It’s amazing how when something goes right, you realize how wrong it was before. In retrospect, I have even more confidence that the c-section was exactly the right call with Elliott. I know it may sound crazy, but despite the facts, there was always this teeny, tiny lingering thought in the back of my head wondering if the c-section was absolutely necessary. After Selah’s birth, that thought is totally gone. I had contractions. I dilated (eventually). Her heart rate stayed strong. I pushed. She came out.
I also have to laugh a little (mostly at myself) for all of the research and reading that goes into creating the “perfect” birth experience. “That” experience is just so far out of our control. I have to laugh at all the people who say there is a “right” way, and “anyone” can accomplish that way… When things are in the right places and going right, you’ll probably have a successful vaginal labor and delivery. When they’re not in the right place, you might end up in a c-section. I strongly believe in the expert help of a doula and/or midwife to help with positioning, etc., assuming that there are no complications big enough to keep the baby from being birthed naturally. But this whole delivery experience (and the ease of it) has really made me calm down a bit. Why did I push for 30 minutes and I’ve had friends push for hours and hours? Not because I read a book on pushing! Because…because…? Because we’ll never know. Because labor and delivery is OUT OF OUR CONTROL… And…IN HIS…
Now, back to Selah B and her birth day! I got to hold my daughter for the first entire hour of her life. How precious, how special. Such a gift. Just after noon, I handed her off to Daddy, who finally got to hold his little princess.
So proud.The first kiss of many, many, many more to come…
I remember the nurse asking us how big we thought she was, and realizing that I hadn’t even thought about the fact that we didn’t know her stats yet. I remember having no idea how big she was. I had been so scared of giving birth to a HUMONGOUS baby because a) I had gained AN ENORMOUS amount of weight with this pregnancy (way more than with Elliott) and b) I had had two friends recently give birth to 9+ and 10+ pound babies in September. I think I guessed 9 lbs, assuming she’d be bigger than Elliott because she was my second and also because I figured hot dogs & mac & cheese probably make for chubby babies, right?
But she wasn’t 9 lbs at all…8 lbs, 2.9 ounces to be exact!
The nurse measured her at 20 1/4 inches. Although, here’s a little secret fact for you. At her initial doctor’s appointment when she was 4 days old, she very clearly measured at 21 inches. SO, either the nurse measured her wrong originally, or our baby girl grew 3/4 of an inch in 4 days. You can decide for yourself what you think Selah’s REAL length was :).
Tiny feet3/4 of the Moberg Family
Before Selah was born, I made a banner for her and hung it over her waiting bassinet as a sort of declaration of faith. It said, “Welcome Home, Selah!” But in the exclamation mark at the end, it said, “We did it!” And although I didn’t know exactly what the “it” was going to look like, I knew the Lord was going to bring us through. I looked at and thought of that banner MANY times during the last few weeks of pregnancy and during my labor, as a reminder that yes, I would soon be bringing my baby girl home…that yes, I could do this…that yes, we would soon pass this test of faith…that yes, we would soon be on the other side of this pregnancy, of this labor, of this delivery.
Note #1: Because my firstborn, my sweet baby Elliott, was born via c-section, we had to make a choice about the type of birth we wanted to have with our daughter. A VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean) has its risks because it is possible (though unlikely with the type of incision I had with my cesarean) that the uterus could erupt during labor. However, having multiple c-sections has its disadvantages as well. We spent *a lot* of time praying, reading, researching, talking to doctors, midwives, and others, and finally decided that we wanted to go for the VBAC. However, we fully trusted the Lord for the outcome…trusting that He would make it clear to us every step of the labor if we were to keep moving forward with trying for a VBAC or if we should stop and have a c-section. My doctor said she wasn’t comfortable letting me go past 41 ½ weeks, so we had a c-section date scheduled for October 8 at 2:00pm with a check-in time of noon. If I didn’t go into labor before then, then our answer would be clear…
Note #2: One of the things that was difficult about my first labor/delivery experience is that I had so much trouble REMEMBERING most of those initial moments that Elliott was born. I am so grateful for the pictures that Brian and our doula took because I have no memory of the first few minutes that I got to hold him and nurse him. It had been a long, very hard week leading up to his birth and then a fairly traumatic rush into the emergency c-section. Anyhow, when I went to write out Selah’s birth story, the words that kept coming to mind were, “I remember…”…becauseI did. I am so grateful for the many gifts the Lord gave me in this labor and delivery, one of them being THE MEMORIES.
The Day That Selah Came
(And the days leading up to it…)
My due date came and went, and I was desperately trying to send my body into real labor. I remember one particular day, being super determined to get contractions going. I took Elliott outside to play soccer and every time he kicked the ball past me down the street I would run down the hill as fast I could to stop it.
And he thinks HE needs water!
At one point we walked to the bottom of the hill because he wanted to see the dogs, but then he got tired and wanted me to carry him back up the hill. I gladly scooped him up and made the hike! I got home and did 5 sets of stairs (my goal was 10, but that didn’t happen!). That night I attempted jumping jacks. And although I only made it through about 3 of them, I was laughing so hard at myself that I thought my snorting laughter alone might send me into labor! But it didn’t. And I was WIPED the next day from all of my labor-inducing tricks.
So, we went to the beach. And I laid down while Grandma & Grandpa Moberg played with Elliott. I was too tired to try and force my body into labor.
My vantage point on beach day. Can you see Grandma & Grandpa with Elliott over my HUMONGOUS baby belly?
Saturday, 10.6.12. I told Brian I needed a change of scenery. You can only walk around the block so many times when you are DAYS AND DAYS overdue before you start to go a bit crazy. I was officially one week overdue at this point, and the deadline of noon on October 8 was creeping up quickly… We all decided to go to San Diego for the day, run a few errands, find a fun park for Elliott to play in, and go to dinner with some family friends who happened to be in town. Little did I know that after having dinner with these same friends, Brian’s brother & sister-in-law went into labor the next day with their first…dun, dun, dun….
Little Buddy (soon to be BIG buddy!) loved the new park!Big Brother Elliott and me, one week overdue.
I got home that night and a friend asked how I was doing, knowing that my labor deadline was approaching so quickly. And I remember relaying to her the revelation that I had recently gained conviction for in my spirit: “You know, the Lord is so in control. He EASILY could have sent me into labor by now…” In the previous 24 hours, I had had such a peace come over me that the deadline set by man could not hinder the Lord’s plan for our lives. If He wanted me to attempt a VBAC, He would make it happen. If He didn’t, He would keep my body from going into labor.
So when I woke up with contractions around midnight, I remember encouraging myself (because yes, I often encourage myself!), “See…you knew He was in control…”
Labor begins…and I remember…
I remember thinking, “I can’t do this.” A lot of times. Like when we headed across the border at 5 am and I was throwing up in the car while having back labor contractions. And then Brian stopped for gas :). Like when we got across the border and daylight hit and my contractions stopped, just like they had done with Elliott. Like when I called the doctor on call to talk to her about what to do, not knowing how long I was allowed to “labor,” and she snapped at me, telling me 20 minutes between contractions is not real labor. Like when my contractions picked back up that afternoon, with heavy, intense back labor, and were 3 minutes apart for a minute long and I knew these were only the beginning stages of labor and I could barely handle it. Like when we decided to head to the hospital and I was on all fours, throwing up into a bucket, sweating from every pore of my body, feeling like someone was wringing out my gut from the inside out and scraping the nerves of my lumbar and sacrum with a scalpel.
