The Scroggins Family

What a Difference a Year Makes

2012-01-31T22:23:00.000-08:00

As I was going through our pictures from 2011 I came across this picture of Micah and I at the end of last January. We had been at the Butterfly reserve north of Santa Barbara for a field trip. As we were heading home, the weather was so beautiful that we made an unexpected stop at the the beach in Santa Barbara and played in the water for a little while.

And one year later, we had another unexpected adventure. Lots of fun! But much colder this time!

With all the craziness of moving, getting settled and adjusting to a new job, Nathan and I had been wanting to take the kids away for some family time. But as we looked at the upcoming calendar, we realized it was either now, or much later. And the deal was much better if we did it now! So Nathan called his boss on Sunday afternoon to see if he could take a little time off, we made a reservation, and we were off! In the midst of our quick packing we realized that Ashlyn was trying to figure out this whole moving vs. vacationing thing as she asked what was going to happen to all the things in this house after we left. It seems she thought packing up the car again meant we must be moving. Poor girl! We're really confusing her!

Ready for a new adventure

Enjoying a little dinner on the road

So where did we go? We headed north to Wisconsin, a state that none of us has ever been to. We found a little town called Wisconsin Dells - sort of a cross between McCall, ID (our favorite winter resort town) and Myrtle Beach, SC (our favorite beach). And it just happens to be what they call the Waterpark Capital of the World. Hmmm?!!

But before hitting the waterpark, we had something else on the agenda...

Downhill skiing!!

Yes, they do actually have skiing in Wisconsin. Not quite the Rocky Mountains, but the kids are beginners so this hill was just perfect!

Look how little the skis are? Aren't they so cute!

We had been planning to take Micah skiing for Christmas this year. But then our plans changed and we moved to Illinois instead. We figured that meant skiing was out until our next visit to the Northwest during the winter. But then we found out there are actually a few ski hills in the mid-west so we decided to give it a try. And at Cascade Mtn. in Wisconsin, kids ski free! Can't get any better than that!

Skiing was one of my favorite things to do growing up and I couldn't wait to be able to teach our kids to ski too!

Ashlyn and Daddy... almost at the top

I was super impressed with the bunny hill. It's been over 20 years since I spent time on the bunny hill so this might not be a new invention, but it was new to me... sort of an escalator for skis. Way better than the rope tow, and it doesn't ruin your gloves! So cool!

Here comes Micah!

Ashlyn's getting ready to go

Wheeeeee!

Watching the kids learn to ski brought back so many memories of when my good friend, Amy, and I first learned to ski at Brundage Mountain. I can remember it like it was yesterday. So glad our parents finally let us try it!

After a morning of learning it was time to hit the lodge for some hot cocoa and lunch.

Getting ready to head back outside

Silly Ashlyn!

Micah did fabulous out on the slopes! It wasn't long before he wanted to head up on the chairlift...

I realized we were in trouble when Micah wanted to take me up on the lift to show me what he and Daddy had found. He was only on skis for about 3 hours before he started looking for jumps!! They found a terrain park with all sorts of jumps! Aarrgghhh!

Ashlyn did a great job too! Before lunch she struggled a bit, but I think it was mainly because the thought of hot cocoa inside kept her from enjoying the slopes outside. But after lunch she was awesome. She even went up on the chairlift too (Daddy's idea) and skied on her own near the end of the runs. We were surprised at how much she enjoyed it! And we ended the day without any injuries. Praise the Lord!

After skiing we went back to the hotel and then over to their indoor waterpark. And this morning we were back at the waterpark again for a few hours before heading home. Here's a few pics from our last day...

Breakfast at Dunkin Dounuts! Mmmmm!

And then off for some water fun!

Micah braved the Crock-Walk...

He made it all the way across without falling in!

Here comes Micah...

Wow! That was fun!

Micah and Daddy racing down. Micah came down first...

But Daddy went farther

Bye Bye!

From Christmas into the New Year

2012-01-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

Life has gotten a little busier now that we're settling into life in the Midwest. Here's a lot of pictures from our last 3 weeks!

The day after Christmas we went over to Nathan's boss' house to hang out with his family. It was a blessing to get to know he and his wife a little better. And the kids had a blast playing with their kids. Although their 2 youngest are older than our kids respectively, they had a great time!

Ashlyn and Sarah Beth painting

Micah and Zach had fun on the Wii

The kids have been entranced with the GPS, but it got even better when they realized that you could change the voice that talks to you. Here they are discovering Yoda. It proved to be quite funny and Micah continued to imitate him for the next several days.

We surprised the kids with passes to Legoland Discovery Center. With it being just a few miles from our house we decided it would probably be a great place to seek indoor entertainment during the winter.

I am always amazed at the things that can be created with Legos

On an adventure with Indiana Jones

Going for a ride

The Lego raceway track was a big hit. Both kids and Daddy built their own Lego car and then got to race them against each other and a few other kids.

The kids were told that Ft. Boxes, Illinois would be coming down on January 1st so they spent as much time as they could during their last week with the fort. They even got to sleep in it for 2 nights in a row. It was fun while it lasted!

Peeking out the front door

Either she isn't really sleeping, or that's a really funny dream

But this kiddo always falls asleep right away

We were thankful for the opportunity to meet up with some friends from California that moved out here a few years ago. The kids enjoyed another opportunity to play with other kids. Micah and Michael spent most of their time together playing Legos, but they eventually made it downstairs to play Lego video games. The girls played with their baby dolls and had a great time getting out energy on the slide.

For New Year's Eve we had a service at church followed by dinner and bounce houses. The kids had a blast!

Ashlyn enjoying her cake

Ashlyn loves bounce houses, but in the past she has typically been too scared to go in one with other kids in there too. She wants to control the bounce herself. But on this night she finally got up the courage to go in the one where there were mostly younger kids, like herself. When she first went in she almost backed out, but I was able to encourage her to quickly get back to the stairs so she could go down the slide. Once she found the slide, she was sold! Nothing was going to keep her out of there then!

Micah had fun trying out all 4 of the bounce houses

The kids got to play for about 45 minutes. I wasn't really paying attention to the time, as I didn't even know what time it was supposed to end. All of a sudden Ashlyn came up to me crying. The event was over and it was time to take down the houses. She was so disappointed she proceeded to cry (loudly) for 15 minutes while the houses deflated. There was no consoling her. By the time they were all packed up she had finally calmed down and decided that climbing on the packed up house was enough to keep her happy.

We were planning to head home after that, but we ended up meeting a family with younger kids and they invited us over their house to ring in the New Year. So we spent the rest of the evening at their house. Ashlyn was thrilled to find they had their own bounce house in the basement!

After all that jumping it was time for a little refreshment

The girls had so much fun together. Here they are pretending to go to sleep with their baby dolls.

Happy New Year!!!

With Christmas behind us, it was finally time to eat the gingerbread house. The kids had a ball tearing it apart.

To celebrate a new year, we checked out Oberweis Ice Cream shop, just down the street from our house. We were excited to find board games there so we could play while we ate.

Although the weather here is nowhere near warm by California standards, it had been quite warm by Illinois standards. With 50 degrees temperatures, we decided it was finally time to go investigate the park across the street. Micah and Ashlyn have adjusted just fine to this new weather - they were hot wearing just sweatshirts. I, on the other hand, was bundled up in coat and gloves, and I was still freezing!

On the way back to our house we saw this beautiful sunset. We've had several of them and they are amazing to watch from our front window!

