We are moving back to North Dakota

Joe and I are excited to be moving the family back to North Dakota in May! We love Arizona and this move is bitter sweet as we will be leaving great family and friends in AZ. We are especially sad to be moving far away from Colleen and Pat (Joe's mom and brother) but we are excited to raise our kids in the Midwest where we are both from in North Dakota!

Joe received a great job offer with a great company called Victaulic where he will be in a sales position. Joe is currently self employed in AZ and it is getting old paying for everything out of our own pockets like health benefits so we are excited for him to start his new adventure with Victaulic as they will offer our young family many benefits!

Joe's position is based in Minot, ND and we will be moving back the week of May 8th. Minot is growing and there are not many housing options available right now so we will be living in my Mom's cabin on Lake Sakakawea for the time being until we can find something in Minot. If you know of anyone wanting to rent their home out in Minot please let us know as we would be great renters! My Mom is completely finishing her basement for us and we are excited to live on the lake especially during the summer months! We will be renting out our house in AZ so if you know of anyone interested in a nice 4 bedroom/2 bathroom/3 car garage home please let us know!

We will be busy over the next few weeks packing but we are so excited to be back in ND where most of my family lives. Joe also has family in ND. We are also excited to reconnect with some great friends we both have in ND and meet new ones. This will be a new adventure and I am sure it will be an adjustment after living in a city of over 6 million people but we are excited to see where God takes us as we move back to the prairie!

Look out North Dakota... HERE COME THE WILSON'S!!

Pops, Tommy, and Jesus

“Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. For whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:3-4

I don't know where to begin or how to write about the loss of Randy (Joe's Dad, My father-in-law, Tommy and Lily's Pops) so I won't... But, I want to write about a few experiences Tommy has had since Randy passed away on Monday, March 7th as I want to remember these stories and share them with Tommy someday. Randy and Tommy had a great relationship and they had a connection that is unexplainable... the morning Randy passed away Joe and his whole family were surrounding Randy and I was home with the kids as they were sleeping. Joe came home a few hours after Randy had passed and Tommy was still sleeping but as soon as Tommy woke up I went into his room and did not tell him anything about Pops passing away as I wanted to wait for Joe so we could tell Tommy together but while I was changing his diaper Tommy said "Pops sleeping, Pops sleeping, Pops sleeping." I could not believe my ears because we had not said anything yet to Tommy about Randy passing away but Tommy already knew somehow...

About a week later Tommy woke up from his afternoon nap and I asked him if he had any good dreams and he said, "Pops playing with me... Pops playing with me and the animals"... it gave me goosebumps and a few days after that Tommy told me when he woke up from a nap that "Pops playing football with Jesus and the animals" and he kept repeating this story about Pops playing football with Jesus and there were all these animals around. Tommy has said all of this on his own without any prodding...Joe and I are so amazed as he says these things right after he wakes up from his naps so you can believe what you want but I believe that Pops is visiting Tommy in his dreams and I do believe that he is playing with Tommy and that Tommy can see Randy who is safe and loved in the presence of Jesus.

The other reason I think this is because Tommy never asks where Pops is or wonders where Pops is when we go over to Nana and Pops house. He used to always run in their house and run right to Pops... he would even run past Nana as he loved Pops so much but now he goes over there and Tommy never even asks where Pops is and he never even looks around for Pops.... Again, I believe he does not ask about Pops because he KNOWS Pops is safe in heaven. This whole experience just makes me believe even more in Heaven and Hell and the power of Jesus. Jesus is our SAVIOR and KING and I can see that more clearly through the eyes of my 2 year old!!

Catch Up from Christmas

I have not blogged for awhile as it has been so busy but we love this time of year as the weather in AZ is perfect! (This week is a little cold but it is usually in the 70's) We live in extreme heat during the summer so this is our chance to get outside and enjoy the nice weather!

We hosted Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our house with family from both sides! We had lots of fun celebrating with everyone. My husband is an amazing host and cook and he rigged the ping pong table so we could all eat around one big table... that's right... we ate Christmas dinner on our ping pong table as you can see in the picture below!

Tommy got a special visit from Santa on Christmas Eve and we sang Christmas carols, exchanged gifts, and blessed the Christmas tree. Tommy loved seeing Santa and still talks about the tennis shoes that Santa brought for him as an early Santa gift. Lily cried and did not really enjoy Santa this year but hopefully, she will like him more next year.

I love the picture below as it showcases Christmas in Arizona..... I miss having a white Christmas but I also love the sun and palm trees!

We love our kids! Tommy and Lily are the joys of our life and it is so fun to see them grow and play together! We want more kids someday but for now we are enjoying our family of four!


We were able to sneak away after Christmas for three days and two nights to Texas as my cousin Michelle got married! Joe and I had a great time and Michelle and Garrett's wedding was beautiful! I was so worried about leaving Lily as she refuses to take a bottle but she did great with Nana and Auntie JoJo and it was so nice that Joe and I were able to get away without the kids so we could celebrate Michelle's wedding without distractions! Below is a picture of all my cousins at the wedding.

We celebrated New Years with some of our close couple friends and their families! I feel so blessed as we have made some great friends in AZ. Joe and I are part of a group called TOOL (Teams of Our Lady) where we meet once a month without kids and have dinner and wine together and then we discuss God and pray together! It is a great group for Joe and I and we look forward to it every month. We also like getting together with all of them with our kids like we did in the picture below on New Years!


