Journey Together
Monday, January 15, 2018
Happy Birthday Weston!
Our little boy turned ONE on Saturday! I can hardly believe a year has already gone by and yet so much has happened in our lives, it's amazing to think it's only been a year. It has been an amazing year of loving this sweet boy. It has been so much fun experiencing so many firsts with him - all of his first holidays and each new developmental milestone. He is a very joyful little one and we are so grateful for the smiles and laughs he brings us. We love you, Weston David, and pray you have an amazing year ahead! May you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. Happy 1st Birthday, Sweet Boy!
Monday, September 11, 2017
Growing
Hello friends and family! Well I cannot believe it has taken me this long to get back into blogging! I hardly know where to begin since it's been so long. But hopefully from here on out I'll be a little more consistent. Here's a snippet of life these days:
Ministry life:
School is back in session so we're back to the school year routine with our students - weekly youth group, youth Bible study, and highschool girls Bible study. We're also gearing up for annual events like See You at the Pole and Youth Conference. We've really been enjoying pouring into our student leaders at our monthly hangout "Core" where we've been studying the book "Multiply" (really, really, good book). Ministry life is busy with our weekly and monthly events and meeting with students throughout the week, but we are so grateful for the opportunity to be serving both our students and also our church through the worship ministry.
If there's one word I could use to describe ministry life lately it would be "growing". We are growing. I'm not talking about numbers growth, I'm talking about personal growth. We've come to realize that ministry is messy. It's messy because we're messy and we're doing all that we can to help other messy people. We don't have it all figured out. We don't have all the answers. Thankfully we know the One who is all in all. God is currently teaching me to grow in remembering to pour out, to help, and to love not out of my own strength but out of God's strength. Even though at times it's uncomfortable, I'm thankful God is helping me grow.
Married Life:
Life is SO busy. So, Alex and I have been finding it absolutely necessary for us to literally schedule in days or at least evenings where we recharge. And it has been SO good! Even though life can be crazy busy, I'm so thankful that I get to do life with my best friend (like, seriously, so so thankful). I love that we get to do ministry together and married life together and the life in between all that together. When life is hard, I'm so thankful I have my best friend/partner right by my side.
Family Life:
We officially became a family in January with the arrival of our sweet son, Weston, and OH what a JOY it has been! He is such a gift! He is such a happy baby and spreads his happiness to whomever he is around whether it's strangers at the grocery store, a student who's having a rough day, or whoever. He loves to say "dada" and I think it is officially his first word :) We love hearing him giggle and we are willing to do whatever goofy thing we need to do just to hear that sweet giggle. He is a very curious little boy and is constantly learning and GROWING! I can hardly believe he will be 8 months this week. Oh how crazy! I'm so very thankful Alex works so hard so I can stay at home with Weston. It's the best job I've ever had :) I absolutely love being Weston's mom!
Well there's a quick update about life. Now, hopefully, I can be more on top of it and get back into blogging consistently. May God's blessings be upon you and your loved ones!
Ministry life:
School is back in session so we're back to the school year routine with our students - weekly youth group, youth Bible study, and highschool girls Bible study. We're also gearing up for annual events like See You at the Pole and Youth Conference. We've really been enjoying pouring into our student leaders at our monthly hangout "Core" where we've been studying the book "Multiply" (really, really, good book). Ministry life is busy with our weekly and monthly events and meeting with students throughout the week, but we are so grateful for the opportunity to be serving both our students and also our church through the worship ministry.
If there's one word I could use to describe ministry life lately it would be "growing". We are growing. I'm not talking about numbers growth, I'm talking about personal growth. We've come to realize that ministry is messy. It's messy because we're messy and we're doing all that we can to help other messy people. We don't have it all figured out. We don't have all the answers. Thankfully we know the One who is all in all. God is currently teaching me to grow in remembering to pour out, to help, and to love not out of my own strength but out of God's strength. Even though at times it's uncomfortable, I'm thankful God is helping me grow.
