Recap

Here's a quick summary of where we're all at now in the time that's passed since the last post.  I'm going to make this super quick as minimize potential boredom. 
Our biggest change is that Brent finished is military time last June which meant we would be moving from Omaha to Grand Forks, ND for one year while he does an OB fellowship.  He was so excited the day he got out that he did a cartwheel in front of everyone at a formal dinner for the family medicine residency program that night.  I guess that all I can say is that Brent is still Brent and I still love him more everyday.  :) It was bittersweet to leave Omaha after seven years of living and growing our family there.  We really loved living in Nebraska but the thought of moving back up north and being close to our families was so exciting.  Last summer we spent time in seven small towns in MN in an effort to figure out which one was the place to finally settle.  God gave us the peace and joy we were hoping for the minute we got to Morris, MN.  Brent has signed with them and we will be moving there once his fellowship is over.  This time here will give Brent the skills to do c-sections which will be a great asset for his practice in Morris.  I am in the meantime really enjoying Grand Forks and was really surprised to find out what a neat place this little city is.  People here live very active and outdoor lifestyles (I'm guessing because the frigid winter forces them to spend so much time indoors!) and I'm constantly running into people overflowing with genuine kindness.  Seriously, this is a great place, who knew?!  I'm slowly working on becoming certified as a doula and will hopefully complete that in the time we're here.  I love the work and feel like it's something God made me specifically for this kind of work.  Right now it's a bit tricky to really invest myself in it with Brent's odd hours and also the age of the girls but I'm thinking that as soon as they are both in school I will start working on getting more clients and also do childbirth education. 
As for what's been going on with our girls, I'll start with our youngest and little spitfire, Clare.  She is now three going on eight.  Potty training is well past us and we are enjoying a diaper free house immensely!  Clare is pure delight to us with her sweet little (and at times loud) voice.  In fact, I'm quite certain that she feels any silence should be filled and will dutifully take that responsibility upon herself.  All day long she is taking notes on the world around her and trying to put it all together in a way that makes sense to her and the best part is that she'll try and share with you what she's figuring out.  I'm going to have to start writing them on this blog because it's so stinkin' cute.  When she's not chattering away, she's singing songs she knows or else has made up.  The made up ones are my favorite and while they have the potential to never end, they usually contain a theme and sometimes even plots.  Last night was one with an impressive vocal range of notes and was about the moon needing to be around at night but alas, it went missing and, from what I could tell, she was heartbroken.  No worries though, the moon returned and all the land was happy again.  Clare is loving her gymnastics class and is completely unaware of what a peanut she still is and never let's it hold her back from trying to do anything the big kids do.  Since we have this floater year here we decided to keep her home this year and just have her go to one year of preschool instead of doing two like Sage did.  Instead I'm working with her a few days a week in some preschool books and making a point of having our own "field trips" every once in awhile.  Both her and I are really enjoying it so far but I must say that this is going to be the farthest we go in the world of homeschooling.  While I am certain that God calls some families into homeschooling, I know that He has called us to send our kids to public schools.  :) 
Sage finished her last year in preschool and it was amazing to see the difference in her work when compared to the first.  The changes that we've gone through lately have had more of an impact on her then Clare simply because she's older but she's also done really well with it too.  The hardest part by far has been having to leave her two closest friends she has known since she was six months old.  Hard as parents to make her go through this too but we know at the same time that it can be a really good thing as well.  She was able to get past her fears of kindergarten and started the first day so excited and has loved it so far.  She seems to be doing well to but you wouldn't know it from the information she gives us.  I know she gets tired of all the questions we ask her about school everyday but for all our effort all we can gets are tidbits about what her class is working on, that gym was awesome and what she had for lunch.  What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall in her classroom!  The other day her teacher, Mrs. Rood, walked up to me as I was dropping her off and said "She is so sweet!" and went on to say some other nice things but that is one of the things I love the most about Sage is how kind and gentle she treats others.  For certain there are exceptions when it comes to her sister, but Sage has been blessed with a tender heart that often shows itself in wanting to take care of others.  She'll cover you with a blanket when you want to rest and is always wanting to help put the dishes away or set the table and pour our milk.  Her big struggle is letting go of things like clothes that she has grown out of or baby toys she once used.  With God's guidance, we're working on that.  Sage still loves swimming and did a lot of it this summer.  On a trip with Brent's family to Charleston, she swam every day for hours--one day going none stop from 7am to 2pm.  But when we gave her the choice between continuing swimming lessons through the fall or taking gymnastics, she surprised us with wanting to do gymnastics.  I have a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with seeing Clare in her new leotards. 
I totally skimmed over all that went on in the last year, missing things like selling our house in one day, traveling so much this summer that I counted packing a suitcase 10 times in three months, running in a half marathon, not to mention the many great places we went to int the Omaha area our last year there (I'll share them with you if you're ever planning a trip) but this will have to do because days are passing and there are so many new things to discover and share.  All I can say is that our blessing are so great and we have so much to be thankful for. 
"God has been faithful, He will be again."  ~Sara Groves