Tuesday, May 29, 2012

2.5

This post is almost 2 months behind, but I wanted to document a few milestones.

When we moved, Andrew moved out of the crib to a big boy bed. He also started sharing a room with Hunter. It was much easier to transition Andrew to a new bed. The boys enjoy having a room together and their conversations before bed are precious.

Andrew was potty-trained last month. I wanted to have 1 child in diapers so there was extra motivation to potty train him. And why not add a little more stress to an already stress-ful time. :) He has done amazing and I'm proud to say he's now potty-trained!



Andrew is our passionate child who knows what he wants. He is certainly displaying the typical 2 year old independent qualities. He loves adventure like his brother and dad but is not as much of a risk taker. He plays hard and sleeps great. He is our verbal child and will talk to you as long as you let him. He seems to be more extraverted, but I'm amazed how well he can play by himself. He loves any and all kind of balls. He loves his train sets and toys and would rather play than watch any television. Lately, he wants to be outside all the time and play ball or find interesting bugs. He already adores his little sister and gives her hugs and kisses every day. He looks up to Hunter and wants to do whatever he is doing- except of course, when he's being Mr. Independent.

             What great joy he has brought into our life these last 2.5 years!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Coldwater Creek






Surprise, surprise, we were outside enjoying God's beautiful creation all around us. We went to a state park nearby where there was a little beach for the guys to wade in the water. This mountain creek was so cold and pregnant or not, I would not have gotten in that water. Thankfully, these boys have an amazing dad who not only goes in the water with them but found this great spot knowing they would love it. We had a picnic at a playground area, enjoyed the creek and our new favorite hobby: learning about mountin' life in Virginia.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Crabtree Falls











We took a visit to Crabtree Falls a couple of weeks ago. Of course, the boys had a fabulous time- all 3 of them. We are loving spending time in the great outdoors.

Their Mom

              Mr. Independent didn't want in the Mother's Day picture and he let us know that!


What a privilege it is to be the mom of these 2 boys. I never pictured myself having 2 boys in a row, but oh, am I so glad that God allowed me to. These two wear me out, drain the little bit of energy I have, push my buttons and test my patience level on a daily basis. They help me see that life is not about my happiness, how much laundry is done for the day, how much of our dinner is organic and homemade or how many neat and tidy the house is. They do not care. They want my attention- to show me all the cicadas outside, to watch them fly down the hill on the bike, to show me how tall the lego tower is or how many trains are connected together. The perfectionist in me wants it all and I've realized that it's simply not possible. It's not possible for me- or anyone else that I compare myself to. The most important thing is for me to be focused on Christ so that I have more patience and fresh eyes to see what He would have me to see.
Boys- it is an honor to be your mom and I love watching you grow up everyday. You bring so much joy and delight into my life and I'm so thankful for that!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Swallows Ridge

We {finally} closed on our house 2 weeks ago. It is so bittersweet after living here for almost 7 years. Of course, we are so thankful that our house sold especially in this market. It was sad because it was the first house we owned. We brought Hunter and Andrew home from the hospital here. We have had many birthdays and holidays celebrated here. We had youth over, leaders over, small group, wedding and baby showers and more. We prayed that our house would be one that would bring glory to God. I hope that our house showed love and comfort to those around us. It certainly was not just a great house, it was a perfect home for us.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Nathan's Installation

The committee
Our pastor is to the left of Nathan
 
Thankful for the start of great friendships here...including the Pearsons!  


                                            My boy that certainly has a sweet-tooth!
The bluegrass musicians at the picnic




He's in heaven-holding balls and a bug.
Hunter was running around with other kids, but he was there with us!

Nathan had an Installation service last week. The service is to install Nathan in his new job in a new presbytery. It's kind of confusing, but the important part is that he had to complete several interviews, write some papers and now he is done. And to celebrate, Grace had a picnic after the service! We enjoyed BBQ out on the lawn complete with 2 bluegrass musicians. We really do live in the mountains. It was a great time to talk to new people in a more relaxed environment.
And a huge congrats to my husband. Our pastor listed everything that Nathan had to do starting with seminary and it was amazing how much he has done- both on his own (term papers) and many many interviews.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

fun with grandma and grandaddy





My parents came up right after we moved in. Again, it was a great help to have them here as we unpacked boxes and organized everything. There is not exactly a lot to do here so we all went to the Safari park. My favorite animals were the kangaroos- so cool! Hunter was a bit scared when he was feeding the elk with my dad and the elk decided to fight each other over the food. We now have a small dent on our door from the excitement :)
The boys have adjusted to our new location and life so well. However, they are so used to seeing my family so often and don't quite understand why we can't just see them for a meal. Good thing a baby is coming soon so they will be up here again!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

outdoor life



  
                             






We truly have an outdoor playground everywhere we look. There are hiking trails everywhere. The boys have fallen in love with the creeks and ask to find a pull-off where they can just splash around in the mountain streams. I know there will be many more pictures of outdoor life to come!