The Moberg Family

Category: Friends

  • Colorado in July

    Today is blog catch-up day. I actually started this blog post 3 weeks ago.Yes, that’s how busy life has been. But I’m sure it’ll get less busy as we, you know, add a fourth member to our family in a few weeks…. ha!!

    Okay, back to Colorado. We had the gift of traveling “home” (how many “homes” can we possibly have??!!) to see family and friends and–most importantly–finally meet our nephew Cypher!! As many of you know, a horrible fire broke out right by my parents’ house the week before we were scheduled to fly out, so we thought we may be canceling the trip up until the day before we left. THANKFULLY, my parents’ house (and entire neighborhood) was untouched by the fire and we were able to fly home, stay with them, and spend a lot of time being grateful that they hadn’t lost everything they owned the week before.

     

    Cypher Evan

    Finally getting to meet our nephew!

    Elliott is so incredibly affectionate around babies…every time he sees a baby he smiles soooo big and just wants to be near him/her. It is so sweet! It was no different meeting his little cousin Cypher!

    Going in for a kiss…
    Seriously, now. Just look at this CUTIE-PATOOTIE!!

    Cousins

    Playing with blocks together
    Fable, Cypher & E-man
    EB, Rowan, Gryffin & Jaxon

    4th of July

    My Lil’ Firecracker
    Wearing our red, white, and blue! (Brian wore green that day so he was excluded from the picture) 🙂
    Cypher and I called each other ahead of time and planned to wear the same shirt

    The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo!!

    Grandpa and Nonna took us to the zoo one afternoon. Anyone who’s been here knows it’s such an amazing zoo!  Elliott, however, didn’t quite seem like himself the whole time, and when we got home we took his temperature–102.7! Yikes!! So, he looks a little sedated and sad in these pics…because he was :(. But the adults sure had fun!!

    Feeding the giraffes
    My FAVORITE part of the zoo (and Elliott’s)…the birds!! Many of you know I have a DEEP love for birds in my heart. So does Elliott, as “bird” and “tweet, tweet, tweet” were some of his first words. I couldn’t be prouder :).
    Nonna, Grandpa, and an apparently very sick Elliott 🙁

    Friends

    We had the chance to visit with several friends while we were home. We haven’t seen Michael and Amy since our wedding, and that was SUPER brief…hardly even counts. The last time I saw Nathan he was about 2 weeks old, and I had never met Joel! We found out that they would be in town visiting Michael’s family at the same time we were, so we were thrilled to get together. What a gift to see them!! (P.S. Amy and her mom are the ones who made Elliott’s beautiful quilt and wall hangings!!!)

    Michael & Amy & their sons, Nathan & Joel, our little family and sweet Fay joining in on the fun

    The McDowells!! Our dear friends are in the process of moving to the Denver area (as in, looking for a house) and we couldn’t wait to connect with them while in town. O.J. was Brian’s best man and there are few women I respect as much as Suzanna. Besides, she has a great name :). They drove their little family down to the Springs and spent a couple nights with us (thanks, Mom & Dad, for letting us all have a big sleepover!!). And, here’s a fun long story made short for you: The Lord led them to move in with us for a few weeks! We all had had so much fun together those few days in Colorado, that we definitely agreed that the best thing for life and godliness would be for them to live with us for a short season. So they packed the kiddos into the van and drove over to Mexico, and we have been graced with the presence of our sweet friends and their wonderful children the last several weeks!

    The McDs!

     

    Our trip didn’t allow us to see too many other friends, but we did get a quick dinner with the McCabes (and no picture!) and a SUPER quick visit with Jilly Bean, the boys and her brand new sweet baby Olivia on our way out of town.

    Precious Olivia!!

     

    Adios, Colorado! Until next time.

     

  • Tacoma Time

    Tacoma Time

    Thanks to Alaska Airlines and some saved up miles, we were able to take a little trip to T-town in May to 1. sell some steel in order to get some how-do-you-call-it? Ahh, DINERO. 2. Celebrate Brian’s dad’s 65th birthday! 3. Celebrate my 30th birthday with dear friends and 4. Of course, see family! Here are some highlights from our trip:

    PLAYING DRUMS!!

    Grandpa, teaching Elliott how to drum like the best of 'em.

