Last diaper

We've reached a significant milestone as parents.
The LAST DIAPER!!!!!
Zeke turns 8 in April so this marks the first time in 8 years without changing diapers.
Moses is now officially rockin' undies and pull ups.
We're still experiencing about one accident a day but it feels like the worst of it is over.
We've done it all...
Cloth with pins
Cloth with covers
G-Diapers with cloth
G-Diapers with inserts
Regular Diapers
Pull ups
Swimmers
It's a big day for the Lances.
Celebrate milestones!
Moral of story...
If you're in the middle of a poop season know that it can be over in 8 years :)

Want a dog?

Today we got the blood test back from Moses' allergy test.
Milk, eggs, soy, cats, dogs, walnuts.
Bummer.
Time for Scarlet to go.
Anyone in the market for a Morky?
Half Maltese / Half Yorkie
Cute dog...licks the air for no reason...eats kleenex
Doesn't shed...poops small...eats mostly cheerios and rice...
Unless you don't have kids. Then she will probably eat dog food.
Let me know.

Lord of the Flies Saturday mornings

It's becoming a Lance family tradition.
Sunday-Friday we're up at ridiculous times to run or take kids to school.
Seriously...who decided it makes sense to start pre-school at 7:30?
But Saturday's are a different story.

On Saturday its Lord of the Flies, anything goes, survival of the fittest.
Alyssa and I stay in bed as long as physically possible. Today it was 9!
Kids come in 38 times yelling about breakfast..."someone punched me"..."the play room is on fire"
Our response stays consistent..."work it out, go back to the playroom."

Promise we are good parents 6.5 days of the week.
As parents of three you need a morning that you can be a little selfish.
I should write a parenting book :)

When you finally get up you have to change your mindset.
You have to be ok with 4 things you value being broken and a healthy layer of milk and cheerios coating the floor.

The rest of the day consists of special breakfast, wii games, playing outside, reading, naps, friends, and general tomfollery! It's our Sabbath...it's what we do.

Do you have a day of rest?

17 years

Valentines Day marks the first date for Alyssa and I 17 years ago.
I was 17 she was 16.
I came straight from baseball practice to a Valentines party our church was throwing.
It was one of those random throw people together nights but I rigged the system to spend the evening with Alyssa.
The rest is history. We were on and off for 5.5 years before the wedding bells rang.
We've shared a lot of these days and I've gotta say the last two days have been tough to beat.
Alyssa is the best...period.
I could write a book about it but that says it all.
I could not love her anymore than I do!
Thanks for 17 unforgettable years babe!

Mo

Love it.

It doesn't get better than this!

It's official...

...Mo is walkin'! He walks down the entire hall now without falling. Crazy. Now if we could just get Sof talkin'! This year is gonna be intense. Zeke in first grade. Sofia turning three, getting potty trained and talking. And Mo is officially mobile. It's exciting times to be a dad. All the kids were wrestling in the play room tonight and I was lovin' it. Of course that was minutes after Mo had grabbed Sofia's potty that she had just peed in and poured it on himself.
It's my life!

It's been quite a summer

Today is Labor Day...my last post was Fathers Day...oopps
Sometimes you need two and a half month breaks from things in your life...like exercise!
Here's my summer in bullet points
- In-laws visit Redding...got a ridiculous amount of projects done
- Lake Siskiyou with the Gafners...amazing
- Mom came to town...Alyssa and I got away to Sac to celebrate being married for 10 incredible years.
- Camping in San Simeon with great friends that are now spread up and down the coast
- Went to Indiana for a week to hang at a lake house for a huge family reunion. All of Alyssa's side lives out there.
- Came home...Zeke started first grade
- Staff retreat on a house boat
- Mo's almost walkin'...Sof is almost making sense when she talks
- It's a good time to be alive
- See...now you're all caught up.

In the midst of all this my job has changed significantly. I now oversee our staff at the Stirring and define most of the systems that we operate under as a church...I love it.
I still speak about once a month and lead worship here and there but I also hire and fire and figure out how we will retire. I've also been known to change a mean tire :)
In the midst of the job switch the Stirring was presented with a building that we are praying about purchasing. Because I've owned more homes than anyone on staff I'm the "experienced one" when it comes to these matters so I'm leading the way in figuring all that stuff out...it's been an adventure.
I love my church...I love our team...I love what God is doing in Redding and around the world.

It's been a great summer...I'm back.

Fathers Day

Thanks for the picture Emily.
We dedicated Moses on Fathers Day this year. As I was praying for him it all hit me again that this kid was an unbelievable miracle. It's crazy how you can forget that kind of stuff when you're not sleeping and changing an ungodly amount of dirty diapers.
If you don't know my story...my wife and I adopted our first two kids. We always wanted to adopt...just thought it would happen after we had our own biological baby. We struggled with infertility for 7 years. Then out of nowhere when we are finally settled and content with our two kid life, God gives us Moses. What the heck...God is funny.
Being a dad of three is awesome. I love the chaos of my life. I long for quiet moments at times but I could not ask for a better life. It was a great Fathers Day!

