When I shut down my facebook account over a year ago now, I made a mental note to blog more often. And well, that didn’t really happen :). My zeal for writing and recording in this virtual scrapbook here has somewhat windled down to birthdays and holidays. Most of that, quite honestly, is that I’m so tired in my spirit. It’s been an incredibly weary-ing few years in many aspects and when I look in the mirror, all I see is tired.
Virtually every night before bed, Selah asks if we can sing, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” It is the song that I listened to on repeat in the weeks and months leading up to her birth and the song I played over and over while in labor with her. It’s the song that steadies my fears. He is faithful. Always. Every day.
…Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall. My soul still remembers And sinks within me. This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. … Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. [Lam 3:19-25, 32]
The beginning part of the chapter is much of how I have felt these last few years, but…BUT. I recall to mind, constantly, that His mercies are new every morning. Selah reminds me daily. (Of course she does–that is what her name means!) I am so thankful for her reminder to make me stop and think about how great God is and to meditate upon his mercies. Last night I asked her to tell me what had blessed her about the day and she rattled off a list several minutes long of all the things she was thankful for. She finished, smiled, looked at me, and returned the question: “What are YOU thankful for, Mommy?” My heart is abundantly blessed by who she is.
And so…this little series is born. New Mercies Monday. Rather than devoting the start of my week to simply meal planning, grocery shopping, cleaning and laundry, I want to devote them to Selah-ing. To stopping, to pausing my to-do list, and to meditating on the new mercies that God has poured out to us in the previous week. Because, He is worthy to praised. I am so grateful throughout the week for the ways the Lord has lavished us, but sometimes, you just gotta testify! Can I get an amen?!
Monday: An afternoon in Denver with Elizabeth and her darling crew. Elizabeth, my gentle-spirited, wise, like-minded friend. So thankful she is in my life.
Popcorn and play time!
Tuesday: Sometimes I see so much of myself in my kids, and it tickles me to my core. This particular day, I saw me in my dear Selah when she asked me to tape the broken arm back onto this (ancient) Playmobile man. (Have you read the Gecko story? Well, if not…take a peek. I re-read it today and was majorly encouraged!)
All taped up and all better!
Wednesday:“A day at the zoo with Kari and Quinn is like a milkshake to your soul.” (Have you read that verse in Proverbs? It’s true.) So ridiculously blessed that we get to do life together, even if we do live 30 minutes apart.
The zoo was epic. We hugged a (fake) giraffe, fed and pet (real) giraffes, fed the birds, pet a pony, climbed a (fake) elephant, watched a (real) elephant take a bath, rode the carousel, played at the playground, watched the lion cubs frolic and wrestle…all with the wonderful company of our dear friends!
And so of course we ended the day with milkshakes!
Thursday: Lull in the week=Let’s try a new pizza place! Have you tried it? MOD pizza? I guess it started in Seattle. It was fun! And had very yummy pizza :).
Pizza Pizza!!
Friday: My parents had us over for dinner (which is always a bonus!) along with another family and I made a new friend!
Saturday: Blizzard! Family snow day.
Sunday: So encouraged by the Word of God and the parsing of Scripture with other believers at church, who challenge all of us to live according to what it says.
Want a bonus?
These are from the previous week but I just couldn’t help but add them here after sorting through the pics on my phone…
**The kids BEG to help me in the kitchen preparing meals. A couple of months ago I taught Elliott how to slice up some zucchini for dinner and Selah has been pleading with me to let her try. That day was the day. She was in heaven…just look at that face!! So thankful for children who are eager to serve and help.
I snapped this photo and then set my phone down quickly so I could helicopter her cutting!! (Yes, I just made “helicopter” a verb all right!!)
**I just adore this picture…it cracks me up!!!
A hot chocolate date with the kids!
Well there you have it! God’s new mercies on us this past week. This may take on a different form and may not be every week…who knows!
How about YOU? What mercies were new to you this past week? Will you join me in testifying??
Towards the beginning of January, Elliott suddenly said to me, “Mommy, I would like an animal birthday party.” I hadn’t talked to him about a party theme, but I will confess that I already had his entire birthday planned out in my head–with a different theme! I’m not used to my kids being able to articulate their desires like this :). So, I’ll admit–it took me a couple days to be inspired, but thanks to some help by Pinterest, I was fully hooked in no time. And it was SO MUCH FUN to do something that was initiated by Elliott!
When I asked Elliott what was most important to him with the animal birthday party, he said, “I want REAL LIVE ANIMALS there!!!!”
The hilarious part about that, is that Elliott is TERRIFIED of animals. Seriously. He’s always been utterly fascinated by them, but he doesn’t want to be anywhere near them. Selah has acquired the same fear. We’ve definitely had some breakthrough over the years, but both of them are still terrified.
