in life. It is always great to reflect on what is going on and where we were a year or two or three ago. God totally has brought us friendships, in all areas. Total answer to prayer. He even brought us family here too. Although it was not the way we thought it would have been, God brought us Jacob's mom. It has been wonderfully amazing having family here. We were even able to help in a time of need, which we would have never been able to do in CA.

With summer quickly coming to an end, I can't help but anticipate the fall. It really is my favorite. The crisp weather--- please come! Everything pumpkin, the smells, the baking, the gatherings, the routines, the shorter days....ahhh come quickly Fall. But this fall will be one like I have never had. Both kids will be in school full time, and SURPRISE.... we are pregnant. Coming this winter, February to be exact, we are having a baby. This was very unexpected for our family, but we cannot be more excited.

I feel the theme of this season of life is to let go, to what I have planned and just trust God. He knows what we need and when we need it. I feel like this is something we need, for our family. And he couldn't have surprised us at a better time. Even if it wasn't something that I planned, in my world of planning, He knew we needed it. And He really does give good gifts. So we anticipate this good gift, and dream and wonder and wait. AND PRAY...

So this is where we are, in this season.

Storms

Texas weather is crazy!

Ok, but seriously...CRAZY!

Last night we had a mega storm roll through. Living in SoCal my entire life, I now feel that I have been very sheltered to say the least. Sunny, warm, and almost always 80. Occasional Santa Ana winds, and very rarely wet stuff fell from the sky.

Now to Texas. Yesterday started off as a warm and windy in the high 80's. Ok, kinda like home, just more humid. I can handle that. But all day yesterday, the weather forecast told us the storm was coming. The tornado warnings had been issued. The hail warning, flood warning, and high wind warnings were all in the forecast. And then we waited. ALL DAY I waited. 

I must say the weather man do a great job at telling you where the storm is, and when it is going to hit. Finally about 10:00 last night the winds really kicked up and the rain came. Thankfully we didn't get a tornado, but we did have really high winds and rain. The thunder and lighting is a different story. Like you will see it, with your eyes closed, sleeping, curtains closed, see the bolts in your eye lids. I have never experienced anything like this before. And neither have the kids. Everyone was up last night. I am quite certain that one bolt stuck close, maybe even the water tower last night. To put it in perspective, the news reported 2,000 lighting strikes. 

One thing that is very different from the storms out here verses home, the Texas storms literally blow through. They don't stick around, they don't last very long. I think one the heavy part of the storm came it only lasted about an hour. The lighting and thunder maybe 3 hours, max. 

I don't know if this is something that I can get used to. But the weather doesn't seem to phase the locals. They go on business as usual. Everyone still goes to work, school and activities. They did have some schools close an hour early or sent people home early to prepare for the storm (at least that is what the news said). 

As for today, I am going to be thriving on coffee and extra snuggles from Noah. We have more severe weather in the forecast so maybe one day we will get used to it.... or maybe not.

Texas

So. Here we are in Texas. I never thought I would move out of state. Away from our family, our friends, our comfort zone. But we took the leap on this grand adventure of life and here we are, Texas.

I couldn't say I would pick Texas as my first choice of places to live, but God had other plans. I was comfortable in CA. The weather was nice and the people, were my people, the places familiar. Three months ago Jacob applied for a new position in his company. God had his hand upon him and the door literally opened, one after another. He was offered the job, and we bought our first house. Which is a miracle. Over the last 11 years of marriage we have looked to buy a house together, many times, and God has closed the door for us, many times. I know that we have been called out here, to this small town that we are living in. But it is not without heart ache.

I do miss "home". I miss the familiar. I miss the playdates, the coffee dates and walks around the lake. I miss the bumping into a friend or familiar face at Target. I miss the kids playing outside with all the neighbor kids. I miss my church.

Moving out of my comfort has been difficult. People don't usually seek out change. I want to grow and be stretched beyond what I think I can handle. I want to go deeper. No. Most people just want to float on by. Stay in the stagnate. Stay in the comfort, even if it is a mess.

I don't know if I was really stagnate. But I was close. I can say, moving has brought new perspective to me. I do have a new appreciation for my family. For my children, and our time together. I know I need to continue to grow and get out there and make some new friends. It is kinda weird at this season in life to make friends. I wonder if I will find any as good as the ones I left behind.

