Merry Christmas!

My amazing sister, Rachel, thought up this idea for a Christmas card. So silly! Josiah has a drawn on mustache and beard. He has the cutest smile on!

Tomorrow we start our journey to Sydney, Australia for 11 months. We have been preparing, it seems like, for at least a year! Downsizing, selling most of our stuff and simplifying. I love it! Seriously, I do... But I had to refocus when I saw Patrick had packed half as much as I did. Whoops! I repacked.
Trusting in God's provisions for us is what I am needing to focus on. I love the fact that we are going where we don't know anyone and don't have anything planned about where to live or what to eat, or what to wear. We can trust that God has it all under control, and is preparing things for us there! Amazing that He cares for us and the details.

Right now we are last minute scrambling to pack or store or sell everything else. We have almost sold our car, if that can happen before we leave it would be a great relief. We need the money for a down payment on a living place.

Please visit our blog for more about our trip to Sydney.
http://www.thehardyblog.com/

This is it!

happy father's day!

This is a post to recognize how wonderful my husband is.
Patrick is a patient, thoughtful, loyal and loving man.
Despite the lack of a real father in his life, God has given him insight and understanding to how precious and wonderful being a father can be.
He has always been there for our kids from day one. I had c-sections with my kids and so he has had to step up and learn to how to change their diapers, give them baths, and know how to burrito wrap them to soothe them. It seems like nothing is too difficult for him to handle!
Patrick, thank you so much for being my wonderful husband, and the best dad our kids could ask for.
We love you!

The Fear

My pastor, Nate, was speaking this past Sunday about the 'fear of God' vs. the' fear of man'. Using King Saul and King David as examples of these kinds of fear.
Saul was feared the people he was leading instead of the Lord who put him there. David feared the Lord who created the world and not the giant, Goliath.
It was a message for me.
I have been thinking about my fears in life, and God provided this message at the right time.
I've been afraid of not pleasing my family, both my husband and parents. In not anticipating his needs and putting these expectations on myself to make a perfect meal, or spending money in a way he thinks is wise.
With my parents its the same way. I want them to think nothing is wrong with my family, and whenever I'm visiting them I feel that I should do things for them and spent every minute with them.
But these expectations I put on myself just make me miserable. I set myself up for failure, every time! No wonder my plans never work.

So, i've also started reading this book by Francis Chan, 'Crazy Love'. I'm just at the beginning, the Crazy part. He is talking about how Majestic God really is, and I think that meditating on these facts is helping me understand what the fear of God really is.
He is perfect "holy, holy, holy"
He is eternal
He is all-knowing
He is all-powerful
He is fair and just

So, this is just a start but this is what I am searching for. I know it is mind blowing and overwhelming. But I need to know this about Him!

Josiah at 2 1/2 years

Josiah is also growing so fast! He is 3 feet tall and still growing!
He is finally using the words he has been hearing his whole life, and doing really good at trying to repeat, even if its not right. Its so much fun to hear him try to explain, or play with his toys.
His latest favorite words are: robot (roBOT), cookies(brrr-ootie), rino, hippo(eepo), superbutt,
chocolate milk (dada-neut).

Promise at 2 months

If there is any truth to what you see in your child's behavior as a baby is a foreshadowing the future, here is what I know about Promise:
She is quick to complain or share here opinion
She is also quickly appeased (just give her a hug).
Very social, always smiling at the person talking to her.
loves to be a part of what is going on!
At 2 months Promise is 11 pounds, in the 75th percentile! Nice and fat!