But let’s back up a minute…
Midnight, 10.7.12. I remember waking up with contractions that continued steadily, every 5-8 minutes. Finally, around 3 am, I remember gently shaking Brian awake with a, “Happy Birthday, my love…guess what? I’m having regular contractions! Do you think we should head to San Diego?”
I remember packing up and trying to keep down an egg sandwich despite the nausea attempting to push it back up. I remember the moment the nausea won. And I remember collecting barf bags to bring in the car with us.
6 a.m. I remember arriving at the YWAM Hospitality house in San Diego, eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes, and laying down to rest for a bit because the contractions had almost entirely stopped…
Noonish. I remember being “that pregnant woman” walking through the Bonita Mall, trying to get my contractions going again but so badly wanting to celebrate Brian’s birthday…and I remember him saying over and over, “This is the exact way I want to celebrate my birthday…preparing for our baby girl to arrive!” And I remember realizing, once again, that I married the most incredible man on earth.
Happy Birthday, Baby Daddy!
Now, back to the “I can’t do this…”
3 p.m. ish. I remember laying down to try to rest when my contractions and the scalpel-scraping back labor all came back with a vengeance. I remember pushing against the wall with each contraction–the only position that was remotely “comfortable.” I remember finally getting down on all fours, head in a bucket, and trying to drown out the “I can’t do this’s” in my head by saying out loud over and over, “You can do this, Sus…you can do this…” After an hour of this, 3 minutes apart, we decided to head to the hospital.
I remember crying most of the way to the hospital. Not “I’m-in-so-much-pain” crying (even though I was!!), but “totally-overwhelmed-with-the-(amazing)-reality-that-this-was-actually-happening” crying. I called the hospital between contractions to tell them I was coming in. The first woman I talked to was sooo nice to me (God bless good ol’ fashioned NICE PEOPLE!!) and was sooo excited for me. “Oh, you are?!” the stranger exclaimed (as if she were my best friend) upon hearing the news that we were coming in. “Let me connect you to triage. Do you know what you’re having?!”
“It’s a GIRL!!!!” I sobbed as the dam holding together my composure came crashing down with a flood of tears…almost as a proclamation from my spirit that she was finally coming…Yes, she was coming!! We still didn’t know how, but we knew she was coming…now. Months and months of overcoming my fear of what could happen during this labor were coming to an end…now. Months and months of building up my faith, of learning how to trust the Lord in a whole new way…and now, now! Now the muscles of faith that I had been building for those months would get to participate in Game Day. Now…
“Oh, congratulations!!!”
“THANK YOU!!!” I sobbed back, and would have thrown myself into a big bear hug in her arms had she been standing in front of me.
She put me on hold and I just cried and cried…the lady picked up from triage: “May I help you?”
I quit trying to hide the fact that I was a blubbering mess, and I unashamedly cried like a baby into my cell phone. “Hi! I-I’m (sob) in (sob) labor and I-I’m (sob) coming in to the (sob) hospital!”
“Yay!! Congratulations! We’ll see you when you get here!”
“Okay!!!” I sputtered back through my stream of tears.
I remember being so overwhelmed. So grateful my contractions had stayed at 3-4 minutes apart for the last hour and half…so grateful that SOMETHING was going to happen.
I remember being checked into triage. I remember the nurse telling me that I needed to cleanse, pee a little bit in the toilet, and then pee in a cup. I remember looking at her like she had just asked me to do a handstand…was she cuh-RAZY? It’s hard enough to pee in a cup when your 10+ months pregnant, but to do it while having horrific back labor and to pee a little, stop, and then get the rest in a cup?! Okay…moving on…
5pm. I remember finally getting to the bed where they checked me. I remember the nurse checking me and telling me I was… (drum roll please…)
…at a 1 and a ½.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I remember thinking. A 1 and a ½???
I remember her saying, “Well, but your contractions are so intense and so close together (every 2 minutes) that I can’t imagine they’ll send you home…I’m sure they’ll admit you. You’re about 80% effaced.”
I remember being so grateful for that, thinking back to my labor with Elliott. (“Just please, please don’t send me home!!”) I remember them taking me off the c-section schedule for the next day, because even if I were to end up with a cesarean, I didn’t need that scheduled appointment anymore.
5:59 p.m. I remember meeting the doctor on call, and not being a big fan. And why had it taken her an hour to get there?? But she admitted me, and advised me not to get an epidural (which I was very adamant about making sure everyone I came into contact with knew that I was very eager to get started) until I was at least at a 4. I remember thinking that would be hard, but it was a good goal.
6:45 p.m. They finally got us upstairs to the delivery room.
7:05 p.m. I remember my sweetest little Elliott, who got to come up to visit. I remember having a contraction while he was there, and desperately trying to smile through it for him. I remember him seeing the yellow exercise ball in the room and shouting, “Boh!!” and I remember just wanting him to laugh and run and play with it, filling the room with innocence… I remember that he wanted to sit on my lap and he kept pointing at all the “bracelets” I had on my wrist. And I remember that it was one of those moments where you are so glad he doesn’t understand that the red one is in case I need a blood transfusion and the IV in my arm is in case I have to be rushed into surgery…and his naivete brought a sort of refreshing calm to my spirit…it wasn’t his job to worry about anything other than why I was so blessed with some new “jewelry,” just as it wasn’t my job to worry about anything other than resting (well, ahem, laboring!) in the Lord’s hands. Constantly grateful for the ways my son reminds me that I am my Father’s daughter, His little girl, His baby.
“Wow! Look at all your pretty bracelets, Mommy!”
7:15 p.m. I remember getting iv drugs—Zophran to help with the nausea and some pain medication to help relax my body to hopefully help me dilate and make some progress.
9:27 p.m. I remember the nurse checking me and telling me I was at a 3. And I remember thinking I didn’t want to deal with the back labor any longer. We had decided ahead of time that it would be the best thing for me to get an epidural in case I needed an emergency c-section, and so if I was going to get one anyway, I wasn’t willing to endure the back labor anymore. I remember praying with Brian, and feeling peace about getting the epidural right then, even though I wasn’t at a 4.
9:40 p.m. I remember Dr. K. coming in to give me the epidural. I remember them telling Brian to sit down in a chair in front of me so he couldn’t see the needle, and giving him a mask. I remember the needle going in, and it feeling off-centered…like it was to the left of my spine.
10:55 p.m. I remember the nurse checking me, and relaying the news that I had made no progress. I remember being discouraged (this scenario was all too familiar…), but still at peace. They put the catheter in, and I tried to sleep, knowing they were going to relay the news to the doctor.
11:19 p.m. Dr. R (the OB) came in and checked me. I remember her telling me that I was actually still at a 1 ½. Ha!! How do you dilate backwards?? I remember wanting to ask for someone with smaller fingers to check me again. 🙂 I remember feeling like she thought I was the biggest wimp, and I remember not caring at all. She broke my water, and it was clear. A great sign.
I remember so badly wanting Selah to be born on Brian’s birthday, and realizing that it wasn’t going to happen…
I remember joining hands with my husband and praying boldly for our hearts’ desires…that God would allow us to have a VBAC.
