October at our home!

It's amazing that it's the middle of October already! The weather is finally turning colder, and we are excited for the Holidays to be here. We're hoping for a lot of snow again this year, although maybe not quite the blizzard extravaganza from last year!
Meghan is now 3 months old - growing big and a very happy little girl when she feels good.

Hunter completed his first soccer season this last week! His team was really good and they actually went undefeated and won all six games. After the last game, they were given medals - as you can see, Hunter is VERY proud of his medal.

This last game was very special as Hunter scored FIVE goals! You can watch a video here of Hunter scoring one of them.

ROCKTOBER!

What an unexpected, wild "Rocktober" we've had this year! Our beloved Colorado Rockies baseball team has unexpectedly made it into the playoffs and has been the hottest team in all of baseball for the last six weeks. As of today's writing (October 15th), they have won 20 of their last 21 games. At the beginning of September, their playoff chances were pretty slim - but they defied all the odds and went 20-8 in September, to end the season with a tie for the Wild Card with the San Diego Padres. Therefore, on October 1st, there was a one game playoff between us and the Padres to determine who the Wild Card would go to.
Believe it or not, we managed to get tickets to that amazing game! After we heard about the game, Matt got online and kept hitting "refresh" for nearly 30 minutes to get into their site - and once he did, we were lucky enough to get incredibly cheap tickets to this game.
The tie-breaker was the most exhilarating, breathtaking, overwhelming thing we've experienced in our young lives thus far. I have never experienced anything like it. The game was, of course, sold out and we were on our feet nearly the entire game - all 13 innings of it! The Rockies came back to score three runs in the 13th inning to WIN the game! Yay!

At the Wild Card tie-breaker game on October 1st

That win put us into the NLDS (National League Division Series) against the Philadelphia Phillies, a best out of five series. We swept them, first winning both in Philadelphia then coming home and winning the final game at Coors Field.We were also privileged enough to get tickets to this last game as well! This game was also a blast to be at. Everyone was wearing Rockies gear, a lot of people brought brooms they would wave in the air, many people had signs for "MVP" for Matt Holliday, and "Rookie of the Year" for Troy Tulowitzki. Our great friends Nathan and Michelle joined us for a night to remember!
Nathan, Michelle and us at the Light Rail Station after our awesome win! And unbelievably, the Rockies are now playing The Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS (National League Championship Series) for a best out of seven series - and we are already up 3-0! One more win and we go to the World Series for the first time ever! They play tonight and we are hoping to clinch it here at Coors Field.
One really wild thing that happened at the NLDS was that all the lights in Coors Field went out! Evidently, the computer that controls the lights shorted out. It only took about 15 minutes for the ballgame to resume - but it was pretty crazy being a dark stadium with 50,000 other people. Here's a cool picture of it.

Lights out! Oops!

GO ROCKIES!!!!!!!!!!!

September Happenings

Wow, it's September already! This month we have already been a little busy. Here's what going on with us!

**HUNTER'S FIRST SOCCER GAME**

On Saturday, September 8th, Hunter played in his first of many soccer games! He chose to be #5 because it's like Matt Holliday of the Colorado Rockies. He's had plenty of practice with daddy, but it was a whole different story being on the field with 10 other kids all trying to get the ball at the same time! He was a little overwhelmed at first, but quickly caught on and got in the game. Their team (the Lions) won 5-2 and Hunter scored one of those goals!

If you've never seen a soccer game of 3 & 4 year olds, it's quite amusing. When the whistle blew to signal the start of the game, the kids mostly just stood around and looked at each other. Some of the kids started to run off the field in the middle of the game, kids were kicking the ball in the wrong direction and of course they were all tripping over each other. It was a blast to watch! You can watch this video of after the game:

**MEGHAN IS TWO MONTHS!**

Our little Meghan is already two months old and growing strong. She's almost nine pounds now, meaning she has gained weight at a great rate since being born. It's hard to believe that some babies are born at the size she is now! She has been a little colicky lately so we are trying to figure out her feedings a little differently, so we'd appreciate your prayers with that.

In this picture, Meghan is sitting in a "Bumbo" seat - they are awesome! As soon as a baby can hold their head up, they can sit in this Bumbo seat that supports their body. It's a great thing to have so that baby doesn't always have to be lying on her back during her awake times.

**A SPECIAL VISIT**

When we were engaged, we were mentored by a wonderful couple for pre-marital counseling. We haven't seen Jim and Sue Bailey in nearly eight years, but we received a treat last week when they called to say they were in town! We had such a nice visit with them.

**MOTORCYCLE BABIES**

Just a cute picture of Hunter and Baylie dressed up in motorcycle gear!

Baseball Anniversary!

Wow! It's been eight years already! We are celebrating our anniversary this Tuesday, August 28th and we can hardly believe it's been eight years. This past weekend we celebrated by heading up to Denver and staying the night. We got some very special treats this year we just had to write about!

First of all, we ate at Rodizio's Grill, a Brazilian Steakhouse where they bring skewered meat to your table and carve it right to your plate. They had so many different kinds of meat, plus a salad bar complete with main dishes and desserts. YUM-O!!!! Not a place we could afford to eat very often, but such a treat for a special occasion right in downtown Denver!

Our second treat was getting the most AWESOME seats ever to see our Colorado Rockies play! Most of you know that one of our great loves is baseball (we hope to someday visit all of the MLB parks - we've hit five so far: Coors Field in Denver, Safeco Field in Seattle, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati).
Anyhow, this weekend we found some season ticket holders selling their remaining tickets on Craig's List (http://www.craigslist.com/) and we got a steal of a deal for a game, sitting two rows behind the Rockies Dugout, on the homeplate side. See this picture of our view (no zoom or anything!):

(Troy Tulowitzki is at bat, Matt Holliday is on deck - our two favorite players!)

The Rockies are definitely our favorite team. One thing you may not know is that the owners and management of the Colorado Rockies base their management and operations on integrity, high morals and traditional values. Many of the mangement team and players are Christians, although it certainly isn't a requirement to play on the team, nor is their faith shoved down anyone's throats. Here's a great article about that: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/nl/rockies/2006-05-30-rockies-cover_x.htm

To complete our baseball experience, our presents to each other were fun Rockies tee shirts (seen above and below in the pictures), something we didn't have before to support our team. In this picture, we are wearing shirts of our favorite players.
And the final treat for us was a gift from our dear friends, David and Emily Nation: originally they were going to watch our kids for the evening while we went to dinner and the game. A couple of weeks ago, they gave us a free hotel room in Denver for the night and offered to keep Hunter and Baylie overnight for us! Thanks you guys, we love you!

Of course we brought miss Meghan with us, seven weeks old now! Believe it or not, this was her FOURTH baseball game since being born. :) She is doing very well and has her daddy's coloring with strawberry-blonde hair. Hunter and Baylie LOVE their little sister and usually are fighting with each other about who gets to check on her, give her her "binky" and put a blanket on her. Baylie is recovering from a case of pneumonia which had her in the Emergency Room for a day. She is really healthy now and thank the Lord, none of us caught it from her! Baylie is also nearly fully potty trained - we are so proud of her! Hunter is just about to start his first season of soccer. We went shopping for cleats, shin guards, etc. and he is sooooo excited! Actually, Matt may be even more excited about it than Hunter....

Welcome Little Meghan!!!

It was with great joy that yesterday, July 8th, 2007 we welcomed Meghan Alyssa Joy into the world and our family. She was born at 9:22 AM, was 5 lbs 12 ounces and 18.5 inches long. She is already "one of the family" and we are so excited to get to know her more and shower her with love.

Of the occasion, and on having a new baby sister, Hunter said, "Well I really liked being there [at the hospital] two times, and well I think it's pretty much fun, I really like it but she sleeps a lot. Yeah, I really like it." (He then wandered into a long dissertation about the Rockies and pretty much lost focus on Meghan). Baylie chimed in with "um sees unother pink pincess".

Our prayer for this sweet little baby is that she would grow to know her Savior and walk fully in the plans that He has laid out for her - whatever and wherever they may be; that she would be loved, and know love; and that Melissa and I would be granted wisdom and discernment in steering her in they way she should go.

Again, welcome little Meghan, you are loved.

Happy Birthday America!!

Sweet Baylie! Getting ready to be a big sister... no baby yet... we're still just waiting!


We celebrated a nice quiet 4th of July here at home this year! It was the first year the kids got to experience some of their own fireworks on the driveway. They especially liked the sparklers and the black snakes (weird).


Some were a little loud, I guess!


A beautiful evening to enjoy!

Over the Hump!

Using the old metaphor, one chapter in our lives is quickly drawing to a close and the next is about to be written! After 5 gruelling weeks of school, with class nearly every night, Matt has finished his MBA program! (and promises not to even think about going back for a few years). In the midst of that, Melissa and baby Meghan inched along through severe bouts of fatigue. Amazingly, by God's grace, and the love and care of our friends, they have made it through and are doing much better as delivery day draws near.

Here are a few of the "other" things that have transpired since we last posted.

First, Hunter and Daddy were given tickets to a Rockies game -Hunter's first one ever! His eyes sparkled, his little feet hopped up and down as we walked into the stadium and got our first glimpse of the field. It just doesn't look quite that big on t.v.! With lots of hotdogs and cotton candy, Hunter managed to make it through the entire game. He still remembers the final score, even if daddy doesn't (we lost).



Hemi Grandma (Melissa's Mom) came out during the second of the five weeks of school to help out. During the visit the was the graduation for the Air Force Academy. Every year we watch the Thunderbirds perform at the graduation, from Compassion's parking lot, which is right across the highway from the Academy.



In the midst of everything summer weather has arrived!! And with a vengence - a spell of hot weather and little rain has dried things out. To cool off, the kids are learning the art of the "slip -n- slide." Hunter was timid at first, but after watching his friend Ryan do it fearlessly, he has nearly perfected the art of the perfect slide. Baylie is content just to walk through the water and giggle.



Hunter has also begun to learn how to ride a bike with the help of his training wheels. Baylie, never wanting to be left too far behind, tries to keep up with her big wheels tryke.



Finally, in celebration of brithdays and Matt finishing school, he got to go golfing with two of his closest friends. Nathan kicked the snot out of Brian and Matt, but all in all, it was the course that won on this day. Notice Cheyenne Mountain in the back drop.


Oh, and did we mention that Melissa is getting close??? Just a few weeks to go now!!

A little preoccupied....

Hi friends! For those of you who check our site regularly, we apologize for the delay in getting out our next post.
Some of you may know that for the last three weeks, life has been crazy - and will continue to be for the next two weeks. This is due to two main reasons: 1) Matt taking his FINAL two classes for his MBA in a condensed, five week span (thus being in school every night); and 2) Melissa being on "couch rest" for the last trimester of her pregnancy.
Matt will be done with his MBA degree on June 21st - less than two weeks from now! Yay! Until then however, his time will continue to be filled up with studying, time at school, taking care of the family and when he has time, work. :) Thus, this blog will sadly suffer until that time. We promise we'll keep updating it every week again here soon!
We are doing pretty well all things considered - interesting timing on God's part for Melissa to go down at the exact time she's needed most to keep the household in order. :) But He's been teaching us that He's more than enough - His strength is made perfect in our weakness. We are taking it one day at a time and we're getting through. Praise Him for teaching us these valuable lessons!!!!!
Thank you to all of our friends and family for their support. Keep checking back for updates in a couple of weeks!

Lessons from the Trail

One of the great benefits of working at Compassion, and with my team especially, is that annually we are encouraged to set aside a day with the Lord to recharge spiritually. This year, as in the past, I decided to go for a hike, and as is usual, it turned into an adventure. Upon reflection, I was able to see a number of parallels to life and even things I am currently experiencing.

Going in Reverse - "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62) As in life, when hiking, the objective is typically to continue forward motion. However, about a mile and a half into the trail I reached down to see what time it was and realized that I had somewhere dropped my cell phone. Back down the trail I went; nearly a mile, before finding it laying on the ground where it had fallen. Hiking back up the mile you had now seen twice is not the most gratifying of experiences. The same is true spiritually. As we walk with the Lord there are things in our lives that we lay aside as we grow; old habits, tendencies, and attitudes. However, sometimes, without even realizing it, we decide to turn back and pick those things up again, and when we do we realize that we are back down the trail and in need of climbing back up to where we turned back.

Beware of Shortcuts/Patience/and Signs - There is a rare quality in some to get lost no matter how good their maps and how clearly posted the trail. I am one of those rare breeds, and without fail, I found myself way out in the wilderness, miles off course. I should have known better, and did know better, but still thought that I knew better, if you know what I mean. Although the map clearly spelled it out, my eyes and mind were sure that I was right in choosing a quick traverse on the trail that would get me where I wanted to go. It didn't. Patience is a wonderful thing, though not a strong gift of mine. You see, there was a sign, and it did tell me the truth. I simply ignored the sign and didn't take the time to stop and read it. Then, instead of waiting to find the next sign, I saw a trail that HAD to be the trail I was looking for. Again, it wasn't. Spiritually this is so true. God has clearly laid out the path in His word. However, unless we take the time to read it, to follow it, and to patiently wait for His gentle nudging by the Spirit to turn to the right or to the left we can so easily find ourselves way of course, out in the wilderness and off the trail that He had set before us.

Encounters on the Journey - It is no surprise that we are not alone on our journey through life, the interesting part is simply the folks we meet along the way. There are those nice, though slighty rough in appearance folks, that are a bit off the trail but smart enough to realize their mistake early and return to it. Then there are those that are way off the trail and sailing along as if they could careless as to their predicament and hellbent on staying that way. There are those on the trail that are curious as to what it is like off the trail but smart enough to ask and then remain on the trail (I should be more like these folks). Then there was the "bird lady." I'm not sure how to spiritualize a lady wandering with a large bird on her shoulder and so won't.

Lessons Learned - Hiking is a strenuous endeavor when we wander farther than we should. Maintaining the trail, following the signs, and encouraging others along the way can be very enjoyable and rewarding. Finally, it's good to slow down every once in a while to take time to reflect, pray, and ensure that trail you are on is the right one and the one the God would have you on.

CHRIST IS RISEN!!!!

Easter Sunday or Christmas Morning?

For as many years as we have lived in Colorado, Easter Sunday has always dawned bright and sunny, even if a little chilly. Imagine how it felt to wake up to this! No outside easter egg hunts for the kids this year! Nevertheless, it was no less of a supremely WONDERFUL day to CELEBRATE the ressurection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we think the troubles of this world are bad now, imagine how awful it would be had He not come to earth to die for our sins, so that we may have the hope of everlasting life!!! We love you Jesus!

As is our tradition, our "orphan" friends and us got together to celebrate our annual "Orphan Easter Dinner." No, this does not actually have anything to do with technical orphans - rather, we use the term to describe those of us who are here in Colorado Springs with no other family to celebrate holidays with. We sometimes do this on Thanksgiving too.
















The kids had a fun time searching for their hidden easter baskets, which included candy inside plastic eggs and a couple of fun, small gifts!

Small Victories

One of my favorite courses and topics has been Organizational Development and Change Management Principles. As our world continues to change faster than change itself, being able to keep up and ahead of the curve is near impossible. A great book by John Kotter titled, The Heart of Change, walks through eight critical steps in implementing wholesale change. One of those steps is all about creating short-term wins during long-term projects. The idea is that small victories create momentum and in-turn keeps the motivation going to tackle the next project.

Today was one of those days. For the first time in over 9 months, both of our cars were able to sit in our garage. Silly? Yes. Mental victory? Without question! :) Having finally gone through almost all of our things, sorting out what to keep, what to give to friends, give to charity, and what to pitch, we were able to consolidate our stuff and our garage is all but clean. Here's to a little victory, and one small step closer to the goal.

Oh, and the irony of it all? My poor little car still had to sleep outside for one more night as I have an early morning coffee appointment with a friend and don't want to wake the kids. I felt bad for her as I rolled her out of her long lost home!

Preparing For Rain

A week or so ago, we watched a very inspiring movie titled "Facing the Giants," written and produced by a church in Georgia. We would highly recommend it to everyone to see! http://www.facingthegiants.com/

Though certainly not a Hollywood production (which actually was rather refreshing), it had a very powerful message to share that has both encouraged and inspired us. As the title indicated, facing the giants is about trusting in the Lord and believing in Him when the "giants" of life come before us and we want to shrink away. There are obvious connections to the story of David and Goliath.

In this movie, there was a great illustration of faith in action that really stuck with us - It was the concept of "preparing for rain." It's illustrated in this story: "There were two farmers, both praying for rain for their crops. After praying, one farmer believed and waited for it to rain; the other famer believed and began to prepare his fields FOR the rain."

It is one thing to pray and say "God make this happen." It is another to believe God will answer, and to prepare for His action; being ready to receive what we prayed for.

For us, that principle has really encouraged us lately! It is clearly illustrated in our desire to move. We love and are so grateful for our current home, but we've been feeling led for quite some time to move to a different place. We have two main reasons for feeling moved this way - more space and location. Obviously we've got a growing family we need to accomodate, but we also are passionate for the ministry of community and would love to have a more ideal space in which to host small groups, get togethers and the like (maybe a basement and a slightly bigger living room?). And of course it would be wonderful to be all the more closer to church, work, doctors, etc. And with that same passion for community, we would also be closer to the people we fellowship with.

With these things, we are purposing to begin that journey - A journey that we probably rushed last year as it crashed and burned since we did not wait on God's timing (and now looking back, we are thankful He didn't allow us to rush, although it was a painful lesson for us). But now we feel called to prepare for rain. If God is leading, He will bring it to pass. We simply want to be ready for the day the rain comes. How are we preparing? Currently we are attempting to get our house ready to list, consolidating our stuff and clutter, moving some things to storage for a temporary time, painting, and doing minor maintenance and repair. For several years now, we've felt a strong leading to a new community here called Banning Lewis Ranch - it looks like our oppotunity may come in the next couple of months with it. When it opens (it's only been in planning stages for years now) we feel we will probably have a clear answer of where to move. For now, we are simply waiting, trusting, and preparing for His rain to fall.

Baylie's First Haircut

Sniffle! I had to give Baylie her first hair cut today! Her hair was getting so long and pretty, but the bottom was real fuzzy and of course it was all different lengths since it had never been cut. So it's now just above her shoulders and so cute! It makes her look older. I can't wait until it grows out again, but at least it will be healthy and strong now!

You Went Where?

As we are in the habit of occasionally doing, this past weekend, we picked a place on the map and decided to check out what was there. The place for our latest adventure? The John Martin Reservoir in South Eastern Colorado. Most of our trips tend towards the mountains and so we decided to head east for a change.

Although, perhaps, not our most exciting trip we did enjoy lunch in La Junta, walking out on a large dam holding in the reservoir, and playing on the toys. Oh, and of course, an outing wouldn't be quite complete for Mr. Hunter if we didn't take along the baseball gear and go a few innings. Somehow he always manages to rig the rules in a way enabling him to win.

Here are a few pictures from our day (remember to click on the picture to see it bigger).

Standing on top of the dam

Matt playing baseball with the kids


Baylie loves to swing!!