A new role

Wow...it's been a while since I've been on here!

The ceremony for Port's commissioning went very well, despite a very fussy teething Riley girl. It was amazing to see my handsome man stand in front of his peers, mentors, family, friends and cadre and finally being recognized for all of his hard work for the last 2 yrs of officer training. What an honor it was for me and our children to pin him with his new rank. He's now a 2Lt which I just think is awesome!

The reception went equally as well. Thanks to all who came out and celebrated such an awesome occasion with us! Several times through out the reception, which was held in our home, I stood amazed. Our home for 5 1/2 hours was wall to wall packed with people. There was a steady stream of people coming and going for most of the day. It was so cool to see so many people come out to love on us and support us. How blessed we really are!

We celebrated my little man, Carson's birthday a month early tonight while daddy and Pa are still here. Chucky Cheese here we come;)

Port and I also had a first this week...our first night away! I had reserved a room at the beautiful Old Town Guest House here in CO, which included our own private hot tub and patio! How wonderful the privacy was, the room, the amenities, the food, it was all just perfect!

I have reflected often the last few days on my new role as an officer's wife. It's something I take very seriously as we are fulfilling our calling by being in the military. The army flows thru our veins and we know how to do what we do and do it well.

I have had a few really good and some really bad examples of officer's wives cross my path. I've had some rockin FRG experiences and some terrible ones. It's intimidating in a sense for me. By Port choosing the officer's route, there are many perks but many more responsiblities as well. Your reputation means more, what you do reflects heavily your husband and family, more so than on the enlisted side of the world.

More than anything else, I hope to grow, mature and be an example to others. I see so many wives dishonoring their husbands while they are deployed and at home alike. I have seen many choose to party, be crazy, run around and trash their lives. While it's easy for any of us to choose this path as well, I realize that I have many people watching me now....as an officer's wife and as a Christian.

I hope to lead some of these other ladies to Christ, to show them a better way. I hope to lead by example in the way I conduct myself, the way I dress, the condition of my marriage, the real and genuine love between Port and myself, the way we raise our kids, the way we handle our finances, the way we live.

We've never had tons of money in the bank, don't strive for a huge nest egg but instead give all we can for others. Our kids don't always wear name brand, have all they could ever want, or do all they want, but at the same time they don't want for anything, but they know how to love, how to give, how to tell the story of our Jesus and how He came to save.

As I begin my very long list of thank you notes, I am determined to shrug off the intimidation I at times feel about my new role, and I see that this is just one more way in which our awesome God is going to use us.

Ahhhhh......

At times life gets so crazy and out of hand with planning this and that, making this playdate, keeping that appointment, paying that bill, and you forget the important and most special things in life.

My new medicines for the fibromyalgia keep me up almost all night. I'm feeling better some days while taking them and making serious diet changes but I'm not sleeping as much. Sometimes it's a good thing as I can get lots done while the family is snoozing and other times not so much as I'm super tired most mornings.

But tonight, I sit here in the bed with my husband and all 3 kiddos and I think of how good I've got it. I have a husband who really loves me, sticks by me, accepts me and my children want to be with me at all times, they are so generous, caring and sensitive to others needs. I sit in this bed totally surrounded by their love for me and for each other. I listen to them breathing, I look at them enjoying peaceful rest and I know that I am blessed and I am living a life I could have only dreamed of as a little girl.

Nichole

The Up's and Down's and Doing It God's Way

I have had on my heart to share with you all this evening, as I'm sure we're not the only ones going thru struggles, trials, ect these days. After all, Jesus tells us that we all will at some time and not to be surprised by them! (1 Peter 4:12-13) He also tell us that in our trials we will gain perseverance, thus allowing our faith to grow to an even stronger level (1 Peter 1:6-7).

I think as believers we all come to a cross roads and we have a choice to make. Will we do it our way or God's way? Will our marriage be glorifying and pleasing to Him or will we look out only for ourselves? Will we raise our children in His ways and teach them of Him or wait for life to pass us all by? Will we be good servants with the money He gives us or will we spend how we want too when we want? Will we abstain from the things He warns us of such as drugs, alcohol, sex outside of marriage or will we live life as one big party?

To me, the way of the world does seem easier at times but I couldn't imagine a life with no close and personal relationship with my Father. My flesh takes over and for a minute I ponder a life with no eternal consequences, missing tithe to pay down my credit card, engaging in foolish argument knowing it won't do any good....but is it all worth it?