Married Life:
Life is SO busy. So, Alex and I have been finding it absolutely necessary for us to literally schedule in days or at least evenings where we recharge. And it has been SO good! Even though life can be crazy busy, I'm so thankful that I get to do life with my best friend (like, seriously, so so thankful). I love that we get to do ministry together and married life together and the life in between all that together. When life is hard, I'm so thankful I have my best friend/partner right by my side.
Family Life:
We officially became a family in January with the arrival of our sweet son, Weston, and OH what a JOY it has been! He is such a gift! He is such a happy baby and spreads his happiness to whomever he is around whether it's strangers at the grocery store, a student who's having a rough day, or whoever. He loves to say "dada" and I think it is officially his first word :) We love hearing him giggle and we are willing to do whatever goofy thing we need to do just to hear that sweet giggle. He is a very curious little boy and is constantly learning and GROWING! I can hardly believe he will be 8 months this week. Oh how crazy! I'm so very thankful Alex works so hard so I can stay at home with Weston. It's the best job I've ever had :) I absolutely love being Weston's mom!
Well there's a quick update about life. Now, hopefully, I can be more on top of it and get back into blogging consistently. May God's blessings be upon you and your loved ones!
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Weston David
Our precious baby boy arrived on January 13th at 7:18am, weighing 7lbs 2oz and 19.5 in. in length. Alex and I discussed baby names for months but I felt I didn't want to officially name him until he arrived. We both really liked the name Weston and decided we wanted to cary on the family name of David. Alex has a very close relationship with his dad, David, and greatly looks up to him. Alex's middle name is also David. Not only was it fitting to name our little one after two people I admire, but it also has a great Biblical meaning: "Beloved". So Weston David it is! We love this little man SO much! He is just over 3 weeks now and it is truly amazing to have him part of our lives. I am truly grateful for such a smooth pregnancy and labor, but wow it is SO much better to have him in my arms! :) It is such an honor and blessing to be his mom. It's still hard to believe he's actually ours. For those of you who enjoy birth stories, here is the story of Weston David's arrival:
I'll try to be as thorough as possible but in many ways it all feels like a blur. The hours of labor ran together and the days and nights after his arrival did too. Anyway, I'd been having braxton hicks pretty often for a while, but on Wednesday, January 11th, they started picking up. The whole night I had consistent and pretty intense contractions. They were lasting nearly a minute and some as close as 6 minutes apart. I really thought I was going to have our baby that day. I told myself I'd wait until 6am to call my parents and let them know, and just about that time, the contractions completely died down. I was surprised and disappointed. But I just kept telling myself God knew the perfect timing for baby's arrival. The good thing about having those contractions that night was that Alex and I got to practice some of our coping techniques.
Throughout the day on Thursday I had contractions pretty much every 15 minutes. After dinner that night I wasn't having contractions that wrapped around my whole body, instead I just felt them in my back. I was on the phone with my friend, Kortney, and the contractions were getting uncomfortable enough that I was having trouble focusing on the conversation so I said I better go. After I got off the phone, I was pretty sure my water had broken. So I just went to our bedroom and continued on the birthing ball. Alex happened to be talking with his brother in law and sister at this point - his family kept encouraging him to take me to the hospital. So I called my doctor and she said I was probably just in early labor so to continue at home. I was having trouble making decisions - I just wanted to continue focusing on getting through contractions. I also didn't want to get to the hospital and be sent back home. Since they still weren't as intense or as close together as the night before, I just didn't think it was time yet. Ladies: my advice to you whether you're in labor or not, listen to the wisdom of your husband. Alex said the worst thing that could happen with us going to the hospital at that point was that we'd be sent home, but at least we could know if it was true labor or not. So we went :)
I felt so funny because I had imagined I'd barely be able to walk through the hospital doors and instead I was totally able to. So we got all checked in, they said my water had indeed broken, I was dilated to 5, in active labor, and they were for sure admitting me! Thank you, Alex for being my voice of reason and taking me to the hospital when you did! We took a few sets of walking around the hospital and then getting checked to see how far along I was. Soon enough I did not want to walk around anymore as the contractions were getting pretty intense. Alex kept checking with me about when I wanted to get the epidural. I finally said I was ready. They checked me after I got the epidural and I was nearly at an 8. Once I got the epidural, my body was able to relax and my contractions picked up like crazy. They encouraged us to get some sleep and they would call my midwife when it was time to push. At about 6am they checked me and said they'd call my midwife - it was time!! We had an amazing labor and delivery nurse - I don't think we'll ever forget her. My midwife, the charge nurse, our nurse and Alex surrounded me. The room was full of joy and excitement as they prepped for his arrival and encouraged me through pushing. It brings tears to my eyes as I think back to how encouraging and supportive Alex was - I don't remember everything he said, but it was his words that made me feel so empowered and ready to do whatever it took to meet our son. He was truly the best! I started pushing a little before 7am and little Weston was ready to come in a hurry. My two favorite parts of my birthing experience were: 1. The incredible bonding experience to have Alex by my side throughout it all and 2. when they put Weston directly on me right after he came out. I just kept saying "Oh Honey, Oh Honey, he's OURS!!". It was a truly beautiful and incredible moment.