    Elliott has L-O-V-E-D drums for months and months now, but “drumming” to him was always just using his hands on our little ottomans. Well, leave it to Grandma and Grandpa Moberg to not only have a drum at their house, but to have BRIAN’S ORIGINAL toy drum from when HE was a baby! As soon as Elliott saw it, it was truly love at first sight. Then one day, Grandpa took out a couple of “special” drums…some pots and pans!! And thus, Elliott’s drum SET was born. They had SO much fun playing drums together!

    Do a little dance!

    I know this picture is blurry, but I just LOVE it! Can’t you just see Elliott shaking his ‘thang? Something about the way he’s holding his shoulders reminds me of one of my classic “Susanne Dance Moves”…doesn’t it?! Elliott has also loved to dance for months and months. His first “dance moves” (starting when he was about 9 or 10 months old) were shaking his head back and forth. So it looks like he’s saying “no,” but really, he’s dancing. Any time we are in public and music comes on, he starts shaking his head back and forth. People always think he’s saying “No” to them, and we have to explain, “No, he’s not saying ‘no’…that’s just how he dances!” He sees an ipod and just starts shaking his head back and forth! Ha! Well, anyway, just within the last few weeks he’s started to get some shoulder and hip into his dance moves, and it’s awfully cute… I think we have a worshiper on our hands!!

    KEN’S 65TH BIRTHDAY + ELLIOTT’S FIRST INTRODUCTION TO GRASS

    I did a horrible job of capturing pictures from Ken’s birthday. As in, I didn’t take a single one :/. Honestly, I was so busy stuffing my face full of food, that I didn’t even know where my camera was until after the party was over! But it was great afternoon/evening of celebrating Ken with lots of friends and family.

    Since it was GORGEOUS while we were in Tacoma (I left Mexico as white as ever and came back to Mexico with some touches of color, thanks to Tacoma!!) we were outside for much of the day. Which led to Elliott’s first introduction to grass!! Keep in mind that soon after he started crawling we left for the Dominican Republic, and I couldn’t put him in the grass there because of all the spiders + ants. And now, we live in Mexico, where the word “grass” isn’t even in their vocabulary. So we set him in the grass, with shoes on, for the first time and he just STOOD there. With his arms out. Staring down at this foreign substance like it was lava. And refused to move.

    Eventually one of his cousins knocked him down and he instantly lifted his legs up so they weren’t touching the ground, and he just sat there with his arms and legs out in front of him in the air with an incredibly disgusted look on his face…the poor kid. We finally got a blanket out and now I know how to keep Elliott contained…just surround him with grass!! He refused to go past the blanket…

    Blast! I can't go any further!!
    We put the volleyball a foot or two away to see if he would be distracted enough by his goal to walk on the grass…but nope!
    Soo frustrated that he couldn't reach the volleyball…

    By the end of the evening he had made a TINY bit of progress in being a little more comfortable with grass, but it’s definitely not his favorite yet…

    Micah has been THEE smiley-est baby I’ve EVER met in my life…in every picture he is smiling SO BIG while we try to get the other cousins to just sit still for two seconds and look at the camera! But he taught himself this “new look” just since we saw him two months ago. (Tabitha said she caught him practicing in the mirror once!) I think it’s so hilarious!!

    "The Look"
    Brothers + their boys

    SWING TIME!

    Grandma and Grandpa have the BEST backyard…grass, a swing, and even a pool! Grandpa gave Elliott his first swing lessons, and, as you can see, Elliott had a BLAST.

    Now THIS is fun!!
    Sheer joy!

    PLAY DATES

    One of my priorities for our time in Tacoma was to get as many play dates in as possible for Elliott. Besides his cousins, he got to play with Cody, Arielle, Henry, Katie, Jamison and baby Stella!! He, of course, LOVED playing with his friends and was simply enamored with baby Stella. He has been simply awe-struck every time we’ve been around baby girls lately…must be preparing to be a big brother!!

    Elliott + Stella

    MOTHER’S DAY!

    I could write an entire post on what a joy it is to be a mother, and especially to be Elliott’s mom. But, let’s be real…that’s what most of my posts are about :). Our little family celebrated Mother’s Day by going back to our old stomping grounds, our old front yard…Ruston Way. It was a GORGEOUS day, and everyone and their mom (literally!! haha!) were there, too. It was so fun to walk along with Elliott, looking at the gorgeous mountain, listening to the waves crash against the shore and breathing in the potent smell of fish :). Later we went to an early dinner with Brian’s Mom, Dad, and sister and then headed to church.

