Fresh Start...

Alright.... I am back for reals this time!!!!

I know we posted about our new home but I thought I would share just a little bit more with you ;-) Here is our ranch style home in the fall when we moved in! Now it may not look like much to you now, but to me it looks like a ton of potential... You should see the before pictures of the trees, no joke you couldn't even see our house hiding behind it until Cody and Hunter went to work around MIDNIGHT with spotlights and all :-)



It feels huge to us with its five bedrooms, two baths and two livingrooms! But the space has already been put to good use as stated in my earlier post, both my sister and her family and my brother have been living with us. The projects that have been done are already a long list and I will be posting more with before and after pictures of what we have done as the weeks go on. We are so excited about all the projects that will happen in this house over the years making it ours. It's so much house for us but we know the space will always be put to good use.



We are already getting ready to move the guest bedroom to the basement to make room upstairs for this little thing! Yep yet another change in our lives, this year has been full of BIG ones!!! For being something so un planned and un expected we couldn't be more thrilled about this new turn in our lives. After we freaked out a little bit of course :-) I actually blurted the news to Cody when he was lying in the ER! very smooth on my part... Now we are four months into a great pregnancy with healthy baby and just praying for more of the same <3>

So for the year 2010 we picked up and moved to another state all by ourselves and LOVE it. Had family move in with us. Bought our first home, and started our family! Through it all we have been so blessed to have a God who knows better than us, and has more than once shut a door we were more than ready to leap through so that he could carry us through an even better one.
One of the many blessings was our amazing families and all there wonderful love and support through this year. If there is anything I miss about life before Colorado its being closer to family and old friends <3>



Lastly I am actually back to blogging because over the past few months I have been gifted all the amazing tools needed to do so! #1 - mom and dad mooney bought us a macbook pro as a congrats on the baby! #2 - Christmas money and birthday money from both sets of parents and grandparents bought us a Canon Rebel T1I! #3 - I have a new house filled with projects to blog about #4 - I'm growing a baby thats going to be too cute for words so I'll have to post lots of pictures! #5 - Because I'm inspired and want to share!

It's the little big things...

Well nothing and everything has changed in my life since I last posted. My husband is still the greatest joy and blessing in my life. The Lilleys are in the midst of more changes, and life never seems to slow down long enough to be boring!

We are just wrapping up our first month in our very own home! I know I know where are the pictures right? Here's my plan, if I dont post them maybe it will make you come visit me sooner so you can see it in person! We have a guest room waiting... ;-) It's more house and more wonderful than I could ever have imagined, or any of the others we looked at (and trust me we looked at a lot!) We now live in the lovely town of loveland and while it's a little farther away from the friends we have made in Longmont, I really love this town!
Currently all the beautiful aspen trees are changing to gorgeous fall colors and every day seems to be just a little bit cooler and crisper than the last. Summer has come to an end but our lives haven't slown down with it. It's either projects on the house, visitors, trips or just relaxing days like today spent exlporing rocky mountain national park, life is full :-)
And surprisingly enough our house is almost just as full! In July my sister Erin and her husband Dustin moved in with us along with the ever cute Mr. Talon. They live in the basement along with my brother Edward who just moved out this week! There is never a dull moment in our house with everyone hustling and bustling about their lives and I love it! I know I like to talk about how wonderful my husband is but let me just say it again. How many men let their wives families move in with them and like it? Mine does!!!! He has been so sweet to let us share our wonderful blessings with others, you would think I'd be used to how great he is by now :-P
Other than thats it's just a lot of work and life happening around here. Things flip upside down, and than back around but God never fails to provide and give us exactly what we need (another big surprise right?) our next exciting thing is having my parents come and visit! We will be able to celebrate Edward, Talon, and moms birthday while they are here and they will finally get to see where we live :-) After that it's into the holidays, my very favorite time of year <3 So until next time... miss us and know that life is busy here but never to busy for you if you care to come for a visit in our beautiful state, we would LOVE to have you!

Happy Heavy hearted...

Tonight I'm sitting in my own darling little old home, with candles burning, soft music playing and fresh cookies to eat. My life is filled with so many blessings I cant even count. Yet some how a heaviness has settled in on my heart and I don't know that I can even explain why.

Rather then focusing on the heaviness I would rather tell you about the thing that stands out as my truest joy no matter how heavy, how cold or how overwhelmed I might feel. My HUSBAND <3

What makes that man so amazing? How can he make me melt with a simple touch, or cry from laughing when I'm sad? He seems to know just what I need or don't need, and he honestly cares for me better then I could ever deserve. I'm pleased to say that I am completely and hopelessly not only in love with, but committed to my man.

I honestly believe that if you decide to you can love, be loved and be happy with (almost) anyone. Perhaps its my dads voice in my head telling my that if only one person is completely selfless it can work ;-) I know that I once considered loving someone by choice alone, I thank God daily that I didn't make that mistake. I live my days unable to help but too love him. Yes there are moments, and maybe some day even days when I have and will have to chose to love my man. I am confident however, that the days filled with a very pure and true kind of love makes and will make those days so much easier to face.

Yesterday he turned 23. Not really old at all right? Well that means that I have spent 10 amazing years loving this man, even when it hurt like hell to do so. I laid in bed last night feeling him breath next to me and begged God for another ten... I suppose the last line might sum up the heavy hearted feeling. How many people don't get even the first ten years with the love of their lives? I know a few...

I guess that as much as I do miss my family and friends, I am feeling so overwhelmed at where I am, who I;m with and all that I have. I strive to live for a might God and he showers me with more blessings then I know what to do with, and love is the greatest one of all....

I will be back!

Very very soon I will post pictures of the new house, the new life and the Rado (Husbands Colorado word;-) Just checking to see if there is any one out there who even cares... haha

I miss...

I miss decorating the tree the day after Thanksgiving and eating chilidogs.
I miss mom and dad telling us Christmas will be small this year (ever year) and it never mattering (cause it wasn’t ever true) and because our family is what makes holidays at the Lilley’s so great.
I miss having all our friends over to play poker, or Evan and Tiffany over for long conversations in front of the fire.
I miss Christmas’ in the snow, around the fire with my family building puzzles.
I miss Erin waking us all up at 4 to open gifts.
I miss breakfast in the toe of our stockings.
I miss dad reading the Christmas story.
I miss snack foods and hot drinks, or chips and salsa and diet coke in a cup with a straw.
I miss sledding down the hill outside our house.
I miss listening to mom laugh at the Grinch… every time!
I miss my family
I miss being a kid….

I love being a Lilley <3

Family

Change, it seems to come in waves. And while the first wave always feels a little overwhelming, I find that with the right attitude any change can be a good thing. My family has become masters of embracing the changes and allowing God to use even the hardest times for good, not because we are the greatest but because we trust Him to be.
Today nothing is different and the Lilley family is in the midst of a sea of changes. As your family grows you take on the lives and changes of more people, opening your heart to more joy, and more pain. I thought about blogging about our trip to Colorado, or the camping trip we went on this weekend, but the truth is life and all its changes are really where I’m at so I’m going to share those instead :-)


Parents… They are living in Seattle! They bought a CUTE house and my dad has started working for the Seattle Gospel Rescue Mission! They are so excited about where God has them and starting their new lives off there. Me and Cody get to go visit in November for Thanksgiving and its killing me to have to wait!


Nole and Heather… They are living in Murrieta now! They moved into their new little home and Nole starts the LA County fire tower on the 13th! I’m so excited for them and this new stage, and that Nole got on so quickly (Two years! Haha) I cant wait to go visit them and see their cute place at the end of the month.


Nathan and Anna… Nathans coming home! He has been out at sea for 6 months and I know Anna cant wait for him to be home! It will be his last deployment for a while:-) I get to see Anna this weekend but am excited for the 25th when all us kids are going up to Oakglenn for a fun fall day together! Its good to all be together.


Dustin and Erin… are waiting for Talon! He is due on the 15th of November and it couldn’t come soon enough. Erin calls him man cub and none of us can wait to see his little face or to squeeze him! Dustin is working a lot and Erin is just getting ready to be mommy. We are having her shower this weekend which means all four of us sisters get to be together! Yeee

Edward… Is in Joshua! I have not heard much from him because he is busy but it sounds like he is having a great time! I miss getting to hear about his life and what’s going on but think his being there is a great thing :-) miss you Edward!


Us… Well we are waiting for construction to be done on the house (fingers crossed for the 28th!) enjoying time with family and friends before the move (which might be moved up…) I feel like I'm in the middle of a grand waiting game! Waiting for Talon, waiting for weekends with family, waiting to move and waiting for our turn to start the fire tower... God is so good and life is full of so many blessings even in our times of change and waiting.

Lurv this man <3

This is...
- My best friend
- My laughter
- My joy
- My hope
- My strength
- My LOVE
- My blessing

....My Husband <3