I am often convicted in many areas, one of the most common being my tendency to allow my mind to drift off into the future rather than marinating in the present.  I imagine this will be a life-long challenge, but I continue to try and meet each convicting moment with improvement.  In this season of our lives we are facing leaving our community that we have grown to love deeply, leaving our home where we first became us three, leaving our church, packing our apartment and moving to ________ (we will be able to fill in the blank after Match Day in March), Casey's last couple rotations of medical school, his graduation ceremony(!!!), and our little bean's second birthday (sniff, sniff), aaaallllll in the next 16 weeks.  My mind is spinning... with excitement, a little anxiety, and deep gratitude for all that we have to look forward to.  So undeserving, we are.

And I know all we are guaranteed is the very moment we are in.

And so it is in these moments where I am striving to have my heart and mind remain.

 

Some recent moments...

I love my little buddy

Kisses!

Mom and Dad were able to come down south for an early Christmas celebration in December.   Our trip to the beach together was the icing on the cake.

He could pick up and drop sand forever

Family hike in the hills.  Love my boys!

Train ride at the mall with Daddy

Story time with Grampy

Visiting the geese with Grandma

Studying his new Tow Mater Christmas toy

Yes, we have a leash for our little runner

Off to Santa Barbara we went to celebrate Christmas with Casey's brother and parents.  Starting our time off with a slide ride with uncle Matty!

Swinging with Nami

Family picture!

Liam loves his new stool from Pops!  

Christmas morning

The kind trolley driver let us play on the trolley while he awaited his next passengers

Sitting on Nami's lap + eating his first ice cream cone = bliss!

Petting a baby shark with Pops at the aquarium

Story time with uncle Matty

Aaaaand then we set off to Denver for a month for Casey's rotation in the NICU at Denver Children's Hospital.  Casey's dad was so kind and drove the distance with him while Liam and I took a plane...  So nice!

Casey worked sooooooo hard the entire month and drove a 45 minute-1 hour commute each way to the hospital.  We did not see much of him but soaked up every minute we could.  Story time with Daddy was cherished, as always.

The highlight of the trip for us was undoubtedly our month of Lukey time.  Our gracious hosts, the Edwards, so generously opened up their home to us four and we are beyond grateful to them for this gift, as it allowed us to have that much more time with Lukey.  Liam and his uncle Lukey grew quite attached to one another, to say the least.

Our little book worm in Heaven at the library

What do you do when it's freezing outside?  You go play in an indoor, heated pool!

Lukey was always thrilled to play with Liam, even if it meant digging in cold sand

Swinging with daddy!

Can't contain himself as he waits for more bubbles to be blown

And back at home we are.  Liam and I had a date at the farm the other day, and he was more than content to sit on the tractor for a ridiculous period of time.  He just couldn't get enough of the "brown tractor!"

Star struck

Phrases I often hear from Liam:
"I think that the pink piggie had none!"  (Referring to the "This little piggie went to the market" rhyme)
"I think that water tastes pretty yummy!"
"Uncle Lukey is soooooooo funny"
"Want to mow the lawn with Grampy"
"Want to ride Pops' tractor"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh" (quoting the Pidgeon from The Pidgeon Finds a Hot Dog)
"Thank you God for....(the color green, the letter C, a fork to poke, water to drink, food to eat, Mommy to see)
"Wait for a green circle!" (When waiting at a red stop light)

Our cup overfloweth.  We are overwhelmed with gratitude for these moments.  

With love, and until next time,
Chelsea, for us three