    Me, my baby boy + my baby girl! (20 weeks)
    Our Family, back in T-Town

    Hasta luego, Tacoma. It was good to see you, and we’ll see you again soon!

  • My 30th + Friendsick

    My 30th + Friendsick

    Today I am friendsick. Longing to sit and be with my dearest friends…longing to hear their hearts and share mine…longing to hold the babies of some and longing to hold the hands of others as they wait on God for promises.

    God has given me the most phenomenal friends on the planet…I will boldly proclaim it…I have the best friends in the world. I always have. I remember moving to Tacoma to go to college and being convinced I could never find friends like the ones I had in Colorado. I spent my entire first semester wishing I could go back…go back to Colorado, or bring my Colorado friends there…

    But you know, God provided. He didn’t replace, but He provided. And within the matter of a few months I began to develop new friendships. New, deep, rich friendships. And suddenly, if “home is where your heart is,” I had two homes. My “Colorado Friends” and my “Tacoma Friends.”

    For my 30th, I was extravagantly blessed. Extravagantly poured out upon. Not with physical gifts, but with the much-more-valuable gift of friendship. With both my “Colorado” and my “Tacoma” friends…I was extravagantly loved.

    My 30th, Part I

    My 30th birthday celebration started in October, when my “Colorado Friends” and I met up in San Diego for a birthday bash weekend. I mean, come on–we were all turning 30 (!!!) this school year!! So we took the opportunity to have a little reunion and celebrate. Seriously, now, how fun is that?! It was A BLAST!! I have known these girls since I was 8 years old!! We stayed in Keely’s gorgeous apartment and had a weekend to connect, be together, play on the beach, eat, and for Kari and I–pump! (Haha!!) And everyone’s still the same. We have all moved on to such different  paths of life, but somehow we are all the same…
    Friends for 22 years!!!
    Jill is still the sensitive, creative, artistic one who finds laughter and joy every where she goes. Keely is still the one who can–and does–do anything…the paint-balling, modeling, yoga-ing, pilot-ing, parallel-parking beauty. Logan is still the one who will wake up at the crack of dawn (no matter WHAT time we went to bed or HOW MANY brownies we ate the night before) to go for a run. Emmy is still the selfless, giving, faithful friend who is always up for a new challenge or adventure no matter what else is going on in life. Kari is still the incredibly thoughtful one who can have us all rolling on the floor, gut-laughing with her stories, which are always about predicaments or situations she’s gotten herself into…things that would and could never happen to any other human being on the planet.
    …and all still the same…

    The thing that marks my “Colorado Friends” more than anything else is faithfulness. These are my faithful, FUN friends. Faithful for 22 years. And there is no doubt they will be faithful friends for 22 more. I am so grateful for these life-long friends!!

     My 30th, Part II

    Somehow Brian just knew that I needed to be in Tacoma for my birthday. There were several reasons to head back to Tacoma in May, and he insisted that we plan the trip over my birthday. And I had no idea how much my heart needed it.

     

    I woke up that May 14th, and all I could think was, “I am not in want…I truly lack nothing.”Why? Because I am so loved. But as icing on the cake of life, I was lavishly celebrated by my friends. Amazing food, incredible cupcakes, rich fellowship, and life-breathing encouragement. Not to mention a photo booth!! 🙂 (P.S. All photos below are taken by the incredible Chrisy Dorsey!!)
    Mmm…these touched the depth of this pregnant lady's heart!!

     

    What is there to wish for when I lack nothing??

    And each of these friends of mine came prepared with an exhortation for me. Powerful words of truth, of love, of memories…there were lots of tears and lots of laughs.

    The dearest of friends…

    I wish I had more adequate words to describe those few hours of fellowship with my “Tacoma Friends…” Rich, sweet, tender, joyous… But all I can say is, at the end of the night, my tank was full to overflowing. I left to head back to the mission field filled to overflowing with abundant love from my friends. I’m so, so grateful for every way these women have walked with me over the last 12 years, and have continued to walk with me in the last 7 months since I’ve been gone. I would not be who I am today were it not for each of these women in different ways. Texts, phone calls, and messages came in from my friends who were afar…even a DVD video from Danielle, who exhorted me through tears and even sang me happy birthday :).

