thankful...

I am thankful every day. But today is a day to really focus on the things I'm thankful for. To name a few...

• Josh: his patience, his gentleness, his humor, his love for Sydney, his friendship and love for me
• Sydney: her laugh, her smile, her sweet disposition, her new found love for blowing kisses at everything and everyone
• Family: people who really know me and really love me. I'm so thankful for each of you.
• Friends that are like family: people scattered all over the country who I love like family...so very thankful the Lord allowed us to cross paths. Man, I miss so many of you being far away but am so thankful to have you in my life...near or far :)
• A roof over my head, food in my belly, and clothes to keep me warm
• This computer: allowing us to keep in touch across the miles
• Digital cameras: allowing everyone near and far to enjoy watching Sydney change and grow
• A job that makes me feel like I might make a difference
• The sound of crunching leaves under my feet in the fall
• Coupons...love me a good deal :)
• People who know how to cut hair...because one day when my hair grows out from the trauma it experienced the other day, I'm going to get a real haircut and forget that ever happened
• Thanksgiving food....oh man, how I love turkey, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie....mmmmmmmmmm
• And most importantly, the great love and abundant grace of my Lord and Savior

Also...happy 11 months to this precious little girl. I'm more and more thankful for her each second of the day......

Playing the piano at the cottage...

silly sydney....

Just a quick update...things are as busy as ever. Sydney finally cut both front teeth through (yay! not as many wake-ups through the night!). She is suddenly on a baby food boycott. She will eat 3 bites of jar food and then refuses any more and will only eat food she can pick up and feed herself. Unfortunately she's picky about that too so she's pretty much living off of Gerber puffs, Cheerios, and formula right now :) She'll turn 11 months on Thanksgiving, which just blows my mind. One month away from her first birthday....how did that happen???? Oh and her new thing (that I love!!) is that she's learning to blow kisses and does it anytime she sees pictures of a baby (usually of herself) and kisses her baby dolls. She's such a sweet pea. Until next time, enjoy the pictures below....

I think she was saying something and we caught her mid-sentence... :)

Such a big girl, in my favorite sweater of hers!!

(Thanks to Mandi, Carolyn, and Kris for the sweater! :)

If you look closely you can see her new teeth!

"Cruising" around the living room

All warm and snuggly after bath time!

Ok, so we're not sure about this. She's playing quietly in her pack n' play and we look over to find this, a sock hanging out of her mouth. She kept it like that long enough for me to go find our camera and take a picture...silly Sydney :)

This one is especially for Grandma and Papa Boozell....she liked the bunny you gave her so much she used it for a pillow the other night :)

taking baby steps...

Sydney is growing and changing before our eyes. She just started cutting her top two teeth, she's starting to say the words she knows (mama, dada, etc) more to us and not just babbling, she's starting to attempt to blow kisses and loves mimicking noises of any kind and she has just started to remain standing without support and taking a few STEPS!! Granted it's been with help and none taken on her on intiative yet, but she gets so excited when she does it :) It has been so fun watching her learn, grow, and change even in a short time. Most of this has happened or progressed just in the last week. Below is a video we caught tonight of her taking "steps" with some help and motivation from us :)...

it's a big day...

It is. Not because we're electing our 44th president. Not because we will either elect the oldest president or first African-American president. And not because today is a day of making history. It's a big day because I finally fit into my most favorite pre-pregnancy jeans!!! Yay! I would like to thank my free membership to our local YMCA, my great sacrifice of many desserts, and Sydney for giving me lots of exercise. It only took 10 months, 1 week, 2 days, and 5 hours. :)

But seriously, hope you all make your vote count today!! Go. vote. and get a free cup of coffee while you're at it!!

halloween fun part 2...

We had a great time with the boys tonight! We went to a carnival at the college across the street and then to a church event called "trunk or treating". They all dressed up as football players and did a good job of playing the part:) Sydney was SO good while we were out and about and kept her costume on without a problem the whole night!! She looked SO adorable!! Here's a couple slide shows...

Sydney's official 10 month pictures, a few days late...

halloween fun...

halloween fun part 1...

FINALLY, a picture of the the boys we work with! We had a fun time carving pumpkins tonight, getting ready for Halloween. I'll post more tomorrow of our halloween fun. The boys are going to be football players and Sydney is going to be a lion. It should be fun :)

(Left to right: Randy, David, Michael)

catching up...

It's been awhile. SO...let me catch you all up on the happenings of the Boozell's. We just finished our second shift and it was a long one. It was literally longer than most (by a day) and also just felt long. Lots going on in the cottage :) And once again, I'm horrible at taking pictures. So pics of our boys, the cottage, and our homes are still to come. And of Sydney too...but there's videos below to hold you over :)
We're doing well. We're keeping busy and still learning the ropes. It's been a challenging week but even in the midst of that we still are sure that this is where God wants us and on top of that, where we want to be. We have great boys that make us laugh and keep us on our toes. And this is a job that makes a difference, we're seeing that already. I'm still learning what I can share and what I can't...so over time there will be more details I'm sure.
More news...
1) Our house is officially SOLD!!! We closed on our house yesterday via fax and FedEx overnighted paperwork. It is SUCH a releif to have that finished, pay off some debt, and move forward. What a stress relief!!
2) I've (Linde) had a cold all week. Not fun to be learning a new job, taking care of a baby, and balance that with being sick. I'm getting better but pray for full recovery before we go back to work on Monday :(
3)Sydney is learning to communicate! She's learning baby sign, well at least the sign for "all done" so far. She says mama, dada, night night and waves bye bye. She doesn't do ANY of this consistently...just whenever she wants. BUT it's coming along and it's been exciting to watch her understand language.
4) Sydney has a favorite show. I know, I think it's too early for that too but it's true. One day Josh just put on Nick Jr. to keep her busy for a second and the show Yo Gabba Gabba! was on. She became a fan instantly! Below are a couple videos to her dancing to the "Party in my tummy" video on YouTube. She got a Yo Gabba Gabba shirt from Wal-mart today :) So grandparents looking for Christmas/Birthday ideas, there you go, ha!

So on to the videos...
First, here's Sydney playing. Listen to her after I ask her "what did you find?" She's looking at her donkey and I swear she said donkey. She's a genius.


And here's the dancing to Yo Gabba Gabba part one:


and part two:


and the actual video from Yo Gabba Gabba that she was watching...

getting a bit more comfortable...

We're exhausted. We just finished our first shift here at Thornwell. For those unfamiliar with what on earth we're doing...let me break it down. There are 13 cottages here that can have up to 8 kids per cottage. At the moment we only have four. Our days are spent doing what most parents do...with a little twist. As I understand it, the difference between being a Family Teacher (that's our title) and a House Parent is that the HP is just kind of living with them and guiding them through a day and an FT is doing that AND teaching. Constantly. The boys each have "target skills" that they are working on and throughout the day they are taught with either praise or correction according to their skills. We've been trained on how to do a teaching interaction (that has specific steps we have to go through) and they are rewarded + points or reminded - points. It's kind of hard to explain but even after just a couple of days seeing it play out it is obvious that this system not only works but is effective in keeping them motivated and taking advantage of teachable moments to help them learn basic (and VERY helpful) life skills to set them up to succeed in life after Thornwell. Definitely a system that is easy to support and stand behind. (that was like a Thornwell PR moment, not my intention...haha)

I have to say when the shift began both of our heads were spinning and our brains were overflowing with lots of information...it felt like the chaos would never let up. BUT, after a couple days in the cottage it's amazing how well things have got and how the sharp pang of being completely overwhelmed, it has let up. We've had a great weekend with the boys. We've gotten more and more used to catching the teachable moments and implementing all of our teaching interaction training. We've also had the opportunity to just have fun and hang out and get to know each of them better. We have four great kids and as Josh and I debriefed this weekend we both agree that we've already become attached. This job will by no means be easy but I can already see how rewarding it could be. It's already brought some heartache and headache, but has definitely been balanced with lots of laughter and good times.

And for the grandparents, Sydney's doing just fine :) She's adjusted SO well. She's finally back to normal sleeping patterns (which could change now that we're off duty). She's slowly connecting that when we say "bye bye" she should wave her hand (something we've been trying to teach her for a while). She's been crawling and pulling up like a champ...but now standing alone yet so walking is still a ways away (thank goodness!). And she LOVES the boys here and they have each really taken to her as well. Every time one of them walks in the room she lights up, it's pretty cute :) And the boys are always asking where she is, playing with her, or wanting to help with her. She's inherited pretty great older "brothers".

Well, to my disappointment I have forgotten day after day to get our camera so yet again I have no photos of our new home to share. Maybe next time ;)! Until then, please check out the new addition to our blog! We copied the Collinsfam and put a calendar up so you could see where we're at, what we're doing, and make big plans to come visit us :) So check it out ----------->

stay tuned...

Josh and I are in our first week of our new job....so, if we're slow in returning emails or phone calls, that is why. Things are going good so far and we're learning so much. So, stay tuned for more contact from us and for a more detailed update and hopefully pictures...if I can get around to it ;)

9 months...

I feel like we've reached a milestone. Sydney has officially been out of the womb for as long as she was in it. 9 months....can she really be that old? She is. Crazy!! She's getting more interactive every day, she's super vocal, and growing so fast! We went shopping yesterday to get her some clothes because she's growing out of stuff so quickly! Other than that, she's such a good baby. She's been so flexible through all of our transitions and has been so smiley with all the strangers around her :)
Well, we officially start tomorrow at 1 p.m. Pray for us as we're a bit nervous. We're mostly excited but a little anxious because of all the things we still have to learn. I'm going to be posting a calendar very soon so you all can see when we're on, when we're off, and when YOU can come visit ;) I'll post pictures of our home(s) soon, I promise!

Speaking of pictures....here is miss Sydney Elizabeth, the big 9 month old! I took lots today because we finally found our camera battery charger. So, since you've had to wait...you get a variety :)

The many faces of Sydney......

She LOVES to play with the straps on her booster seat. Who needs toys when you have that?

adjusting...

On Thursday we'll have been here 3 weeks...is that even possible? It is amazing to me how the time is flying by and how each day it feels a little more normal to be here. We're definitely still adjusting and it's definitely still hard, but we are also still glad to be here. We checked out a new church on Sunday that we liked and hope to go back...but it's no Outreach. We miss our Outreach family so much...I think it's taken leaving to realize how awesome the community really was there. Not only our small group (which was amazing, closest thing to family) but the whole body...quality, genuine people with a deep love for the Lord. We hope to find a "home" church here quickly, definitely a priority. Who knows, the one we just visited may be it...we'll see :)

We've been getting aquatinted with folks and places around here. It will take awhile for this to become "home" but we feel like we're making a good start of just putting ourselves out there. We officially start our training on Wednesday and will enter the cottage for our first shift next Tuesday. I think we're both ready to get started doing what we came here for. We went over to the cottage for dinner tonight and it was a great time to spend more time with our teammates and the boys too of course. There was a moment during the "Family Conference" that just absolutely broke my heart and reminded me why we're here. It was good to be reminded that the Lord has plans and reasons and hope and is working. (I'm intentionally being vague, sorry).

And for those Sydney fans out there, haha, she's doing just fine. She's growing like a weed. She's having a hard time sleeping through the morning....I'm wondering if she's training us for waking up at 6 a.m. to get the boys ready for school when we're on duty :) She has LOVED the kids around here and has a ball at the cottage with the boys. Josh and I have been taking advantage of our free YMCA memberships and she's been hanging out and having fun with kids in the nursery there. She has been so flexible and so adapatable...we are lucky and blessed, and we're aware of that. So of course I'll end this blog like usual....pics/videos of the beautiful Syd :)

Look how tall she's getting? (sorry, I've been horrible about taking pictures lately...so this is all I got for now)

Here's Sydney learning how to push this toy...and NO she's not walking yet. In fact, as of this morning she's kind of afraid of even pushing the toy...so walking is still a little ways away :)

and eating bites of banana....that's the one of the latest developments, learning how to "self feed". So far it's just those Gerber puffs, banana, Cherrios, and bread....

moved...

