Wes has made it home from Argentina, and they had an incredible trip. God always shows Himself in amazing ways when we step outside our comfort zone.
While he was there, he had the chance to build a relationship with Dave and Paula Sinclair, who are missionaries in Buenos Ares. They are an amazing couple, and Wes was able to ask all sorts of questions about what to crate, what NOT to crate, what Orientation is like, and just general things about life outside the US. It was the beginning of a precious relationship, and we are grateful to the Lord for that blessing.
The boys were so excited to have Daddy come, and even Carolina showed her excitement! She could hardly keep her eyes off her Daddy, once he got home. It was the cutest thing. She just had this look of awe in her eyes, and she would follow him wherever he was in the room. So sweet! I love it. She learned how to say "Daddy" this week... a progression from "DaDa."
This time, while Daddy was gone, Carolina stood for the first time on her own. I'm not sure if she plans that, but it seems she does the big mile-stones when Wes is out of town. Crazy. She is walking all over, holding onto our fingers, and she's quite opinionated as to where she wants to go! :) She is also just beginning to cruise furniture. It is perfect timing. I'm praying she'll be walking by the time we are at FPO. It would make things much easier for us, than to have her crawling all over the place while we share living space with other people. Jonathan was my earliest walker at the age of 14 months, so I am praying that Carolina beats his record. :) She will be 1 next month!!!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Single for now... :)
I'm a single Mom again. :) Wes is on his mission trip to Argentina right now. We were apart for just over a month when we first moved here to VA (He was in CA, finishing work.), and that time was really, really rough for me. Life is just not the same without my husband here!!! :) After that experience, I don't know HOW military wives do it! My boys just totally ACT different when Daddy is gone. They normally go to bed at 7pm, and when Daddy is gone, they are still awake sometimes at 9pm!!!! (In bed... but still awake!) It's crazy... they are crazy when Daddy is gone. Can any mom's relate to this?? :)
Anyway, I was not looking forward to this trip, b/c it was so difficult to be apart from him last time. Thankfully, things have been better so far. Maybe we just all got used to it, and know the routine now, I'm not sure. Some of it may have to do with the fact that my parents are here too (since we ARE living in their home right now! :) ). I think having my dad around is helpful to my boys. I have to sing his praises for a second, b/c "Papa" has just been amazing. He has taken 3 boys to the pool every night since Wes has been gone... EVERY NIGHT!... all by himself! Ok, I'm the mom, and I rarely venture to do that. :) I'm thankful. It's given the boys a great outlet to get their energy out. Thanks, Papa!!!
Wes's trip is going well. One of the students is blogging during the trip, so if you want to check it out, the site is www.bamission09.blogspot.com. They have already seen God work in incredible ways!... of course! It's just always exciting to see God ALIVE and ACTIVE when you're on a mission trip. It's not that He's not alive and active here at home; I think it's just that we are often too busy to recognize it for what it is. I crave that focused, unrelenting longing to recognize and obey the hand of God... no matter what the cost. I strive for it daily, but there seem to be so many distractions in regular life! It has been thrilling to be reminded of it again, as I read their blog. Check it out!
The group had an emergency landing on their way down to Buenos Aires... they ended up staying the night in Panama City. It was amazing how God used them on the streets of Panama City ... even in the midst of a "detour." Our God is sovereign and in control!!! Read the blog to get the details. It was amazing.
Since Wes is gone, I've decided to stay busy and get focused on all we need to do in the next week. We leave next Friday (Aug. 22nd) for Raleigh, NC, and we need to have everything packed and ready to be "crated" for Spain before we go. We won't be back here with our stuff until right before we go to training in Richmond. We'll be back with just enough time to crate our belongings and send it on to Spain before we had to 8 weeks of training in Richmond. Time is going by so fast in some ways... and so utterly slow in others! (Even though it's been easier this time, with Wes being gone, I'm still SOOO ready for him to be home!)
I've been focusing on my Mary Kay this week. As some of you may know, I have done Mary Kay for the last several years. It's been such an amazing opportunity, and God has greatly blessed it! I became a director and we earned our first free car! It really is an incredible company; but b/c I'm heading to Spain, I will not be able to continue at the pace that I was working. So, I've been using this week to decide what to do with all my office supplies and my inventory! It's been a major task, but I am getting closer to having it finished. It feels good to have one more thing taken care of!! :)
I am excited as we finish out this next phase in our journey toward our new calling. Next week will be a frenzy, I'm sure. Wes gets home on Sunday, and we'll have the week to tie up all our loose ends here, and get everything situated. Please pray for us in that. Many times, it's all those loose ends that are stressful to take care of! I'm praising the Lord for his faithfulness. There are times when I am so overwhelmed by all that needs to be done, but He often reminds me that HE is in control. So, I will be obedient and do what needs to be done... and constantly remind myself that HE is in control!! :)
Anyway, I was not looking forward to this trip, b/c it was so difficult to be apart from him last time. Thankfully, things have been better so far. Maybe we just all got used to it, and know the routine now, I'm not sure. Some of it may have to do with the fact that my parents are here too (since we ARE living in their home right now! :) ). I think having my dad around is helpful to my boys. I have to sing his praises for a second, b/c "Papa" has just been amazing. He has taken 3 boys to the pool every night since Wes has been gone... EVERY NIGHT!... all by himself! Ok, I'm the mom, and I rarely venture to do that. :) I'm thankful. It's given the boys a great outlet to get their energy out. Thanks, Papa!!!