It is really the little things that are hard, the things that I didn't prepare for. The first Sunday we were here we tried out a new church. As soon as I walked into the service I started instantly balling. Like a little baby. I was totally not expecting that. It was just not our home church, with the people that have poured into our lives for the last 12 years. The people who at seasons are closer than family. It was new faces all around, and not our family. It was good to visit, but it wasn't our home church. But you know a couple days later I received a phone call from that pastor. And let me tell you, it was a total blessing. He prayed over our family, and prayed for a home church for us. He even confirmed, its never the job that moves you, but God. His plans are greater.

And that is what I am holding onto. It is Gods plans for us. I find my peace in that. I have hope that he is going to use Jacob and me, our family here in Texas. And that we are on the adventure, for the better. That it is for His glory.

I know the relationships will be built. He has called us to build. He has been discipling us for this. He has been bringing people to us that will cheer us on. He is in this, he is for this. I know this is the hard part of the new. The part where it is lonely at times. The part where we invest in our family. The part where we dive a little deeper in our relationships. Where we build.

The easy part is coming. I know. It will. His promises are good, and he is a good, good Father.

It's almost time

Christmas is almost here! Where did the month go? I am not quite sure. It has been pretty crazy. But it's almost here.

We finally did our Christmas picture. We attempted to do it on our own with the tripod, and that was a bad idea. It was the hottest day of December and it ended up with Noah sliding off Hannah and smashing his face on a rock. Poor guy, (he was ok) but it quickly ended our picture taking. I was pretty much over sending out a card, until last weekend, I thought I have to send one out it's Noah's first Christmas. So we did, I called Chela and we went out right behind our house and got some great pictures. I am so thankful for her. She was so flexible and squeezed us in. So after Jacob did some editing I uploaded to Walmart and cards were printed.

Last week Hannah and I decided to bless our neighbors. Well, it was a process that took a couple of months but we did it last week. Between pintrest and Ryan's service messages, I got a bright idea. I saved all our coffee cans for months.... and I mean months. I looked like a coffee hoarder. I cleaned them and then glued pretty wrapping paper on them over the coffee logo. Then we baked, well Hannah and Noah slept and Mama did the baking. And we filled the cans with cookies, chocolate covered graham crackers and rice krispie treats. We took them door to door and introduced our selfs to our neighbors in our circle and gave them out. Hannah even greeted all of them with a Merry Christmas. It was wonderful. We have lived in our condo complex for almost 5 years, and most of our neighbors we have never met. We have 12 in our circle and 4 neighbors are new the area. It was a great moment to soak in, showing Christ's Love in the form in baked goods. It stretched me a person, I am not the outgoing type, and as a parent, these are the moments that I want to instill in my children. It was great.

So it is almost here, the presents are wrapped, the tree is up, the cards are out... we are just about ready. The elves will come tomorrow to bring us new jammies for Christmas, we will take communion as a family on Christmas morning and read the story of Jesus of birth before we open presents. All preparation and gifts aside, he came as a child, in a manager, to save us all. This really hit me the other day, when I was holding my sleeping Noah..... only 4 months old, that is how our savior came as a child.

Thankfulness in the craziness

These last couple of weeks have been pretty busy. Shopping, lots of birthdays and getting ready for Christmas. We waste no time, after Thanksgiving we put up the tree and deck the halls. It looks like Christmas in our home. We figure why wait, we only a tree in our home once a year so we should make the most of it. It was so much fun decorating with the kids. Hannah loved to put up the ornaments and then take them off and redecorate the tree again. She worn the stockings as slippers and of course the Christmas music was playing. The little Mr. and I sat of the floor playing as Hannah and Daddy decorated the tree. It was great.

I am so thankful for Gods timing. He really knows what he is doing even when I can't see what his divine plan is. I was able to go out and do nearly all my Christmas shopping on black friday. I am so thankful that I was because last week my hours at work were cut.... drastically. I took nearly 30% right before Christmas. My initial reaction was, what an answer to prayer because work was taking up so much of my time during the day that I felt like that I was not here for the kids. (although still so very thankful that I am still the one with them and they don't have to go to daycare) But after the reality started to sink in of how that much less income will effect our family panic set in. I was ready for anything, if we had to move, sell a car, whatever. I KNOW that God has a perfect plan, a plan for me, for my family and he will use this for HIS purpose.

