big decisions

I wanted to share a bit about some big things that this "Team Liechty" has been processing in the past few weeks.

• House Hunting

With low interest rates, deeply discounted house prices, and an $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit, we are very motivated to buy a house this year. Yet what a big decision it is. HGTV makes it look sooo easy to find the perfect home in 30 minutes or less. :) We are finding out just how tricky it is to find the "right" house; plus we are intent on staying under budget. We made a top 5 list for a house in our price range: open floor plan, 4 bedrooms (or 3 with an option to make a 4th), 2 levels (or a basement), yard space to play, and manageable utilities expenses. Other factors are not necessarily deal breakers, but these 5 are pretty much core to what we're looking for in a house. Though we did offer on one house, we are still house hunting at this point.

House hunting has made us realize how excessive the "American way" truly can be. Buying big houses all too often means buying lots of stuff to fill them. We are determined to fight this cultural norm as much as possible by not buying more house than we can afford, keeping our lifestyle simple and being okay with having unfurnished rooms/bedrooms that we will grow into later.

• To Stay at Home or Go Back to Work

I recently interviewed for a part-time elementary Spanish teaching position at a private school. This position forced me to consider where I am in life and what our goals and needs are as a family. After much prayer and discussion, we concluded that though this job might be a good fit for me as a person, it doesn't really fall in line with our family needs and goals at this point. It was exciting being offered a job, and in a way it validated that I am still marketable in the teaching world. However, going through this decision-making process reaffirmed in me again the value of being a full time mother for this season of life.

• Choices can be so challenging.

There are lots of good things we can say "Yes" to in life. And many times we do decide to do those good things. BUT. Sometimes we have to say "No" to the good things so we can instead do the BEST things. God has a plan for our lives and we desire to follow where He leads us and honor Him in the choices that we make. Our prayer is that no matter where we are in life, we are able to discern and choose the BEST things over the good things, that God may be glorified through us!

Little Computer Nerd in Training

Noah loves electronics as we all know. Keys are only fun to play with the opener part, cell phones are his best friend, tv remotes are difficult to extract from his little fingers (and doing such usually means a bit of a meltdown!)...and so forth! His latest love for electronics includes the computer. We have a broken or unused keyboard that we let him play with now after he broke three keys off of our laptop.

Good thing there is no computer nerdiness in his genes. :) He is in for some nerd trouble I think, from looking at his parents...

Just HAD to share this photo...

I sat down for a minute to do something yesterday, and when I turned around...apparently this is what Noah does to relax...

So cute, I just had to share! He loves his little "lazyboy" chair.

A visit with Ellen

Our Memorial Day weekend turned out to be quite eventful. The best part was getting to see my sister-in-law Ellen, who flew in from Nicaragua for a wedding in Elkhart. We were only there for a few hours, but it was a great time to hang out with Ellen and another friend, Lisa. Since we didn't think the road trip would be nearly as much fun with a crying toddler in the backseat, Noah stayed part of the day with his cousins at my sister Jill's house and the rest of the day at my parents'.

SO fun to see Ellen! We miss you! (And Luke too!)

Video: Rocky Mountains

Here is a short clip of us in the Rockies.

Colorado Pics Part III

All of these pictures were taken in Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado. I didn't caption them. Some of the scenery was just entirely breathtaking. It reminded us of Psalm 19:1

The heavens declare the glories of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

God's creation is so beautiful.

Colorado Pics Part II

Noah's new look...always wearing hats and carrying something in his hand!!


It was so much fun to hang out with Katy! We haven't lived within 500 miles of each other for about 4 years now...

Enjoying the scenery in Rocky Mountain National Park...

Family photo in the mountains

We got to see many animals while we were there, one of many being Elk. At one point in a hike we passed about 15 elk all grazing in this swamp area, and I was worried they were going to charge at us. We snuck by uneventfully.

True little Colorado hiker. Sunglasses, cargo pants, water bottle, and snowboarding shirt.

Spending lots of time with Aunt Katy

Colorado Pics Part I

I am extremely delayed in posting these pics from our trip to Colorado earlier this month. We had a little trouble with our camera and uploading, but the problem seems to be fixed for now. So here are a few pics (and more to come):

Ski Lift shot - where are the clear skies promised to us by our Colorado family members?



Jason and Eric - brother in laws going skiing/snowboarding together (while the girls and the baby stayed back and toured the chocolate factory...haha)

The mountain they skiied down...

Marwood buddies--Jeff, Jason, Eric, and Keith. We had so much fun hanging out together, grilling out and playing pool in Keith and Kate's house in Boulder.

Keith and Kate Davis - Keith was Jason's roommate at Marwood at Purdue and a good friend of ours. This was the first time we got to meet Kate!

Red Rocks Park. Here we are with a big rock behind us. :)

Must have a picture by the sign to prove we were there!

Katy and Eric got to practice their parenting skills on Noah. They determined they needed at least 5 more years before they expand their family in any ways other than cats.

No sunny skies for us, but still a beautiful park!

Hanging out in the Red Rocks park stage area. Noah IS in this picture too. :)

More to come....

Book Reviews: TV Show Bios: Jon & Kate and 18 Kids

Having grown up in a family of eight children, it captivates me to see how other large families function harmoniously and manage their homes. I've just recently finished reading two similar books about large families showcased on TV. The two families are Jon & Kate Gosselin from the show Jon & Kate Plus 8 and the Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar from 18 Kids and Counting.



Jon & Kate's book Multiple Blessings was a wonderful chronicle of God's faithfulness to them and provision for them through the past several years. They are dedicated Christians, devoted to honoring God in all they do. Their book told of their struggle to have children, their committed pro-life stance against selective reduction, their miracle of healthy sextuplets born at 30 weeks, the financial struggles and blessings that followed, and the massive number of volunteers that aided their young children. Kate is a natural organizer and list-maker, and she readily admitted her greatest struggle is day-to-day allowing God to have total control of her life. Her final thoughts in the book were of God's control, gracious strength, trustworthiness, love, provision, and glory. Definitely a GREAT read!

While the Duggars have 10 more kids than the Gosselins, most of their children were singletons (minus two sets of twins). The Duggars' book 20 and Counting told story after story of God's faithfulness to them through their stewardship of finances. They have a policy that they will not go into debt for any reason. That is amazing considering the size of their family!! Jim Bob wrote of financial mistakes he had made in his life and how each one reminded him of his need to trust God and not himself. Their family has organized systems and schedules that drive each day, and each child, from the oldest to almost the youngest, takes part in the household chores, called "jurisdictions." The book reminded me again to trust God for his provision and to be a good steward of financial resources!

14 months... almost

A few pictures of our almost-14-month-old toddler. No longer a baby...how did this happen?

Noah in with his new look. He loves wearing hats. And he likes borrowing mommy's keys to wear them around his neck like I do. :) This picture doesn't show him with a cell phone, but he also loves cell phones and remote controls....really, anything electronic with buttons. I think he is 1 going on 13....

Noah LOVES to play outside. He can't seem to get enough of the sunshine and warm air. Hmm...I wonder where he was born? My only complaint is that we have no play area for him to play, since our rental house is a condo and has just a small front yard area. Here he is sporting his new flip flop sandals that I love.

He now has 5 teeth....going on 6 teeth :) He had to go in for something a week or so ago, and he weighs 24 lbs 9 oz. Big boy! He loves to drink his milk and eat fruit, meat, bread, and veggies (pretty much everything...). He can say "HI" "Bye-bye" and "Cat". Occasionally we get a "Dada" out of him, but still no "Mama" =(