Beautiful Friday!

Just wanted to share one of my favorite photos from our day downtown at the Glass Museum! Of course I have others that include my wonderful family but I am in love with the colors in this photo!

My Tri turned into a Duathlon!

On May 5th of this year I started to train for my first Triathlon! I wasn't quite sure how it was going to fit into my schedule as I was a single parent to four while my husband was away at training. I listened to a new friend, Melissa, and committed to the first two weeks of training without taking breaks. Now it feels like second nature and I may even continue training throughout the year (if facilities for swimming are available in Spain). I am not the greatest swimmer and kind of afraid of open water away from shore. I don't know how I survived living in Hawaii, I think it was the uncautiousness of adolescents. I have technique down but my breathing is still something I am fighting with. I found myself on my back a lot during training and was stressed about whether the backstroke was going to get me through the race. I was encouraged by my fellow trainees to use the stroke that worked best for me no matter what that was. I loved the biking and even more so once I was able to get a road bike. I found myself going fast and liked it. I was constantly trying to beat my fastest speed which topped out at 38mph. Running isn't my favorite but when it comes to competitive races I find it thrilling to try and keep up. For two weeks before the race, I was pretty nauseous anytime I thought about the swim. The night before my house was pretty clean. The morning of the race I was fine not stressed just excited. I got there and my family helped me set up my equipment and I met up with my fellow trainees. We were briefed and headed to the lake, I was still good to go. It wasn't until the gun went off, we took off and then the water churned and people were bumping into me that I panicked. I panicked about panicking in deep water and turned back to shore, passing this very cute older couple taking their time. As I look back I should have hung out with them and taken deep breaths and my time! Because I got out of the water I disqualified and sobbed. My husband was off in the distance clicking away at the camera and the sight upset me even more because he was so excited and I didn't want to disappoint. He comforted me, like he always does, he is great! I headed over to clean up my gear and Melissa and Susan were there encouraging me to just get on my bike and finish the race regardless of disqualifying. The bike and run were awesome and so much fun! We ended with a yummy celebration lunch! I look forward to trying again if possible or even relaying with someone who enjoys swimming!

First Haircut!

My handsome little man finally received his first haircut after 2 1/2 years. I had reservations about letting go of his baby whispies. I thought they looked so cute. I love his neat look even better now and he is such a little man! Change can be good!

Sisters and Best Friends

Our Family has not been missing we have just been enjoying one another. My husband returned from training the beginning of June and we have been doing things to enjoy locally before we make our big transition to Spain. Trips to the Zoo, park days, picnics and fun around the house. I love the above photo it shows that there is so much love even if they don't always get along.
Our move has many more questions than it already had when we started this process. My husband has to leave for a month of training before we head out to Spain. We are hoping that everything here can be taken care of before he leaves and our stuff we be well on its way before we get into the country. I am so thankful for the connections we have made during out stint here. It is great to know that God has truly blessed us with people who feel like family. Even those new relationships we are fostering are going to be greatly missed!

Happy 7th Birthday!

Today our daughter turned 7! At 5:40 pm, she was officially 7! Our pregnancy with her was totally planned but still a huge surprise. Dan had to go through surgery in order for us to try and have a baby. We were told not to expect much the first couple of years but 3 months later we were pregnant. I was a Career woman at the time and my husband and I decided my place was at home and I got out of the Air Force. We decided to have a home birth. We did not have any complications and on May 15th at 11 am I went into labor. We were in labor for 31 hours. Our daughter was born at home in a birthing tub. It was a wonderful experience. My husband helped deliver her and was the first hold her. Today we celebrated (sadly without Dad) with ballet photos, lunch at a favorite restaurant and then to our favorite little cupcake joint. We had a blast!

Just days old!One year!

TwoThree

FourFiveSix

And..... SEVEN

Lost the Training Wheels, Finally!

My daughter is going to be 7 on May 16th. She has outgrown her current bike but for the longest time refused to take off her training wheels. The deal was that she could not get a new bike unless she learned how to ride without training wheels. For the past year she has whined and complained about this statement. About a week ago she asked me take them off of her bike, three days later she was riding all by herself. Now I saw this whole experience going down like World War 3. She is a very strong headed little girl and I have always thought much more than I ever was. I have heard horrible stories about learning to ride my bike that my family loves to tell me in full detail. I blamed my dad for every fall, at least I think that is how it went. It must have been a traumatizing time in my life because I have erased it from my memory. I seriously do not remember learning to ride my bike. Back to my daughter. She did not complain, did not want my help because she "wanted to learn it the right way". I am not quite sure how I was going to teach her to do it wrong but she has pretty much mastered the task. I am amazed at her independence during this task. She is growing up to be a beautiful, warm, caring and smart little lady.

Forgiveness

This morning I had one of those slap in the face moments. Over the weekend I was dealing with some inner turmoil and was not looking to be very forgiving to the one who hurt my feelings. This is definitely an area I need prayer and hard work. Here is the email I received as a gentle reminder of the change I need.

Forgiveness Isn't Cheap
Nancy Leigh DeMoss: True forgiveness isn’t cheap. Imagine that someone borrows $1,000 from you. They promise to pay back $100 every month, but then you never see a check. They just don’t have any money to pay.

Then imagine that God pricks your heart and challenges you to forgive that debt. He’s given you so much that you want to bless this other person. When you erase the debt, you’re the one who has absorbed the $1,000 loss. Forgiveness is costly!

The same thing is true when someone hurts us. Forgiveness isn’t cheap then, either. But God has called us to forgive others, just like He’s forgiven us. Jesus was willing to pay for our sin. It cost Him everything.

Is there someone who owes you big-time? Would you say, “Lord, because of all You’ve done for me, I’m willing to pay the price; I’m willing to absorb the debt; I’m willing to forgive”?

With Seeking Him, I’m Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

A Wonderful Retreat!

Last Monday my husband and I asked the questions "What should we do with your next few days off work?" The answer was a couple day get away to Long Beach, Wa. I was so nice to get away from the everyday chores and just sit and relax with my family. Yes we went to the beach and yes it rain sideways most days we were there but it was the best time spent with my family. My husband and I were able to sit and enjoy each other's company by a fire while the kids slept in the next room. We visited little museums and ate seafood everyday. The twins went swimming for the first time and loved it.

Keeping it interesting!

I so love my children. They definitely keep me on my toes. Yesterday my youngest decided she wanted to nap in the buff and removed her diaper and took a nap. When we got her up from her nap she went on the potty twice. So exciting, both of the twins are showing signs of wanting to potty train. But then today, our little man was walking hand in hand with his big sister and tripped. He hit his face and his tooth cut his lip. I feel so bad for him, it looks painful. I am guessing the adage "boys will be boys" is fitting for his age. He has no fear and is defiantly a daredevil.

Ballet

Today our oldest started Ballet and had a blast. She looked beautiful and while not as graceful as a ballerina, her joy and delight was so awesome to experience.

Happy Birthday Twins.

Two year ago today our twins were born. The past two years have been a lot of fun and full of busy-ness. We found out we were pregnant in June of 2006. From the beginning, the pregnancy was so different from that of our oldest. When we went in for our 13 week appointment and the Dr. tried very hard to tell us we were further along than I was. I wasn't buying it, I knew something was very different. We met our new midwife at our 17 week appointment. She was awesome. As she was checking our baby's heart rate, she tried to get a better listen at another angle. She informed us that she felt there was more than one in there. In a split second our baby turned into babies. The ultrasound confirmed that there were two in there. I cried out of shock and I was so scared of the unknown. At 20 weeks, we found out we were having a boy and a girl. We were so excited. Our oldest most of all. She was thrilled to be having a brother and a sister at the same time. I went into our 35 week appointment feeling a little different from the usual and asked our Midwife if she would check to see if anything was going on. Sure enough I was already dilated to 4 cm. We went to Labor and Delivery to see if we were in labor. Not so, we were able to go home but we got prepared just in case. The following evening I was having pretty consistent contractions and decided it was time to go in. We were admitted at around 9 in the evening. After a relatively easy pregnancy and about 19 hours after the onset of Labor, our babies were born.

Baby boy. 5lbs 15oz born at 1212pm

Baby Girl. 5lb 8oz born at 1216pm

Baby boy at 1 year.

Baby girl at 1 year.

Little Man at 2 years old.

Little Lady at 2 years.