As Christians, we are called to lead a holy life(Romans 12:1). Holy, meaning to be set apart, separated from sin and to be free for service to God.

It's harder to live life this way as it takes a ton of effort for me! It takes more time and thought to NOT engage in an argument, to discipline my kids and not just allow them to watch whatever comes on the tv, to write that tithe check instead of seeing my credit card balance go down faster with each month (though I fully understand that I am what got me into the mess of a credit card to begin with), to care of my husbands needs above my own, to practice self control in all that I do, to step out of my world to serve someone else in need.

It's hard but dear friends, it's so worth it. It's so worth that feeling of knowing that our Savior is pleased with your thoughts, words and actions. It's worth knowing that maybe you planted a seed with someone who doesn't know the love of Jesus by helping them when no one else would. It's worth going thru the yucky in your marriage to come out stronger and better than before instead of just calling it quits when time's get tough.

So I leave you with this tonight, keep pressing on and run the good race. Don't give up on yourself just as He hasn't given up on you!

Nichole

Croppin away!

Oh how I love to scrapbook. I first began to crop when Port was on his first of two 15 month tours overseas and it was just me and Leea. She was 3 months old so her schedule was pretty predictable as far as eating and naps.

A good friend at the time invited me to a Creative Memories party. I had never heard of CM or scrap booked but went along thinking it might be fun. I was instantly hooked! I feel in love, bought a ton of stuff and went home to enjoy all my goodies after Leea was down for the night. It became a real outlet and very therapeutic for me while my hubby was so far away for so long. I made Leea's baby book first and dedicated it to both her and Port since he was gone for so much of her life.

I took a consultant job with CM and worked hard for them for 2 yrs. After Carson was born I began a book for him as well. Sadly, I haven't scrap booked nearly as much as I would like in the years. A few moves, another baby, another deployment, and life and before I knew it, I hadn't picked up my scrapbook stuff in forever.

Recently Port and I decided it would be good for me to pick it up again and reconnect with my passion. Port has invested a pretty penny in all of my CM stock so I have albums for our family for years to come. Now to fill them!

I went to National Scrapbook Day during the month of May and had a blast! I'm proud to say that I FINALLY finished Carson's baby book. He will be 4 next month LOL! I've included some pic's of some of my fav page layouts and borders to get you inspired to give it a try if you haven't before or get back into it!

Scrap booking isn't about who you buy from, what brand you use or how fancy your tools are. It's about making memories for your family, for gifting your children with your work and creativity for what they don't remember, such as when they were tiny's. I hope someday that my albums will help someone with Alzheimer's or someone grieving for a loved one. Take care of your photos and protect your beautiful moments. It's so true that a picture is worth a thousand words. Happy cropping!

Nichole

Yum! Yum!

Today was pretty chilly out so as part of school today with the kiddos we made homemade banana bread. I didn't have any nuts so it was just bananas. But we did do something different this time around!

I've only made banana bread once before and it turned out awful...not sweet at all and kinda bland. Yuck! This time we made a super yum topping and boy was it yum! I took a pic of the bread just as soon as it came out of the oven. The small loaf we ate here and the large one we will take to Port's Bible study, R12 tomorrow night. I've included the recipe at the bottom!

I'm totally blessed to be able to home school and make cool stuff with our kids:)

crunchy topping: 3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons butter cut up
Mix ingredients together and sprinkle on top of batter before you bake. Enjoy!

Nichole

so thankful for my peeps:)

So as most of you know we are in the midst of total craziness at the Port household!

In exactly 11 days my hubby will commission as an officer in the United States Army. With that comes the ceremony we will attend (yes I got matching dresses for the girls and a coordinating polo for my little man) and then comes the reception that I am to throw. That is, if I want to stay within army tradition and not be forever branded as "the wife who didn't throw her husband a reception". I've never thrown a real reception before! Something tells me that this will be a bit more than the usual friends over for supper, coffee, whatever!

What is a girl to do to make sure all is well? Well a smart one calls on her peeps! I called my girl Geri who with her hubby's help made a super special invitation that will be sent out to all of our church family and friends thanks to the help of our awesome Pastor Tracy! Invite, check!