I remember sleeping, and suddenly being woken up with panic. I couldn’t feel my left leg (which felt like it was the size of a tree trunk) at all and the back labor had returned on the right side of my back. I remember panicking…feeling so out of control…wondering how I would get on all fours if her heart rate dropped like Elliott’s had. Wondering if I could do this…feeling so tired of the whole process. I remember my husband taking my hand and I remember praying with him…I remember him boldly declaring truth over me and our sweet Selah, and I remember feeling peace. I remember asking him to get my ipod, in which I had just put on a new playlist of 4 songs specifically about the Lord’s faithfulness, specifically for Selah’s birth. And I put the ipod by my head, and rested beneath the promises of the Lord…
4 a.m. I remember Dr. R. checking me and telling me I was at a 4. Hallelujah. I remember her saying I needed to keep dilating in order for this to keep going…
I remember texting a couple people to pray for dilation breakthrough!
6:55 a.m. I remember them checking me and telling me I was at a 6…that could be stretched to a 7!
7:00 a.m. Doctor’s shift change, praise God. I remember Dr. Huskey coming in, and cheering for me. We had made it this far. I remember being in her office the previous Wednesday and I had been at a 0. We had talked through the c-section protocol. But now, here we were…on c-section day, but I was in labor. I remember being relieved that she was on call, not the other doctor anymore… I remember her saying, gently but firmly, “Okay, I’ll give you as much time as I can–until 10 o’clock—and we’ll check you again. As long as you’ve made progress, we’ll keep going. Now, if you’re still at a 6, we need to talk about a c-section, okay?”
I remember saying, “Okay,” and not being afraid. I remember simply being so confident that the Lord was going to bring Selah into this world in the perfect way…whether it was vaginally or through surgery.
Then, I remember realizing it was time to put my game face on. My Deborah face. It was time to stir up the Mama in me that was created to rise up and fight. There is this balance (that I have been learning about) of relinquishing my plans in the Lord’s hands, trusting Him to bring about the BEST way, but also knowing I was created to fight, to war, to cry out for my heart’s desires. So, I rose up. I began to pray and talk to Selah constantly. I even moved my iPod down towards…how do I say this…”The Exit” (tmi?) so that she would hear the music, singing of God’s faithfulness, and know which way to get out :). I talked her down…I told her which way to go and what to do. I prayed for her. I prayed for me. I remember being so filled with peace, and so filled with a confidence that she was moving…
And then, I remember feeling the urge to take a big poop…that’s what everyone had said it would feel like. I remember being half in and out of sleep/prayer land and feeling that and suddenly, urgently, excitedly, hopefully calling Brian. “I feel like I need to poop!!”
“Okay…” he responded. (Oh, the things my husband puts up with!) 🙂
“That’s what everyone says it feels like when you’re ready to push!”
I asked him to get the nurse, and when she came in I relayed the news with incredible eagerness to her, just like a toddler who’s potty training. “Well, I’m only allowed to check you every 2 hours. So let’s wait until 10…”
9:55 a.m. I remember the nurse coming in just before 10 and saying, “Well should we check you?! I can’t wait any longer to find out if you’ve made progress!” And I remember thinking, “You’re telling me! Check me!!”
And time paused in that moment and a heavy stillness fell in the room as if all of creation was waiting for her answer. And then it came…And I remember…oh, I remember her smiling, and saying…
“You’re at a 10. Her head is right there…you’re ready to push!!”
I had never heard those words before!! And I remember crying and saying, “Really?! Really??? I get to push?!!!”
I remember her saying, “Now don’t push yet. Wait for me to get back in here so I can show you how.” And I remember thinking, “Are you crazy? I have NO idea what I’m doing…I’m not pushing without you!”
I remember other nurses coming in and setting up the room. It was happening. I remember Brian taking notes on his phone. I remember us trying to figure out how to set up the tripod to take pictures. I remember putting one song on repeat and putting the ipod up by my ear. I remember being so at peace…I remember being so confident in our God. I remember the room being a place that was calm…not panicked…and I couldn’t believe this was how birth is supposed to be…
I do remember wondering how I was going to push since I couldn’t even feel my left leg…
10:30 a.m. I remember them getting my legs in the stirrups.
I remember asking for a mirror.
10:33 a.m. I remember the nurse teaching me how to push, and I remember doing a practice push. I remember thinking pushing was going to be so challenging, but I was so eager, ready, and excited to face it. I remember doing the practice push and asking, “Is that it?? Am I doing this right??”
I remember thinking that I would need a lot of help, but I didn’t. At one point, I remember the nurse had to walk out of the room and Brian was trying to get the tripod set up, and I just push, push, pushed on my own…so eager to see my baby girl. I remember thinking that pushing was a lot easier than I had thought it would be, and that was PURELY the grace of God…
I remember smiling the entire time that I pushed. I couldn’t help it…I was pushing!! I was pushing my baby girl out!! This was it!!!! I was filled with an all-consuming peaceful joy…serenity…
Pushing!! And smiling!!
10:43 a.m. I remember seeing the top of her head!!!!!
10:57 a.m. I remember the nurse calling in the doctor and the team…
I remember Dr. Huskey coming in and pushing once for her. Then I remember her saying, “Okay, I want her to come out on this next push, alright? Can you do it?” And I remember saying, “Yes!”
11:07 a.m. And then…oh, and then!! I remember seeing Selah’s perfect head followed by her perfect body come out, and I remember her crying right away…
…And I remember thinking, “We did it!! We DID it!!”
…and I remember watching everyone’s faces and I remember that none of them were panicked…I remember thinking, “It’s all okay…everyone is okay…”
…And I remember them putting Selah on my chest and I remember being absolutely overcome with gratitude…
…I got to hold my baby girl!! I got to hold her right away!! And I remember those first few moments of holding her in my arms….
…There she was, crying on my chest…she was mine…and I was filled with overwhelming gratitude…
…And I remember talking to her and just loving hearing her cry…
I remember telling her that she did such a great job over and over and over again…that she knew exactly what to do and she did it…
I remember holding her on my chest and loving being her mom…loving getting to see her up close right away…loving every minute…
I remember thanking the Lord…over and over and over again…I remember being so, so grateful…I remember somewhere in all that my doctor said, “You tore a little bit…to a 2.” And I remember instantly saying, “That’s okay!!!” What a small price to pay for my sweet baby Selah!! And I remember…I remember it all…
“You have given her her heart’s desire, And have not withheld the request of her lips. Selah!”
Psalm 21:2
Oh, how she isand will be a constant reminder to stop, to pause…to remember the Lord’s faithfulness and to lift up praise to His name!!!
[WARNING: This blog post got really, really, really super long…! That’s what happens when you blog about an entire SUMMER in one post!]
I’ll admit. Our first few months here, we were pretty swamped. With YWAM training, with my first trimester, with adjusting to life in a foreign country, with Elliott’s first birthday and house build, etc., etc….It was busy. So, needless to say, we didn’t get out much. When we had a free day, we couldn’t wait to stay in our pajamas all day and just stare at the walls to recover. Exploring the city wasn’t exactly at the top of our list of “fun things to do.”
When we were in Tacoma in May, someone asked us, “So what do you guys like to do for fun down there?”
And the first thing that came to my mind to say was, “We cross the border into San Diego, pull off at the first gas station, stick our heads underneath the faucet and guzzle the water straight from the tap…just because we can!”
And that’s when I realized we hadn’t really had very much “fun” since we had moved down here. I remember those first few months we were here, the only thing that sounded “fun” to do was cross the border and do things we couldn’t do here…like drink from the tap, run our toothbrushes under the faucet, use our cell phones, go to Target…things you come to take for granted when you live in the good ‘ol U-S of A!
