Did You Know...

• that we have an entire shelf in our bathroom devoted to Uncle John's Bathroom Readers?
• that Jordan built a dress frame and was filmed for TLC's Toddler's and Tiaras last month which will air next season?
• that we have a whole shelf in the pantry just for cereal?
• and an entire cupboard just for coffee and tea?
• Jordan wouldn't touch Cream of Wheat until I called it "porridge" and now he can't get enough?
• that Adelaide will go an entire day without touching a single toy?
• and on those days, I can expect to find my canned goods and potatoes in various spots around the house, and onions with chunks bitten out of them, and to remove Adelaide from tiny cubbyholes she's managed to get herself stuck in numerous times?
• but also on those days, I have an amazing little helper who loves to do laundry and load dishes and sweep and pick up trash?
• that Longview Tx is in the lead for our longest residency within the past 16 months? (going on 7 months!)
• that Adelaide's name was picked out while we were dating, before we were even engaged?
• that Jordan really enjoys watching Gilmore Girls with me? (sometimes I think he enjoys it more!)
• that I desperately want to go to midwifery school someday?
• that one of our very first (if not first) family traditions is Breakfast for Dinner on Sunday nights?
• that as much as I love babies, birthing, and etc. I am not one of those women who love pregnancy, or even like it for that matter... I see it as preparation for parenting/laying down your life for your children and as another way of being conformed to the image of Christ.
• that I got so excited about showing Adelaide a toad, I set her down in an anthill?
• that we only use a French press to brew our coffee?
• that Jordan really wants to participate in a Civil War reenactment?
• that Jordan took fencing in college?
• that I can be very obsessed with cloth diapering and babywearing?

xoxo

Learning through the Stitches

The weather here has finally cooled down a bit and that combined with me having less and less energy daily caused me to bring out my crocheting and tackle it with a newfound joy and understanding. This is the first time I finally have the patience and understanding to finish the projects I begin. I find myself drawn more to crocheting smaller articles such as hats or flowers, things that I can finish in one sitting.

Rather than beginning a blanket, which takes multiple days or weeks even.

However, as I spent time working on Adelaide's blanket, I thought about how I often work to see results, in a much broader sense than just crocheting, and if there are no results to see, I lose motivation to continue on. Usually I just blow it off as a characteristic of my personality. But is that all it is, or is it a weakness of mine I truly need to surrender? I am reminded of the 7 day creation of the universe and the character of God this portrays. He could have very easily created the universe in one breath, however he chose to drag it out throughout 7 days, creating beautiful layer by beautiful layer. He chose to stop and look at his work and reflect on how good it was. He dwelled on the small aspects of creation until there the entire picture was complete and was glorious. Surely he had a reason for taking his time. And since I was created in the image of God, shouldn't I reflect this picture of God who is outside of time and enjoys taking his time to make things beautiful and perfect?

Special Week

at my etsy store: http://www.coloradoinspired.etsy.com/
10% off any order AND free shipping! use coupon code THANKS2010
thanks for looking and much love!
xoxo

What I've been up to

These are just a few of my personal favorites...the rest (and these) have been updated on ETSY,
I also have discounted a few pieces and am offering FREE SHIPPING (in honor of Colorado Inspired's one year existence :) . Just so ya know ;)

I was selling my jewelry at a Downtown Market here in Longview every Friday but that has ended so I'm back to being exclusively on Etsy. Anyway, it's keeping me busy and helping me stay grounded...well almost :D

Again, thanks for looking!

All About Adelaide

Since it has been ages and ages since our last post, I'll just bring you up to date on Adelaide since she is by far more entertaining and fun to look at. She has transitioned so quickly from baby into toddlerhood, sometimes I stop and just watch her and wonder what happened?! She is SO much fun to interact with these days and is constantly learning new things, never ceasing to amaze me that she is MY daughter, always and forever! However, if anyone ever tells you how much work babies are, pshhh! Babies are a breeze compared to toddlers! Haha, especially when you're 7 months pregnant.

Adelaide hiding when I ask, "where is Adelaide?"

Her chalkboard door on our patio, she's so proud!

She loves all things outdoors! Alive or dead, this one was definitely alive. Funny story: We found a toad on the sidewalk in front of our house a few weeks ago and stopped to look at it and "pet" it. Jordan wanted to try to pet it so he handed Adelaideto me, I grew tired of holding her 25 lbs and set her down to get a better look at the toad. At first she was SO excited and kept making all these exclamations, but then I noticed she started wimpering. I thought maybe the fondness was turning into fear and then I felt it. My toes were being bit! I had accidently set Adelaide on an ant hill! Poor girl, she had quite a handful of bites up her legs and on her toes. (this was before I started putting shoes on her ;) ). I felt so terrible! But in my defense it was dusk out and I couldn't see the sidewalk very well.

