He is 1!!!

I can't believe it my baby is 1!  He is such a happy little man, and brings so much joy to our whole family! 

B is still not walking, which really surprises me since he has been mobile for so long (crawling and such)...  I am sure it will be soon!  I am secretly hoping that he waits 10 more days so his first steps can be in our new house.  I'm all about where the memories happen!

We had a really small birthday celebration for B.  We had a great time celebrating with our dear friends.  And ended the evening with a mini dance party!  Now that is how we do life : )

Happy Birthday B!  We love you soooo much little man!

only 4

A year ago today, there was only 4 of us... 

We have been so incredibly blessed by turning into a family of 5!  What a sweet day we spent as a family of 4.  I can't believe that it has been a year!!!!  Celebrating the eve of B's birthday!

feeling overwhelmed

People move ALL of the time... but when it is me, I start to freak out a little bit!  There is so much to do, and I don't even know where to start.  Packing with my 3 sweet little peeps feels less than productive.  Figuring out what items will and will not fit in the new house is a task I am taking on with graph paper.  Where to sell or give items we won't be bringing with us rattles my little brain.  I am realizing more and more, that I am great at making decisions for others, but I stink at making up my mind for myself.  Would someone just come over and tell me what to do??!?!  Mr. Steady is slammed at work right now (working his old job and his new job simultaneously)... thus leaving much of the house stuff up to me.

I'm competent for the job... just completely indecisive and overwhelmed at the same time!

And along with the full time job of managing our move, I still get to take care of my little ones.  The more stress I feel, the worse mom I tend to be.  I am praying that by God's grace, I can be full of love, joy, patience and playfulness with my kiddos in the next few weeks.  That the details of the move won't rob me of my joy (which therefore robs my kiddos of their joy).

Wishing I was more of a "roll" with it kind of gal.  Also, wishing sweet little B didn't attempt to unpack every box I try to pack... Whew, this isn't going to be easy!

Colorado

We have been home for a week now, and somehow with the craziness of life I haven't had a chance to share about our trip.

My dad had a big birthday, and it was time to celebrate as a family!  We were all able to meet up in Estes Park, Colorado.  If you haven't been there, it needs to make your bucket list!  It is breath-taking and so beautiful!  We soaked in the time with my dad and step-mom, my brother, my sister and my sweet nieces.

We hiked beautiful trails, fished for trout, soaked in the wildlife, enjoyed camp fires, played fun games, ate amazing meals, and so much more!

We had Sweet Cousin time

Fishing with the kids... H, Bug and my youngest niece each caught 2 fish! It was so much fun and a huge hit with all of the kids!

 Bug wasn't afraid to pick out her worm!

We were able to spend time with great friends, lots of catching up, lots of great laughs!

We even got to see our "first born", Koa Dog.  We got Koa when we were first married, then gave him to my brother when we moved to Cali.  We have missed Koa but he has a much better life now... he actually gets walked every day now!  H loved getting to play with Koa and throw his ball, best buddies re-united : )

Happy Birthday Dad!  What a blessing it was to get to celebrate with you!

Beauty of creation

*** this is a post I wrote last week while in Colorado, I just couldn't post it with out pictures, 

thus the delay***

The absolute beauty of the Rocky Mountains makes my heart happy!!  As I was reading "One Thousand Gifts" this weekend, I came across an amazing quote at the beginning of a chapter.  It stirred up my heart and challenged me to go deeper.

"Every time you feel in God's creatures {CREATION} something pleasing and attractive, do not let your attention be arrested by them alone, but, passing them by, transfer your thoughts to God and say:
'O my God, if Thy creations are so full of beauty, delight and joy, how infinitely more full of beauty, delight and joy art Thou Thyself, Creator of all!" - Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain

Have you experienced that?  When you see the beauty of the sunset, do you see God's hand in creating this beauty.  When you hear the roar of the ocean, are you reminded of God's amazing power?  When you see the Mountains stretch to the sky are you in awe of how big our God is?  When you see the peace of a quiet stream or a mountain lake, is your soul at rest knowing that God is the creator of all things?

I pray that as each of us sees all the beauty around us, that we don't just see what is in front of our eyes, but that we know that all of creation points to God and all His glory!