Ashlyn was eager to be my mail helper one day. I didn't realize quite how high the mailbox is until I saw her reach up high to get it open. She did a great job though and was so proud of herself for getting the mail and bringing it in.

With all the beautiful sunshine, Micah decided it was time to open a hot cocoa stand. We were shocked at how many people stopped by (some were even driving by and stopped) to support his new business venture. He is quite the salesman - he waved at every car that drove by, and called to all the people who were out walking, seeking to persuade them to purchase some nice hot cocoa! He had so much success the first day that he was right back at it again the next day and made over $10 between the two days. His plan was to do this every weekend until it snowed. Unfortunately for his business though, the snow came just a few days later. But he was eager to trade in his business plans for some fun in the snow.

The kids were thrilled with a new addition to our kitchen - a movable island that functions as a breakfast bar for them. And I LOVE the extra counter space it gives me!

Micah was THRILLED to finally have the computer hooked up again so he could play his computer game. 21/2 months without playing a single game! Wow, that's a long time. He savored every moment he got to play this day.

Finally, this last week we got lots more snow so we took full advantage of all that nice powdery snow and spent much time outside playing in it.

While the boys were outside working hard to shovel the driveway, the girls worked on a special treat with treat.

Ashlyn even baked some of it in her own little oven

Working hard!

4 inches and still snowing

The next day we headed outside for some creative spelling opportunities. Writing spelling words in the snow is so much more fun than writing them on paper.

Finally, Saturday came and with it an opportunity to head outside with Daddy. First we worked on ice caves out front, then we trekked over to the park to have fun sledding, and this time I brought a camera...

Ashlyn's cave became more of a tunnel

Micah's cave is big enough for the two of them!

Ashlyn got in on shoveling snow too!

On our way to the sled hill

Ready to head home and get some hot cocoa

Nathan got quite a work out pulling the kids around

Looking a little cold

When it snows, they will come... come outside that is. The weather has been cooler since we've been here, so we hadn't seen many of our neighbors. But once the snow started falling, everyone was outside together working on their driveways and it provided an opportunity for us to meet several people. Micah was very excited to find a few friends to play with on his little sled hill out front. The boys spent about 3 hours out there sledding, shoveling, and having snowball fights. So fun! And a wonderful answer to prayer!

Christmas in Chicago

2012-01-13T22:16:00.000-08:00

After all the craziness of moving and trying to get ready for Christmas, we were finally ready for Christmas morning to arrive. It's fun to see the kids' excitement as they get older and remember things from previous years. I was surprised that Ashlyn is old enough this year to remember some things from last year. We had a wonderful, relaxing day with our family, and even got to talk with some of our family scattered throughout the country.

Our first Chicago Christmas tree ~ all ready for Christmas morning!

Nathan had his work cut out for him on Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas! I love it when the kids come into our room with stockings in hand!


A new scarf to keep her warm

Excited about Legos

The kids were so excited about Daddy's BIG present!

Micah was eager to help Daddy put his new chair together

And Ashlyn was jumped at the opportunity to sit in it with Daddy!

Micah was so excited to get some new Cars cars. He had a bin full of cars that he loved before we left CA and it seems to be the one thing that we just can't find in Chicago, even though the boxes are all empty. Can't figure out where in the world they got lost. But he was happy for a few new ones in their place.

A week before Christmas Ashlyn started asking for a fishing pole for Christmas. So Micah obliged her and she had a ball fishing over the handrail on the stairs.

Ashlyn had fun helping wrap presents and signing her name on them.

Micah was totally thrilled to open the Lego Kingdoms Castle! He couldn't get the box open fast enough.

Last year we sent the kids on a scavenger hunt for one of their gifts. It was greatly enjoyed, so we did it again this year. It worked well for a gift that we had for each of them.

Reading one of his clues

Heading downstairs for to find his gift...

A Lego board fitted over his table!

Now it's Ashlyn's turn for her scavenger hunt...

Micah was eager to read the clues to her

Downstairs for the next clue...

and finding it under a mat

And finally to the room with the gift... her own bed!

Ashlyn was very excited to get her own bed! And Micah was just as excited for her. A new bed for her means his own bedroom!

Checking out the top bunk

After a fun day of playing with new toys we settled down for a yummy Christmas dinner

We thought for sure that it would take Micah a few days to finish his castle, but he had it mostly done by the end of the day! That boy is focused when he wants to be!

We finished up the day with Slush drinks, dessert and a final reading from our Advent storybook

Sweet dreams Micah!

Ashlyn in her new bed in her own room!

Merry Christmas Sweet Girl! Love you!

Christmas Fun

2012-01-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting a chance to put up pictures of some of the things we did this Christmas.Trying to unpack and settle into a new home doesn't go very well with all the festivities and traditions of Christmas, but we did our best to make it fun for the kids and keep up those things that we try to do every year. It just meant not much sleep for Mom and Dad during those crazy weeks!

The kids always love decorating Christmas cookies. This year we got a set of Nativity Cookie Cutters. When it came time to eat a cookie, the kids kept asking for the smallest cookie this year - baby Jesus!

Daddy always makes breakfast fun with creative arrangements for Daddy's Breakfast Days. Here's dreaming of snow!

Some new friends at Harvest invited us to join them at the Brookfield Zoo one evening to see it all lit up. It was beautiful, but it was cold too! Welcome to the Midwest!

I guess Ashlyn must have been feeling the cold in this picture. Not too happy at the moment!

But she did eventually warm up and cheer up!

Stroller races! So fun!

We love to watch White Christmas every year. So here we are enjoying some dessert while we watched the movie amidst lots of boxes.

Ashlyn cracked us up as she jumped up to dance and sing withe the dancers on the movie!

We had a blast checking out downtown Chicago for the first time - ice skating at Millenium Park, window shopping at Macy's and finishing with dinner at Giordano's. We were thankful for a beautiful day and weather that was warm enough that we got hot in our jackets.

Waiting for the skate rentals

We didn't know what to expect from Ashlyn with ice skating. She is typically not very adventurous so we weren't even sure we would get past getting the skates on her feet. But she surprised and actually loved it! She even managed to skate a bit on her own without any help.

Micah skated around the rink like a pro!

When Ashlyn did fall down, she laughed and thought it was funny!

Time for a break while they clean up the ice - hot cocoa and popcorn. Yum!


Ahhh! It looks like he's about to get run over! Micah had fun playing by the big jelly bean!

Overlooking the skating rink

Lots of fun things inside Macy's

Checking out the Macy's Christmas tree

By the time we made it to Giordanno's we were starving! We sure enjoyed that Chicago style pizza!

And Ashlyn enjoyed dessert all over her face! (Thanks to Daddy!)

As we headed to the parking garage we saw these beautiful trees so we stopped to take a few pics.

So sweet when we get to see them love on each other.

Always gotta have a crazy one too!

The kids and I headed out one afternoon to explore our new town. We ended up at a huge mall just about 15 minutes from us. The kids loved the Winter Wonderland in the center of the mall!

Christmas shopping for the boys. We ended up at the Lego store and Ashlyn had fun checking out their computer games while I worked on finding Micah's present.

Time to check out what's on the Advent Calendar for the day. The kids love opening a new box everyday and finding a new piece to put on the nativity scene.

Christmas Eve morning the kids were excited to open one present - something they could wear to the Christmas Eve service at church that night.

