Our year in a nutshell...

Can't believe it is December 31st already and we are about to enter in to a new year! 2011 has been quite the year for these Cordovas! So much has happened... So here is the recap...

Last December we took a leap of faith and left our church, home, town, "security", knowing that the Lord was calling us to obedience. Before the Lord, for various reasons, we knew we couldn't stay there any longer BUT we also didn't know at the time what was next for our family... all we knew was to go and to trust in the Lord, believing the HE had a perfect plan.

We moved in with my Mama (Thank you, Mom!!) and stayed there for a few months seeking the Lord, praying, reading the Word, and being STILL before Him... waiting...

During the process of us leaving Cool and waiting at my Mom's, although it should have been a stressful and anxious time for us not knowing what was next, it ended up being one of the sweetest times for our family.  We had an incredible peace from the Lord, knowing fully that we were in His will. He ALWAYS blesses obedience. I felt so strongly in my time spent with Jesus that He knows what He's doing even if I don't or it doesn't make sense.  Also for my girls, they were in Heaven getting to see their GRAMMIES everyday!!! They LOVE my Mom! AND they (we!) had SO much sweet time with their Daddy! Doesn't get better that that! :0)

In February, thanks to one of our college students, we received a phone call from a church in Colorado and they flew us out to visit. That trip was a crazy one! I was newly pregnant and VERY nauseous, Moriyah slipped on ice (it was -17 degrees out!) and then passed out falling head first into our rental car's tire, Tony and Scarlett had a nasty case of food poisoning, it was snowy and -17 degrees out! (I realize I already mention the temp but it's worth saying it again!) The WHOLE flight home, Scarlett was screaming and vomiting while I was trying to take deep breaths and not puke myself from morning sickness... At least Moriyah was having a blast in the plane! She had head phones and was watching a movie with her snacks!

After over 400 applications for the job, they picked my Stud-muffin! We had to move to Colorado within 2 weeks! And just an FYI, I don't recommend driving across a few state during the peak of morning sickness... Any who...

We left CA (my forever home) and took up residence in CO at the end of February. This transition has been not the easiest for me but the Lord has walked with me through it all! We are beyond blessed to be a part of Calvary Worship Center! Tony and I still can't believe we are part of a church like this!  Our pastor is a true shepherd and PREACHES the Word like nobodies business!! It's the solid meat of the Word and we always leave encouraged and convicted... We are blessed!

I've had a year FULL of sickness and many hospital and doctor visits. Thought it was pregnancy related but it all continued after my boy was born. I've been meeting with a nutritionist from our church (kindest lady in the world!) and she has been helping me SO much! Apparently altitude sickness isn't easy to diagnose when your pregnant! I'm on the SLOW road to recovery but praying I get there soon!

MORIYAH turned SIX and is quite the mini-teenager these days. She misses CA alot (just like her Mama!) and talks about family and friends often. She started 1st grade and LOVES to learn! She tells me she has THE BEST teacher in the world!... she's homeschooled... LOVE her so much! ;0)  She has such a precious and sensitive heart.  She is FULL of compassion for the lost and hurting.  She loves to sing, DANCE, pray, play babies, get creative, cook, draw and snuggle with her Daddy!  She also gets more beautiful by the day!

SCARLETT will turn THREE in a few weeks! Sheesh! And she is THE ULTIMATE PRINCESS!! So cute! She sings most of her conversations...with vibrato...all the time! She applies an endless amount of "pink sparkly lipstick" on her lippers and usually in the mirror as she sings about it! She wears princess clothes all day at home. She loves tights, shoes, pink, lots of lip gloss, all things girly, and she LOVES to talk! She is pretty hilarious! She's got some serious confidence too! Love her spunky personality! She also gets more beautiful by the day!

ULYSSES is our newest member of our family!  He is 3 months old and so so HANDSOME! This boy has his Mama's heart... I had NO idea what was coming! I'm so in love! He is the most mellow, kickback, easy baby with a smile that melts my heart... and his sisters are over the moon for him! He is a well loved little man! He looks just like his Daddy which is just about my favorite thing ever! I get TWO TONYS! I'm blessed!

Tony and I celebrated NINE YEARS this last October! God is good and I LOVE the man I married! He was always THE ONE for me... still remember when I first laid eyes on his cute mug when I was 12! It was LOVE people! And it still is! :0)

Looking back on this year there have been many blessings, many heartaches, challenges, joys, highs and lows... All in all, it's been another year that we can look back and see the hand of the Lord in our lives and the knowledge that we are BLESSED!

I pray this next year that the Lord will be even more present in our family individually and as a whole. I want my kiddos to truly experience JESUS for themselves and KNOW HIM... not about Him... to truly know Him and to see Him in Tony's and my life...

And for those that we love that don't know Jesus, to meet Him in 2012 and to fully embrace Him as their Lord and their Savior, trusting in a God with overwhelming grace and love and believing in the One Who holds eternity...

 Happy New Year!