Cousins

One of the things we have LOVED about being back in Memphis is getting to see these people a lot more!

Cousin time is the best!  I had really missed my little nephews and niece (and soon to be nieces)...oh, and of course my sister and brother-in-law too. ;)  Here's a few random pictures I've been storing up since we moved here two months ago...

 Right after we moved here, Aunt Kristina came in!  That was the best!  We all went to the airport to pick her up and they were all so excited to see her!

 I especially love how she is holding one child in each arm and still managing to hold Lily's hand.  She's the super-aunt!

So much fun!  Now if only we could get some hugs and giggles with our other cousins!  We are REALLY missing us some Lucy, Andy, and Ruthy time!!  We hope to get to see them soon too!!  I really do love both our families!!  We are so blessed!!

We Moved!

Sooooo, we moved! 

 

After many months of prayer, Jason and I felt the Lord leading us to church planting.  We aren't exactly sure what that will look like yet.  Maybe we will start a church, maybe Jason will pastor a church and plant other churches through that church.  We don't know yet, we just know that God said "Go!" So we went!  We are currently back in Tennessee...whoop whoop!  We are living with my parents right now, just outside of Memphis, while we pray through what our next ministry looks like!  Jason is currently working at Chick-fil-A and eating it up...no pun intended..(ok so there was totally a pun intended). :)  And we are hoping to get our own little place here in Memphis as soon as we are able!

 I have always heard over the years of God telling people to just "GO" without the confirmation of another job and have often wondered what that looked like.  Now I know.  It does take a lot of prayer and confirmation through His Word.  We were also very blessed to have had a lot of christian counsel and people praying for us.  And through all that, you just know!  And God has been so faithful through this whole process for us!  My favorite example of His provision for us was this...April 1st was our first official day without a job.  We were on the road, with a U-Haul, and had over 500 miles to get to our destination.  We weren't super loaded with cash by any means.  God chose that day to be the day that our income tax would be deposited into our account.  That gave us money to sustain us while Jason found a job.  I am so thankful for the way God works in our lives.  I am thankful for both our parents who offered to take us in, rent-free, during this time of transition for our family.  And I am so thankful for the peace God has given Jason and I during this time.  It has truly been..."the peace of God that transcends all understanding." (Phil. 4:8).  I am thankful for these little blessings below who are so trusting of us and never worry about anything (except who touched them, or who isn't their best friend anymore). :)

And I am so thankful for the man God has put in my life to lead me and our family.  A man I can trust and follow...knowing that He is seeking our Lord Jesus and His perfect will for our lives.  All you single ladies out there reading....WAIT for that man!  He is WELL worth the wait!!  I know many other women with godly husbands who will give a hearty "amen" to that! 
So...that's a summary of our story!  I hope to be updating the blog regularly from here on out....(but those of you who read regularly know that I go in spurts).  I have lots to catch up on ranging from homeschooling our children, to our baby boy being 8 MONTHS OLD!  I cannot believe it!  Well..until next time! :)

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:8-9

Tennessee Christmas

Christmas in February?  I think so.  So for Christmas this year we took a trek down to Tennessee.  We left early Christmas morning and headed to Dayton to see Jason's family (minus Molly and Mike...we missed you guys!).  Jason's brother and his family were in from Georgia (close to Savannah), so we got to visit with them as well!  We hadn't seen them in just over a year, so it was long overdue and we had such a good time!!  Here's a few pics of everyone opening presents...

 For the first time in our 8 years of marriage, we are at least an hour from a Sonic.  We may have never lived close to a Chick-fil-A, but we have ALWAYS had a Sonic within a few minutes.  So each time we go to Tennessee, Sonic (along with Chick-fil-A of course) is a must!  Peyton is trying his very best to get his first introduction to Sonic...

 So we stayed in Dayton from Christmas evening (Tuesday) until Friday morning.  And on Friday morning, we headed to Memphis to see my family.  My one sister and her family live in Memphis, and my other sister was able to come in from Charleston, SC.  It was so much fun visiting with everyone there too!  And of course we had more presents to open...

We stayed in Memphis from Friday evening until Monday morning.  Then Monday morning we headed back to Dayton, spent Monday night there, and headed back to Maryland on Tuesday.  I think in the span of that week (Tuesday to Tuesday) we drove over 2,000 miles.  It was a long trip, and we only got a couple of days with each family, but it was so worth it.  Our kids had an absolute blast with all their cousins and grandparents and aunts and uncles; and Jason and I had a blast with everyone as well.  And Peyton...wow...for a 4 month old baby to travel 2,000 miles in a week, he sure didn't cry very much at all!  Of course at each destination, he had PLENTY of people who wanted to hold him, so he rarely was put down.  Each time I think about that trip it just brings warm feelings to my heart.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful families that we love spending time with!!  I can't wait til next time we are all together again!!

Still Here!

Hello friends! I haven't forgotten about the blog, it's just honestly the last priority on my long list right now. We have moved and are still getting settled. It's taken a little longer than normal because Jason was the best man in a very close friend's wedding in Memphis last Saturday. So yes, after moving, Jason, our 3 kiddos and my very pregnant self somehow managed to rummage through our stuff and pack up for a very long trek to Tennessee. It was so worth it though to see our dear friend Airton marry a wonderful lady! We sure wish Airton and Tiare the best! And I'd be lying if I didn't say there was most definitely another reason I was not going to miss that wedding....it was sooooo wonderful visiting with our families briefly as well. It was too short, but still so wonderful seeing them. We miss them all dearly. Anyway...pictures to come of the trip and the house. Meanwhile, I only have 4 more weeks to get this house perfect before the baby comes! I think I can, I think I can...(I really do think it won't be a problem)....as long as this little angel stays put til I'm ready for him. :) Hopefully soon I can update better with pictures and such. Until then, enjoy the rest of the summer!!

Christmas 2011

I thought I'd start off this post by posting a couple of the pictures I put on our Christmas card this year...

That was just 2 out of the 6 I put on the card....just thought I share a couple.

Anyway...ever since we got married, we have always rotated holidays with our families. This year was our year to spend Thanksgiving with Jason's family and Christmas with my family. However with Christmas being on a Sunday this year we decided to change it up a bit. We woke up here at our house on Christmas morning...opened presents...went to church...and then packed it all up and started our 15 hour trek to Memphis! Anyway...here are a few pics of the kids opening their presents on Christmas morning...

They had been waiting for Christmas morning for a long time. Lily's prayer request every night at prayer time would be that it would be Christmas morning the next day! So funny! (Oh, and p.s....the kids were so excited too because they got to sleep on the floor in our room on Christmas Eve...slumber party!!) :)

Here is a pic of all the grandkids at my mom's waiting to open their presents...

I think Logan is especially stoked about opening his presents.

And here are a few pics of Daniel and Lily holding baby Logan...

They loved holding baby Logan. Well, there's a little about our Christmas. It was wonderful and special. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well!!

Back Home.

Well after a full week at my parents in Memphis, we are back home! I am always torn....I LOVE being there and I love seeing my parents and sisters, but it is always good to be home and in my own bed as well (and of course when Jason and Daniel weren't there for the first of the week I missed them like CRAZY)! First off...guess who got to come home Tuesday?!

That's right! Baby Logan got to meet his big brother and big sister this past Tuesday when he got to come home after 9 days in the NICU. Such a blessing; and I know my sister and brother-in-law are so thankful for all your prayers for baby Logan. God is so good! I thought I'd also share a few pictures from our trip last week.

Since we had a lot of kids not feeling well and a woman who had birthed a child 18 hours before we got there, we spent a little more time than usual watching movies (namely Toy Story 2 and Bambi 2).

Precious.

Priceless.

And after 4 days, I finally got to hold that baby!

We did however, make it to the park a couple of times. There is a park right behind the high school I went to; and it's walking distance from my parent's house. So we try to make a few trips there with the kids when we're in. Austin spends most of his time playing football (but not just at the park...ALL day EVERY day).

Jason and Daniel decided to fly (yes, fly....Daniel got to ride on his first ever airplane) over to Memphis on Thursday night and help us drive back on Saturday! The plan was also to see baby Logan, but considering Daniel couldn't see him b/c he was in the NICU; and then Daniel got sick and only wanted Jason all day Friday...neither of them actually got to see Logan. But we were very thankful and excited to have them there none-the-less! Oh, and in the picture with Daniel is Teddy Spiderman (Daniel got him at build-a-bear)...too cute.