Going to the zoo itself just wasn’t practical this year, so we decided to have the zoo come to us! I pressed and prodded Elliott, reminding him that he’s often “a little” scared when he’s near animals, but he insisted that he wanted to see real live animals. When we got everything arranged and I told them we would have “REAL, LIVE animals” coming to our house, he was so excited. And when I asked him what type of animal he would really like to see, he boldly exclaimed, “A LION!!!!!” 🙂
So…party preparations began a few weeks prior to his birthday, because the kids and I made all the decorations. Oh my, it was SO.MUCH.FUN preparing together! Elliott L-O-V-E-S crafting and so it was incredibly special for him (and Selah) to be an integral part of the decorating. It was so awesome spending a few weeks making animal crafts and for the kids to watch our home slowly transform into a little jungle…
The first thing we made were my absolute FAVORITE decorations…I can’t get over how adorable these turned out. Both of the kids made each type of animal, so we had two of each kind–one big and one little. I just cut a Trader Joe’s bag into rectangles, and they stamped their hands right on each one! Then I added the details.
We hung our animal handprints around the house amidst jungle vines…
We printed off pictures of animals and found their heights, and put them up next to our growth chart so the kids could see which animal they were as tall as. Then, we decided to turn the growth chart into a tree! The kids cut out most of these leaves by themselves, fringes and all, and then put their thumbprints on them to make a few different types of bugs crawling through the trees!
He’s as tall as a tiger!Can you see the bees, ladybugs and ants crawling on the tree leaves?
I cut out this grass, but Elliott drew all of these little bugs! Aren’t they adorable!?!!
Tis little pony bead alligator and elephant were cheapo crafts from Michaels. The kids LOVE pony beads, so these were a hit.The kids each made a couple of these monkeys that we kept finding hanging around the house!!! (See the little banana in his hand?!)They’re everywhere!They each made birds that could REALLY fly! 🙂We made suncatcher butterflies to hang from our sliding glass doors. I think they turned out beautifully!!After mixing together colors to make orange for the orange handprint animals, Elliott just painted the rest of the paper plate so the whole thing was orange. Then he asked if we could turn the orange plate into a lion. So we tuned it into a lion mask! Then I thought it would be fun if we gave everyone a chance to “be a lion” so we put the mask up on the mirror in the entryway and drew the rest of his body…Elliott LOVES penguins, so I thought it would be fun to turn everyone who went to the bathroom into a penguin…so Elliott and I did this on the bathroom mirror :).This is his goofy penguin face, hahaha!!
Right after we decided to do an animal birthday party, I found Elliott in his room during quiet rest time making the coolest cage out of his straw builder things (or whatever they’re called, ha!) I said, “Hey! Should we make this into a zoo cage for all of your stuffed animals?!” He loved the idea, and he and Selah went to work the rest of the afternoon building a cage. Then, he painted this sign all by himself!!! (I did help him with apostrophe…)
Elliott’s Zoo!!We loaded our mantle with some of our favorite animal books, Daddy’s monkey from when he was little, and a zebra 4!The day before the party, Elliott helped me make the cupcakes!
The day of the party…
We found wild animal tracks leading up to our front door!!!The party room is all ready! You can’t really read it, but the banner strung up says, “Happy 4th Birthday Elliott” out of various animal print papers.Elliott had a few super special guests fly in for his birthday! His cousin Micah, Uncle Kevin, and Grandma and Grandpa!
All of his other friends arrived, and they started off by doing the thing that Elliott loves–crafting :). They each had a paper bag set out for them and they got to decorate it using animal stamps and stickers.
Here’s everyone working hard on their crafts. I love this special moment that I caught between Elliott and Auntie Suz :).
Then, they got to use they same supplies to decorate the covers for their very own binoculars. While the adults assembled binoculars, the kids got to make these cool snakes out of pipe cleaners and pony beads…again, one of Elliott’s FAVORITE crafting supplies.
These are Elliott and Selah’s snakes. We talked about patterns and they had a great time creating these!
And THEN it was time to hunt for animals using their binoculars! Elliott and Selah hid tiny plastic animals all over our living room and all the kids set out to hunt for them.
Selah would look through her binoculars and say, “I SPY YOU!!!!!”Here’s the Mighty Quinn, on the hunt!!Look what Micah found!!!
Then we went downstairs for a little “pin-the-tail-on-the-giraffe”…while half the kids were playing the game, the other half pretended to be monkeys and swung around on our gynamstics equipment in the basement!
We let Elliott go first and he put the tail EXACTLY where it should go! Ha!! He looked at me afterwards like, “Um, why was that so hard?” Hahaha!!Our buddy Malachi!Sweet Fable!Dramatic Selah 🙂
Then, it was time for lunch! Highlights included: pigs in a blanket, zebra popcorn, lion veggies, goldfish crackers, animal crackers, penguin gummies, mice-infested meat and cheese tray and meatballs :).
After these wild party animals had their fill, there was a knock at the door…the REAL LIVE ANIMALS had arrived!!!
The first one was a three-banded Armadillo!!You can tell how my kids felt about him!!Elliott even had the chance to feed it a live cricket! (It’s hard to see, but he’s holding long tweezers with a cricket pinched inside.) It’s all fun and games until said birthday boy accidentally lets the live cricket loose…It was all we could do to encourage him to take a picture with it :).
Next up was a real live SNAKE!!
Fable’s face says it all!!! HA!!And then, a TURTLE!And last, but not least, a Chinchilla!
The kids all got the opportunity to touch each animal and it was such a fun experience!! Elliott was FASCINATED with the animals and couldn’t stop talking about them…he just still didn’t really want to be near them…as I suspected :).
After the animals left, we had cake and opened presents!!
Animals…behind pretzel cages.Elliott helped me decorate…and sprinkled some with “grass” and left others white so they would look like snow.Blowing out his four candles!!Everyone devoured their cupcakes, including this wild girl.Elliott’s friends were so generous and thoughtful and he got some super fun gifts!The party animals!The Moberg Pack!Such a fun day celebrating this wild 4 year old!!!
We’ve had such a FUN summer. I have been healthy, my kids are MORE FUN THAN EVER and we have just had a BLAST. Some highlights in photos:
We swam.And looked adorable doing it :).We played with friends.We went to the Denver Aquarium.Where Selah petted a tiger.Siblings that paint together, stay together.He doesn’t even mind getting his hands dirty anymore! 🙂We went to a kids’ roller coaster park.Aaaaand, we moved. Because what would we do with ourselves if we didn’t move at least once every year?Elliott was seriously an INCREDIBLE helper…everyday he would beg me to pack up more boxes so he could help.This little darling didn’t miss out on the moving action.And, what good would a move be if it didn’t have a little adventure mixed in? While Brian was driving the moving truck to our new home, the rest of us realized we were locked out. My big brother saved the day, climbed a window, and broke into our new home! (Have no fear: he didn’t really “break” in…the previous renters had left a window open, so he just had to pop out the screen…)This picture does a great job of summing up how exhausted we all were. (This is totally not posed!!) We could never have made it without Brian’s parents help to finish packing up the old house and unpacking in the new house, or without my parents–who fed us for the first two days we moved in to keep us all alive.Brian and I were SO tired, that we took a day to get away and go to Water World (coolest water park EVER!) (Yes, it’s blurry. That’s how tired we were…)Brian asked Elliott if he wanted to help him set up shelves in the garage, and Elliott immediately ran to get his working guy gear so he could help. Such a mini Brian (minus the striped Polo shirt)…I love it.We got a little settled in, and went on a road trip…I’ll just post the pictures of them sleeping because that was pretty much what they did the whole trip. (OR NOT, haha!) But we all survived :).We went to the zoo multiple times.And always fed the giraffes. *Note: it’s apparently a requirement to stick your tongue out like the giraffe while feeding him.We did a LOT of trampoline jumping on our new toy. (Don’t worry: it does have a net!)Our little gymnast is BESIDE herself with joy!Grandma & Grandpa came to visit TWICE!! This was to commemorate one of our Focus on the Family trips. Selah apparently didn’t want to commemorate.We learned a letter a day and did a fun craft to go along with it.Selah learned right along with Elliott!At the beginning of the summer I drew a few shapes to build a car out of construction paper and was a little shocked when the big man did an incredible job of cutting all the shapes out! His cutting skills are pretty awesome at this point, and he loved cutting out each letter for the coresponding craft.“M” is for marshmallows!We BBQed with friends. Our new house came with a BBQ!! I’ve always DREAMED of having a BBQ!!The littles eating BBQWe went to Chic-fil-a. And even met the cow!Grandma & Grandpa got us a baby pool and this Baby Bean did LOTS of lounging out by the pool!!All of Brian’s family came to visit!We played at tons of parks, including this really cool modern one that we found!We rode bikes almost every day.This little girl got SO GOOD at the Stride Bike that I often have to run to catch up to her!!We baked muffins and banana bread and ate outside on the patio.During one of Grandma & Granpa’s visits, everyone went to The North Pole while I was at a bridal shower.This girl DIGS motorcycles. Seriously. Especially motor cycles from The North Pole.We took our kids on their very first hike to celebrate Kari’s birthday! It was so much fun!!!Charlotte, Selah, Quinn, Elliott, and AvaWe had lunch with Daddy at work!One of these things is not like the other one…Aaand, these little ones spent more time than ever with me in the kitchen. Looking at those faces, would you be more than a little nervous to eat what’s in that pie??
Adios, Summer!! You’ve been good to us. Now, bring on the warm boots, cozy sweaters, beautiful leaves and all the colors and smells of FALL….!!!!
The first week that life returned to “normal” after we lost the baby, I was a total and complete disaster (to put it bluntly!). It was SO HARD to go back to “normal,” when nothing was normal! Everything was different. I buried my face in the Word and tried to fill every moment I could with my family and my friends. It was just so hard to have nothing “exciting” on the schedule to look forward to. Everyone says, “Don’t busy yourself…you need to grieve,” but it didn’t work like that for me. I had PLENTY of time to grieve, I was filling all my spare moments with Truth, and then I JUST NEEDED TO BE WITH PEOPLE WHO FILLED ME UP.
And let me just tell you, THE LORD WAS GOOD TO ME.
APRIL
It all started one day when I was in the middle of a fairly good breakdown, sobbing at our kitchen table. Our kids were playing in the other room and Brian found me there…tears forming a large puddle in front of me. He looked at me with a compassionate heart but having no idea what to do with me. Thankfully, the Lord Almighty intervened in that moment when, suddenly, my dear friend Jenny texted me to ask me how I was doing. And I responded by begging her to fly out to visit.
AND SHE DID.
