Isaiah and the Train

Isaiah sharing about his one true love. 

"The Moment"

Our dear friend Rusty sent us this fantastic picture this week. It captures perfectly our life with Isaiah in his two-ness. Rusty calls it "The Moment." Very aptly titled I think.

The Oregon Coast

We drove to the Oregon Coast one day and Isaiah got to see the ocean for the first time. He kept saying, "sand box!" Quite a large one, indeed.

Mommy and Isaiah enjoying the beach together.

Dipping his toes in it with Daddy.

This is what the drive along the coast looks like...breath taking!

We took a hike up to a light house overlooking the ocean. Isaiah did the hike all by himself and had a great time.

Beauty on the hike up.

Our sweet little hiker taking a break.

The light house.

A picture of the rocky beach. The light house was up on a cliff  to the right.

Ramin and I at the beach at the end of our day.

More Oregon Pictures...

Isaiah found 3 bears at the cottage that he fell in love with and played with everyday. Here he is giving the "Moder" a smooch.

The "Moder and the Broders," Isaiah's favorite Oregon pals.

Isaiah is obsessed with trains and we caught him in mid-word one day.

Isaiah in a hot cocoa daze. This was after his very first cup of cocoa ever. 

Josh, Shai, Ramin and Isaiah

Julia, Ezra (he's really adorable, too bad you can't see him) and me at the pumpkin patch.

Isaiah and Shai holding hands and getting excited to go pick a pumpkin together at the pumpkin patch.

Isaiah and the "Old Style." Every day he went to the front yard to inspect this old tractor.

We're back from Oregon, by the way...

Hi Friends and Family! For some reason blogger won't let me include the text before the pictures, so you may want to scroll down, read and then look at the pics. 

Isaiah was in heaven. We thought this was awfully specific of God!

Daddy and Sonny on a "Magical Hike"

The view coming from the cottage towards the prized "tramp-o-yeen!"

The Wonderful John and Laura

The Cottage or "The Sanctuary" to all who have experienced it.

I've known deep down that it's been way too long since I've posted anything on here, but I'm having a hard time believing that I haven't said anything about our trip to Oregon and now we're 2 weeks from Christmas! Please accept my apologies for the lack of communication and for depriving you of some adorable pictures of Isaiah James. I'll try my best in the next few days to get you (our beloved readers) caught up. 

We had an amazing October in Eugene, OR. Ramin and I knew that going on vacation was going to be good for our family, but we had no idea the blessing that was in store for us.  John and Laura Rice were the generous ones who let us stay in their guest cottage, and we came to experience that their generosity didn't stop there. They opened up for us not only their guest home but their own home and their lives. We were instantly endeared to one another and spent many wonderful times together talking, praying and being encouraged by their journey and their wisdom. They took us to their church (www.southhillschurch.net) that first Sunday we were in town and we were blessed by a community in Eugene that mirrors ours here in Boulder. We were grateful to meet Shannon Kearney, their pastor, and spend some wonderful time with her talking about and praying for both of our communities. We also got some great time with one of Ramin's best friends from college, Josh, and his wife and kids (Julia, Shai and Ezra). 

We not only had rich time with others, but a wonderful time as a family just resting and spending laid back time together. Our favorite things to do were walk the Rice's property, say "moo" to the cows, jump on the trampoline, play in the Rice's basement, watch movies, explore Eugene, hike, read, laugh and eat good food. It may seem elementary but we were graciously shown by God that with true rest comes greater revelation of Him and greater insight into ourselves (something that's easily forgotten in the normal rhythm of life). We walked into the Rice's guest house and were immediately and tangibly enveloped by an atmosphere of peace and comfort. We both cried at the intimacy of God's love and knew that our time would be much more for us than just a time of rest. God was specific with both of us as we spent our days at rest and in His presence and we both emerged more whole. Ramin and I experienced great refreshment and Isaiah James had a pretty great time, too. The morning after our first night there he looked at me from the pack-n-play that he had slept successfully in (miracle!) and said, "Mommy, this house is COOL!" What a gift to the Mama to have a happy Sonny! He continued from that day on to make the "vacation house" his very own. 

We unanimously agreed that going to Oregon would be a Razavi family tradition. We can't wait to go again! Here are some pictures of our adventure.

We're off to Oregon

The picture above is of Spencer Butte, one of the most prominent landmarks in Eugene, OR. Why is that relevant to the Razavi's? Well, we are headed there on Tuesday for 2 weeks of vacation together as a family. We've never been to the Pacific Northwest and are so excited about all we'll see and experience. I think we're most looking forward to seeing Isaiah dip his little toes in the Pacific! 

The intention of this trip is to relax as a family and create space for true rest and reflection. A couple in Eugene has a home that they give to people working in full time ministry so we'll be staying there and enjoying their incredible generosity. Their place is on a large stretch of wooded land with a big front porch, a heated pool with a slide (Isaiah will be in heaven) and a jacuzzi (I will be in heaven). We're really excited about taking in the beautiful surroundings, breathing deep and reflecting on the last 3 1/2 years of our church planting experience. It has been the greatest adventure of our lives and continues to be with all that God is doing in uniting 3 communities. 

We'll have wireless internet while we're there so this will be the first of many posts highlighting our Oregon adventure. 

Off-Roading on Isaiah's Birthday!

Isaiah turned 2 on Tuesday and to celebrate Ramin and our good friend Ben Huntoon took Isaiah and John (Ben's son) off-roading in the FJ Cruiser.  The boys thought it was the coolest thing to be going on an adventure with their Daddies. I loved watching Isaiah treasure time with Ramin. It's amazing to me how essential the father/son relationship is even at 2 years old. Here are some fun pictures of their time together. 

Ben scrambled up the cliff to take this picture of Ramin and the boys winding around the Switzerland trail. 

The FJ in it's natural habitat :)

Our sweet 2 year old hiking. Ramin said that the whole time Isaiah was saying things like, "you can do it Sonny," "good job Sonny." There's nothing like a good old personal pep talk.

Isaiah heading toward their "snack spot." They were going to build a fire and grill hot dogs, but there was a fire ban.

Ramin, Isaiah and John hiking along on their big adventure.

Ramin and the boys looking cool in the wilderness with their 4 wheel drive :)

Unity is Beautiful!

I usually take most of our blog space to fill you in on Isaiah and all that's happening in his world. I realized the other day, though that a huge part of our current life, I've failed to write about. We planted Roots (our church) a little over 3 years ago and we praise God for His faithfulness to us as a community. We've gone through a lot and have learned so much. Among the things we've learned, one of the greatest is that we're not alone in wanting to bring the Kingdom of God forth in Boulder. We are surrounded by followers of Jesus who desire the same thing and as God has brought that reality into full view, something beautiful has happened. Our church community has merged with 2 others in town to form what we're calling this summer, 'The Collective.' Ramin, Brad Riley and Keenan Thompkins (the pastors of the other communities) started to experience a kindredness with each other about a year ago that lead them to start dreaming about what it would look like to partner deeply with one another. As they walked forward asking those questions God revealed that our partnership would be taken to it's fullest potential and that we would serve the city we love best as one unified body. As we were navigating what togetherness would look like we did a lot of servanthood projects together and worshiped together often, but our official togetherness began at the beginning of July. The whole process has been incredibly exciting for all of us and we're full of anticipation at what God will do as we walk this road together. The website is still entitled www.originscommunity.com because we haven't decided on a name yet to take the current website's url. The content, though is reflective of our 3 communities now together.

Family Fun!

Apparently I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out how to post pictures in the order of events, so the fun you see captured below happened in a very different order than what's represented...oh well.

From the middle of June to the first weekend in July we were blessed to have my family in town (all for varying lengths of time). We went to the Denver Zoo, enjoyed many of the beautiful parks that Boulder has to offer, walked with Isaiah as he rode his bike, had BBQ's and just generally had a great time being together. We hadn't all been in the same space since August '07 for Isaiah's 1 year birthday, so it was especially good to be together.

Grammy and Isaiah laying in the back yard looking for birdies. This was a common ritual for them while Mom was here.

Isaiah "going high" with Grammy and Papa Jon

Isaiah in a snuggle with his beautiful "Auntie Yowen" (Lauren)

Isaiah chillin' with Papa Jon after hiking the first part of the Red Rocks Trail

Grammy, Papa Jon, Auntie Lauren and Uncle Jordan with Isaiah at the Denver Zoo (Isaiah was so upset that he couldn't go in the exhibits with the animals).

Uncle Jordan and Isaiah getting ready to feed the Larakeets

Me, Lauren and Jordan at a Rockies Game (too bad there's no family resemblance)

Uncle Jordan and Isaiah resting after an afternoon of yard work (Isaiah LOVES his Uncle...it's so cute).

Mom and Dad looking sharp! They took Ramin and I out to dinner without Isaiah (thanks Jordan and Lauren). It was a really nice evening together.

These are only a few of the great memories we made during the 3 weeks they were around, but I didn't want to make the post too big. It is a gift to have a loving family and it's a treat to share them with Isaiah.

Toddler Endorses Barack Obama

My family is in town right now and tonight we celebrated my Dad's birthday with kabobs and ice cream. It was a wonderful evening of good food, conversation and laughter. The laughs hit their height, though when Isaiah, innocently playing with toys gave his endorsement for our next president. As he sat enjoying his toys he held up one of them and said, "Barack Obama!" It was as clear as day and none of us have any idea how he picked it up. Ramin and I have had conversations about the presidential race, but never so vivaciously that he would have picked up who the candidates are. Toddlers are amazing!

Coffeecovers!

I have two dear friends in Boulder (Mandy on the far left and Shauna next to her) who have come up with a brilliant new idea; reusable coffee covers. The statistics surrounding paper cup use and the paper covers that go with them are staggering. There is more information on the website, but it's something like 4 million paper cups used every year, and thus, around that many paper covers.

Our country seems to be in a really positive swing towards stewarding the environment more faithfully and with that has come a desire to do whatever we can to make a difference, big or small. The reusable coffee covers are a beautiful way to not only protect your hands from a burning hot beverage, but to do your part to eliminate unnecessary waste. If you're a regular patron of your local coffee shop, please take a look at their website and help support two women who are all about making a difference, and not just for your coffee cup.

The website is www.coffeecover.net

So Fast...

Isaiah at 4 months old riding his new bike that Daddy got him for Christmas. I thought Ramin was crazy for getting him a bike so early, but it turns out that the early exposure created an early love.

Isaiah at 21 months, cruising on his bike like a true professional. He's in serious training for the Toddler World Cup Championships. Look at that amazing form!! He rides with sheer determination and focus. He gets his little legs going so fast that Ramin and I can hardly keep up with him. To add to the pure beauty of it he randomly will shout "So Fast", "Too Fast" as he scoots along. This is by far his favorite activity. The other day we let him ride as long as he wanted and he kept the wheels turning for 1 hour and 27 minutes straight!! We finally had to go home and had to wrestle him off the machine. The daily routine has become that as soon as the last bite of breakfast is in the mouth he begins to demand the bike ride. this usually consists of a a couple of blocks around the house. In the evening the true rides come. We are talking 4 blocks to the North Boulder park and then multiple laps around the park trying to keep up with the 5 year old guys on 2 wheelers and back home up hill. They love him and he thinks he is the coolest dude in town. I really think he would ride all day long if we let him. He is a man for the bike.

Blueberries

Isaiah turned 21 months at the end of May and is in full toddler form. My good friend Meggan took this picture while she was watching him one day and I feel like it perfectly captures what our little guy is like these days; so sweet you want to kiss his cheeks off, but full of mischief.

He's talking a lot and saying some of the funniest things. Yesterday, for instance, we were coming home from Target and he got really sleepy (we were still about an hour away from his normal nap time). When we came inside the house he said, "Mama, I go nigh night," so I took him back and put him in his bed thinking that maybe he was ready early. As I started out the door he said, "Mama, I change mind!" How he put that one together, I'm not sure, but it provided a good laugh.

Here are a few other classic Isaiah phrases:

"I wan two!" (he has to be double fisted at all times)
"I go bi-ride." ("bike ride" a.k.a. his favorite activity on the planet)
"I wan pay dollars!" (he's recently grasped that you can pay money at a store and get what you want, so almost every day he talks about at least one thing that he wants to pay dollars for)
"I go ba-yard." (we recently moved and the new place has a great back yard...he wants to be in it all day long)
"Mama, I wan yunch" (when he's hungry he always asks for lunch)
"Baa Baa back sheep have you wool...yes sir, yes sir...bags full" (he loves to sing this song, but hurries so quickly through it that he misses lots of words)
"I wan seep mommy daddy's" (translation: I want to come sleep with you guys)
"Time share!" (he says this to kids whenever he wants to play with the toy they have)
"Tackle Daddy!" (or anyone else who is in the general vicinity)

Oh, there are so many more! He cracks us up constantly with his new found verbal skills :) Ramin and I both are finding so much joy in parenting right now. We are amazed that God would give us such a gift.

Gammy and Tack-a-Boo

I finally have the pictures from our visit with Ramin's Mom and Aunt on the computer, so I wanted to share some of them. Trudy and Bruni came to visit the middle of March and we had such a great time. Isaiah was instantly enammered and couldn't get enough of either of them. He called Trudy, "Gammy" and Bruni got the wonderful title of "Tack-a-Boo" because when he first saw her this trip, she played peek-a-boo with him. He thoroughly enjoyed having the extra love and attention (how couldn't he?). Besides "tack-a-boo" a couple of other Isaiah highlights from the week were "the owl song" which Grammy made up on the way home from the airport and "bim bum". He asked Grammy to sing the owl song to him no less than 100 times a day (you think I'm exaggerating) and as soon as that was off his mind it was on to bim bum where he was swung back and forth and then thrown on the bed.

We had a wonderful time just living life together for a week. We played at parks, hiked, shopped on Pearl Street, ate meals together and of course had our fair share of playing Thomas the train (Isaiah is obsessed).

"Gammy" and Isaiah reading a Pooh story.
Just a little note-Isaiah doesn't usually eat huge, whole carrots at once, but he was teething horribly and chewing on a cold carrot was his only relief.

"Tack-a-Boo," Isaiah and Grammy on a walk in Chautauqua Park.

Bruni and Isaiah playing on the fire engine at the play ground.

A family hike.

The Mama and Ramin at Southern Sun

Bruni and I at Southern Sun