But, we adjusted. We got working cell phones. We mastered the art of using bottled water to brush our teeth. And, to top it all off, summertime brought glorious weather which compelled us to get outside and discover. We weren’t so busy getting settled in the midst of everything else we were juggling. And so…we have had some FUN!! Here are some photos from our Summer to highlight what we do for “fun” around here… 🙂
Playas Boardwalk
There’s a little city between us and Tijuana, about 20 ish minutes away, called Playas. As close as it is, we had never been to its amazing boardwalk! These pictures are from the end of May, and I can’t believe how young Elliott looks! (And how small my belly looks!) 🙂
The beautiful oceanThe BoardwalkDaddy is simply the BEST.“Burr!” (Bird!)“What are those silly birds doing flying into the ocean??” Elliott ponders.Loving life on the Boardwalk.
Rosarito Market
Here’s your pretty typical Mexican market, just minutes from our house… we finally made our way there in June!
We made Elliott stay in the stroller and he wasn’t a huge fan of that…just too many temptations to let him run around freely!!Katie 🙂
Visit from Grandma & Grandpa Moberg
Ken and Marilyn came to visit in July, via Florida :). They have always been quite the cross-country travelers!! Very impressive. We had several fun highlights with them while they were here.
Slow mornings, relaxing on the couch…Playdough with Grandpa!Sportin’ Mama’s glasses at the beach!Walking along the beach with GrandmaElliott trying to be brave in the water while Mama and Grandma cling to him for dear life :).The Rosarito MarketElliott-o!2 out of the 3 Mexican Mobergs
Babymoon
For the first time EVER, we left our little buddy alone…for TWO WHOLE NIGHTS! While Brian’s parents were in town, they let us get away to San Diego to take a little Babymoon before our sweet girl arrives.
Eating breakfast a delightful little cafe one morning.
Rosarito Beach
I’ll be honest, I never imagined we’d be the people who lived 2 minutes from the beach. I mean, I know we lived 30 seconds from Ruston Way in Tacoma, but I’m talking about the real kind of beach, where you go to play in the sand and swim in the ocean. But it sure is FUN to be able to hop over to the beach for an hour or two in the afternoon any time you want! Elliott loves it!! July, August, and September were finally hot enough to be able to enjoy the glory of Rosarito Beach in its fullness…
Learning how to use a shovelElliott still doesn’t really like to have his hands dirty, but he’s learned how to play hard in the sand, trusting that we’ll help him wipe off his hands when we’re all done playing :).Trying to play paddle ball like the big boys!
One of Elliott’s FAVORITE things to do at the beach is to stand at the edge of the water and let the waves wash up and get him.
Look at that face!Pure delight.AND the water is pretty cold 🙂
Soccer Field!
Our YWAM campus has been building a soccer field the last few months, and it was finally finished this summer. Talk about GLORY!! For the kid who eats, breathes, and sleeps balls of all sorts, this is a dream come true. Brian brings him there on weekend mornings (while I get to sleep in!!) and we usually get at least one or two other visits throughout the week. Elliott kicks the soccer ball the entire length of the field and can even score a goal if he wants to :).
How cool is THIS?!
Swings and Slides
There is this tiny little play structure in our housing community that provides for a good hour of entertainment for little buddy. He loves climbing the ladder and going down the slide, and he will do it over and over and over and over again until he’s so exhausted that he’s falling over.
Side note: Several months ago, I taught Elliott that when you see flowers, you smell them. His “smelling”, however, comes out more like a snort. It’s SO CUTE. So any time he sees flowers or trees, he does this snort thing, and I just think it’s the greatest thing ever. So on our walk down to the little playground, he found some flowers to sniff…if you look closely you can see his little wrinkled nose as he snorts!
Stopping to smell the roses…Swinging with DaddyClimbing up the ladder…Yippee!!“This is so much fun!!!”
Swimming!
Well, it may have taken 7 months of pressing and prodding our landlord, but she FINALLY got our pool fixed for us, and let me tell you–it has been GLORIOUS. There are days that this pregnant lady stays in her swimsuit all day, and may go swimming three different times! And although I did get a SUPER cute maternity swimsuit that I’m sure you’re dying to see, there will be no posts of me in my swimsuit…ever :). But trust me…there are days I live in the pool!
Pointing to the ball…of course 🙂This is his FAVORITE ball, and his favorite thing to do in the pool…throw every object he can find in the pool and let Daddy fetch them :).Loving the snorkel.
Killing Bugs
It gets SO HOT inside on certain days that it’s an absolute necessity to keep a few doors open to get a breeze going in our house. There’s one door that leads out to a balcony that has no screen. Thus, we get gazillions of flies inside throughout the day and way too many MOSQUITOES inside at night. Yes, you heard me–mosquitoes. After my Dominican Republic experience, I don’t think I would have agreed to move to Mexico had I known that mosquitoes existed here. Anyhow. Elliott spends a good majority of his day watching us kill the gazillions of flies, and he has become an expert at getting those “buhs!” himself…
Good ol’ fashion PLAY
Playing with Brian’s old toys…the hard hat and drum set from when HE was a kid…I love it!!
In early August, Elliott decided he wanted to start setting the table :). He is fairly obsessed with cups, plates, bowls, etc. One evening as I was making dinner, he ran over, grabbed my hand, and dragged me to the cabinet where we keep all of the dishes. He knows he’s not allowed to open it (it’s a floor-to-ceiling cabinet, so he can easily open it), so he was clearly asking me for permission to open it. So I did, wondering what was going on, and he kept pointing to all the kids’ plates, cups, bowls, etc. I asked if he wanted a cup and he said, “Yeah!” so I gave him one. He runs out of the room with it and then seconds later, runs back into the kitchen, grabs my hand, and pulls me back to the cabinet. Well after this same pattern repeating several times after I had given him a plate and a bowl and another cup, I finally went into the other room to see what was going on…
…and I discovered this.Now that all the dishes are out, it’s time to organize.
I love what a helper my little man is!!!
He has mastered the art of Duplos, and loves building towers as high as he can…
The following photo is very classic…what a typical HOT summer day looks like for me and my little buddy:
Taking a break from playing to snack. I love this photo…Me, suspending Elliott on the counter with my belly, feeding him a banana while he plays with the balls in the fruit bowl (limes). Just look at how darling my Elliott is…Doesn’t he look like a little muscle man?!?!
Last, but certainly not least…although I could devote an entire post to the incredible awesomeness of having our dear friends the McDowells live with us this summer, these few pictures will have to do…
Suzanna and I got not one, but TWO, special date days all to ourselves in San Diego. TOTAL GLORY.
Registering at Babies R Us!We had *SO* much fun that we COMPLETELY lost track time of time. At one point I realized I was feeling kind of weak and when we looked at the clock it was after 5 pm!! I hadn’t eaten or had anything to drink in HOURS. NOT okay for this prego mama. Jamba Juice saves the day. 🙂On our second day in SD, we spent a good majority of the afternoon at THE CHIROPRACTOR’S OFFICE. If you know me, this doesn’t surprise you. But WHO KNEW that Suzanna and I shared the same passion for Chiropractic?! She even introduced me to a whole new branch of chiropractic which lets you sit in these UH-MAZ-ING chairs when you’re done being adjusted. So we sat there, and talked chiropractic for an entire afternoon…*BLISS*
Having our dear friends here was nothing short of a glorious, incredible gift from God. To sum up? Laughter. Prayer. Exhortation. Encouragement. Deep love. Lots of kids. Lots and lots of FOOD. The Word. Richness in every way.
