Today is our 8th Anniversary…for some reason I was actually alert enough this morning to tell my husband happy anniversary before he had to leave. I'm very greatful for just those few minutes today as he'll be gone the entire day at school. Yes, school. He began pursuing his Master of Missional Leadership on Sunday and this is day 3 of school. Well, technically he's been in school for about 2 weeks now doing all the pre-reading they wanting him to do.
So, because I can't spend the day with my hubby. I'll take this day away from all the business of preparing for our trip and spend it with my children and thanking the Lord for them and how he has blessed our family on the 8th anniversary of our family.
There is lots to do to get the home and kids stuff ready before we go; meal planning, food shopping, house cleaning, stocking the house full of it's necessities, weeding, watering, fertilizing, mowing, preparing emergency medical paperwork, signing our will with 3 witnesses present, providing daily routines, providing locations of things to do in the area, laundry, packing for Josh and I, packing for the kids weekend with friends to give grandpa and grandma a break, and keeping the house clean in the process so we'll hopefully sell our house soon.
Instead, I'm taking the day to spend with the kids. On the agenda, free movie at Regal Cinema and lunch with friends, nap for Isaac, special one-on-one time with Ali, to the park to enjoy the sunshine, dinner, reading the kids their favorite books, bath while worshipping Jesus in song, and then cuddle time with Bible reading, and bed.
So thankful for my two little ones, that God gave them to me to enjoy and disciple. Jesus, please remind me through out the day that this day is a special day and to continue in my enjoyment even when I'm tempted not too.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Missing Mom
Today marks three years without Mom. I am actually having a harder time this year than any other year. I would like to say that I'm just not as preoccupied as other years but that isn't the case.
Why do I miss her more this year than any other? God has grown us so much over the last three years that I would love for her to be able to share in it with us. However, she is in the presence of his glory and doesn't need to be reminded of it like we do here on earth. To be honest though, it is actually hard to articulate exactly why I miss her.
I went through some pictures this afternoon and thought I would share a few. It reminded me of all the things that she did share with me and how she discipled me long before I knew what that even meant. I don't remember her using many words in our daily life to share Jesus with me, but was seeming always submitted to his will for us as a family. (This last statement may not even be true though because my memory is terrible and for so long my heart was very hard and I couldn't hear what was being shared about Jesus around me.)
Anyway, on to the pictures. Her high school graduation picture. She was beautiful, wasn't she?
Why do I miss her more this year than any other? God has grown us so much over the last three years that I would love for her to be able to share in it with us. However, she is in the presence of his glory and doesn't need to be reminded of it like we do here on earth. To be honest though, it is actually hard to articulate exactly why I miss her.
I went through some pictures this afternoon and thought I would share a few. It reminded me of all the things that she did share with me and how she discipled me long before I knew what that even meant. I don't remember her using many words in our daily life to share Jesus with me, but was seeming always submitted to his will for us as a family. (This last statement may not even be true though because my memory is terrible and for so long my heart was very hard and I couldn't hear what was being shared about Jesus around me.)
Anyway, on to the pictures. Her high school graduation picture. She was beautiful, wasn't she?
This is the year I was born. I don't know the month this was taken but it looks like she was pregnant but not too far along. My guess it was July or August.
The year I graduated high school she retired from her career of running an in home daycare. I was thinking a lot about this, this week because it was Isaac's second birthday and oh how I wish she could have met him. She loved children and they loved her. Here is a picture of her with the kids she took care of. I don't remember where this picture was taken, but I'm thinking we did a picnic or something with the families before she retired. 
One of my favorite reminders of her today was when I found this picture of her and dad dancing at our wedding. We buried her in the pink suit she was wearing.
This last picture is how I remember her best down to the glasses around her neck. This picture was taken when they came out to visit for my college graduation from the University of Washington. After visiting here they went down to Oregon to visit an old friend and stopped for this picture op along the way. She loved gardening and the outdoors. During this trip, she landscaped our yard beautifully. The home that we're trying to sell. Makes me sad to think of not seeing all that she put together for us to enjoy the tiny bit of yard we do have. But thankful for the inspiration she gave me to want to landscape the new home waiting for us somewhere out there.
I sure do miss her, but am thankful so much for all that left behind in her legacy. Seeing how she went out of this world, reminds me that my ultimate goal is to finish strong and finish well.
One of my favorite reminders of her today was when I found this picture of her and dad dancing at our wedding. We buried her in the pink suit she was wearing.
