Hot time, summer in the city...

We have had an incredible summer so far!  We have made many trips, had lots of visitors, enjoyed fun summer things in the ATL.  We have celebrated with friends who have gotten engaged, started new life adventures, gotten pregnant, and had babies.  

This past weekend we were able to drive up to Caleb's parents house in East Liverpool, OH for a long weekend.  It was a 14 hour drive there and 14 hour drive back.  I think the kids handled it better than I did.  Every time we make a trip to the midwest and back there is a little part of me that thinks "why do we live so far away?"  I think that part of me thought that 1) this would all just get easier after a few years or 2) we would end up moving back to the midwest to be close to family.  Well, neither of those things have happened and honestly, I don't forsee either of them happening.  We are at peace with our decision to be in Atlanta.  God has given both Caleb and I jobs that we love and a depth with our community that we could have never imagined.  Some days are harder than others but most of the time, I can't imagine being anywhere else.  

Ava continues to make me laugh everyday.  Her most recent hilarious thing is playing bop-it.  Her record now is 26 in a row, which I think is impressive for a 3 year old.  She has also memorized what the bop-it man says and will repeat things like "Is this your first time playing bop-it, you're out."   She also watched Mary Poppins over the weekend and sings the chimney sweep song and A Spoon Full of Sugar repeatedly.  We plan to put her in dance class this fall and I am sure she will love every minute.  Today she asked me "mom, wouldn't it be silly if Cinderella met Mary Poppins?"  Yes, it would. 

We are also looking with much anticipation toward friends moving into Pittsburgh!  Yes, that's right...more people in Pittsburgh!  Our street is incredible and our neighbors are awesome and I look forward to my Coleman St. neighbors being able to all welcome our new friends to the neighborhood.  We have longed for more community in Pittsburgh and the thought of other believers being so close is more exciting than I can express!  Pittsburgh has become even more empty in the 4 years we have been there and it's so neat to see God move in others hearts to want to move in!

Here are some pics of our trip to East Liverpool.  Enjoy.

Jay and Ava shared a little bath time.

The Starr family at the wharf.

Boys hanging out...Jay is so big now!

 

 Who doesn't love some chili cheese fries from the hot dog shop!

Such a happy guys!  and he loves his sister!

Paddle boat ride.

How funny is it to put a baby in a life vest?!

Hanging out with grandpa!

Time with grandma before we boarded our paddle boats.

Hilton Head 2011

 

Since I discovered that I can turn my blog into a book at the end of the year, I am going to blog a whole lot more! This years annual beach trip included the Henleys and the Niederfringers. It was a great time. 11 people, 2 bedroom condo, too many trips to the beach where kids were covered in sand, yummy food, great fellowship, limited melt-downs, SOOO much sunscreen, wonderful bike rides, sand castles, naps, and Sequence. We love Hilton head.

 

6 months...give or take a couple weeks.

 We finally had Jay's 6 month doctor appointment.  Our "little guy" is 19 lbs and 28 inches long!  In case you are wondering...that's a pretty big kid.  He is so happy and has been eating a lot of different food already.  Here is a good picture of him and his happy self. 






 

Jay's Dedication

Here is a picture from Jay's dedication. We also wrote a letter to him that I am going to share here because then it's somewhere that I can't lose it when one day, I want him to read it:)! Also, it will help all the family from back home feel a little like they got to be a part of the dedication.

Jay,
We want to celebrate today the miracle and gift God has given us in you. We want to dedicate you to Lord knowing that He is the giver of life and it is He that has entrusted you to us for a short time. You come into this world helpless, in need of care and love and protection. But we, as your parents, commit to so much more than that. We commit you to the Lord and we commit ourselves to bringing you up with a love and reverence for Him and also to have a deep love for people.
We named you Jay after your mommy’s grandpa. He was a man of God who loved life and loved those around him. He was joyful and always had a song to sing and a joke to tell. He was generous and kind, giving to anyone that needed anything. He was wonderful husband and father and though you will never meet him, we want you to know the meaning behind the name we have given you.
Your mother and I are very different but one common characteristic is our heart for people. We want our children to also have a heart that longs to love people. God has a heart that never gives up but always works to make beautiful and make whole that which is broken and lost….a redeeming heart. This is why we chose Redeem as your middle name. We have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and want our children to also know that our Redeemer lives and He can redeem that which is broken and lost.
We are so thankful for you dearest Jay. Your life so far has been filled with smiles and cuddles and happiness around your big sister. You are loved by your heavenly father and you are loved by us. You are also loved by a wonderful community of friends and believers who are here today to hold us accountable teaching you about our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our prayer is that you will know Him and desire to serve him as you grow into a man. We are glad you are our son! Love, Mom and Dad

The Call...Our Mission Year Story.