I don’t know what I would’ve done without her friendship and love that week; a week where I wasn’t sure how to put one foot in front of the other. Several days of getting to know her sweet little Karalee and the companionship of one of my longest friends…she brought me chocolate and wine and we bawled through Frozen together. (Oh, wait…maybe I was the only one who was crying…) I was so grateful to the Lord, who supplied everything that I needed that week and more. And so thankful for Jenny, who is one of my most faithful friends.
Jenny & Karalee!
MAY
Not two weeks had passed when Melisa told me SHE was coming to visit. WHAT, WHAT?!! I missed Stella terribly, but almost a week (almost a WEEK!) with my Melisa and her Judah filled me up in a way that words cannot describe. It’s never enough time, but what would I have done without her love, her faith, her joy, her understanding…there’s something about being with someone who has experienced great loss but has been driven closer to the Lord, farther from bitterness, closer to grace, that brings a comfort others cannot. Thank the good Lord for Melisa.
Melisa & Baby Judah
Good times, great food. My parents treated Brian and me to an AWESOME dinner and a play in Denver for my birthday. It was such a lovely evening with them, filling our faces and a night out on the town.
Mmm, mmm, gooooood!!!
My newest niece was born…Ember Vivienne…and I got to hold her and the fullness of her chubby cheeks on my birthday for the first time. What a GIFT. Just look at this doll! I was in heaven.
For reals…those cheeks.
A birthday celebration with friends…Elizabeth and I both have birthdays in May, so Katie and Suz treated us to the Melting Pot! THE MELTING POT!! But oh, these friends…who brought me salted caramel graham cracker cookies and coffees and flowers and watched my kids and prayed for me and listened to me and went to CB & Potts with me multiple times :)…thank the Lord for these friends.
Sweet dessert, sweet fellowship
Guess who else came to town?! JILLIAN!! What a GIFT to meet her newest little man, sweet little Vaughn, and to do a major “fast forward” catch up with her!! We were both talking so fast, trying to squeeze months (years?) of catch up into 3 short hours. She is a heart friend, and I love her dearly!!
Jillian and baby Vaughn (can you tell Selah is enamored with Jillian’s beauty?!!)
JULY
EJ!! EJ, EJ!!! Erika’s family lives outside of Denver and she came to visit them…and so graciously met me for a (LONG) lunch one day. There have been many moments in my life where I have been acutely aware of the fact that Erika’s prayers and faith have so greatly helped me fix my eyes on the Lord. It was SUCH A GIFT to get to see her…it’s like a fire-hydrant of refreshment.
The one and only EJ.
Rayel got married!! We drove out to Minnesota to be a part of her day and it was such a joy to see her (seriously, most gorgeous bride ever!) and to watch her marry the love of her life!
Sweet Rayel!Our lil’ fam
On the way we got to see my long-time friend Amy and her husband Michael and her two (BIG!) boys Nathan & Joel. I can’t believe I forgot to snap a pic!! But we met at the Cabela’s in Omaha, walked around the cool store and, again, tried to catch up a LOT of things in a very quick lunch! Though I haven’t been able to see Amy very often since she lived with us while I was in high school, I think of her every day because she was the wonder woman behind my kids’ bedding and decor for their nurseries. So though she is far, her fingerprints are in our home and I love that!! 🙂
On the way back, we got to see Danielle and her family! Danielle!! It’s difficult to describe how my heart loves Danielle. She just makes everyone feel like they are the most special person on earth. I cannot BELIEVE I got the gift of getting to meet her DARLING Eliza while just a few weeks old, and spend time with her precious big girls Raegan and Anabelle. They were both SO sweet to Elliott and Selah, and Danielle and I talked a hundred miles an hour trying to–again–catch up on each other’s lives!! The time was WAY too short, but so, so, soooo sweet and such a GIFT from the Lord.
Danielle, Raegan, Anabelle and sweet baby Eliza
AUGUST
We celebrated 5 years together as husband and wife!! We had dinner at a restaurant I’ve been wanting to go to for years and years…super delicious fondue in a quaint little city. It was such a special date…filled with reminiscing about trials and joys and failures and victories. Oh, how I love this man.
We had a table out on the balcony, overlooking Manitou Springs…perfect.
Then, JILL was in town!! Jill and her family moved to England last summer and she came out with the kids for THREE weeks to visit!! Her youngest, sweet Olivia, is just a few months older than Selah and her boys are as sweet as can be. Elliott has inherited (half of) the boys’ clothes and Selah has inherited Olivia’s hand-me-downs so they are very special friends :). Our kids got to see each other a few times and it was such a GIFT–both for me to see Jill and for my kids to play with hers. I was so, so blessed.
SWEETEST.PICTURE.EVER.
Kari, Jill and I (and all the kids and two sets of grandparents!) met at Focus on the Family one morning.
Jill, Kari, Me and all of our children. Such a JOY to be together and have all our kids together!
Since Kari is in the previous photo, I’ll go ahead and mention her now, though she has been such a God-sent throughout the entire Spring and Summer. There are times when God’s gifts are so timely and perfect that I am at a loss for words to express my gratitude. Kari (and her family) and I living in the same city (well, sorta…) has been such a gift. Her friendship, her faith, her desire to follow the Lord in all things despite the cost has strengthened and encouraged me numerous times. I can’t believe we get to live so close!! Her sweet little guy Quinn got to spend the day with us a couple weeks ago and his friendship with Elliott blessed me immensely. So thankful that God orchestrated each of our lives to cross paths in a way that we can do life together.