This last picture is how I remember her best down to the glasses around her neck. This picture was taken when they came out to visit for my college graduation from the University of Washington. After visiting here they went down to Oregon to visit an old friend and stopped for this picture op along the way. She loved gardening and the outdoors. During this trip, she landscaped our yard beautifully. The home that we're trying to sell. Makes me sad to think of not seeing all that she put together for us to enjoy the tiny bit of yard we do have. But thankful for the inspiration she gave me to want to landscape the new home waiting for us somewhere out there.
I sure do miss her, but am thankful so much for all that left behind in her legacy. Seeing how she went out of this world, reminds me that my ultimate goal is to finish strong and finish well.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
August Update
Bellow is the monthly update Josh wrote in the beginning of the month. Enjoy!
Josh says...
Well, I missed out on the July version so this is really two updates in one. Booyah.
The Family
· is trying to sell the house. Well, the house has been on the market for about six weeks or so now, and we've seen both good weeks and bad weeks. Unfortunately, not to many people have come through in the last two weeks or so. One pleasant surprise has been the realization that we actually enjoy keeping the house spotless. We are just trying to be patient, but that is becoming harder because we…
· found a house that we really like and would buy. It meets all of our criteria and is really gorgeous. We've been out looking twice and this one is by far the best. The listing can be found at http://tinyurl.com/prospectivehouse, if you're interested in seeing it.
· is prepping for the Greece/Israel trip. It seems crazy that it is actually time to go soon, but it is really getting soon! We went to an informational meeting about it last weekend and I think we're all set to go. The itinerary (more or less) can be found at http://ujtours.com/tourview.asp?ID=4. Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Moore for watching the kids while we’re gone!
· is trying to stay cool. It has been quite the heat wave around here in the last couple of weeks, with 7/29 being an all-time high for Seattle at over 100 degrees. We don't have air, but we did just buy a portable unit that we can wheel out for emergencies.
· had Jason come visit. Jason came out to visit 7/4 - 7/11 and we had a fun time having him around and talking about what the future might look like if he came out to live here. He got to live life out here for a week and met a lot of the people in our lives.
· had friends come visit. I interned at Motorola in the Summer of '99 with John Michelau, and he and his wife came to visit this week. It was nice to be able to catch up a bit and get to know his wife a bit better.
Josh
· is going back to school. I got accepted into the newly formed Resurgence Theological Center (http://theresurgence.com/retrain) to pursue a Masters of Missional Leadership. It will be a very full year as a result, but I’m very excited to learn from such men as John Piper, Ed Stetzer, Bruce Ware, Mark Driscoll, and more. You can pray that I find good times of fruitful study that do not take away from my responsibilities to my wife, kids, ministry, and work. Classes start in two weeks, August 16th.
· finished his first time through the bible. After 365 sessions split over 545 days, I completed my first time studying through this morning. It was awesome. I'll be writing a facebook note soon to give the top things that I learned, but for now I'd just encourage everyone to make plans to read it all, too - you won't regret it. I'd highly recommend reading through it chronologically and really taking in the full story of redemption as it unfolds.
Sarah
· is reading Family Driven Faith. A friend of mine from HS recommended a speaker named Voddie Baucham to me the other day since she knew that I was investigating what homeschooling might look like for our family. Sarah listened to some of his teachings and got hooked, and is now reading his book and really enjoying it.
· is prepping for home school. Ali and Isaac will be homeschooled this year for preschool for a number of reasons, so Sarah is getting everything prepped and ready to go. It would really be nice if we were in our house sooner than later so that there'd be more room to actually do stuff.
Alison
· needs more sleep. Lately our little girl has been having trouble keeping her emotions in check and we're thinking that some more sleep wouldn't hurt anything. Now if we could just get her to sleep in the afternoon.
· got a new bible. For Father's Day this year I got the Jesus Storybook Bible to read to Ali at night since she was just finishing up her last one. We're only about 5 stories in but so far it is awesome and comes highly recommended to ages young and old. In every story, OT or NT, it shows how Jesus is the missing link and what is needed to make everything make sense.
· did Kindermusik Summer Camp. They did a special Summer session where they "traveled" to different parts of the world to learn their greetings, songs and instruments. On the list was Germany, Japan, Great Britain, etc. They even made little instruments from each country!
Isaac
· turns 2 next week! It is hard to believe that it has been two years already. He's full of energy and is certainly "spirited", as we say, but he's a lot of fun to have around.
· does everything that Ali does. Right now he really copies Ali and does whatever she does, which is usually fine except when Ali is freaking out. Luckily he has copied her manners and he does such a good job with his "please's" and "thank you's".
· is now into 3T clothes. He continues to be a large kid and is growing out of the clothes that he has now.
Well, that's all for now. Catch up with us on facebook in the meantime!
Love,
Josh, Sarah, Alison, & Isaac
Josh says...
