The Last Two Months...

Howdy folks!  Life since we moved back has been a whirlwind!  There are lots of things I'd love to blog about but instead of feeling really defeated when I don't find the time to catch up, maybe I'll just briefly touch each thing and start blogging more from here on out.  Whatever helps me sleep at night.  :)  So we celebrated the fourth...

 We moved back into our old house...

 We did a VBS in Frazier...

 

We celebrated Peyton's FIRST birthday!!

 

 

 

 Lily started gymnastics...(this is a picture from her glow party to celebrate the start of classes)...

 The boys started playing soccer...

 And above...I ran my first 5K with a friend!!  So its been an eventful two months!  Throw in there that the kids started back to school...my parents moved...and I got TWO new nieces and you could call it down right crazy!  It's been busy...but its all been a blast!  Obviously I will blog more about a few of these events, but I at least now don't feel like I have sooo many blog posts weighing on my shoulders.  Here's to fall (insert raising a cup of something warm and pumpkin-y)!! :)

 

 

 

We're Moving Again?

 Three and a half years ago we moved from this house.  In that three and a half years we have moved five times....
January 2010-to Jason's mom's house
November 2010-to our apartment in Dayton
November 2011-to Maryland
July 2012-to the church's parsonage in Maryland
April 2013-to my parent's house
Now...three and a half years later, in July of 2013 we have just finished our 6th move...back to this sweet house!  I cannot believe I am even writing this!  Never when we moved back to this area 3 months ago would I have thought that we'd end up serving again at Beaver Baptist Church!  Jason will be leaving Chick-fil-A and be joining the team at Beaver again as an Associate Pastor.  He will be overseeing youth, young adults, and missions.  We could not be more excited about the opportunity to be back!  One of the hardest things about moving so much over the last three and a half years has been saying goodbye.  I know had we not said those goodbyes, we would have never met the next set of people that we were sad to say goodbye to, but you get the idea.  At each and every church we've been blessed to serve alongside, we have left some very dear, sweet people behind.  It is such a blessing to be able to return to one of those churches and serve alongside the dear, sweet people of Tipton County again! 

Well, since the move is just an hour north of here we've kinda taken our time moving...which has been nice.  A week and a half ago we took the majority of our things up to the house.  The kids were a huge help...

 Especially this little cutie...

 We also had quite a few helpful hands from family and friends...

Then Wednesday we took our dressers and things we were still using here at my parents house out to the house.  And tonight we are taking the final load and will be officially living there!  We are just thrilled!  Jason and I weren't married yet when we started at Beaver the first time.  So when we got married, he brought me home to that house.  I brought my first three children home from the hospital to that house.  My cousin, Amber spent her last afternoon on this earth with me in that house.  That house holds a special place in my heart and I am just excited to be back!  And we are excited to see what God has in store and how He is going to use Beaver Baptist Church in our community! 

The Last Day of School (in Maryland)

How long ago did we move here?  Two and a half months ago.  So I'm deciding now would be a good time to post some pictures from the kids' last day of school in Maryland.  It's good to post things like this two and a half months later.  (Not really, but I'm going to tell myself that). :)  SO, the last day of school was a hard day for me.  I loved their school in Maryland, and I absolutely LOVED the teachers they had this past year.  They were just wonderful.  On their last day of school I took some cupcakes and drinks for the kids in their class to make it kind of a special "good-bye day."  Lily had 28 kindergarteners in her class so getting a picture with the whole class was a little bit out of the question.  And I have discovered this last year that Lily is in fact very shy, so even getting a picture of her with her teacher was a bit difficult...

But Lily loved Mrs. McDade and so did we!  Everything she said may as well have been Biblical as far as Lily was concerned.  :)

And then we headed over to Daniel's classroom.  Daniel's teacher was so wonderful as well!  Not only was she very sweet, but she was a very good teacher and Daniel learned a lot!!  She had Daniel take a picture with the girls (I don't think he knew what to do)...

 And then with the boys...

 I don't think he's quite as shy as Lily girl.  And here's Daniel with his teacher, Mrs. Blythe...

