Merry Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas! 
We hope this season of blessings finds you well! 

Psalm 118

28 

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

    you are my God; I will extol you.

29 

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    for his steadfast love endures forever!

What a year it has been! For those that have stood with us in prayer and given words of encouragement, Thank you! We are grateful for the part that you have played in our lives this year and for the years to come! We kicked off this year with an uncertain future. We weren't sure where we would be at this point this year, what we would be doing (job wise), all while trying to maintain a sense of "normalcy" for the kids. At the end of last year, I took on a long-term sub position at Addison's school while friends helped look after and shuffle Ian from place to place; that position has turned into a full-time 2nd grade teaching position-and it has been a blessing to have Addison as one of my students! Andy was looking for work at the beginning of last year when 2 positions presented themselves and we had a really difficult time deciphering what the best choice would be for our family. There was a firm in Pasadena, CA that contacted Andy-flew him out there, and were unrelenting in wanting us to move there. We did so much research, ran SO many numbers, and prayed, literally, non-stop. There were days that the answer seemed clear and then 20 minutes later: doubt and other "what-if" scenarios filled our minds. One day, when it felt like we had no other choice but to risk it all and move to CA, Andy got a phone call from Vectrus ( A defense contractor here in town). We knew that this was the answer we had been waiting on for awhile! We are proud to be calling Colorado home!

Addison finished first grade and was quite excited that she would have me as her teacher for 2nd. I'd be lying if I said it was all happy-go-lucky; the first few months were quite rough trying to adjust to school-mom and mom-mom. I think she didn't realize OTHER kids would also be in our class and require my attention! But, now that we have the wrinkles ironed out a bit, it has been such fun to watch her learn and grow! She gave up dance for horseback riding and basketball this year. She loves basketball, but Andy and I chuckle (not so quietly at times) as she dances and pirouettes across the court! She also is a fantastic piano student and of course, she still hasn't stopped singing! This year for the talent show, she sang the National Anthem; and did amazing!
She was baptized this past May and it was so great to celebrate with friends and family! She loves horses, coloring, playing with friends, mint chocolate chip ice-cream, singing, and adventures. Let's not forget,we are up to 4 teeth and counting that we have lost- 2 in one week this Thanksgiving!

Ian. Oh, this boy. Keeps us on our toes! He turned 5 in November and clearly is ALWAYS up to something! He played soccer for the first time this fall-I wasn't sure how he'd do because of the two, he is the more laid back one. Put that boy on a sport's court and a whole new side of him comes out! He had loads of fun! Health wise, he is doing well. He had a check up in June and his cardiologist was pleased with where he is for now, and said that we can push for a 1 year visit. December is usually our semi-annual trip to cardiology, so we will see how much longer this mama can stretch without a visit! I figure if we step it out in baby steps, that will be just fine. Ian has been going to pre-k full time M-F at a great school not far from our house. If you ask him, he'd say he doesn't like it: but, he is always happy to go and play, and loves telling stories about his friends. His teachers love him and compliment him on how well behaved he is. He is very excited to be joining his sister and I at school next year! He is just about as rotten as he is cute. He loves chocolate milk shakes, bike riding in a dangerous manner, and cinnamon rolls. He wants a convertible and a motorcycle (and is quite annoyed that Daddy's Car and Driver magazine doesn't have motorcycles in it.) 

Andy is enjoying his new job-he is managing an Ethics and Trade Compliance program for a defense contractor. (please do not ask me what that means! :) ) He says: "He manages investigations into  violations of law, company policy and fraud, waste, and abuse, (he's also been trained to help his company comply with the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (law that covers arms dealers). He says that if you need IT services, have a military base needing management, or require heavy equipment maintenance in a place you are afraid to go on vacation you should give Vectrus a call. He basically makes sure that all i's are dotted and t's crossed with licenses when things are being shipped back and forth. Frankly, he had a hard time explaining it-HA!  He also is a reservist and luckily is stationed for his reserve duty at the Air Force Academy legal office. He also on the board of a charity started by members of our church from Arizona that mentors young professionals in Kyrgyzstan. He is hoping to make a trip there this summer. He has also been ushering at our church, here in Colorado Springs. 

