Last day...

Today is the last day to buy tickets for the Steven Curtis Chapman concert that Travis is opening up for at The Grove of Anaheim this Thursday night 8:00pm.  The tickets are $25 each... you can message Travis at travis@travisryanmusic.com to get a ticket.

sometimes I am still in shock...

I just can't believe that we are going to get to experience this again in only 6 months!!!  It just feels so surreal!

Our BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

Well, we have shared lots of exciting news as of late, but there really is nothing more exciting than another little blessing from the Lord that is growing within me :)  We are expecting BABY #2 to arrive sometime around October 24th!!! I am 12 weeks along and finally getting a little bit of my energy back.

Here is the story of this little blessing...
We had originally thought we wanted to have another baby closer to Hudson's 2nd birthday (which is just in a couple of weeks), but after considering all the different circumstances in our life and praying together... we decided to wait about 6 months longer than we had planned.  It was hard waiting, but we both felt like we were making the right decision.  We had to trust God with His timing and we knew that regardless of our plans God is ultimately the One who gives life.  So, we were beyond thrilled when we found out on February 11th that I was pregnant with this little baby!!!!  So, Hudson and this little one will be almost exactly 2 1/2 years apart (that is if this baby comes on time).

It was really sweet for me to get to tell Travis that we were officially going to be a family of 4!  It was one of the sweet moments in life that we will always remember and cherish.  Later that evening we dropped Hudson off with my parents and headed out for date together to celebrate.  We pulled out the same little outfits I used to tell Travis I was pregnant with Hudson and we took a family picture.  

It was great to spend the time just the two of us talking about all that we are looking forward to and just being so thankful to the Lord for this little blessing.  

About a week later, I immediately started having morning sickness which was about the exact same time I started feeling sick with Hudson.  I was really worried about traveling on an international flight to the UK with a toddler and with the schedule I knew we had while we there.  I even contemplated not going... but I decided to call my doctor and she gave me what I call my "magic pills" :).  These little pills were sent to me from heaven :)  The medicine is completely safe for both me and the baby, so I decided to try it.  It is amazing how 5 minutes after I take the medicine I completely feel better.  Needless to say, I felt great on our trip to the UK and I haven't had to deal with the morning sickness the last couple of months.

Although I haven't been feeling sick (thanks to my pills), I have been exhausted!  I did great with the jet lag on the way to England, but when we got home... I was wiped out!!! Seriously, whenever Hudson was sleeping... I was sleeping.   So, it feels great to finally have some energy back.

We had our first ultrasound at 8 weeks and it was just so amazing!  We were beyond thrilled to see that there was only one baby and to see the baby had a strong heartbeat.   We have since had the ultrasound picture hanging on our fridge and every time Hudson sees it, he says, "baby!".

We decided to take a family picture together in London to share our big news.  So, here are my two favorite pictures from our entire trip :) 

It is also amazing how much quicker I am already showing with this baby.  I am thankful for my friends who have two children for warning me about this.  I hear that I will slow down somewhere towards the middle.  Either way, I absolutely love being pregnant.  

(I didn't realize until today that I am wearing the same outfit as the day we found out I was pregnant...haha)

Here I am at 12 weeks!

I am one of those crazy women who loves being pregnant, and thanks to the grace of God I had a great delivery and I didn't have any trouble at all with nursing Hudson.  I remember when I checked into the hospital when I was in labor with Hudson... the nurse reviewed my chart and said I was the perfect patient.  This is of no credit to me, but all to the Lord.  I am so thankful to have had a healthy pregnancy and delivery with Hudson.  We are praying once again that the Lord would grant us grace with another healthy pregnancy, delivery and baby.  

We just got back from our 12 week check up with the doctor today and it was so great to hear our little baby's heartbeat.  It is just as exciting hearing it the second time around.  We can't wait to see Hudson as a big brother.  We are so excited to have another little newborn and all the joys that another little will bring into our lives.  God is so good and we are so undeserving of His gifts.  He is the One to be praised! 

The Grove of Anaheim on April 28th!!!

We just found out that Travis and the guys will be opening up for Steven Curtis Chapman at The Grove of Anaheim on April 28th!!!  We will be selling tickets and I will soon post about how you can purchase the tickets.  

England {part 3}

The next day, John, the president of the Integrity London office picked us up and took us to Eastborne where their office is.  Eastborne is also along the sea and just about 35 minutes north of Brighton.  We spent the first few hours touring Eastborne and walking along the boardwalk.  We stopped on the boardwalk at a little cafe for a cup of tea and we had the most wonderful conversation with John.  Again, another man of God who we were left so encouraged by.  He really just spurred us on in our faith and it was just so refreshing.  I would love to share all the things God was doing in us, but I would end up writing a book.  

After we spent some time in Eastborne, we headed to the office where we got to meet more of the Integrity staff.  It was so great to meet the staff who will be behind releasing Travis' album in UK.  Travis and Brandon were able to share there story with them, get to know them a little and just answer a any questions they had.

Here is a picture of us with some of the staff and John: 

Later that night we took a train back into London and headed back to Ben and Brett's houses.  The following day Hudson actually woke up sick, so we stayed home for the next two days.  However, as far as timing goes it worked out perfectly.   I felt awful that Hudson was sick, but at least most of our traveling around England was done.  The remainder of our trip was spent just in London. 

The day Hudson woke up sick, Travis and Brandon had another writing appointment this time with Ben Cantalone.  The following day they had to do some recording to send in the work tapes of the new songs to Integrity.  So while I was home with Hudson the guys were working... so we didn't miss out on much.   

Ben's wife, Jess is actually a nurse so it was great to have her around while Hudson was sick.  She and Ben were sooo accommodating and being home for two days actually allowed for some great time to visit.  Jess and I really enjoyed getting to teach each other about our cultural differences.  I loved getting to hear all about the queen and just the British customs.  

On the way to one of their appointments, Travis and Brandon were able to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.  I encouraged them to go without me because I had been to the changing of the guards when I was in college and I back packed across Europe.  I didn't want them to miss out on the opportunity.  Here is a video they took during the ceremony:

The final day we were in London we just toured around.  We took the Tube (their underground train system) into downtown London to see a few of the classic sight seeing spots:

Again, Hudson taking his nap in the stroller while we walked around:

Brandon was so much fun to have with us, plus he is great with Hudson and Hudson adores him!

You can see the London Eye in the background:

The classic telephone booth photo...too bad Hudson was sleeping while we took this picture:

The oh-so-famous Big Ben clock:

The street preformers were quite entertaining too:

This guy was crazy... Travis and Brandon couldn't stop laughing.  To think this guy makes a living like this:

We were able to hear the boys choir sing at the Westminister Abbey.  Every time they would stop singing Hudson would say, "more"... I guess he really liked it :)

This was the first H&M I ever shopped at ....haha... way back when I was in college long before H&M ever made it to the states:

Downtown London has such a fun night vibe... we totally could have spent sooo much more time there. The last thing we were able to do was to meet up with Jonas Myrin for a cup of fresh squeezed juice at this really awesome little spot.  Jonas is another great writer and we actually have a ton of mutual friends.  It was great to meet with him and to just hear all that God is doing in his life.  

Then we took the Tube back home to pack, visit a little more with Ben and Jess, and head back to the states the following morning.  Our flight home was great and Hudson slept on and off for the 11 1/2 hour flight.  Trav and I always wanted to be able to go to Europe together and it just worked out perfectly that since Hudson was only 22 months old we didn't have to pay for his plane ticket.  We definitely got our money's worth from the airlines considering Hudson has flown quite a bit and all for free.  He will be turning 2 in a couple of weeks which means we now will have to start buying his ticket :/  

It was a busy trip with lots of traveling, but such a wonderful trip.  We are so thankful that the Lord allowed us all to have such a great opportunity.

England {part 2}

After we drove the 2 hour drive back from Cambridge, we dropped off the rental car at the airport and took a 45 minute taxi ride into London where we stayed with the most wonderful families!  Travis met Ben and Brett when they were visiting Saddleback Church before they were about to start regional campuses back at the home church in London.  Travis really hit it off with them and they invited him to stay with either of their families if ever he came to London.  Who would have thought that only 8 months later, Travis, Brandon, Hudson and I would all be staying with them!  

I was a little nervous about intruding in their home, but oh my goodness... what a God ordained relationship.  I was able to skype the night before we flew out and talk with Ben and his wife, Jess who Travis, Hudson and I stayed with.  I couldn't believe how well we connected even in just 30 minutes on skype.  I was instantly excited and knew that we were going to have a great time.  Every night that we stayed with Ben and Jess we would inevitably stay up way too late talking.  Most of the nights we weren't in bed before 2:00am.  Again, it was just so refreshing to us spiritually and so encouraging to see what God is doing in another part of the world. 

Ben and Jess have a 5 year old little boy and a 2 1/2 year old little girl... and Hudson loved both of them!  We loved getting to hear their children speak with their British accents and they loved hearing little Hudson speak with his "American" accent...haha.  We had a great time trying to imitate each other.    I am sooo bummed because most of our time we were just visiting casually in their home, drinking tea and eating crumpets and of course, also eating a ton of other wonderful food... and we never even took one picture of them!  We are hoping they will be visiting us soon here in the states so we will have to make us for that ;)  

Brandon stayed down the street at Brett and his wife, Joe's house.  Brett and Ben have been on staff together at their church for a few years now and both of them just launched their churches first regional campuses...actually the launch was the very weekend we were there!  Brett and Joe were equally wonderful and we really enjoyed spending time with them.  One of the last nights we were there we all gathered at Ben and Jess' for some delicious Chinese food and fellowship.   It really was such an encouraging night!

Anyway, the first night we were at their home we were only there for a few hours only long enough to get about 5 hours of sleep before we left early the next morning to catch a train into Brighton.  Brighton is a beautiful city that is right on the sea.  It was absolutely stunning and it was just fun to see another part of the country.  

This was Hudson's first of many train rides:

Once we got to Brighton we met up with Matt Redman for breakfast at this amazing little spot.   It reminded us of a restaurant you might find in Laguna Beach.  The food was amazing!

Trav loved his tea that came with fresh strawberries in it: 

Travis, Brandon and Matt before they headed out for a day of writing:

The whole crew with Matt:

I have to say Matt Redman is such a Godly man who really loves the Lord, loves God's word, has a huge heart for the church and he is definitely a family man.  I have been so blessed by his ministry of writing worship songs and it was so great to meet him and see that he really was as genuine as I had hoped.   

The guys headed to Matt's church that was actually built in 1824 and Brandon was able to play on one of the best pianos in the world.  It was actually the same brand of pianos that is provided to the queen.  They had the blessing of being able to write 2 songs with Matt during the few hours they were together.  Both of the songs will be on Travis' album that they are currently in the studio recording. 

Anyway, while the guys were gone, Hudson fell asleep in his stroller and I had the most wonderful and relaxing afternoon.  I sat along the sea's edge, drank a cup of hot tea, watched my baby boy sleep and was able to read my Bible and just journal.  It really was such a sweet time with the Lord that I will always remember and cherish.  There are times that God just speaks to our hearts and that was one of those times. 

I must say, I absolutely love that our little boy is easy going.  He can go anywhere and sleep anywhere.  His flexibility made for a great trip with him considering we were traveling so much even while we were in England. 

The architecture and the view were just amazing.  While Hudson was still asleep I walked along the boardwalk and just enjoyed all the sights and sounds. 

Hudson and I checked into our hotel and relaxed for a little bit while we waited for the guys to return.  Then for dinner we went to Wagamama... a recommendation from our friend BD... seriously, it was some of the best Japanese food I have ever had!   Hudson slept through the whole dinner so we actually had a relaxing quiet dinner together :)

And they had a gluten free menu for Brandon... which is sooo rare and sooo amazing when restaurants are actually aware of food allergies! 

England {part 1}

It is hard to begin blogging about our trip to England, because there are so many wonderful stories we could tell.  I don't plan on sharing them all on my blog, but I will share a few.  Overall, the trip was so refreshing for all of us spiritually and God really spoke to us in so many different ways. 

Hudson did amazing on both flights.  He has always traveled really well on the 4-5 hour fllights we often take to and from Ohio, but flying for 10-12 hours is a whole different story.  He did amazing!  On the way there we had an extra seat for him.  He played for the first 4 hours, then we layed his blanket down on his seat and he slept in between Travis and I for the next 6 hours.  When we landed he woke up happy and ready to go.

Here is Trav with Hudson after he received his first stamp in his passport:

After we landed we picked up the car that we were planning on renting for the duration of the trip,  however, after our drive into Cambridge and after crunching a few more numbers, we ended up returning the car the next day.  It was one of the best decisions we made. With that said, it was a great experience and we definitely had fun! After 30 minutes in the parking lot and laughing until I was crying... we finally had a few legistics figured out and we were on our way.

  I was the one who was driving... so just imagine driving on the wrong side of the road, from the wrong side of the car, and a stick shift on the wrong side... all of that was manageable, BUT what was worse was their round-abouts.  I would get nervous everytime we got close to a round-about.  They definitely are not like our round-abouts and they go flying off their freeways into a them at really high speeds.   I was the one driving because we thought I would be dropping off the guys at all their writing appointments and it costs more to add additional drivers.  However, after our first few round-abouts, if the guys could have driven, I would have happily handed over the keys.

 We didn't take any pictures of our car, but here is a short video.  Brandon did a great job navigating while Trav hung out with Hudson in the back seat:

From the airport, we headed straight for Cambridge where we walked around a little and grabbed a bite to eat.  Talk about a town full of history... I wish we could have stayed longer and explored:

It really is just amazing and breath taking all the architecture and history that is found on every corner:

After dinner we headed to St. Ives which is right outside of Cambridge, where we stayed with the Kirk family.  Our visit with them can only be described as "refreshing".  Talk about a family who walks with the Lord and pursues Him with all that they are!  Just hearing about what God is doing in their lives and ministries was just amazing.  I felt myself fighting back the tears on more than one occasion.  There is something infectious about people who are passionate about our Savior.  There family has been following Christ for 8 generations!  What an amazing heritage!

Hudson loved getting to play with all the British children that were around:

Even Brandon had a good time with the kids:

Hudson and Harry had a special relationship.  Anything... and I mean anything Harry did made Hudson laugh.  We can still talk about Harry and Hudson will start laughing or he will start imitating Harry.  It is such a blessing to see how children are completely unaware of cultural differences... they just know how to love.  It was so sweet to watch:

A little jet lagged (Although, I must say the jet lag was not bad when we got there, but when we got home... we all had a hard time adjusting):

The next morning Travis and Brandon led worship for a church plant in St. Ives.  Travis is still talking about how blessed he was by this church.  They were suppose to lead worship for 40 minutes, but they ended up leading worship for the entire hour and half.  The people were so responsive to the Lord... it was really moving to be a part of worshiping our Creator together. 

Towards the end of this video you will see the pastor dancing and worshipping with the children in the main service... we loved it!

A simple school room, a simple system, and a group of believers who are passionate about their Savior...

Brandon and Travis with more of the Kirk family:

The Kirk grandfather... he is 94 years old and loves the Lord with every fiber in him:

The pastor of the church:

After the service we all stayed around to enjoy tea, coffee and fellowship.  I loved how everyone didn't rush out...they just spent time with each other. Then after lunch and more fellowship with the Kirk family, they showed us around St. Ives.  Some of these buildings are over 700 years old!

This used to be the one and only water pump for the entire town:

Here is a picture of a home with a thatched roof... they still keep up the roofs and people still live in them!

In front of a church and graveyard over 700 years old:

It is amazing to think people have been worshipping the Lord in this building for so many years:

Brandon and I showing how short this door was... I guess they used to just bend down when they entered into the homes.  This home is still being used:

Hudson all snuggled up in his stroller:

More of the beauty of St. Ives: