2013 Recap

Well, it's been over a year since I have posted so I decided to just to a recap of the year 2013.  This past year has been a VERY busy and life changing year for the Pesek family.  It has been full of closing and opening chapters of our lives, heartache, excitement, and has brought us so much closer to each other and to our Lord and Savior.

One year ago this month, Brad and I had interviews that would change our entire life. We were offered jobs at Diboll ISD and accepted the job offers. We turned in our resignation at Navarro ISD where Brad had spent his full 6 years teaching and I had spent 3 of my 5.  It was far from an easy decision but we knew God had a bigger plan and this was what he wanted us to do.  TONS of prayer went into this decision as we would be moving 282 miles from home.

In March, we celebrated Maddie's first birthday.  It is so neat to be able to share a birthday with her and I will always treasure it.  It is also pretty cool that Brad's birthday is just three days later.

In June we said our goodbyes to many friends and memories at Navarro ISD, the New Braunfels area, and our first house.  To say it was hard would be an understatement.  Brad and I began dating, graduated from college, lived in our very first apartment, got our first teaching jobs, bought our first house, had our first child, and made TONS of memories in this area.  It was a time that we had to really step out on faith and trust that God was leading us in the right direction.  We moved out of our beloved home on June 28th and a renter moved in July 1st.

We spent July adjusting the our new hometown of Diboll.  We moved in with my parents for a month and then in August moved into our own place. We wanted to buy, but decided to wait until we sell our home in New Braunfels.

August came with lots of stress and trials.  We began to get ready to start at our new schools - Brad at the high school teaching Algebra I and me at the junior high teaching 8th grade math and Algebra I.  It was a hard transition, but my co-workers and principal are awesome and I am loving my job and school, although, I still miss my Navarro coworkers.  The week before school began, Brad's popo Pekar was hospitalized for shortness of breath, coughing, and some other complications.  A few short weeks later he was diagnosed with cancer. On Thursday, October 10th he passed away.  We talk about him often and remember him daily.

The following week we got some awesome news!  We found out we were expecting our second child.  Brad and I were ecstatic.  Shortly after we shared the great news with our immediate family.  Unfortunately, two weeks after we got the positive pregnancy test, I went to the doctor and found out I was having a miscarriage.  At this point it seemed as though things were just piling up, struggling with the move, new jobs, death, and now tragedy.  It was a low point for both Brad and I.  We had many questions and struggled with why.  We spend lots of time in prayer and asking God to help us through all of the heartache.  As always, he did and gave us peace.

Just this month we had a HUGE prayer answered that we have been praying about for years.  Brad was offered a chance for a career change!!!!!  He was offered a job for a local company-a great company-owned by great people!!!!  It literally came out of no where and was complete divine intervention.  He put in his resignation to Diboll ISD and has agreed to stay until they find him a replacement.  Since the news, I have seen a spark in Brad that I haven't seen in a VERY long time.  He is spending this second week of Christmas break working and he is SO excited about it!

Once again, God's plan is always bigger and better than ours.  We had no idea that when God would move us out to Diboll it would lead to this great career opportunity for Brad.  We now have a GREAT church home, live within walking distance of my parents, and have made many life long friends here.  Maddie is doing WONDERFUL and is talking and making phrases.  We know God will bless us with another angel when the perfect time comes.  Until then, we feeling so humbly blessed.  God is good all the time.

1st Halloween

Last night was Maddie's first Halloween. Even though she goes to bed every night between 6:30 - 7, we still wanted to get her a costume, dress her up and take pictures. Next year I will have to remember that we live in Texas and Halloween has the potential of feeling like a summer day. Poor girl only had her costume on for no more than TEN minutes and was dripping wet when we took it off. We decided this year that she would be a lamb and Brad would be the shepherd. 

P.S. When did people stop following the 'porch-light-rule'? After we ran out of candy, we finally had to put a sign up on our door--Sleeping baby...DO NOT RING DOORBELL.

Daddy-Maddie time

One of the perks about Brad and I having the same job is that we get to spend ALL of our free time together as a family with Maddie. Sometimes this can also be a downfall for Brad to have quality time with Maddie. To anyone that has been around Maddie-it is NO question that she prefers Mommy over anyone else, and if I am in the same room as her, she doesn't care for anyone else to hold her. Because of this, I need to take myself out of the equation sometimes for Brad to have some Daddy-Maddie time.