Keely is officially hitched!! But before that happened, she had a gorgeous bridal shower in town. We’re missing Emily and Logan, but this group of ours has been friends since elementary/high school. It was SUCH A JOY to see them all while celebrating this dear friend of ours. Her shower was at the Broadmoor, and I told Brian that I felt like I had been on vacation after coming back from it. So refreshing, and so much fun to celebrate our friend!!
Jill, Sara, Keely, Kari and meAnd the “locals” got together one more time to feast on some amazing food and eat large portions of this incredible chocolate cake :).
SEPTEMBER
And last, but CERTAINLY not least…oh, how the Lord put this cherry on top of all of the ways He’s lavished me with love this Spring/Summer…he gave me Melanie for a sister-in-law. The picture below is (obviously) not of her, but of her beautiful offspring: my sweet nieces and a nephew who come over to play… I honestly am not sure how to adequately describe the gift it’s been to be near her this summer, but I will just say, she is absolutely a “good and perfect gift” from my Father. Thank you, Lord for her friendship, her faith, and her testimony of the transforming power of the gospel. Thank you, Lord.
Selah (1), Cypher (2), Elliott (3) and Fable (4)… If only baby Ember were in this picture as well…she would cover the <1 age :).Oh, now, look at that–I found a picture of her after all! 🙂 THIS was one of my favorite nights EVER…Biaggi’s, Fried Pimento (who KNEW?!), a big hat and two very grateful hearts. (P.S. She doesn’t own this hat…although I’m sure she’d love to ;).)
I am RICH. Rich with friendships, rich with people who love me, rich with people who fill me with faith. The Lord has been so faithful to meet my every need and surround me with those who love me. I am RICH….
There are few things more fun in life than celebrating the life of your children. Yes, I DO celebrate them every day of their lives…but once a year, a super special date rolls around, and I get to go a little above-and-beyond. My baby girl only turns one once!!!
A few good friends flapped on over to join us, and Brian’s parents even flew over for the festivities! What a joyous day!!
“It’s TWEET to be ONE!”
Let’s get this party started!“TWEETS”
Selah Beans, Ruffled (Feathers) with Bird Droppings, Boiled Bird Eggs (read: Deviled Eggs fail!), Bird Beaks, Bird Seeds, Fruit From a Big Green Egg, Bird Nests, and a Bird Bath
My, oh my, how the first year flew by! Put the Selah Birdies in order from month 1- month 12!Selah’s Birthday BannerThe Birthday Girl!!!!
Everyone ate the “bird food” and the big kiddos got to do a craft.
Here’s Miss Ava, showing off the awesome bird she created! (You can’t see it too well, but she is feeding the bird a gummy worm!) 🙂
Time for CUPCAKES!!
My friend Tish did all the cupcake baking for me! They were AMAZING!!!!
We couldn’t wait to see how Selah would react to her very first taste of sugar! I think this is my favorite part of the 1 year old birthday parties :).
As everyone sang, she didn’t even noticed the flaming pink and chocolate yumminess that I was holding for her. She just stared at everyone…studying everything! Maybe we were off key??Elliott helped her blow out the candle.…and then she carefully inspected the foreign object in front of her.“What on earth is this squishy sponge-like substance?”“Okay, now it’s on my hands…eww.” (In other news…Like father, like daughter; like mother, like son…look at each of our faces, haha!!)So when she wouldn’t take a bite, Brian finally gave her a taste……aaaannddd she wasn’t super impressed :).“What did I do to deserve THIS? Is this a rite of passage for turning one?”“Mama, can we have a little talk about this cupcake thing? Privately…in another room, please?”“Maybe if I offer it to someone else with a cute smile on my face, they’ll fall for it…hee…hee…”“I’m full now, Mama…may I please be excused from eating this pink and brown sponge?”
PRESENT TIME!
Selah was lavished by our friends and familyElliott was a VERY good helper and VERY willing to help Selah open all of her presents. Such a servant :).Selah has a slight obsession with hats and shoes. Since we live in Colorado, I thought it only appropriate to get her a cowboy hat and boots. We couldn’t WAIT for her to open it up! Here she is trying it on for the first time.Our friends the Sundbys got Selah this AWESOME giraffe chair, without even knowing that her favorite passtime is throwing herself without caution onto floors, couches, pillows, beds, etc. This giraffe chair has provided HOURS of entertainment as she lounges, rolls, somersaults, climbs and throws herself on top of it!
Some of our FAVORITE PEEPS:
So grateful that Selah gets to walk alongside of Miss Ariel as she grows up. What a beautiful, tender-spirited, kind, already-godly 9-year-old role model!Family photographer 🙂 and dear, dear friend… Auntie SuzSweet Charlotte teaching Selah how the doll she gave her works.Playing peek-a-boo with Kari and AvaThere she is!“Your turn!”Finally getting to meet Sara and Emmy!The guests who traveled the farthest to celebrate our Selah Bean…Grandma and Granpda!!Us.The favors
We celebrated a couple weeks later with my family down in the Springs. Her super special birthday gift was this beautiful, hand-made blanket by my mom.