It was 6 years ago this week (give or take few days) that I got a call from the Mission Year recruiting department. "Hey Ashlee, just wanted to let you and Caleb know that you are accepted for Mission Year in the fall and we are excited to have you guys in Atlanta." Excitement, panic, joy-emotions filled my head and heart. We were really going to do it. We had decided that if they accepted us, we were headed to Atlanta. I called Caleb and we immediately began preparations (such great planners we are!).

p.s. (R)This was the picture I sent with my MY application. I guess I was REALLY enthusiastic (and liked hot pink?) Somehow, they still accepted us:) The other picture is our last night in our K-town apartment eating cereal out of anything we could find.

It all started during a spring break trip to Atlanta. We connected with the Mission Year married team who was living on Atlanta's Westside. They shared their hearts with us and told us about their year of serving. We got to meet Leroy Barber who came to their apartment, bought us pizza, and got me hooked on this idea of taking a year of my life (and my husband's life) to live intentionally, love Jesus, and love the people around me. Sounded simple, right?:). After MANY conversations, Caleb and I were sure that this was what we had been looking for. We knew we loved the City, we felt called to serve the poor, and we loved Jesus a lot. When else were we going to have the chance to give away all our stuff (for some reason I guess we weren't thinking we might actually NEED "stuff" when we got done with Mission Year), quit our jobs, and move to a new place to serve alongside people with similar hearts for ministry?

Our next call...this time it was Jeff Delp (one of our City Directors) telling us that he had found the house we were going to live in. "Excuse me, 1 house...for all three couples?" I guess they had decided to "try out" putting the married teams in one house. I am now more grateful for that call than I could describe. Our time of intentional community produced 4 of the most amazing friendships we have ever known.

And then there was the call to my parents..."Mom and Dad, as it would turn out, we love it here and really feel like God is calling us to stay in Atlanta." It only took one year for us to realize that this was home.

We now get to serve with Mission Year in the role of Mission Year married City Directors. We could not be more excited to see teams arrive this fall and watch them begin a journey that so deeply impacted the direction of our lives. Not everyone stays in the city and that is totally fine but no matter where you go after, life will be different. We are different because of a decision we made to take a year away from everything we knew and trust that God had a plan for us.

Grateful..

It's 2 am. Our house is very still and quiet as Caleb and the kids are soundly asleep in their beds. I am so grateful for all three of them. Caleb has a quiet strength that I could not begin to express. He encourages me every day with his patience and his desire to love me in the ways that I best understand love. I knew 8 years ago that I loved this man. I knew that I wanted to spend my life with him but I don't think I had a clue of how incredible God's design of marriage really could be. Easy all the time? Not even close, but so rich and full of beauty and Grace and forgiveness. I am grateful for Caleb. And then there is Ava...Oh my little spunky, full of personality little girl. Each day, she amazes me at her words and her thoughts and how she is starting to see the world. She makes me laugh more than any 1 person ever has. She is more social than I would have thought possible at age three. Each day as we get out of the car she will say to ANY child walking down the street (even if we don't know them) "want to come over to my house?" She wants hugs and kisses al the time and will say to me anytime I leave the house "I love you so much!" I am grateful for Ava. And now we have Jay. He has been a bundle of cuddles and smiles. He also LOVES people (specifically me right now). If you look at him, talk to him, pick him up, or waive a toy in his face...he immediately starts to move his whole body in one huge movement. He started laughing at Ava, who gets up in his face and says "Hi baby...it's your big sister" in the squeakiest-highest pitched voice you could imagine. I am grateful for Jay. I am grateful for our community in Atlanta and the friends that God has placed around us here. As we continue to pray for direction about where God is leading us, I don't want to ever stop being grateful for these things. It doesn't mean that I achieve an attitude of being grateful all the time, but it's my prayer that as I read back through these thoughts, they can be a reminder to me.

Life with 2...

Jay is three months old. I can hardly believe it. The transition to two kids has been pretty easy. We did 1 and then 3 and now 2. A little out of order, but we did feel pretty prepared for some additional craziness. Tonight we have the girls and I was even more reminded of how different life is with lots of kids. To be honest, I kind of love the crazy. All three girls are sleeping on the floor in Ava's room and they all look so sweet. Hard to believe that only an hour ago we were reeking havoc on a Zaxby's. Ava has been super funny lately. She has fits that drive me but then she says hilarious things. Yesterday she said "Mommy, maybe when I throw a fit or cry, you could just pray for me." Oh darling, if you only knew how much mommy prays for your fits! I am back to work a few days a week and really loving my time back. I know the kids are well cared for and I get to do something I love.

Jay has been an incredibly happy baby. I feel like his whole body smiles when he smiles. We are still working on the whole "sleeping at night thing" but it's so easy the rest of the time, that I don't really care.

We got to take a trip to Disney World with mom and dad which was awesome. Our friend, Mike Fitz from HC, showed us around Magic Kingdom for the day and we had a blast. My favorite Ava moment was right after she got off the roller coaster and said "That was crazy...that roller coaster made my tummy feel better."

Right now we are in the midst of participating in lent. We each have chosen things to give up in order to focus more on Christ during this season. I am praying that during this season, we will continue to have more clarity about what God is doing in our family and that he would direct us toward what he would have for the future.

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks...