Moving to a new place, far away from your regular support group of loving family and friends and your familiar community is always a transition for any family. When we relocated recently, only three hours drive away from "home", the distance was just enough to keep us from commuting back and forth frequently. A new town, no friends, and feeling very nauseous with a new pregnancy, our family did the only thing we could; and we stayed home. All. The. Time. For several weeks. The few times we would go anywhere significant would be on Sundays when we would venture out looking for a new church community to plug into. We have since made big strides as far as reaching out and connecting, as we have started integrating in the Classical Conversations community (homeschooling families who aren't weird, by the way...), found a really awesome church that we all love, and have even met and made friends with a family who is expecting their seventh baby just before ours is due. So momentum has really picked up for us, not surprisingly, since this mama is feeling much more herself these days.

However, the days and weeks leading up to this fruitful season were hard. We didn't know then what God had planned. In fact, there were many times I would wonder if we had made a bad decision. But God has a purpose in all things, in all seasons. Not only did He know that "Spring" was coming for our family after about three months of harsh "Winter", but He used the season for the benefits that we don't usually think about that occur in the physical Winter.

See, our family had no choice but to do two things:

Draw closer to God, and listen ever more intently for His wisdom and direction and purpose for our family.

And two, draw closer to each other as a family.

These are huge blessings that we might have missed had we not spent this time in "hibernation". Of course it was hard and we missed our home and grieved the separation from our church, neighborhood, family and friends. We still miss them. But the focus that comes from being forced to "start over" in a sense is so valuable. When you're away from all things and people familiar, you're more able to hone in on the goals that God has placed in your heart. And spending all this time with our family, instead of at church, sports, or other activities, while all these are wonderful, has allowed us to pull together and bond like never before. So many times in the hustle and bustle of busy life before we moved here, I was guilty of forgetting to just sit and look at my children, to listen to them while they talked about nothing and random rambling. I forgot quite often, to notice how funny their silliness was and to laugh at their antics. And the laughter they bring me blesses me now more than ever. I am captivated by each of their personalities and adore each of our children so much.

I think that as parents, we get a special glimpse of just how much God loves us when we allow ourselves to think about how much we really love our kids. I would give my life for any one of them without batting an eyelash. And it's obvious He loves us that much too. But I am captivated by them, mesmerized by my children. My eyes dance with laughter as I watch them and observe them just being who they are. I want to hold them and sqeeze them and make sure they're safe and that they KNOW they're safe and loved. I want them to know that I care about every detail of their lives. I want them to know that I enjoy spending time with them and that they are magnificent creatures. And isn't that how God feels about us? I know that it is. He adores us and is indeed captivated by each one of His children.

And so, the unexpected silver lining of something I once thought so dreadful - being isolated from our familiar community - has been a lesson well-taught, again by a loving merciful Father. We're closer to Him and each other and we know where we're going more now than ever before. He is good. In the Spring. And in the Winter.

I am so relieved that 2009 is over and look forward to a wonderful 2010 with our growing family. Last week, we went in for our first sonogram and saw our tiny little baby (now 15 weeks gestation) growing wonderfully. In just a few short weeks, we will know whether our family will welcome another precious baby boy or girl. But for now, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to see that the baby is developing well and that my body is cooperating with the amazing process yet again.

Other than the excitement and anticipation of our newest addition, the rest of the family is doing well. It seems all the boys have begun growth spurts all at the same time! They are each a joy to watch grow, develop and thrive!

We're gearing up to start our schooling again tomorrow after the two week holiday break. I have begun researching a new method of teaching the boys at home and will be attending a parent practicum for Classical Conversations, a Christan, Classical approach to teaching/learning, on Saturday. I am super excited because the boys will attend classes once a week with other students in their grade level, as we explore the lessons together at home, as well.

We found a wonderful church this morning and have plans to attend again next Sunday. The boys all had a blast and Dax and I enjoyed ourselves too. It seemed like there were a lot of young families there, so that excited us too!

We have so much to be thankful for. So many lessons were learned from 2009. To get a brief recap, see previous posts. God is faithful.

We're settling now, here in our new town, and finally reaching out and really beginning to make those crucial social connections. I recently joined a CSA (Community Shared Agriculture), and our family will reap the benefits of Johnson's Backyard Garden's (jbgorganic.com) fresh produce every week. I look forward to trying new vegetables and recipes in our family kitchen.

I just feel so blessed. We made it to another year, all of us together! We've truly embarked on a new adventure here in this Austin suburb, and it's been a journey to get here. We're trusting God to direct us here and guide our family in all of our decisions. Upcoming goals are pretty basic, just being obedient to God, drawing closer to Him as we lead our family, and allowing God to use us for His purpose. More particularly, we will be integrating more family bible study time, a new teaching approach, more writing time for mom, and more time in the garden for mom and the boys, exploring new recipes and healthy foods, working on our family website, connecting in our new church, and making some financial progess toward owning our own land and building our little house. May God bless us this year! And may God richly bless you and yours!

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:3