We are Colorado bound!

After praying for several years for God to move within us and our family to do something BIGGER for Him and His glory, He has made it so clear that the mission field is the next destination/adventure for our little family.  Auburn has been such an incredibly sweet place to be the past 6.5 years.  We've loved watching our family grow, seeing God move, and our marriage being brought deeper through the things we've been a part of here, and wouldn't trade it for the world! However, when you open your hands and honestly say, "What next?" to the Lord, you better believe He will answer!  Over this post and the next 2, I'll explain a little bit more about what we are being called to in Colorado Springs, as well as how we got to this point.

What will we be doing?
Jason will be on staff as a project manager with Engineering Ministries International (eMi).  He will be responsible for leading 3 mission trips a year.  He'll recruit professionals (architects, surveyors, civil engineers, structural engineers, etc.) for their design project (hospitals, orphanages, clean water systems, etc), lead them on their trip to collect data in their respective fields for the project, and once they return home, he will spend the next few months in the office collecting the data from each professional, assimilating it and submitting it back to the hosting organization.  He will also be the director for a new ministry of eMi, their Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program.  EMi will now be partnering with WASH project organizations; anytime a partner organization has any issues with a well/pump (i.e. low water pressure, tainted water source, etc), they can contact Jason, and he will get them paired with professionals who can help identify their issue and come up with a solution.
   I plan on staying at home with Jack (5 years old), Will (3 years old), and Josh (1 year old).  It will be no small feat to get us there, settled and well transitioned.  However, if the right doors open up, I am not opposed to working outside the home once we are settled; I had not planned on working at Highlands when they approached me 2 years ago, but it worked perfectly!  The Lord knows what our family (and specifically, the children) need, and I will be open to His promptings when/if they come.
   Jack is already in kindergarten this year, and is thriving academically.  However, he is a very young kindergartener (he made the school cut-off by 2 days!), so we are considering having him stay home with me and his brothers for the remainder of the school year once we move, and start kindergarten over in the fall.

Where exactly will we be?
We will be based out of the Colorado Springs, CO, office.  Jason will lead teams to undeveloped (aka 3rd world) countries approximately 6 weeks of the year to collect data for their projects and tell people about Jesus.   He will spend the rest of the year in the CO office, preparing the project design to submit back to the host ministry.

Why?
God has made it SO clear (as detailed out in the 2 following posts) that this is exactly where He wants us.  As long as there are precious babies needing a roof over their heads and grandmommas needing hospitals, we as believers are called to help take care of them.  As the bible says in James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." I LOVE that God has been shaping our hearts for missions, a desire to do His will, Jason's amazing Professional Engineering skills and even a love for Colorado, all to bring us to a point that we are able to say a big fat "YES" to following Him in this.  We personally cannot house all the orphans who so desperately need a home and a momma and a daddy, but I can send my husband to help build a more suitable orphanage until their forever families come for them.  I cannot take care of all the sick people in foreign countries, but I can send my husband to help provide a hospital for those who need a place of refuge and help until healing comes.  I cannot hand a cup of clean water to the precious children who are walking literally miles a day to get their own, but I can help ensure that there are people going to those who need it most...who can provide not only clean water, but a chance to know the One who is our Living Water, our Jesus.

How?
We stand firm behind the cry of Jesus to make disciples of all the world.  There are people who are sick, homeless, and hungry throughout our world.  Even worse, there are sick, homeless and hungry people who have never heard the name of Jesus. And while we know we can't save them all, let us each cling to the calling to reach the few God has put before us!  Jason has a special skill set that will enable him to make life better for people in developing countries all over the world, one project at a time.  As Romans 10:14-15 says, "But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?" By gathering a team of people who are interested in partnering with us to provide financial and prayer support, Jason will be able to devote his time to being SENT and solely working towards improving life and making disciples of Jesus through eMi.

Who?
Us.  We are very aware of the great implications that this act of obedience towards the Lord will have not only on us, but on generations to come.  God tells us that we have ALL been created to do good works, which He has prepared for us in advance.  We simply believe that this is is a part of ours!

