On the move!

May was a big month for our family. We said goodbye to our Lawrence friends and the KU Navigators, moved out of our condo, moved our things into storage in Wichita, and then packed our car as full as possible to move to Jacksonville for 10 weeks to lead the Summer Training Program. It has been a whirlwind!
We really loved living in Lawrence and will miss the ministry and our friends dearly. We are thankful for the opportunity to start our marriage and ministry together there, and it still hasn't sunk in that we won't be returning after the summer like we normally do. At the last Nav night of the year Jason and I wore t-shirts that were made for us by our fellow staff. Jason's says, "I miss Lawrence", and mine says, "Someone in Kansas loves me". We will certainly miss Lawrence and know that there's still a lot of love in Kansas as we transition to Texas!

We arrived in Jax last week, and just yesterday all the students finally arrived. We are thankful for their safe arrival and are praying this is a life-changing summer for them. Below are some pics of our summer adventures so far. Elisabeth has been doing well despite all the life-change she's experienced.
We drove to Florida in three days, stopping in St. Louis and Atlanta. We packed picnic lunches and this was a great way for Elisabeth to get out and run around at parks.


Our Summer Training Program is housed on the campus of the University of North Florida, which is situated on a nature preserve. It's a beautiful campus, and there are geese roaming everywhere. Elisabeth and I go for a walk every morning, and these geese were literally on the doorstep of the dorm as we walked out our first morning. It's like going to the zoo every day!

This goose has been around for the past four years we've been here. His name is Daffy, and though he looks a little scary, he is super-sweet and even wags his tail like a puppy. Elisabeth got aquainted with him on our walk this morning--she wasn't quite sure what to think of him!

We live in the dorm with the students, and staff with kids each have two rooms. Elisabeth has been having a good time settling in, and is of course charming the students right and left.



Every summer I'm reminded at what a unique experience it is to invest in this generation of college students, our country's future leaders, in such a real and personal way. Today was the last official day of orientation, and Jason gave a talk on the Navigators calling statement to set the stage for the summer. We're excited to grow alongside these students this summer. What a privilege!



We are grateful for your love and support!

Elisabeth's Second Easter

Celebrating Resurrection Sunday with a toddler is just delightful! The three of us had colds, so when we went to church that morning we kept Elisabeth with us for the service rather than taking her to her nursery classroom. It was a special day at church as it was the first time Jason and I attended in the new sanctuary that was recently built. Our church, Grace EPC, has been such a blessing to us over the past four years, and we will miss it dearly!

Elisabeth enjoyed the singing but I took her out in the foyer just before she was about to interrupt a baptism with her talking! I chased her all over the church for the next hour, and when we left I was exhausted! The girl can move...fast!

Before leaving, we took pictures in the sanctuary in front of the Easter lillies, just like we did on Elisabeth's first Easter:
2010:


2011:



We think the shoes really made her outfit!


She also read "My First Easter" with Dad, to learn about Jesus, his death and resurrection, and why we celebrate Easter. This was also photographed last year:
2010:

2011:


After her nap we joined some friends for an Easter egg hunt and a delicious dinner. Elisabeth had a blast searching for eggs with her ducky basket! She found her eggs, and had fun eating the treasures inside (Cheerios and goldfish!) Everyone with kids has assured me that this is probably the last year we can get away without candy!





I continue to marvel at this little, beautiful person God has entrusted to two imperfect people to raise and shepherd. What a extreme privilege and extreme responsibility!

Texans Again!

Jason and I have a history with Texas. We just can't seem to stay away. Both of us have flip-flopped between Kansas and Texas for many years, and after starting our married life in Lawrence, we are now returning to Texas, together, for the first time!

We knew that our assignment with the Navigators at KU would be 3 or 4 years, and this will be the end of our 4th year. Last year we began to pray, seek counsel, and explore where our next assignment would be. A few years ago we learned of an opportunity to serve on a more ethnically diverse campus in San Antonio, and last year it was still a need and a national high priority. The more we learned of the opportunity, the more our excitement grew. In December of last year, after many discussions and a visit before Thanksgiving, we felt confident that this is where we should go.

I lived in San Antonio for four years before Jason and I were married, and during my last year there I lived literally across the street from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), the campus where we will be serving. We are excited about this new phase of life and ministry together! We recently sent out a newsletter with more details (click to enlarge):


We will head to Florida to lead our Summer Training Program mid-May and will return to Kansas in the beginning of August. Our plans are flexible, but we would like to buy a house in San Antonio near the campus and then move in the fall.

We have a lot of transition and family shuffles this year, but I'm thankful that we get to be together for all of them. Elisabeth really enjoys new people, and she tends to have fun wherever we're at. We're thankful for her spirited and adventurous personality!

She is approaching 16 months, and is running around our apartment and starting to mimic what we say. Just tonight I was getting her ready for bed and putting on her sleepsack (a wearable blanket with feet for toddlers). I call it her "sleepy", and for the first time she said "see-pee" back to me. She saw how excited I was, so she kept saying "see-pee" and smiling. I love how every day is a new day of discovery and adventure with her. She has such a zest for life and learning that inspires me!

Below is a picture of her first sleepsack (without feet for infants), and this was in our dorm room at the Jacksonville Summer Training Program last summer. This picture is funny to us because you'll notice that she has only one arm in her pajamas. We thought it was quite comical that she weasled one arm out of her pajamas yet still had it through the sleepsack.



I'm beginning to feel "see-pee" myself, so I will say good night and sign off for now, but as always, we are thankful for your love and support of our family, and especially in the coming months as we walk through many transitions!

With love,
The Rosses

Fast and Flying February!

We knew this month would be a busy one, but it has truly flown by! We began with our KU Navigators annual Jerry Bridges Conference, with the theme,"Why Holiness Still Matters". Jerry is perhaps most famous for his book, The Pursuit of Holiness, in which he writes these challenging words: "Many Christians have what we might call a 'cultural holiness'. They adapt to the character and behavior pattern of Christians around them. As the Christian culture around them is more or less holy, so these Christians are more or less holy. But God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like himself. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God." Challenging words indeed, and the conference gave me a lot to reflect on.

February 14th was Elisabeth's second Valentine's Day, and her cute dad bought her an "I love you" frog balloon (frogs are a favorite of hers). She is still enjoying him!




A few days later we left for Orange County California as I was a bridesmaid in a dear college friend's wedding. A broken starter out of Kansas City meant we missed our connection in Denver, so once we arrived there we were re-routed through Reno/Tahoe and finally on to LAX (just in time for L.A. rush hour!) Three flights and many hours later we arrived at our hotel with an absolutely exhausted baby. (I think we're now sold on direct flights whenever possible!) She really was amazing throughout the day and made lots of new friends by waving and flirting. Reno was a particular adventure as there is gambling inside the airports (I've never been to a casino so this was quite a culture shock!) Elisabeth enjoyed the slots, the bear, and the carry-on bag check! Who knew an airport could be so entertaining?!





The wedding was wonderful and we were able to see many dear friends in the area as well, so it was a special and memorable trip. This was our attempt at a family picture in the midst of wedding excitement:


The month is ending with another conference for students in our region, and we are hosting it here in Lawrence. Following the conference we are having a staff retreat for all staff who will join us in Jacksonville, FL this summer for our summer training program. Our sweet baby has come down with her first real cold so she and I are hanging out at home for now. We're thankful she's been so healthy and definitely don't want to take that for granted!

Happy February!


With love,
The Rosses

Cookies and Crayons

What do you do when it's 14 degrees outside? Go walk around Walmart, of course! Last Sunday afternoon we took Elisabeth to Walmart to let her walk around a nice big open space, and she sure had fun! Below is my attempt at uploading a short video clip from a new favorite website, Smilebox.

This free slideshow made with Smilebox

On that same trip we bought Elisabeth her very first box of Crayola crayons. For some reason, as her mom, I feel this is monumental in her life. Coloring is such a big part of childhood, so her very first box of crayons is extra special! Her first drawing is already hanging on our refrigerator! On our way out back into the 14 degree weather we stopped to buy a box of Thin Mint cookies from two frozen adorable little Girl Scouts and their moms. What troopers! I remember going door-to-door to sell cookies so I'm not sure what selling them in front of Walmart would be like. Either way, 14 degrees is too cold to be selling Girl Scout cookies!

Children's Mercy

We have great news to report! Elisabeth was born with two heart murmurs that required us to take her to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City when she was a week old. She was diagnosed with an ASD and a VSD, but the doctor really counseled us to treat her normally and pretend they weren't even there and then just bring her back in a year for a follow up.

Over the past year she has been as active as ever so it's been easy to act as if the murmurs weren't there. We took her for her follow up appointment this past week, and after an EKG and an echocardiogram, her doctor reported that both the ASD and the VSD are gone! In his words, her heart is "normal". YAY! We are so grateful for this good news and are thankful to God for our little girl's health.
We just had to take a picture of her in her cute little pint-sized hospital gown last week. You can see she's not too impressed with her new duds! She can make any outift look cute, though! She was a trooper through the echocardiogram, which took about 20 minutes. Dad entertained her with toys and she watched some of Monster's Inc. on the TV they had playing. We were so proud of her!


Coincidentally, I learned on the radio last week about the baby son of a Christian recording artist who is battling a serious congenital heart disease. I briefly glanced at their website and thought it was appropriate to share with our posting. Please pray for success for their upcoming surgery!
http://bowensheart.com/

We hope this finds you having a wonderful start to 2011!
Love,
The Rosses

P.S. As of January 5th, we officially have a toddler! Elisabeth has been walking nonstop ever since!

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

What a great year 2010 was! As I scroll through blog posts from this past year, I am grateful for so much God has done in our family!
Earlier this month, on December 9th, Elisabeth Anne turned one year old! We had so much fun recounting her birth from the year before (36 hours before finally meeting her via C-section!). We celebrated her first birthday with a small family party at our apartment, and Elisabeth had so much fun opening presents, playing, and eating cake! I contemplated making her a healthy birthday cake, but then decided to just order a small one since I didn't think she would actually eat any of it. She hadn't taken an interest in feeding herself up to that point, but then the day after I ordered the cake she started feeding herself Cheerios. Sure enough, she devoured her cake at her party! It didn't make her sick, so I was thankful for that!
Here she is, pre- and post-cake!





Elisabeth's Grandma Kester made a special punch for the party, and it was actually the punch served at our wedding in 2007! I made cupcakes, and we used the cupcake tiers from our wedding as well. The cupcakes at our weddng were a Martha Stewart monongram recipe:




My mom gave me a Martha Stewart cupcake cookbook last year for my birthday so I made cupcakes for Elisabeth's party from this book. I wanted to make homemade frosting but ran out of time, so Jason saved the day with cupcake frosting in a can. (I didn't even know they made that until recently!) Didn't he do a great job decorating them? I like to call them "modified Martha" cupcakes!



Speaking of Martha Stewart, my friend Kristin introduced me to her pom poms as an easy and inexpensive way to decorate for a party. I gave them a try for Elisabeth's party and they were a fun project! They are easy to make and I was able to "modify" them to make them even easier than the website:

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/pom-poms-and-luminarias



Over Elisabeth's first year we took her picture every month with her stuffed animal friends, each month adding one more to correspond with how old she was. We included them on every blog update, and her final picture includes 12 friends surrounding her in her new big girl chair she received for her birthday:



We returned to Lawrence last Wednesday from Wichita where we had a great time celebrating Christmas with family. Elisabeth was able to be with all 7 of her cousins at her Grandma Donna's house on Christmas Day! It was a special time to be together. She also had so much fun with her Kester Grandparents.

Jason and I look forward to this new year with eagnerness and anticipation. We are approaching our final semester here in Lawrence and have been reflecting on what a neat season the past three years have been to begin our marriage and ministry here at KU. We are so grateful for this opportunity! We will post soon with updates on our next assignment!

We are also directing the Jacksonville Summer Training Program this summer and will be preparing and planning for this neat opportunity throughout the spring semester as well.

May you have a joyous beginning to 2011. We are grateful for your love and support of our family!