Milestones and Memory Lane

A weeks ago John and I had a conversation that went like this:

"Johnny! She rolled over!"

"What's the problem? Is she ok?"

"Yes! But she rolled over for the first time!"

"Oh, I've seen her do that before."

 "What?! Why didn't you say anything?" 

 "I didn't think it was a problem."

A short tutorial on milestones followed.

Since he couldn't be here for it today, I recorded Afton having her first solid feeding. Thank heavens I did. I had no idea how much cuteness would be in every bite!

She's been interested in food for a long time. I've just been putting it off because I'm emotional about how quickly she is growing up. I find this emotion very strange as I can't compare it to anything I've ever felt. I want her to grow up, of course, but I cannot believe how independent she  has become  in such a short time! I am frantically digging for parenting books and chucking "Caring for Baby" books aside! Just as all babies are different, I know all children are different and there is no manual...blah blah blah...but aware of my need for wisdom like never before. Parenting well is something I am not capable of doing without the Lord's leading. 

Lord, help us train Afton up in the way that she should go so that when she is older she will not depart from it (Prov. 22:6). 

This past weekend, I happened upon memory lane. It all began as I watched my cousin welcome her baby into the world. So thankful to her for allowing me the opportunity to watch that sweet moment on video. As I watched with Afton in my lap that strange emotion I'm not used to yet welled up inside me and I bawled my eyes out. Never have I loved the look of a newborn baby so much until after I held my own. Now I understand the preciousness in a whole new way and I want to hold them all. 

The second stroll happened when I attended a banquet at my previous place of employment. I had planned to go ever since Melissa Ohden was asked to be the keynote speaker. I left feeling refreshed, invigorated and full of excitement after hearing her  incredible story as well as some very exciting steps being taken to impact the twin cities area!

The last decision to "stroll" was made on a whim.  Last Saturday we decided to visit our Alma Mater, Crown College. John had a previous student who was playing in the homecoming game and it was proving to be a nicer day than the weather man had suggested, so we hopped in the car and drove the hour west of the cities. While I realized now as a resident on the east side of the twin cities, Waconia is pretty far out there, I did enjoy the drive sipping coffee and listening to Afton giggle and talk. Two memories came to mind as we drove- the first was of many trips back from home during the fall. A familiar feeling crept in of the excitement to get back to school and also the familiarity of home sickness.

The other memory was of last year as John pulled me out of the house in the midst of my dreadful morning sickness telling me going out to Crown for homecoming would take my mind off of how sick I felt. It wasn't the case. (To this day I can't look at the sweater I was wearing because it still makes me nauseous. ) I was awkward with everyone we ran into because all I could think was "I hope I don't vomit here. Not here. Please God! Not here." ) Oh the joys of pregnancy! I don't think anyone picked up on it. Most people did look surprised when we walked into the football stadium (yes, Crown has one now) with a stroller.

It was a fun time. I love showing Afton off. She smiled and entertained all she met. When it started to rain we left to grab coffee at Mocha Monkey. Second to Crown, this place holds some of the most precious times between John and I. This is where the "DTR" happened and many since. It's where he held my hand for the first time. It's where we studied the one and only class we ever had together-the one we met in. It's where I decided on a major. It's where I wrote many a paper for said major. It's where I met with my internship supervisor (now dear friend) for staff meetings...oh the list goes on and on. And now its where I've spent a rainy Saturday afternoon with my family of three.

Two Months Old

Our beloved Afton was two months old this past Sunday. 

She truly gets cuter every day. I can't get over her and I can't believe she'll only continue to grow more beautiful. We pray that she will be like a tree planted by a river bank with her roots deep in truth and that she would constantly bear the fruit of the Spirit. 

Poor Johnny has been missing her this past week as he is on a missions trip. We are so supporting him in prayer as he felt led to plan and lead this trip over a year ago, but we miss him so much and he misses his baby!

Afton and I have been staying with my parents in Wisconsin and are enjoying a lot of the benefits of new, smitten grandparents and uncle who will do literally ANYTHING for baby time. 

I was able to go for a motorcycle ride with my dad,  go boating on the Mississippi AND the Black River and go out for brunch with a dear friend... ALONE! Such a privilege no one ever told me I'd so enjoy. For an introvert, suddenly having a human that never leaves your side is kind of a big deal. I LOVE IT, but, I really appreciate when someone I know, love and trust says "I'll take her!" and they mean it. :-) Once I actually LEAVE (yes, I'm that crazy mom that keeps coming back to tell them where this and that are and makes sure they have my number written in 12 places and on their head) it's so fun to come back to that sweet face. :-) 

Note: Missing her could take place after twenty minutes.... Sometimes at night I miss her...or when I'm driving in the car and she's in the back seat and I can't hold her. I literally can't get enough of this girl!) 

So, that said, poor Johnny.I'm sure her face has changed in a week and my back tells me that this cuddle bug who insists on snuggling most of the time (INSERT PLUG FOR THE BABY BJORN, THE MOBY AND THE SOON TO ARRIVE ERGO-ALL OF WHICH I LOVE FOR DIFFERENT REASONS) has grown in poundage for sure. She also, conveniently, began sleeping through the night when John left so this momma is actually sleeping better than her hubs, who is leading a 7 day missions trip with teenagers. :-)I'm still debating whether or not I should tell him. He keeps bragging about sleeping 6 hours with out interruption and I just can't bring myself to tell him I've slept 8.

But, she's awake now, God bless her, just as I sit down for coffee. 

It's ok. I missed her anyway. More later on how I feel about her growing up. 

On top of the World

Truly...i am. I am in love with the state of Washington and my husband who so lovingly gave me the gift of a vacation to see my dearest Garrett. Everything in my life is beautiful right now, except for the fact that I am now down to two nights left. The free spirit in me wishes we could pack up and move here...forever. ;-) But the college graduate in me knows that the better choice is to stick with the already decided move to Omaha Nebraska- the life change that sparked this little adventure I am on.

A month ago when John and I visited Omaha Home for boys, we fell in love with what we believe is God's will for our lives right now. We were both offered jobs there, and after much prayer- and a promise from Johnny that I could fly to Washington first--we accepted two very exciting job  opportunities. We will be moving on October 28th and beginning pre-service training the following Monday. Yes, the great state of Corn-heads will be our new home. Who would have thought? Neither of us, that's for sure, but we're thrilled with the prospect of a new adventure and VERY excited to work with the staff and most of all the kids/families in Omaha.

That said, let me remind you of the good gifts God gives to his children. John reminded me of that by sending me on this trip but in a larger scale, I feel this is the perfect way to wrap up a beautiful time of the Lord refreshing my heart and my soul. I am grateful beyond words. He is good,...so good and knows exactly what we need. He delights in giving good gifts to his children.

So here I sit, soaking up the Spokane sunshine (appartently it's known for how little it rains and how much it shines here! Annd, how friendly locals are!...which I'm attributing to their intake of vitamin D.)

I tried to find a local coffee shop, as is my tradition when in a new city, but since the one Garrett suggested is closed, I snuggled into the safe haven of Starbucks which once was very local--one more reason to love this state ;-)

It's more than the state of Washington though. I've been here before. It's a lesson that I believe the Lord is teaching me. The theme of this weekend for me has been one of overcoming fears. One fear of mine is flying.  I hate it for more reasons than most- and being in the sky is surprisingly not part of the problem. It's the airport, the landing, and not being able to see where I'm going or where I've been. Put plainly, it's the lack of control I have when I subject myself to air travel. It is humbling for me to be seated next to someone who can tell that I am anxious and takes it upon themselves to "distract me" during the flight. What a comfort though to land after two flights safely in the little airport of  Spokane and see my brother's Jeep pulled in to pick me up at baggage claim. Words cannot express my joy!

Another fear conquered happened when Garrett took me climbing with he and two wonderful friends of his (Brady and Ian). Before I knew it I was all geared up to climb one of the biggest boulders I have ever seen--however, I was told these were the "beginner rocks." Of course I've always wanted to climb real rocks and of course I wanted my brother to be proud of me, and of course I climbed to the top and was thrilled, but when the time came to "let go"  "lean back" and repel down the cliff....well, that was humbling also. After some coaxing, and the three men being just so kind and comforting I finally leaned back in my harness entrusting myself completely to my "baby" brother's belaying skills and conquered yet another of my fears...=] The cheering that ensued brought tears to my eyes because I felt not only their joy and encouragement, but also the joy of my Father because that small step represented so many larger steps in our relationship. I love my Abba so much.

As far as John's adventures, he is having a wonderful time visiting his family and friends and "saying goodbye" before we leave. He is spending some refreshing time at one of his very favorite spots, his families cabins at Hayden Lake, Wisconsin. He and our friend Alan Hall have been fishing today and I received a picture message from Alan of some very big bass that they caught! I'm so happy that my John is  having a blessed time too. =]

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Photos of my trip are posted at http://www.facebook.com/autumn.rose21. Enjoy!

When I Am Weak Then I Am Strong

This past Sunday my husband had the opportunity to preach here at KAC. It was a crazy week and he was commited to many things that weekend let alone being the sole pastor at church while General Counsel  was being held in Kansas City. By the time Saturday night rolled around, I looked at him sympathetically and asked how he was doing. He smiled that strong smile that always makes me feel like he has a secret and said, "I am held by God. He is good to me." I just thought to myself, "I hate that I get more nervous for him during crazy times than he actually gets!" 

But I realized, my husband is living like he believes  everything God says is true.  He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5)." He says, "Look, for I am about to do something new. See I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create streams in the desert (Isaiah 43:19)." He says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 2:9b)."

As I sat and listened to my husband preach on Sunday morning not knowing anything ahead of time but his topic, I was in awe of God's power as he spoke through my husband who I knew was only an empty vessel wanting desperately  to be used by our mighty King. That said, I want to share with you how God spoke to me through my husband. Glory to God.

http://www.kielcma.com/site/audiodownloads.asp?sec_id=180003572

Date Night

One of my very favorite things of late is Friday night- date night. Life has gotten a lot busier since I took a full time job in Sheboygan and though I truly love my job, I really miss those early afternoons and evenings with my husband.
During the girls nap on Friday I interviewed Dana, a local of Sheboygan, hoping she would have some new places for us to add to our GPS for date night. After she provided me with her favorites along with catagories to help me decide, I texted John some websites so he could make the final decision between Italian on the Lake or Sushi on 8th St.

After bidding the girls goodbye for the weekend I slipped on my sunnies and turned up the radio as is  my Friday after- work custom. Pulling into my driveway I was delighted to see a boyish Johnny practicing his fly-fishing in the front yard =] Sidenote: This week he bought his WI fishing license and has been pouring over the manual like it's the Bible. Yes, I would venture to say he's in need of a vacation.

When he saw me he greeted me with a big smile and kiss and a story  about his perfect afternoon disking with a friend followed by ice cream. I was still sitting in the car at this point and he put his left  hand on the roof to lean against the car when our perfect date night was altered by one detail he forgot to mention when giving me the rundown of his afternoon. While disking, it seemed a disk had gone into the river (not an uncommon occurance while we were at Crown) and he deemed it a good excuse to go for a swim, not knowing that THAT disc would go up in value by quite a bit following that swim...when putting his hand on the car he waited unconsciously for the "clink" of his wedding ring. Nothing. So...date night turned into a couple of calls and a shopping trip to the jewelry store to find something while we wait for a duplicate to arrive in the mail. My poor husband. Honestly I think it affected him more than it affected my sentimental self. He acted on getting another immediately after we searched the grass by the river. I mostly feel bad for him having to deal with my lecture following the event, but I share this story because as much as it bothers us both we had to laugh knowing there are far worse things than losing a wedding ring in a river.Also, to brag about how much my husband loves me. (My wise  mother gave me a little insight when I called her crying  and she asked me where John was. I said I was in "my" room and he was out looking for it... "Autumn Rose, I'm going to hang up if you don't go apologize to that poor man right now!" Did I mention he also graciously offered to call a friend with a scuba suit after it registered to me that he could have DIED jumping in the 5 ft. deep river in 45 degree weather?

That disk might get framed for Christmas, I love my husband,  The End.

Not Profound

I love watching people be in their element. Lately I've noticed that my husband talks a lot about his job...the other day it hit me that normally it bothers me when people bore me with facts--just facts, not feelings--about their line of work. It's great to know the ins and outs of your work, but the counselor in me always begs the question, "But, tell me how that makes you feel!" Anyway, as Johnny was blurbing facts today about his job, trends he was noticing and so on, I realized that this information he was giving  was much more than facts to him-- this topic was something he loved and that made me happy!

We all talk about things that are important to us...we all do it. But when other people talk about things that are important to them, unless we share a very common interest to theirs, or their passion is just really intriguing for some reason, we have a hard time listening, don't we? Or maybe its just me ;-)

So here's what I've decided: When someone talks about something that they are passionate about and I have a hard time connecting with that passion, I'm going to choose to appreciate and hope to catch their joy. Care to join me?