Well, I missed out on the July version so this is really two updates in one. Booyah.
The Family
· is trying to sell the house. Well, the house has been on the market for about six weeks or so now, and we've seen both good weeks and bad weeks. Unfortunately, not to many people have come through in the last two weeks or so. One pleasant surprise has been the realization that we actually enjoy keeping the house spotless. We are just trying to be patient, but that is becoming harder because we…
· found a house that we really like and would buy. It meets all of our criteria and is really gorgeous. We've been out looking twice and this one is by far the best. The listing can be found at http://tinyurl.com/prospectivehouse, if you're interested in seeing it.
· is prepping for the Greece/Israel trip. It seems crazy that it is actually time to go soon, but it is really getting soon! We went to an informational meeting about it last weekend and I think we're all set to go. The itinerary (more or less) can be found at http://ujtours.com/tourview.asp?ID=4. Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Moore for watching the kids while we’re gone!
· is trying to stay cool. It has been quite the heat wave around here in the last couple of weeks, with 7/29 being an all-time high for Seattle at over 100 degrees. We don't have air, but we did just buy a portable unit that we can wheel out for emergencies.
· had Jason come visit. Jason came out to visit 7/4 - 7/11 and we had a fun time having him around and talking about what the future might look like if he came out to live here. He got to live life out here for a week and met a lot of the people in our lives.
· had friends come visit. I interned at Motorola in the Summer of '99 with John Michelau, and he and his wife came to visit this week. It was nice to be able to catch up a bit and get to know his wife a bit better.
Josh
· is going back to school. I got accepted into the newly formed Resurgence Theological Center (http://theresurgence.com/retrain) to pursue a Masters of Missional Leadership. It will be a very full year as a result, but I’m very excited to learn from such men as John Piper, Ed Stetzer, Bruce Ware, Mark Driscoll, and more. You can pray that I find good times of fruitful study that do not take away from my responsibilities to my wife, kids, ministry, and work. Classes start in two weeks, August 16th.
· finished his first time through the bible. After 365 sessions split over 545 days, I completed my first time studying through this morning. It was awesome. I'll be writing a facebook note soon to give the top things that I learned, but for now I'd just encourage everyone to make plans to read it all, too - you won't regret it. I'd highly recommend reading through it chronologically and really taking in the full story of redemption as it unfolds.
Sarah
· is reading Family Driven Faith. A friend of mine from HS recommended a speaker named Voddie Baucham to me the other day since she knew that I was investigating what homeschooling might look like for our family. Sarah listened to some of his teachings and got hooked, and is now reading his book and really enjoying it.
· is prepping for home school. Ali and Isaac will be homeschooled this year for preschool for a number of reasons, so Sarah is getting everything prepped and ready to go. It would really be nice if we were in our house sooner than later so that there'd be more room to actually do stuff.
Alison
· needs more sleep. Lately our little girl has been having trouble keeping her emotions in check and we're thinking that some more sleep wouldn't hurt anything. Now if we could just get her to sleep in the afternoon.
· got a new bible. For Father's Day this year I got the Jesus Storybook Bible to read to Ali at night since she was just finishing up her last one. We're only about 5 stories in but so far it is awesome and comes highly recommended to ages young and old. In every story, OT or NT, it shows how Jesus is the missing link and what is needed to make everything make sense.
· did Kindermusik Summer Camp. They did a special Summer session where they "traveled" to different parts of the world to learn their greetings, songs and instruments. On the list was Germany, Japan, Great Britain, etc. They even made little instruments from each country!
Isaac
· turns 2 next week! It is hard to believe that it has been two years already. He's full of energy and is certainly "spirited", as we say, but he's a lot of fun to have around.
· does everything that Ali does. Right now he really copies Ali and does whatever she does, which is usually fine except when Ali is freaking out. Luckily he has copied her manners and he does such a good job with his "please's" and "thank you's".
· is now into 3T clothes. He continues to be a large kid and is growing out of the clothes that he has now.
Well, that's all for now. Catch up with us on facebook in the meantime!
Love,
Josh, Sarah, Alison, & Isaac
Creating a Blog
I have grand thoughts for this blog. I made an outline today of everything that I would love to remember down the road on what is happening in our life or should I say how God is shaping us for what he has planned for our future.
Here is the list I came up with.
1. My personal bible study. I'm going through Proverbs and would like to note things that I feel I'm learning as I go along. In the fall I'll be beginnig BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and would love to share what both the kids and I are learning as we go through the Book of John.
2. Homeschooling. We've decided to do Homeschool Preschool this year to see what we think. I've done some research (there is a ton out there) and think this may be the best option for the family.