What a gift to be treasured!!
October 8, 2013: HER ACTUAL BIRTHDAY!
The night before Selah’s birthday, I was on my way home, thinking about the day that Selah came, and I just began to cry…how had one year FLOWN by already…It was Brian’s birthday, and I vividly remembered every detail of where I was, how I was feeling at that VERY MOMENT one year ago…resting in such faith, knowing that The Great Shepherd was writing her story. There were so many unknowns. And oh, how faithful He was, and how faithful He has been…to guard, protect, and guide her life. It’s a crazy concept to grasp, but nothing could be truer: God loves her more than I do. Whew.
So, eyes wet with tears, I came home to such a fun sight: Brian and his dad putting together the play kitchen that his parents got for Selah. We were so excited for her to wake up to it on her birthday!!
Brian and I turned in for the night and began to relive those very moments in time, one year ago. And as I blubbered through my mess of “He was just so faithful to us!!” Brian burst out, “Let’s go sneak into her room and write her an email!!”
I love it. If you don’t know already, both our kids have email addresses (and they’re waiting to hear from YOU!). We write to them regularly, often attaching pictures off of our phone from the day’s events. So we snuck into her room around 10 at night with our little lap top in hand…It was PITCH BLACK and HILARIOUS as we fumbled about, trying to be quiet but without ANY source of light. We finally got the computer on and began to type to her as we listened to her breathe. It was perfect. And a million times more fun than the labor I was in one year earlier at that very moment :).
And many hours later, our baby girl awoke…as a ONE YEAR OLD!!!!
And both the kids got right to work!!Thrilled to be one, thrilled to be in Daddy’s arms…This shirt is SUPER special because, besides the fact that it is adorable, it is a hand-me-down from Kari’s girls, Ava and Charlotte…who wore this shirt for each of their 1st birthdays, too!We celebrated by doing the thing that Selah loves most–going to the park and going up and down the slide OVER AND OVER AND OVER again…She just loves to be thrilled!!!After the park we got out her other special present from us–a stroller! With a super sweet baby doll from Auntie Melisa!She walked with it for a minute or two, until……she realized it was the perfect object TO CLIMB…“I think I’m starting to get the hang of this stroller thing…do you think the doll minds that I’m stepping on her face?”“Okay, this is AWESOME! NOW I see why you got me this toy!”And, finally, we tried round 2 of the whole “cupcake” thing. She was much less cautious this time around…And even looked like she ENJOYED it :).Happiest 1st birthday, Baby Bean…what a JOY to celebrate you!!!!
Wow. We have had a FULL few months! People have been wondering if we dropped off the planet but no–I assure you…our feet are firmly planted here on earth. More specifically, we have planted them firmly in a blue-sky, clear-air little city called Denver. (Cue song: “Rocky Mountain High…”)
We decided at the end of April to settle down here for now. “Why Denver?” you ask. Because we have found LIFE here. (Now you’re REALLY starting to wonder if we have been outside the planet Earth, aren’t you?!) We have found Life in a very small church here. Our dear, dear friends pastor a small house church, and the people within it (because aren’t WE “the church”?) have brought us LIFE. They believe that church should be about true community, not just about a building that you step into once a week. They believe church should be about FAITH, for “everything that does not come from faith is sin,” and have FAITH in every aspect of who God says he is in the Word. They spur us on, sharpen us, and encourage us in this faith, in our marriage, and in our lives. Oh, and did I mention that we LAUGH a lot when we’re with them?
Life. Community. Faith. Sharpening. Encouragement. The true gospel. And JOY.
Yes, these are the things that we need. These are the things that we value. And so…we are here. It is also a huge bonus that Susanne’s family lives just a couple hours away!
Our family!Our new “extended” family!
Please come visit any time :). If you’d like our updated address, just email us here and we’ll be so happy to send it your way!
Well, amigos, the Mexican Mobergs are officially hanging up their sombreros and saying, “Adios” to Meh-hee-koe.
It was exactly a year and a half ago that we decided to completely abandon life as we knew it and take what was, for us, a bold step of faith, and become missionaries outside of this broken little city called Tijuana. We spent two months on outreach before settling down here in Mexico just over a year ago.
And what a year it has been. We have learned what feels like a lifetime of lessons in just 16 short months. As any God-given adventure should leave you, we will never be the same.
Like little children anticipating their first day of school, we had many pictures and ideas in our heads of what it would be like to be full time missionaries for YWAM San Diego/Baja. Yet all we were certain of as we hopped on that very first flight to the DR which began our journey, was that the only thing we could be certain of was that there would be so many unknowns. Isn’t that the way of faith? Sure of what we hope for, certain of what we do not see…
For us, we were sure in the character of our God, and certain that He had a good plan for us, to grow us, to teach us, to prosper us. And oh, my, have we grown. I mean, we started out with just one kid, and now we have two!