So I am thankful that he knew that I would be getting a cut and he allowed me to get all the shopping done at amazing discounts. We also sat down and did the new budget, and yes it will be tight, but not impossible, I am so thankful we don't have to move. We still owe a great about in medical debt, but I have to trust that God knows what he doing. He knows our needs. He will use all of this for his purpose, after all its Christmas time, when you really think about it, he was born in a manager. It puts thinks all in persective. I think that is what I really need this season, new perspective, new hope, built faith. I have four little eyes that are watching my every move, my every reaction in this crazy season. We will get through this, it will get better, and if it doesn't, that is ok too, we are happy and healthy and have the love of Jesus...... that is all we need.

Family, Turkey

We had a great Thanksgiving. It was stress free and drama free, the best kind. We drove out to my sister's house, hit no traffic, ate way too much good food, and had two very well behaved kids. On the downside, we didn't take any family pictures :( boo.

Family has been a very "hot" topic for us/me lately. I have been reading some really good books, and the more I learn, the more I want apply it to my family/ children. When I was a child, my parent divorced at a young age, I lived with my mom and she played the role of both father and mother. Jacob on the other hand, parents are still married. He had a great example of how a family should ideally work. Finding balance on how Jacob and I were raised verses how we want to raise our children, and how we can be the best parents is a process.

I really do enjoy learning the different ways and styles of parenting. I do have to remind myself not to compare myself and my style to others. What works for me, may not always be the "right" way for someone else. I still don't even really know what I am doing. But I do pray for wisdom and guidance on what to do and how to do it.

Letting go of the little things has been so challenging and yet so freeing for me. I decided if it is going to have the same outcome, why stress over it. Like walking to the car: Hannah loves to stop and enjoy life, look at the leaves, jump off the steps and say "bye bye" to EVERYTHING. Bye trees, bye leaves, bye house.... so cute, but when we need to go somewhere and I am carrying a heavy baby Noah in the car seat it doesn't make for a very happy mommy. It was making me stressed out just trying to get from point A to point B. But I started to think about it, does it really take sooo much more time for her to stop and enjoy life, why does it stress me out, it was just silly. I have embraced Hannah for who she is, and let her take the time to enjoy life, and it makes me slow down a little bit too.

I think there is a reoccurring theme of my life... Slow down and enjoy it more.

We are getting our tree soon, so hopefully some pictures will be up soon. Enjoy!

Fall

Happy Halloween.... and now onto November

Wow, Fall has come so fast this year. Well it seems that everything has come and gone so fast this year. We had a great year so far. We went trick or treating on Halloween. Hannah had fun being meme or Minnie Mouse. Mr. Noah man was a football. He mostly slept once we going. Hannah totally milked the system, she would let the people put the candy in her bucket and then stick her hand in the candy dish and take another handful. She has enjoyed some candy and her mommy has enjoyed way to much candy. I am going to take the rest into work to get rid of it. I am still trying to lose the Mommy weight that Mr. Noah has blessed me with. Its a work in progress.

I Love this time of year. The changing weather, cold mornings, hot coffee or hot chocolate, warm dinners on a dark night, comfy jammies and a blanket to snuggle, its even better having two little munchkins to snuggle too. It is also a great time to stop and reflex on Thanksgiving.

I have been reading some blogs on how people using this season to give back to others. I think that is such a great idea. But being a little low on funds, I am going to use this time to reflex on what has been given to me, and be thankful for all that I have and have not been given.

Today is day two. I am thankful that God has been providing for us. We have had a little bit of a rough time finically since I have had Noah. Living on a much lower income is sometimes a challenge, I don't get to shop like I used to, or even buy the preferred groceries at times. But in exchange I have got to spend some awesome time getting to know the little blessing that God gave me. There was a time a couple of years ago when I longed to have a baby. I felt like I would do just about anything to have one. And now I have been given not one but two. I prayed and he answered. It was a long time waiting for the answer, but here we are. And he is still faithful. Even with the money seems to run out and it is a day or a week late, he provides, sometimes in an expected way, but has always provided for us.

Entry from my journal today: That you love me, you hear my prayers and you answer them. You know my needs and meet them.

Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this and he answered our prayer.