a little GOOD

Some good friends of ours are partnering to provide good, stable, affordable and sustainable homes in Burkina Faso. For every 100,000 visitors to the website they will train a mason in Burkina Faso to build a home ... build a community. Please take a few minutes of your time and check out their website, watch the videos and see their pictures. Thanks

http://www.dosomegoodnow.com/

Random Thoughts

So here goes my second attempt at posting...I have, since posting my last thought about what to blog and have thought SO much about it. Like will I have okay things to say, will anyone read or comment, what will my style be and so on. However I have come to the conclusion that I just need to do it. Once, before life of being a busy Mom, I would journal, I loved to journal. Sometimes I wrote because it was a bad day and sometimes for good days, I wrote to clear my head, or to think through life and problems. I prayed to God, writing out prayers. So I think this will be my style. Kind of eclectic and depending on my mood. I love reading the blogs I do now and am inspired from them. Maybe I will inspire. Maybe not. However I just want to give this a go.

So where am I today in writing this? Hmmm. It has been a random day. I woke up to the sound of rain once again...not very common here but we love the rain. It is funny to me how people who are not used to the rain act in the rain. Like they will actually melt if they go out in it. And to drive in it when be the most dangerous thing they have done. I however have purposely taken drives the past two days. Yesterday to the beach just to see it on a stormy day and to see how high the tide was.

Tommy had a check up at the Doctor today. Just a regular Baby check up, he is healthy and on track for growing. The one comment the Doctor always has for me is how unusually happy Tommy is. That he doesn't see babies who smile and really look at you when they do. This is true of my son. He has since probably 3 months, engaged people. He waits for you to look at him and then he smiles so big. He does this without judgment to men and women, old and young, even beautiful and not so pretty people. I can never go anywhere without being stopped for people to comment on my gorgeous children...and the comment I most often get is they are so happy. I pray this will continue.

After the appointment I picked up Aaron for a nice lunch. We had a warm bowl of chowder on this rainy day. We ate at Splash, our favorite place. It was nice to sit and have a nice lunch with Aaron. We have been here now about 10 months, we have a 9 month old. Our little girl is in school. Life has changed so much in the past year for us. We are so happy here and feel at home. At times though it still feels new. I wonder when the "new kid" feeling will go away. I think I am looking forward to that. What I do not want to happen is for the feeling of being SO blessed and for that feeling of just being loved and blessed by God to be here to go away. When we first moved here and for the timing of when we did...like me being VERY pregnant...it was SO evident that God had moved us here. We have always loved this area but never thought we would move here. When I question why, especially in the beginning I always felt like God moved us here because He loved us. He loves me. He loves my family. I experienced having a full and grateful heart. Nothing Aaron and I could have done could have worked everything out for us to be here but God moved mountains. When I think on how it all fell into place, everything that had to fall into place I am still awed. Even just me finding a Doctor and being able to find one who supported me and allowed me to have a VBAC with the Baby. Taylor and her school, what a blessing this is. She has a teacher who loves to teach and Taylor is just blossoming academically and socially.The Pastor on Sunday preached a great message on using God's blessing to bless others and how when we do we push back the darkness. This has got me thinking, I feel blessed to be here and I want to use that feeling to bless others. I just pray how and what that looks like.

Well this was an eclectic post. I guess I feel kind of random tonight. A few other random thoughts:
1. I have fallen in love with two great new musicians. Ingrid Michaleson and Matt White. And if you haven't gotten hooked on her yet, check out Colbie Caillat.
2.I am wondering if and when I should go back to work. And if I want to or not. And if I do does that make me a bad Mom. And if I don't will that be OK financially.
3. We are having Taylor's best friend with us for a week next month, we are excited for that.
4. I see God moving in the life of my family and friends. This excites me.
5.I am wondering if Weight Watchers really does work. And I am sad that LA Weight Loss is no more since it did work for me.
6.I am feeling like I need to have time for the gym but wondering when that is.
7.Excited for Apprentice tonight, or just that time with Aaron...kids hopefully sleeping.
8.Wondering when Tommy will sleep through the night...and when he does will I have energy for the gym finally.
9.Excited that Tay has another 3 day weekend. Wondering what that will look like with rainy days and being inside.
10.Love that I am married to my best friend and that I still feel magic when he kisses me.

So this was a long post. I think more to clear my head than anything tonight.