Al the kids worshiping together!As Suz put it, “A break-our-hearts-goodbye.” This was right before the tears started to flow like rivers. We love you guys so much!!!!
Well, there you have it. A little glimpse into our Summer and what we do on the weekends for fun around here…and, admit it…you’re finally ready to come visit us now, aren’t you?!?!
Today is one of those days, where I wake up and am flooded with gratitude from the moment my day begins. Not because life is easy right now. Not because we have everything figured out. Not because I slept well. Not because I’m comfortable.
But because God is good. So, so good. I am overwhelmed with gratitude today, and am taking my first “down” moment of the day to write down those things…so I don’t forget, so I give glory where glory is due…thank you, Lord. And as the tears flood my eyes, I write…
I am so grateful for my husband. Who relentlessly serves me and our family with such joy. Who tells me to sit down and talk about my day while he does the dishes. Who rubs my swollen feet. Who encourages me daily and tells me I’m doing such a great job. Who loves our son better than any dad I know. Who takes him swimming and teaches him to play soccer. Who helps me. All the time. Who always goes back down the stairs when I’m all tucked in bed and have forgotten to get my middle-of-the-night snacks. And then again when I realize I’ve forgotten my phone. And then again when I realize I left the monitor down there. 🙂 Always with such joy, always with such an eager heart. Who has done all of our Costco shopping with Elliott every single week by himself so I can sit and take the 30 minutes I need to eat a hot dog after our long afternoons filled with doctors appointments in San Diego. Who ties up my vomit bag for me after I’ve upchucked said hot dog mixed with who-knows-what-else, and takes care of it so I never have to see it (or smell it) again. Who adores me, and tells me so every day.
I am so grateful for my son. My Elliott. Who is simply my greatest joy. Who is in this stage where he loves holding our hands, so it’s not good enough to be walking next to him, I must be holding his hand. I love that.I cherish that. Who, after telling me to sit on the ground and me realizing he has a poopy diaper, brings me his diaper caddy and lays down on the floor with such joy so I can change his diaper without having to stand me and this big belly up again! Who is such an incredible helper. Who instructs me to sit down on the bench in our bathroom and brings me my tennis shoes. Who tells me when I have yogurt on my elbow and marker on my face. Who loves people so much that when new friends come by he wants to emphatically show them where the nearest ball is right away, because that’s his greatest treasure.
I am so grateful for family. Who love us so much. Who pray for us daily and tell us that. Who are always thinking about us. Who Skype with us and visit us. Who would, really, do anything for us if we asked.
I am so grateful for friends.Real friends. Who speak real truth. Who encourage me, who encourage us. Who pray for me. Who love me. Who send me daily text messages with Scripture. Who rejoice with me. Who help me design my baby girl’s nursery. Who send me fun surprises in the mail and beautiful cards. Who write things like this to me as I wait for my baby girl: “…so in praying for her arrival, I’m praying for something greater than perfection circumstancially. I’m praying for the peace that comes from seeing clearly the magnitude of the prize that this soul is, so that whether day one is perfect, or as imperfect as many of the days that will follow, it doesn’t matter in contrast to the power and glory of this little one shining the light of Christ in this and in eternity…” How blessed I am to have real friends.
I am so grateful for four cheese curly pasta. It makes me so happy. Every. Single. Day. Elliott was about 98% cheeseburger; this little girl is about 98% macaroni and cheese. With a good amount of hot dog mixed in there (I know, I know…but hey, YOU DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO TO SURVIVE.)
I am so grateful for cold water. Seriously, so grateful. I am thirsty and hot all the time, and I do not take it for granted that I have access to cold, fresh, filtered water all day long, when there are some just minutes away from us who do not have that luxury.
I am grateful for my daughter. Oh! My perfect, wonderful, tiny little bundle of girlness…I love her so much!! She is my daughter…my daughter. I cannot wait to meet her, to see her face, to watch her first breath…to hold her and nurse her and provide for her every need…to look her in the eyes and tell her who she is in Christ. My daughter. Oh, I am so, so grateful for my daughter.
I am grateful for peace. Supernatural, miraculous peace that can only come from Peace Himself.
I am grateful that I don’t have to be in control. Because HE IS. Because HE IS the I AM. Because He knows…and I don’t.
And last, but certainly not least, I am so grateful that it’s Friday. Friday night, even! Family time for two whole days, Grandma & Grandpa Moberg arrive tomorrow night, and soon…very soon…we will have our baby girl in our arms.
And yet still, for so much more…for Frosted Flakes and for my supportive sandals that allow me to wear dresses and skirts and not die of a back ache by the end of the day. For the super discounted air conditioner unit we found for our bedroom. For our friend Rayel who is living with us. For my exercise ball. For anti-nausea medication. For my maternity swimsuit. For four new babies being born this past week! For peaches. Oh, how happy peaches make me!! Ahh, for all these things and so much more…thank you, Lord…thank you, Lord.
One day, Suzanna and I were waiting in the border line and we had a conversation that went something like this:
Me: “Hey, I’d really love to take some pregnancy family photos, and I was wondering if you were any good at taking pictures…?”
Suzanna(without hesitation and with a huge smile): “No!! I’m not!! But I would love to!!!!”
Well, the following are the handiwork of that “not-very-good-at-taking-pictures” woman! I have to make the disclaimer that I am very well aware of the fact that these finished photos (with my incredibly amateur editing skills using a free program) do not in any way compare to the skills of all of my amazing photographer friends, but…seriously, I couldn’t be happier with them!! I love them!!!It probably helps quite a bit that we live in a BEAUTIFUL place, but I’m telling you…Suzanna may be your next famous photographer!!
Here are a few of my favorites!!
Elliott wasn’t really into taking photos…note to self: a boy who loves the beach will not be content being held while we stand in sand…he only wants to be in the sand…
Rosarito BeachIsn’t it beautiful?
We finally let Elliott sit down in the sand, which made him very happy :). He sat there watching the sand drop through his fingers like the most amazing miracle was happening before his eyes…
LOOK AT HIS FACE…I LOVE IT!!!
My sweet baby boy, who is now 17 months old!!
Studying a sand dollar with delight…Our absolute FAVORITE…This is a classic “Elliott laugh”…I love the way the sand is falling off of his feet here…such delight!
We let Elliott play in the sand for a bit and caught some couple shots:
*mwah*I love my husband. And I think he loves me, too :).My boys.
No beach trip is complete without being thrown into the air, right?
Pure delight!Pure joy!“Elliott, can you give your baby sister a kiss?”*mwah!*35 weeks pregnant!
Today is blog catch-up day. I actually started this blog post 3 weeks ago.Yes, that’s how busy life has been. But I’m sure it’ll get less busy as we, you know, add a fourth member to our family in a few weeks…. ha!!
Okay, back to Colorado. We had the gift of traveling “home” (how many “homes” can we possibly have??!!) to see family and friends and–most importantly–finally meet our nephew Cypher!! As many of you know, a horrible fire broke out right by my parents’ house the week before we were scheduled to fly out, so we thought we may be canceling the trip up until the day before we left. THANKFULLY, my parents’ house (and entire neighborhood) was untouched by the fire and we were able to fly home, stay with them, and spend a lot of time being grateful that they hadn’t lost everything they owned the week before.