I am SO thankful for a smooth pregnancy, labor, and delivery experience! It was so wonderful to finally have Weston in our arms. After they stitched me up (like I said he came fast and I tore pretty badly), Alex moved our stuff into the new room and they prepped to move us. Well it turns out they didn't realize quite how much blood I had lost so I immediately passed out as they tried to get me in the wheel chair. It was a very odd feeling waking up to the strong smell of whatever the stuff was to wake me up and like 4 nurses rushing all around me and wheeling me like crazy fast down the hall. They got me into the new room where poor Alex was waiting having no idea what was going on - poor guy got quite the scare. The rest of my time at the hospital is pretty foggy in my memory. Turns out my hemoglobin levels were down to 6 something which is apparently REALLY low. I'm not exactly sure how many other times I passed out but there was no way I could even make it to the bathroom (with help) without passing out. So after getting lots of blood tests and my levels not rising, they decided they needed to keep us there an extra day so I could get a blood transfusion. Between all the normal specialists, doctors, and nurses who come to check on baby and mom and all the extra ones I had to have because of blood loss, we had medical staff coming in our room like every 20 minutes. So needless to say, I did not feel up to having guests or even have time for guests. However, we were so blessed to have our families join us as soon as they could. My parents came around noon on the day of his birth and wow what a special moment to see them hold their first grandchild for the first time! Alex's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and their son came around noon the day after his birth and Weston got lots of love and snuggles from Alex's side of the family. We were so ready to join everyone at home on Sunday and were so thankful for all their help that weekend.
I'm so grateful to the Lord for blessing us with an adorable, healthy, sweet baby boy! AND I cannot even express my thankfulness to my incredible husband for his faithful support and encouragement throughout labor and delivery and for all that he did for us during the recovery process - the Lord has truly blessed me with Alex!
Thank you for listening to Weston's story. Here are a few pictures of our sweet Little One!
I'll try to be as thorough as possible but in many ways it all feels like a blur. The hours of labor ran together and the days and nights after his arrival did too. Anyway, I'd been having braxton hicks pretty often for a while, but on Wednesday, January 11th, they started picking up. The whole night I had consistent and pretty intense contractions. They were lasting nearly a minute and some as close as 6 minutes apart. I really thought I was going to have our baby that day. I told myself I'd wait until 6am to call my parents and let them know, and just about that time, the contractions completely died down. I was surprised and disappointed. But I just kept telling myself God knew the perfect timing for baby's arrival. The good thing about having those contractions that night was that Alex and I got to practice some of our coping techniques.