We really do own toys for her to play with! However she chooses not to play with them, ever. She'll read books for sure, but she'd rather play with my coasters for hours.

Or play in darkened cupboards. She always climbs in and shuts herself in the dark and gets SO frustrated when I open the door...

She also:

• Is learning new words everyday: Shoes, trees, ball, milk, juice, please, luf u (i love you), hey, eee ya (see ya), baba (baby)...and others that aren't on the top of my head!
• Shoes are her favorite! Her first words out of her mouth some mornings are shoes! She loves pulling all of hers out and bringing them to me to put on.
• LOVES helping me with everything! She helps me hang up and fold her diapers and other laundry, she chases around the vaccuum, helps push the grocery cart, helps sweep and picks up messes. Sometimes I find her attempting to fold washcloths and towels and she'll scrub tables, chairs, floors....
• Is starting to play pretend. She started feeding me imaginary food the other day out of a cupholder. I thought it was brilliant, but then I am her mother :D

Another brilliant moment: I was sitting on the toilet yesterday WITH the door closed (haha!) and she pushed her Brown Bear book underneath the door to me. Hilarious! And on that note, enjoy!

Happy 4th??

Usually the 4th of July is my favorite holiday...and one of the few I really enjoy. Probably because I'm a little bit of a pyro not because I'm patriotic. This year as the 4th approaches I've felt nostalgic and haven't felt the least bit excited. Then it hit me. This is my first 4th of July away from Lake City in 5 years...

Holidays have never been a big deal to me. So why is this time of the year difficult now? I don't know. But I sure wish I could just get over Lake City and move on. I told Jordan the other day that Lake City is like an ex something... we both laughed.

So here's to a happy 4th of July wherever you are. And if you're in Lake City, run a race and eat a turkey leg in my honor :D

Transitions

Adelaide turned one last week and I'm overwhelmed with the memories of the past year. Watching Adelaide grow has been so delightful and I can't imagine life without her. She's been an amazing little blessing and has added so much joy to our lives. I love looking back over the past year if I'm remembering all her little milestones and changes, but if I think back to all that's gone on in Jordan and myself, all the moves and transitions, the trials, etc. I feel so much regret and pain. I could say what I hear constantly from Christians, "I don't have regrets" or "the trials are so good" but at this point I'd be lying. While I know the Lord will use this time in our life for good as he promises, I still feel raw at the moment and I do have regrets. This is my weakness and my struggle. I tend to look at the first few months following the birth of Adelaide and I feel so homesick. I miss walking everywhere with my baby, I miss the sounds of the river from my bedroom, I miss the incredible view from my porch, I miss having good friends, I miss being part of a community, I miss feeling like I have a home, I miss my husband coming home so excited and refreshed from his day at work because of the guys he works with, I miss loving the youth and getting to be my crazy self with them...

Oh I know we're right where God wants us to be at the moment and that there's a very good reason for us leaving LC, but I'm not going to sugar coat it, because this is my heart hurting. The transitions over the past year and the lack of relationships and fellowship has been so rough on us and our marriage. Maybe I'll never feel at home again until heaven but I sure do hope the pain eases up.

Back to the present and the reality of our lives...here's a little update with what's been going on with us:

-We transitioned Adelaide out of our bed and into her own when she started sleeping through the night a week before she turned one and it was SO easy! She is now the easiest child I've ever put to bed. I put her down and she cries for literally 5 seconds before she turns over and falls asleep. I'm SO amazed!

-Jordan likes his job at the apartment complex and it is really working out well for him.

-I am starting a part time job at the same apartment complex today! I will be cleaning the apartments after tenants move out...it's SO perfect and such an answer to prayer. Great pay and so flexible and I get to keep Adelaide with me!

-We have settled on using a midwife and we're really hoping for a homebirth for this baby. If we're in our own place by then it should work out!

-I am definitely not as sick as I was with Adelaide, I just have morning sickness in the morning! (And in the middle of the night when I'm super hungry). I haven't thrown up yet, hurray!

-Adelaide has a new cousin that was born on her birthday! Boaz Bruce Goodrich...SO exciting!

I guess it's time for that king sized bed!

Because as of January 2011, we'll have 2 babies to cuddle with!

God has blessed us with another precious life to raise and to celebrate. We found out on Monday and I am 7 weeks along today. People have asked me if I prefer a boy or a girl, and I respond, "either!" Actually, to my brother I responded, "Whichever makes me less sick and doesn't cause my gallbladder so much pain" Ahhh, obviously my last pregnancy is still a little fresh in my mind! But we're very excited to have Adelaide and the new one only 19 months apart. Praise be to Jesus!

A Typical Day in Abilene

8:59-9 AM: Waken to scratching or pinching of some sort. Roll over to see a chubby little red headed, blue eyed girl grinning a big good morning.

