Changing

A lot has been going on in the Choronzy family. We have kept busy and time keeps flying by, but I think what stands out to me the most lately is how quickly things can change. It has been so fun watching Elijah grow and discover the world. He does something new everyday! Here are just a few of the new things Eli can do:

• Roll over. He can roll from tummy to back and is very close to rolling from back to tummy!
• Squawk like a bird. Elijah has become quite the screecher and has a wonderful happy version and a terrifying mad version.
• Eat rice cereal, and smack his lips adorably while doing so. :)
• Play! This has taken on a whole new meaning for Eli as his hand/eye coordination is improving and his tummy muscles are getting stronger as he works towards sitting up.

Don't let the look fool you, he enjoys eating real food!

What?

 The big changes, however, are taking place for our whole family. Tim's position as Youth Pastor at our church will be ending on June 30. Subbing has also ended for Tim due to the fact that school is out for the summer. He has taken on a new job for the summer working with high school students in Kalamazoo who have been hired to do odd jobs for the summer. Our biggest change is that Tim is applying to Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and we plan to move to Grand Rapids hopefully by this fall. It is a bittersweet feeling, leaving our current youth group where we really enjoy the group of students we have been able to work with, and looking towards the future with excitement as we watch God work out the details for a new job, seminary, and moving to a new city. It is also a bit scary, as change always is, for the same reasons. We don't know how or when God will work out all these details. We have always seen God provide in the past, but not always in our timing or in the way we expected. Please pray that we would seize this opportunity to see God's hand in our life. With all these changes, Tim and I cling to the fact that we serve an UNchanging God. The same God who can part seas, send manna from the sky, and raise the dead can surely handle meeting our needs so that we can live out His plan.

James 1:17 - "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

I will leave you with a little performance from Elijah...

Perspective

The general mood around our house lately has been one of confusion, weariness, doubt; we have all been a little down. Elijah has been dealing with a virus and eye infection and has been waking up several times at night. Needless to say we have all been extra tired and cranky because of it. We have been dealing for awhile with uncertainty regarding Tim's job and it's been a confusing and sometimes discouraging time trying to discern what God has next for us. I speak for myself, and probably Tim, when I admit I have been wishing for things to be easier, less complicated. Wishing, perhaps, we could ignore God's calling and do things our way. But God has a way of putting things in perspective for us, sometimes hitting very close to home.

Two nights ago, Elijah was waking up at least every two hours. A hungry boy who only wanted to sleep in our arms, not his bed. I was exhausted, grumbling - sometimes out loud - about how Eli needs his own bedroom and if we only had this or that I'm convinced he would sleep better like he used to. Tim was gracious enough to listen and even get up to hold Elijah, all while dealing with a headache (I did not know this at the time) and composing a blog post in his head about how terrible parenting is. We had no idea that outside our window, around 5:00am, a massive fire had started in one of the nearby apartment buildings in our complex. I had heard sirens, but living on a busy street we hear them all the time so I thought nothing of them. We woke around 7:00am to my phone receiving a few texts and my mom calling - which I promptly ignored. All of my texts were the same message "Are you ok?" and Tim had a similar text as well. We had no idea what had happened. We never saw the fire, but we watched the news video online. There was footage of a building, which looked exactly like ours, engulfed in flames. It could have very easily been our building.

God protected us that night. He also protected each person in the burning building. But we didn't loose our home and all of our possessions. Looking around our apartment that morning I tried to think of what we owned that I would be devastated about if we had lost them in a fire. I came up with a very short list - nothing.

Nothing in this apartment truly matters to me except Tim and Elijah. It doesn't matter how many things we own or how big our home is. It doesn't matter if Tim works full time or part time, if money is plentiful or if we have to be creative just to get by. That's not the point. What matters is that we choose to do what God has called the Choronzy Family to do. We may not know what that is right now, but God hasn't left us. He was here protecting us the other night and He will always be here providing for us. If my relationship and Tim's relationship with our Lord is strong and thriving, if we are pleasing Him, then everything else will fall into place.