Cypher Evan
Finally getting to meet our nephew!
Elliott is so incredibly affectionate around babies…every time he sees a baby he smiles soooo big and just wants to be near him/her. It is so sweet! It was no different meeting his little cousin Cypher!
Going in for a kiss…Seriously, now. Just look at this CUTIE-PATOOTIE!!
Cousins
Playing with blocks togetherFable, Cypher & E-manEB, Rowan, Gryffin & Jaxon
4th of July
My Lil’ FirecrackerWearing our red, white, and blue! (Brian wore green that day so he was excluded from the picture) 🙂Cypher and I called each other ahead of time and planned to wear the same shirt
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo!!
Grandpa and Nonna took us to the zoo one afternoon. Anyone who’s been here knows it’s such an amazing zoo! Elliott, however, didn’t quite seem like himself the whole time, and when we got home we took his temperature–102.7! Yikes!! So, he looks a little sedated and sad in these pics…because he was :(. But the adults sure had fun!!
Feeding the giraffesMy FAVORITE part of the zoo (and Elliott’s)…the birds!! Many of you know I have a DEEP love for birds in my heart. So does Elliott, as “bird” and “tweet, tweet, tweet” were some of his first words. I couldn’t be prouder :).Nonna, Grandpa, and an apparently very sick Elliott 🙁
Friends
We had the chance to visit with several friends while we were home. We haven’t seen Michael and Amy since our wedding, and that was SUPER brief…hardly even counts. The last time I saw Nathan he was about 2 weeks old, and I had never met Joel! We found out that they would be in town visiting Michael’s family at the same time we were, so we were thrilled to get together. What a gift to see them!! (P.S. Amy and her mom are the ones who made Elliott’s beautiful quilt and wall hangings!!!)
Michael & Amy & their sons, Nathan & Joel, our little family and sweet Fay joining in on the fun
The McDowells!! Our dear friends are in the process of moving to the Denver area (as in, looking for a house) and we couldn’t wait to connect with them while in town. O.J. was Brian’s best man and there are few women I respect as much as Suzanna. Besides, she has a great name :). They drove their little family down to the Springs and spent a couple nights with us (thanks, Mom & Dad, for letting us all have a big sleepover!!). And, here’s a fun long story made short for you: The Lord led them to move in with us for a few weeks! We all had had so much fun together those few days in Colorado, that we definitely agreed that the best thing for life and godliness would be for them to live with us for a short season. So they packed the kiddos into the van and drove over to Mexico, and we have been graced with the presence of our sweet friends and their wonderful children the last several weeks!
The McDs!
Our trip didn’t allow us to see too many other friends, but we did get a quick dinner with the McCabes (and no picture!) and a SUPER quick visit with Jilly Bean, the boys and her brand new sweet baby Olivia on our way out of town.
Thanks to Alaska Airlines and some saved up miles, we were able to take a little trip to T-town in May to 1. sell some steel in order to get some how-do-you-call-it? Ahh, DINERO. 2. Celebrate Brian’s dad’s 65th birthday! 3. Celebrate my 30th birthday with dear friends and 4. Of course, see family! Here are some highlights from our trip:
PLAYING DRUMS!!
Grandpa, teaching Elliott how to drum like the best of 'em.
Elliott has L-O-V-E-D drums for months and months now, but “drumming” to him was always just using his hands on our little ottomans. Well, leave it to Grandma and Grandpa Moberg to not only have a drum at their house, but to have BRIAN’S ORIGINAL toy drum from when HE was a baby! As soon as Elliott saw it, it was truly love at first sight. Then one day, Grandpa took out a couple of “special” drums…some pots and pans!! And thus, Elliott’s drum SET was born. They had SO much fun playing drums together!
Do a little dance!
I know this picture is blurry, but I just LOVE it! Can’t you just see Elliott shaking his ‘thang? Something about the way he’s holding his shoulders reminds me of one of my classic “Susanne Dance Moves”…doesn’t it?! Elliott has also loved to dance for months and months. His first “dance moves” (starting when he was about 9 or 10 months old) were shaking his head back and forth. So it looks like he’s saying “no,” but really, he’s dancing. Any time we are in public and music comes on, he starts shaking his head back and forth. People always think he’s saying “No” to them, and we have to explain, “No, he’s not saying ‘no’…that’s just how he dances!” He sees an ipod and just starts shaking his head back and forth! Ha! Well, anyway, just within the last few weeks he’s started to get some shoulder and hip into his dance moves, and it’s awfully cute… I think we have a worshiper on our hands!!
KEN’S 65TH BIRTHDAY + ELLIOTT’S FIRST INTRODUCTION TO GRASS
I did a horrible job of capturing pictures from Ken’s birthday. As in, I didn’t take a single one :/. Honestly, I was so busy stuffing my face full of food, that I didn’t even know where my camera was until after the party was over! But it was great afternoon/evening of celebrating Ken with lots of friends and family.
Since it was GORGEOUS while we were in Tacoma (I left Mexico as white as ever and came back to Mexico with some touches of color, thanks to Tacoma!!) we were outside for much of the day. Which led to Elliott’s first introduction to grass!! Keep in mind that soon after he started crawling we left for the Dominican Republic, and I couldn’t put him in the grass there because of all the spiders + ants. And now, we live in Mexico, where the word “grass” isn’t even in their vocabulary. So we set him in the grass, with shoes on, for the first time and he just STOOD there. With his arms out. Staring down at this foreign substance like it was lava. And refused to move.
Eventually one of his cousins knocked him down and he instantly lifted his legs up so they weren’t touching the ground, and he just sat there with his arms and legs out in front of him in the air with an incredibly disgusted look on his face…the poor kid. We finally got a blanket out and now I know how to keep Elliott contained…just surround him with grass!! He refused to go past the blanket…
Blast! I can't go any further!!We put the volleyball a foot or two away to see if he would be distracted enough by his goal to walk on the grass…but nope!Soo frustrated that he couldn't reach the volleyball…
By the end of the evening he had made a TINY bit of progress in being a little more comfortable with grass, but it’s definitely not his favorite yet…
Micah has been THEE smiley-est baby I’ve EVER met in my life…in every picture he is smiling SO BIG while we try to get the other cousins to just sit still for two seconds and look at the camera! But he taught himself this “new look” just since we saw him two months ago. (Tabitha said she caught him practicing in the mirror once!) I think it’s so hilarious!!
"The Look"Brothers + their boys
SWING TIME!
Grandma and Grandpa have the BEST backyard…grass, a swing, and even a pool! Grandpa gave Elliott his first swing lessons, and, as you can see, Elliott had a BLAST.
Now THIS is fun!!Sheer joy!
PLAY DATES
One of my priorities for our time in Tacoma was to get as many play dates in as possible for Elliott. Besides his cousins, he got to play with Cody, Arielle, Henry, Katie, Jamison and baby Stella!! He, of course, LOVED playing with his friends and was simply enamored with baby Stella. He has been simply awe-struck every time we’ve been around baby girls lately…must be preparing to be a big brother!!
Elliott + Stella
MOTHER’S DAY!
I could write an entire post on what a joy it is to be a mother, and especially to be Elliott’s mom. But, let’s be real…that’s what most of my posts are about :). Our little family celebrated Mother’s Day by going back to our old stomping grounds, our old front yard…Ruston Way. It was a GORGEOUS day, and everyone and their mom (literally!! haha!) were there, too. It was so fun to walk along with Elliott, looking at the gorgeous mountain, listening to the waves crash against the shore and breathing in the potent smell of fish :). Later we went to an early dinner with Brian’s Mom, Dad, and sister and then headed to church.
