Farewell friends

This week we said our sweet goodbyes to our good friends and pastor, the Childer's family. They are so very dear to us and we will miss them greatly! Moreover we are excited for their next adventure in life, and know they will accomplish great things in their home state of Texas.

We met the up with the Childer's family one last time at Moe's-because there's no better place to be on a Tuesday night! :-) The Ney family also joined us and we got some fun pictures before we said our final "see you laters." The above picture is also special because it's a first...can you guess which? It's Evans first time at "the kid table." He is the youngest for sure, and they sat directly across from us...but it's still a big milestone and I can hardly believe my baby is big enough to eat with friends on his own. Tear!

 Since we took a "boy" picture of course we had to have a girls one. :-) Maybe one day I'll have a girly to add to the group!

Justin and Jeanna, you have been a tremendous source of encouragement to us over the years and we thank God for your friendship. Fair warning-we will be stalking your blogs for updates and adoption news. :-) The farewell cake said it well, and I'll say it again..."The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace." -Numbers 6-24

Take me out to the ballgame

"Pllaayyy ball!" Our second Carolina Mudcats game with our church care group was a blast.

 

Evan was surprisingly engrossed in the action-dare I say he enjoyed the game almost as much as his dollar dog! 

Pastor Justin caught a ball at the very beginning of the game. Above Miss Anna is posing pretty with it, and here below Evan shows it off-to everyone except the camera lol! It was passed around the kids for a while but ended up with Evan, and later Muddy Mudcat even signed it-talk about a lucky ball! (Justin would you like this one back? Let us know and we'll get it to you!)

 

 

Best family picture yet, and proof that Benny bear was there!

The weather was a catch 22...rainy but with an amazing afternoon breeze. Because of the rain and bedtime, we ended up leaving pretty early but enjoyed every minute of our time there. Already looking forward to next time! No doubt our life with boys will bring many more baseball caps and ball games.

Weekend Whirlwind

This weekend was a busy one! And, tonight is a busy night. So, I'm afraid I have little words to lend this blog, and will instead be happy with pictures and captions. Enjoy!

It all started with steak...It was wonderful to end the week with a delicious dinner courtesy of Chris' new grill. How nice it was to enjoy dinner, music, our little family and the heavy rain while eating in front of our large kitchen window. It's been raining quite a bit these past few days, and I've felt so refreshed because of it, enjoying every bit of pitter patter and soft splats from that behind that wide open window.

On Saturday morning we went to the "Got to be NC" festival at the fairgrounds in Raleigh. Evan was smitten with the goats and other friendly farm animals.

 

You can't spell North Carolina without tractor-

or truck...

Before leaving Raleigh we headed to the farmers market and made a quick stop down 401 for some townhouse business. That afternoon I had the pleasure of a yummy Olive Garden lunch with my mom followed by a leisurely, kid free time at my new favorite place, Hobby Lobby. I am SO excited that Wilson now has a craft store, and an ahhh-hmazing one at that. If you've never been to one before, just think if Michaels and Joann fabrics got married and had a very large, multi-talented, super creative, metal sign loving baby. Yes, that's Hobby Lobby for you! It's a crafty mom's paradise. :-) Anyways, back to the post! After our little excursion Chris and I took the boys to a friends birthday celebration and then spent the rest of the afternoon-or what was left of it-wrestling with a two year old and a ceiling fan.

Sunday morning began with church as usual and ended with our much anticipated church picnic. Despite the rain, everyone had a great time. And, praise God, my dessert was a success!   

And now, the laundry beckons...better get back to it!

Happy Easter!

^{Mark 16:6}And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified; He has risen.

Hope ya'll had a great Easter weekend!

Sweet Teethe!

 

This past week our church held it's annual dessert competition-sweet!As expert dessert eaters ourselves, we were very much looking forward to this delicious date. And, the competition did not disappoint. There were so many tasty and creative treats to choose from, and all were winners in my book.  I made whoopie pies for the first time, and though they looked like a hot mess(hence my aptly named "Whoopsie Daisy's"), they sure did taste good!

Speaking of sweet toothes, this little guy got his very first tooth brush this week! With four teeth and counting, we thought it was a good time to start-especially since he loves to watch daddy  brush his teethe in the morning. Thankfully, it was a shining success! Who knew personal hygiene could be so fun? Here's to hoping it sticks over the years!

A Gingerbread House Decorating Party!

Graham crackers, royal icing, great friends and candy galore makes for a  delightful gingerbread house decorating party!! I was SO excited to host this delicious get together-what a sweet success it was!

 

And the best part is, the houses turned out super cute! A special thanks to all the mama's and their little elves for coming over-it was a ton of fun and hopefully a "first annual!"

 

Bring on the boxes

Wer'e MOVING!!! Sound the bells, hooray hooray! After living in Wake Forest and Raleigh for the past 3 years, we are finally ready to start our lives in Wilson. We recently found a renter for our home who will be moving in mid November-which means, that's right...we gotta be outta here sooner than soon! After a busy few days raking the rental market in Wilson, God provided the perfect home at the perfect time. Just this afternoon we got the final application approval and green light from our credit checks. The deposit is in and we are on our way! As of this moment, it looks like we will be moving in ONE short week from now! And to think I doubted...God is so good to us, always faithful and never failing!

I am so excited about our new HOUSE in Wilson-no more townhome living around here! After our exhausting search this past Sunday, I had begun to think maybe we might have to settle on a home because of our rush and not be 100% happy about it-after all it would only be temporary. I was confronted head on with my vanity and pride as I caught myself cringe at dated bathrooms, an oven from the year 1812, and your great grandmother's wallpaper galore. At one point we were looking at a home that was pretty old and seriously dated-and even it was out of our monthly price range! "Oh boy," I thought to myself with a heavy sigh. Of course, as I stoped to remind my soul, we could and would be happy wherever God would have us-we are already blessed beyond measure!