I was MOST definitely fighting back the tears that day.  I don't know what it is about them having to leave a school that just chokes me up.  They always seem fine, but I am a mess!  We sure do love and miss Broad Ford Elementary!! :)

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

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!!

Busy

We are still here! LOTS has been going on the last few weeks! For starters...Jason left town again last week so it was just me and the kiddos. I was 33 weeks pregnant and painting a house...packing a house...and all with 3 energetic little children (well the 4th is quite energetic too these days). BUT Jason made it back and then yesterday we moved and now we are getting nice and settled in our new house! Lots of pictures and blogging to come when we get a little more settled. And a HUGE thank you to EVERYONE who has helped us paint, move, eat, fix up the house, babysat, etc. Your love and service have been more of a blessing to us than you know! Wish us luck unpacking! :)

A Month in a Post...

Well, November has been quite a month for us! We packed up everything we owned...

Daniel started school in Maryland (and he picked a great week to start b/c his class got to go swimming everyday at the local college!!).....

And we packed up and went back to Dayton for Thanksgiving....

(You can see Lily had really missed her Uncle Mike...)

We packed back up and came back home to our new church....(Lily was in a mood in this picture)..

And now we are about to decorate for Christmas!!! But before we do, here's a few pics of our new house (I have just gotten it good and clean before I start putting out the holiday decor)...

And THIS......is our playroom, which is actually a loft that you access by ladder in Lily's room....what kid doesn't like getting to their toy room by a LADDER!!! :)

So there you have it! Our November in a nutshell!! Whew! It's been busy but it's been a BLAST! I honestly feel that we have enjoyed every bit of it! Maybe now that we're unpacked I can start blogging a little more frequently.....however December is a pretty big month for us with 2 birthdays and a major holiday, so we'll see. :)

Hello....I'm still here!!

Hello folks! It's been well over 2 weeks since I've blogged; but considering what's been going on in my life, I think that's understandable! We are finally here in Maryland trying to get settled into our new house...in our new community...in our new STATE!!! And it was quite a journey getting here I might add! We had always planned to go visit my family in Memphis for a few days in between the transition. However the original plan was to get our stuff up here before we went there. That didn't work out. So we just planned to go to Memphis...from Nov. 2nd - Nov. 6th....come back to Dayton...pack up our stuff...and be here in Oakland sometime that Tuesday (the 8th). Then life happened.

First off...my grandfather passed away. We knew he wasn't doing well at all; and we were actually surprised he made it as long as he did. But at around 3:30 AM Thursday (Nov. 3rd), he went home to be with the Lord after a long hard battle with alzheimer's. My heart aches for my grandmother (who also lost her dog that following Saturday). The funeral was Monday (going on 2 weeks ago). Let me side track for a minute to tell you about my grandfather. He was the sweetest man! He would do anything for anyone. But most of all; he was a godly man. My favorite thought about him was a memory my aunt shared about him at the funeral. She remembers as a little girl walking in while he was doing his quiet time in the early mornings. She said she would see him signing to the Lord in prayer (he was deaf). I just love to think about that....how he truly had a PERSONAL relationship with the Lord...how he talked with the Lord. It was sad to watch him at the end of his life. The alzheimer's really made him act different....he was not Papaw anymore. So in some ways...we are all so happy he is home. He has his mind...he can hear...and he is with my cousin Amber (who went to be with the Lord going on 4 years ago in January). So anyway...that is my Papaw...and he will be dearly missed.

So....after the funeral Monday we planned to leave to go back to Dayton. Long story short....we didn't leave til almost lunchtime Tuesday. We were exhausted. So we got almost packed up Wednesday and had planned to leave that afternoon and I got sick. (sidenote #2: a big thank you to the secretaries at FBC Dayton for the farewell lunch Wed. That was so sweet). So anyway....last Thursday at about 11:59pm we got into Oakland; and unloaded our Uhaul into our new house last Friday. So we've been here a week now. (It's snowed twice since we've been here btw). And as of today, we not only have internet, but WIRELESS internet. So here I am....blogging! Hopefully I'll get to keep up on here more now about our journeys in Maryland!

