Thursday, July 30, 2009

This is how we do it in "God's Country"!

Our travels this summer included a trip to none other than (I'm sure you guessed it), NEBRASKA!  While there we had the awesome experience of being involved in the Ashland Stir Up days.  For those of you who don't know, Ashland is a small town between Omaha & Lincoln where my family is from.  My great grandparents on the Richard side went to school in Ashland, both sets of my grandparents lived there while raising their kids, my Grandma Richard taught at the elementary, my parents started dating in Jr. High at AGPS, and I had the great privilege of teaching 2nd grade there for 2 years.  I loved being part of this community which has meant so much to my family.  It is such a cool thing for me to now bring my son to be a part of the yearly celebration in the town.   

Great Grandpa Sapp is now the proud owner of 6 antique tractors.  He gathered up some boys in the family to drive them in the Stir Up Days parade Saturday morning.  Here's us with Ry as he came by.  It was a stick, but he did really great...only killed it once:)!

This is at Great Aunt Mary's farm in Ashland.  We're smiling with one of her Goats, who G was pretty terrified of.  I thought they were adorable, but once again, Ryan said we can't have any goats at our house...what a fun hater:)!
Posing on Uncle Kevin's tractor!  It was huge and really amazing!  We'd love to go back during harvest and see it in action!

Griff & Cousin Austin walking around the Zig's shop!  There was so much to look at, climb on, and ride.  We gotta get him back there!


Whoa!  It's Captain Max & 1st Mate Griffin!  These pirates are adorable!  They rode so great in this little peach of a pirate ship Suz & I created the morning before(ha!!)!  You never know what project you are going to tackle when you get to Granmee and Grandpa's!  We were in this kiddie parade when we were kids...most famously as Snow White & the 7 dwarfs, and I got to be Snow White!!

Best part of the parade....CANDY!  Griff is going to have Halloween down this year!

Hi Grandpa Wayne!  You look good up there!

Cousin Love

So as you can see a great time was had by all in "God's Country"!  We're always excited getting back to our roots, seeing family and friends, and just being back in a place we know and love!  It's refreshing to be in a small town in the Midwest that still operates that way, there aren't too many left and it's really sweet!  We're blessed to have the history and connection there.  Other highlights from our trip included lots of good down time with Ry's family, a beach day with my family, & a visit with Lindsey and Lyla (see below)!   This visit has us saying, as always...

There is no place like
 NEBRASKA

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

on our knees...join us?


Lyla & Griff...friends since the beginning:)

Hey family & friends...
Just wanted to take the time to introduce you to our amazing friends, the Elsaessers.  Lindsey is a dear friend, room mate, and sorority sister from college. We both majored in education.  We both got married (Linds to her great hubby John!) in the spring of 2005  & we both got pregnant in the fall of 2006.  The kids, pictured above:) on our visit in July, were born exactly 2 weeks apart in Omaha, Nebraska.  Lyla was born first and when I went to visit them in the hospital I was so jealous that Linds was done with the whole big tight belly/labor situation and was holding her sweet bundle in her arms.  That summer we both battled the postpartum blues and challenges of doing a brand new job on NO sleep but neither of us could get enough of these little faces, tiny toes, and the time when they actually did sleep!  When fall rolled around we both decided that since we weren't going back to our teaching jobs that we would sub, and trade kids (because figuring out what one newborn needed wasn't enough of a challenge for us:)!!)!  We kept this up weekly until we had to stop because we packed it up and moved to Chicago.  Fortunately our friendship didn't stop there, and we have been able to keep in touch, pray for each other, and visit when we come into Omaha.  

This winter/spring the Elsaesser's found out that they were pregnant with their second child and were thrilled.  After the first ultrasound they found out that their sweet baby #2 was facing some tough problems.  Lindsey has set up a blog to track Evie's (baby #2's name...so cute, isn't it??) life.  If you don't know it, go back and read the first post, I will let her explain the full story.  Lindsey is a beautiful writer, but it's not a surprise...the words are a reflection of her beautiful heart.  She is such an amazing friend, wife, and mother...and most importantly servant to the Lord.  Through her parents actions, sweet Evie's life has already touched so many and I know it will continue to do so.        

I would love for you all to join me in reading, supporting, and most of all commit to praying for our friends.   They would really be blessed by your prayers for healing for Evie and for their family.  It's amazing how prayers can connect people's hearts all over the world and have a huge impact on their lives.  We know that our prayers in this situation will be no different, they will be heard by the creator of the universe who loves us more than we can ever understand.  He understands what it feels like to watch a child suffer, he's been there. 
 
Here is the link to their blog:  www.eviejayne.blogspot.com
or you can click on Evie Jayne at the side of our blog!


Thanks guys, we know your life will be changed by watching this family and sending up your prayers.
Blessings,
Abbi. Ryan. Griffin
     

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

What's tough about being 2.......


This summer has been packed full (as you have read) for Griff.  As he turned 2, we started in with 2 major undertakings....

The first is one is regarding the big boy bed.  It's been tough for him to get used to going to sleep in there and it seems we have to sit in front of the door for about a half an hour just repeating, "Griffin, get back in bed!".  My parents said they did it with Andy and they still laugh about it....and wince a little too:)!  It's hard when they are so unhappy and just exhausting for us to have to see him cry and be so diligent about getting him to sleep.  He usually passes at the end of the bed from exhaustion, as the picture above!  He has had many hilarious escape moments when we aren't standing right at the door....such as the other morning we woke up to our car alarm honking in the driveway.  Griffin opened his door when he woke up, hopped the gate and grabbed my keys setting off my alarm.  Another time he used a little chair in his room to hop the gate and go to the playroom and cook himself a little meal in Elmo's kicthen all while I thought he was sound asleep.  To his advantage he has the cutest darn smile that makes it all seem worth the fight and we will get the hang of it!

The other struggle that we are having is with Griffin's speech.  He is really not very verbal yet, so we had him evaluated by the state and found that he does qualify for the speech therapy program.  This is a HUGE blessing for me.  As a former teacher, I just want to know some more ideas and "tools" I can use to help his speech progress along and the therapists that came for the evaluation were very encouraging and helpful.  He will probably start classes in our home come August and they will be once a week.  The ladies all agreed that he probably wouldn't need more than a few months of therapy before I was asking myself when will he stop talking:)!  Also, encouraging is that he has been using a few more words (I am thanking our good friend Charlie Mick, who has excellent verbal skills and talks to Griff (or should I say "Giff Gan") all the time!)  He is using the word ON for any kind of preposition and doing a lot of yes and nos!   Typical 2s:)!  It was humbling for me to be on the other side of this type of evaluation, as I have been apart of many at school, it is different to be the one hearing that your child does need extra help.  It was a very positive experience for me and I feel thankful for the help we are going to receive as we'll as that I did get to see this side of things and I am sure that this is just the first of many....how weird is it going to be when I am sitting on the other side of the desk at conferences, AHHHHHHH! 

So, if you think if it...please pray for our sleeping and speaking!  Both minor in the long term, but both big struggles in the moment!  I have faith God is going to pull us through to the next stage sooner than later and then there will be something else to pray about:)!  Thanks!