But as only the Lord would work out, it turned out that a house that we really liked, which was previously taken off the market, suddenly became available the following day!  As I had been in close contact with the Realtor, we were the first in line and put in our application right away! And the rest is history. It's a beautiful home in a great location-and best of all, right in our price range. Chris and I are so excited about moving to Wilson to be closer to our church family, and couldn't be happier with our new home. Hopefully this time next year we'll be able to sell our town home in Raleigh and buy in Wilson, but in the meantime we could not be happier with our rental house. Can I get an Amen?!

Between becoming landlords on our end and getting everything lined up as renters, juggling work, baby and moving-I think it's safe to say we've got a lot on our plate! Something tells me this week is going to be a circus...bring on the boxes! :-)

New beginnings...

This kiddo is really happy about something, and he's got some news to share...

...daddy got a new job!! Best of all, it's in Wilson! This is a huge, long awaited answered prayer, and we are so excited to finally begin the process of moving to and planting our roots in Wilson. We can't wait to be closer to our church, friends and family!

Now all we've gotta do is get this house sold, and then Wilson bound we will be! :-) For the past week we've shifted into high home improvement gear, and are tackling this market full speed ahead. We hope to have our home listed soon and would appreciate prayers for a quick sale. No doubt more to come-but if I'm a bit lax in posting, it's probably because we're knee high in carpet cleaning, painting, weed waring, deep cleaning and de-cluttering!

Wilson here we come! :-)

Congratulations Josh & MacCaffity!

Easter, Spring Cleaning and more!

This past Easter weekend was a full one-on Saturday our church held its annual Spring Festival and on Sunday we celebrated Easter with a great Sunday service and some good ole' chocolate bunnies! We hold the cross of Christ central and celebrate the greatness of the risen Savior all year round and every Sunday, but Easter always offers a nice pause for extra reflection and thankfulness. We have so much to be grateful for!


At 38 weeks we are so close to meeting our first son(nope, it hasn't quite sunken in yet, and probably won't until we've got him in the carseat on the way home!). A garden of lovely stretchmarks has sprouted over my belly, and my ankles have officially taken a vacation-where they've gone no one knows, lol. At this point I feel like there's a kitchen timer or sorts ticking away somewhere, getting closer and closer to the buzzer-if only I could see it and know how close we are!

Now we are in nesting mode-I want to bring this babe home to a clean house! Chris has been a great help recently as my bending over/moving heavy awkward things skills have all but gone away-who knew dust busting, vacuuming and taking clothes out of the dryer could be something to be taken for granted, lol. In any case I'm glad for the help! Otherwise I think I can confidently say we've got all our T's crossed and I's dotted as best as we can, though I'm sure I'll find room for more "proof reading" in the coming days and weeks until baby's big debut. :-)

Spring Festival this Saturday!

Evan's Baby Shower!

Pardon the lack of updates-we have been up to our ears in work and baby business, and time continues to run away from me! This past weekend was an exciting and much anticipated one with baby Evan’s showers, both from work and church! Chris and I have been so blessed by the generosity, kindness and support we've received during this special time. We are so thankful for our church family and can’t wait to welcome our little prince; he is so loved already!

I didn’t have my camera with me for the shower at work, but was so humbled by the gifts and outpouring of generosity there. The cake was adorable and delicious, and I continue to thank God for placing me in such a supportive, flexible and family friendly work environment. Below are some pics from the church shower-thank you Lori! Jeanna did a wonderful job on the cake, it was sooo yummy and cute. And speaking of cute, take a look at that diaper cake-thanks Carol!A special thanks to everyone who came, cared, coordinated and contributed to baby Evan’s showers; they were a wonderful encouragement to Chris and I and I can’t wait to show this little guy all of his fun gifts! Speaking of, Chris and I had a fun time ourselves going through and assembling things, laundering onesies, and trying out all of the exciting, new gadgets; needless to say our laundry room is a pile of cardboard, plastic, and tissue paper-the recycling guys are in for a big surprise this week, haha.

I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed Evan’s baby shower, and how much I appreciate all of our wonderful friends and family.

Where did the weekend go?

We packed alot into the past weekend and boy did it fly by. On Friday night Chris and I headed to Goldsboro for the Crossway Church launch and then spent the night with my family. It was an excited and long anticipated night for Crossway, Christ Baptist's first Goldsboro church plant, and we are so excited to be a part of it. On Saturday we packed up Piper and added a new passenger for our trip back to Raleigh-mom! We took a few detours to Smithfield and Babies R Us before heading home to rest, walk the mall, and eat a delicious dinner out at Applebee's. It was a full day, and we were tired by the end of it! Lots of walking and good exercise though :-) Springtime gave us a beautiful preview this weekend with some much enjoyed warm weather-I can't wait till it's here to stay!

Me and Sami posing w/ baby Evan

Chris, Piper, & Dino at the Outlets-Looks like the Flinstones were before his time..

On Sunday after church Chris and I attended our last childbirthing class at Rex. On one hand I was sad to be completing them since they were a lot of fun and very informative-but on the other hand I'm happy to have made it through and I know it means were getting closer and closer to the big day. We learned some really good and practical tips on newborn care, and were also given the low down on Cesarean sections-a fate I'm praying fervently to avoid!

At 32 weeks, this whole labor and delivery thing is becoming more of a reality, and as things slowly but surely fall into place getting things ready for our new addition-it's a reality I'm actually really looking forward to!