Like I said earlier, we are enjoying the nice weather in AZ and we try and go hiking once every couple of weeks with the kids. We like to go to Usery Park as you can hike and then let the kids play on the playground and have a picnic!


I am also thankful for the mom friends I have made in AZ. I am involved in a couple different playgroups and bible studies. Not only do we go to play dates but it is also fun to go out with friends without the kids. Below is a picture of all of us Mom's out for dinner right before Christmas! I am so thankful for all of the friendships I have made in AZ!

A Good Book

Last night I stayed up late and read a book... a whole book in one sitting! It was amazing and so relaxing just to lay down and read. I need to do that more often. Joe bathed the kids while I read and then I put Lily to sleep and continued reading while Joe put Tommy to sleep. It was so nice to relax and get lost in a good book. I couldn't put it down. My friend recommended the book Unplanned on her blog so I ordered a copy right away on Amazon and it came in the mail yesterday. I would highly recommend this book to anyone! It is a very interesting true story. I was in tears while reading the 1st chapter.

The book description:

Abby Johnson quit her job in October 2009. That simple act became a national news story because Abby was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas who, after participating in her first actual abortion procedure, walked across the road to join the Coalition for Life.

Unplanned is a heart-stopping personal drama of life-and-death encounters, a courtroom battle, and spiritual transformation that speaks hope and compassion into the political controversy that surrounds this issue. Telling Abby's story from both sides of the abortion clinic property line, this book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the life versus rights debate and helping women who face crisis pregnancies.

A Father's Love

I have been thinking about my kids lately and how I want them to be raised. Tommy is starting to pick up on every little thing we say or do and I want to make sure he is feeling love and hearing loving words even when he is being disciplined. This topic has come up with a couple of my friends lately as we discuss how we parent our children. I want my children to know that they are loved by their parents and loved by God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus.

I look at Joe and I am so thankful for a strong husband and father who loves his children whole heartedly. I am so thankful that Joe helps out so much with everything from cleaning to diapers and he also works so hard to provide for his family. None of this would be possible without the love of his parents especially the love and teachings he receives from his father. I was looking through a prayer book of Joe's the other day and I found a note that was written on the front cover. The note wast written to Joe from his Dad.

To Our Joe, My Champ,

Throughout every moment of your wonderful,

blessed life,

No matter what you think, no matter what you say,

no matter what you do,

You can ABSOLUTELY count on the fact that

you are LOVED, a powerful love, all healthy love,

a tender love, a rough love, a rich love,

a thoughtful love, a love that wants everything great, good

and wonderful to happen to you Joe.

A love that wants you feeling happy and joyful throughout

your whole eternal life. GOD LOVES YOU JOE,

Jesus love you Joe, the Holy Spirit loves you Champ,

All with God love you, your beautiful Mom loves you Joe,
Dad loves you....

Joe, every moment

be the best you can be, no matter what you think, say or do...

Love, Mom and Dad

I can only hope that Joe and I can love and teach our kids the way our parents raised us and loved us especially the way Randy and Colleen raised Joe. The writing above by Joe's Dad is so beautiful and powerful and Randy means every word he wrote as I can see that powerful love in Joe. That is why I have such a strong and wonderful husband who is such an amazing father to our children. Hopefully, we can pass on this powerful love to our children and grandchildren.

Tommy's Monster Truck Birthday Party

We threw Tommy his 2nd birthday party a month early as family was in town from ND and Texas! Tommy's official birthday is December 30th so I wanted to throw him a birthday early so it would be seperate from Christmas. We will still celebrate with him on his actual birthday but it will be just our family.

We had a Monster Truck bounce house and served pizza with mud pie for dessert! It was so fun as we have made so many good friends in AZ over the past few years so it was fun to celebrate with family and friends. Tommy loved the bounce house and he had fun with all of his friends and he received some amazing gifts!! Thankfully, my mom was in town so she helped me decorate and she made over 40 cups of mud pie! Mud pie was my favorite version of birthday cake when I was a kid so we had to make it for Tommy and it was a hit.

Our Thanksgiving

My mom and brother Steven flew in from ND for Thanksgiving weekend. We had so much fun with them and Joe's sister Mary and her husband David and daughter Lucy who flew in from Texas! It was a great weekend. We hosted Thanksgiving dinner and it was very easy for me because my husband loves to cook. I woke up on Thanksgiving morning and Joe had one turkey brined and cooking in the roaster and one turkey in the oven. He had everything lined up and labeled and a timeline for all the cooking. He also found time to mow the lawn! He is amazing as the food tasted great! Nana and Pops (Joe's parents) also brought an amazing ham so we had a lot of food and leftovers which I think is the best part!

Tommy and Lily had so much fun playing with their cousin Lucy and Tommy loves his Uncle Steven who he calls "Zena" - Tommy was really sad to see Steven fly home and even said "I luv you Zena" as Steven was heading into the airport. I may or may not have seen a tear coming down from Uncle Zena's face as he walked inside. Tommy also loves playing with his Aunt Mary and Uncle David. David is really good at throwing Tommy up in the there air!

Joe's cooking timeline and set-up

Playing a little ping-pong before dinner

I wish I had gotten a picture of everyone eating

Lily and I in our matching necklace and headband that was made by my friend Heather

Aunt Mary and Tommy playing

The cousins - Lily, Lucy and Tommy (We were missing Jaxson and Wyatt)

Uncle Zena and Tommy enjoying the pool

Saying good-bye - so sad!