Oh, how I had forgotten how much I hate moving. It's not so much the packing and unpacking, it's all the "new" that comes along with it. New surroundings, new grocery stores, new streets, new ways to do things, new lingo to learn, new places, new faces...new, new, new. New can be good and refreshing, but for me right now it's exhausting. It doesn't seem to have the same effect on Josh or even Sydney....but transition always wears on me a bit, always has.

BUT, we are here. AND we are glad we are here. We are unpacking and settling in little by little. Each day our apartment feels a bit more like home. We've had the chance to meet a lot of other Family Teachers and they have graciously welcomed us into this new community. It's been fun to get to know others who are doing what we will be doing. And we've been able to spend some time with the Collins fam and Smith fam, who we know from Taylor. It has been SO nice to have a few familiar faces here and have people to introduce us to what life is at Thornwell. Both of these families have blessed us already. We were able to meet and have dinner with our boys the other night and that was so fun and encouraging. They seem like great kids and it got us excited for what is to come in the time ahead with them. We also met our teammates and they seem like they will be really easy and fun to work with. We don't officially start working until the 29th (orientation and training in the mean time) so we still have some time to settle in.

Regardless of how it feels to transition, we are so glad that we are here. In the scary moments of the move it has been so encouraging to be able to stand on the assurance that the Lord called us here. And as we sat at the dinner table with the boys the other night, it became clear that not only was that true, but it was good and right as well. We're excited to discover the journey ahead of us.

We'll post some pics of our new home as soon as we have the opportunity to take some, so keep checking back. Ok, so let's end this blog with some pics and a video of everyone's favorite little Sydney...

First of all, these first 3 pics were taken by my friend Tracie. Aren't they awesome?? I just LOVE them!!

ok, we did not pose her like this....this is all Sydney being the model she is.

And this is Sydney showing that you can have "bedhead" after a nap, even if you have no hair...

oh, and there are flowers on her overalls...just so we're clear that I don't dress her like a boy :)

And finally, her new awesome trick. The first time I saw her do this was just a few moments earlier as she stared, almost cross-eyed, at her sippy cup. It was hilarious!

irony and precious good bye's....

I find it ironic that last year, on this very weekend, Josh and I were moving into this house. And on this very weekend (well actually tomorrow) this year, we are moving out of it. We always said we'd only be in this house for one year...but I don't think either of us thought it would be one year to the day. Weird.

On another note, our sweet church family gave us the best send off yesterday. They prayed and sang over us. We were blessed by the people who were there, people who really know us and care for us. We felt deeply loved. As much as that made leaving harder...it also confirmed that it was good as they told us that they were sad to see us go but so excited for where we were going. We LOVE our "family" here and yesterday was the perfect bit of closure. Thank you Outreach family!! :)

8 months...

8 months. Wow, each month it's getting harder and harder for me to believe that Sydney is growing SO fast. She's now pulling herself up on anything she can, doing a little dance move which is basically just shaking her head (but it's the cutest thing ever), and squealing in a high pitched tone. I'm trying to get video of stuff, but uh, I'm a little preoccupied at the moment...those to come later :) Poor Syd has been sick the last couple days...we're hoping we can get rid of the nasty cold before we hit the road.

8 months old!!

Syd in motion...
Syd probably trying to tell us that she's sick and doesn't want her picture taken....
...but she was a good sport anyway
this is the poor Syd we've seen the last couple days...if she's not crying, she's been totally zoned out
she LOVES all the boxes to pull up on...

And Josh and I...well, we're spending our time packing, packing, and more packing. I've never minded packing and last week I felt pretty confident about the progress we were making. Yesterday the stress hit me and all I want to do is sleep. Aren't there little fairies that can come pack up all my things, fly them to Clinton, SC, and then unpack them?? I can only dream. We head out on Wednesday early in the morning and will make it to Clinton sometime Thursday evening. I'm excited, but still a bit nervous. And sad...leaving Siloam is going to be hard. I've already shed a lot of tears and I'm sure there will be a lot more to come. BUT...in all of this I do know that God is directing our path right now, I feel confident in that. So that makes all the stress, anxiety, and exhaustion a little easier to bear :)

moving across the country...again.

So...as some of you know we've been in a "transitional" place for a while now as we've been fixing up our house and preparing for whatever was next. Well, the house is on the market (not sold yet, so if you know of anyone looking... :) and we are going to make a move.

In two weeks we will be moving to South Carolina to be Family Teachers for middle school age boys!! This has happened quickly and unexpectedly, and has most definitely been a plan of God's because there is no other way to explain how this has all come together. We started talking about doing this type of ministry/job about a year ago and have been picking our friend's brains (Mike and Bethany Collins, who currently work there) for months about what this job is, what it looks like daily, and if this is something we could do. We decided that it wasn't what we wanted to do at the moment and began to pursue Mars Hill. Slowly our Seattle plans began to fall through and one night we had a long conversation with many realizations and/or revelations that we should be on a different track and should seriously reconsider the Family Teacher position. So, to make a long story short...we set up an interview at Thornwell in Clinton, South Carolina (where two couples we know from Taylor currently work, the Collins and the Smiths) on the way home from our mid-west vacation to visit family. We went with the intention of just checking it out and with the understanding that there wasn't a position available. Well, we were surprised to say the least. We were so impressed with Thornwell and the people there and felt a peace that there was something there for us. Before we left, we were offered a position and after taking the weekend to think and pray about it we just accepted it yesterday.

So what does this mean? It means we'll be living with up to 8 (but starting with 3) middle school boys for 9 days and then we'll have 5 days off. We'll basically be like house parents but also more like teachers in some ways. It's a ministry, for sure and we're so excited for it. We'll both be employed there full time, while being able to be home full-time with Sydney too! This type of ministry has defintely been on our hearts for a long time...in one form or another...and we're excited to kind of get back to our roots in a way. You can check out Thornwell's website for more info on it: www.thornwell.org

Please pray with us that our house will sell quickly! We know God's hand is in the details of this move because we needed Josh's truck to sell before we left and it sold today, within 2 hours of it being for sale....maybe He'll do that for the house too? :) We can hope!

It will be hard to leave Siloam...it has become home to us. BUT, we are excited for the adventure before us and God has shown us that he is clearly in these plans....what's better than that?

our recent travels...

Well, we had a fantastic time with friends and family on our trip. It was so good to see all of you! We miss you all already :( Below are pictures of the trip. And I must say that I totally sucked as a photographer this trip...it was either our camera wasn't working or I forgot to take pictures or the batteries died....whatever the case I didn't take very many pictures so I apologize :( BUT, here are the ones I did take....

AND, we have some pretty major news. We're moving. again. Details on that to come very soon :)

traveling...

Sorry for the lack of updates. Josh and I just spent a week in Muncie, IN visiting my family and a few friends. We had such a good time and made some fun memories....pictures to come (just a few, I was a picture slacker this trip) We're now in Columbus, OH at Josh's brother Dave and our sister in law Kim's house enjoying time with them and their girls...and then onward to PA to see the rest of the Boozell clan. We'll be heading back to Siloam on the 14th or 15th as we are going to make another stop in South Carolina to check out a possible job prospect...more on that to come.

So more details and pics to look forward to in the coming days :)

big bath time...

Sydney took her first "big girl" bath tonight. She absolutely LOVED it and had a ball splashing it up...

Sorry for the short clip...tried to clip the part of the video that was "internet appropriate" :)

fun with uncle PC...

We're having a good time with my brother, Nick, here. Here's a few snap shots of all the fun...

Syd having fun with Uncle Nick's hair...

Apparently Nick playing photographer, I was oblivious but Syd seemed to enjoy it...
A new favorite place....we went exploring and swimming in a creek near by... (Josh is not a ghost or an angel, he just has a natural glow to him)