Wes's trip is going well. One of the students is blogging during the trip, so if you want to check it out, the site is www.bamission09.blogspot.com. They have already seen God work in incredible ways!... of course! It's just always exciting to see God ALIVE and ACTIVE when you're on a mission trip. It's not that He's not alive and active here at home; I think it's just that we are often too busy to recognize it for what it is. I crave that focused, unrelenting longing to recognize and obey the hand of God... no matter what the cost. I strive for it daily, but there seem to be so many distractions in regular life! It has been thrilling to be reminded of it again, as I read their blog. Check it out!
The group had an emergency landing on their way down to Buenos Aires... they ended up staying the night in Panama City. It was amazing how God used them on the streets of Panama City ... even in the midst of a "detour." Our God is sovereign and in control!!! Read the blog to get the details. It was amazing.
Since Wes is gone, I've decided to stay busy and get focused on all we need to do in the next week. We leave next Friday (Aug. 22nd) for Raleigh, NC, and we need to have everything packed and ready to be "crated" for Spain before we go. We won't be back here with our stuff until right before we go to training in Richmond. We'll be back with just enough time to crate our belongings and send it on to Spain before we had to 8 weeks of training in Richmond. Time is going by so fast in some ways... and so utterly slow in others! (Even though it's been easier this time, with Wes being gone, I'm still SOOO ready for him to be home!)
I've been focusing on my Mary Kay this week. As some of you may know, I have done Mary Kay for the last several years. It's been such an amazing opportunity, and God has greatly blessed it! I became a director and we earned our first free car! It really is an incredible company; but b/c I'm heading to Spain, I will not be able to continue at the pace that I was working. So, I've been using this week to decide what to do with all my office supplies and my inventory! It's been a major task, but I am getting closer to having it finished. It feels good to have one more thing taken care of!! :)
I am excited as we finish out this next phase in our journey toward our new calling. Next week will be a frenzy, I'm sure. Wes gets home on Sunday, and we'll have the week to tie up all our loose ends here, and get everything situated. Please pray for us in that. Many times, it's all those loose ends that are stressful to take care of! I'm praising the Lord for his faithfulness. There are times when I am so overwhelmed by all that needs to be done, but He often reminds me that HE is in control. So, I will be obedient and do what needs to be done... and constantly remind myself that HE is in control!! :)
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sorting and sorting and sorting...
When we moved from CA to VA, we sold about half our household belongings... but it still feels like we have a ton! We worked all last week on sorting... and sorting and sorting! We sorted when we moved from CA, and again when we got here. Now I'm doing it again! Crazy!
We are working on getting all of our boxes packed up and ready to be crated and shipped to Spain. The kids were in VBS last week, and it was the perfect time for Wes and I to go to our storage space and SORT! Because we have SIX in our family, we will be allowed 4 crates to pack what we need to bring. The crates are pretty small, so everything has be be as compact as possible. (I have learned to use every nook and cranny... did you know that markers and crayons fit perfectly inside 9x13 baking dishes?!?!)
As of right now, we are bringing our kitchen table, the boys bunk beds, and Carolina's crib... as far as furniture goes. We've packed up boxes of the most essential things (like my pots and pans and silverware for the kitchen, sheets and towels, clothes, etc.) We are also bringing some sentimental things (like our wedding album and family pictures.) We can't bring anything electric, b/c the current over there is different. That means that all our lamps, small appliances, etc. won't be coming with us. Everything else, we will have to buy once we arrive in Spain.
I have realized, as we have gone through this process, how much we as American's horde! It's a normal thing for most of us. I'm not one that likes clutter, and I'm always making Wes (as well as myself!) go through his closet and get rid of things he doesn't wear. But, even with that type of persistence, we still had tons of STUFF... you know, the extra blankets ... just in case. Or the extra jackets... just in case... the extra towels or table settings... just in case. It amazes me! Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it's a sin or anything, but I am realizing just how simple life CAN be. I've basically come down to... "what do we need to live daily life." It's actually quite freeing! I know that sounds crazy to most people, but it's such an exciting place to be. Nothing is holding us down. We could go anywhere, do anything He asks of us!
But, before I get ahead of myself... I'd better get back to what He's asked us to do right now... SORT! :)
We are working on getting all of our boxes packed up and ready to be crated and shipped to Spain. The kids were in VBS last week, and it was the perfect time for Wes and I to go to our storage space and SORT! Because we have SIX in our family, we will be allowed 4 crates to pack what we need to bring. The crates are pretty small, so everything has be be as compact as possible. (I have learned to use every nook and cranny... did you know that markers and crayons fit perfectly inside 9x13 baking dishes?!?!)
As of right now, we are bringing our kitchen table, the boys bunk beds, and Carolina's crib... as far as furniture goes. We've packed up boxes of the most essential things (like my pots and pans and silverware for the kitchen, sheets and towels, clothes, etc.) We are also bringing some sentimental things (like our wedding album and family pictures.) We can't bring anything electric, b/c the current over there is different. That means that all our lamps, small appliances, etc. won't be coming with us. Everything else, we will have to buy once we arrive in Spain.
I have realized, as we have gone through this process, how much we as American's horde! It's a normal thing for most of us. I'm not one that likes clutter, and I'm always making Wes (as well as myself!) go through his closet and get rid of things he doesn't wear. But, even with that type of persistence, we still had tons of STUFF... you know, the extra blankets ... just in case. Or the extra jackets... just in case... the extra towels or table settings... just in case. It amazes me! Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it's a sin or anything, but I am realizing just how simple life CAN be. I've basically come down to... "what do we need to live daily life." It's actually quite freeing! I know that sounds crazy to most people, but it's such an exciting place to be. Nothing is holding us down. We could go anywhere, do anything He asks of us!
But, before I get ahead of myself... I'd better get back to what He's asked us to do right now... SORT! :)
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