Please pray for those who lost their homes in the fire. 90 tenants lost everything. Pray that God would provide for them and that they would draw closer to Him because of it.

Here's a funny picture of Elijah since I made you read a lot. Congrats on getting to the end of this post! :)

We're Gonna Miss This

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Elijah is growing SO fast! He is 3 months old and wears size 6 months clothes! Eli never had a "tiny newborn" phase. In fact, he couldn't wear his "going home" outfit we brought to the hospital because we would have had to stuff him in it like a sausage. Elijah is not only growing fast physically, but he has developed several new skills over the last week or so. He wakes up in the morning unable to do something, and goes to bed that night with a new talent!

Lots of chub and lots of drool.

 Elijah has discovered his hands and gets a very cute concentrated look on his face as he tries to figure out how to use them. Once he figures it out, he will be putting everything in his mouth. Elijah is a chewer.  He now picks up his head while on his tummy instead of rubbing his face on the floor and screaming (although tummy time is still not a favorite of his). Elijah has also improved his social skills. He talks a lot and responds to conversation directed at him. Sometimes Elijah will talk to no one, but just because he wants to hear himself. And he is an exercise machine! He loves to lay on his back and wiggle and smile. All these changes in such a short time.

Playing patty cake with his cousin.

Lifting his head high.

Chattin' it up with Dad.

Have you ever heard the song "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins? In the song, he sings about different stages of life and how, when each stage is over, we'll miss that time and want those days back. Several people have said to Tim and I that before we know it, Elijah will be running around and won't want us to hold him and cuddle him. Or, as my Dad puts it, before we know it we will be talking to Elijah as he holds his son. Elijah is only 3 months old, but I have already had several of these moments where I find myself wishing he would slow down, stop growing so fast, and stay plump and cuddly forever. So I want to try and savor each nighttime cuddle and every little coo and smile. Because we will miss these days and we won't be able to get them back.

Tim's abstract photography. :)

Elijah's Favorite Things

Oh my, have we been busy! I haven't posted in a few weeks and now I feel overwhelmed by all I could write. I'll will give the shortened version of what we have been up to this April.

We came back from Kentucky and had a fun Easter with family in MI. The following weekend our good friends and their son came to spend some time with us. We then went to WI to visit Tim's family and Elijah had his first impromptu stay at a hotel. Last week Elijah and I went to Grand Rapids twice to visit my sister and then some friends. Needless to say, time has been flying by and Elijah is changing SO much!

Elijah weighed 15lbs 10oz at his 2 month well baby check up. I am sure he is at least a pound heavier by now. He has discovered his hands and it is really fun to watch him try and figure out what he can do with them. He jabbers and smiles and is very close to laughing. I have been trying in vain to get a video of all the cute things he does, but whenever I start recording, he just stops and stares.

And now for the moment you've all been waiting for...pictures! And a list of some of Eli's favorite and not so favorite things.

Elijah's Favs
-Eating

Having a snack at the hotel.

-Any song by Third Day
-Baths

-Stretching and playing on the floor

-Getting his hair brushed
-Playing with his "friends" (He loves to talk to his many stuffed animals)

-Grandpa's chair

Elijah looks very plump. :)

-Mommy
-Naps with Daddy
-Sleep

A morning snooze

A few things Elijah does not enjoy
-Tummy time
-Long car rides

His 2 months picture taken after we got back from KY.

-Dirty diapers
-Having to wait to eat
-Polar Bears

This picture is worth making big so you can see the look of terror on Elijah's face. We tried to tell him the polar bear wasn't going to eat him...

Studying his hands on the way to WI.

Four generations

Easter family photo

We're Back!

We are back from a successful missions trip to Kentucky Mountain Bible College! Turns out Elijah is a pretty good traveler. He didn't cry much more than he normally does, mostly just when he needed something. And it only took us about 3 hours longer to get down there than the rest of the group.

Tim spent much of the week working on the roof projects.

