I hope you guys all had a great Christmas!  Early in the morning Josh took his sister and fam to the airport so they could attend a family reunion in Oregon.  I was pretty torn about going or staying, but we opted to stay since we just moved.  I think there is a good chance of more family visits in the future, so that has helped me when I feel twinges of missing dear ones.  We enjoyed a quiet day, opening gifts and making cookies.  In the evening while our chicken (fondly named Rosie) was cooking we went out and saw Christmas lights around the neighborhood.  We returned home to find that Rosie had refused to cook completely, but we triumphed in the end and had a nice dinner.

I didn't do a very good job of explaining Christmas this year, I think, which was revealed when Annie was asked what Christmas was about.  She replied, "Presents!"  When asked what else it was about she thought for a moment and said, "More presents!"  Oh dear...

For the kids I tried my hand at making felt puppets.  They seemed to turn out ok...at least you could mostly tell what they were.  There was a tiger, lion, zebra and dog/sheep (that last one is up for interpretation...) complete with googly eyes (my favorite!) glued together with a hot glue gun.  I love those things!  They make some crafts go a lot faster.  It's been nice to create things with my hands again, since I sort of stopped for a while when I started working full time, getting married, having kids...etc.  Sort of a re-discovery.  I have my eye on a few other DIY projects now...

 Annie made cookies with Chloe before Christmas.  She had tons of fun.  I think sampling the batter was her favorite part.  ;) 

 Stockings!  I'm grateful for a dollar store that supplied me with small items to stuff it with.

 Trying some chocolate discovered inside.  Wesley would not move off this bean bag the entire time we opened gifts up until he opened his present from Uncle John and Aunt Carrie.  Something about a big yellow Tonka dump truck...

 He said, "ooooh Wesley!"  when he saw it.

 I think this is Annie's favorite toy hands down.  She played with it almost non-stop after opening it.  She is hoping it will rain soon.

Had to post some pics of my handsome guys too.  :)

Slowly Settling

We are staying with Josh's family for a little bit while Josh looks for a job and housing.  We are so happy to be a part of this sweet little family.  They are the type of people who have an impromptu nerf gun war on Saturday morning and will drop everything to help someone.

We've enjoyed walking with their 2 dogs on a nearby trail, making Christmas gifts, visiting the local library for story time, and peppermint tea in the evenings with an occasional game or two.  My kids just adore Aidan and Chloe.

It's been such fun discovering our surroundings with people who can give us insight on what's good and where to find things.  There is even a Chickfila, which makes the Southern part of me rejoice.  :)

Thanks Chris, Esther, Aidan and Chloe!

Watch for Falling Snow

(disclamer: these photos are not in order and might not be mentioned in the post but I had to put some kind of pictures up at least)

I drove to the library all by myself last week! The kids loved story time, and Annie begged me not to leave. They sang some songs and got to shake some bells, which was Wesley's favorite part.

I'm thankful for a couple main roads that help in case I get lost. :) There is a cute little street that I want to explore with Josh that has little shops and a coffee shop. It's lined with street lamps covered in colored plastic for Christmas. Makes it look really cozy at night.

Speaking of night - it gets super cold here at night, but when the sun is out it feels so warm! There is a spot by a window where I like to sit and just soak up some rays.

There is a little walking path near the house. I took the kids there yesterday and they really enjoyed running down hills and stopping at the bridge to watch the water go underneath. I can't get over how sparkly the snow is with the sun shining on it! Annie has been known to eat it, too. She likes to go wandering through the front yard in the afternoons pretending who knows what. I've been impressed by how well she has adapted so far, since she was my main concern during the move. She really likes to know ahead of time what is going to happen. She is a lot like me! Thankful for an opportunity to grow in being content whatever the circumstances and also to trust our Father regardless of knowing what's ahead or not.

Wesley has fallen in love with Josh's sister's two dogs. He gives them smacks on their bottoms and says Uppy (puppy) fifty million times a day. hehe I think we will need to look into having one at some point. Wes was watching one of the dogs drink water one time, and after the dog left he bent down to try and lap the water just like he saw the dog doing. Ew. We didn't let him, though. We also found some dog food stashed in a toy barn the other day. Saving it for later?

"I Guess He'd Rather Be in Colorado..." ~ John Denver

It's been a while since my last post. Partly because I've been very busy and partly because we haven't been able to talk about big change in our family until it was official.

We have been praying and seeking God regarding the ministry we served at for quite some time. Josh and I felt maybe it was time to move on, so we fasted and prayed for the Lord's direction or confirmation of staying where we were. Long story short, we are following His direction to move...to Colorado! It's been quite the adventure and learning/growing process. We have seen God provide in little and big ways. Like the time Josh decided to go ahead and pay extra for roadside assistance when he rented the moving truck, which came in handy when the tire shredded in the middle-of-nowhere-Kansas, or when the truck wouldn't star because it was too cold. We've also received some warm weather clothes/shoes for the kids that came just in time.

We just arrived last week to stay at Josh's sister's house until we can find a place to rent. Josh has gotten some job offers that he currently is pursuing. We all like it here and are excitedly exploring our surroundings. The mountains are so pretty in the background, and provide great navigational help, too.

We are looking forward to each step God shows us, while enjoying each moment in His presence.