Monterey bay aquarium

Sweet ride with Kyle today

Brady and his siblings....

We just passed the 48hr mark with Brady. I have been trying to hideout with him for a classic daddy nap and finally was able to this afternoon. He laid down on my chest and settled down for a good 30 or so minutes. So sweet it is.

Here are some pictures that Nate took today. He wasn't thrilled to be in a picture with Brady just yet but he is coming around.







Other highlights from the day: took the boys to get haircuts, visited a friend in the hospital, checked in on a couple of work related projects, and got to hang a bit with Nate one on one.

Brady Valen Theule

We are excited to announce the arrival of Brady Valen Theule. He was born just 80 minutes or so ago - February 26, 2008. He weighs 8lbs 3Oz and is 20 inches long. We are pirating an internet connection from some college apartment next to the hospital. We praise God for his infinite grace and blessing.

More pics are forth coming!

Time

keeps on ticking into the future. i was reading the plethora of blogs that have emerged in our little world and decided to look at the last time i had posted. i knew it was a while but i did not have any idea that it had been an entire year. blogger made me actually reclaim my own blog because it had been so long.

i am typing with both hands but throwing the whole caps thing out the window for now as the wrist continues to heel. it has been 12 weeks since my pride cometh before the fall - literally. that story will be kept for another post.

to my kids who are our main audience for this blog - i apologize for not "journaling" here as much as i once intended to. as a way to catch up somewhat - here are some of our family highlights from this past year.

• our first mountain bike ride in slo with the martin's during our first weekend here - arranged by sean
• building our worn out play structure with the cheneys
• going to avila barn for u-pick
• riding the bob jones trail
• camping at lake lopez
• camping at laguna seca for 2007 sea otter classic
• the 2007 super bowl party at the gibsons - who won? who actually played?
• learning what it means to be part of a giving church - the meals were such a blessing
• family reading through ralph moody book series (not done yet)
• a few great meals out on the town with friends - sans kids
• not washing the cars every week (something i did for almost 10 years before moving to slo)
• crazy meals with lots of theule kids
• lots of messes after those meals - big messes
• hiking bishops peak
• getting a dog and naming him bishop

these are the first 15 things that came to mind. this has been a tough year for us in so many ways and God has sustained our time together with such great memories. i am looking forward to whatever comes from His hand in this year. kind of feels weird to be doing a news years post in june......but that is what i get for not posting for the past year.

SLO - So sweet it is!

We knew SLO was a special place but we are even more encouraged having been here only a few weeks. It's been a wild 6 months since our first chat with the Cheney's about opening up a biz in SLO. Since the 31st of December of 2005, we put together a biz plan and a few "IF THIS HAPPENS WILL CONTINUE PURSUING" lists. Well, all the items on the lists starting falling in place and now we wake up finding ourselves back in SLO - after a 11 year gap from my college years here.

We've started http://www.onesourcehomesolutions.com and we're settling into our new surroundings.

Thanks to the many of you who have provided insight and counsel and caution along the way. And thanks to those of you in SLO who have already made us feel so welcome here.

Our highlights to date include some great times with the Tim, Susie, Sage, Eden, Zeke, and Hakken who live 7 doors down. Saturday crepes, Sunday night dinners, and the occasional "drop-ins" have been treasured times! Zeke going big on the bike with no training wheels! Hiking Bishop's and running Felsman's loop. 5:30 AM Friday mountain biking rides with new friends (the SLO MTB scene is sweet). Hanging with The Cheney's and The Martin's.

We miss our friends in San Diego and San Ramon and look forward to hosting you in SLO. We figure it is exactly halfway and we are planning on lots of visits. You know who you are (Steffens, Smith's, Gleaton's, Moersch's, Hyde's, Ericcson's, Carvacho's, McCrea's, McCloughan's, Lequient's, Bescancney's, and Family).

Q. What else did God make?

A. Pizza

Yes, God made pizza...what else did God make Nate? "Cake"

This was our 2 year old's response to the question in the shorter catechism that we were reciting tonight in family worship. Nate was classic tonight. He can barely sit still during our after dinner time together. It is good to see him a last answering at all. Even at 2, he gets the question and answer format. Lately we've been going around the horn in a rotation. Kyle is so eager it is hard for him to hold back the answers when the Julianne and Nate have their turns.

God made all things is the correct answer.