Sing Sing Sing

Owen has become my little singer. His favorite song to sing these days is if you're Happy and you know it. As, with most songs he cannot manage to sing every word, but he gives it a good try. I had a pleasant surprise a few weeks ago when he and I were having some cozy time before bedtime. After books and prayers I sang him our song, Baby Mine, and to my shock he sang EVERY word with me. By the end I could not sing, because I was singing through tears. It was a sweet sweet moment that I will cherish always. More songs he like to sing are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The ABC's (especially the "now I know my ABC's part) and The wheels on the bus. He is very good at all the motions as well! It's amazing to me to see things that just click, in what seems like over night for him. One day I was just getting smiles and cuddles while I sang, the next he is singing a whole song with me!

Grandma

On March 5th the world lost a wonderful woman of God, a wife, a mother, a grandma, a great grandma, and friend.

That Friday marked a bittersweet day for me. We had an appointment to sign the the papers for the purchase of our new home at 10am. Long story short there was some last minute details that complicated us from signing on time and we didn't start the process until 4pm that day! Joe and I were frustrated and tired. Owen was with a friend of our's all day and all I wanted to do was get to him. After all the papers were signed and the keys were handed to us, we headed down to the car with our realtor-she had driven us to the appointment. I checked my phone and saw that I had 3 missed calls from my mom, naturally I thought she had been trying to call because she wanted an update about the house. When I got a hold of her she shared the excitement and joy with me about being a homeowner again. After a bit she got quiet and her voice started to shake as she apologized for having to break such sad news during such a happy time for me. She told me my grandma had passed away earlier that morning. I remember trying to be strong as I was sitting next to Tricia, our relator, and not wanting to cry in front of her. As I got off the phone and told Joe the news I couldn't help but let some tears fall. I imagined what my Papa was going through and how my dad might be feeling. I felt grateful that The Lord had taken her home and released her from her pain.

She was my Grandma who let me crawl up into her lap, even in my early twenties, and would tickle my back and tell me Bible stories. I have vivid fond memories of her telling me the story of David wrestling the bear and lion down when he was a shepard boy. I remember her describing Joseph's coat and making it seem like the most beautiful coat someone could ever receive as a gift. She knew her Bible and loved sharing it with others. She was also feisty, and not afraid to share her opinion! She loved her children and grandkids and were so proud of them all. I will always remember how I got a phone call out of the bue when she just wanted me to know she loved me and was praying for me to be released from my post partum depression. It was a phone call and conversation I will always cherish.

I'm so very thankful for being able to meet her in Oregon when Owen was about 4 months old. It was the last time I saw her. It was a short dinner, but I am so glad we got to spend that time together. I am so very thankful that she met her great grandson, and that we have pictures to show Owen. I know that visit meant a lot to her too, I remember her holding and hugging him with tears in her eyes.

She will be missed. She is missed. But, I am confident she is in Heaven rejoicing and worshiping our King. I know she is with my sweet Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, and I am sure they having a big party!! Thank you Grandma for being such a wonderful example of Christ and for loving me always.

Home Sweet Home

Well, a lot has happened in our lives since the last time I blogged. We bought a house on March 5th. It's a good size town home (over 2,000 square feet!) and doesn't feel like a town home to me at all. So far sharing walls have not been a problem, our neighbors are very quiet and I'm sure the house is just built very nicely. The house is 3 stories. The main level consists of the living room, formal dining room, a sun room (which will be Joe's special reading room) the kitchen, a half bathroom, and garage. The second floor consists of the master bedroom (which has a sitting room attached to it, which one day will be a great office area), Owen's room, an extra bedroom, and a bathroom. The third floor is a HUGE bonus room, that has a huge closet for extra storage. At this point that room is very empty and I'm sure will be a play room for kids and adults one day. It's a good home for our family, with obviously enough room to grow and still have room for guests! We are going to go slow on things we want to do do to make it feel more like us, but the reality is that it has great bones!

We love that we are living in a town home community so far. The neighbors have all been very friendly and welcoming. Our hope and prayer is that God will use us and this home to minister and love on our neighbors. It has been our prayer since we starting the home search. So far, we have made it a tradition for Owen and I to take a walk after lunch time with Charlie and then another family walk after dinner. We want to be present and not lock ourselves in our home.

Owen seems to like his new house. He get's very excited to show visitor's his new room, and he loves the stairs-a little too much for my liking! He loves our daily walks. Another fun thing about living here is we have a community pool!! So, this summer should be very fun!