Throughout the day on Thursday I had contractions pretty much every 15 minutes. After dinner that night I wasn't having contractions that wrapped around my whole body, instead I just felt them in my back. I was on the phone with my friend, Kortney, and the contractions were getting uncomfortable enough that I was having trouble focusing on the conversation so I said I better go. After I got off the phone, I was pretty sure my water had broken. So I just went to our bedroom and continued on the birthing ball. Alex happened to be talking with his brother in law and sister at this point - his family kept encouraging him to take me to the hospital. So I called my doctor and she said I was probably just in early labor so to continue at home. I was having trouble making decisions - I just wanted to continue focusing on getting through contractions. I also didn't want to get to the hospital and be sent back home. Since they still weren't as intense or as close together as the night before, I just didn't think it was time yet. Ladies: my advice to you whether you're in labor or not, listen to the wisdom of your husband. Alex said the worst thing that could happen with us going to the hospital at that point was that we'd be sent home, but at least we could know if it was true labor or not. So we went :)
I felt so funny because I had imagined I'd barely be able to walk through the hospital doors and instead I was totally able to. So we got all checked in, they said my water had indeed broken, I was dilated to 5, in active labor, and they were for sure admitting me! Thank you, Alex for being my voice of reason and taking me to the hospital when you did! We took a few sets of walking around the hospital and then getting checked to see how far along I was. Soon enough I did not want to walk around anymore as the contractions were getting pretty intense. Alex kept checking with me about when I wanted to get the epidural. I finally said I was ready. They checked me after I got the epidural and I was nearly at an 8. Once I got the epidural, my body was able to relax and my contractions picked up like crazy. They encouraged us to get some sleep and they would call my midwife when it was time to push. At about 6am they checked me and said they'd call my midwife - it was time!! We had an amazing labor and delivery nurse - I don't think we'll ever forget her. My midwife, the charge nurse, our nurse and Alex surrounded me. The room was full of joy and excitement as they prepped for his arrival and encouraged me through pushing. It brings tears to my eyes as I think back to how encouraging and supportive Alex was - I don't remember everything he said, but it was his words that made me feel so empowered and ready to do whatever it took to meet our son. He was truly the best! I started pushing a little before 7am and little Weston was ready to come in a hurry. My two favorite parts of my birthing experience were: 1. The incredible bonding experience to have Alex by my side throughout it all and 2. when they put Weston directly on me right after he came out. I just kept saying "Oh Honey, Oh Honey, he's OURS!!". It was a truly beautiful and incredible moment.
I am SO thankful for a smooth pregnancy, labor, and delivery experience! It was so wonderful to finally have Weston in our arms. After they stitched me up (like I said he came fast and I tore pretty badly), Alex moved our stuff into the new room and they prepped to move us. Well it turns out they didn't realize quite how much blood I had lost so I immediately passed out as they tried to get me in the wheel chair. It was a very odd feeling waking up to the strong smell of whatever the stuff was to wake me up and like 4 nurses rushing all around me and wheeling me like crazy fast down the hall. They got me into the new room where poor Alex was waiting having no idea what was going on - poor guy got quite the scare. The rest of my time at the hospital is pretty foggy in my memory. Turns out my hemoglobin levels were down to 6 something which is apparently REALLY low. I'm not exactly sure how many other times I passed out but there was no way I could even make it to the bathroom (with help) without passing out. So after getting lots of blood tests and my levels not rising, they decided they needed to keep us there an extra day so I could get a blood transfusion. Between all the normal specialists, doctors, and nurses who come to check on baby and mom and all the extra ones I had to have because of blood loss, we had medical staff coming in our room like every 20 minutes. So needless to say, I did not feel up to having guests or even have time for guests. However, we were so blessed to have our families join us as soon as they could. My parents came around noon on the day of his birth and wow what a special moment to see them hold their first grandchild for the first time! Alex's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and their son came around noon the day after his birth and Weston got lots of love and snuggles from Alex's side of the family. We were so ready to join everyone at home on Sunday and were so thankful for all their help that weekend.
I'm so grateful to the Lord for blessing us with an adorable, healthy, sweet baby boy! AND I cannot even express my thankfulness to my incredible husband for his faithful support and encouragement throughout labor and delivery and for all that he did for us during the recovery process - the Lord has truly blessed me with Alex!
Thank you for listening to Weston's story. Here are a few pictures of our sweet Little One!