In the meantime, my hubby is stressing over crazy long papers that have major deadlines and I am getting my house ready for family coming in next week! My sister in law and my father in law will come to the rescue and join in on all the celebration and spend some time with Port as he leaves in 2 wks for Ft. Kox KY for several months of schooling.

My next task is to plan a menu for which I called on Geri once again. She totally had it put together in seconds! Seriously, how fab is she? menu, check!

My brain has turned to mush in trying to decide on a gift for him. I'm on a budget with so many big things happening (flying to SC, Port's schools, Carson's bday, Germany). He's super hard to buy for as he's even worse at giving gift ideas and suggestions.

Sooooo, I'm calling on my peeps again! I'm looking for theme ideas for his reception, decor ideas, gift ideas, you name it! Come on girls, lend me your creative minds!

Nichole

Happy Hot Momma's Day!

"Happy hot momma's day babe!" Those are the words I woke to today on Mother's Day from my adoring hubby. I'm totally digging the hot momma day and think I will use it from now on! I mean, is there a much better way to make your wife feel love and appreciated after the birth of 3 kids, not feeling super lovely and just waking up from an all night party with our 1 year old? It's becoming a bit more challenging to enter into hot momma mode these days! I tend to claim residence in the spit up, yogurt on my shirt, mom's taxi, am I ever going to get another shower, meal merry go round world of mine.


So today I give a shout out to all of my mom friends and my own mom who rock out in so many ways and leave me feeling super inspired to always do better at what I love....being a mom.

Nichole

My fire is burnin!

As many of you know, my husband teaches a Bible study at the UCCS, main campus every Thursday night. The study is under the umbrella of our church, CCES with the goal of reaching collage students, ROTC cadets all alike.

For several months I have seen my husband really grow into the man God is allowing him to be. Each week he faithfully creates a study and leads the group in prayer and discussion. What an honor it is for me to be by his side as he leads not only this group but our family as well.

Last night we had the special treat of a dear friend, Luke teaching the study. Luke, I believe is a teacher at heart and I was very excited to see his teaching talents for the first time and equally as excited to see his beautiful wife sitting next to him.....that's how we do it Chrystal:) Luke did an amazing job in teaching and getting his lesson points across to the rest of the group. I am still impressed today at how he was able to draw the group into such deep discussion. I saw people open up in ways I haven't seen before. People began to share their real struggles, their real issues. It was raw and so beautiful.

One question that Luke asked really got me thinking. He asked, "in times of doubt, trial, times that you can't see God working, what do you do to keep your fire burning? What do you do to keep your faith alive? Many in the group shared testimonies, real life, testimonies. People began to share with one another and really minister to each other.

After a few moments, I began to reflect on what my own answer would be. What do I do to keep my fire burning? How do I keep my faith alive in times of doubt, confusion or sorrow?

This most recent year, 2010, has been one of the hardest of my life. We've battled for our precious Riley girl for an entire year before finally recieving the medical attention she has needed. She's doing great by the way:) I have hit my emotional bottom as I have struggled with distant family issues, financial hard times have come and gone, I have gone through test after test in order to learn who I am and who I want to be and now major health issues. I am still going through the painful process of standing on my own two feet, being who my kids need, who my husband needs, becoming an army officers' wife (what a transition it is!) and really finding my place in the world and in CO only to learn that Germany is where the LORD wants us next.

And yet my answer to Luke's question was and is so simple. What do I do to keep my faith alive, to keep my fire burning? I think of all the times my Jesus has saved me. By saving me, I mean much more than my salvation. You couldn't ask for more than being saved from the pits of hell. But more than that still! So many times, in my life the LORD has saved me and rescued me from terrible situations, protected me from harm, healed my heart, provided a way out from a mess, given me rest, healed me, shown me a better way and stood by me. All it takes on a bad day is my reflection on all the LORD has done for me.

I challenge you my friends to ponder Luke's question just the same. Take a minute and reflect on what the LORD has done for you. Share or simply journal and say a prayer of thanks. After all, we all have much to be thankful for!

Special thanks to Chrystal and Luke. Thank you for your teaching, for your example to the rest of us. You guys rock!

Nichole

I've heard it said....

I've heard it said that as an army/military wife you should never put down serious roots anywhere. It's just too hard when the time comes to leave to actually leave. For those that know us best, you know we have army flowing thru our veins. It's what we do, it's what we are meant to do, it's what we will always do.