3. We're in the process of Selling our home and looking for a new home for us. We had found the home that we loved but it was just taken off the market this week. I'm very bummed, but since we don't have a buyer there is no reason to become attached to anything in the first place. Also, wanting to share some of the stories we have from selling, like strange people coming through our home or trying to green up the lawn, etc.
4. Book Reviews. Josh and I are always reading new books and would love to just jot down my thoughts as I read them. We also read lots of children's books and would love to share my thoughts on those as well.
5. Greece/Israel Trip. We leave on our trip in less than two weeks. I would love to share thoughts about how we're preparing for Grandma and Grandpa to come and journal our trip along the way.
6. Family. There are so many things I could share here. Tomorrow is the anniversary of my mom's death. I don't really know what to think, but know that I'm sad that she missed Isaac's second birthday. She never got to meet Isaac. He was due to be born the day after the first anniversary of her death. She loved children and I wish so much she could see them grow. Some other topics in the family category I would love to share is the planning for Ali's 4th birthday in October (crazy, I know.); we hired a financial advisor and am going through the insurance process and do our medical exam on Saturday, we also just opened up college funds for the kids; and the planning for the timing of our next child. Josh does do monthly updates for our family so I'll include those as well.
7. My Husband. He is quite an incredible man. I never dreamed that we would be where we are now and this is an area where I have no trouble seeing the blessing that God has provided for me in my husband. He begins school on Sunday and his schedule is going to be crazy! I would love to share my struggle with knowing exactly how to help him and how to best love him.
8. Home Business. Last month I began a home business where I can make Baby Announcements, Invitations, Graduation Announcements, Holiday Cards, etc. I'm so excited to see where this takes me. I'm working on my creativity and hoping to build a good client base through the holidays. I want to try this out until Spring to see what comes of it. I really enjoy it, especially being able to share in other peoples lives as they celebrate special moments in their life.
9. Other hobbies. I love interior design and any kind of craft making. I made a few decoupage wall hangings and have sewn a few t-shirts as gifts for some of Ali and Isaac's friends.
Obviously, I would be writing all the time if I wrote about all of these. So, for now, I'll just post the monthly family update and see where that takes me.
Here is the list I came up with.
1. My personal bible study. I'm going through Proverbs and would like to note things that I feel I'm learning as I go along. In the fall I'll be beginnig BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and would love to share what both the kids and I are learning as we go through the Book of John.
2. Homeschooling. We've decided to do Homeschool Preschool this year to see what we think. I've done some research (there is a ton out there) and think this may be the best option for the family.
3. We're in the process of Selling our home and looking for a new home for us. We had found the home that we loved but it was just taken off the market this week. I'm very bummed, but since we don't have a buyer there is no reason to become attached to anything in the first place. Also, wanting to share some of the stories we have from selling, like strange people coming through our home or trying to green up the lawn, etc.
4. Book Reviews. Josh and I are always reading new books and would love to just jot down my thoughts as I read them. We also read lots of children's books and would love to share my thoughts on those as well.
5. Greece/Israel Trip. We leave on our trip in less than two weeks. I would love to share thoughts about how we're preparing for Grandma and Grandpa to come and journal our trip along the way.
6. Family. There are so many things I could share here. Tomorrow is the anniversary of my mom's death. I don't really know what to think, but know that I'm sad that she missed Isaac's second birthday. She never got to meet Isaac. He was due to be born the day after the first anniversary of her death. She loved children and I wish so much she could see them grow. Some other topics in the family category I would love to share is the planning for Ali's 4th birthday in October (crazy, I know.); we hired a financial advisor and am going through the insurance process and do our medical exam on Saturday, we also just opened up college funds for the kids; and the planning for the timing of our next child. Josh does do monthly updates for our family so I'll include those as well.
7. My Husband. He is quite an incredible man. I never dreamed that we would be where we are now and this is an area where I have no trouble seeing the blessing that God has provided for me in my husband. He begins school on Sunday and his schedule is going to be crazy! I would love to share my struggle with knowing exactly how to help him and how to best love him.
8. Home Business. Last month I began a home business where I can make Baby Announcements, Invitations, Graduation Announcements, Holiday Cards, etc. I'm so excited to see where this takes me. I'm working on my creativity and hoping to build a good client base through the holidays. I want to try this out until Spring to see what comes of it. I really enjoy it, especially being able to share in other peoples lives as they celebrate special moments in their life.
9. Other hobbies. I love interior design and any kind of craft making. I made a few decoupage wall hangings and have sewn a few t-shirts as gifts for some of Ali and Isaac's friends.
Obviously, I would be writing all the time if I wrote about all of these. So, for now, I'll just post the monthly family update and see where that takes me.
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