Summer Fun!

Hmmm what have we been up to? I'm not sure because I think it's all been a big blur of busy-ness. However, I will do my best to update you.

May- We celebrated a rainy Mother's Day by having lunch at the newly opened Hunter's Grill and then Kelly lazed around the house for the remainder of the day. MOPs wrapped up with a Spring Brunch and Kelly was glad to have one less thing on her plate. We also continued meeting together with our Missional Community. Mid-month we got to attend Becca and Aaron's wedding in Estes Park. It was a gorgeous ceremony and great reception. The girls had tons of fun playing with their busy bags and they were excited to stay in a hotel that night. The next day, we made our annual pilgrimage to the Erie Town Fair and met up with some friends to let the kids go wild on the carnival games. Mike continued the basement remodel and did all the electrical work himself, as well as the insulation.

June- The first week in June we set out for our next state in our 50 in 50 tour. This year we got to tour our favorite state-- Colorado! We started off by heading to Georgetown and riding the train. They had special gold panning days so the girls got to pan for gold and we all enjoyed the various exhibits and free food that was part of the festivities. After the train ride, we set out for Silverthorne where we walked around the lake and ate dinner at a cute restaurant before turning in for the night. We were hoping the girls would sleep well that night because of the thrill of being in a hotel room, but unfortunately they were only interested in playing. Sadly, they kept this up almost the entire trip, so none of us got much sleep for the entire week. Next, we headed to Glenwood Springs. After a hike up the mountain to Doc Holliday's grave, we enjoyed touring the town, ice cream tasting and stopping by the local brewery for dinner. Unfortunately, Kelly started her first week of classes for her Early Childhood degree this week, so we also spent some time in the hotel room so she could work on her assignments. The next day, our friends Amy and Zack joined us with their little one, Lilla. We played at the park and then went for a walk downtown before heading back to the brewery for lunch. That afternoon, we headed to Montrose where we were in a very remote house that was a little more "rustic" than we had anticipated. The views were gorgeous, but Kelly was on high alert for bugs and hazards. The next morning, we were eager to get out and headed straight to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The Black Canyon is so amazing and unexpected. We kept saying we couldn't believe we were still in Colorado. It was definitely one of the most beautiful parts of this already amazing state. Afterward, we headed to Horsefly Brewing Co., which had an amazing patio where we enjoyed lunch before heading off to our next destination--Telluride. On the way, we stopped in Ouray, which has been called the Switzerland of the Rockies and, wow, is that true! What a cute, picturesque little town. But, it just doesn't get prettier anywhere in the world that Telluride. However, when we got to our condo we realized that the "second bedroom" was really a converted laundry room. So far we were 0 for 2 on the accommodations. But, we decided to make the best of it and left to go walk around town. On our way back from our walk, we stopped by the grocery store for some taco fixin's and settled in to our condo for the night. The next day, we took the gondola up the mountain to the disc golf course. While the boys played disc golf, Amy and I enjoyed the breath taking views with the kids. After Zack was done winning, we all took the gondola halfway down for a mountainside lunch. After lunch, we set out for Durango. We had to take a major detour because the Million Dollar Highway was closed for repairs, but eventually we made it. On the way to our condo just north of town, we grabbed a pizza and settled in for a night of playing games together. The next day, we went straight to Mesa Verde and toured all around the ruins. We marveled at the remnants of these ancient civilizations and Mike solidified his spot as dad of the year when he pushed the double stroller up a mountain in nearly 100-degree weather. Afterward, we enjoyed lunch at Carver's Brewery and then went back to the condo for some swimming and another round of disc golf at the ski resort for the guys. The next day, we were ready to head to Alamosa and stopped along the way at our favorite brewery of all-- Pagosa Brewing. We sat outside and enjoyed our tasters and our brats while plotting the last days of our trip. Later that day, we arrived in Alamosa to find that our room that was supposed to be a suite was actually just a normal hotel room. After getting that sorted (and finding a second room for the Wulbeckers), we went to the town fair downtown. The weather didn't cooperate very well, but the girls still had fun riding the train and running around the grass. Afterward, we found Kelly's dream come true-- a Mexican food buffet. After dinner, we parted ways with our dear friends and headed back for our last night of trying to convince the girls to sleep in a strange place. When we woke up, we ate at the hotel and then went straight to the great Sand Dunes--another Colorado wonder. The girls had a great time playing the sand with their buckets and shovels. Olivia kept saying "I'm a beach girl." When we had enough sand in our shoes and our clothes, we began our trek home. Unfortunately, on the way home we hit a terrible storm. Kelly was driving and panic started to set in near Pueblo when we started seeing funnel clouds and tornado warnings. We pulled off at a hotel lobby while the worst of the storm passed and then headed to Shamrock Brewing for lunch. The weather improved quite a bit and we made it home at the end of the trip with no more than minor detours along the way. Later in the month, we celebrated Sophia's second birthday with a cowgirl party and BBQ. Then, we headed to Fort Collins the next day for Beth and Matt's engagement party at their place. That same weekend we went to Rock Bottom for lunch and Mike took his turn lounging for Father's Day.