Me, my baby boy + my baby girl! (20 weeks)Our Family, back in T-Town
Hasta luego, Tacoma. It was good to see you, and we’ll see you again soon!
My sweet baby boy turned one (yes, 6 weeks ago, but that’s beside the point), and we were so excited to celebrate him!! Although this post is quite late, I wanted to get it up anyway :).
Due to the fact that the majority of our resources–time, energy, and money–for Elliott’s birthday were dedicated to his House Build, I committed to keeping the party itself SIMPLE. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t have some fun :).
We had Elliott’s Birthday Banner up the whole week preceding his birthday. Melisa and I designed and made this banner several months ago for Elliott out of the same material that my friend Amy made his quilt and wall hangings out of. We’ll add a new photo each year!
The Birthday Banner!
Let’s get this party started!
We went with a construction theme (of course). And with a few sheets of yellow cardstock, a Sharpie, our printer, some balloons, and some Spanish “Caution” tape, we had our decor.
THE DECOR
Construction signs everywhere!Some of our guests relaxing before lunch (American tacos, of course) is served.The party game…putting Elliott's photos in order from 1-11 months old!Brian designed the cupcake construction signs himself!Cupcakes galore
THE FIRST BITE OF BIRTHDAY CUPCAKE!
Lighting Elliott's cupcake…me and the baby bump 🙂Everyone's singing "Happy Birthday," and Elliott is LOVING it!!Trying to explain that he has to blow out the candle…"Mom, that's the silliest thing I've EVER heard!!""Seriously, Mom? No way! I'm feeling a bit candle shy today…""Helping him" blow it out before he grabs onto the flame…"Now what do I do? ""Oooh…I've never felt anything like THIS before…""Ehh…let me touch it with my right hand, too."When, after a few minutes of poking and prodding this strange sugar phenomenon, it was clear that Elliott had deemed this object inedible, Brian helped him out."Whoa. Now that was different.""Let me try that again. Is everyone still watching? Good.""Wow. That is REALLY something.""I'd better try one more bite."
Now, when Elliott really likes something that we’ve given him to eat, he either does one of two things: he smiles so big and waves at us, or, he wants to kiss us over and over again. As you may or may not know, Elliott’s kisses are VERY open-mouthed. So after about three bites, apparently he decided he liked it, and leaned in to give me kiss…
*Melt my heart*We BOTH had a chocolate mustache after that smooch!!
He kissed me two or three times in a row, and every time he did, all of the party guests (of course) went, “Awww….” I think he really liked that, so after every kiss, he broke out into joyous applause for himself. It was awesome.
So pleased with himself for kissing Mommy. 🙂My goodness, I love him!!!
Brian and I tried to take advantage of his smoozing with the camera to sneak in a family pic. Little did we know that Elliott had very much moved on already.
"Alright, alright…enough kissing and clapping. Lemme have another bite of that awesome goodness!"Finally got a family birthday picture in there :)."Mmmm. Now THAT was good. Talk about about satisfaction!"
THE GUESTS!
FamilyMost of our DTS familyMark, Korrin, and two of their boys–Noah (who apparently is camera shy) and Declan. Elliott looks up to these boys so much! We are grateful for these new friends who are on staff here for the next 2 years!Louie, Taylor, Micah, Declan, Hailey, Elliott, Noah (Hunter had already gone home to take a nap)Grandma & Grandpa Moberg with all the grandkids
You know, it wasn’t easy thinking about the fact that Elliott’s first birthday would be far, far away from the people whom we love most dearly and from the people who love our sweet baby boy so much. But I am so grateful for how the Lord came through and made Elliott’s birthday lacking nothing. Don’t get me wrong–I missed my family tremendously and all of my dear friends spread across the globe. But Elliott’s birthday was rich. Rich with friendship, with love, with giving to a family in need. We are so grateful that Brian’s family could come down for the weekend, and that our DTS class adores Elliott and were all so excited to celebrate him. We are so grateful that Elliott has new friends here–Noah, Declan, Louie, Hunter and Parker–and most of them could make it to his party! We are grateful.
Happy 1st Birthday, Elliott Brian!!! What a joy it is to celebrate your life!!!
Thank you to those of you who journeyed with us in Elliott’s House Build Project! Those of us who had the chance to be there to build all agreed that WE were the blessed ones…WE were the honored ones…WE were the privileged ones.
And for those of you who so generously GAVE and so powerfully PRAYED…we hope that these pictures will give you a glimpse into the fruit that came BECAUSE OF YOU…a glimpse into the honor that it was to get to know this family and give them a home…because if it weren’t for YOU, this could have never been possible…
Here’s a time-lapse video of the entire house being built in 90 seconds!
Here are a few still shots from throughout the day…
Elliott the birthday builder boy, ready to build!The Homes of Hope truck, rolling up to the job site!The neighborhoodSee this empty space between these two houses? It won't be empty for long…The wood for the houseBrian's brother Kevin cutting the wood to sizeOur nieces, Taylor and Hailey, painting the sidingGrandma Moberg painting sidingChrystal and Angela building the roof!Rayel painting trim with the girlsWorking so hard…Brian's sister Angela and sister-in-law Tabitha painting trim!Getting the very first wall up!"How do I use this, Dad?"Grandpa Moberg teaching Elliott how to use a hammer.Giezi and Angela carrying one of the trusses for the roof.Josh building the roof!Luis, Jonas, and Josh working on the roof!Malene getting to know Wendy and Isabel and a friend of theirs.Chrissy putting in the windowThe girls taking a break in the back of the pick-up truckBrian putting the door togetherTaylor making sure everyone's putting the trim in correctly on the inside of the house
When the outside and the inside of the house were both completed, several people in our group went on a grocery shopping trip to stock them up with yummy, healthy food!! The rest of us stayed back and built their new beds, table, and chairs and installed their brand new stove.
Elliott helping put the bedding togetherTheir new beds and bedding!Elliott helping me put together a chair for their new dining room table!Their new dining room table, chairs, table cloth & stove! (Dishes and place mats not pictured.)
After all of the furniture was assembled and everything was ready, we closed the door and gathered outside in a circle.
We passed the keys to the house from person to person, and each one shared how meaningful it was to help build the home.
We presented Teresa and her two granddaughters, Isabel and Wendy, with a bible, a plaque commemorating the house, and, of course, the keys! While they walked inside, we all ran to the van to get the bags of groceries…
Look at all that food!!Taylor knocked on the door…And we all carried in the bags of food, one by one, and gathered in Teresa's new home to pray for her family and bless them.
Would you not agree with me, that…
'TIS MORE BLESSED…TO GIVE……THAN TO RECEIVE.
God bless this home, and the hands that gave to make it happen.
