God is Good

God is good to me
Oh he's always been good.

I constantly catch myself singing this verse from a song I cannot put a title to. It must of been some junior high youth group song I sang every Sunday growing up.

Yosemite was amazing. God is good and as I stood on the valley floor with the most precious people in my life....I could not help from singing this verse again and again under my breath.

I think it is my theme song.

I am thinking...

That I love this little man.

I wish I lived closer to him so I could squeeze him every day.

He is sweet, funny, and so full of character.

Hunter already has the best friends!

Say Cheese

Ken took some amazing pictures of our family while we were in SLO a few weekends back.

I am at peace knowing that I will forever have this period of Hunter's life caught on film.

I feel like we have crossed a bridge from baby to toddler in the last few days. He is learning news words constantly and using them to tell us the secrets he has been holding in his heart for so long. Finally I get to communicate with my baby. I understand what he wants because he tells me.

He is excited to share his rock, his toy, his movie, his everything. Seeing the world through his eyes and with his excitement has brought a new level of joy into our lives. All of a sudden dirt clots are not gross and to be avoided, they take our breath away and bring on hours of laughter!

Confession

I do not read my bible enough.

Ok hardly ever.

That needs to change.

Thanks for letting me say that...Now I have to do something about it.

Bible on the night stand. Then I can read with Hunter for a minute before bed.

I will start tonight.

Remembrance Day

For people who do not know me, let me introduce myself.....This post is being done not by Renee but rather by Wade (Renee's Husband) and I am Canadian so thought I would like to take a moment and offer something that I am thankful for today. Today(Nov 11th) is Remembrance Day in Canada. It is often also referred to as Poppy day, Armistice day or Veterans day. This is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on Nov 11 to recall the end of World War I in 1918 which formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Today I am thankful for all the sacrifice that soldiers have made to allow us the freedoms that we enjoy everyday. If anybody not from Canada has a chance to be in Canada during Remembrance Day it amazing!! You will see that starting two weeks before Nov 11 everyone will be wearing a poppy! The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their red color an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare.

Growing up in Canada all school children will have been taught an amazing poem written by Canadian military physician John McCrae who wrote it after he witnessed the death of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, only 22 years old, the day before.

So as each of you read the following poem please take a moment with me and thank all of the Veterans past and present who have offered so much!

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

I am Thankful for all the HARD work

For a man that is not in love with the sea....he sure did stand there just looking at it for a long time. He was probably trying to calculate the speed of the waves or trying to understand the power of the waves and create some new way to harness it.

As for me, I am full just watching him figure it all out.

He works so HARD. Balancing budgets, making payments, playing with Hunter, doing dishes, feeding animals, programing new tools for SUN, learning new tech stuff, researching everything, answering emails, selling baseball programs, writting websites, fixing cars, renovating our home and holding me as I fall asleep each and every night.

I admire you Wade and I notice every small, medium and large thing your do for us. You are leading our family to success.

Sun or Oracle. Job or NO job. 12 children or 1. Eating out or always homecooked. New or used. Debt or paid in full. Either way I am madly in love with you. My heart is bubbling over with pride just to be called by your last name. Thank you for all your hard work to make our dream come true...

The internet

Today I am thankful for the internet and all that I have discovered through it.

I am greatful to meet and share stories with other people all this my computer screen.

I laugh, I learn, I cook and sometimes when a story like Gavin's creeps into my heart...I cry.

Today this nice lady is sharing peoples favorite posts on her website....fun reading, fun people.

Life

Take a deep breath....go on.

Now deeper.

How good does that feel to have the cool air fill your lungs?

Now gently breath out...

How refreshing. My mind is clear, my body is able and my heart is pumped and ready to go.

How GOOD to be ALIVE.

Today I am thankful for this moment. For each breath.

I am thankful for Gavin and how his sweet story has touched my life. I am thankful to be reminded that every breath is a gift from God.

To read Gavin's story click here.

My Circle

We all have people in our lives. Some make us happy, others make us laugh, others really rub us the wrong way and annoy us by trying to jump on our bed during a nap.

I have all these types of people in my life...but the people I treasure the most are my circle. They are the people that would tell me the truth, hold me accountable, call me out, hug me a bit tighter and longer after a bad day, they find true joy in my success and their hearts hurt when I fail...but more than anything they pray with me and for me....you see I believe in the power of prayer becuase I know what it has done in my life.

Today I am thankful for these people and for all their prayers.

Jillian, sweet Jillian is my freshman year roommate. I love the journey we have been on together and I love knowing that there is still along way to go...but that we will always just be a phone call away. All it takes is "hello" and I am back on my side of the room, burning music, writing in my journal and talking all night with my cherry farm girl Jill. I love her simplicity...there is right and wrong. She is as loyal and kind as they come. I am thankful for you Jillian.

Nate, Amy and growing baby Paige are precious to me. Amy and I are on the same page in life...we always have been. This girl is as REAL as they come. I love her unconditional and nonjudgmental take on life. I am so thankful for you Amy.
Ericka and this little punk have the most stories to tell about me. After living together for years Ericka knows it all and I love that we can talk about anything...even when we have completely different views and strong opinions. I learn so much from her perspective and her dedication to doing what she believes is right. She is the perfect party planner. She has an eye for making things beautiful inside and out. I am so thankful for you Ericka.
When we are together are some of the favorite times in my life. We have shared the good the bad and everything in between....and we have so much more fun to have in the years to come.

Then there is this sister of mine....who decides to steal my friends. haha. I still think that is funny she thinks that....because the truth is that I am the luckiest woman alive...my best friend, my sister is also just as close with my circle of friends as I am. It does not get any better than this Kristin. I am so thankful for you and for more reasons than this post can hold.
Oh and this girl....God has used her in BIG, LIFE changing ways. I have always admired her style and grace but more importantly her devotion to what she believes in. She knows the meaning of a hard days work. Skye lights up a room and I have always been thankful to be her friend.
Then there is K$ and Travis. K$ is Shera. I promise you that she is the true real life superwoman. Smart, strong inside and out, healthy, kind, wise and so full of solutions. I know she would drop it all and come running if I was in a moment of need. I am so thankful for you Kristin.

I hope you have friends like these people. Because these people understand that it is fun to go to Vegas and Yosemite and be in each others weddings....but the powerful moments are in prayers, tears, and years of just being there for it all.

I would not be me without all of you. I am endlessly and powerfully thankful for each one of you and the roll you play in my life today, tomorrow and forever.

More Home Renovations

On Sunday we stained our decks and fence. It took us around 5 hours and $200 bucks but it made a really big difference on the overall look in our backyard.

One piece at a time....next is weed pulling, drip line placing, planting, rocks, a play area for Hunter and area for Laredo to potty.

There is always another project!

Our Time Together

I am genuinely thankful for every second of time we spend together as a family. I can never get enough of our little monkey!

Hunter had a great time trick or treating. After the first house he had figured out you take the candy from their bowl and put it in your bucket....then he was off! He walked the entire few blocks and carried his own bucket. He would knock on the door and say "open". He was too cute!!