But seriously, Brian and I have grown tremendously. We have learned–so much–about ourselves and about others. He has prospered us–abundantly–in ways that we couldn’t have planned for ourselves. I never would have (though I probably should have!) guessed that our faith would be so challenged in the last year. And it has been wonderful. Wonderful in the way that you feel after you have worked out and your muscles are loose and strong. Although you are tired, you are energized. And you are ready for the next workout to begin.
We had every intention of staying with YWAM SDB longer. Not only did we have the intention of staying, but we were so excited about staying.
So, why are we leaving now, you ask?
Well, the following scriptures sum it up quite perfectly:
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
To us, the scriptures are very clear–we can plan our course, but it is GOD who determines our individual steps. And within the course that we plan, it will always be HIS purpose that prevails.
And thank God for that! What peace comes from knowing He will lead us in the way we are to go according to His best for us…
So we had planned our course–staffing the DTS through March–but in an intricate web of purposes that we will probably never know the fullness of, God has determined our steps. And in this case, it is to step away from full time missions and step into…. (drum roll please!)
…we have no idea.
And so here we are again, with a clean slate, no job, two perfect children and (sing with me!) a sombrer-o in a palm tree!
The last time we had a “clean slate” like this, we at least had a home! But now, we are starting from scratch in every arena of our lives…we need a new country, a new home, and a new job! Although this kind of slate may sound scary to some, we are so excited to walk this path of figuring out what’s on God’s heart for us next. His purposes for us have been so grand in the last 3 and a half years, that we would be foolish to not expect amazing purpose ahead.
We couldn’t possibly be more grateful for this last 16 months. The Lord has done a work in our lives that we wouldn’t trade for anything. Wanna hear a few things that He has done in us? Ways that He has grown us, taught us, and prospered us? Well, read on, mis amigos!
Mexican Moberg highlights from our time with YWAM San Diego/Baja
NUMERO UNO:
“Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights.” (James 1:17)
We have had so many “good and perfect gifts” fall down upon us in this last season. So many. We have been humbled, blessed, and oh-so-grateful for every way our family and close friends have rallied around us to support us–financially, emotionally, spiritually, practically. Although you have all certainly been part of advancing the kingdom down here in Mexico, you have also been a part of advancing the Kingdom in our hearts as the Lord has taught us so, so much. Thank you for supporting us and for journeying with us!
NUMERO DOS:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
Our new YWAM friends. There are so many of you, and too many to name in this post. (But if you’re our friend, and you’re part of YWAM, then we’re talking about YOU!!) It’s amazing how quickly you develop friends from all over the world when you’re part of YWAM. And though we love ALL of you, there are a few who, I’m sure, will remain dear in our hearts forever. Our DTS friends will probably always be our favorites :).
Our DTS Classmates and Staff!
Among our DTS friends, Rayel has become a part of our family. I’m really not sure what Elliott is going to do without her, as he asks about her daily and she is his favorite playmate. Rayel lived with us for (too short of) a season, and we just love her dearly. And, though I promise I will encourage her to always follow the Lord’s leading in her life, I am also fairly certain that I will (continue to) try to convince her to come live with us again :). She is just so dear, and we are going to miss her terribly!!
Drinking buddies forever!
Jarot. We love Jarot. Jarot has served our family extravagantly since the moment we first crossed the border in moving here. Literally. He helped us get all of our stuff to Mexico (which is not an easy task!), and has been here for our family every time we’ve been in need. His heart to serve at the drop of a hat is extraordinary, and we have been so, so blessed by his faithfulness to our family.
Though I could write a whole blog post on this, a few sentences will have to suffice: the other moms in this community have done nothing but lavish love on us since we’ve been here. Jamie has been my saving grace more times than I can count as she has made and given me a number of items that have made my life A MILLION TIMES EASIER. She’s like the baby stuff whisperer :). I am so grateful for her over this last year, especially as we’ve probably written an entire book through email regarding babies and their crazy sleep habits!!
Jamie, with Elliott and her son Hunter–a YEAR ago! Wow! Now we both have baby girls added to the mix.
Korrin has a heart of gold and loves others lavishly and deeply. She is a mum to the three cutest kiwi boys that I’ve ever known and spear headed throwing Selah a phenomenal baby shower despite the MILLION other things on her plate. She and her husband have included their children in their ministry, and it has been inspiring to watch. Rachel is a faithful, faithful friend whose stories about herself and her son have me rolling every time I see her. She is always real, and you will always find her serving someone. These three women (who all have boys just a bit older than Elliott) have been such a gift in this season.
Korrin, Amanda and Rachel at Selah’s shower
Giezi and Amanda. Wow, do we love this team. They have been heart friends, whom we can laugh with, be real with, share our struggles and our victories with…besides both being extraordinarily gifted, they have such tender and soft hearts toward the Lord and are some of the easiest people to just LAUGH with… We knew we loved them the moment we met them a year and a half ago (are you crying yet? because I am…), and our admiration and respect for them has only grown over time. To say we will miss them dearly doesn’t come close to communicating the reality of how sad it is to say goodbye.
Giezi and Amanda meeting Selah for the first time when she was just days old…
NUMERO TRES:
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”(Matthew 25:34-40)
It has been such an honor to be a small part of pressing forward the Homes of Hope ministry here. Although we have only been able to focus a small portion of our time on this ministry while we’ve been here, we did get to sponsor a home build of our own for Elliott’s first birthday and Brian’s had the opportunity to oversee a number of builds for many different teams. In YWAM San Diego/Baja, you have never seen a more dedicated group of believers strapping on their tool belts almost every weekend to build homes for Mexicans who don’t have one. It’s an incredible sight, and over 125 families now have homes just in the time that we’ve been with YWAM. Isn’t that incredible?! And this all started with Sean and Janet Lambert and their three little girls. Such an inspiration to raise our kids selflessly looking outward!! We have said it dozens of times–the spectacle of this base is a SIGHT to see…and what an honor to be a part of it! (And if you and/or your family ever want to come on a mission trip, COME HERE!! You will surely, surely leave changed!) YWAM San Diego/Baja, our hat sombrero is certainly off to you!!!
NUMERO CUATRO:
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.” (John 21:15-17)
Probably the biggest reality that we’ve discovered about ourselves through this adventure of being missionaries is that we are primarily passionate about ‘feeding the sheep.’ We have had a huge passion grow within us to fulfill the great commission to, “Go and make disciplesof all nations,” (Matthew 28:19-20). Whether we are at ‘home’ in the USA or in a foreign land we desire that our lives would be marked by the visible fruit of transformation in the lives of the people around us (particularly the ones we are discipling intentionally.) For us, as we shared in our last update, this means to press others into the fullness of the gospel, the fullness of abundant life, the fullness of the freedom that Christ died for. For us, this means intentionally seeking for true salvation in our lives and the lives of those around us–true salvation, meaning healing, wholeness… For us, this means pressing for true repentance in our lives and the lives of those around us–not just confessing our sins (those pesky habits that keep us from the love of God) but also repenting of our sins (turning away from them and not continuing to do them!). For us, this means pressing others into the fullness of their callings in Christ. We have no idea what it will look like for us to “tend His lambs,” but we are expectant that He will honor our hearts. We have gained a real burden for God’s people (the church) in the last year, believing that we, as the church, are meant to be radiant in every aspect of our lives. So although we do have a heart for missions (and might even step back into it one day!), this is what’s on our hearts right now.
And so…what of my dreams, you ask? Well, my friends, I would say this: I’m grateful my God promises me GREAT, when often I can only see GOOD. And because of that, our dreams have just barely begun…
So! Stay tuned :). Thank you for reading and tracking with our lives! We are excited and expectant for what’s ahead!
What a JOY for Elliott to have 4 siblings this Summer! For a boy who is SO SOCIAL, he was in absolute Heaven. He admired Judah and Samuel so much, and would just marvel at Ariel’s beauty. How fun for him to have 3 older siblings for a few weeks!!
But as much as he ADORED the older 3, there was something special, something unique about his love for Mookie. Mookie was his bff. They are just one month apart, and they had their own special language. I feel like I got a tiny glimpse at what it would be like to have twins and to watch their special bond…such a joy to watch these sweet friends build their friendship!!
Cruising the Town
On one of the days that Suz and I headed into San Diego, OJ took the big kids to play on go carts and Brian took the babies to have their own racing fun. One thing is for sure–Brian has ensured that Elliott has an appropriate love for Home Depot. This is a regular favorite Daddy-Son pass time–cruisin’ through Home Depot.
“Does this thing have power steering?”Mookie: “So WHAT’S so great about this place again?” Elliott: “We’re in HOME DEPOT, Mooks! It’s the happiest place on earth besides Costco!!”
The Bonding Place
I’m not sure what it is about this bottom step, but it was THE PLACE that they loved to chat.
Telling jokesYeah, we’re cute and we know it.“Hey, Elliott, look at my toes.”“Cool! They look just like MINE!”“Let’s be best friends forever!”
The Office Chair
This was another special place to play and chat. The boys would climb up here together and then would scheme and plot to look as CUTE as possible until someone gave in and gave them rides up and down the hallway.
E: “Who do you think will see us sitting here and get the hint?”E: “I think if you keep being charming like that, that will really help our cause.”M: “We GOT her, Elliott! Your mom said she’s putting down the camera to play with us!!! YIPPEE!!”
The Alphabet Train
A most popular toy with the boys. They usually did a great job of taking turns–one would ride while the other shoved alphabet blocks into the train and visa versa.
M: “You okay back there, Elliott?” E: “Yup! I’ve got this! Don’t worry about me!”
Elliott had never been a “hugger” until the McD kids moved in with us. He’ll give us kiss after kiss all day long, but he’s never been a big snuggler. But his love for his new friends brought out the hugging in him! He would OFTEN run up to the kids and give them big hugs!! He reminds me a lot of “Elf,” who loves to give hugs and snuggle and hold hands and sing Christmas Carols…and this Mama couldn’t be prouder :).
Although Mookie didn’t exactly share Elliott’s hugging affinity, he was always a great sport about it.“Mookie, I just think you’re the greatest.”“Thanks, Elliott. I think you’re pretty great, too!”“I know we’re playing with the Alphabet Train, but can I give you a hug?”“Just…one…little…HUG!”“Okay, Elliott…but I’m just going to keep chewing on this alphabet cube, if that’s alright.”
[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.