Nathan and Micah actually spent most of Christmas Eve at church. Harvest had several Christmas Eve services, in lieu of having any service on Christmas morning. Micah was thrilled to help Daddy at work and he made some new buddies with several people that Nathan works with. He was a great helper!

Ashlyn and I showed up near the end of the day. After the service we headed to the Cornerstone Cafe for some hot cocoa by the fire.

Cheers!

Crazy picture first!

Now for a nice sweet Christmas photo

Ashlyn was fascinated with the nativity scene in the Children's ministry area. She had seen it up for several weeks, but when she walked by and saw a baby doll laying in the manger, she couldn't resist becoming part of the scene. The set her out on her role play for the next week - She was Mary and Micah was Joseph, and the baby Jesus was one of her baby dolls.

Add caption

Family Christmas Eve photo

Hanging out having a little snack

Christmas Eve at home

So thankful for the family God has blessed us with and the precious gift of His own Son.

SNOW!!

2012-01-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

We are so excited that we finally received snow in Chicago! With having to wait so long for the snow, the kids were extra eager to get out and play in it. They got a little time in it yesterday. But today Daddy went in to work late so we got to play outside with him this morning.

Building a snow fort

Ashlyn found some goggles as we were going through all the winter clothing

Digging out a snow cave

Getting used to the snow

Now we're excited! Yay for snow!

They were excited to get a new sled. Micah was eager to pull Ashlyn around in the snow!

We headed over to the park across the street and found a big hill to sled down. We all had a ball! We didn't take the camera though since I didn't want to lose it in the snow. But below are some pictures sledding down a hill Daddy built in the front yard when we got back from the park.

Warming up with hot cocoa after a fun day in the snow!

Settling In

2011-12-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-12-21T07:11:00.000-08:00

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

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

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

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

Her thoughtfulness – My mom is one of thosewomen who remembers everything and does something to make all those little daysspecial. She’s great at sending cards and little gifts to the kids on specialoccasions, and sometimes just because. Her thoughtfulness to remember and thinkabout the kids closes the distance gap as we live so far away. Our kids knowtheir Nana well because she is diligent to stay a part of their lives acrossthe miles.

Her gracious support – There have been severaltimes 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’ssovereignty at work in our lives.

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

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

Traveling to Chicago!

2011-12-03T21:50:00.001-08:00

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!

Thankful

2011-12-03T21:06:00.001-08:00

We loved our time in Washington, but we were very excited to get back to Idaho. Why? Because that meant Daddy was coming! And we were all very excited to be reunited with Daddy!!! I don't have any pictures from the morning when the kids woke up to find Daddy with us again, but our time together was sweet. We were so thankful to be together again as a family. Here's a few pics from our last week before heading east...

Ashlyn loved having Nana read books to her!

Tea party with the cousins

For Thanksgiving we went to Nathan's sister's house for dinner. It was a fun time to catch up with his family and for the cousins to all play together.

Micah loved the tree in their back yard and wasted no time climbing it.

Ashlyn and Gianna had fun playing together. These girls definitely look like cousins. They look like they could even be sisters!

Nathan carved the turkey as Becky's husband was out of town. We missed having him there with us.

When it came time to eat, Micah claimed the turkey leg!

Gianna, Micah and Ashlyn

Nathan's mom and sister getting the desserts ready!

Ashlyn loved having her Daddy to play with again! She couldn't get enough of him!

Family photo op. Unfortunately the sun was very bright, and we were missing a couple of kiddos.

The kids had fun playing on the Wii!

Becky and Nathan

The day after Thanksgiving, we had another feast... this time with my family. Joy was scheduled to work on Thanksgiving Day so we thought that provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate with both families. But once again, I didn't get any pictures from our meal. Someone took a picture, but I can't remember who it was so I could try to get a copy from them.

Jasmine and Ashlyn at their own little table. They loved having special glasses to drink their sparkling cider from!

And after dinner, Ashlyn found the Chicago mix popcorn that Daddy brought with him.

Game time! We played "Imagine If" and had a lot of good laughs! Nathan won! He beat us all by a landslide!

Nana, Ashlyn and Papa

Cheesy fingers. Mmmmm... good!

Nana had some matching nightgowns for the girls and they had fun twirling around in them before bedtime.

Sweet hugs!

Micah and Uncle Bobby working on a puzzle

Another Bronco day! Nana and Papa with 4 of their grandchildren.

Micah and Christopher

My mom and I

Joy and I

These last pics were taken as we were getting into the car to head out to Chicago. Definitely an emotional time. When we left So Cal it was early in the morning and Nathan wasn't with us. The previous few weeks really just felt like a vacation. But getting in the car this time brought the reality that life was getting ready to change. Lots of excitement, but tinged with sadness.

Fall Leaves and Winter Snow

2011-12-03T20:14:00.001-08:00

After we left Idaho, the kids and I traveled to Eastern Washington to stay with my parents for a week. And in that one week we got to experience Fall and Winter - our first introduction to living outside of Southern California.

There were LOTS of leaves in Nana and Papa's backyard so Micah offered to rake them and bag them for $1 per bag. Nana told him he drove a hard bargain, but SURE!

I helped him out a little so we could get it into one big pile.

Ashlyn did her part to help out too

Both kids thought it was so fun to be buried in the leaves, but Ashlyn had to clarify, "Just don't cover my face."

Micah, on the other hand, wanted to be completely buried, but that didn't make such a great picture, so here he is with his face showing.

Then it was time to PLAY!

Running...

Jumping...

Soft landing. So much fun!!

Ashlyn preferred to just wade through the leaves.

Then we all had fun running and jumping together

Ashlyn found one of Aunt Bonnie's old baby dolls and adopted it for the week

And then came the snow! The first night it was just a light dusting. The kids had a ball playing with it out on the deck, but were disappointed to see it gone the next day.

So we found something else fun to do that day... we made a gingerbread house! I kept telling Ashlyn not to eat the candy, she needed to put it on the house. She responded that she wasn't eating it, she was just tasting it (licking the sugar crystals off it)!

The finished product! (Notice Ashlyn's hand in the bowl. Can't let any of that sugar go to waste.)

Then the next morning the excitement level was over the top as they looked out the window to find a winter wonderland outside. Micah's first request... "Can I go shovel the sidewalk?!"

Ashlyn just enjoyed walking around in it.

We even had a enough to make a snowman!

Once we were all too cold to stay outside, it was time to warm up with hot cocoa and marshmallows (or smarshmallows, as Ashlyn would say).

It kept snowing throughout the day, so in the afternoon Papa took him out to show him the snowblower. I was a little concerned. After all, Micah has a winter full of shoveling the driveway in front of him and I didn't want him to start desiring the easy way out.

But I had nothing to fear. Although he was impressed with the snowblower, he was much more interested in shoving it himself!

Here's Micah with his 14 bags of leaves that he bagged up. Total earned = $15 (Nana gave him an extra $1 tip).

Any visit to Pullman requires a stop at the WSU Creamery, where college students make the best cheese and ice cream!

Ashlyn enjoyed some snuggle time with Papa.

Moving East

2011-11-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

Thirteen years ago, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, two "kids" loaded up a U-Haul truck and headed west, from North Carolina to California. We were so young, and we had such dreams about what we thought God was going to do. It's hard to believe that was 13 years ago! We stayed in California far longer than we had ever expected and during that time God worked in ways that we never could have imagined. It's amazing to think back through the years and remember all the ways God has shown Himself faithful in our lives. He's given us two precious children and many wonderful friends; He has abundantly provided for all of our needs; He has carried us through difficult health issues; He has blessed us with great biblically-based teaching, both at church and through our educational pursuits; and through it all He has grown and shaped us into the people we are today, preparing us for our next adventure.

