Cheyenne Frontier Days

Thomas finally got a day off from school so we decided to take a trip to Cheyenne (about an hour away) and go to their frontier days. We figured it is kind of like the state fair except it's also a huge rodeo. They say it's the biggest rodeo in the world but who knows if that is true. We walked around and shopped and went on rides, it was a lot of fun. 

James got his first cowboy hat which he has been asking for since we got here. Lots of people in hats here. And seeing as how my husband "loves" country music we came to the right state. We got super tuckered out and we had three passed out children near the end. 

Oh and we found the chick fil a in cheyenne which was pretty cool, however they were in a mall and I found that slightly disappointing and weird. But I guess it is the closest one to us so we will have to deal :). Other than that we are just chugging along here. House is almost unpacked and I meet with my midwife on Wednesday for my first checkup. She is super nice and a Christian as well which is a major blessing. I will keep you posted after the appointment. 

Picnic at the park and lessons I'm learning

Yesterday we decided to take a walk to the park near our house and found out there was an awesome splash pad there. The boys had a blast playing and of course deciding the mud was a lot more fun than the water. We brought a picnic which included cherries and luckily they were playing in water because kids and cherries are messy. This picnic was also my first lesson in Wyoming weather. While we were there it was hot, windy, not windy, cloudy, sunny and rainy (multiple different times). In a way it was really cool but the planner in me wanted to be prepared but you just never know here. 

The people seem a lot nicer too. In sacramento I seemed to always be apologizing to people when my kids got in their way or they had to move. But here it seems to be the other way around. People apologize to me for being in the way of my kids. It is an adjustment but one I think I will like. 

Thomas is doing really well in school and seems to be somewhat of a mentor to some of the other guys. He seems to be excited about getting further into the program and learning more. There are a few things you can be praying for us about; finding a local church to get invested in and some godly men Thomas can meet with, other moms that I can meet with and fellowship with, and that the boys can continue to adjust well to this change. 

 

We are here

It is sort of surreal to finally be here. It all happened so fast but yet seemed to take forever. After 19 hours of travel, leaving at 4am, we finally made it here. The kids actually did really well and didn't even have to stop too many times. We arrived at about midnight and still had to unpack mattresses to sleep on and blankets, needless to say we did not get to bed until around 1:30. Being pregnant I feel pretty useless in this whole process because I cannot lift anything heavy and I have to keep an eye on the kids. 

The kids seem to really like the house and are doing surprising well with the change so far. But we will see how they do once grandma and grandpa leave. I am sure they will be fine. 

It seems a little overwhelming when I look at all our stuff and how much I need to unpack. Thomas goes back to school tomorrow and I won't really have too much help this week. I am excited to hopefully go through our stuff and get rid of stuff I know we won't need. Other than the packing process there is nothing really new here. Thomas likes school and is wanting to get involved a lot in volunteer work and helping with the school so I may not see him as much as I thought. But I am so excited about our adventure and where The Lord is taking us. 

Moving to Wyoming

As most of you may know Thomas felt the Lord's leading to attend Wyotech in Laramie, WY. He will be starting school on June 26th and it is a 9month program where he will be trained as an automotive and diesel mechanic. We are very excited about this opportunity and what The Lord has for us in WY. 

I wanted to give a quick update on the progress and hopefull move date, Lord willing. We are looking at a house that will not be available until early July so chances are Thomas will be living in the RV for a few weeks while we wait for the house and then I will join him in July with the kids. There have been a few hang ups with his application due to his homeschool transcript so please pray for a speedy resolution to this problem. We will keep everyone posted on our departure and have a get together before we leave. 

God's Perfect Timing

An update on our family and our lives seems to be needed. The family recently took a trip to Montana for Thomas to interview for another job in Missoula. It was a long drive but very fun and I am glad we got to see the state and obviously fell in love, it is so beautiful. The kids also did really well in the car, even on the 18 hour ride back. 

It turns out that it was not God's will for Thomas to get either of the jobs in Montana. We are not really sure what this means for our lives and for a job for Thomas. He has decided to look here in Sacramento for the time being while also looking in possibly Idaho. We want to move to a more conservative state where we can raise our kids. Our house is still on the market with no offers yet. This is where it starts to get hard for me and trusting in God's timing. I know he has a place for us and  the perfect job for Thomas but we just don't know what that is yet. 

Not to much more to tell here though. We took a trip to Disneyland about 3 days after we got back from Montana. It was so much fun and the kids had a blast. Thomas` parents were so generous and gifted us the tickets and hotel, and the help with the kids at the parks. We have been go go go since November and I think I am ready for a vacation from vacation. I pray the Lord will soon bring us to a job and a new home but I want it to be of His will and not ours. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support, we will keep you all posted and don't worry we won't leave without saying  goodbye. 

When it rains it pours

I have to say that for us when it rains it pours. To give you a little idea of what I mean. When Thomas and I got married we were both doing worship team, junior high, and I was the missions coordinator for our college group, oh yeah and my dad was deployed in Iraq. When we were having our first child we were buying a house, got into 2 car accidents and my aunt passed away. Now our life consists of loosing a job, selling our house and my son is in the hospital trying to figure out why he threw up so much blood.

I know that through all these circumstances God is growing our trust in him and growing my love and appreciation for my children. How do I handle so much all at once with my anxiety issues? Trust in the Lord and he will renew my strength. He has promised me that I will run and not grow weary if I put my trust in him.

I want to thank everyone for all your prayers and support during this time. An update on Seth: they put him under and put a camera down his throat to see if there was anything and they said it looked fine. Still not too sure what caused him to throw up all that blood. He is sleeping and they said we should be allowed to leave by tonight. The doctors are asking the sinus doctors if they want to do any tests so not sure if they want to yet. Another blessing from the lord is our health insurance is still active for another month which helps that money won't have to be a concern in all this too. I just keep telling myself that God keeps closing doors so that he can open new ones. I pray our path is ordained by God and his will is active in our lives.

For all that dont know Thomas and I are looking at possibly moving to Montana. We want to get out of liberal California and move somewhere with a slower pace of life. Thomas has family there, but we will need a job. But like I said we want Gods will to be done. We are just taking it one step at a time and seeing where it leads us. And everyone who wants is welcome to move with us. :)

Tips for an outnunbered mom

1. crock pot is your friend, its okay to use every day.
2. Spend time outside, fenced in. Parks sound like a good idea but they lie, they suck
3. Movies are okay in moderation. Don't feel guilty if you need a little quiet in your day
4. The healthier your kids eat the better behaved they are. Don't take short cuts and serve boxed mac and cheese. It makes them crazy.
5. Set the baby down, she can cry for a minute, that toddler needs a spanking more. Discipline and training are needed.
6. Bath time can be once a week, that's okay
7. Go shopping with people and if you go alone put them on a lease, those things are awesome.
8. Go on walks. The fresh air helps and its nice to have a change of scenery.
9. Kid proof your house. It makes it harder when everything is a no no don't touch.
10. Relax, you don't have to have the "perfect" family. The kids can be dirty and loud and crazy.
Our first and foremost job as a mom is to raise our children to love and honor God. So our attitude throughout the day is so much more important than whether or not we got the dishes and the laundry done. We need to discipline and train our children but remember they are learning and if we are getting overwhelmed maybe we need to lower our expectations of them. I find it difficult most days to have the patience to deal with my children in a godly way but i remember that God chose me for this job to raise these two boys to be godly men who serve the Lord and this little  girl to be a wise and respectful women.