The story teller in me is just not satisfied with telling our story by photo alone. My wish is to share with all of you our moments in time, as we grow and become what God has in-store for this family. Of course, being able to do this in person would be fabulous, but I don't want to miss any opportunities to share this gift that God has given to me. Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Welcome 2011


We went to Winthrop Washington to welcome the new year. It was a fabulous few days with friends that are more like family, and five combined children seven and under! The weather was absolutely beautiful but VERY cold! Daytime highs were around 8 degrees and nighttime lows were -8 degrees and colder. They had two feet of snow on the ground and that made for some awesome sledding right outside our front door. The weather did make it difficult for Mikaia and Daniel to be outside for longer than just a few minutes but then they got to stay inside with Grampa Bud, so all was good. Early bedtimes allowed Karsten and I some much needed "adult" time.

On new years day Kaleb raced in his first cross country ski race. The starting line temperature was a toasty -4 degrees but it didn't faze the kids much. Kaleb finished the race and we were so proud of him since he has only been on skis a few times.



I was also so impressed with Kaleb's lack of fear while sledding. We had built a pretty steep run with a big drop-off, yet Kaleb wanted to go even higher up the hill. I indulged him and he went down the run at the speed of sound, barely missed a tree and a car bumper, and was ready to do it again. Needless to say, the preservationist in me came out and I closed down the higher run.



I spent many hours sledding with the boys one evening, and on my walk back God decided to give me a treat. I wish I had thought to get pictures but I could not peel myself away from the beauty of the sunset to get a camera. Behind me, above our sledding hill stood a huge tree full of bald eagles, there were six of them to be exact. That was more than amazing but when the sun started going down the blue sky turned an amazing color of turquoise. The wispy clouds swirled in the turquoise sky like a drop of paint mixed in a bucket of another color. As the sun fell from the sky it's radius turned a deeper and deeper rusty orange color with some sort of pink mixed in. I laid back in the snow transfixed by the beauty of the sky and felt a lump in my throat as the eagles, one by one, soared past me to the river valley below. If that is just a glimpse of what Heaven is like then I am more than excited to go there one day!
Life has been pretty busy here in Marysville and the opportunity to get away, even though it took ample work to prepare for, was just what this family needed. Mikaia has transition challenges that make leaving the security of her home very difficult for her, and in turn on the whole family. It was a relief that this time she could find a place to transition to and help her through a difficult time. We had meltdowns for sure but with both of her brothers helping her to find peace it was much easier to reach her. I thank God each day for what He has brought together in this small family of five. How we have all meshed in ways to become one great big net. Sometimes I feel like an acrobat getting ready to let go of one trapeze to grab the next, and I can tell you that knowing I have a big strong net under me makes letting go so much easier! That is what this family is becoming, a safe place to grow from and fall back to.

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