Today, 13 years later, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we're heading out on a journey to take us back across the Mississippi River, this time to a new life in the Midwest. We're excited and scared; happy and sad. There is a such a jumble of emotions, but in the midst of those emotions, we are grateful for the Lord's clear leading to move us in this direction. Our experience has shown us that we can't even begin to fathom God's plans for us. But we know that regardless of what He does with us and our family, He is sovereign in it and is moving in our lives for our good and His glory. Our hearts ache as we leave behind some incredibly rich relationships. But as believers we are grateful that although miles may separate us physically, these relationships built on the foundation of Christ are enduring throughout eternity.

Before we left California, my sister made me a book and included the words to this song. I love it as it describes so beautifully, the way our hearts feel right now.

Blessed be the tie that binds, our hearts in kindred love;

The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.

Before the Father's throne, we pour our ardent prayers;

Our fears, our hopes, our aims, are one, our comfort and our cares.

When we asunder part, it gives us inward pain;

But we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.

This Glorious hope revives, our courage by the way;

While each in expectation lives, and longs to see the day.

We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear;

And often for each other flows, the sympathizing tear.

From sorrow, toil, and pain, and sin, we shall be free;

And perfect love and friendship reign, through all eternity. Amen.

Truax Family Reunion

2011-11-19T10:09:00.001-08:00

The kids and I had a great time spending a week in Idaho with my whole family. It's been over two years since my parents have had all of their kids and grandchildren together, so it was a huge blessing that it worked out for all of us to end up in one place before we head east. With us moving to Chicago, our family is now spread out in 4 different states so it may be a while before we're all together again.

We drove up to Idaho with Micah and Bonnie so the kids enjoyed swapping cars - the big kids rode together and the little kids rode together. It was a long day (16 hours) with many stops along the way, but being together made it a little more fun. And at one point Uncle Micah got brave and took all 4 kids in the car with him so my mom, Bonnie and I could all ride together. We thought he was crazy, but he survived and we enjoyed the girl time together.

In Idaho, we all stayed together at Bobby and Joy's house. It was crowded with 3 families, but the layout of their home really was perfect for that many people. The cousins had so much fun together, both inside and outside.

Jasmine and Ashlyn loved playing with Biscuit. They thought it was a grand idea to put him in the little car and push him around.

And this was our adventurous late night trip to buy cards so we could play a game while the kids were in bed.

Ashlyn enjoyed cuddling with Aunt Joy Joy

It was cold out, but that didn't stop the kids from playing outside. They got much use out of this swing set in the back yard.

Micah was thrilled at the opportunity to help mow the lawn. Here he is learning how to start it. I hope he still enjoys it so much next summer when it's time to mow our lawn!

Ashlyn enjoyed finding Jasmine's little electric car to drive around the driveway

One afternoon we took the opportunity to go to Givens Hot Springs. It was great to get the kids out of the house and they loved the big, warm swimming pool. Ashlyn had lots of fun in the shallow end. She spent a long time pushing "Baby James" (the blue ball) around in the float ring. She loves little James Olbinski so her pretend babies now carry his name.

The girls all had a fun time going out for "tea" one afternoon. This was Nana's birthday request and we had so much fun!

These girls love any excuse for a tea party!


Barbara, Bonnie, Kris, Joy, Bonnie, Ashlyn and Jasmine

On Friday we had a Thanksgiving Dinner together (I didn't seem to get any pictures from this though) and then the cousins had an early Christmas as they exchanged gifts with one another. Let me tell you though, as a kid it is so hard to have presents out all day, but you don't get to open them until the evening. They were bursting at the seems by the time "present time" arrived!

"Hurry up and take the picture so we can open the presents!"

Micah was so excited to get Cars 2! He has been talking about the dvd since he saw the movie in the theater this summer. It was first thing on the agenda for Saturday morning!

Ashlyn loves dressing up so she was excited to get this new Snow White dress and some shoes to match.

While we were all together we got some pictures of the family. Here's Papa and Nana with their 6 grandchildren. We also received news this week that #7 is on the way! Bobby and Joy are expecting a baby in May!

In case you hadn't noticed, this is one dedicated Bronco family! Even one of the cars is Bronco blue!

Boise State played Texas Christian on Saturday and while some of the crew braved the cold to go see the game, the rest of us went to Joy's brother's house to watch it in the warmth of a beautiful home. It ended up being a sad day as BSU lost to TCU by one point, and with it lost hope for a BCS bowl game this year. But the kids had lots of fun playing outside while we were watching the game.

Go Broncos!

Cousins!

Micah and Josiah found this fun toy and ran it til the battery died.

Josh and Ashlyn

I thought it was freezing outside, but that didn't stop these kids. They had so much fun playing in the ditch behind the house. Not quite sure what they were doing, but I guess it was fun.

Ashlyn was in heaven driving herself around on this vehicle!

While we were watching the game, Nathan was busy in Chicago unloading our moving truck. We were grateful that several men from the church came over to help him get all our stuff out of the truck and into the house.

Our new home in Chicago! And our new van in the driveway. We so wish that we could have that vehicle for our cross-country drive. But our drive in the Accord will make us appreciate the van all the more.

I love the tree in the front yard! But Nathan was less than excited about it. Between this one and the tree in the back, he filled up 18 bags of leaves!

All good things must come to an end. Sunday was the last day of our Truax family reunion as the Thomas family was heading back to CA on Monday, and the kids and I were heading north with my parents to Washington. It was a hard day knowing that good-bye was coming, but was still a wonderful day together. We enjoyed going to church with Bobby and Joy (we even got to hear Bobby teach in Sunday School), then lunch out at Chapala.

Bonnie and I took the opportunity during nap time to get away for a few hours to reminisce over a cup of tea. She was a big influence in us moving to CA in 1998. During our time there we had the blessing of having her live with us for a few years and then later being neighbors down the hall at Oaktree. And even when she moved ALL THE WAY out to Ventura (it seemed so far away at the time), we still saw each a few times a month. God has been so gracious to give us much time and MANY memories together in our adult years. The greatest blessing has been raising our children together through early childhood. I'm so grateful that our kids very best friends are their cousins. Leaving them is the hardest part of leaving CA. But, we're hoping for a visit this summer so we can begin to explore the Mid-West together!

So thankful for the blessing of a sister!

For dinner we enjoyed some yummy clam chowder, compliments of Uncle Micah. Just this past week Lure Fish House (the restaurant that he manages in Camarillo) celebrated its 1st Anniversary. Way to go Micah! You've done a great job with the restaurant! Maybe you should consider opening one in Chicago?!

In the morning we reminded the boys that this would be their last day to see each other for a while. That's a big deal when they've seen each other at least once a month for all their lives. It was great to see them have a wonderful day playing together!

Before heading to bed, Josh and Josiah had special traveling presents for Micah and Ashlyn.

Ashlyn got some lacing dolls

And Micah got a license plate game. We love looking for all the different license plates whenever we travel. This is the perfect thing to help us track all the ones we find on our way to Illinois.

Pajama clad cousins ~ It was a late night as we were letting them have lots of extra time to play together.

And of course, lots of extra pictures too!

I love getting fun pictures of these two crazy boys!

One more picture of Josh and Ashlyn. I was actually a bit surprised at Ashyln's response to saying good-bye. I didn't think she'd really understand, but as soon as I told her it was time to say good-bye to Josh, she burst into tears. The tears came flooding again the next morning when she realized he really was gone. So sweet to see their love for one another. So sad to separate them by two thousand miles.

As I said, it was a late night, especially for the two older boys. We were all hanging out in the living room, and Josiah and Micah were looking at Nana's pictures on her phone. Joy happened to notice that Micah was so tired he fell asleep on the couch behind Nana. I was astounded! This kid never falls asleep anywhere but in his bed. So I had to take a picture of it and send it to Nathan.

Soon after I sent the picture, Micah started giggling and opened his eyes. He was totally tricking us, and he got quite a kick out of that. What a stinker! Look at that picture above - didn't he look like he was really asleep?!

The Best of Friends!

One more sleepover for two tired boys.

We are so grateful for the time we had together as a family! (I only wish Nathan could have been there too. We miss him terribly - only 4 more days to go!) We are blessed beyond measure that our family relationship is strengthened by our mutual commitment to Christ. We pray that each one of these precious little lives in our family will also one day commit to following Christ and seek to live their lives to honor and glorify God. Praying, praying, praying for God's work in their hearts!

Our Last Weeks in California

2011-11-16T21:58:00.001-08:00

Once we made the decision for Nathan to accept the position at Harvest, life got crazy! Nathan had less than 2 weeks to wrap things up in California and we made the most of that time - packing, painting, putting our home up for sale, visiting with friends and family, and celebrating his birthday. Then Barb and the kids had a few extra weeks to finish up the rest of the packing and have as much play time with friends as we could possibly fit in. Here are LOTS of pictures from some of the things we did...

We celebrated Nathan's birthday a few days early at Lure Fish House in Camarillo. We love this place, so it was fun to enjoy one more dinner there with the Thomas family.

After dinner we went to Universal City Walk where these 3 kiddos ran til they dropped

While the others were running around, Nathan and Micah suited up for a flight in the wind tunnel. Nathan's request for his birthday this year was for him and Micah to do this together.

Nathan had a lot of time in the wind tunnel at Ft. Bragg, but it's been many years since then. It all came back easily though and he had fun flying around and showing Micah how to do it!

Next came Micah's turn. He did GREAT! And he even had good form with his arms! Good job Micah!

After Nathan stepped out, the instructor flew him up high. Micah loved it!

Way to go boys!!

Ashlyn enjoyed one last trip to our pool, but she insisted on wearing her new boots that she gets to take to Chicago! I don't think she'll be wearing this outfit there though - at least not this winter!

We were excited to be able to enjoy one more Harvest Party with our good friends, the Sedy's. It was a beautiful day to hang out outside!

Good Friends!

Although the kids were eager to carve pumpkins, the Daddy's ended up doing much of the work.

Having fun in the dirt

However dirt is never quite enough for Micah. He found a way to make mud and brought Bethany along to join him in the fun. These were two muddy kids!

We love to spend time with the Sedy family!


Kristin has grown to be one of my closest friends over the last several years. I am so thankful for her godly example, encouragement, and friendship through many ups and downs in our lives! Her friendship is such a sweet blessing from the Lord and I will miss her terribly! But I'm thankful for the many means of communication we now have to keep up friendships across the miles.

We made a quick trip up to Sacramento to visit Aunt Tasha and Grandpa Tom. And we discovered that we'd never taken our kids to a buffet before. Micah was on overload with all his choices at the Golden Corral.

Celebrating Nathan's birthday with Doug and Matt. Thanks for the wonderful dinner Jenny! It was such a blessing to have a place to celebrate in the midst of our craziness.

Tea Time with Aunt Bonnie! Bonnie bought Ashlyn this beautiful princess-like dress for her birthday and it was perfect to wear for a dress-up tea party. This was actually a late celebration of Bonnie's birthday, but we finally made the time to get it into the schedule. Ashlyn sure does love her Aunt Bonnie! Ever since she was a baby, Bonnie has been the only one (aside from Nathan and I) that she is always willing to go to.

We are so thankful for the many wonderful Sunday School teachers Micah has had during our time at PBC. A few of them are some of our closest friends now. Here's Micah with his most recent teacher, Miss Kimmy. We will miss her!

Ashlyn called this our "Chloe Date" and she was so excited about it. Taking kitty in the car! What could be more fun than that? She had played with Chloe's cage for a few weeks prior to this and was thrilled when it came time to actually put her into it. I don't think she quite understood what it meant though. We decided that it was going to be too difficult to take Chloe to Chicago with us so Bonnie and Micah graciously offered to take her for us. Not easy for me, but it was really the perfect solution - Bonnie lived with us when we first got Chloe over 10 years ago and she also lived with Bonnie for 6 months during our time away in Israel - so Bonnie and her family is who she knows best, aside from us. And she has adapted beautifully to her new home. Ashlyn, on the other hand, is having a harder time. She has gotten very into animals in the last few months and was more attached than I thought. I realized today how very much she is missing her kitty when she tearfully asked to see her again. I tried to tell her that maybe we could get a fish like her friend Bethany's when we get to Chicago. She looked at me with a very disturbed face though and informed me, "You can't pet a fish."


Both kids got one more haircut with our favorite hair stylist - Myra, at Kids Cuts and Waves

Moving Day! Micah was so excited about packing up the truck. But the best part about it, was that the truck being delivered meant Daddy was home again! It was only a few days in the midst of several weeks of being apart, but we were sure thankful to see him again. And we are counting down the days until he joins us in Idaho and we don't have to be apart anymore.

We were so grateful for the 10 men who came to help load up our truck! God graciously answered many prayers in relation to our moving experience and this truck and it being loaded up in about 4 hours was one of them. We had some great packers - they filled up every little space they could and we used less space on the truck than we had anticipated, which means we saved a little from what we had budgeted. Yay!

All tired out at the end of a busy day

Micah enjoyed watching the trailer get loaded onto the truck

One last family picture in front of our home. It was harder to leave the house than I had thought. So many memories that we made there. We're thankful for God's hand in each one of those and the wonderful blessing that this home has been for us. And we were thrilled to get an offer on our home the day after we moved out! Now we're praying for God's hand in working out the details to finalize the sale.

Nathan was home just in time to celebrate my birthday. But with nothing left in our home, our kids were concerned about how we were going to have Breakfast Birthday Cake, our family tradition. Nathan had it under control though and didn't miss a beat in planning an alternate location to continue on our tradition. Thank you Nathan! You were so thoughtful to be focused on my birthday in the midst of such craziness! And thanks for sharing your home Robinsons! We are going to miss having such wonderful neighbors!

The celebration continued at lunch with a special meal and dessert at Bonnie's house

And when Nana offered to watch the kids so we could all go out to eat at Lure, we jumped at the chance! I branched out and tried the Idaho Almondine Trout. It was wonderful! But my favorite still lies with the Salmon.


~Sisters~

It has been such a blessing to live near my sister for so many years! Thanks for doing so much to make my birthday special this year Bonnie! I love you and will miss you more than words could ever say! I'm so thankful to the Lord that He made you my sister!

