Lasts

"Goodbyes" are never easy, and after a little over 3 years, it is time for us to say "goodbye" to Sumter, South Carolina, Shaw AFB, and all of the wonderful friends we have made during this assignment. We are going to miss Sumter...but mostly because of the friendships and memories here. There have been lots of details and waiting, but everything is slowly coming together with our move and transition.

We have a strong potential for a rental home in Fort Collins, Colorado that is very close to the house I rented with a couple of girls in college. We currently have a temporary lease agreement since we have not yet seen the home. In addition, after unceasing prayer we were blessed with an offer on our house this past Saturday! The negotiating didn't get us as high as we had hoped, but it is time to say "good bye" to this beautiful home we love.

We attended a going away party with Steve's co-workers this past weekend and it was such a blessing to hear their kind words and affirmations; they spoke so highly of Steve and I know it was such an encouragement to him.

We have also said goodbye to close friends in the neighborhood, my MOPS group, Christian's preschool, etc. The packers come tomorrow and the time that we have anticipated is finally here, and as always there are tears, but we are looking forward to what lies ahead...Colorado!

Christian's last day at school:

Feeding the animals at the Treehouse Nursery down the street from us:

One last trip to Swan Lake:

And last but not least, enjoying one last day at our home in South Carolina:

Walking with Mommy

Lately while C is in school (assuming I don't have an appointment or other errands to run) Lucas and I have been going for walks around the neighborhood. Christian and I used to take morning walks all the time at this age...before we had preschool, and MOPS, and other activities going on. It actually makes me sentimental to the fact that: 1. Our babies are growing so quickly! and 2. We will be moving to Colorado in less than a month (the amendment to Steve's orders did come through and we will be moving the end of May.) Everything is becoming more real. I am really going to miss our home, friendly neighborhood, dear friends and neighbors, Christian's school, the MOPS that I attend, and saying "good bye" to a sweet chapter in our lives in Sumter, South Carolina. God has been so good to us!

"No pictures Mom, let's move!"

Catching Up

I have been a horrible blogger lately- life has just been crazy busy, and well, I haven't even taken very many pictures in the month of February. We did however, get a *new* SLR camera last week that has been needed for awhile now as our point-and-shoot was definitely starting to go. I have been experimenting with the new camera, and have a lot to learn, but I am so excited to finally have some clearer pictures of our sweet boys.

In other news, Steve was TDY for three weeks in both Tampa and Virginia Beach, and as soon as he returned we got busy cleaning, decluttering, and getting ready to list our home. The sign went up in the yard on Monday, and it is bittersweet. We love this home, and wish we could just pick it up and move it wherever we go. (Not to mention, it has awesome storage space and walk-in closets. :o) What better motivation to simplify, I suppose.) So now we are praying for a buyer in a timely manner. The market is a little rough in Sumter, SC right now, but there is always lots of people moving in the summer months at Shaw...keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best!

Shaw Air Show 2012

This past weekend was Shaw AFB's air show, although we have to admit that it was not nearly as amazing as Edwards AFB's (because they have all the planes!) Originally Steve planned to take just Christian as a special outing, but in the end we all attended on Saturday morning.

I love a good air show, there is just something so cool about the loud roaring engines and amazing stunts. Unfortunately, little ears do not agree. (See Christian's first and second air show experiences.) Christian really did enjoy seeing the airplanes up close, but when the F-15's and F-16's flew, both boys were ready to go despite our best effort with using earplugs. We ended up leaving around 11:30am, but still felt like it was worth the visit (even if we did not get the chance to see the Thunderbirds.) Naturally my camera battery died shortly before the airplanes flew- still got a few good photos.

Christian is still talking about going to the air show to see the "air-trains" and that they were loud. He even drew a picture of the loud airplanes and the Army's Golden Knights on Sunday.

Christian is One!

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby boy, who was born 1 year ago today! I cannot get over how incredibly fast the time has gone. Is he really One? Was he truly this small? It seems like just yesterday that we were anticipating Christian's arrival (which came as a big surprise) but here we are! And what a busy 12 months it has been with traveling across the country and living in 3 states (CA, CO, SC.) It has been such an adventure and we have enjoyed every part of C's life- we look forward to whatever may lie ahead. We love you buddy! Thank you for the indescribable joy that you have brought into our lives.In a letter I wrote to Steve about a month ago:

"Did you ever dream that you would love him this much? Must be just a glimpse of what our heavenly Father feels for us."

What a gift indeed.