And you.  We are currently developing a team of ministry partners who are committing to give monthly to make this vision possible.  As the verses from Romans 10 stated, some are called to go, and some are called to send.  We need senders!  We are working to build a team who will not only financially make it possible for us to be sent, but also to commit to praying for us at each step of the journey. Jesus made it so clear that we are made to live in community, and we would love for you to prayerfully consider being a part of ours.  This is a huge opportunity to be a part of something bigger than yourselves, without even necessarily leaving your home! We clearly cannot do this alone; however, we are honored and humbled to have a front-row seat for seeing how God will call together His church to make this all possible.  If you would like to join our team as one who is committed to praying for us, please email us at chandlerjcsp@gmail.com, and we will gladly get you on our email/coffee-date/phone list.  :)
  If you are interested in giving either a one-time gift or committing to give monthly to make this work possible, eMi has made it SO easy; just click here and you can make a donation online.  All gifts to eMi are tax-exempt and will go straight to an account with our name on it; it will be used solely to pay our support.
As a 5-star non-profit agency, eMi operates exclusively through the gifts and offerings of others.  This allows the professionals in their office to give their time and attention exclusively to those in greatest need throughout the world (as opposed to spending some of their time as professionals doing for-profit work, as well). If you are interested in learning more about eMi, just click here to get to their web site.

When?
Staff training for eMi is held every January and August.  We are praying that we can have our ministry partners gathered and funds raised so that we can be out there by January 2013.  We need to have 90% of our monthly giving pledged, as well as three months worth of support already given.  No amount is too small (we see in Jesus' parable that even the widow who gave what "little" she had was considered one of the greatest!), and we trust the Lord will pour out his storehouse on those who He finds to be generous.  We know that there are more than a handful of amazing causes in the world today (which is AWESOME!).  However, if the work of eMi resonates with you, we would be honored to have you be a part of our team for this journey. Simply click here and you will be directed to a page where you can give and/or set up monthly withdrawals to be regular supporters; click on "please select one," and choose "staff." From there, scroll through the "choose a subcategory" until you see, "Chandler, Jason - 2126" and simply click on his name.

Thank you.
For reading, for praying, and for being a part of our lives.  We are so thankful for you!

LOVE a good deal.

So, Montgomery has this INCREDIBLE consignment sale twice a year called the Children's Clothing Exchange.  I have absolutely loved being a part of it the past 4 years.  They only accept items in excellent condition, so you know you are getting great things when you walk through their doors.  The prices are occasionally higher than your typical garage sale items might cost, but most of them are higher end as well (but that is also good news for the consignors...you make good bank!).

I was able to get Jack 6 pairs of shorts, 7 Polo-style (a couple of actual Polo) shirts; got Will a fancy little outfit for Easter that I can't WAIT to hear J complain about (woohoo!  And Will is going to look so precious!); and I got Joshie 4 cute little john-johns for this summer.  I also got Will a swim thingy so I don't have to freak out when I take the boys to the pool this summer, and Jack got a new booster seat for the car (we aren't ready for it yet, but I know we will be before their next sale...besides, it was a Graco one for $5!).

And since I consigned 60 items, our budget is still going to come out in the black!  WOOOOHOOO for makin' money on crap...I mean wonderful items that I want to share with the world...that we don't need anymore and getting awesome things that we DO need! :)

They've got baby stuff, kids stuff, home stuff, toys, toys, toys, and next week they'll have women's stuff as well.  Get yo'self over there and find a good deal.  You can thank me later.


And I would like to extend a special thank you to my hubby, for letting me go and for riding over with me and hanging out at my mom's with the boys while I went CHILD-FREE to shop.  And a HUUUGE thank you to my momma for taking care of my men and feeding us a delicious dinner before I left on my quest.

Help needed.

I think I typed this up last summer, but for whatever reason, it didn't get posted.  I thought it was cute, though! :)

How do you argue with a 3-year old who is avoiding sleep by getting up and voicing his great concern that his invisible friend (who is currently and affectionately named "Baby Jesus") is missing?!

All afternoon long, Jack's been carrying Baby Jesus (his newest, and apparently his most favorite, invisible friend) around in his cupped hands. Jesus seemed to enjoy his (or is it "His"?) stint in the baby swing and bouncy seat. Bless his heart, Jack even attempted to nurse the poor babe while I was feeding Josh.

My loves...

My precious babies are at SUCH fun stages right now!  As my mom tells me, this, too, shall pass, so I'm just soaking up the laughs and sweetness while they are here.

