Adventures in Our Home & Hearts: Wisconsin Meets Colorado Again For More Memories

*Intresting FYI - I wrote this post August 5th before the Lord took our little one home (but did not post it that night due to needing to download a couple more pics and videos). I want to keep the post the same in memory of our little one. Also, it is encouraging to look back and see how the Lord had been preparing my heart and perspective for the coming miscarriage the following night, August 6th - see paragraph on Trusting God's Goodness when a "Good Outcome" is Not Guaranteed.

Giving God Glory
Our Precious Little Miracle (Current - August 5th) - We praise the Lord for blessing us with another precious miracle of life! I am presently 10 weeks along, and we are very grateful that the Lord has been protecting our little one! Today we saw our little baby healthy, heart beating, and moving around through ultrasound. It was amazing to already be able to view our baby's tiny arms, hands, legs, and feet at only 10 weeks. We are trusting God to continue to protect our little one and help him/her to be healthy, though it can be challenging not to worry at times due to having a miscarriage a few months ago.

Our Good Shepherd - We praise God for His perfect wisdom and for guiding us to our new church home. God is truly the Good Shepherd, and we personally experienced His leading and guidance as we visited different churches and sought His wisdom and discernment with our decision. We also thank Him that our search was only a couple months before He made His will clear.

Praises & Prayers
Tami - Prayer for God's loving care and kindness towards her. Continued prayers for God to heal Tami but ultimately that His will be done, for strength and peace for her and my dad, and for God's perspective for all loved ones involved.
Our Family - Praise for God growing our family. Praise for God giving us wisdom and leading us to our new church home.
Wes - Praise for God giving him opportunities to invite co-workers to our church and their responding. Prayer that God would work in the hearts of these two guys and one young married couple in giving them wisdom for the church(es) He has for them and that they would continue to grow in their relationships with Him.
Me - Prayer for God to grow me in depending on Him and abiding in Him. Prayer that I would grow in trusting Him with our baby's health and not worrying.
Noah - God would graciously save him at a young age. Praise for wisdom, unity, love, and patience for Wes and me with shepherding Noah's heart and for Noah responding. Noah is growing in honoring and obeying us and is improving in "turning it off" and having self-control when he starts to throw a tantrum and we tell him "no fit." Keep praying for all 3 of us with training Noah since it is a continual process.
Baby Harrison - God would continue to protect our little one and help him/her to be healthy.

What's on the Harrisons' Hearts
Trusting God in Transition - We have experienced a vivid reminder of the importance of being a part of a local church. The past couple months of being in transition while looking for our church home have been a growing experience, and we are grateful that the time of transition did not last long. We have missed consistently worshiping with the same body of believers, serving in the body of Christ, and having relationships with brothers and sisters beyond "Hi. Is this your first time here?" The Lord grew us in patience as we sought to trust Him in the midst of this transition.

Trusting God when a "Good Outcome" is not Guaranteed - I have been reflecting on God's goodness and wisdom a lot lately. God has reminded me that what is good in His mind may not seem good in my mind. For example, miscarriages are not "good" and diseases such as cancer, Alzheimers, etc. are not "good" in and of themselves. (I know God does not see these specific situations as good either and that often these are effects of sin and the fall.) However, God promises that He works all things (including not good situations in life) together for good:
1. to bring glory to Himself (Exodus 7:3-5)
2. to fulfill His greater plans & purposes (Genesis 50:20, Isaiah 55:8-9)
3. to make us to be more like Christ (Romans 8:28-30)
4. to give us opportunities to encourage and comfort others just as God comforts us (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)
5. and more!
God's goodness does not mean that we are guaranteed good outcomes such as having a healthy baby (rather than another miscarriage) or encountering healing from diseases (rather than suffering). God's goodness does guarantee that somehow He will work all things for His greater good purposes. Due to His wisdom, He knows what is best, and His plans are perfect. These precious promises are what I have been resting in as the future is not clear for how God will answer some of our present prayers.

Marriage Memories
Double Date to Denver - We enjoyed a double date with our parents during their time visiting us. It has become a tradition to make a day trip to Denver with Dad and Mom to stroll the 16th Street Mall, purchase a new candle from a quaint and quality candle shop, and enjoy sweets from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and a variety of cheesecake slices from the Cheesecake Factory. We had a hearty and delicious lunch at the Cherry Cricket burger joint (funny side note - Wes saw it on the TV show Man vs. Food). Check out these sandwhich/burger "whoppers":

Dad & Mom

Celebrating our 4th Anniversary - We decided to postpone going out for our anniversary due to some scheduling conflicts. So, the day of our anniversary, we enjoyed a yummy breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and OJ before Wes went off to work. A few weeks later we traveled to the nearby Water World for the day, and we had a great time of fun in the sun! Unfortuantely, after we got home we discovered the sun got the best of Wes! :(

Breakfast Celebration

Water World

Ouch!

Family Fun

Our Fam

Oh Back to School - I have been officially "retired from classroom teaching" for over a year now and didn't forsee myself going back to "school" for a long time. However, after some advice from wise family and friends who have "been there and done that" as teachers and moms (thanks Aunt Jodi and ChaCha), Wes and I decided it would be best to keep my teaching license current so I could be available or even simply better equipped as a tutor for whatever God might have in store. Noah and Grandma Rush have been enjoying spending time together while I am gone at class.