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Beauty in Simplicity
Hello Friends and Family! I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful season of thankfulness for all God has done throughout the past year and celebrating the great gift of His Son Jesus.
Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year - all the Christmas family traditions and festivities to attend are so just so wonderful. However, this year with all of the preparations for our soon-coming baby on top of all of the Christmas preparations, I'm realizing it's all quite hectic. I'm struggling with the fact that sometimes all these preparations become more stressful than enjoyable. So is it worth the stress to keep up with the to-do list? It's quite easy to get caught up in all the busyness that I loose sight of the simple beauty of this season. Now that I have the "responsibility" of keeping the family traditions as a wife and a mom, I can't help but be amazed with how well my parents kept the simplicity of Christmas. I have many fond memories of setting up the Christmas tree as a family, decorating Christmas cookies together, and celebrating the holiday together, but somehow my mom and dad kept things calm, simple, and special throughout the Christmas season. One of my favorite traditions as a family happened each night in December when we'd turn off all the lights except for the ones on the Christmas tree, gather around the dining table lit with candles, and spend time reading an advent devotional together. So simple but so special.
Today I saw a lady in a busy rush - her head and whole posture was leaned forward, her arms swiftly moving at her side, and her legs walking so briskly she was almost jogging. I thought to myself, wow I bet I look like that most of the time (except now being 8 months pregnant I waddle a little bit haha). How easy it can be to be in a constant posture of busyness this time of year. My prayer is that the Lord would help me to instead be in a posture of peace. After all, that's what this season is all about, the Prince of Peace who brought true, deep, and everlasting peace to mankind. If I don't allow the Lord to help me have a posture of peace, I'll likely miss out on blessing others with the love and peace He wants me to share with them. I sincerely hope each of you (and myself) can take a step back in this busy season and let the peace of God just wash over you. Let us remember there is beauty in simplicity and peace in the presence of our Savior. Merry Christmas and God bless!
Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year - all the Christmas family traditions and festivities to attend are so just so wonderful. However, this year with all of the preparations for our soon-coming baby on top of all of the Christmas preparations, I'm realizing it's all quite hectic. I'm struggling with the fact that sometimes all these preparations become more stressful than enjoyable. So is it worth the stress to keep up with the to-do list? It's quite easy to get caught up in all the busyness that I loose sight of the simple beauty of this season. Now that I have the "responsibility" of keeping the family traditions as a wife and a mom, I can't help but be amazed with how well my parents kept the simplicity of Christmas. I have many fond memories of setting up the Christmas tree as a family, decorating Christmas cookies together, and celebrating the holiday together, but somehow my mom and dad kept things calm, simple, and special throughout the Christmas season. One of my favorite traditions as a family happened each night in December when we'd turn off all the lights except for the ones on the Christmas tree, gather around the dining table lit with candles, and spend time reading an advent devotional together. So simple but so special.
Today I saw a lady in a busy rush - her head and whole posture was leaned forward, her arms swiftly moving at her side, and her legs walking so briskly she was almost jogging. I thought to myself, wow I bet I look like that most of the time (except now being 8 months pregnant I waddle a little bit haha). How easy it can be to be in a constant posture of busyness this time of year. My prayer is that the Lord would help me to instead be in a posture of peace. After all, that's what this season is all about, the Prince of Peace who brought true, deep, and everlasting peace to mankind. If I don't allow the Lord to help me have a posture of peace, I'll likely miss out on blessing others with the love and peace He wants me to share with them. I sincerely hope each of you (and myself) can take a step back in this busy season and let the peace of God just wash over you. Let us remember there is beauty in simplicity and peace in the presence of our Savior. Merry Christmas and God bless!
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| Alex and I spent Thanksgiving week in Idaho with his family - so refreshing! |
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| We visited the spot where he proposed |
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| The little boys with the big boys :) |
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| Happy Thanksgiving 2016! |
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| We went on a triple date with Alex's parents and his sister and her husband |
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| Jack's first Christmas |
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| Merry Christmas! |
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