Flight School

It is of no surprise that Nolan is fond of airplanes.  Eliza seems to enjoy them too, but not to the extent as her brother.

I shot this video one evening when the kids will usually love to climb all over daddy and play rough. Sometimes, they want to play a little rougher than Matt would care for, hehe.

It's Snow-fun

The Geddes clan decided to venture out in the 16 degree weather since we saw the sun shining.....it wouldn't feel as bad....right?

Ha! It was COLD, and we didn't last too long with all 4 of us out. Nolan lasted one run with daddy, and then simply had enough.

Eliza was our little adventurer, and did a few runs down the hill before she had her fill. 

We've had quite the fill of being inside, and sometimes you just have to go for it. Even when you can't remember the last day that it got above freezing, and all your canned food is frozen along with the fruit and beverages sitting in your complimentary "walk-in" freezer...aka the garage!

I do look forward to just near freezing or just above freezing temperatures so we can enjoy the snow a little more before the rain melts it away.

It's A...

Yep, that is the latest and greatest news in the Geddes house. We are excited to announce that Nolan will have a little brother to boss around of his very own. This news didn't exactly sit well with Eliza when we brought her along to see the baby. In fact, she was in such a sour mood about not getting to stay with the sitter and her kids.

Not how I expected THAT experience going...

It finally took us telling her that when she is older, she will get her own room eventually.

"A pink room?"

Yes, and your brothers won't be allowed in there to mess with your things. I think she'll fair better being the only girl in daddy's eyes, and we get a little more insurance of having the family name continue on past Matt.

I look forward to being able to hand down some of my favorite boy clothes of Nolan's to this one...as long as the seasons are appropriate. But I guess that is just an excuse for the grandparents to pick out cute stuff ;)

I came up with the Lego announcement after not finding much else that I liked on Pintrest as I've never had a cute photo worthy exposed bump.No....I look more like I'm trying to smuggle two oblong water melons and casaba melons under my shirt.

So, except for this one.....but the few that I showed it to first, asked why I sent them a picture of shoes : P

Sweetest Dreams

After Eliza took an exceptionally long time to actually fall asleep the other night, I couldn't pass up this shot. She had come out twice, with insisting that her lady bug light was broken and needed new batteries. It was not broken and just a matter of pressing the right button, hehe.

There is something innocent and sweet when you catch them asleep in a bed. I only used the light coming in from the hallway and of course the bug light. By resting my lens on the guard rail, I was able to capture a long exposure and be still. The ambient light also helped with being to see if I was in focus or not without needing the strobe which could have awoken her.

Oh to see into her dreams :)

Color me Fun!

We've had to get a bit creative in these cold months in order to not go crazy inside 4 walls. Normally, I'd set the easel outside for their paints, while not worrying about drippy paint. But I decided a messy and out of the ordinary activity was in order for after lunch and before quiet time.

Admiring their work 

 

My little Impressionist

Nolan has been marked officially as a member of the Geddes Tribe 

The best part was, we did bath time and clean up right after. They even helped scrub the walls, since the paint was non toxic tempera. Much more vibrant colors than the food dye and cornstarch recipe.  

The Realities of True Friendship

They say that the average lifespan of any friendship you have will last seven years.

In some of my friendships, this has held to be pretty true. Seasons of life change, and we don't all move into the same chapter or book for that matter, at the same time. I have friends I've known and stay in contact from early childhood, those I went to college with and the ones I've cultivated since moving here to Rome.

The best and valued kinds, in my humble opinion, are the ones where you are not afraid to speak the truth when it is truly warranted.

Truth can hurt, and forgiving does not always come easy either.

I've had a friendship with someone who I care deeply about. When most others around her were shouting cheers and congratulations, I had to speak from the heart. This wasn't exactly what they wanted to hear, but I did want her to be happy and share in the festivities alongside and support then, as we had gone through a lot.

In being involved in this life changing event, it required an investment of mine. The kinds where there are no refunds given if you change dates etc... I had felt hurt by this and some choices being made that I felt was going against our faith in Christ.

I hated that I felt this way, and struggled to forgive them for a good chunk of time. But after awhile, I was tired of this rift between us and missed the friendship we once had. Things eventually worked themselves out and my feelings of betrayal and hurt had finally been lifted by the only one who was strong enough to lift the heavy burden.