Last night I had the privilege of getting to meet a brand new baby girl and visit with some friends of ours that are brand new parents. This precious baby girl isn't even quite 7 lbs yet, which is smaller than Maddie was when she was born. It was so sweet meeting her and crazy to think how much Maddie has changed and grown since then. It was bitter-sweet remembering the newborn phase. I love every new phase Maddie enters because it is fun and exciting and her personality is really beginning to shine through, but at the same time there are things I miss about each phase that passes by.

It was nice to be in the car, visit friends, and go grocery shopping by myself for a change all the while knowing Brad was loving his time with our precious girl. Knowing how important a daddy's role plays in every child's life, I am so blessed to be married to a man who cherishes his daughter and realizes the importance of it.

Brad sent me this picture as I was shopping at HEB.

Precious moments.

Little Reminders

I have really been struggling lately with having to spend so much time away from Maddie . By the time we get home, we only have about 3 hours with her before she goes to bed. That is ONLY 15 hours during the week. She is growing up so fast and I feel like I am missing things. BUT when I start to feel this way, God kindly reminds me how thankful I really should be. Thankful for my WONDERFUL husband who is the most amazing father to our daughter -who I get to carpool with to and from school each day, share lunch with, and spend way more time with than most wives are able to spend with their husbands.(Our students always ask-don't ya'll get tired of always being together...my answer is always...."NO, it is awesome to be married to your best friend.") Thankful for our wonderful babysitter who watches ONLY Maddie, charges next to nothing, and delivers her to school each day. Thankful for our jobs, a wonderful house, cars and many things we don't need. Thankful for my Godly parents who have taught me so much and continue to teach me every day and have blessed me with four awesome sisters and an amazing brother. Thankful for my great family that I married into and love just as much. Thankful for my health and so many more things.

God has blessed me in so many ways...in more ways than I can count. Sometimes I need to be reminded of these blessings and be humbled by them. God has a funny way of doing this quite often through my wonderful students. Unfortunately, it takes me realizing what some of these poor children have been through, are going through, and will go through to be humbled and thankful for what I have. There has been so many times when talking to a student, I have to say 'I am sorry you are going through this and I have no idea how you feel.' All I can do is pray for them, talk with them, and show them I care. 

Sometimes I get anxious about life. What is in store for my little family? Where will my children grow up? Will I teach forever? Where will we live? What is God's plan for my precious daughter?

Then God reminds me- Be content. Be happy. Enjoy every moment because they go by too fast. You are exactly where you are suppose to be at this moment in time doing exactly what you are suppose to be doing...and that is all that matters right now.

Pure Joy. :)

Loving every Milestone

Even though time goes by WAY too quickly during the week, Brad and I try and soak up every single little moment with Maddie. We are so blessed with a wonderful babysitter who drops Maddie off at our school every day! That gives us a little extra time with her during the week which we are so thankful for.

It seems like every day she is changing and growing. We have to constantly keep our eyes on her because she is climbing on everything! She is such a joy and a blessing and it is so fun to watch her learn and grow.

I miss her tons while I am at school, but God is reminding me daily that I am where I am suppose to be at this moment in time.

Mama's girl

Maddie, who is now a little over 7 months has gone through many different phases in her short little life, but she is no doubt a mama's girl. Most of the time it is WONDERFUL and I love that she loves me so much, but sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. Brad is such an AMAZING dad and helps out a ton, but sometimes she just won't have it. Today was one of those days.

The teething demon is back at our house for the second time. Her two top front teeth seem to be coming in and she was not feeling well today. Poor baby. Hopefully they will come in soon. When she isn't feeling well, she wants one of two things- mommy to hold her or to be outside. Sometimes it takes both to make her happy.

I love love love when this little girl falls alseep in my arms. I will always cherish these sweet memories.

Newbie!

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! I have decided to start a blog for a few reasons...none of those being because I am a great or even good writer. I am starting a blog for my family and friends that I don't see enough and for myself to reflect and relive. 

I am hoping to document great and not so great things that happen and enjoy myself while doing it. I hope everyone enjoys!

Today my husband, Brad, decided to run the Texas state Homecoming 5K. We had so much fun visiting our alma mater and bringing our daughter, Maddie, there for the very first time. It was a great time. He did very good and I am very proud of him!

Then we decided to take a trip to the pumpkin patch here in town to begin a tradition of our children picking our their pumpkins. It was such a fun time and Maddie was able to pick her very first pumpkin! Can't wait to do this every year!