Our first duty station has been Ft Carson, CO and we have been here since I was pregnant with Carson at just 8 weeks. Carson will be 4 next month! And no, Ft Carson is NOT where we got the name for our little man. I hated CO at first. I rebelled in my own little ways, refusing to explore, make friends, adjust in any way. It's taken me a long time but I've gotten kinda close with CO. I could do without all the snow but there's something incredible about looking out my kitchen window and seeing Pikes Peak. Here in CO is where I've grown. My journey began here, in learning how to be a woman, how to raise babies, how to be an army wife, how to have a real walk with my LORD.

I found CCES (Calvery Chapel Eastside), my church and my home in this world. My church has been my refuge, my safe place when the world just becomes too much. My church has become a place where Port and I can lay it all out, be as raw as we need to be, pray for others and have each other prayed for. My church has carried us thru a 15 month deployment, a miscarriage during a hard pregnancy, a following pregnancy of total bed rest for the majority of it, hard financial times,tough family issues, the raising of 3 kids, homeschooling the kids, health issues, deployment issues, moving, and all of life's hardest lessons that the last 3 yrs has had for us. Leea and Carson have grown most of their tiny lives in this church. My church has come to the rescue as last minute child care for a military ball, meals when major sickness has come along, car repairs, muscle help for a big move, home repairs when Port has been gone...you name it they've done it!

Leaving my church is the hardest part of the big move looming in our future. Germany happens in November but SC happens much sooner. My biggest move, without my husband but my biggest challenge is that I've put roots down. Big roots. Deep roots. While I know we will keep in touch with many, some more than others, it's hard to imagine that we won't be walking in the doors of our church together anymore. Port leaves for OBC (armor school) June 2 and won't return until Oct to Dec. I will be heading to SC with the kiddos on my own, the house will be rented, and saying goodbye to CO. Port will of course join us in SC once schools are done and from there we will fly to Germany.

So what brought all of this on you ask? We met with JJYPSO yesterday (the army moving company) and have arranged for our house to be packed and stored, the car shipped....all so the house can be ready for our renters on August 1. We sign our final paperwork at the end of the month.

Perhaps I shouldn't have put some roots down. Maybe I did what lots of military wives have advised me not to do.....but I'm so glad for my roots. For this world is not my home. I am truly an alien here as the word says. My roots here in CO, in our church will carry me on to SC and then to Germany to complete the work the LORD has set for us to do.

Nichole

And that's 2 for God!

So I have this way of giving a high five to God when something really great happens that I know will further His kingdom. My made up saying, "one for God" has become a bit of a family "thing" that Port and I will often jk with each other about. Well tonight in the Port house we had a first....a 2 for God!

I was doing some straightening up in the living room as Leea and Carson were cleaning up in the art room (their art/school/play room) when I heard Leea ask Carson, "well don't you want to go to heaven bubbie?" I stopped to ease closer to the door and listen in some. My little man replied with a "yes sissy but I don't know how." I eased into the room and asked the kids to take a seat for a minute so we could talk. I asked them both if they knew how to get to heaven, where does Jesus live ect. The responses I gathered were the normal for tiny ones. It was a great conversation with the kids but it got even better when Carson looked at me and said, "mommy, how does Jesus get from up in the sky and into my heart?" I began to share with him how Jesus can come in our hearts once we invite him to come and live within us. Leea then shared with me that she had never really asked Jesus to come live in her heart but that she knew she needed too so she too could have Jesus in her heart. I talked to them both about praying to invite Jesus into their hearts and asked them if they would like to pray that very prayer. Both were eager and so we began together on a toddler/Pre-K version of the sinners prayer. My Leea and my Carson repeated every word I said with their tiny hands together and their heads bowed. Never before have I ever seen them so serious.

After we prayed I asked the kids if they had understood what we prayed and why. Carson shared with me that "now Jesus lives in my heart because I asked him to come be my LORD." Leea shared as well by saying that she "knew Jesus was in her heart and would always stay close to her."

That my friends, is 2 for God!

Nichole

I join the blogger world!

So I finally did it...I am a blogger! I've been toying with the idea for some time and suddenly it seemed every girlfriend I have also has a blog! I am in hopes that this blog will be another tool for family and friends to keep in touch with us and see updated pics of the kiddos...especially since Germany is close in our future! We'll see how well I do at keeping it updated;)