let us pray

Let us pray, let us pray

Everywhere in every way

Every moment of the day

It is the right time

For the Father above

He is listening with love

And He wants to answer us

So, let us pray

Here in P-town we have a family that we've been close to for 9 years now!  (Ever since our first born girls arrived a mere few weeks apart the summer of 2002.)  We've grown with the Thomas family from mums and dads of 1 to mums and dads of 4!  One experience that we have been privileged to share with Nathan and Katrina are our times of dedicating the kids to the Lord.  Except in 2008 when we dedicated Liam and Connor at separate times, we have come together to pray over our children and ask our church family to do the same!  On this very special Father's Day we dedicated the most recent 2 kiddos, Avonlea and Finn!

When we move we will greatly miss Nathan, Katrina, Anika, Kaeden, Connor & Avonlea!  

Love you all!

time flies...

Our serious little man is two months old!

christopher columbus once said....

finn's official announcement

This is what I am sending out to the few who don't really have internet and can't see my blog (or aren't on Facebook.) This is also what went in the baby book!

changes

Your life is defined by opportunities....

I'm headed home.  Well, I'm headed back to the place I was born.  Jason and I feel that God is leading us to Austin, Texas.  At least that's what we hope we're being told....

4 days before Finn was born Jason lost his "steady" full time job due to being a man of integrity. It was hard for both of us to make a decision that basically resulted in Jason firing himself from the company he worked for, but we felt that by standing up for what was right, we'd come out ahead in life.

The day Jason lost his job I started sending out resumes.  We looked at Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Florida, Utah and Texas.  We got immediate response from a guy in Florida who really wanted to speak with Jason and then when they missed each other on the phone twice, that turned into a "see you in person" request that we had to turn down as Finn was a day old when the request came in.  We asked if a telephone interview could be conducted and never heard back from the guy... I was crushed as *I* wanted to move back to Naples.  I love the ocean and beach and had just figured that's where we would wind up!

But a couple of weeks ago Jason was looking at help wanted ad's in Texas and called on one in Austin.  He spoke with the owner in the morning and asked me that afternoon to email them his resume.  I did and they called Jason about 10 minutes after they got my email and asked how soon could he come down and interview.

Jason just got home Thursday morning from being in Austin for 4 days.  He has 3 offers- 1 is dependent upon him attaining his Journeyman license here in CO, 1 is a "as soon as you get here I will hire you" offer, 1 is open ended and not as firm, but still an offer.  And he got a call at 7:30 Thursday morning from another company who is interested in him and wants him to come interview once we get there. (So that's a total of 4 and there are still more companies he applied to that we could potentially hear back from!)

So we need to get there.  Because of the Lord's providing hand moving in our families hearts, friends lives and our church family we were able to pay the bills and buy groceries in May.  Without the monetary gifts they gave us, we would not have made it (the winter season in Pagosa ate our savings.)  June is shaping up to be a better month and for that, we are grateful to the Lord for providing.  But plumbing work is really drying up here (ha...ha) and Jason is not getting the amount of work he needs to, so that we can stay.

Jason and I have "tried" to move for the last 4 years.  We've sent out resumes all over the U.S., but we never really planned TO go.  Every year things have opened up to stay - we've gotten a new job or our housing situation was remedied.  We made the decision to trust in the Lord, that no matter how hard it would be, that we WERE going to move (someplace) this summer- the place He wanted us.  As soon as we did the calls started coming in, in response to the resumes we sent out in the last month.

We still have some hurdles to jump!  The state is being a pain and has told Jason he is short in his hours, by 6 weeks, to qualify to test for his Journeyman license.  We're sort of shocked that they are telling him no because of a 6 week difference.  The man has worked 5 years in the plumbing trade in CO and this is annoying.  So we're trying to see what can be done and praying that the Lord works it all out as it's very important Jason attain this license before we move.

We should know by the end of next week what's going to happen with that and then we will set an "official" moving date.  But for now, it's going to be sometime between July 10th and August 1st.

I moved every 4 years as a kid, but I've lived in Pagosa for the last 15 years, Jason for 17.  As annoying as it can be sometimes, I've gotten used to the small town life.  No busy, confusing highways.  No shopping temptations!  Not having to pick a grocery store as there is only one in town.  We LOVE our church family.  We LOVE our friends.  It's going to be hard for us to leave and I've been in a sort of denial about it.  The emotional stress of leaving something I've known for so long is going to be difficult on me.  I've been telling people individually that yes, we're moving, but I haven't actually posted it on Facebook or anything.  Because of course, once it's on Facebook, it's official....  :P

But it's time.  I need to start hugging and crying it out when I see those I'm leaving.

We're moving.

i carry your heart with me

I'm posting a little late, but Jason and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on June 1st!  To mark the occasion we gave each other cards and went to dinner at a local mexican restaurant that overlooks the river in town.  (And we went with out kids!)

I made Jason's card this year - I stayed up late and got it done - because I wanted to share a poem with him that I absolutely love.  I've written it in the kids baby books and I felt Jason needed to see it too.  It's a poem by ee cummings, who I really enjoy.  I especially like this selection as you can read the whole thing and it's lovely or you can read just what's OUT of the parentheses or just what's IN the parentheses and it makes sense still.

I hope that you enjoy it as well!

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by me is your doing, my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

                                                                 ee cummings

oh my

I have been wanting to blog for a while now, but there's a reason I've not!

Life with 4 kids has been a little more chaotic than I thought it would be!  Going from 1 kid to 2 was really hard, the adjustment from 2 kids to 3 was not bad - I didn't have issues with much.  But this whole 3 kids to 4 has really put a kink in my on time/neat freak/orderly life.  I think that I've blow dried my naturally curly hair straight only 3 times in 6 weeks and one time it took me 4 hours to just get it all done.  I had to keep re-wetting the sections that I hadn't gotten to yet every time I had a minute.  But I was so tired of wearing it up that I was determined to finish.

I've been told that the more kids you have, the easier they are.  You're more comfortable being a mom and the whole "taking care of a baby" thing is easier, because you "know" what you're doing, etc., etc.

Baloney.

Finn is by far my most difficult child.  He has no schedule or pattern to his sleeping and eating habits that I can discern and he is a screamer.  I've not had a screamer before and it's a whole new world.  (One that I hope goes away soon.)

But even though life is not as easy as it once was, we're still enjoying the ride!  :)  We have some trying moments, like this morning when I set Finn down to go to the restroom quickly and while I was "indisposed" he started screaming!  I came out to find that Liam had shot Finn in the face with the spray bottle that I use to wet the girls hair when I brush it.  I thought a "how does it feel?" lesson was appropriate so I shot Liam in the face with the spray bottle.  I felt like was delivering punishment to a puppy rather than a 3 year old boy...

But more often than not we have fun, loving moments!  They by far outweigh the trying ones and for that I am thankful.

As the girls are out of school and we are moving into summer here in Colorado and FINALLY warmer weather (snow in the middle of May is NOT fun) life is getting a little easier.  We have less layers to put on when we get dressed and there's no more crazy school schedules to deal with, so maybe we can just chill for a week or two and then the usual controlled chaos that reigns in our family can recommence.

And I will hopefully be able to get back to my blogging and sharing all the experiences that make up our life!