1 Year Ago...

I don't have a great memory. I name that, I own that. I often can't tell you minor details or what happened last month, last week, or yesterday. Today, I have a vivid recollection of this night, one year ago.

Melissa, Sophia, and I went out to supper. I can't remember where we went (shocker, I know), but I know we went out to eat and spent time as a family. We knew our definition of 'family' would change before the sunrise the next morning, but we didn't exactly know how.

After eating, Melissa called a woman on the phone (for the protection of everyone, details will be vague when it comes to identifying information), and coordinated the directions to get to her house. We were on our way to pick up a little girl who would be joining our family for an indeterminate amount of time. Earlier that day Melissa and I had decided that we would take this child into our home and love her and welcome her as a part of our family.

After a few wrong turns, dead ends, and even turning around, we found the location. We walked up to the door with a car seat and diaper bag in our hand. With anticipation, excitement, and even nerves, we knocked on the door and were welcomed in.

We walked in and saw her; this beautiful, bright-eyed, brunette. She was on the floor. She was tiny. We picked her up, we fell in love. We walked out of that house with a baby in a car seat, some clothes, and bottle. We walked out with this new member of our family. Through all the excitement, some frustration, the unknown, and plenty of paperwork, this little girl is now a permanent part of our family! She is forever our daughter- a blessed and beloved child in our home.

This night, we celebrate one year of this blessing in our life. We celebrate the good news we have received, and we celebrate the family, friends, and supporters we have had along the way. It has not been easy, but being a parent is rarely easy. It has not always been fun, but being a parent is not always fun. But it has been worth it. And being a parent is always worth it!

Happy one year Anna! You are a blessing to our family, and we are so glad to have you in our family forever!

Things are a changing!

Here we are- wondering what happened to 2013! High hopes and aspirations of blogging 'regularly' (whatever that means), and keeping up with friends and family. Another year for us to say, "we tried," and "we will do better next year."

2013 has wrapped up with a flurry of activity. Melissa completed her job as Acting Dean of the Chapel at Wartburg, along with being an administrative assistant for various offices around campus and serving as the part-time pastor at Faith Lutheran Church. Sophia can now legally say she is a big sister, as Friday, December 27 we received the best Christmas present we could ever ask for, with the adoption of our daughter Anna. Functionally, she has lived with us since March, but we became her permanent parents when the papers were signed in court. We had at least 46 people there to support us, and for that we are forever grateful! Anna was welcomed into God's family later that weekend with her baptism on the following Sunday at Zion. Paul has completed his third term of seminary and was recently endorsed, which means he has done more than the minimum to head on to internship. Placements for internship will be released in March, so three more months of waiting to know where we will spend the next year.

All in all, our blessings continue to be as numerous as the flakes of snow that fall outside. We have had quite a ride in 2013, and we can only dream up what is around the corner in 2014. So, as we have said in years past, this next year we will be better about updating our blog! Cheers to a happy new year!

Back To School

Fall 2013 is now in session! Hard to believe, but the summer of CPE is completed, and the Waterman family- Dubuque edition survived. Paul spent 11 weeks at Unity Point Health-Des Moines, serving as a hospital chaplain. Melissa continued her work at Cuba City and took care of family matters here in Dubuque. It was a trying summer, but we managed to enjoy the end, as we went to the GREATEST State Fair (that would be the Iowa State Fair for all you out-of-staters), the Blank Park Zoo, and Zombie Burger.

Transitions are often difficult, of that I am sure. We get pretty comfortable and content in our routine, safe in the predictability and stability it provides. For Sophia, today was a new day. She started pre-school at the Lindley Preschool of Excellence. While you won't see that title on any publications (it is an invitation-only preschool), we are forever grateful to our friends Korey and Steve, who have agreed to allow Sophia to stay with their family during the day while Paul is at school and Melissa is at work (we are also grateful that Wendy and Joe were able to take care of her last year). With their four kids, Sophia rounds it out to make a handful. Evident by this video, she had no problem leaving Mom and Dad to spend time with her friends.

With that in mind, it is the beginning of another semester, and that means Paul needs to go and study. We are trying to make blogging a more faithful part of our family life, so keep looking for more updates!

End of the First Year!

Well- time has gotten away from us. We have managed to not write on this blog for 5 months!

Here is a quick update:

*Melissa is working hard at her part-time call in Wisconsin and part time at WTS! She also manages to have some fun with the other ladies here at seminary.
*Paul is done with his first year of classes. He learned a lot, had some fun, and is still trying to recover from a busy year. He is hopeful he passed all his classes, and he begins Clinical Pastoral Education in June!
*Sophia (really the only reason you read this blog) is growing everyday! She has developed an attitude- sometimes good, sometimes bad. She is repeating nearly every word she hears (good or bad), and often doesn't really know what she is saying, or she is fooling her parents!

Recently, we have celebrated the graduation of our nephew Derek, celebrated many a birthday, and have celebrated the graduation of the WTS seniors. We have a couple weeks to catch up and adjust to Paul heading to CPE in Des Moines during the week, while the women stay and guard the castle (Ok- really our house by the castle)! We promise to be more active through the summer months, and hopefully we will have a picture or two to post soon.

Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend!

End of the FIRST semester!!!

Greetings from your friends to the East! Advent blessings to you from our family at Wartburg Seminary. We want to pass along our Christmas greetings, tell you happy new year, and give you a brief update.

Sophia has turned one, is now walking, trying to talk, and makes us laugh each and every day. She learns something new every day, and we are all tired by the end of the day! She has enjoyed being around lots of other kids here on campus, and goes to daycare four days a week at our neighbors (the wife of one of my classmates does in-home daycare). Melissa remains busy, serving as a part-time interim in Cuba City, Wisconsin along with working ten hours a week on campus in the Center for Youth Ministry. She has also enjoyed being back on campus and has enjoyed spending time with other spouses here on campus. Paul survived his first semester, and while it was not always well-balanced, he managed to complete coursework, spend some time at home, and work on campus a few hours a week. Paul is excited about his next course, which is over the January term, as he goes with 14 other people to Germany for three weeks, learning about the work of Luther and Bonhoeffer.

As the year is coming to an end, we have reflected upon the many blessings, along with the multitude of changes that have happened in 2011. We have gone from 2 dogs to zero (in 2 days), we moved Carlos off to college, we sold the house and moved to Dubuque, Melissa has changed jobs, Paul has changed profession, and we have mourned the loss of Melissa’s grandmother. Every time we talk about blessings, we reflect upon our support system, the family and friends who are there to support, love, and encourage us! Since you are reading this, know that you are a part of that support system, and for you, we give thanks.

We wish you a safe, happy, and healthy winter holiday! Thanks for your continued support and the kindness you have shown to the Waterman family!

Blessings!

Melissa, Paul, and Sophia Waterman

Here's a picture in the foot of snow Dubuque received today!  She loved it!!!  She came inside and signed "more."  She wanted to go back outside.  She's so cute!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Yes, it's been a while since our last post.  Lots has been going on in our families so we've been extra busy.  My jobs are still going great and I love my interim call.  They are so nice and sweet.  Paul is doing well in school and staying busy.  We had Sophia's first b-day party with both sides of the family and the Palmer's.  We haven't all been together since our wedding.  It was a lot of fun.  Carlos came home for the first time all semester for Sophia's b-day party.  Carlos is home now with us for Thanksgiving break.  I will post a few pictures for you to enjoy at the end of this post.  Since its THANKSGIVING, I wanted you all to know how important you are in our lives and how much we value your friendship.  We are blessed with a solid foundation of family and friends.  This particular Thanksgiving, I'm giving thanks for our grandparents....the solid foundation to both sides of our families.  They are amazing people and have helped shape us into a young couple who strives to work hard and be faithful servants.  On Thursday, November 15th my grandma (Edith Lauterbach) passed away.  I had the privilege of being by her side and watching my grandpa say his final goodbye to his beloved of 69 1/2 years.  My grandma meant a lot to me.  All my life, I watched her share her faith with others and be one of the most honest/solid/faithful Christians I know.  She was such a good role model for me.  I miss her dearly, but I know that she is not suffering anymore and she's watching and encouraging me to do my very best in everything.  Thank you to everyone who supported us during a very difficult week.  Here are some pictures:

My Grandma....92 years old!!  She's beautiful!!!

Grandad & Sophia sleeping!!!

Sophia's 1st b day party!!!

Sophia and her buddy Brigham playing!!

Halloween

Mid-October

Well, its been a few weeks since we've blogged.  As always, lots has changed.  Sophia has finally decided that it would be good to sleep through the night again!  YEAH for us!!!  Since last Friday, she has slept in her own bed and not woke up once at night.  This is a HUGE change because for the last 7-8 weeks we were use to getting up with her 4-6 times a night.  The first night she slept through the night, I didn't know what to do...I kept waking up and wondering what's going on.  I think she's going through a growth spurt, but I truly hope it lasts for a while.  Have a few nights in a row of good sleep has been wonderful!!  Sophia and the rest of our families are getting ready to celebrate her 1st BIRTHDAY!!!  I can't believe its been almost a year.  Wow, times flies, but we sure are having fun.  The past 3 days, I was able to spend with colleagues and friends for NEIA synod at our Fall Theological Conference in Dubuque.  So, I got to sleep in my own bed while hang out with friends and listen to the President of Wartburg Seminary talk about leadership.  Always a good topic when working in the church.  It felt so good to be with the NEIA synod again.

Paul is staying busy with classes, writing papers, studying, reading, reading, and reading!!!  We try each day to spent a little time together as a family and eat at least one meal together.  He works really hard and I'm VERY proud of him and all that he has accomplished in following his call.  I love him dearly, but its amazing to see him thrive in seminary and build some very strong relationships with his classmates.  Basketball season for the Runnin' Reformers starts on Oct. 29th (Sophia's 1st b-day)!!!  Paul and I both are subs on the Wartburg volleyball team.  Yes Paul came to seminary to learn and be a pastor, but there are also a few sports teams to be involved in and its a good stress reliever!!!  Paul has his CPE interview coming up at the end of October.  After the interview, he will be applying to CPE sites for the summer 2013.  More than likely, we will leave a part for the summer and try to see each other when we can.  There are no CPE sites in Dubuque.  Paul is also going to Germany for J-term in 2013....I'm still trying to decide if I can go.  Finances are the huge factor and then what do we do with Sophia, but it would a chance of a lifetime and something we both won't regret.  I'm excited he's going!!!  Its a good group of people going and a fantastic professor that is leading the group.

Carlos....well we don't hear from him much, but he's coming home Nov. 2-4 for Sophia's b-day party.  We are all excited to see him.  Sophia and I surprised Carlos on Thursday, October 4th when Grandview and Wartburg College played soccer in Waverly.  We drove to see him play and spend a little time together after the game.  I'm not sure who was more excited to see who....Sophia or Carlos.  Below is a picture of the two of them at his soccer game.  Carlos is doing well with soccer and in class (so he says).  He seems to be enjoying his time at Grandview.  He turned 19 years old on October 9th which is so hard to believe.  He's been a part of our family for 6 years now.

My call is going well in Cuba City, WI and I enjoy working on campus.  This community is a good fit for our family and we have some good people who take care of us here.  Sophia stays busy with all her neighborhood friends.  Below is a picture of Sophia with our good friends kids.

We are blessed to be at seminary and God continues to walk with us in this journey.  We are excited to see God's plans for us as a family, but we know that we are following God's call here at Wartburg.  Our family is happy and it feels good to be here.

Thanks for your continued support, prayers, and friendship.  We love hearing from our friends and family and try to visit people as much as we can.  Happy Mid- October.  Enjoy the blesses that God has given us through the changing of colors and trees and the beautiful Iowa country as we give thanks for the farmers and the harvest season!!!