You know you have an even more awesome friend when things don't pan out the way they had thought, and everything is coming apart, just as your friend was concerned about.....and they don't slap you with an "I told you so" in the face. Instead, they become a shoulder to cry on, an ear to vent on, and walk alongside instead of all over you.

A friendship or relationship does not come without conflict. It is this very conflict that makes us grow together...not apart...and a bond even stronger than before.

I am so very glad this friendship of mine was not tossed aside when the waters of the funship cruise became troubled.

Winter Blues Art Time

Its cold, wet and we are seriously into the winter season. As I type this, we received 6+ inches of snow in a matter of 2 hours. Being a stay at home parent can be a struggle when you live in a small place and can't venture outside very easily in the winter time. Its extremely tempting to just throw on movies all day....

But I know this will backfire on me later on. So we pulled out the dot markers for a new distraction with little mess to deal with.

Big Children at Heart

Both Matt and I were gifted with something each that we both would have never spent money on ourselves. Certainly not practical, but if you know either of us in real life, we do have a kid inside that does like to be entertained.

After many years of always looking at them, I decided Matt needed a toy for Christmas so he could do a little stress busting when the kids were in bed. For an aviation nut....an RC helicopter was just what filled his bucket of joy that night....and continues to.

My mother, bless her heart, really did surprise me with a building toy. No, it wasn't Lego, but a tall Knex roller coaster. After putting the kids to bed early one evening, I spent around 3 hours building it. Here it is in action, using an extra coaster car for added fun.

2014 Prayer Solutions Recap and 2015 Prayers

2014 ----Lord;

In this new year, I would like answers to some very long awaited questions for the future of our family.

Would it be better to purchase a house for our needs than trying to find something to rent which better fits our needs and saves us money?

This one has still gone on unanswered.

Please guide the growth of our family. If we are to have a 3rd child, please let it be known with a peace. Or if we are complete in the growing of our family, let it be also known with a peace and contentment that it is okay to let go of the baby gear instead of holding on to fear that we'd need it later on. Right now, I am open to either path, but enjoying the stage that Nolan is at and the bond our children are making as siblings.

Well, God did help answer this one and gave the sense that someone was still missing from our family. We'll use the gear one more time and then probably try and pass on some of the blessings which were handed down to us :)

Please let Eliza continue to qualify for free physical and speech therapy after her 3rd birthday.

Eliza continued to qualify for therapies and has speech/physical twice a week.

Help Matt and I better our marriage and communication. Also for us to work more as a team in taking care of the house needs. I feel that our only child pasts hinder our ability to be less selfish with our time and energy.

As with most, this will always be an in progress request. With time and hopefully maturity thrown in there, things like this will get easier in time.

You know of the unmentioned requests that I can't really write here, so I leave you this and look forward to look back at this post.

I think this one really stemmed from my desire to step down from working outside the house. It took some big leaps of faith and God placing the right people to help guide us to this revelation. It is a decision I do not regret one bit. I feel much more content in our life circumstances than before, despite having less income and going down to only one car.

Amen

Here we are in a new year, and time to see just how God may work in the new year.

Dear Heavenly Father....

Family
Help put in place the people and resources as we prepare to welcome a new family member. Please let this birth experience be a positive one with better healing and recovery after surgery. May our baby be healthy and strong. Also for Nolan, to transition well into his new big brother role.

Space
As much as I have tried to be content in our starter space here in New York, it is becoming evidently clear that something has got to give. I desire to have a place for people and things, instead of cluttering up on each other. The winter months are long and having a finished basement for family time and play would be a wonderful blessing. To have the space means, being able to keep things clean for longer periods of time and use the new place to host gatherings of fellowship.

New Beginnings?
We've spent about 5 years in one place....the longest for myself at least since moving away from home. We keep wondering when you will open the doors to a new state perhaps that will be better for our family's future outcome. I know it would be a mixed blessing, as I have made some wonderful friendships over the years, as have my kids with theirs. Help us discern what your will is for our family.

Health
This last half of the year was rather eventful when it came to our health. Besides the birth of our 3rd child, please keep us healthy and well, with no hospital stays. We are grateful for your providence when these surprises have popped up and for the insurance Matt has with his job.

Amen