Settling In

Well, we've been in Chicago for almost a month now and are finally feeling like we're settling into our new home. Most of the boxes are unpacked. And today we even managed to pull the van into the garage! Yay! Now we don't have to worry about the snow coming. But we do still need to fit one more vehicle in. The kids have loved our new home and the extra space it provides them to play. They've even enjoyed playing outside a little, although it's rather limited with the colder temperatures. Micah is still learning that he needs to grab a coat before he walks out the door, but I'm sure that will set in a little better when the temperatures drop.

Daddy made signs to greet the kids when they came in to the house.

The kids have been creative in some of their new play adventures, and they've been having fun together so that has been nice. They (especially Micah) are eager to make new friends and have enjoyed a few opportunities we've had to get together with other families from Harvest. Here's a few pictures from our first month here...

Daddy also had a special treat that he made for the kids!

After they toured the house, they were excited to go check out the van (a purchase Daddy made before the rest of us arrived). Ashlyn's favorite part is the doors the slide by themselves. She is quick to let us know that she doesn't need any help opening the door.

We were glad to find a Chick-fil-a just a few miles from our house, and just in time for peppermint chocolate chip shakes!

This kids wanted so badly to play with boxes when we were packing in CA. They weren't allowed to there, but we promised that once we got to IL they could play with a whole bunch of them.

Daddy built them Ft. Boxes, Illinois! The fort has been up for nearly a month now. And we've found that the kids have "moved in." If you go inside you'll find plates, cups, a flashlight, little Christmas tree, and various toys.

The kids were so excited to open boxes and find all their toys.

Piled high with all her stuffed animals

Micah was thrilled to find his legos again

He has spent most of his first month here playing with his legos

They were also eager to help with putting together a new shelf...

Hammering away

Busy at work

Yeah! It's almost done!

But after the shelf was built, they had even more fun playing in the box. This was a great hide out for several days!

The kids and I drove around town one day to check out our new surroundings. Here we are in the mall outside their Winter Wonderland.

Ashlyn had fun playing in the play area. Unfortunately Micah is now too tall for a lot of these little kid areas. He loves that he is getting bigger, but sometimes he wishes he wasn't.

In the midst of trying to set up house, we found a little time for some Christmas activities. Here the kids are making a gingerbread house that we received as a white elephant gift at a Christmas party.

And of course we had to set up the tree. Here's Nathan putting on the finishing touch.

Micah was very excited to look out the window one afternoon and see snow falling.

Micah was eager to shovel the driveway!

And Ashlyn just had fun playing in the snow!

 We hear (from everyone) that the weather this year is very unusual. They all say there is usually lots of snow in December. But we've only seen a few sprinklings of it, and what has come was gone within a day. So Micah didn't get the white Christmas that he was looking for, but I'm sure we'll have other opportunities for that. As for me, I'm thankful for the unusually warmer temperatures in the 40's (which is still cold for me) as we settle into the Midwest. I'm learning the art of layering clothes, even while I'm indoors.

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

Happy 60^th Birthday to my Mom! To honor her on this special day, I wanted to record six things I love and appreciate about her… one for each decade of life the Lord has blessed her with.

•  Her servant’s heart – My mom is always eager and willing to serve our family and the body of Christ, whenever needs arise. As a child, she provided me with the example of serving in our church in various capacities and practicing hospitality in our home. As an adult, my own family has been blessed with her gracious service on numerous occasions, most recently as she cleaned our home and watched the kids so I could finish packing.

•  Her commitment to the Lord – I love her enthusiasm to share what she learning from her study of God’s Word, and her faithful commitment to actively stay part of a Bible study that encourages her in fellowship and spiritual growth.

• Her commitment to my Dad – This year my parents celebrated 40 years of marriage! Wahoo! It is such a blessing to see a couple who has remained faithfully committed to one another for so many years in the midst of the joys and trials of life.

•  Her thoughtfulness – My mom is one of those women who remembers everything and does something to make all those little days special. She’s great at sending cards and little gifts to the kids on special occasions, and sometimes just because. Her thoughtfulness to remember and think about the kids closes the distance gap as we live so far away. Our kids know their Nana well because she is diligent to stay a part of their lives across the miles.

• Her gracious support – There have been several times when the direction God has sent us hasn’t been what she ideally desired, but despite that, she has been excited for and supportive of us, trusting God’s sovereignty at work in our lives.

• Her fun-loving spirit – Whenever we are together, we always have fun! Whether it’s playing games or planning special outings (or vacations), we’ve made a lot of memories together and I’m so grateful for each and every one of them!

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

Traveling to Chicago!

We left Idaho on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to drive to our new home in Chicago. The kids were full of excitement and they actually did really well, considering the length of the drive and the cramped space in the car. On our journey we traveled through Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. The weather (and the roads) were clear the whole way. Praise the Lord! But we did get to see a little snow in Utah and Wyoming - it made for a beautiful drive. The kids even enjoyed playing in the snow a little when we stopped at the rest areas. A few random stats from our trip:

• Total mileage: 1,714 miles (although since leaving California in early November, we put over 3,200 miles on our car, that took us through 10 states!)

• Days of travel: 4

• Hours of travel: 32.5 hours

• Highest elevation: Over 8,600 feet in eastern Wyoming!

• License plates found: 28 states, 4 Canadian provinces.

• Stops along the way: too many to count!

• Most random sight along the way: A HUGE Cabela's in the middle of nowhere Nebraska. You can't find one anywhere in CA, but you can in little Sidney, NE. (Micah was quick to observe the words on the town water tower that explained it ("Home of Cabela's)

 Ready for our drive from Idaho to Illinois

 Excited to have some fun little presents to open each day of the trip.

The kids were fascinated with the GPS in the car. I think Micah literally watched that thing for the majority of the drive. It was fun to see our progress along the way.

Our first day we traveled to Odgen, Utah to stay the night with our friends, the Ballards. An added bonus: they were in Idaho for Thanksgiving so we met up with them in Idaho and followed them to their home. The kids enjoyed switching up the seating arrangements in the cars to ride with one another.

 Dinner at the Ballard home

 Michael and Micah

 Yay for sleepovers! Thankfully there were all quite tired though so they went to sleep quickly.

 All the girlies... ready for bed.

Lindsay and Barbara

I'm so thankful for my friendship with Lindsay. We first met in the class "Pastor's Home" when I was pregnant with Micah. She has been a blessing to me in so many ways in the years since we first met. She is one of the sweetest women I have ever met and always encouraging. We've missed them since they moved to Utah in June. But it was so good to catch up and hear about the Lord's provision and care for them in a their new ministry. Thanks for your hospitality Ballard family!

 Yay for Sonic! I was impressed that we actually got through the long drive with only 1 stop at McDonalds. It was fun to find other places to eat along the way.

 And we were so thankful for sleeping kids in the car. It sure makes the drive go a little faster for them!

 

 Our second night we stopped at the Stagecoach Inn in Ogallala, Nebraska. The funny thing about this town in the middle of nowhere... I've been there before. The day before we left I was talking to my dad about our family's cross-country road tour when I was in high school and he told me our first stop on that trip was in Ogallala, NE.

  

Enjoying breakfast before we hit the road. The kids had fun the night before swimming in the hotel hot tub. We tried out the pool, but although it was indoors and heated, it was still a little too cool for us.

A new dvd from Nana! Thank you Nana!

 Yay for rest areas! The kids enjoyed many opportunities to get out of the car and run around.

 One of the highlights of our trip was our third night, in Des Moines, Iowa. We surprised the kids with a hotel that has an indoor water park. So cool! As we were standing in the lobby, Micah sensed there was something just through the doors on the other side of the lobby and he was craning his neck to get a peak. So we took them through the doors for a little peak at their surprise. They were so eager to get checked in and suited up!

Micah loves to help Daddy with the luggage. Although it looks like his "help" makes Daddy work a little harder.

 Ashlyn was a bit timid with the slides, but she eventually warmed up and was willing to do this one on her own.

 Daddy and Micah loved the big slides!

 Especially racing each other to the bottom!

 Going down together was lots of fun too!

 Mama and Ashlyn 

Micah loved to torpedo down this slide!

It was so wonderful to have something so fun on the last evening/morning of our trip! What a blessing that we were able to find this place. And we practically had the whole place to ourselves.

 Watching TV while waiting for her shower

Time for a blow dry

Starting the last day of our road trip with a yummy breakfast.

 Welcome to Illinois! We were excited to see this sign, but still had a few hours to go.

Welcome Home!

It was a long journey (physically and emotionally) to get us to this point, but we are so excited to be here! God has been faithful to carry us through each step of the way as we have made the transition from California to Illinois. We are grateful for His grace and mercies which are new every morning. Praise God for our faithful, sovereign Lord! And we are also so thankful for so many friends and family who have encouraged us and prayed for us along the way. Thank you!