Time Flies.

Time. Flies.

I feel like an old person when I say that but I can't believe how true it is.  The older I get the faster it flies (unless I am in the last month of pregnancy when it slows down to approximately the same rate as it did when I waited for Christmas as a child.) My kids are aging faster, the holidays cycle sooner and the seasons I love never last long enough.

Some things that have happened since our sweet Canon came into the world-

We have watched him grow and get deliciously chubby.

We enjoyed another year in Boise with our family nearby. Lots of get-togethers, easy summer evenings over bonfires, family firesides and watermelon.

I started medication, started feeling a LOT better and in general began to feel like a person again.

We experienced a huge change in employment. This was a really long story but didn't necessarily turn out to be a good thing. And we began to feel tested in different ways.

Also I stopped homeschooling any of the kiddos and everyone started public school. After a lot of prayer we felt there were lessons to be learned for all of us from this experience. Looking back it was exactly what was needed- a change of pace, more routine and a chance to experience new forms of life lessons.  The schools were good and wholesome- our dinner discussions were different but still as rich. We were blessed with wonderful teachers.

I felt the nagging of another soul waiting to join our family. I didn't want to be pregnant again. I also knew that this feeling wasn't going to go away. Also, it was thrilling to think of another new person being part of us. Also I new our family wasn't complete. Also Sean knew it. Also- this was going to take a big big big deep breath.
Also we found out we were expecting right around Halloween.

We had an amazing Christmas!

Then we had another change in employment. I turns out we were getting too comfortable in our home town and it was time for an adventure. We took some more deep deep breaths and moved to Nevada for the new job opportunity. (This was a very hard move.  We left a huge bunch of people we loved and an amazing ward. We cried. A lot.)

And we found adventure all along the way.  This is easy to do when a simple thing like pine-cones-as-large-as-your-head elicit this kind of reaction.

We celebrated this guy's first birthday.

Even though we have gone through a lot of hard things this last year, my mind is continually brought back to the tender mercies along the way.  This pregnancy has been MUCH easier.

Every day brings with it challenges. It seems like the Lord compensates for so many of them through the delight of children. Granted the challenges are often the young children themselves but then you get that hug or that sloppy kiss or see them knock out their own challenges and balance is restored.

That about catches us up to the present day. See you in the next post.