9-9:10 AM: Bounce on the bed, cuddle with the same chubby little girl and catch her by her diaper as she dives off the bed all while listening to her chattering.

9:10-10 AM: Get Adelaide some breakfast, eggs are her favorite, but strawberries are easier. Make some coffee while she's eating and allow her time to fill up her nighttime diaper. Drink coffee, change her nighttime diaper, finish coffee. Start on 2nd cup of coffee.

10-11:30 AM: Loaf in pajamas. Right. Not really. Clean up after Adelaide's strawberry breakfast. Do some housework while Adelaide is occupied with pulling each book off her shelf and "reading" to herself. Attempt to interest Adelaide in toys. Lost cause there. Grab my Rainbows and Adelaide's bumbo and set her up in the yard. Do some gardening, hang out laundry, watch Adelaide chew on sticks.

11:30-12:30PM: Read "Stuff Christians Like" aloud to Adelaide as she falls asleep, swaddled in my arms. Now I can shower and get dressed! Check email and finish off French press...

12:30-1 PM: Make Adelaide an Apple butter sandwhich....pb and j for me!

1-2 PM: Play with my favorite baby girl ever! Watch her pull herself up on everything and pull everything on herself. Daddy might stop home....Adelaide sees him walk through the door and gets so excited she crawls a few steps so fast before she remembers she doesn't like crawling, pushes herself back onto her bottom and scoots the rest of the way.

2-3:30 PM: run some errands, grocery shop, stop by the park and swing for a few minutes.

3:30-5:30 PM (more like 4:30, how I wish 5:30!): Put Adelaide down again to the words of "Stuff CHristians Like" and attempt to not wake her up with my laughter.

4:30-?: By this time, I'm a little bored and sometimes I am really wishing for someone older than 11 months to talk to. However I suck it up. Take Adelaide to the park for a run/walk. Feed the ducks. Go by Petsmart and show her all the animals.

Dinnertime: Can anyone say, "PB&J!"? Adelaide gets veggies. Sweep and mop under her highchair for the 4th time today. Maybe do the dishes. Probably not

2 hours till bedtime: Another unsuccessful attempt to get Adelaide interested in toys. She looks at her books again, barking at all the dogs or things that resemble dogs, growling at everything else, and then surveys the house for places to crawl, ahem, I mean scoot in, under, over, up... I attempt to pick up the house, wash diapers, hang more laundry out.

1 hour till bedtime: Set Adelaide on a blanket in the yard while I water the garden. Grab a glass of sweet tea and lie on the blanket while my offspring tackles me. Watch the sunset with Adelaide and try to explain the beauty to her. She'd rather give me kisses and lay her head on my lap. Mmm, how I enjoy this time with the sweet girl.

8:30-9:15PM: Bath and bedtime for my little buddy. I run the water as she stands at the tub and tries her hardest to climb over the side...she squeals with excitment. As I set her into the water she looks at me like I've given her the world.

Bedtime: Get Adelaide to sleep by singing her "Rise and Shine and give God the glory glory" all while thinking about what a happy upbeat child's song this is yet it's really about God violently covering the earth with water and everyone but Noah's family and a handful of animals drowning. Then I move on to "Only a boy named David, only a little sling" and again, 'didn't David chop Goliath's head off or stab him after he fell to the ground? why isn't that in this song?'...

This is a glimpse of what our days have looked like over the past month or so. We'll see how things change!

How much do I love co-sleeping?

It was a quarter to midnight last night when we brought Adelaide into bed with us and as I was enjoying cuddling with her, I turned to Jordan and said, " Hey, if we got a king sized bed we'd have room to co sleep with 2 kids! Then we could each have one to cuddle with!" His response was quite logical, "Yes, but first we have to have a second kid." Right. Well I'm just sayin'.

Sacrifice

Rereading my last blog, I realized I forgot to mention something important. Although Jordan and I see the job in Longview as better means to provide for us, it was such a difficult decision. Jordan loves working with the kids at New Horizons. He is good at it. The kids like him. It challenges him daily to grow and learn new things. It breaks my heart that he has to give it up and he's doing so in order to provide for his family. He's sacrificing something he loves for me and Adelaide and our future...I'm so thankful he is my husband! That's all... : D

Taking a trip back in time...

....in my mind at least. Didn't we just do the whole gathering of boxes and packing of belongings? Well we're back at it again! Jordan accepted a job offer in Longview, Tx (where he grew up/5 hours from where we live now, fyi) and I have a potential job lined up, as well as a much better area to market my jewelry! This is all good news and we're praising God for his provision! However, what this means is finding somewhere to live by next weekend as Jordan's first day of work is June 1st...packing in a flash...and everything else that is involved with moving. Stability and settling down in Longview for awhile is sounding more and more appealing. Wish us luck on this next adventure and hopefully, last move!

PS...if we can't find somewhere to live by June 1st, Adelaide and I will be stuck in Abilene, alone, for a month or so...ugh. Please pray some type of housing surfaces!

Spring Styles!

Just in time for Mother's day! www.coloradoinspired.etsy.com

Longview

Last weekend, Jordan worked 5 days straight, each 15+ hours...so rather than sitting around trying to keep myself (and Adelaide) entertained, I pack a bag and headed to Longview. Longview is where Jordan's family lives and Adelaide hadn't met her Aunt Bethany, Uncle Trevor, and Cousin Jackson yet...or had the experience of being a celebrity at Fellowship Bible Church (Dad Johnson is the pastor). Here are a few shots from the great weekend:

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of Adelaide and her Mamaw! Ahh man. Well she loved her Mamaw and Papaw...it was a great time for all of us!

Hello spring!

Visiting Sarah and family in Washington DC

Our very own clothesline!

Adelaide learned how to do "SO BIG!" so cute!

Loving our porch and her swing

Enjoying the Abilene zoo

This is how we get yardwork done!

My little garden...Adelaide slept on my back the whole time while I planted it! (update: something has been eating at my tomato plants, but beans, cucs, and zucchini are up. Herbs...died, those will go on my porch. Lettuce and spinach will be on the porch too...)

This is what our spring has looked like so far!

The solid rock

I'm sitting in my living room, drinking my morning coffee, watching a beautiful sunrise (I guess Abilene is well known for those), and thanking God for his provision. I flew into Texas last Wednesday, after traveling from DC to Utah the day before, and because my plane was late, I missed my connecting flight. Adelaide and I stayed in Dallas that night. I had thought there wasn't a possible way for me to be any more tired than I was at that moment, but after waking up at 5 to catch our flight to Lubbock, I was so wrong. Finally I arrived in Abilene, headed straight to the townhomes to sign papers to get the application going. We arrived to find the door to their office busted in and the lady behind the desk acting SO rude and unfriendly...I looked over the model home and my gut just told me not to go through with it. Jordan made some calls, got in touch with a realtor to show me some duplexes he had viewed last week. I walked in and my heart sunk...the smell was overwhelming...I was trying not to be picky but cigarette smoke drenched the entire building. However, the kind realtor gentleman promised to show us a nicer duplex later that day..."it just became available, has a big backyard, and is MUCH nicer than this one!" were his exact words. We looked at a few more apartments while we waited, each one falling through for one reason or another. We arrived to the Mockingbird Lane house early...pulled into the drive and I said "This is it!" Adelaide was asleep but we got out and peeked in the windows, looked over the fence into the large backyard and I couldn't believe my eyes...it was perfect! We moved in the next day!

We spent Resurrection Sunday unpacking and smelly since we were without electricity/hot water...but I praised God for his faithfulness to ALL of his promises. I dwelled on the fact that without Christ's resurrection, my faith would crumble...
He is risen!
"On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand"

How Bizarre!

Life has been quite bizarre these days! Jordan was home for four days before driving a loaded car the 18+ hours to Abilene Tx this past Tuesday with hopes of finding our new 'home' and starting his new job before I fly down with Adelaide. To complicate things, I have a trip to DC I'm taking next week to visit my sister and her family and we've been making and breaking plans in regards to how to inexpensively move all of our stuff down there...

So at this moment, I'm left to pack everything and work out the kinks on this end while my sweet husband works out the details on his end. My dad offered to drive a truck and tow our car in a week and a half, so all our stuff is being moved without either of us, but we are SO grateful once again for his willingness to help.

I'm trying to enjoy my last few days here in Utah being near family, especially my parents because I'm gonna miss them like CRAZY!

I'll end with few of my thoughts during my insomnia filled nights:

*Adelaide will have lived in 3 states before her first birthday.
*She will have visited 9 states all together.
*This is my 10th time moving in 5 years...I'm getting pretty good at it!

First Times

This past weekend was all about first times:

Adelaide got to massage Lito's head for the first time.

I got to try out cloth diapers for the first time. (Adelaide seems to enjoy them so far!)

Adelaide did an amazing job of feeding herself for the first time.
Then she had a blast in the big bathtub for the first time.

And I was left with Adelaide all weekend while Jordan went to Texas, which was a first for us. This leads me to a huge update on our lives:

Within a few weeks, we'll be moving to Abilene TX where Jordan interviewed and received a job offer from a company where his brother works. He'll be working as a direct care staff (mentor/counselor) for a boys home. We've already found a very affordable place to live there and we're getting excited about this new season in our lives. It's definitely a blessing from God and an answer to a longwinded prayer.

This verse has been on my mind lately, from Psalm 121, and it's as true now as it was in the Old Testament:

the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore...