Colorado…a whole summer in one post?

Oh dear, dear friends…this has been quite the season!!

I struggle to find any kind of way to sum up the past few weeks, actually months, since I’ve really posted about our family’s life here at Abby Avenue.  I’ve been writing my heart out for a while over here.  A little digging will show it’s been a FULL summer out here in Colorado and a lot of heart work has happened that is necessary as we prepare to make a new place across the ocean our home.

In other news;), I am purposing to revive this blog in preparation for said move and to chronicle our precious little lives so that the craziness does not win!

Our first BIG outing once we got here was to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.  Unfortunately, our camera died before we could get pictures of the snow we drove to and played in!  But, we did get some pictures of our mini golf game THAT THE KIDS LOVED! before we went to the park!  They both had such a blast!

Susie didn’t really hit the ball with her club, but she would put it in the cup and cheer!  JJ was all the pro and even got a hole-in-one! He’s got the touch!

Susie’s personality has continued to blossom and flourish! She is quite the ‘ham’ and loves to put on shades and be goofy!

I had the awesome opportunity to hike Grays Peak with a new friend, Kim and her brother.  It was arduous yet breathtaking—like any worthy journey!

Below I’m with my new friend, Kim.  She and her family will be in Germany and ‘relatively’ close to us!  We can meet up for a weekend in Salzburg!!! ~I know, it’s a tough life we lead 

{On another note, almost all of our other close friends this summer are going to closed countries and they will be far and our contact limited—it was powerful to be learning together with them…an honor and a privilege}

This picture below seems to resonate a lot with my heart right now…a beauty around and yet that sense of being on the edge of comfort and I want to leave the fears and hesitance and embrace the freedom of a glorious child of God!

Our overseas Commissioning night.  It was a special time and our hearts were stilled and awed that God would use broken us as a part of His plan to reach the nations!

Below we are with the other Eastern European staff.  Two beautiful young women going to work in Slovenia!

Our Favorite Park!!!!  I took many walks here and the kids played in the splash pad and amazing playground!!!  It was really close too!

She is in the middle of a dance move here!  This area has instruments and she was banging them and dancing…this spirited girl is really something!!!!

I love this picture of JJ.  This hasn’t been such an easy summer for him.  He’s had a lot of joy but also fevers and anxiety and asking/saying we need to get our Orlando house back!  But, you know, I am learning to surrender these moving and growing pains as a part of his story…and I am not the one who writes that One far greater who loves JJ infinitely more is writing that story and it is good.

Our last big outing here, was going to Georgetown to ride a Steamie—like Thomas!!!  It is a beautiful ride and JJ said the black train looked like ‘Mighty Mac’

Much love to you all…I promise as God gives me grace to get back into sharing our lives here with you—especially with many new adventures to come over the ocean! 

CSU-Carnival

These were the only pictures that I got at CSU for myself. That was pretty indicative of how, when my battery ran out on my camera, I was too tired to re-charge it and think about more pictures...though, if I had, I would have gotten JJ with his new friend, Trenton, and our new friends, Alan and Stephanie, and JJ's Kids' Care place with his "teachers" especially Amy who he really came to love by the end...Hopefully I will post some pictures on here from facebook of all of these neat people.

Now, on to what I DO have...below, is JJ in the "choo, choo" with his Daddy. This was quite fun for him to ride. He was just taking it all in. In the top left picture you can see a smaller, bright-colored train that kids could ride by themselves. We didn't try him there but I'm curious how he would have done...(side note, bottom center is JJ with his "plane buddy" Cannon who he sat behind on the way out to Colorado...it was a great entertainment until they both konked out in the last 45 minutes or so of the flight:)

...however, considering that JJ, while seated in bottom left in the car, did not actually ride this ride because he was too scared of being by himself (or with a friend from church later), I don't think he was quite ready to go it without Daddy on these rides.
I don't blame him with these cars, because they moved around pretty fast! In the top left in the front seat of the car are Grace (not quite 2) and Gloria (19 months) from our team who rode the ride together. Some brave girls!

I think these pictures are just adorable! JJ rode on a horse (with Daddy's help...as you can see, he wasn't too steady) and really did great. I don't think he would have done it without Daddy, but thankfully Daddy could walk right with him. It was sort of a "live carousel" with the horses attached around a center ring by chains.

My friend Erin from church planned this Carnival and I think she did a great job! Go Erin!!