Thankful I was still here to celebrate Baby Morales. Auntie Vonna has been such a special part of our family for several years. We're sad that we're moving so far away just as she is awaiting her own little one, but we're looking forward to seeing lots of pictures once she arrives! (Hint, Hint)

Good buddies ~ Micah and Daniel

Micah and Daniel first got to know each other in Cubbies when they were four, when both their moms were Cubbie leaders together. With not too many boys their age at church we were eager to set up play dates for these rambunctious little boys. They really got to be good friends though when their family moved closer to us and we worked out a date night swap. When Micah took Daniel to AWANA as his guest last year he was proud to introduce his friend as he exclaimed "We're good friends because we have date night together every week!" What a blessing for the adults and for the kids! God was so gracious to develop some precious friendships all the way around with that arrangement. We are really going to miss the Velikorodnyy family!

Our last Sunday at church was difficult as saying good-bye is hard to do. We have been blessed by the love, care and support of our church family. And in those relationships God has given us many wonderful friendships.

And since saying good-bye at church is hard to do, Kristin and I decided we'd rather go somewhere else to say good-bye so we headed to the play place at McDonald's. The kids had a ball running and climbing and we enjoyed our last few moments to talk in person.

We spent our last few nights in California at the Lotz home. It was a blessing to share that time with friends rather than be in an empty home. And Ashlyn was thrilled to sleep with the big girls! Thanks for letting Ashlyn sleep in your bed Courtney!

Kelly has been Micah's best friend since they were together in the nursery. There weren't a lot of little boys and Kelly is always lots of fun, so he gravitated toward her. Because of their friendship, God has given us a wonderful friendship with the whole Lotz family. They have loved our family and cared for us in numerous ways throughout the years. Thank you Lotz family! We'll miss you!

Going Away Party

2011-11-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

With about 10 days from our announcement that we were moving, to Nathan actually flying out to Chicago to start work, there wasn't a lot of time to try to connect with friends to say good-bye. So we were thankful for a few friends who offered to put together a going away party so we could have a chance to see lots of people all at one time. Thank you to the Dragojlovic family for hosting the party in their beautiful home. It was the perfect place to have lots of people, including lots of kids. The kids had so much fun playing in the tree house, swinging on the tree swings, and tire swing, and running around the yard. Here's a few pictures from our evening...

LOVE this pictures with Micah and some of his closest friends. They had a ball playing around in the tree house on the night of the party.

Ashlyn was excited to get a special gift from Auntie Vonna... a new teacup for her tea party collection!

Zachary and Ashlyn had fun playing together inside

So grateful for God's blessing of friendship!

A Visit to Chicago

2011-11-16T21:08:00.001-08:00

After much prayer, in September we traveled out to Chicago for Nathan to interview at Harvest Bible Chapel. We had a great time there and were so thankful for the time together to consider where God might be leading us.

This was the only picture we got of the two of us, as we were waiting to board our plane to return to CA

It was a busy weekend, but we had a little time to drive around and see the city. We were there at a great time of year - Chicago really is a beautiful city!

This is the HBC campus in Rolling Meadows, our new church

While we were away, our kiddos had a wonderful time with their cousins! Lots of playing and silliness with these four.

Man plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps

2011-10-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

When we moved to California, 13 years ago, we did so under the premise that it was temporary - just long enough to get Nathan through his undergrad degree. But once that was finished, the Lord led us on to seminary. And after that, a position at the Master's College.

Once we had been here so long, we just felt settled. A great job, a great church, and wonderful friends! Why would we ever leave? If you had asked us a year ago, we would have said we thought we'd be in California at least another 20 - 30 years. We were definitely planning our ways.

But praise God, that in His sovereignty, our path doesn't always go in the direction that we plan. The Lord used a number of things several months ago to cause us to start praying about what He might have next for us. It has been exciting to see God's faithfulness to answer our prayers specifically and with great clarity. As a result we are following the Lord's leading into full-time ministry at Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. We had the opportunity to visit the church a few weeks ago and are very excited about what the Lord is doing there. We are overwhelmed at God's grace to provide an opportunity to join the team there and be a part of what He is doing in Chicago.

The joy is bittersweet though as it means leaving so many who we know and love in California. We have been blessed with many wonderful friendships here and that certainly makes leaving difficult.

Nathan will begin work on October 17, so we have much to do between now and then. We covet your prayers as we make this transition and trust the Lord for what He has next.

My Baby's Growing Up

2011-08-20T14:19:00.001-07:00

It was a joy to celebrate Micah's birthday this summer! But I have to say, "I can't believe my baby is growing up!" He keeps telling me it won't be long before he'll be taller than me. And I'm sure he's right! I love to remember those days when I could hold him in my arms and everything was so new! But it is so much fun to have a 7 year old to interact and have fun with. Every day is filled with adventure and crazy new ideas. I love his imagination!

Anticipating our traditional birthday breakfast cake!

Wow! Look at all those candles!

Ready to EAT!!

Blowing birthday kisses

After breakfast, Micah was sent on a scavenger hunt to find his birthday present...

4 clues later he ended up at the front door to find his new bike!

It didn't take long for him to start trying new tricks

Daddy even got in on the trick action

And Ashlyn was eager to join in on the bike riding!

He was surprised to find out we would be going to see Cars 2 at the theater. He loved the movie!!

For his birthday dinner, Micah picked triple mac/quadruple cheese

We had a great day celebrating our special birthday boy!

She's Growing Up

2011-04-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our little girl is growing up so fast. Ashlyn turned 3 last month and she had so much fun celebrating. Here's a few pictures from her birthday season...

She loves Minnie Mouse so we went with a Minnie themed party this year

Her favorite part of the cake was licking the icing off the feet of the characters

Daddy and the birthday girl

Yum! She much preferred ice cream over cake

Yay!!! Time to open presents!!

All Minnied up! Thanks to Joshie and Josiah.

Micah was an eager helper for Ashlyn

So determined to get that paper off.

We got to celebrate Aunt Bonnie's birthday too. Here the boys are quite eager to see the goodies in her basket.

It was fun to have both dads with us... a rare occurrence these days.

We were excited to have Miss Olewiler join us too!

So excited about some matching teacups from Aunt Bonnie! She was ready to use them that night.

Later we got to Skype with Papa and Nana while they watched Ashlyn open some of her presents. Modern technology is so much fun!

Ashlyn and Josh

Here's the birthday girl on her birthday... all decked out in purple. So cute!

Checking out some fun treats at her place setting in the morning.

Ready for breakfast birthday cake. Ashlyn loved blowing out her candles...

but she loved licking them off even better.

How old are you now?

A few more presents

We had a our homeschool group on her birthday so we took some little cupcakes to celebrate with her friends. They were a big hit!

Her favorite thing to do in the nursery is playing with a stuffed animal in the swing. She straps Mickey in...

and then swings him for a bit before taking him out and starting the process all over again.

Mama and the birthday girl

For lunch we met Daddy and work to eat in the caf. Ashlyn picked Froot Loops for lunch. What fun!

Ashlyn was quite surprised when the ladies who work at the caf brought over a special treat for her. They called everyone's attention to the little girl celebrating her birthday and then everyone proceeded to sing to her. We were shocked at how embarrassed she was. She just looked down at the table and her face got quite red. I guess she's not always too keen on being the center of attention.

Finishing off with an ice cream cone with Daddy

Back at home getting herself ready. (Thanks for the lipgloss Nana!)

Yet another round of singing for the birthday girl

We had Daniel and Andrew with us to celebrate that night. So fun!

Reading the Bible and getting ready for bed.

Ashlyn got a sleeping bag for her birthday so the kids were excited to try them out that night. She didn't last long in there though. I guess it takes a little time to get used to sleeping in a bag. She thought it was much more comfortable to sleep in her bed.

Legoland Fun

2011-03-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at Legoland last week with the Thomas family! It was our first time there, and we were blessed with a beautiful day (which has been a rarity for Southern California this year). And as we were waiting in line to purchase our tickets, we were blessed by a woman who gave us a free ticket that her family wasn't going to use. What a blessing! Praise God!

On our first ride at the park - a cruise around the lego world

Ashlyn and Wendy (the figures here were amazing! All made out of legos!)

Micah and Bob the builder

Getting ready to fly around legoland!

Micah and Josiah

Bonnie and Josh

Daddy and Ashlyn

Feeling pretty good after his first flight!

Josh and Bonnie coming down the slide. The slides looked like so much fun, but were not very much enjoyed by Josh and Ashlyn. Josh did go down, but Ashlyn cried her way down the other way. Since they make every slider ride alone it doesn't make a very good toddler slide.

Here come the big boys - they love it!

Making each other laugh and being silly together. Such fun!

Coming out of a really difficult video game ride. This one was much harder than Buzz Lightyear at Disneyland!

Having fun together in line

While the big boys headed off to the roller coaster we went back to ride the airplanes again.

Bonnie and Josh... all ready for a safari!

Ashlyn loved that she got to drive the jeep on our safari!

Joshua and Bonnie. We were in another helicopter next to them. I think this was Ashlyn's favorite ride! She kept talking about it the rest of the day.

Ashlyn loved "driving" the little lego cars!

And Josh had fun too!

Mama and Ashlyn

Cousins... having fun together!

Getting ready for a ride on the pirate ship. This was one of my favorite rides!

Swinging near the water play area. It was a little too cool for our kids to enjoy the water area. We've been sick too much this year and didn't want invite it back.

Micah did a great job driving his own boat! I kept trying to pass him, but he always cut me off and beat me to the finish line.

Ashlyn wanted her picture by this lego man

This was our last ride. Ashlyn saw it when we came in the park (it was elevated and in the middle of everything) and kept asking to do it, so we finally waited in line for it. Notice that it is a rider-powered ride?

Aaawwww, siblings... so sweet!

After dinner, I realized that I never got a picture of the two big boys at the park. So here they are relaxing on the bench outside Denny's after a crazy game of tag. All that running around did them some good... it was a quiet drive home!

Finishing up the Tball Season

2010-06-12T15:16:00.001-07:00

After 10 games, Micah's first T-ball season came to an end. He had a great time playing this year, and is looking forward to playing again next year. Throughout the entire season, his prayer request remained the same... "Mama, please pray that we will win our game on Saturday." He still doesn't quite get the fact that everybody wins in T-ball.

Got the ball and heading to the base...

OUT! Great play Micah!

Ashlyn always had fun playing on the bleachers during the game, as well as munching on any treats that Mama brought for her.

Micah's last at-bat of the season

Baseball ready

Heading home!

What a great season! And what a privilege to have Daddy as one of his coaches!

So proud of my little guy!

We celebrated the season with a pizza party at Round Table. Here's Micah with a few of his Tball buddies.

Ashlyn was thrilled to get her own drink!

Coach Bert handing out trophies, as well as a certificate awarding each player with a special award. Micah's award was "The Team Player" award, for his flexibility to play whatever postion the coaches placed him in, even when it wasn't his favorite position.

Excited about a yummy cupcake!

Micah and Coach Bert

Coach Daddy and Micah

Memorial Day Camping Trip

2010-06-12T14:27:00.001-07:00

Over Memorial Day we went to Lake Casitas to go camping for a few days with some friends from church. It was a lot of working getting there, but once we got camp set up it was a wonderful few days relaxing and enjoying God's creation. Thanks for going with us Pat and Christina! We had a wonderful time with you and your family!

We spent one morning on a bike ride around the campground and a portion of the lake. Micah loved being in the lead.

Here comes the gang

The weather there was HOT, so we enjoyed cooling off in the ice cold water of the water park. Here's everyone floating down the lazy river.

Ashlyn wasn't too excited about the water, but she gradually warmed up to it by the second day.

Abby and Ashlyn ~ so cute!

Micah discovered this rock and thought it would be wonderful to climb!

Ashlyn always enjoys piggyback rides.

The kids all had fun throwing rocks in the little creek.

And Micah was eager to get into that water. Pants? No problem... just pull them up as high as possible and they won't get wet.

Digging was another great thing about camping... there's dirt everywhere and nobody cares if you dig it all up.

Daddy and Ashlyn

3 of the kiddos... ready to eat

Micah discovered that he loves burned marshmallows. Not sure if its because of the taste, or because it looks cool while its burning.

Ashlyn just likes eating them with chocolate and graham crackers.

All gone!

Mmmmm! Now that looks good!

This little scooter was a recent garage sale find and Ashlyn was determined to try to follow Micah on his bike.

Playing around the campsite.

Micah loved that he could get on his bike at any time and just ride in the circle around our campsite. It was a great spot for him, and a blessing from the Lord since our reservations were made last minute for a sold out weekend.

Stacking up the firewood for a BIG fire!

Enjoying the campfire!

Visiting Arizona

2010-06-12T14:26:00.003-07:00

We had a great time visiting my Grandma, Uncle Doug and Aunt Debbie for a few days in Arizona! Although it is a neighboring state, it is the first time we have ever traveled to Arizona... and we discovered so many wonderful things to do there. The kids loved seeing Grandma again, as it had been a whole year since they last saw her (and they know that she loves to spoil them!). Thanks for hosting us in your home Doug and Debbie! It was wonderful visiting with you. Here's a few pictures of our adventures while we were there...

Part of the Truax clan

Uncle Doug and Micah at the top of the mountain

Looking out over the valley

A rare picture of me and Nathan

Micah liked being in the lead... the farther ahead, the better (as far as he was concerned)

Doug took us to a Dodgers/Diamondback game one night. Micah is a true Angelino though - he told Doug up front that he would go, but he would be rooting for the Dodgers. He was in good company as there were several other Dodger fans there as well.

It was a good game - the Dodgers won 13-3

The kids had lots of fun riding around the neighborhood and the dirt paths on the motor scooters, even though Mama was less than thrilled with the idea!

There goes Daddy and Ashlyn

Here come Doug and Micah

Uh-oh! Is that a Beaver hat that Micah has on? Don't show Nana or Uncle Bobby!

Micah was very excited about the pool! Even though the weather wasn't very hot, and the water was cool, he wanted to be in there as much as possible. This was his first swim of the season.

The rock waterfall at the end of the pool made for a great jumping platform!

This was a favorite spot for the kids... in Grandma's room watching TV. They know all they have to do is walk in the room and Grandma is quick to find a show they like.

Ashlyn also discovered Grandma's little snack - sugar puffs. Both Ashlyn and I were surprised about a week later when we opened Ashlyn's purse and found that Grandma gave her a little baggie filled with sugar puffs. Ashlyn was giddy with excitement over the find!

Doug and Micah sword fighting

One afternoon we went up to the Hohokam ruins to hike around. This was fun as we learned a little about the Hohokam in school this year.

Barb and Debbie

It was great to spend some time with my Aunt Debbie, probably the first significant amount of time since I've been an adult.

Crazy boys

Ashlyn discovered the bean bag toss in the back yard... here she comes with an armful of bean bags.

She discovered that the game is much easier if you stand right next to the hold and just drop the bag in.

Ashlyn and Grandma ~ fun times!

Grandma and Uncle Doug

Ashlyn and Grandma exploring together outside.

Ashlyn wasn't too sure about the pool, but she was willing to dip her feet in as long as Daddy was sitting right next to her.

Micah loved the rock landscaping of Arizona!! And finding a large dumptruck made it even better. If you ever need rocks moved around, just ask Micah. He'd be happy to help you out!

One last snack with Grandma before heading home.

Mother's Day

2010-06-12T14:26:00.001-07:00

Celebrating Mother's Day! With a graduation on Friday, and plans to go out of town on Monday, this was a very busy weekend for us. But we still found time to celebrate Mother's Day as a family. I am so blessed to be a mother to Micah and Ashlyn! I praise God for this blessing and pray continually for His grace to use me to direct their hearts toward Him.

And I am also so thankful for my own mother, who faithfully trained me and directed me toward the Lord Jesus. Thank you Mom, for your investment into my life. I love you, Mom!

The day before, Nathan and the kids came home with 4 jasmine plants for me to plant in planter boxes out on the balcony. They all had fun working to beautify the area. And it looks great! Thanks guys!

We had fun after church taking a few pictures outside.

Of course, Micah has to have a crazy picture! That's my crazy boy!

The boys both had fun jumping out of the tree!

Like Father, like Son!

And Ashlyn was content to run around in the grass.

TMC Graduation

2010-06-12T14:25:00.003-07:00

After 10 years, 2 children, and various health problems along the way, I finally completed my Master of Arts degree in Biblical Counseling. Although my initial intent in starting the program was merely to gain a better understanding of what Nathan was learning when he was going through the undergrad program in counseling, I am so thankful that Nathan encouraged me to persevere toward completing the degree. It was a blessing to learn and be challenged by the godly professors that I studied under during the course of this program. The Lord has used them to change me and to grow me.

Several people have asked what I plan to do with this degree. Well, to begin with, I am already using it every day, as I seek to disciple our children for the glory of God. The things I have learned here, dramatically impact the way I parent and interact with my children. And I trust that the Lord will allow my to use this training for ministry in the local church, as He sees fit. I praise God for His grace that enabled me to complete this program (and especially my thesis)! And I am so thankful for many of you who faithfully prayed for me. Thank you!

2010 MABC Graduates and Professors
of The Masters College

Beautiful flowers sent from my Dad and Mom

Dr. MacArthur was the commencement speaker this year, in honor of his 25th anniversary as President of the Master's College. Nathan and I were privileged to attend his anniversary dinner and concert the night before the graduation. We were deeply impacted as we learned more about this godly man and his commitment to the Master's College for the purpose of training men and women to minister the truths of the Gospel around the world.

Graduate hooding by Dr. Somerville and Dr. Baker

The kids attended the ceremony, but Nathan was thankful for some help in the bleachers. Here Ashlyn is hanging out with Ricardo.

And here she is with Dinanna!

Big hugs after the ceremony

It was a blessing to have several friends come celebrate with us at the graduation!

Barb and Kristin

Barb and Dianna

Our family

Our family with the Thomases

Sisters!

Lots of loves from my little ones...

Barb and Vonna

Heather and Barb

And back at home... playing dress up with my cap and gown

Celebrating the Feast of Passover

2010-06-12T14:25:00.001-07:00

This year we celebrated the Feast of Passover with the Career Group Bible study from our church

Micah was excited to wash Auntie Vonna's feet, after she washed his.

Our family

The finders of the afikomen - driving a hard bargain for their find.

Part of the payment - Nathan had to do jumping jacks!

Micah was excited to get in on the action too. He knew there was candy in the bag, so he was ready to accept whatever was offered!

Baseball Boy!

2010-05-03T23:23:00.001-07:00

This spring, Micah has had his first taste of organized sports ~ he's playing t-ball. And he loves it! It's especially fun for him to have his Daddy as an assistant coach. Here's a few shots of our baseball boy! Batter up!

I love this picture - he looks so serious and intent on the task at hand. Thanks for the great photo Dhon!

This was Micah's first "at bat"

Nobody had to tell him to run when the ball when flying ~ he knew right where to go!

Heading toward 1st base

Giving Daddy high-fives

And a big wave for mom!

Running home! Great job Micah!

Celebrating a great victory!

Actually, Micah has been a little bothered at the way tball is played. He really wants to win and isn't much into "tying" the other team. Every night he prays that his team will play well and win the following game. So cute! And so competitive!

Ashlyn has had fun watching too, although she would much rather be over on the playground sliding.

Seeing Daddy out on the field, Ashlyn is always trying to get onto the field herself. Here she was content to look at everyone in the stands.

Getting a few tips from Coach Daddy before swinging.

Micah has shown himself to be quite the runner. He's really quick getting from base to base.

Catching the ball...

and throwing toward 2nd base

It's been lots of fun watching Micah learn to play tball! So glad we decided to let him do it this year!

Poppy Reserve

2010-05-03T22:59:00.001-07:00

On Sunday we traveled north to visit the Poppy Reserve while it is still in bloom. It was a beautiful! And the weather was perfect. Although it was windy on the reserve, the bright shining sun kept us all warm.

Trudy, Micah and Josiah

We took about a 1 1/2 mile hike around one of the trails

And we were reminded early on to keep on the lookout for snakes, when this little guy crossed the trail in front of us. Yikes! I'm glad we noticed him!

Micah had such a good time having Trudy here to visit for the weekend. We're wishing she still lived in CA near us. We miss you already Trudy!

Josiah joined us on Sunday while his parents are away for a few days. The three kids all had so much fun together, although at times I think Trudy thought the boys were a bit wild and crazy!!

The kids had a ball running ahead on the trail...

and then stopping to take a rest before getting up to run again.

What a beautiful display of God's creative power!

"O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Thy name in all the earth,
Who has displayed Thy splendor above the heavens!"
Psalm 8:1

Micah and Mama

Trudy's Here!

2010-05-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to have Micah's friend Trudy here visiting for the weekend! It's been over two years since they last saw each other, but they've been having a grand time getting reacquainted with each other. Here's some of the things they did today...

Trudy and Micah made some rockets (one of Micah's science experiments). We used alka-seltzer and warm water as the gas - so they did launch, but only a few inches off the ground.

Friends

They made cookies together in the easy bake oven ~ here they are enjoying the fruit of their labor!

Game time ~ Micah wanted to teach Trudy to play Life

Dinner time ~ Trudy loves tacos, so that's what was on the menu for tonight

And of course we have to have crazy faces too!

Here's Ashlyn, having fun with Trudy too!

Here's Ashlyn's crazy face!

Trudy has a blast learning to ride Micah's bike ~ without training wheels!

Go Trudy!!

Ashlyn had fun throwing the frisbee around with Trudy.

Enjoying "Daddy shakes" as a special evening treat

Cuddling with all the animals while singing in worship together.

What a fun day we had! We look forward to more fun tomorrow!

Resurrection Sunday

2010-04-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Resurrection Sunday was a busy day so we didn't get too many pictures. Here's one of Micah and Ashlyn outside at church...

Tea Party with Auntie Vonna

2010-04-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

Auntie Vonna was out of town for Ashlyn's birthday so we decided to celebrate with a little tea party after she came back. Ashlyn loves tea parties, and this one was special because she got to use real tea cups!

Lovin' her tea ~ this is the teacup Auntie Vonna gave her last year

This is so much fun!

She was all dressed up in her princess dress for the occasion