As we worked, my mind flooded with all of the people who gave to make this possible. Because this whole project was about “WE.” There is no way that Brian and I could have done this alone. The two of us, in and of ourselves, don’t have the money or the manpower to pull something like this off. There are MANY who make up the “WE” that built this home, and we want to take a moment to acknowledge them…
First of all, I can’t write one more word without mentioning the McCabes. Kari McCabe is one of my best friends from elementary school–yes, that’s right, we’ve been dear friends for over 22 years!! Kari’s son, Quinn, is just 12 days younger than Elliott and they are true bosom buddies (but that’s for another blog post :)). Well, when Kari and her husband heard what we were doing for Elliott’s birthday, they decided to turn Quinn’s birthday into the same outward blessing. So they asked for all gifts/money that would have been given to Quinn be directed toward the house build. They even took up an offering at their church! Between the McCabes, their family and friends, and their church, they raised 1/3 of the money we needed to build the house!! We could have never done it without them, and Brian and I were continually overwhelmed at not only their generosity, but the way that they carried this burden with us. We are so grateful for the way they invested in this project with us!!
Next, Brian’s family! His entire family made the trek down here to build the home with us. They were all so eager to be here to celebrate Elliott in this unique way and to jump right in and get some dirt under their fingernails (and lots of paint all over their hands, ha!)! 🙂 We are so grateful that each one of them could be here.
Third, our newest friends, our DTS classmates. Ahh, how we love them. 🙂 They couldn’t have been more excited to jump in and build this house, and it was a tremendous joy to have them with us. They have all become so dear to us in the last three months!
And last, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST…to all the people who so generously GAVE towards this home. YOU were an ESSENTIAL part…
Jim & Jen A.Dan & Donelle B.Michael & Ana B.Mike & Diane B.Jim & Linda B.Jordan & Danielle B.Bryna B.Marcus B.Jason & Janna B.Jason & Callie B.Bruce & Paulette B.Chrissy C.Craig & Michelle C.Ray & Debbie C.Robert C.Mima E.Ron & Michelle F.Kay G.Eric & Margo H.Mark & Korrin J.Erika J.Tommy & Bonnie L.Jean L.John & Helen M.Jonathan & Jillian M.Guy & Sue M.Harry & Evie M.Kyle & Ali M.Trevor & Kari M.Paul & Lisa M.Ken & Kay M.Kristin M.Angela M.Ken & Marilyn M.Shane & Hilery M.Trent & Kelly N.Jeff & Barbie N.Beth N.Paul & Ashleigh O.Nycki P.Michael & Chris P.Dave & Claudia P.Alan P.Mary Michael P.River of Grace ChurchMichelle R.Rayel R.Yuri & Julianna R.Blair & Kappy S.Biddy S.Jeb & Eleanor S.Preston & Helen S.Adrienne W.Sara W.Keith & Nancy W.Rick & Susan W.Skip & Betty W.Bill & Becky W.THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU…for joining with us and blessing this family with A HOME!!! (The magnitude of that statement still gets me every time…this dear family now has a HOME!!!!) We pray that you would be blessed tremendously as you have given so generously. Thank you, dear friends!!!!
DISCLAIMER! I wrote this post the day after Christmas, and then was without internet to upload the photos! So, it’s late…but better late than never :). Enjoy!
I remember last Christmas so vividly…not the presents, not the people, not the events…no, all of my thoughts were consumed with the idea that next Christmas we would have Elliott with us…not inside my womb, but here with us. He would be 9 months old and he would wear Christmas jammies and he would destroy the wrapping paper we used to cover up his very first Christmas gifts…he would smile at us and wave at us and snuggle with us. He would dance to jingle bells in our arms and he would follow along as we read, “That’s Not My Reindeer” to him. We would get to celebrate this beautiful time of the year with him instead of waiting for him…
And I can’t even count the amount of times that tears have flooded my eyes this Christmas season as I realize that he is, indeed, here with us this Christmas. For the first year ever, I couldn’t think of a SINGLE thing to put on MY Christmas list, but I had an entire document filled with things that I wanted to get Elliott…I have everything I want right here in my sweet, perfect, little family. At the end of the day, all I care about is snuggling in Christmas jammies with Elliott and his handsome daddy…
Last year, however, when I was picturing this year’s Christmas, I could have never envisioned that we would be in three different countries within the month of December. I could have never envisioned that we wouldn’t have a home, or a Christmas tree, or a place to hang our stockings, or that we would get take-out on Christmas Eve. I could have never envisioned that we would just wrap two small gifts for Elliott because that’s literally all we had time to do. And I’ll be honest–there have indeed been a few times when I’ve had the slightest moment of sadness that I haven’t had a home to decorate and Christmas music playing 24 hours a day throughout our home since November. I haven’t had the time or the opportunity to carefully select and beautifully wrap Christmas presents. It hasn’t been a neat, tidy, perfectly orchestrated Christmas season…but it has been PERFECT for US. It has been perfect for Elliott, and it has been perfect for our family. We got to spend the hours we would normally spend shopping, putting up Christmas lights, cutting down a tree, and decorating instead being entirely outward focused…serving, loving, and bringing the gospel to those in real need. We got to simplify this year…majorly simplify…so that it is just our wonderful little family, waking up on Christmas morning in the home of a dear friend who let us stay in her house, opening a few simple gifts, and simply enjoying being together.
So now that you’re probably feeling pretty darn guilty that you have been running around like a crazy person this Christmas season, cutting in line at Toys R Us, and making sure that your kid had the most popular toy of 2011 sitting under the tree, and SERVING someone in need has perhaps been far from your mind, let me just be honest. I probably wouldn’t choose to do my Christmas like this every year…I’m not quite THAT holy, you know :). This isn’t going to turn into a sermon about Jesus being the reason for the season (although he IS, you know). (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.) I am grateful that God gave us an opportunity to serve and travel this Christmas season, but you’d better believe I’m already picturing where our Christmas tree will go next year in our new rental house…and I’m already thinking about how I want to wrap Elliott’s presents…and I’m already thinking about the new Christmas CD I want to listen to next year… and I’m already thinking about the peppermint brickle that I’m going to bake…and the garland and the lights I will put up around our house…Ahh, only 364 more days to go!! But for now, I am simply and overwhelmingly GRATEFUL. Grateful for our family, grateful for each of our families, grateful for our friends, grateful for the adventure the Lord has us on, grateful that Grammy Karen got us some Peppermint Bark so we had a fun dessert after eating take-out on Christmas Eve.
Here are a few picture highlights from our Christmas 2011!
COLORADO CHRISTMAS!
We got to spend our Colorado Christmas with ALL of my family!
"Yeah, as cool as that new smart phone is, I really like this piece of wrapping paper…"Laughing SO hard with Grammy Karen!The Whole Crew!
Mauss Cousins
Andrew, Elliott, Gryffin, Rowan, Courtney, Fable, Jaxon and Finn
TACOMA CHRISTMAS!
Melisa gave me some Christmas paper so I could make ONE Christmas decoration that was my very own…REJOICE, indeed!
Christmas Eve
He just really cares more about small, choke-able objects than the gifts under the tree…Opening a present with his cousin Micah"I can play the drums on this present!"
Moberg Cousins
Elliott, Taylor, Hailey, and MicahI love this kid so much!Brian and I are wearing Bronco colors instead of Christmas colors…oops.Reading the Christmas story out of his new picture bible before going to bed. (Thank you, Grandpa & Nonna!)
Christmas Morning 2011
Going after the presents under the tree"Hmm…which one is for me?""Probably this one…it smells like a BOOK!""Cool! A mirror book! I LOVE mirrors!""Oooh! I like Daddy's new boots! Can I try them on?""Whoa! A megaphone for Mommy so she can preach on the streets? What an awesome gift you picked out, Daddy!"Our family on Christmas morning…Still in our pjs, of courseMerry 1st Christmas!
