Happy Birthday, Hubby!

August 19th is a very significant day in the Saffeels' house.  Today is my hubby's birthday.  Timothy James Saffeels was born 27 years ago today and boy am I thankful!

Let me just say that I absolutely love and adore this man.  A lot.

It was 8 years ago that we met at Corban University {then Western Baptist College}.  I definitely noticed this new guy on campus right away.  I mean he was tall, funny, super duper handsome, loved the Lord, had an amazing tenor voice, could play drums, piano, trumpet, beatbox...Wow!  What more could a girl ask for?

Here's a peek at those early days...

I love looking back on the years and seeing the ways God grew us through our relationship.  He took us through so many stages: friendship, waiting, dating, more waiting, friendship, more dating, engaged, and finally...MARRIED! 

Throughout all the stages of our relationship, one thing always remained the same...Tim has always been a strong man of God.  I was always so impressed and drawn to his passionate and outspoken love for the Lord and for God's word.  No matter what setting I saw him in, Tim always had his Bible in hand and was ready to share about the Lord.  

 If that isn't attractive to a girl, I don't know what is.

Timothy James-

 I am so thankful that you were born 27 years ago and that the Lord saw fit to bless me 8 years ago when He brought you into my life.  Saying yes to you on May 1st, 2010 was the best decision I made besides accepting Christ.  Thank you for being a man of character and honor.  Thank you for loving the Lord more than you love me.  Thank you for encouraging me and pushing me to look more like Christ.  Thank you for serving the Lord with your whole heart.  Thank you for loving people so selflessly.  Thank you for being the most patient, caring, and loving man I know.  I am so excited to serve and grow alongside you, babes!  You are going to be the most amazing and fun Dad to our little guy and I can't wait to meet him with you in a few months.  

You make me smile.

Thanks for completing me...you truly are my better half!

PS- I REALLY hope our little buddy looks something like this...

Seriously...SO SO cute.

Happy Birthday, Babe!

Where did July go!?!

It's August.  July is done.  It is unbelievable how fast the month flew by.  And it sure was a good month.  Here is a quick update on what has been going on in the life of Tim and Michelle (and baby boy)...

*Two AMAZING Family weddings!  

Wedding #1- My beautiful sister, Nicholle, got married on Sunday July 8th.  It was a warm summer evening at Green Villa garden adorned with dark purple, peacock feathers, oreo truffles, a nice breeze, and wonderful friends and family!  It was an amazing day and I am so happy for Jason and Nicholle Brainard!  Here is a little glimpse of their beautiful wedding party...

Photo by Megan M. Jones Photography

Wedding # 2- My amazing brother-in-law, Rick, and my dear friend, Caley, got married 6 days later on Saturday, July 14th.  Tim and I both had the honor of being included in their wedding...SO MUCH FUN!  It was an equally amazing and beautiful weekend of wedding festivities. The bridal party was so much fun, the setting was gorgeous, the family was all in town, and it couldn't have been a more perfect day!  I am so thankful for these 2 and the incredible friend and sister I have in Caley!  And here is a little glimpse of the wedding party from their day...

Photo taken by Jim Saffeels :)

*Big Decisions- With baby boy coming in less than 3 months, we definitely are starting to feel the crunch to get things ready and settled in.  We just transitioned into our cozy little apartment in April and we're praying about what to do for housing during this next phase.  Do we try to buy a house so we have more space?  Do we stay and work with the space we have?  Hard decisions.  God gave us a lot of clarity and after lots of prayer and a few melt-down moments (for Michelle, not Tim), we decided staying put in our little apartment was the wisest decision for our family.  And I am SO excited!  We have had fun being creative and shifting our closets/belongings around to the maximize the space we have.  I will be sure to post some of the creative ways we are making it work in the next few months.  

Now that we have decided to stay put, nesting has begun.  We are so excited to start pulling everything together to welcome baby boy.  Tim, his Dad, and my Dad started baby room phase # 1 last night and painted the walls a lovely shade of...well, I'll just have to surprise you soon!  

But here is a glimpse of the before...

*Settling into a New Phase- As we approach the fall, Tim and I are so excited about this new phase the Lord is bringing us into.  A year ago, we had no idea the journey God was about to take us on.  Through a span of months, God made it very clear that Tim was being called into full-time ministry.  Our hearts were being shaped and molded for this transition.  In the midst of this process we also found out that we were pregnant...SURPRISE!!!  As the spring progressed and after lots of prayer, God provided the opportunity for Tim to come on full-time at our Church, Salem Heights, in the youth ministry.  We could not be more excited to be involved in serving our incredible church family in a full-time capacity.  Much of July has been spent doing Tuesday park nights with the youth, meeting with the staff and getting excited for the school year.  Pray for Tim as he continues to transition and plan for the school year and pray for me that I can be a support to him in the ministry.  We are so blessed!

Another big change this fall is that I am going to be...staying home!  It hasn't hit me yet and probably won't until Sept. when everyone else goes back to school and I don't.  This will be the first time since kindergarten that I haven't gone to school in the fall.  I am going to definitely miss the kids and teaching, but could not be more excited to be at home with my baby boy.  Pray for us that God would be molding and cultivating our hearts to be prepared to love and parent our little boy with Christ's love.  And here is a little glimpse of what he is looking like right now...

We are in the 28th week and still feeling great!  

That's about it for now.  Be back soon for more updates on baby boy and life!

July 8th: Baby Sister's Getting Hitched...

July 8th is the big day.  2 more days and my baby sister will have put on her beautiful wedding dress and gone from being Nicholle Howden to Nicholle Brainard!

Somehow we went from being little kids to the "were-old-enough-to-get-married-and-grow-up"stage overnight.  How did that happen?

I remember meeting my sweet baby sister in November of my kindergarten year.

I was the most excited 5 year old sister you've ever met!  We looked something like this...

I was SO thrilled that I was old enough to help Mom with this new little baby girl.  I wanted to be involved in everything!

The years flew by and we all began to grow up.  Our days were filled with:

- Hours of playing house in our backyard fort.

-Setting up Barbie cities on every surface in our bedrooms.

- Dancing to Michael Card in dress up clothes in the living room.

- Playing a game where I would lay on the floor and balance Cole on my feet and then catapult her across the room.  This ended after a not so successful attempt, which resulted in a lack of breathing followed by lots of crying.

-Hours of braiding and curling hair.

-Monday Dinner dates at my apartment.

-Spending a week on our couches watching Monk and Psych when I had Strep and Cole was recovering from surgery.

-Watching my sister and my future husband bond and become close friends.

-Getting married and having Cole up there with me, crying with me, and smiling with me.

-Telling Cole that she gets to be an auntie!

There are so many memories and emotions rolling around within me right now.

2 days is not only the countdown 'til Wedding Day, but also the countdown for Jason and Nicholle to leave and start their new life in California.

I am so excited for July 8th and for my sister to marry the man that she loves!  It is going to be an amazing day of celebrating, smiling, and laughing.

A part of me is hoping that these next 2 days last a little longer than normal because I know I will have to say goodbye to one of my closest friends.

Cole,

I am so proud of the woman you are and so happy for you and Jason!  I know God will bless your marriage as you put Him at the center.  Thanks for being such an amazing sister and buddy through these past 21 years...I wouldn't trade you for anything!  I'm going to miss you, brown-haired twin.  Can't wait for Skype dates!

 Love, Your proud Big Sister