    EUREKA!! (You had to be there…)

     

    So, so, so grateful for the gift of my friends…ALL of them, including the ones not pictured here…there are SO MANY MORE who are spread all over the U.S. and even one in England!!  And now, my prayer is that God would not replace, but provide new friends as we are in a new chapter and season of life. A new home, a new job, a new country! And in the meantime, I celebrate and give thanks for all of my faithful, loving friends…spread out all over. I love you all so much!!!!!

    SO grateful for my friends who "heart" me 🙂

    “Two are better than one,
        because they have a good return for their work:
    If one falls down,
        his friend can help him up.”

    –Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a

     “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another —and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” 

    –Hebrews 10: 24-25

     

  • Alert! Party Zone!

    Alert! Party Zone!

    My sweet baby boy turned one (yes, 6 weeks ago, but that’s beside the point), and we were so excited to celebrate him!! Although this post is quite late, I wanted to get it up anyway :).

    Due to the fact that the majority of our resources–time, energy, and money–for Elliott’s birthday were dedicated to his House Build, I committed to keeping the party itself SIMPLE. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t have some fun :).

    We had Elliott’s Birthday Banner up the whole week preceding his birthday.  Melisa and I designed and made this banner several months ago for Elliott out of the same material that my friend Amy made his quilt and wall hangings out of. We’ll add a new photo each year!

    The Birthday Banner!

    Let’s get this party started!

    We went with a construction theme (of course). And with a few sheets of yellow cardstock, a Sharpie, our printer, some balloons, and some Spanish “Caution” tape, we had our decor.

    THE DECOR 
    Construction signs everywhere!
    Some of our guests relaxing before lunch (American tacos, of course) is served.
    The party game…putting Elliott's photos in order from 1-11 months old!
    Brian designed the cupcake construction signs himself!
    Cupcakes galore

     

     THE FIRST BITE OF BIRTHDAY CUPCAKE!

    Lighting Elliott's cupcake…me and the baby bump 🙂
    Everyone's singing "Happy Birthday," and Elliott is LOVING it!!
    Trying to explain that he has to blow out the candle…
    "Mom, that's the silliest thing I've EVER heard!!"
    "Seriously, Mom? No way! I'm feeling a bit candle shy today…"
    "Helping him" blow it out before he grabs onto the flame…
    "Now what do I do? "
    "Oooh…I've never felt anything like THIS before…"
    "Ehh…let me touch it with my right hand, too."
    When, after a few minutes of poking and prodding this strange sugar phenomenon, it was clear that Elliott had deemed this object inedible, Brian helped him out.
    "Whoa. Now that was different."
    "Let me try that again. Is everyone still watching? Good."
    "Wow. That is REALLY something."
    "I'd better try one more bite."

    Now, when Elliott really likes something that we’ve given him to eat, he either does one of two things: he smiles so big and waves at us, or, he wants to kiss us over and over again. As you may or may not know, Elliott’s kisses are VERY open-mouthed. So after about three bites, apparently he decided he liked it, and leaned in to give me kiss…

    *Melt my heart*
    We BOTH had a chocolate mustache after that smooch!!

    He kissed me two or three times in a row, and every time he did, all of the party guests (of course) went, “Awww….” I think he really liked that, so after every kiss, he broke out into joyous applause for himself. It was awesome.

    So pleased with himself for kissing Mommy. 🙂
    My goodness, I love him!!!

    Brian and I tried to take advantage of his smoozing with the camera to sneak in a family pic. Little did we know that Elliott had very much moved on already.

    "Alright, alright…enough kissing and clapping. Lemme have another bite of that awesome goodness!"
    Finally got a family birthday picture in there :).
    "Mmmm. Now THAT was good. Talk about about satisfaction!"

     

    THE GUESTS!

    Family
    Most of our DTS family
    Mark, Korrin, and two of their boys–Noah (who apparently is camera shy) and Declan. Elliott looks up to these boys so much! We are grateful for these new friends who are on staff here for the next 2 years!
    Louie, Taylor, Micah, Declan, Hailey, Elliott, Noah (Hunter had already gone home to take a nap)
    Grandma & Grandpa Moberg with all the grandkids

     You know, it wasn’t easy thinking about the fact that Elliott’s first birthday would be far, far away from the people whom we love most dearly and from the people who love our sweet baby boy so much. But I am so grateful for how the Lord came through and made Elliott’s birthday lacking nothing. Don’t get me wrong–I missed my family tremendously and all of my dear friends spread across the globe. But Elliott’s birthday was rich. Rich with friendship, with love, with giving to a family in need. We are so grateful that Brian’s family could come down for the weekend, and that our DTS class adores Elliott and were all so excited to celebrate him. We are so grateful that Elliott has new friends here–Noah, Declan, Louie, Hunter and Parker–and most of them could make it to his party! We are grateful.