And this is what happens when Jason takes them to McDonald's for breakfast without any mommies.

They turn into Urkel....gotta love it.

Sweet kids. Jason said they were so ready to pose that morning! I love going to Memphis....even when the week is full of sick kids, hospitals, and my poor grandfather who has alzheimer's (bless his heart). We still find a way to have fun! :)

Little Jordan

Well...we are in Memphis.....again! When I say we...I mean me and the kids. Can I first say...that I love visiting my family. We always laugh and have such a good time when we are all together. That definitely makes our plans completely changing, not quite as disappointing as they could have been. See, Jason is at youth camp this week. He left Monday. I was supposed to be with him. But see, every time I plan to go on a youth trip, something happens...either our kids get sick, their care-giver gets sick, or in this case, their care-giver's child gets sick. My sister, Kathleen, who has 2 children...ages 3 and 18 months....and is 5 months pregnant....wanted to keep my three children (just to remind you...my kids are 5, 4, and 2). Yes, she is crazy....but hey, I had a babysitter. :) Anyway....so Jason and I packed the kiddos up Friday morning and headed to Memphis to drop them off; and Saturday we were supposed to be headed back to Dayton...childless. Well, poor little Jordan has had a little bout with.....well...constipation. It's been awful. Saturday, Jason and I made the decision for me to stay when they battled back and forth whether to take him to the ER. They eventually were told to hold out....but, since then he has been twice....the second time being early this morning which has resulted in him being admitted to the hospital and staying overnight. Bless his little heart....he hasn't slept in 48 hours, and I really don't know when the last time my sister and her husband have slept. Turns out, he was constipated....and also seems to have had some sort of intestinal infection as well, which has caused unbelievable amounts of stomach cramping. We've all felt so bad for him. But, I will say...he's been as cute as a button through it all (when he's feeling halfway decent). Anyway...we are hoping he'll get to not only come home tomorrow, but come home feeling much better. AND...needless to say, I think it was most definitely a good thing I stayed with my children! But I do miss my hubby and getting to hang out with the youth....but who knows, maybe next time....maybe. :)

A Birthday Party in Memphis!

Well, we finally made it in for a tip to Memphis again. My nephew Jordan's birthday is June 15th and Lily's is June 18th. So since we were going to be in on Lily's birthday, and it happened to be the day that my sister wanted to do Jordan's birthday; we just decided to do them together. It was a blast! Lily was so excited about her party! All morning she kept saying, "Really, am I 4? For real?"

Jordan's theme was Little Einsteins and of course Lily's was the Disney Princesses.

This child has been talking for months about what she wanted for her birthday. We started out with "all the princess stuff from Walmart." (At least she picked the cheapest store to want everything from). But eventually we narrowed it to all the princess babies and some accessories to go with them. So since her birthday we've now had to cart baby Belle, baby Snow White, baby Ariel, baby Cinderella, and baby Sleeping Beauty everywhere.

While we were opening presents, someone happened to walk into the kitchen and find this little booger diving into the cupcakes. He had been eying them all morning....so really; it was only a matter of time that he would find his opportunity when no one was looking.

See what I mean? The babies must go everywhere.

Lily didn't know how she felt about blowing out the candles. But Jordan sure knew exactly what to do.

So, my sister and her husband decided to rent this really big water slide for the party. It was awesome. Jordan loved it too, but he didn't last quite as long on it as our kids did. This little truck occupied a lot of his time.

Warning....(this may should have been at the beginning of the blog)....I posted a LOT of pictures.

Paul...

Christen...

The birthday girl got airborne!

Our kids were literally on this thing from about 11am til about 7:30 pm....with the exception of lunch, cake and presents.

Then it was time for the parents and aunts to get on...

Me and my sister, Kristina....

Ellie...

And then the grandparent got out there......

My dad and Austin....

The party was a hit! The kids (and adults) had a blast! Daniel is sitting here with me now watching me post this and he said, "I love that water slide." So there you have it! p.s.....I love visiting my family!!!