One Third of the Way There!

Baby To is 12 weeks and growing... we got to hear the heart beat this week and it's such a fun thing to experience. It makes it really real. I am very thankful that I feel great... tired, but not as tired as the first few weeks. Those first few weeks I could barely sit down without dozing off. I think this tired is just that I am a little restless at night and working some funky hours. Baby is one third of the way cooked... only six more months before we are holding a little itty bitty bundle of joy. 

Six more months until Kaden is FOUR! I got a coupon in the mail to celebrate Kaden's half birthday with some free ice cream. (Well, free as in buy one get one free... tricky tricky. hahah!) I can't believe Kaden is three and half. It seriously seems like yesterday I was just pregnant with him. He's SO funny at this age... learning how to joke around, be silly and make us laugh! He's loving school. I think he would go every day if we let him. He enjoys playing with his new "best friends" and learning about everything in sight. I love watching his little mind process the world.... everything is still a race and has to involve his cars in some manner. He loves races... 

So, this last weekend we went into downtown to cheer on the Portland Marathon runners. We had some friends and family running the race. Last year Joel and some other friends ran it and so it's very near and dear to our hearts now. It's such a beautiful thing... it's not just a run. There's a lot of stories of hope and challenge and perseverance in the people running it. There's old, young, man, woman, and every race & ethnicity. I think the part that gets me every time is that every runner has a running bib with a number and their name printed on it. Strangers are calling out names, cheering for each individual. How important names are. It gives the runners a boost of energy... it gives them some sense of hope to be called by name. How awesome names are to us. And how much God calls us each by name. How we knows us inside and out, more than we know ourselves. When he calls our names we run a little harder, we go a little farther, we are stretched and grow. He knows we are capable of more. Even at the 26 mile marker when the end is in sight... we start to fade a little but that extra personal touch allows us runners to know that the end is near...to run the race to finish strong. We need help in running the race, the most trained runner still needs a community behind them cheering and loving them through the run. There was even a few people at mile 26 being held up by family and friends to finish the race. Sometimes we have nothing left to give, and God brings people alongside of us to carry us through the rough times... the hard parts of life. That this isn't meant to be done alone. Congrats to our friends and family that ran the marathon this last week... I saw that glimmer in Joel's eyes... I think he might attempt another marathon in his life. Maybe when we are done having kids we will run the next one together.

9 Weeks

The baby is my belly is 9 weeks along...I feel like I am 14 weeks along... hahaha! My belly definitely grew faster than with Kaden. I don't think I was showing until I was like 16 weeks with Kaden. I need to go shopping for bigger pants already. Has anyone used the belly band? Might be an option to keep my clothes until I HAVE to wear maternity clothes. :)

I feel pretty good, just really tired all the time. Sleep is hard to come by... when I do sleep I have FUNKY dreams all night! I wake up feeling like I just fell asleep and coffee hasn't sounded good to me... I know I can drink a cup a day but it just doesn't sound appealing. So... no coffee and no sleep... makes for a very zombie like Lisa.

Morning sickness hasn't really been a problem... I didn't have much with Kaden either. I get nauseous here and there but I remember I have to eat and then immediately feel better. That's so backwards to me, feeling nauseous makes me NOT want to eat, but I have to force myself to get something down, because I KNOW I will feel better...

My memory is SHOT! I try sooooo hard to remember things... but before I can even grab a piece of paper to write whatever that's important down to remember and reference... I have already forgotten what I was going to write down. :*( I left ice cream out last night and have the most grace-filled husband who just puts it away without making it a big deal. Hahha!

Other than that... I love this growing baby in my belly! Kaden kisses my belly and tells me it's a girl. Do kids have a sixth sense we don't know about??? Hhaha! Either that or he's going to be super disappointed if it's a boy. I am sure he will be excited regardless once he sees the baby. A few people I know had babies this last week and it makes me that much more excited to meet mine in 216ish days. It has a lot of growing to do before that day... and I will wait and I know that the time will aslo fly by sooooo fast.

Sorry no belly pictures... I forgot to upload them to my computer. Happy 9 weeks little grape sized baby inside me!

Missio Community

To be authentic community that makes Jesus fully known ...so others may fully know Him.

What a weekend... we have been gearing up for this day to come for the last year and some months... Missio Community LAUNCHED! What does that mean? It's our new church community that we have been in the planning stages for the last year and some.... we started out with a group of about 10-15 people gathering in one living room dreaming of this day when we start gathering in multiple living rooms and a Sunday gathering in Southwest Portland. This last year we were meeting on Sundays once a month and adding to twice a month...now that day has come that we are now meeting weekly... there was about 100 adults and 20 kids this last Sunday to kick off our weekly Expressions (gatherings). We know there was a lot of friends and family out to support our first gathering... and there was a lot of "core" that was out of town and traveling or working. Regardless of numbers... Jesus was made fully known on Sunday... he was made known through the love of the children workers, the guest care, the worship team, and the preaching. He was made known through the smiles, the handshakes, the hugs. It was a very exciting day and more exciting days to come... we are here weekly! Joel and I can't wait to get our house sold (or rented) and move to SW so we can be closer to the people we want to reach. It's been a really exciting season in our lives... we would love continued prayers for this community to continue to put Jesus in the center of all the things we do, that you would pray for Joel and support raising and his new role in ministry. If you want to get Joel's monthly ministry updates you can subscribe HERE. 

Since April?

Since April...the last blog post we have had a LOT of happenings in the To family!

Joel turned 35 in April...

We put our house on the market in May....

We went to a LOT of graduations in June...and also celebrated our 7th anniversary!

 In July, Lisa turned in her two-week-notice to the office and started a new job at the Portland Arts Museum as an Events Manager....

Joel was gone most of August to help his parents at the fair... and April came down to be our nanny.

September Joel started working on staff at Missio Community...where we have had the privilege to be a part of this church plant and use our gifts and talents that God has given us... Missio will be meeting weekly SEPTEMBER 18!

Kaden started preschool...which he LOVES!

And if that wasn't enough change and transitions... we are PREGNANT! Whoohooo! Baby To #2 will be arriving into our family April 23ish.

So...with all that said...we are definitely in a time that we are learning to lean on Jesus and trust in HIM every day in all aspects of our lives... please pray for us during these next few weeks and months... that our house sells, that Joel raises full support, that Kaden grows and learns more in school, not only academically but spiritually as well, and that Lisa is adjusting to the new job and the growing belly and the baby is growing and healthy. Thanks much! Here's to blogging more often! Cheers!

Need to Blog More...

I should blog more.

Need to make time.

I always try to and then realize I don't have the right computer that has the pictures on it.

Then, I just forget.

This is my attempt to start again.

:)

Kaden is THREE!!!

Kaden turned three! He had his three year check up this morning and he's weighing in at 32 lbs and he's 36 inches tall. He got super shy for the doctor and every time she would leave he would talk up a storm again. He's super into CARS (the pixar film) and any other kind of cars, trains, planes... loves Curious George... getting into Pocoyo and Caillou. He is a wonderful helper. Loves to race... he loves to win.... and be Lightning McQueen! Everything is related to the movie, Cars... ask him what colors things are and he will say it's McQueen color (red), Chick Hicks color (green) or King color (blue)... he even goes so far as random other cars in the movie are yellow, orange, etc. We are in the midst of potty training. He's showing some progress... is amazing through the night but when he's home is when we have issues... we just all forget and play and do our thing... he's pretty good out and about. Sometimes he won't go in a bathroom that's not very clean. Kaden loves life... he plays really well by himself or with others. He isn't the greatest sharing with smaller kids... he thinks they are going to eat his toys or mess them up somehow. I don't really blame him... but still teaching him nonetheless. He loves to do all things Dadda does, but is Momma's boy through and through. As long as he's fed and gets a nap... life is wonderful. If those two things don't happen... we have to watch out for our little "emo" guy. :) We can usually change the subject or race our way out of the tantrums. And if all else fails... a "starwars" or everyone else calls them Starbusts usually will help. He has an awesome imagination... the couch at any time could be a boat, a plane, a motorcycle, school, a swimming pool. He likes to make mountains in the middle of the room with all the couch cushions and climb the mountain for hours. He reads books to himself, almost verbatim sometimes. Three years has seriously gone by too fast. Treasuring each day.

March: Transition Month

Kaden and Momma washing dishes

March was a hard month... it was a busy month... it was the month where EVERYTHING hit us at once. We felt like we were swimming upstream. We set a goal of April 1st as the date we put the house on the market... but we forgot that our housemates are gone and there was a ton of stuff you don't realize until it's (they) are gone. Joel can't just "run out" and grab stuff for the house... there isn't another or two sets of hands to watch kaden, clean, cook, help. It was definitely a month of adjustments on how to live just the three of us. I (lisa) also had a big event happening at the beginning of April...and planning birthday parties, and the conference and trying to get our house on the market. WOW... I am tired just thinking of the month of March. The craziness isn't over... but I think we sort of figured out how to do life with just the three of us... just in time for our friend, Kris to move back in. (What can we say... we like living in community). Kaden especially gets bored of just the two of us... our house is getting there... should be up by mid-May. Praying for a miracle... that someone will fall in love with the house and not ask us to do anything to it and take the price as is. :) It was a miracle that we bought it and we are having faith that it will sell the same way. :) That was March.