July- We celebrated 4th of July eve with a BBQ at home with Mom and Lynn, as well as Megan and Ross who were visiting from DC. My mom brought a beautiful cake from Sugar Bean Bakery and we capped off the night by watching fireworks from the end of our street. Olivia enjoyed the fireworks and the snickerdoodle cake that accompanied it. On the actual 4th, we went to a lunch BBQ at Floyd and Suzanne's before heading home and hosting the Wolfs and the Milburns for our own festivities. The guys put on a nice fireworks display for us in the street and we enjoyed hanging out with all seven little girls between the three families. The next day Megan and Ross came with us to the 2nd annual Erie Brewfest, which was hot, but tons of fun regardless-- especially when Kelly discovered the bucket of free water balloons. The next weekend, we headed up to Wyoming to visit dad and Crystal. While we were there we got to spend lots of time relaxing and hanging out on the front porch. Friday night, we went to a rodeo and got to see some genuine Wyoming cowboys as well as mutton busting and steer roping. The next day, we went to the lake and the girls had a ball swimming and playing in the water. They even met a new friend while building sand castles. Mike got to fish and, while he didn't catch any, he had a great time trying. Later that day, we went Su Casa for some lunch and then Kelly left the kids with the rest of the family to take a long nap. On Sunday, we headed out after breakfast and met Beth and Matt for lunch in Fort Collins on our way home. July finished off with Kelly heading to a Beth Moore conference with some friends in Denver and the returning to town for a date night at the planetarium.

A Little Older, (hopefully) A Little Wiser

Someone once said “it sucks to grow old, but at least you ripen in the process.” I recently came across some old home movies I shot in college and was reminded of how embarrassingly awkward and immature I was only 10 years ago. While it was fun to reminisce on those memories and the carefree lifestyle I once had, I was also overwhelmed with appreciation for where I am now – mentally, emotionally, spiritually, etc. As I begin my 33rd year of life on this Earth, my prayer is that God will continue to “ripen” me, so in another 10 years I can look back and, once again, be shocked and embarrassed by how much I’ve grown.

With that said, here’s what’s been going on in the Nishi household lately: I don’t know what it is about the month of March, but we celebrate approximately 900 birthdays. Seriously, you should see our calendar. It’s out of control with March birthday reminders. On one snowy Saturday in mid-March, Kelly attended a baby shower for her co-worker Katy, while I took the girls to Conner Harding’s 1st birthday party. I gorged myself on all the delicious food while Olivia and Sophia were in the basement jumping around on the inflatable bouncy house. I’m happy to report that no limbs were broken during the affair. The only harm done was suffered by my waistline, and was obviously self-inflicted.