Lastly, I would like to take a little moment to thank all the members of our new church (Deep Creek Baptist Church). Thank you so much to all of you who stocked our pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. I cannot say enough how much of a blessing that was. Also, a huge thank you to all of you who worked so hard to make our house nice and clean for us to live in. I would also like to thank all of you who came to help us unload our Uhaul....and in the snow I might add!! And a big thank you to Pastor Ben for taking us around town; and to Mark and Debra for watching our kids one day and helping us get our fire going so we can have even more heat!! :) And to ALL the members of the church for such a warm welcome and making us feel so at home right away!! We are excited about ministering with you all.

Ok...that's all for now...more unpacking to do! Hopefully today will be it!! Whoop whoop!!

Say What?!

Ok, so if you asked me if I liked moving, I would probably say "no." I mean, I would love to live in the same town as both our families; and for Jason to be a minister in the same church forever and ever amen. But, God has obviously had different plans for us (which I am ok with, btw). Anyway, well, yesterday we spent the day not packing boxes and instead visited with some family and friends; and caught up on some other things we needed to do. And it was then that I discovered something about myself that I didn't know....there is a part of me (while initially it seems overwhelming) that likes the task moving! I even caught myself trying to tape up just a few more boxes before we left the apartment! I think this is why. See I LOVE to make lists....especially "to-do" lists. And I LOVE checking things off my lists. And well, since I'm a very visual person...how better to "check off a list" than converting this...

...into this.I know...I'm crazy! But I guess while God's given me the personality that gets really attached to people and doesn't like saying goodbye....He's also given me the personality to love the organization/"checking-off-a-to-do-list" part of moving! God is good! :) Oh...and it gives me an excuse to slip away a little from the mundane everyday house cleaning...(I mean, who can mop a floor covered in boxes). And I know there have been many challenges trying to pack up everything we own with a kindergartener, a preschooler, and a toddler; BUT this is what I LOVE about moving with little kids...

I love all their little doodles! Well, that's all for now! Have a great weekend!

WE'RE MOVING!!!!

Yep...you read it right! We are moving to Oakland, Maryland.....MARYLAND!! I can't believe it! Jason has accepted a position at Deep Creek Baptist Church in Oakland, Maryland! He will be the Associate Pastor of Family Ministries...basically he will be the youth minister and will also oversee the children's ministry.

We are super excited about the opportunity. Jason will be the first youth minister Deep Creek Baptist Church has ever had! There are 2 high schools in Garrett County, and neither one have FCA, Athletes in Action, or any christian clubs. There is very little ministering toward teenagers there at all. But God has been at work in the area over the last several years, and brought lots of children and teens to Deep Creek! So we are greatly looking forward to being able to minister to them and hopefully get some things going for them in their schools too! With that being said, we are also super sad to leave here. This will be the first time we haven't lived by at least one of our families....and the other has always been close. We will now be over 9 hours from Jason's family and 13 hours from mine! We love spending time with our families, so it will be hard for us to be so far away. Also, we are really going to miss the teenagers and their families that we have been so privileged to minister to over the last 22 months. They are awesome...no other way to put it...just awesome! So basically, I am excited, happy, sad, overwhelmed, anxious, and at peace all at the same time! It has been so neat though to watch those wonderful two verses from Philippians 4:6-7 work in my life over the last few weeks. Every time I start to feel anxious about all the change, I have just been quoting those verses..."Be anxious for nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." And it's been amazing how He has given me that peace! So....with all that being said....this is now what our little apartment looks like...

Fun!! Can't imagine why I may be a little overwhelmed could you? And honestly...that's not the worst it's looked over this last week. Oh, yeah...and did I forget to mention that Garrett County Maryland gets somewhere around 200 inches of snow in the winter? And that most of their houses don't have air conditioning because they don't need it! Yeah....that may be a little bit of an adjustment for us....just a little. We may not be saying this in the dead middle of winter...but right now...the snow sounds kinda exciting! :) So anyway...that is our new big news!! We would greatly appreciate any prayers on our behalf as we make this transition....especially as we try to pack lots and lots of boxes with 3 energetic children who would love to climb to the top of every pile and jump from it, to the couch, to the ottoman, to the other couch....and so forth. So...lots of use of a mother's favorite word...NO! :) Really, they haven't been too bad. But anyway...happy Thursday!