Prayer Requests
Fall 2024
Life feels like it's starting to develop some routine and normalcy. The kids are sleeping much better (praise!) and we've figured out a childcare situation that will allow Elizabeth to not only maintain the household stuff (laundry, dishes, groceries, meals, etc.) but also allow for continuing education for career advancement!
Elizabeth is starting college again in October and will be studying Business Administration. She's also hoping to self-study at some point in the next 12 months for the Project Management Professional Certificate - and go back to work as a PM in Defense Technology.
Please pray for James as he's going through a "fear" stage of toddlerhood - where he's scared of the dark, spiderwebs, and many other random things that he vocalizes.
Praises for his development - he's so very verbal and is speaking in full and complex sentences. His memory is scary to us - and he will regularly tell us about events that happened months ago and retain who he was with, where he was, what were they doing, etc. He can speak and comprehend both English and Brazilian Portuguese and he's expressing an interest in learning ASL (which he sees on tv shows he watches) He loves Gymnastics class, and has shown an interest in soccer too - but we think he's too young for organized sports.
Please pray that we would find the right time and method for potty training - and that we can continue to find ways to challenge his intellect and help him to keep growing well!
Andrew is similarly amazing. He's talking too - still a lot of baby babble, but he says "mama" and "dada" frequently throughout the day. He is very enthusiastic about food and wants to eat everything and a lot of it - so please pray against any allergies or choking - and that he would maintain a healthy BMI as well. He seems to be good in that department though. He's very big, but he's lean and muscular rather than fatty.
Please pray for him as he's trying to learn to walk (he seems to be skipping crawling, but I think we'll get there soon too) and he's cutting more teeth. We plan to have him baptized in February 2025 just after his 1st birthday.
Please pray for our family as we make all sorts of short term and long term decisions. Please pray for continued health and good relationships with friends and family. Pray for opportunities to spend time together as a family unit - but also for Gabe and Elizabeth to be able to spend time together as a couple. Please pray for bonding between the boys - and that James would quickly outgrow his toddler hitting/throwing stage and better be able to regulate his own emotional well-being.
Thank you brothers and sisters in Christ - much love,
The Dix Family.
Spring 2024
It's been a whirlwind of a year - James has grown so much and experienced SO much too. Please pray for him as he grows into being a big brother - dealing with his emotions in a healthy way, and learning how to communicate effectively with us.
Please pray for us that we can learn how to parent him in the best way possible - that we have patience and use the right words and actions. Please help us to respond in healthy ways when he pushes buttons or does dangerous things.
We are thankful that God has allowed us to be his parents - it's a joy and wonder watching him learn. He's so capable and smart. We pray that we're able to keep up with him because it feels like he's moving miles for every step we take toward him.
Pray for his relationship with Andrew, for his heart as he learns about loss and death (with Papa's passing and all the big changes that come with that)
Elizabeth is going to take some time away from work to focus on parenting and being more present with the boys. Pray that our finances hold up well and we're able to adjust to the change in income well. Pray also that if/when it's time for her to rejoin the workforce (we're thinking in three months time after she steps away) that she's able to find a job which will allow her to remain a present and active parent.
Pray that Gabe's job helps him through some career growth goals, but also that a perfect job pops up for him that would allow him to spend more time with his sons and wife as well. Right now he's loving the subject content and the coworkers, but the commute 1-1.5h each way into DC is unsustainable.
Our goal as a family is to both find jobs that would allow for remote work - and move the kids to Greenville, SC or thereabouts. Closer to friends and family, a slower pace of living than the DC/Baltimore area, and more (cost) opportunity for a larger plot of land so the kids can grow up playing outside without us worrying about them being hit by a car (our current neighborhood is VERY congested)
Most immediate prayer needs is for sleep and energy for both Gabe and Elizabeth - The newborn stage is rough for sure!
Spring 2023
James just had his first birthday!! It's been a busy week and we're not done yet. He celebrated with his Gamma and Papa two days before his birthday, then we went to the Zoo with friends after church on Sunday, and his birthday fell on Memorial Day, so we were out at a friend's house all day with their kids and their friend's kids - so very busy, and our little one has such bad FOMO (fear of missing out) that he refused to nap all weekend. He's been recovering with grumpy days Tuesday and Wednesday - and we're having his birthday party on Saturday with about 40 people over to the house, so please pray that he gets some good sleep and is in a good mood for his party.
ALSO - we recently found out that James is going to be a big brother in January!! As of 5/31 mom is about 8 weeks pregnant, so we're still in the early stages, but we're optimistic and excited. We've gotten a special baby doll to help James in the transition, and we're going to keep him involved as mom grows and changes with the baby. He's still very young to grasp the concept, so please be praying not only for the pregnancy, but also for him and our ability to make it a smooth and painless change.