Remember what I said earlier about “ripening?” Well, in celebration of my incessant, unrelenting aging process, I took my birthday off from work and lazed about the house playing video games…and it was glorious. Hey, I may grow old, but I don’t have to grow up, right? Anyway, I paused my game at lunch time and was treated to a delectable Larkburger, followed by some custom-made strawberry shortcake cupcakes, courtesy of the Sugar Bean Bakery in Thornton. (I highly recommend them, by the way – delicious!) We wrapped up the day with dinner at The Post in Lafayette. This new neighborhood attraction boasts unique craft beers and the best fried chicken I have ever tasted. Despite our 90 minute wait for a table, I’m excited to go back! Sophia began swim lessons last month and, while she’s not quite the water baby that her sister is, she seems to enjoy being in the pool...just don’t try to make her do a back float unless you want your face clawed to death.

Despite our futile efforts to keep her in cuddly baby mode, Olivia turned 3 on April 4th! We celebrated by throwing her a tea party, complete with (iced) tea and those weird cucumber sandwiches. Even though we’re still in the stage where the adults outnumber the kids, the party was a success and Olivia still appears to be interested in all her new toys. Hooray! Happy Birthday, Olivia! The Saturday before Easter, we took the girls to an Easter egg hunt at Coal Creek Park, where Olivia had a great time filling her basket with eggs stuffed with non-age-appropriate candy. Sophia was wholly unconcerned with the prospect of free candy; content to be held the entire time. Luckily, Olivia was gracious enough to share her loot with sissy. Afterwards, we attended the wedding reception of Isaac and Sarah Hall, then had Lynn and Sharon over to dye Easter eggs, and eat some amazing cake from the aforementioned Sugar Bean Bakery. We also put on a backyard egg hunt for Olivia, which turned into a game of find the soggy M&Ms after a brief, but substantial, rainstorm passed overhead shortly after we hid the eggs.

On Easter Sunday, accompanied by Lynn and Sharon, our church broke from the norm and gathered at the Boulder Theater on the Pearl Street mall to celebrate our risen Lord. Afterwards, we strolled down the mall, eventually making our way to Mateo, where we had a lunch reservation. We dined on gourmet brunch fare, enjoying the warm weather from our table on the patio. The girls managed to douse their new white Easter dresses in chocolate sauce, which we later paraded down Pearl Street on our way back to the car. We spent the evening at my parents’ house, eating steak and playing Trivial Pursuit with Bryan and Amanda, where it became evident to me that I have no business playing that game.

That’s all, folks! Until next time!

What's Up

"What have you guys been up to?" People ask me this all the time. I understand why because I ask people the same thing, but I never really know how to answer. Truly the answer is "so much stuff that I feel like every waking minute of every day is being wasted if I'm not working on at least three things within that minute while also hugging my babies and telling my husband that I love him. And yet most of the time I feel like I'm doing nothing at all." But, that answer is a little overwhelming, so usually I just say "oh, nothing." But, now that I have a minute to sit and write it down, here's what we've been up to around here:

- We are in the process of finishing our basement (And by "we" I mean "Mike"). This means that Mike is learning everything there is to know about how to build a basement (or anything else for that matter). I can't quite tell if he is enjoying every second of this project or enjoying every second of being alone working on this project, but either way he's doing a great job.

- Olivia is working on becoming independent enough to refuse to use the bathroom, but not independent enough to walk from the car to the front door without mommy holding her. She just finished her first round of gymnastics (which she loved) and has decided recently to sleep in mommy's bed at night instead of her own (which mommy loves) (and also hates). We are planning a tea party for her third birthday and she asks at least hourly if we can go to her party now. She seems unfazed by my insistence that daddy's birthday has to come first since obviously the rules of the calendar are negotiable if she just asks enough times. She also got to ride the train at the Orchards this weekend and blow bubbles, which basically made for the best Sunday ever in her mind. And, my coworker gave us a toy vanity so she has been diligently doing sissy's hair night and day ever since-- "Just like Aunt Carolyn."

- Sophia is doing everything Olivia does. Even when she laughs, she will keep a steady eye on O to make sure what she is laughing about is indeed funny and if O stops laughing for any reason at all, even to breathe, S is also done with whatever was previously The Most Hilarious Thing on the Planet.

- A couple weekends ago we celebrated Jackson Zuiker's first birthday and Kristen Gregory's upcoming baby boy--two very exciting milestones! These celebrations coincided with Kelly being coerced into giving up sugar for the month of March-- a long and miserable journey thus far.

- This past weekend we went to Madcap Theatre for a mops and pops night out. This turned out to be HIL-ARIOUS. Highly recommend for a fun night on the town!

Meanwhile, the time allotted for this blog ran out about two sentences in, so now I need to go convince O that it's not a good idea to play outside in a blizzard. I'm sure she will disagree. What have you guys been up to?

Christmas Letter 2013

“Noooo!” “Stop!” “What are you DOING?!?!” These are the phrases that have been most common around our house this year. Mixed in with a healthy dose of “Aww, she’s so cute!” and “Aren’t they just angels?” (usually said when they are sleeping.) Olivia is two-and-a-half now and Sophia will be 18 months on the 15th of December, so we are right in the middle of the toddler phase… times two. With that in mind, here’s what we’ve been up to this year:

January: We celebrated New Year’s Eve at Carter and Ashleigh’s house with an awesome downtown view and a dangerously delicious signature cocktail.

February: In an effort to get out of the house during the winter duldrums, we formed a bowling team—Roll With It. We didn’t win any prizes, but we weren’t the worst team either, thanks in part to Mike’s hidden bowling talent. Kelly also took a girls weekend trip with some dear friends down to South Fork.

March: Kelly helped Ashleigh prepare for the big day with a bachelorette party in Denver. We also celebrated Mike’s birthday with a poker night and dinner at the Melting Pot.

April: Carter and Ashleigh’s had a beautiful ceremony and brunch wedding at the Wellshire Country Club. We also celebrated Olivia’s birthday with a tu-tu party—complete with lots of adorable little girls running around in tu-tus.

May: Our long-lost friends Alex and Katey Johnson came for a visit from North Carolina and Olivia started a ballet class, which quickly became her favorite activity. She did great at her twirls and jumps, but most of all she looked adorable in her little ballet outfit!

June: Kelly and Mike took a (kid-less) trip to Yosemite National Park. The girls enjoyed some time with Mike’s parents and we enjoyed exploring the beautiful scenery around the park. We stayed in a bed and breakfast and spent our time inside the park biking, boating, hiking, and soaking in as much as we could of the gorgeous backdrop. If you haven’t been to Yosemite—it’s a must-see! After we returned, we celebrated Sophia’s first birthday with a “You Are My Sunshine” party.

July:We spent the first weekend of the month visiting my dad and Crystal in Wyoming. The girls had fun fishing on papa’s boat and we all enjoyed an outdoor concert in downtown Saratoga. Sophia took her first steps after we got back and was running all around the house shortly thereafter.

August: We rented a house in Silverthorne with a few friends and made a weekend of Courtney and Brett’s wedding festivities, culminating with their nuptials in the backyard of a mansion in Breckenridge. While we were away, a storm cell hit our neighborhood and we got a call that a neighbor’s 10-ft trampoline had blown into our yard! Another neighbor lost the roof off their garage and a nearby bicycle track was half flattened. Later that month, Kelly led a retreat for the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPs) steering team and we took a family trip to Colorado Springs for Kelly’s birthday. While in Colorado Springs, we visited the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the girls had the chance to ride a gondola, feed giraffes, and ride the carousel. Sophia also had her baby dedication and was joined by family and friends for this special day. She was dedicated with about five other babies at The Well—the church in Boulder we have been attending since March.

September: Kelly helped host a bridal shower for Anna and we enjoyed the start of the football season by cheering on Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Olivia moved to her big girl bed and is still adjusting to her newfound nighttime freedom.

October: Mike again shouldered the bulk of the parenting load while Kelly spent the weekend in Silverthorne for Anna’s bachelorette party. And he took over again the following weekend when Kelly headed off to Kansas City for the annual MOPs conference.

November: We enjoyed celebrating Anna and Mike’s wedding in a lovely ceremony and reception held at Stonebrook Manor in Thornton. Alex was back in town to officiate, so we had fun hosting him and hanging out for the weekend.

December:Mike will travel to DC for work for a week and plans to see our friends out there. Then, we will spend Christmas with both of our families and host our annual ugly Christmas sweater party.

Meanwhile, Kelly is still working from home part time as a marketing consultant for MWH and a few other companies. She also continues to write curriculum for 252 Basics and wrote an article for the MOPs International weekly email. Kelly is also helping lead the MOPs group at Calvary Bible Church. Mike works four ten-hour days for the Department of Defense in the Denver Tech Center so he can be home on Fridays. The job is going well but the commute is terrible. He gets a lot of “reading” done on his drive, though, thanks to books on CD. The girls have a wonderful nanny who stays with them two days a week. She loves to take them to the park and the children’s museum and they enjoy their days with Jaime. Olivia has started potty training and is slowly getting the hang of it. Sophia is talking a little more every day; though Mike is a little wounded that she learned how to say “ferret” before she learned how to say “daddy” with any type of consistency. All in all, it has been a crazy year with these crazy girls, but neither of us would trade a moment of it for any other life. God has provided for us through all of the year’s ups and downs—including Mike being furloughed during the government shutdown, storm cells, and record floods in our neighborhood—and we couldn’t be more grateful for His provision. We are praying for each of you and hope this holiday season finds you healthy and full of joy.

Merry Christmas!

Spring-Time-Flies

From Mike: Well, spring is almost over, which means it’s time to update our neglected blog. I know you’ve all been on pins and needles waiting to hear what we’ve been up to, so I’ll get right to it. Now where was I? Oh yeah…March.

Kelly and I celebrated our 5-year wedding anniversary on March 1st! How did we celebrate, you ask? Well, I paid a visit to my eye doctor and got my pupils dilated, and Kelly worked. Exciting, right? Well, it gets better…that evening we romantically dined at a noisy steakhouse with Kelly’s mom and step-dad. I think Kelly and I can confidently proclaim that we are living the dream!

Now, let me caveat all of this by saying that it was around this time that the Federal government was threatening civilian employees with 22 unpaid furlough days due to sequestration, so Kelly and I were in all-out financial belt-tightening mode, which meant we cut a lot of “fun stuff” out of our budget... including eating out. Consequently, you may notice a lack of exciting, extra-curricular activities mentioned in this blog…you’ve been warned.

Anyway, the rest of March basically consisted of baby showers, bachelorette parties, and birthday celebrations…namely, Amy and Zack’s baby shower, Ashleigh’s bachelorette party, and my 31st birthday. Amy and Zack’s co-ed baby shower was at their house in Fort Collins, but we also had a bowling match that afternoon in Denver. Our plan was for us to drive up there together, and I would carpool back down to Denver alone with a few teammates, who were also at the shower while Kelly stayed awhile longer and then drove home with the girls. Sounds like a good plan, right? Well, it was, up until the moment in the car on the way to Denver that Kelly called asking where the car keys were. The stark realization that the keys were still in my pocket was only the first in several brainless mistakes I made that day; a day that ended with me arriving back in Fort Collins 5 hours after the baby shower began to my fuming wife, fussy baby, bleeding toddler, and two gracious party hosts, one of which was very pregnant. Oops!

Olivia officially turned two years old on April 4th! Kelly and I are amazed how quickly time has flown and refuse to acknowledge that she’s one year older, and thus one year closer to leaving the nest. We threw her a “two-tu” party that weekend and enjoyed watching her parade around in her adorable pink tutu, then promptly smear cake into it…*sigh*

For some reason, spring is garage sale time. Perhaps it’s supposed to coincide with spring cleaning? Anyway, a couple of weekends in April and May, we could be seen either wandering around various Erie neighborhoods looking for cheap treasures, or trying to pawn our stuff off on other people. Kelly began attending a monthly get-together with other ladies from our neighborhood and has been enjoying the opportunity to get to know other women in our community.

Olivia began attending ballet class in mid-May. This class is designed to convince parents that their kid is the cutest, most adorable little dancer in the whole world…which, of course, is true in our case. Seeing the pictures and watching the video of Olivia prance around in her leotard almost made me squeal from all the cuteness. Seriously, it’s ridiculous how cute she is.

After MOPs (that’s short for Mothers of Preschoolers) ended in May, Kelly made the decision to become the MOPs Coordinator next year. She hit the ground running and immediately began conducting planning meetings with the steering team. If you know Kelly at all, you know she has a gift for administration, and she’s looking forward to helping run the show in the fall. We received some great news near the end of May: my impending furlough had been cancelled! After three months of anxiety over our financial situation, God answered our prayers and we couldn’t be more thankful for His faithful provision!

Furlough notwithstanding, we had saved enough money to continue our tradition of visiting a new state each year. On May 31st, Kelly and I left the girls with the grandparents, and flew to sunny California for a kid-free visit to Yosemite National Park. We spent the next few days exploring the park and soaking up the breath-taking scenery. We were awed by the iconic vistas, sheer granite cliffs, towering sequoia trees, and thundering waterfalls that comprise the landscape in Yosemite. We rented bikes, took a canoe out for a spin and hiked up to a few waterfalls. Suffice it to say, we took plenty of pictures and were reluctant to return home, even though we desperately missed the girls.

Last weekend we celebrated Sophia’s 1st birthday. Kelly had the bright idea to throw her a sunshine-themed party. Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun. Anyway, our little ray of sunshine is growing bigger every day (not to mention her appetite!), and we love watching her learn new things and develop her own unique personality. She's not walking yet, but we expect that any day she'll be chasing Olivia around like a pro.

That’s it for now. See you next time!

Happy New... March?

From Mike: It’s March already?? How did that happen? That means “write a blog” has officially been on my to- do list for over a month now. Whoops! I guess here’s a recap of the past two months in the Nishi household… January: We rang in the New Year at Carter and Ashleigh’s apartment in the Highlands, which gave us exclusive access to their balcony where we got to watch the festive fireworks show light up the downtown Denver cityscape. Our annual celebration of the Japanese New Year moved from Berthoud to Erie this year as we gathered at my parent’s house for the traditional fare of mochi soup and sushi. I really stretched my culinary skills this year by bringing finger jello. I still occasionally feel the pangs of heartache and injustice when I think back to the Broncos’ unbelievable playoff loss to the Ravens, but being a longtime fan, I am no stranger to post-season disappointment. However, I would like to point out that Tim Tebow has more playoff wins with the Broncos than Peyton Manning does. That is all. ;) After months of schedule conflicts, we finally got an opportunity to visit a church in Boulder called The Well. The simple message preached that week (stop trying so hard to become a better person and love Jesus) drew us into this amazing community of believers and before we knew it, we were signing up to help with children’s ministry, and attending what the church terms a “missional community” gathering the following Wednesday in Erie. The purpose of an MC is to engage with their local community through activities that will draw non-believers into a meaningful relationship with Jesus. February: We celebrated Carter’s birthday the first weekend in February by enjoying some delicious (and entertaining) hibachi at Mt. Fuji in Denver. The next day we returned to the Vinson’s house for their annual Super Bowl party. While the Raven’s win was both a national tragedy and a disgrace to professional sports, we nevertheless enjoyed spending time with friends and watching the VW commercial where a father hysterically teaches his son to play “catch.” The following weekend Kelly attended the Zuiker’s baby shower, and we had our first bowling league match. That’s right folks, we joined a bowling league. If any of you have seen me bowl, you’re probably scratching your head right now. Well, rest assured, this is strictly non-competitive. We decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Saturday the 16th, and since we’ve had to tighten our fiscal belt with my looming furlough threat and Kelly’s inconsistent income, we treated ourselves to a tasty Mexican food dinner at La Fogata. Kelly’s dad and Crystal drove down from Wyoming that weekend also to spend time with their grandkids…and Kelly and me. Later that week we drove downtown to celebrate Kelly’s mom and her retirement from the Denver Business Journal. Kelly framed an old picture of Sharon when she worked for the Daily Camera and bring it to the party so her friends and colleagues could see what she looked like back in her heyday. It was a huge hit, and a major conversation piece. The last weekend in February Kelly left me and the girls and drove down to South Fork, CO to spend time with a few of her girlfriends. Although she had to get some work done while she was there, and found out the hot tub was busted, she enjoyed the quiet girl time, and eventually returned safely to us. I, on the other hand, did our taxes and shoveled 8 inches of wet snow off the driveway…and played video games…and occasionally spent time caring for Olivia and Sophia. I’ll not burden you with the early March events…yet. But here’s a teaser to keep you on the edge of your seats until then: Kelly and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary and lots of friends had babies...

God Gave Us Two

From Mike: My children are a precious gift from God. These are words I must utter to myself as I am awoken from sweet slumber at 2am to the hungry cries of my 5-month-old. It’s my mantra as I arrive home from a 10-hour workday to find my 19-month-old having an ear-piercing temper tantrum in the middle of the kitchen floor. It’s my battle cry while cleaning spit-up off of my favorite t-shirt, or changing an eye-watering diaper blowout, or spending our hard-earned money on baby formula and diaper rash cream. However, it’s also my thanksgiving prayer this year, because my children ARE a precious gift from God! It’s awesome how emphasizing one word in that phrase transforms it from a mere statement of fact, into a reminder that God is our sovereign provider. It’s my hope this holiday season, that you might view God’s gifts as a blessing, rather than a burden, and give thanks to Him who provides all things. With all that said, here’s what’s been happening with the Nishis lately: Our annual tour of the US took us to Arkansas in early October. Against our better judgment, we brought the girls with us…and it turned out to be a great trip! We had the opportunity to stay in two of the most gorgeous places Arkansas has to offer. The first was a very rustic cabin tucked away in the wilderness of Petit Jean Mountain in central Arkansas. While there was an overt lack of modern technology, (i.e. TV) this quaint little chalet was complete with electricity and running water, a spiral staircase, heart-shaped shower, and even an indoor swing! We spent some time exploring the mountain and spent the nights quietly reading, chatting, and listening to the rain patter on the roof. Our second destination took us atop the highest point in Arkansas – Mount Magazine. Again, we stayed in a cabin, but this one was a bit more updated, with cable and internet access, but the best part, by far, was the back porch that overlooked the Petit Jean River Valley. The views were incredible! Did I mention this amazing back porch also had a private hot tub? Well, it did…and it was awesome. The weeks following the trip were generally uneventful, although often peppered with random outings, nights out on the town, and of course, football. One such night out took us to Fort Collins to see Tap Dogs with Beth and Matt. Tap Dogs is a modern tap dance show set in a construction site and performed by lumberjack-costumed men in heavy work boots. It was both funny and entertaining and we would highly recommend seeing them next time they’re in town! After a lay-off scare that briefly had us thinking Kelly would be out of a job, (which, thankfully, appears to be over) Kelly took a quick business trip to Chicago in late October and came home bragging about all the delicious Chicago-style deep-dish pizza she ate…my mouth still waters just thinking about what it must’ve tasted like. Suffice it to say, I was jealous. The following week was Halloween, which was especially fun for us since we got to dress Olivia and Sophia in adorable costumes and proudly show them off to the neighborhood. Olivia wore a kitty costume and Sophia wore Olivia’s penguin costume from last year. Both kiddos were oozing cuteness, and we were sure to capture it with what seemed like thousands of pictures. We also hosted a successful pumpkin carving party that had the house full of friends, kids, and pumpkin innards. Olivia started up another round of swimming lessons last month and has proven to us that she’s quite the little water baby. She loves being in the pool and is actually getting the hang of kicking and paddling. It’s absolutely amazing watching her grow, learn, and interact with her surroundings. It seems like she learns to say a new word daily and more tightly wraps me around her little finger each time she says “I…love…daddy.” Sophia continues to be our squishy little butterball who I lovingly refer to as my “goo” – one of the few sounds she likes to say while conversing with others. While Sophie prefers to sit quietly in her jumperoo, watching the world busily move around her, any attention she gets brings to her face an adorably toothless smile that lights up the room. Well that’s our update for the fall. Happy Thanksgiving!!