    Happy 1st Birthday, Elliott Brian!!! What a joy it is to celebrate your life!!!

  • A Home of Hope

    A Home of Hope

    Thank you to those of you who journeyed with us in Elliott’s House Build Project! Those of us who had the chance to be there to build all agreed that WE were the blessed ones…WE were the honored ones…WE were the privileged ones.

    And for those of you who so generously GAVE and so powerfully PRAYED…we hope that these pictures will give you a glimpse into the fruit that came BECAUSE OF YOU…a glimpse into the honor that it was to get to know this family and give them a home…because if it weren’t for YOU, this could have never been possible…

    Here’s a time-lapse video of the entire house being built in 90 seconds!


    Here are a few still shots from throughout the day…

    Elliott the birthday builder boy, ready to build!
    The Homes of Hope truck, rolling up to the job site!
    The neighborhood
    See this empty space between these two houses? It won't be empty for long…
    The wood for the house
    Brian's brother Kevin cutting the wood to size
    Our nieces, Taylor and Hailey, painting the siding
    Grandma Moberg painting siding
    Chrystal and Angela building the roof!
    Rayel painting trim with the girls
    Working so hard…
    Brian's sister Angela and sister-in-law Tabitha painting trim!
    Getting the very first wall up!
    "How do I use this, Dad?"
    Grandpa Moberg teaching Elliott how to use a hammer.
    Giezi and Angela carrying one of the trusses for the roof.
    Josh building the roof!
    Luis, Jonas, and Josh working on the roof!
    Malene getting to know Wendy and Isabel and a friend of theirs.
    Chrissy putting in the window
    The girls taking a break in the back of the pick-up truck
    Brian putting the door together
    Taylor making sure everyone's putting the trim in correctly on the inside of the house

    When the outside and the inside of the house were both completed, several people in our group went on a grocery shopping trip to stock them up with yummy, healthy food!! The rest of us stayed back and built their new beds, table, and chairs and installed their brand new stove.

    Elliott helping put the bedding together
    Their new beds and bedding!
    Elliott helping me put together a chair for their new dining room table!
    Their new dining room table, chairs, table cloth & stove! (Dishes and place mats not pictured.)

    After all of the furniture was assembled and everything was ready, we closed the door and gathered outside in a circle.

    We passed the keys to the house from person to person, and each one shared how meaningful it was to help build the home.

    We presented Teresa and her two granddaughters, Isabel and Wendy, with a bible, a plaque commemorating the house, and, of course, the keys! While they walked inside, we all ran to the van to get the bags of groceries…

    Look at all that food!!
    Taylor knocked on the door…
    And we all carried in the bags of food, one by one, and gathered in Teresa's new home to pray for her family and bless them.

     

    Would you not agree with me, that…

    'TIS MORE BLESSED…
    TO GIVE…
    …THAN TO RECEIVE.

    God bless this home, and the hands that gave to make it happen.

     For more photos from the day, check out the House Build Gallery.

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

    As we worked, my mind flooded with all of the people who gave to make this possible. Because this whole project was about “WE.” There is no way that Brian and I could have done this alone. The two of us, in and of ourselves, don’t have the money or the manpower to pull something like this off. There are MANY who make up the “WE” that built this home, and we want to take a moment to acknowledge them…

    First of all, I can’t write one more word without mentioning the McCabes. Kari McCabe is one of my best friends from elementary school–yes, that’s right, we’ve been dear friends for over 22 years!! Kari’s son, Quinn, is just 12 days younger than Elliott and they are true bosom buddies (but that’s for another blog post :)). Well, when Kari and her husband heard what we were doing for Elliott’s birthday, they decided to turn Quinn’s birthday into the same outward blessing. So they asked for all gifts/money that would have been given to Quinn be directed toward the house build. They even took up an offering at their church! Between the McCabes, their family and friends, and their church, they raised 1/3 of the money we needed to build the house!! We could have never done it without them, and Brian and I were continually overwhelmed at not only their generosity, but the way that they carried this burden with us. We are so grateful for the way they invested in this project with us!!

    Next, Brian’s family! His entire family made the trek down here to build the home with us. They were all so eager to be here to celebrate Elliott in this unique way and to jump right in and get some dirt under their fingernails (and lots of paint all over their hands, ha!)! 🙂 We are so grateful that each one of them could be here.

    Third, our newest friends, our DTS classmates. Ahh, how we love them. 🙂 They couldn’t have been more excited to jump in and build this house, and it was a tremendous joy to have them with us. They have all become so dear to us in the last three months!

    And last, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST…to all the people who so generously GAVE towards this home. YOU were an ESSENTIAL part…

    Jim & Jen A.
    Dan & Donelle B.
    Michael & Ana B.
    Mike & Diane B.
    Jim & Linda B.
    Jordan & Danielle B.
    Bryna B.
    Marcus B.
    Jason & Janna B.
    Jason & Callie B.
    Bruce & Paulette B.
    Chrissy C.
    Craig & Michelle C.
    Ray & Debbie C.
    Robert C.
    Mima E.
    Ron & Michelle F.
    Kay G.
    Eric & Margo H.
    Mark & Korrin J.
    Erika J.
    Tommy & Bonnie L.
    Jean L.
    John & Helen M.
    Jonathan & Jillian M.
    Guy & Sue M.
    Harry & Evie M.
    Kyle & Ali M.
    Trevor & Kari M.
    Paul & Lisa M.
    Ken & Kay M.
    Kristin M.
    Angela M.
    Ken & Marilyn M.
    Shane & Hilery M.
    Trent & Kelly N.
    Jeff & Barbie N.
    Beth N.
    Paul & Ashleigh O.
    Nycki P.
    Michael & Chris P.
    Dave & Claudia P.
    Alan P.
    Mary Michael P.
    River of Grace Church
    Michelle R.
    Rayel R.
    Yuri & Julianna R.
    Blair & Kappy S.
    Biddy S.
    Jeb & Eleanor S.
    Preston & Helen S.
    Adrienne W.
    Sara W.
    Keith & Nancy W.
    Rick & Susan W.
    Skip & Betty W.
    Bill & Becky W.
     
     
    THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU…for joining with us and blessing this family with A HOME!!! (The magnitude of that statement still gets me every time…this dear family now has a HOME!!!!) We pray that you would be blessed tremendously as you have given so generously. Thank you, dear friends!!!!
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     

  • Adios, Amigos

    Adios, Amigos

    Leaving our family and friends is for sure the hardest part about leaving… We’re going to miss everyone so, so much…
    Adios, familia
    A “Hello, Elliott,” and “Goodbye, Mobergs, etc.” party 🙂
    Adios, amigos
    Lots of friends gathered to say goodbye, Mexican fiesta style.
    Elliott wore this AWESOME hand-me-down from the Hippes! It’s a Mexican soccer jersey!!!
    Elliott’s buddy Tony had on a matching jersey jacket!!
    AND…there was a photo booth at our goodbye party…does it get much cooler than that?

    Adios, mejores amigos
    A few of our friends came together to have a last supper with us. Not the best quality picture ever, but at least we got Duke the surf boarder in the background!

  • Good Times, Great Oldies

    Good Times, Great Oldies

    And when I say “oldies” I’m not referring to age here, people.


    These are some of Brian’s oldest friends. Again, I’m not talkin’ wrinkles and gray hairs, but length of friendship years. Kristin and Denise have known Brian since even before I knew Brian (gasp!) and are two of the biggest “Brian Moberg” fans that I know. And there’s nothing greater than being around people who think your husband is just the greatest. It was so great to spend an evening with them. 

    Piper, Wesley, Denise, Brian, Elliott, Kyla & Kristin
    Kristin just may be one of the most compassionate women you’ll ever know in a lifetime. She spends her days devoted to helping middle-schoolers live peaceful lives on the straight and narrow. 


    Denise is a super fun, hip mama of three who teaches her kids with passion and patience. We wished her husband Dwayne could have joined us! 


    Kyla and Piper loved lil’ Elliott!


    Cah-ute-ee-pie!!! Little Wesley will steal your heart in an instant!

  • Auntie Danielle

    Auntie Danielle

    My dear friend Danielle and her two beautiful girls were in town for a quick few hours today and she finally got to meet my Elliott. It’s bittersweet when God calls one of your best friends to move far, far away to pursue the call he has on her family…I couldn’t be more thrilled for every way the Boleys have come alive in the last several months and for the ways that they are pouring out their lives to help others know the Lord more and advance the Kingdom of God. But I have been quite aware of the void that there is in my heart not having Danielle–my friend who loves deeply–near, especially when sweet Elliott was born and she wasn’t able to come meet him when he was hours old. BUT…but :). It was amazing how quickly I forgot about how hard it has been to not have her in Tacoma as soon as she scooped him up in her arms today. Danielle has been loving little Elliott from afar these last few months, and it was like a floodgate of love poured out on him when he was in her arms. And although beautiful Raegan has continued to blossom even more vibrantly and sweet Anabelle has changed from a baby into a driven, determined little girl in the last 6 months, it feels like we haven’t skipped a beat.  
    What joy to be with my friend today. What joy to have our kids under the same roof for a few hours. And, strangely–what joy to send her right back to Kona with a firm embrace, knowing she is right in the middle of God’s plan for her life. 
    Love you so much, Danielle!!
  • My Birthday!

    My Birthday!

    A few favorites from my birthday:


    1. Having the gift of sweet baby Elliott.
    2. Getting to spend another birthday with my Love.
    3. Celebrating with several of my dearest friends.
    4. EATING MY FACE OFF.


    A couple things I missed on my birthday:


    1. My family. Holidays make it even harder that they’re far away…
    2. My Colorado friends and my dear friend Danielle (who lives in Hawaii now). But I got to talk to/text with most of them, which was so very special!


    We started off my birthday with a bang–BIG BREAKFAST SUNDAY. Only it was Saturday. But still. Anyhow, we had French Toast with strawberries and eggs. Delicious. Then, the three of us ventured out to the mall to try and find me a few new tops that actually FIT (all of my shirts are TOO SHORT post pregnancy! Ahhh, so annoying!!). Then we came home and I got ready while Brian and the Dorseys set up for my birthday party extravaganza.


    A side note: My friends Chrisy & John (the Dorseys) are AWESOME. Not only are they dear friends, but they are the finest cooks on this side of the state. I LOVE when they cook for us. I would choose them any day over any restaurant (well, maybe I would pick Salty’s on Alki a time or two…) :). Anyhow, what I wanted for my birthday was to have a few close friends come over for dinner and dessert, and so (of course) Brian made it happen. 🙂

    So the Dorsey Diner opened up for business and created the most incredible meal ever: Steak, fresh green beans, salad, mashed potatoes and the most amazing rendition of sweet potato casserole in the entire world. It was like a party in my mouth.

    Melisa is going into business (you will want to buy everything she creates, I promise!) and so she decorated our house with some pretties from her “Suzy Line” (you’re welcome, Melisa, for coming up with the perfect name for your new birthday line). Check out the “Happy Birthday” banner and the decorations in the dining room.

    Mi familia

    The sweetest gift

    I have some pretty amazing friends…

    The soon-to-be Rhees!

    The Basses and Michael Parker (our good friend visiting from AZ!)

    The Hilarious Harrises. Love them.

    My beautiful (and did I mention SINGLE…come on, guys!!) dear friends Julie & Erika

    My Love

    I had to include this picture because I think it just might be the only picture EVER taken where I’m NOT looking at the camera! How did that happen?!? And to top it off, everyone else IS looking at the camera! In my old age, I must be losing my superpower of always knowing where the camera is…

    To end a perfectly perfect evening, we ordered a (drum roll please) Cake Batter Ice Cream Cake with Cookie Dough and Chocolate Shavings. Glory of God in a cake.

    The aftermath:

    You know it’s a good party when it takes you a week to clean everything up.

    Thank you, friends, for celebrating me so well!! I am so loved. 🙂

  • In-laws, Outlaws and Good Friends :)

    In-laws, Outlaws and Good Friends 🙂

    Here are a few pics from some of the family and friends that have had a chance to meet Elliott. We are so blessed that our baby boy is so loved!

    He still needs to meet Brian’s extended family and virtually ALL of my immediate and extended family. He’s only met his grandparents on the Mauss side of things. We can’t wait to introduce him to everyone else!!

    Grandpa!

    Nonna!
    Meeting Doug, Melanie and Fable via Skype!
    Grandpa and Grandma Moberg!
    Cousin Hailey

    Cousin Taylor

    Uncle Kevin

    Aunt Tabitha

    Aunt Angela

    And here are some fun ones of Elliott’s “extended” 🙂 aunties and uncles: