Missing in Action!

PICS FROM GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLORADO

Glenwood Canyon

Hiking down from Hanging Lake. (we only made it 1/3 of the way up)

Sliding down the Hot Springs Pool Slide

View of the Hot Springs Pool. (water was a consistent 90 degrees)

Friends from Florida who were spending some time in Vail

Grace and her friend Luke (she was so happy to see him)

Emily and Sam (love Sam's face, I am not sure that he was happy to see Emily)

Vail was beautiful...think we might be heading back for ski season.

Cody showing off his new glasses


PICS OF SOME COLORADO FLOWERS FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

PICS FROM A LOCAL HIKE

SAYING GOODBYE IS NEVER EASY

"Elimy" and Mya...friends forever

Moving day for our friends (sniff sniff, believe me it was far more than a sniff)

Goodbye dinner with our friends

The girls, me, Meredith and Sara

Our handsome hubbies, Ken, Mike and Bill

Good friends

All of our kiddos

The only shot I have of Emily's b'day and I got none of Cody's (shame on me)

Yes, that is what we have been here in the blogging world...Missing In Action! Life is full of action involving all kinds of things and with so many options in computer-land I feel as though I have to choose my venues. Sometimes I am real active on FaceBook other times I try to stay connected with my Yahoo Group and other times I am just shopping and surfing. Anyway, I have fallen away from blogging which is something that I love mostly because it forces me to record the happenings of our family. As all of you know life can swallow you up if you let it and you simply operate in a reactionary mode without taking the time to "smell the flowers" and soak in the goodness of the God. Blogging helps me notice the valuable moments in life that I so easily can miss. I find myself getting way to overwhelmed with the simple management of my family that I don't truly enjoy these precious things that surround me. This is a theme that constantly runs through my life and one would think that I could learn my lesson but alas I will do well for a while and then fall back into a state of "housekeeper", "cook", "taxi driver" and leave "mom" and "wife" in the wake of the chaos. I am constantly on a search for books or websites that offer suggestions that help in the management of daily life so that I can be better organized and have more time to have fun. I have saturated myself with Kathy Peel and FlyLady suggestions but still find myself with loads of laundry that I can't determine whether it's clean or dirty, a constant sink full of dirty dishes and toys scattered all over our house so if any of you have good suggestions on time management for moms I welcome the insights because I have yet to find a system that works for me. I grapple with whether I should just relax and settle into the acceptance that this is just my season of life or am I truly as disorganized as I feel. I so desperately want my kids to remember me as a mom who had fun with them and didn't constantly fuss at them to clean up but at the same time how much dirt and disorganization is acceptable. Nevertheless, I will continue to try to stay ontop of things while focusing on enjoying life with my wonderful family. Speaking of my wonderful family here is what we have been up to over the past few months:

*We celebrated Emily's 4th birthday and Cody's 12th birthday! I cannot believe that Emily is already 4 and that we are one year away from having a teenager...YIKES!

*Cody is doing well with his Diabetes. It is really hard sometimes and really exhausting but it has now become a way of life. He had a brief time of some high numbers but we were able to switch his insulin and things are good now. We are hoping for an insulin pump soon and praying for a cure. He recently had to get glasses which he loves and looks so handsome.

*In May we traveled back to Florida and moved the remainder of our stuff out to Colorado and have now become permanent residents of the State of Colorado. It was a hard move emotionally but we have settled back into life here in Colorado and have loved having all of our belongings in one place.

*Both of our Florida condo's are now rented to terrific couples for which we are so thankful.

*We said goodbye to our friends Sara, Bill, Cole, Carter and Mya as they left Colorado for Iowa. It was so hard to say goodbye to such precious friends and we still are missing them everyday. I am planning a trip in a couple of weeks to see Sara and I CAN'T WAIT!!!

*The girls and I had a fabulous weekend at the Jersery Shore with "The Chatty Girls". (pictures coming soon) and thanks to Laura, Lucy's mom for hosting all of us chatties.

*We have been LOVING our Colorado summer. After years of sweltering hot and humid FL summers it has been glorious here. The flowers are gorgeous and we have loved hiking, biking and my favorite, patio dining. I love being able to have breakfast, lunch and dinner outside on our patio and have loved trying some new recipe's on the grill. We also have loved watching the beautiful birds visit our bird feeder and bird bath in the backyard. God's creation is incredible.

*Cody and Grace have enjoyed some great camps at our local YMCA and I have loved having some time to myself as well as one on one time with Emily.

*Mike and I are working hard at being committed to working out and eating healthy. (Well, Mike has always been committed) I am loving experimenting with new recipes and are loving the results of filling our bodies will healthy food and lots of exercise. I am running again which I LOVE and have been encouraged by Mike to start training for a half marathon. We shall see how training plays into our schedule this fall. I have always wanted to run a half marathon but have never been disciplined enough to train. I have also added some weight training to my exercise regiment. Now that I am in my 40's toning up the flab is a little harder than it was 5 years ago.

*We enjoyed a little vacation to Vail and Glenwood Springs. (see photos)

*We are gearing up for our second year of homeschooling which I am hoping will be a little easier second time around. I still don't feel confident in my abilities but continue to believe that God has called us to do this and want to be obedient. Our year will look a little different in that both Cody and Grace will be attending a part-time school two days a week which will give them interaction with other kids along with giving Mike and I a little break on teaching some of the subjects.

*Mike's book is coming along nicely and he is hoping to have it completed and ready to offer proposals to publishers by the end of year. I am so proud of him and know that God is going to do a great work through Mike's faithfulness to pursue this passion. I am so blessed to call him my husband and treasure each day I get to spend with him.

*We are soaking up some great teaching on worship at our church and are learning that "Worship is my active, all of life response to the worth of who God is and what He does." Worshipping God is not limited to singing songs of praise at a church service but allowing worship to invade EVERY aspect of one's life can be transforming. We are so blessed to be a part of a church with such rich and powerful teaching.

Well, that is about it. We continue to baske in the blessings of God. I often think of how unworthy I am of such goodness. God continually pours out evidence of his love upon our family. Sure, our days are not perfect and we have tough spots and I act out of my flesh many times but when I step back and take a look at our life I have to say "WOW!" Hoping and praying that life is good for you too!

Love,

Nichole