Our group was able to complete several tasks around KMBC's campus, including:
-3 roof projects
-a large gardening/mulching project
-cleaning off the siding on a house
-helping in the kitchen with preparing meals
-other small odd jobs

Elijah and I spent our time enjoying the great weather (it was in the high 70's or low 80's all week), getting to know the students better, and encouraging the workers. Elijah really enjoys being outside and was tuckered out at the end of each day from meeting so many great people.

Elijah enjoyed breaking in his new stroller.

Ready for a new day!

It's hard work being outside all day!

Our group also had the chance to take an afternoon off and go hiking at the Natural Bridge. This is a beautiful site (that unfortunately we didn't get a picture of) that I have enjoyed many times. While Elijah and I stayed at the bottom with some other members of our group, Tim climbed many, many stairs with the students up to the bridge. He enjoyed a great view at the top while Eli and I discovered a "museum" of stuffed wildlife. All in all, we're really glad to have been able to go on the trip with our church. We were blessed by the gratefulness of the college students and staff and by being able to grow our relationships with students and others from our church family.

At the Natural Bridge.

Watching Daddy work.

Elijah had fun making faces for the camera.

Tim working hard.

Eli wearing a paper hat to celebrate a student's birthday.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Where did last week go? Where did this week go? It's amazing that for the few weeks leading up to Elijah's birth and for about a month after he was born, we had such a slow schedule. And now, we must be past the "new baby" phase, because things have picked right back up to the busyness we had before. Only this time, we have our son to bring along.

For the most part, Elijah is adjusting well to our busy lifestyle. We had several friends visit last week. Last Friday Tim ran a successful High School Lock-In at the church. We had a lot of fun playing a church wide game of CLUE where Elijah ended up being the murderer. :) Eli had his first sleepover at Nana and Papa's house that evening too. I joined him shortly after midnight, once my part in helping with the Lock-In was done. Nana, Elijah, and myself went to a Mom to Mom sale and consignment store on Saturday morning and got a ton of good deals on summer clothes for Elijah. He also made it on the consignment store's facebook page since he was dressed in all green for St. Patty's Day. Tim went to the K-Wings green ice game with his old roommate Joe. We were back at church on Sunday for the usual.

This week has consisted so far of a visit from Aunt Mo, grocery shopping and Tim's birthday. Next week we will be busy planning for our trip with the church to Kentucky. We leave on March 30 and return April 5. It will be an adventure I am sure, to take our first trip with 7 week old Elijah.

One of my favorites of Elijah's newborn pictures. He was 6 days old and so scrunchie!

Eli loves to stare at his Dad.

Hello, my name is Handsome (and Sleepy)!

This is Elijah's new favorite pastime, smiling and talking to his animal friends.

Sweet boy

Last Week

One month old.

Elijah turned one month last week! He had an exciting week too. Wednesday a friend and her 6 month old daughter came over to show us their cloth diapers and help us make a decisions as to which ones we want to use. His cloth diapers are supposed to arrive today! I will try to post on those later this week. On Thursday Eli went to his one month check up and he weighs 12lbs 3oz! And is 23 inches long! That's the 93% for weight and 98% for height...he's a big boy! Friday night we had a Jr. High movie night at church. Elijah enjoyed watching the beginning of the new Winnie the Pooh movie, talking with Jody and Rosie, and playing Communist Church. Saturday he spent some quality time with Daddy and Sunday was church and youth group again!

It's hard to believe Eli is already one month old, but it also is hard to remember what it was like without him. He is growing and changing on a daily basis. Yesterday he had a rough evening and, after finally sleeping for a while, I woke him up to get him ready for bed. He was in such a happy mood, and he SMILED! More than once! It was such a reward after an exhausting evening of him crying. This morning he woke up smiling too! Hopefully I can get a picture of it so everyone can catch a glimpse of our happy boy! Until then here are a few pictures from the week...

Fresh out of his bath.

I bought this outfit for my nephew 5 years ago. And now my son can wear it. :)

We have a cute kid. :)