Sofia's not so sure about photo booth

Next few days

Leave tonight for camping...Lake Siskiyou (ridiculous amount of vowels)...Gafners...smores...amazing!
Get back...Lead worship at Stirring...mom comes into town.
Leave kids with moms...Alyssa and I head to Sac for 1.5 day to ourselves...celebrating the 10 year anniversary...a little late but much needed.
Getting ready for all this to happen with 3 kids can send you to the loonie bin!
Cya in a few days!

Zeke lost his first tooth!

Zeke's cousins are in town and they gave him some gum. An hour later he comes over and his tooth is gone.
He had no clue.
I think he swallowed it!
Unbelievable.
I can't believe I have kids that are loosing teeth.
He said something about a dollar from the tooth fairy. I told him the tooth fairy has been hit like everyone else in the economy.
Be happy with a quarter!

No longer in kindergarten

Wow!

Have you seen my nephew yet?

Joshua Thomas Lance
He's got the Lance forehead for sure.
I was leaving Costa Mesa at the conference we were at right when he was born. We were hoping it would happen when we were down there but he decided to chill for a week past his due date...bummer.
Can't wait to give him a noogie and hype him up on sugar...you know...good uncle stuff!
Congratulations Mike and Becky...he's amazing!

Answered prayers

So Alyssa made the flight with the three kids safely.
I was praying for God to send someone that would sit across from them that would help them out.
Alyssa just called me.
A bald guy with tattoos that looked like me sat across the ailse from them and Moses watched him the whole time and was calm.
God's awesome.
He sends bald, tattooed guys onto planes to entertain my son.
Thought I'd share.

Tomorrow

It's Alyssa and the kids last night in Riverside.
They leave to go back to Redding tomorrow.
Here's the scenario:
Alyssa, Zeke, Sofia, Moses, no dad, on a plane back to Sac.
Then a 2 hour drive back to Redding. Pray for my family.
I'm stickin' around for a couple days and then going to the Catalyst conference in Irvine.
Redding peeps...Do me a favor and keep an eye on my family while I'm gone...life of a single parent with three kids is intense.

When home stops being home

It's happened before.
I'm fourth generation Riverside, born and raised.
But I went to Simpson college in Redding almost 10 years ago...wow, I'm old.
The first two years I was there, Riverside was always home.
I just went to school in Redding.
But the third year something happened.
When I would come to Riverside on break, things felt weird.
I missed my Redding friends, Riverside skies looked extra brown, and catching up with friends here wasn't as easy.
Right when Redding started feeling like home I moved back to Riverside...it was weird...it took a while for Riverside to become home again...but it did.
Well, a year and a half ago we moved back to Redding and it's happened again.
Redding is my home.
I love Riverside but it's not home.
My family is here and I miss them, but I miss my family in Redding.
I'm wondering what's going on and what I'm missing. I love my church. I love the blue skies. I love the pace of life. Redding is my home again...weird.
When we would go home last year to visit Riverside I would say I'm going home for vacation. Now I just say I'm going on vacation.
I love seeing friends and family here. Riverside will always have a special place in my heart but Redding is home now.
Anyone else experience this...it's weird.

Vacay

Next couple weeks:
Tomorrow- practice with worship team...enjoy time with fam
Sunday- Easter: 30-40 baptisms at the Stirring...unbelievable!
Monday- Sabbath...playin' some music that night...stoked
Tuesday- Work...all day staff stuff
Tuesday night- leave for Riverside
Wednesday - Wednesday- chill...hang with friends...family...hopefully see my nephew if he decides to be born while we're there...golf...chill...nap...turn 33...chill!
Wednesday - Friday: Catalyst conference with some Stirring homies
Friday night: Drive back to Redding...get home about 4am!
Saturday: Back at it!
It's gonna be a good couple weeks.
I'm might even blog a little more than I have been...don't count on it.
Shalom.

Every parent needs a poop machine!

Well Alyssa left last night for women's retreat so it's just me and the kiddos for a couple days.
Moses was up last night at midnight, 1am, and 4am...yippee.
Zeke and Sofia were up playing forever in their room till 10pm.
That didn't stop Zeke from waking me up this morning at 6:30am...good times!

On to the poop machine...
Every morning we feed Moses and stick him in this weird jumper type contraption.
He poops instantly. It's amazing.
There are times he just looks at weird jumper type contraption and poops.
Every parents dream.
Scheduling poops is a little slice of heaven.
You're running out to the store...quick 5 minutes in the poop machine.
The play room actually has a moment that it doesn't smell like Satan's underbelly...to the poop machine.
It's the greatest thing ever.
They should make an adult version!

Busy weekend

Sorry for the blog silence.
Saturday was an amazing day.
Got up...helped Patrick and Bethany move...came home...dug out 5 stumps in my backyard...went to Sean's house...climbed a 75 foot tree in his front yard with a chainsaw and cut it down.
Not gonna lie...some of the most intense moments of my life...I captured some pics on my phone that I put up on Facebook.
Yesterday I led worship with an amazing team for all three gatherings...the Heaven series has been great!
We also finished up the caulking and painting of the pantry...Thanks Eric...it looks awesome!
More to come. I'm gonna enjoy a Sabbath with the fam today.
I preach this weekend at the Stirring...Salvation is the door...that's all you're gonna get...you gotta be there or grab the podcast :)
Shalom.