As for me, I am enjoying teaching and have a great group of kiddos this year! The days go WAY to fast! I also have been working with our local Mended Little Hearts chapter on the leadership team. I am still selling Thirty-One as time permits and do enjoy getting out and having some "girl-time" every once in awhile! Derika and I got a Mother's Day treat-shopping and hotel stay-so renewing! This September I traveled to Arizona for my friend Melissa's 40th birthday party-and we had so much fun! Makes me look forward to my 40th! :) 

  This year we were able to go skiing in March-which was a little late in the season, but we were waiting on the job situation, we visited the Great Sand Dunes here in Colorado, which if you've never been...is a MUST! This summer the kids and I traveled to Ohio to visit family and meet the newest member of our family: Elias (Matthew and Kirstin's first). He is an absolute doll! This fall we took the kid's on a cruise that left out of Miami-and went to the Bahamas, and the US/British Virgin Islands. It's always an adventure; after taking the red-eye that was delayed and tarmac ridden for nearly 2 hours we arrive at our hotel for the next 6 hours to nap and shower, and it is being evacuated by the Miami Fire Department. We laughed, ate breakfast-waited for the hotel to not burn down and then all crashed into our beds! If my children do anything well, they travel! After that, we had a great time. We finally finished our patio (Andy wanted me to add this because it was quite the saga and it being finished is TRULY something to be thankful for!) You won't be seeing the two of us on any home shows anytime soon, that's for sure!

We pray that you are blessed fully this year through the holidays and into 2016.
Know that you are always welcome!

Faith, Hope, Love, and a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! We hope this finds you all well and enjoying the holiday season with your family. 2014 Has been a year of adventure for the Richey family and we are anticipating great things in 2015! 

We wait in hope for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield. 

In Him our hearts rejoice, for 

we trust in His holy name. 

May your unfailing love be with us Lord, 

even as we put our hope in You. 

                   -Psalm 30: 22

We started this year off with the kids' first trip skiing. As the planner, packer, and organizer I anticipated that we would get to the mountain, gear up, go out, and then be faced with cold, crying children. Boy, was I ever wrong! The kids LOVED it, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed because that meant that this mama (the non-skier) was in for a long day of helping kids practice staying up on their feet. There isn't a snowflake that graces this beautiful Colorado sky without ringing cheers from the Richey children to hit the slopes. They opened and closed the mountain two days in a row! Ian was asleep the moment he hit his carseat and Addison before we made it down the mountain for dinner. I am so glad that daddy finally has some skiing buddies! 

Our sweet girl graduated from Kindergarten this year and became a first grader. I am not sure how this has happened. She will be seven at the end of the month and is growing so much, sometimes it seems, exponentially overnight! She chose to do dance this year as her extracurricular and just finished performing in a 5 show sell-out of highlights from the Nutcracker. She is adjusting to a full day program ever so slowly but we are seeing improvement as the year moves forward. She sang in the Elementary talent show and did so awesome! So yes, when you see this mama crying every time I hear Let it Go, you'll know why! That girl is a born performer! She makes my heart proud! 

 Ian turned 4 in November, and he is just as sweet as ever. He has been going to preschool two mornings a week and he absolutely loves it.  It is so good to see him play with his friends and be delighted at his new found "big boy" status. He is learning which buttons to push to make big sister crazy, I am pretty sure he gauges his success on the volume of her squeals.  He has been taking swim classes and has become quite the little fish! Health wise, he is doing pretty well. We had a scare at his check up in June, and had to undergo a cardiac CT, but thankfully those tests came back better than expected. We head back to cardiology on the 19th for his bi-annual check. Ian was an absolute rock-star for his appointment. It's funny when you have a kid that undergoes medical procedures regularly, you would think that over time, each time would get easier. We have found that there is no rhyme or reason to it at all. Some checks go like today, with a cooperative kiddo; and other times you would think it was the first time they've seen a doctor and easy procedures become BIG deals. However, today, the cardiologist was very happy with Ian's progress. We did choose to have an echo done just to see the difference, if any, between the one in June and now. Mostly to see if it confirmed CT results or if it was still being skewed. His left coronary artery was still showing some enlargement, which was one reason for the CT in June, but after discussing with some echo experts, and more doctors, and looking at the studies from the past they came to the conclusion that the reason why it shows up strange on the echo is because his artery is just anatomically larger at the point of connection to the heart, they aren't concerned because of how the plumbing is all connected, it is his normal-so to speak. The doc said that just by listening, you'd never know he had an issue, which is so good because he said in kiddos with Ian's CHD, you can usually hear it in his pulse. Music to my ears!
We are going to continue to watch his BP, and Dr. Darst said if we want, we can push to a year for a recheck-we will have to see about that!

On Labor Day, we learned that Andy would be RIF'd ("Reduction In Force") from the Air Force. It has been a long few months looking for a new job for him. We are trying to be patient and wait for the job that the Lord has for him. Please join us in praying that we will have a clear direction in this job search. Right now, he is planning on joining the Reserves and there is a possibility that he will be able to work a few months for them immediately following being off active duty. He has also enjoyed working with friends from our church in Tucson on a mission driven project helping young adults in Kyrgyzstan better their professional skills and ties with the West. I see a trip for him in the near future! 

As for me, I have enjoyed another year being the room mom at Addison's school and helping out in Ian's preK class as needed. It has been nice to have a little break two mornings a week to hit the gym or go to the grocery, alone...yes, ALONE! With the onset of new circumstances, a position at Addison's school is opening up in January for a second grade classroom position (teachers having babies....). I, with the help of my husband, finished the application Sunday night, had an interview on Thursday and was hired on Friday! Whew! I wasn't really looking to go back to work, but the opportunity presented itself, and we believe it will be a great blessing. The job commitment is until the end of May, which will buy us some time while we wait for direction for Andy. Addison is thrilled that I will be at her school everyday, I am a little nervous, since it has been awhile since I've been in the classroom and because I've never left Ian. Fortunately, I have some pretty amazing friends that have offered to watch him, shuffle him from pre-k, and bring him to me at school for the next five months. If this military life has taught me anything; it truly is all about loving where you are and the people you are with, because they will love you in return. This mama has already cried many a tear, but I know that he will be in good hands.

This year, we have had several fun adventures too! We took the kids skiing at the beginning of the year, which they loved more than I thought! We also were able to steal Addison a few extra days over spring break and went on a cruise-it was such fun. The kids talk about going again all the time, it was definitely a trip to remember and we look forward to another one sometime! Over the summer, we took a road trip (delayed as it was, by court) to Ohio. It was so great to be "home" and with friends and family that we had been missing dearly. We also stopped in Missouri to visit cousin Brittany Carrender and her family on their farm. We all had so much fun! The kids looked forward to farm chores and riding horses. We got a tour of the land and just hanging out. So fun to see the kids together- a reunion must be in the works! I do have to say that our kids are amazing travelers. They are better than their mama when trapped in a car for 2.5 days. I loved the plains of Kansas, my husband thought I was seriously delusional from the long car ride! HA! In September we hosted Andy's mom and dad, Aunt Kris, Uncle Bobby, Aunt Carol, and Uncle Carl for the Colorado Springs Hot Air Balloon festival.  Our children were in grandparent HEAVEN! It was so good to see everyone and get caught up on each of their families as well. The kids ask frequently when all the grandparents are coming back! My mom is headed out for Christmas and Addison's birthday. I am so thankful for all of our friends and family near and far!

We pray that you have a blessed holiday and new year.

We wait in hope for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield. 

In Him our hearts rejoice, for 

we trust in His holy name. 

May your unfailing love be with us Lord, 

even as we put our hope in You. 

                   -Psalm 30: 22

We have been holding this verse near our hearts this year. We know that the Lord has a plan for us and we are trusting that his plan is better than we know. Thank you for praying for us during this time of transition! 

Love always,

Andrew, Stephanie, Addison & Ian

Merry Christmas 2013

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

 the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore."

So, when you think of us does that old school song: "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" run through your head. I know! I know! We are hard to keep track of!

This past year we have been a little bit of everywhere. We moved from Tucson to Colorado Springs, CO in mid June. We also spent 10 weeks in Montgomery, Alabama from March-May. In between these locations we visited: Sea World in San Antonio, The Grand Canyon, Panama City Beach, Estes Park, and a host of other stops in between our travels. I have never, ever been a very good car traveler (ask Andy and my mother) but, I am thankful for 2 kiddos that love to travel by any mode of transportation. Highlight of all of the travel was about a month after we were settled in our house in CO we were traveling home from a weekend at Estes Park and Ian asked, "What does the new house look like?" Andy and I were a little confused and after a little investigative questioning we figured out that Ian thought that since we had spent a few nights away from home that it must mean we were going someplace new to live. Crazy kid. Although, for me, it does, at times, seem like the turn around is that quick.

Addison will turn 6 on the 28th of this month. I can't believe how quickly the time flies by! She started Kindergarten this fall and she loves school. We are really blessed with a fantastic teacher again this year! Addi is a social butterfly and always wanting to do something nice for her classmates. We are learning to read and boy, at times, this can really try my patience and her endurance...so, if you think about it, you can say a little prayer for us! :) Addison also played soccer for the first time this fall. She did great and loved it! Andy and I were very surprised at how well the kids actually did. She scored 2 goals. One was for the other team, but hey, it was a goal-so we celebrated! 

Ian turned 3 on November 5. He is getting to be such a big boy! We celebrated with friends at Focus on the Family and had a fireman birthday party. He loved it, this was the first year that he realized the birthday is all about him! He loves playing outside, moving rocks in his dump truck, and riding his bike or his new scooter. He is our outdoorsman. Right up the street we have a farm supply store that he loves to go to and just check out all of the fun stuff. He is my little buddy when Addison is in school and I really enjoy our one on one time. We head to the cardiologist here in Denver on Monday the 16th. He will have his 6 month check up and echocardiogram. I am expecting that the doctors will want to take him off of his blood pressure medication. This is exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. All in all, he is doing very well. The 13th will mark 2 years since his surgery. We still LOVE our surgeon and the secretary.  She and I keep in touch every now and then. What a blessing it is to live in a country with modern medicine and truly caring people. 

I love Colorado. We have fallen into a nice routine and it certainly doesn't hurt to have one of your bestest friends right down the street. It is so nice to be able to hang out with the Dan and Derika and do life together. My dear friend from High School lives about 2 hours north and we've been able to see each other a few times as well. We are excited that more good friends that we met in Alabama are building a house near us too! I'm continuing to grow my Thirty-One business here in Colorado. I was blessed to travel to Atlanta with Derika this summer for the national conference, it was so much fun and inspirational to see so many women thriving in a career they love all while being mommies and wives. I am the room mom for Addison's kindergarten class. Surprised? I know! I do love going back into the classroom and helping out the teachers, but I have to admit I do like being on this side of the classroom much more! Although I do worry about her performance and sitting down on the other side of the conference table is ulcer inducing.

Andy is doing well in his new position as ADC (Area Defense Council) at the Air Force Academy.   What's even better is that we live about 10 minutes from his office. It sure beats the 45 minute commute he had in Tucson. It has been quite a roll reversal for him though. As you know, he is a prosecutor at heart, but he is finding his stride and becoming quite a good defense council as well! He has been traveling more with his job. As always, it's an adventure! 

We did loose our beloved Chip in April. The hardest part was that we weren't there to say goodbye in person, we were stuck in Alabama.  It's amazing how difficult loosing a pet would be- I took it really hard. Much harder than I thought I ever would. After we moved we of course, let the kids talk us into getting another dog.  We got Duncan, a black lab, this fall.  He is rambunctious, mannerless, and has no respect for personal space.  So,  a typical lab puppy. He is always growing and may someday (here's another thing to pray about) turn into a good dog some day. Maybe. 

We are very grateful for the blessings that God has given us.  

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas! And, a Happy New Year! 

Andy, Stephanie, Addison, Ian & Duncan

Here is our new address: 

14743 Air Garden Lane

Colorado Springs, CO 80921