Some of my favorite things:
Jack LOVES to randomly, out of nowhere, say, "I love you, Mommy!", and it is usually accompanied by a sweet hug and/or kiss, and he even tags it sometimes with an "I love you to the moon and back!".  Also, he likes to think he is in charge of his little brothers...which is hard for me to combat, because he's normally spot-on when it comes to what they need/don't need to be doing.

Will: whenever he is asked, he proudly proclaims that HE IS FOUR!!  Except he's not.  He's definitely 2.    And while he is starting to occasionally act a bit, ahem, like a two year old, he is still mostly sweet, smiley, compliant Will.  He's even made some small baby steps toward being potty-trained.  Woohoo! :)  He is getting VERY verbal, and when I can figure out what he's saying, it's usually pretty funny!

Josh is absolutely in love with his brothers...in fact, he started crawling at 6.5 months so he could attempt to keep up with them.  However, they are equally smitten with him as well.  Josh's favorite game is definitely "peep-eye"and will squeal with delight if anyone will engage him in it.  He is SUCH an easy baby...I just wish he would revert back to those 11-hour nights of sleep he was getting so good at (however, I'm acknowledging that those middle-of-the-night cuddles are the only ones that go uninterrupted by his precious big brothers, so I'm not going to gripe too loudly about it...again, this phase shall pass soon enough!).

Wish list.

So, Jack's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, but we've been talking about it for months. This will probably be the first birthday he'll remember in the years to come...that coupled with the fact that we want birthdays to be the BEST and biggest day of our boys' year due to Christmas being about Jesus and giving to others (and not them or their wish list), we've sought his input as to what he wants to help celebrate and make his day special. Thanks to his classmates' parties that we've attended, he is convinced that every respectable birthday party occurs at FrogLegs. However, we've about decided that we'd rather spend that money on presents than towards renting a place for a couple of hours. Jury's still out on what the final decision of location will be...

I've also been occasionally asking him what he wants to get. Another thing that Jack's been determined about for months in regards to his birthday is that he would like to get a checkers set. This has me baffled! Not sure where the obsession came from; he received a Mickey Mouse checkers set for Christmas, but only played it once and the pieces have slowly disappeared since. I finally threw away the parts that I could find a couple of weeks ago.

This morning, I asked him again for his birthday wish list. Here is what he told me:

1. Checkers set (surprise, surprise.)

2. Keys to the front door.

3. A new grill...one that gets hot. He pointed to his Little Tykes one and informed me that it just doesn't work as well as Daddy's does.

4. Cake.

I'm fairly comfortable in my willingness to oblige him on items 1 and 4, but I hope he's not too disappointed when he gets a bike and helmet instead of keys and a grill. I think I'll just be thankful that he's yet to ask for a car that goes faster than his Jeep power wheels. :)

Big Boys!

This has been a great summer! Quite honestly, I spent the spring dreading the unknown of how it would be having all 3 boys, all day long, all by myself, all summer.

But it has been great! I've gotten to know Jack and Will so much better, teach them little things daily, and watch them grow into wonderful, sweet brothers (not perfect, of course, but loving nonetheless!). We've spent most of our days inside because it is SO stinkin' hot out and I don't want Josh in it, but one overcast morning, we ventured to the new neighborhood playground. The big boys loved it!

And ready or not, school starts 2 weeks from today! I'm going to soak up every minute with my babies between now and then.

Josh.

Oh, how I love him so! Where have 2 months gone?! Birth story is forthcoming. :)

Annnnnd we're back.

I would say "no excuses" for my absence over the past couple of months, but I think I have 3 (actually 4 or 5) really great ones. I'm about to get back at it. I promise. Until then, however, here's my precious justification for the truancy:

Excuse 1: Pregnancy. This picture is for family and close friends ONLY; all others: please divert your eyes...it was taken the morning I went to be induced with precious Baby3...now affectionately known as Josh (or according to Will, "Joshy"). My disclaimer: 6:30 a.m. No make-up on yet. 39 weeks pregnant. Haven't slept in 4 years.

Excuse 2: The Rocket. One of Jack's favorite hang-outs: Maddie's dog house. I'm not sure why he likes to play in there, but it is one of the few places he's allowed to play the xylophone to the decibel that he prefers to do so...and since Maddie has yet to actually step foot in there in the 4 years we've had it, I guess I'm glad to see that it's getting some use.

Excuse 3: Bebe Will. Here is Will in his natural state: outside, swim diaper, running. And wet. :) 99% chance that this picture was of him running to do something just like Jack was doing.

I'll post again soon with the highlights of our spring; the birth of Josh; and other happenings within the Chandler household. I promise.

Here comes the bride (again)

As of January 22nd, Jason and I have been married for 6 amazing years. Very honestly, the word "amazing" describes not only how incredible our life together is now, but also how I feel about the fact that we survived some of the trials/mistakes/bad attitudes that we have endured as husband and wife.

We decided before we got married that divorce was not an option and not a part of our vocabulary...and there is SO much security in that! In the past 2 years, we have grown so much and experienced so much healing/depth in our relationship, and I think a big part of that is due to the community and love we've experienced at our church. There's just something about people's "realness" that helps you bring some light to your own...and for God to use it for His glory, His name and His renown. I'm so thankful He's in the business of growth and restoration!

As we've looked back over the past 6 years, one of my (smaller) regrets was our lack of engagement pictures, as well as a lack of wedding pictures that capture "those" moments. Our wedding photographer did an incredible job of making sure we have pictures of everyone who was there, as well as priceless pictures from the ceremony itself, but in light of our growing love, growing family and a desire to attempt to have a bit more captured, I did the unheard of: out came my perfectly preserved wedding dress from the neat little box the dry cleaners had put it in and off we went to Kiesel Park for some new "wedding" pictures. A HUGE thank you to my photographer friend who offered her services for FREE - she used our awesome new camera and we were able to enjoy the pictures right away! So, for your viewing pleasure, here's a small sample...

*Disclaimer: at the time of the pictures/squeezing into wedding dress, I was 2 months into this pregnancy (read: unable to breathe during a majority of the pictures)

Anybody home?

One night back in the fall, I was tucking Jack into bed when he pointed to his bulletin board to one of his masterpieces from school that day and he informed me that he wanted to take it to Sophie the next day at school. It was the first time I had heard him mention her name, but I thought it was so sweet that he wanted to share his artwork with a friend at school, so I willingly said, "Sure! I think that's a very nice gift idea! How thoughtful. What a sweet boy."

However, as I processed it that night, I realized that if I was Sophie's mom, I might be a bit freaked out by this...but I didn't want to discourage Jack in his giving, either. I also knew there was a 50/50 chance that Jack would forget about it by morning.

No luck. Not only did he remember and carry it with both hands during the car ride and into the school, but he also "called" Sophie on his way to school to tell her about it.

In attempts to NOT freak out Sophie's momma, I was trying to quietly tell Jack's teachers about his desire to give the picture to Sophie; however, I told them about my fear and asked if they would just slip it back in his backpack when he wasn't looking and I would get it later. Mid-explanation, in walked Sophie...and her mom. The teachers thought it was just the sweetest thing and immediately began telling Sophie's mom (whose name I probably should learn...) about Jack's gift. Thankfully, she was very graceful, Sophie was excited and Jack was proud. Whew. Glad that was over...

...Until that night, when Jack began to pick out another picture that he wanted to give to Sophie. AHH! I suggested that he pick another friend to share his artwork with, but he was adamant that Sophie be the recipient. Thankfully, it was a Thursday and he forgot by the next school day (Monday).

However, Sophie has been the receiver of MANY "phone calls" since then. Usually Jack just explains his day (at bedtime), talks about seeing her at school (when we're on our way there), or about what he's eating for dinner (at the dinner table). While we as a family are totally NOT into the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing, especially with preschoolers, I love that he's learning to socialize and how to be a sweet friend and we are DEFINITELY encouraging that. :)

Since then, he has started "calling" another school friend, Andrew, who moved away right before Christmas, and his old buddy Jordan. The funniest thing is that when he's walking around our house talking, he is usually sitting and/or standing in the same places I go to talk on the phone...using my mannerisms and phrases. He'll say, "Is that better? Can you hear me now? Hello?" Kinda scary. :)

This is a picture of Jack "calling" Sophie on the way into school one morning. His phone is sometimes an old kitchen timer, sometimes my old iphone, and when modern technology isn't readily available, he pulls out his old reliable pointer finger and fist. Gotta do whatcha gotta do.