break in breck

we headed out on this road...with the most awesome views...

to a little place named Breckenridge, CO

one of the coolest places i've been

great streets full of shops and foods and fun

brax was climbing from under the playground right in town buried by snow

more snow than we've ever seen

next...

we rode up and down the gondola for amazing views

we decided not to stop to ski with our 3 small children and our novice skills

though joe and i promised ourselves we will be back someday



mountains mountains everywhere. oh how beautiful.

and to end the day... nite hot-tubbing with incredible views at an altitude of 9000+

praising God for a day of memories and beauty!

climbing

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while we are here we are climbing higher in our journey with the Lord, climbing around obstacles that can keep us from doing and being all God desires, and literally climbing up mountains.

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joey and i were able to venture out on a hike w/out the kiddos for this pic. the grayish fog blocking the view of the mtns was falling snow. not surprisingly, we ended up off the trail and climbing up the side of a cliff. on our hike up we came upon no man made tracks but cat-ish ones. hum? not safe for sure, but joey said we must venture on. and we were fortunately rewarded (not eaten) because from the summit we could see beauty for miles.

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not sure our exact wkend plans. depends on the weather. but sure whatever will be memorable.

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just a funny sidebar...not really of much importance...

just found out mckmama (a blog i check in on) is here in town with me and was at the same place my kiddos were yesterday. funny stuff. never thought we'd ever almost meet.

a lot

learning a lot about myself, others, missions...

it's hard to even explain.

what i can say is that i am enjoying it!

it's very different...

hanging with others who just 48 hours ago were strangers but are now considered friends,

having all our meals cooked for us and never knowing what it might be,

having no car to leave whenever we wish (though we are planning wkend adventures already),

being on someone else's schedule vs my own,

feeling like i am back in school,

hearing stories from around the globe,

i could go on and on

but to sum it up... i am enjoying it and growing from it!

.................

now you may ask if you are doing all this mission stuff then why oh why are all these pics outside on adventures?

well, once we wrap up for the day we head straight out the door to explore and it is awesome!

i love a good railroad pic!

this was minutes before this...

check out the conductors hand in one pic and face in the other. didn't realize we were still so close...

fire away!

on a trail to...

here

here.
this is where we are "living" and learning.

here the kids are having a blast hanging with new friends, learning in their cool classes, finding adventures as a family, and playing outside as much as possible in the snow.
because they are loving it so much, it has made it easier for me.

here joe and i are meeting new friends (which all of you know is something we love), learning so much, and enjoying time as a family.

the training part has provided us info and tools regarding how to love others, serve others, grow and adapt. it has been better than i had imagined and i know we will come away blessed by being here. it has been amazing to be around others who have such a heart for missions.



you know we are always looking for adventure. today we hiked around our "home away from home". the pic below shows where we are staying. this pic doesn't do justice though- the views around this place are amazing.

this was my fave pic of the day from our hike... my brax right before the sun set behind the mountain.

and we're off...

just a quick hello.

the adventure begins.

today we traveled to a place of real snow. colorado. never been here before.

though we are here to do missions training,

we are also making time to enjoy the great outdoors.

this part of the country is beautiful. i'll be sure to share more pics.

and i'll also keep you up to date on our happenings out here as we learn more about

missions- something so deeply placed on our hearts.

as for now i am a weary traveler seeking rest.

love to all.

and keep us in your prayers.

the run

every morn it's pretty much the same drill.

bri is up, dressed, bed made, teeth brushed and digging thru the pantry
as i stumble thru the house making my way to a loud call of "heeeyyyyy mmmooooommmm".

the call is coming from the next riser in our house, the bear.

he and his sis have an on going competition to see who can get up first.
she usually wins as i have not yet given up the crib as his place of rest (and confinement).
not feeling like messing with a good thing. at least not until we get our referral.

the bear immediately seeks milk with the same get-it-or-die attitude his sister seeks breakfast.

one lone sleepy head left. if there is somewhere to go then brax could wallow in his covers and
drag, drag, drag his morning chores on forever.

morning chores aren't as bad as they sound. just get dressed, brush teeth, make bed, and come down for b-fast. not hard, really!

but, oh sweet brax, i love his laid back attitude. it's just what i need around here.
but, when we are in a time crunch...let's just say he teaches me patience.
you can't get upset with the guy. i mean he's just so chilled. i am learning from him.

after dad gets a little of the Word in them...
they line up at the front door in anticipation of the run.

aka... the mad dash to the bus.

in warmer times we like to wait by the road
but, it's not warm. so they prefer to wait inside until the yell goes out for the run to begin.

it usually begins like this...
"the bus...."
and off they go.
with me and barron yelling our goodbyes and love yous.

i say a quick prayer for their day and safety as they pull away and we wave.
i know i will never forget these memories.


the start of the run.

what do you get?

what do you get when you take 10 unexperienced skiers (and that's an understatement- half of us had never even set our feet in a pair of skis before this) to the slopes to celebrate a 30th birthday?

more laughs, bruises and memories than we could ever imagine!

the birthday girl and her party planning hubby.

joe and i navigating the slopes. we decided we loved it but... need much more practice:)

not sure why there are blurry spots in the pics? could it have been the falling snow and the trying not to fall on skis?

some of the crew before our memorable ski lift event.

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oh and we didn't have a full showing for the ski excursion. we left a few behind for the day and caught up with them later for a dinner we won't soon forget. (way to go ben dover)!

the party crew.

happy 30th sonya! we had a blast!

proud as pete

proud as pete...

is that really a saying? or...maybe i'm saying it wrong?

nevertheless... i am proud as pete. (whoever he may be?)

this guy was the "baker". and just as i had thought- he was a natural.
i mean- he only had a few lines and he wasn't by any means the star of the show.
heck-he was just the "baker".
you know the best part is ...he enjoyed it and even did a teeny bit of directing.
and what i mean by directing is- since he's learned so much bossing around from his sister- when he feels it's his time to take the reigns he goes for it and... that this kid is a rule follower from way back. hehe.

love you buddy. good job!

who?

who are these people being seen around my house lately?
i literally turned around the other day to find this...
not sure where they are pretending to be from ,but pretty sure it ain't America.

bear looks just like bri did when she was his age. i thought the "hooded?" look might help the resemblance. it didn't help as well as i had hoped. anyways...

from the past

digging thru old photos i found these...

this was back before i was a mom of 3. well, on the outside anyway.

back when i had a 5 and almost 3 yr old.

i have always loved these 2 pics.

and today- i needed a reminder of sunny days ahead!