Hodge Podge

My beautiful family:) In cave during low tide, Pismo Beach.
He thinks I'm a little silly:)
Rock jumping with Taylor in Pismo...can't let her be all girlie girl:)

Decorating her Gingerbread Man at school Christmas Party
I had a little fun with make-up, her lashes are amazing:)
Tommy's dedication with Pastor Mike. Such a special time:)
Crawling on Big Sister

Taylor enjoying the warm sun and water:)
An artist and her artwork:)
Footprints
Watching his sister, day dreaming of when he is down and running in the sand:)
Playing at the park right by the ocean, Tommy loved this:)

So I have thought for a long time about posting and writing and blogging...but haven't. It is Courtney doing this not Aaron...So here is my first go at it. I posted pictures of some recent walks I have taken with the kids at the beach. I love that we are so close to this environment. I think on how much it differs from the environment in Sacramento. I was always so busy running around, those who know me know my love for a good shopping trip and how far I will go for a good Sale:) But here there just isn't that environment. It has been good for me. I miss going to the Rack for a good pair of shoes for cheap...or if one store doens't have it driving to one of the many others. Yet I think maybe I should have just slowed down. Don't get me wrong I am still busy here. With laundry, cleaning, cooking, more laundry, and other chores as a Mommy. But not with that empty buzy-ness or running around.
Yesterday was beautiful outside, warm and cozy. Tommy and I walked to pick up Taylor from school and then we hopped in the car for about a ten minute drive to Avilla Beach. We got there, took our shoes off and walked. I played, laughed, got wet by higher than expected waves and giggled with my kids. It was such a nice day. It has made me think how if I wouldn't have just taken that walk and we were at home...doing homework, laundry or whatever would I have missed hearing my daughters giggle as she ran from waves or chased birds. Or my sons laughter as he played on the swing. And beyond that just my own thoughts. Or even more, the things God wishes to speak to my heart. Sometimes a walk and a break from being busy....can be so refreshing. I felt refreshed. I want more of that. More refreshing times. Less busy time. With the New Year we all think what we want more of or less of. I want to enjoy more living here and being refreshed, to take time to walk. To listen. To love.

Little Moments of Truth

I've learned several things from my dad. Getting up and helping your wife when she asks for it is more important than watching the game. Your kids will remember little things like rebuilding a bicycle, working in the yard together or cheering from the sideline. Church is a crucial component to the spiritual building blocks of your family, as a unit and as individuals. You will have succeeded as a parent if your kids don't understand the personal sacrifices you made until they grow up and have children of their own. Dad is someone you can always come and talk to about anything. It's never a bad idea to get help from someone who knows more than you do. Helping someone usually makes you feel better than the person you are helping.

This, of course, is not an exhaustive list. But there's one other thing my dad taught me: Everything is an opportunity to teach your kids something about Jesus. The other day Taylor found herself in the garage with her dad in a pair of her mom's shoes, trouncing around and having fun. Moments later mom came into the garage and told Taylor that she probably shouldn't be wearing those shoes because they recently were home to a few pebbles of rodent excrement. You can only imagine how a little 5 year old girl would respond to such a happenstance. I could only duck as over-sized shoes came hurling across the garage as tiny feet kicked them off with what can only be described as an adrenaline induced shot of super-human strength. Only to be followed by a streak of red hair dashing into the bathroom.

There she encountered a dilemma. Her feet, her dirty feet, she didn't want to touch them. She wanted them clean but she didn't want to touch them. This could only result in the impoverished cry for help from the only person brave enough for a job so disgustingly untouchable: DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADY! What is a dad to do? I put down what I was working on, filled the tub with water and began to wash her feet.

When we were done I had the opportunity to sit down with my daughter and I read her John 13 where Jesus washed his disciples feet. We had a nice little discussion about love, about how Jesus showed his love and how we should show our live like Jesus did. I will always think of my dad as king of the object lesson. A glass of root beer and some Drano (since SOMEONE kept drinking the root beer and soap) and boom ... an object lesson. For me, that will always be a substantial component of my father's legacy. He turned on a switch that taught me how to see God in events seemingly unrelated to how God relates to us; how God loves me, how He loves His bride, how God interacts with us and how we can interact with God. My father taught me how to see and understand my Father in my everyday. And if I can pass that on to my children, the ability to see God in unique situations, to hear Him speak and call them gently to Himself in seemingly innocuous happenstances, then I know I will have had some success as a father.

Taylor's First Time Ice Skating

My little man contemplating the oddities of life


My favorite little man


A moment between daddy and son