Snack Time with Grandma Rush

Having Fun

Father's Day - Noah picked out a card just for Daddy to let him know how he is a special dad and loved very much! We enjoyed celebrating with family by going to church together at my grandpa's church and then enjoying BBQ at Dad and Tami's. It was cute watching the cousins, Maren and Noah, interact and play with each other.

Happy Father's Day Daddy! We love you!

Noah & Maren

Wealthy Wes - Wes just got richer this month with the addition of some gold in his life...well, a gold crown that is... Wes had been having some issues with a tooth and determined it would be better to get a crown now rather than to let it go and have to get a root canal later. He didn't care about the cosemetics of the crown and had heard that gold would last a lot longer. So, he is now proud to show off his bling to anyone who is interested. :)

The Honeynator - We now have a "terminator wannabe" who has been taking it to poor Sierra's face when they are left alone in the garage. We think Honey is getting crankier as she is aging (presently she is 7 years old). Various brainstormed ideas have tried and failed, and the only one that has withstood the test of time and has been the least inconvienent for us has been to muzzle Honey while we are away.

The Honeynator & Scar-faced Sierra

We are definitely keeping an eye on Honey's crankiness because she has never acted out towards Noah, but once again, she is on a tight leash, and Wes says (somewhat sarcastically) she's practically on death row.

Noah News

Age - 16 Months
1sts - sipping out of a straw, turning his shopping cart and other push toys on his own, face painting, and throwing up in his crib (Yuck!)
# of Teeth - still holding at 4 - 2 top & 2 bottom
# of Words - jibber-jabber continuing to increase but still no official words.


     Some of the new words Noah understands (since he understands a lot now!):
          "Daddy" - points to Daddy
          "Mommy" - points to Mommy
          "No fit" - stops the tears (most of the time)
          "Put away" - puts the object back where it belongs
     New words Noah signs:
          "Good night" - waves to us from his crib
          "Drink"

Latest Loves
Helping - cleaning the car, putting things away, unloading the dishwasher, dusting
Tackling others
Laughing
Being chased
Nurseries! (He has grown out of his separation anxiety and loves playing with the other kids!)
Putting items in his shopping cart and pushing it around
Going through and around someone's legs while pushing his shopping cart
"New" truck
Using his step stool to climb up on the sofa
Making his "fish face"
Running through the sprinkler
Dancing

Noah's "New" Truck

Cruising through Daddy's Legs & Climbing with His Step Stool

Unloading the Dishwasher & Showing off His Fish Face

Noah's Gettin' Down Dance Moves Video

Other Intriguing Info

*Ticklish - Noah has several tickle spots (under armpits, inner thighs, feet, sides), and he loves being tickled by Daddy and Mommy.

*Time-out trauma - Noah started wailing whenever Grandma Rush put him down for a nap in their pack-n-play. So she ended up holding him and letting him sleep in her arms. Finally, we figured out that Noah was getting upset because at home our pack-n-play had started being used for time-outs. We began bringing his bumper and pillows with us when he went over to Grandpa and Grandma's to be cues for him that it was time to sleep and that he wasn't in trouble. Fortunately, that was all Noah needed, and he has been napping great in their pack-n-play ever since!

*Keeping his hands clean - Noah does not like anything - hair, grass, etc. (except for food) - being on his hands.

*Backpack carrier - Noah initally detested the backpack carrier we picked out at REI and wailed when we put him in it. We optimistically purchased it, and we are glad we did! One night, we put him in and took him for a little walk to our park. He did fabulous and had a great time. Yay! We look forward to really hiking with him in it. :)

*Sleeping Deja Vu...

Similar Sleeping Positions - 1st Month & 16 Months

Baby Harrison Highlights (Current - August 5th)

3 Months

Size = Approx. 2 inches

Here are the answers to the top questions we've been getting...
How far along? 10 weeks
Due? February 26th/27th - Baby has the potential to arrive on Noah's b-day (Feb. 25th)
How far apart will Noah and the baby be? 2 years (could even be exactly 2 years apart)
When will we find out the gender? September 30th (I will be 18 weeks)
How am I feeling? Great! I have the same symptoms as I did with Noah. I call them the 3 B's - some of you know what I am refering to. Just ask if you'd like to know. :)

Most Memorable Moment

Finding out we are pregnant! :) And...

Our Parents Visiting from WI - Once again, we had a wonderful time with family. It was a joy for all of us to see Noah having fun with Grandpa and Grandma and being able to make memories together! Highlights include: Grandpa chasing Noah and playing various games with him, Grandma playing with Noah at the park, having both sets of our parents together for dinner at our home, Noah bonding through food with all 4 grandparents, various father-son home projects, day trip to Denver, visiting Witt's end at Focus on the Family, treating Dad to sushi in honor of Father's Day tradition, watching The Truth Project videos together, checking out a new church, eating delicious food, and enjoying good conversation. Thank you for making the long trip out here to see us Dad and Mom!