Weekend Getaway

My parents flew out to Colorado last week so we have been enjoying time with them!  It's always great to have a few extra set of hands to help entertain my lively crew:).  They took Samuel to Winter Park, Co on Wednesday and then the rest of us joined them on Friday for the weekend.  It was a great getaway.  The weather was absolutely fabulous and downright cold at night!!!!  Even though Winter Park is a ski resort, it still has great activities for the summer and of course the weather.  It was high 60's and low 70's during the day which was just amazing.  I could live with that kind of weather year around I think!

We spent most of the day Saturday in the resort village doing all sorts of fun activies like the Alpine Slide down the mountain, rock climbing, jumping in a bouncy house, riding a zip line, eating yummy food, riding the gondola from the resort to the parking lot (this was one of their favorite things go figure), playing in the playground, riding the ski lift, and more!  I didn't feel like lugging my big camera around so I just took pics on my phone.  Here is a little collage I made...

Thanks mom and day for a wonderful weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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In other random updates, I am now nearly 11 weeks (tomorrow) and actually maybe feeling a tiny bit better???.  Jeff thinks that means it's a boy since I was so much sicker with the girls and was that way until nearly 20 weeks with both of them.  I still have NO energy which sort of stinks when you are in the awesome adventure state of Colorado.  However, I am just so very thankful and trying not to over analyze feeling a little better and not be anxious about miscarriage or what could go wrong.  That's a constant struggle for me.  On the flip side, I struggle with accepting that my life is going to change again and I am going to get big and uncomfortable.  That I have to get used to having a baby in the house again just when I was really getting exited about leaving that stage.  I have to figure out how to make the playroom a nursery (what to do with all the toys) without spending too much money.   I will have to sleep train, potty train, and everything else train another child!  If I'm honest, it's a bit overwhelming.   I don't want to complain because this tiny life is SUCH a gift and something I know many women would give anything to experience (I used to be that woman).  I am working hard at truly living Philippians 4: 4, 6 out... "Rejoice in the Lord, ALWAYS...Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition present your requests to God." 

I just finished reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and it was good in a way that was convicting and very thought provoking for me and is challenging me in my faith in a real way.  A couple of quotes that really stuck out to me in regards to my attitude (which a lot of days stinks based on my circumstances) is this...

"When I am consumed by MY problems - stressed out about MY life, MY family, My job - I actually convey the belief that I think my circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice.  In other words that I have a "right" to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities...

Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified because this whole thing is HIS.  HIS movie.  HIS world.  HIS gift."

I don't know about you, but as a mom with many young children, I often feel I have the right to complain and have a bad attitude on these long long days of raising my little miracles.  I know it's wrong and yet I still do it because it IS hard to be a mother.  And yet, it's a gift.  A calling I treasure.  Most of all, it doesn't matter how bad my days or hours are, I am instructed to rejoice.  It doesn't mean I can't admit the day was difficult...I think it just means to look for the beauty and for the blessings amongst the chaos.  And that brings glory to my Father which is what my heart longs to do.