Book Nerd Alert

With Andy working long hours and being out of town often, I've been reading up a storm when kids are napping or after they go to bed.  It's my "me" time, how I relax, and how I end up going to sleep at night. Here are some books I've read lately:


"Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell
*while not the best written book, it is a must-read for all; the sacrifice the Navy SEALs make for our country is astounding. I can't wait to see the movie



"The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen" by Syrie James
*a great read, based on historical facts of Jane Austen's life



"Moby Dick"
*I'm still working through this; this classic is mentioned in countless novels, and I'm surprised I've never read it before



"David and Goliath" by Malcolm Gladwell
*this is on my list to read; Andy just finished it and really enjoyed it



"The Bloodletter's Daughter" by Linda Lafferty
*reminiscent of Ken Follett; a slightly dark novel but so intriguing and I couldn't put it down



"These Strange Ashes" by Elisabeth Elliott
*a re-read for me; a great and quick read of her memoirs as a single missionary in the jungles outside Quito



"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne
*absolutely phenomenal and heartbreaking book from the perspective of the 9-year-old main character who is living in the main house right outside of Auschwitz, and he befriends a 9-year-old Jewish boy on the other side of the fence



"Washington's Secret Six" by Brian Kilmeade
*great historical novel on the spy ring that helped us win the American Revolution



"This is the Story of a Happy Marriage"
*Ann Patchett's newest novel



**disclaimer...this list makes me look incredibly dorky!  People often ask me when I read.  I have to read at night to wind down from my day, whether it is a paragraph or several chapters.  I also read some when the kids nap.  If I don't slow down when they nap, it can lead to a long day (especially because Andy is working longer days and usually comes home after the kids are in bed).  Dorky or not, that is what I do for "me" time. Here are some great quotes on reading, to show I'm proud of my love of reading!  :)

“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.” ~Oscar Wilde

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” 
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” 
― Charles William Eliot

“We read to know that we are not alone.” 
― William Nicholson, Shadowlands: A Play

“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.” 
― Gustave Flaubert

“The world was hers for the reading.” 
― Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Weeks of Firsts

For my memory, and perhaps for your amusement, I am cataloging a list of "firsts" that have happened these past few weeks in our family.

1) On Ellie's birthday, 12-17-12, Jackson and I were at the breakfast table, and I told him, like usual, "I love you Jackson," and this was the first time he audibly and clearly said "I love you too," and then proceeded to eat his yogurt like what he said was no big deal. Absolutely thrilled my soul.

2) Not so thrilling to my soul, but funny nevertheless...on January 2, 2014, I drove up with the kids to Charlotte.  And that was the day Jackson decided to ask WHY about everything.  And it has continued.  :)

3) Since moving, Ellie is finally loving on her stuffed animals and baby dolls instead of banging them crazily on the ground.

4) Jackson has started saying "huh?" multiple times a day (I now realize he gets that from his parents). And Ellie is imitating him.  Sometimes our house sounds like a big cacophony of mockingbirds.

5) Ellie took her first official steps in the new house. She is still working on it!

6) Jackson's first pediatric dentist visit on January 14, 2014. And the same day I drove to Target, let him pick out a toy, and took away his pacifier forever. All.by.myself. It has been almost a week and he only occasionally asks for it.

7) Jackson's first time to sleep in the bunk beds that my dad and brother slept in when they were little.

8) First spontaneous neighbor gathering with our side by side neighbors.  The women, Natalie and Tara, have been so welcoming to us, and their kids are really sweet and play well with our kids.  Thus ensued our first wine/beer gathering in our driveway while we watched the kids play!

9) We had over our first dinner guests on January 18, 2014! Natalie and her family came over, and it was fun to cook, dress up the table, clean the house, put away the stacks of random things that needed to be organized, and have fun fellowship with our new friends here.

10) Our first overnight visitors!

 11) (above) First South Carolina sunrise

12) Jackson started MDO at a sweet small church called First ARP in Rock Hill.  He is doing great, and I am enjoying the time with one little munchkin to run errands with instead of two kiddos.

(And for my record, at Jackson's 3 year old check-up, he weighs 33.8 lb and is in 50% for height (38.75) and weight.  We had a low-key celebration for him, complete with homemade cake, as well as treats at his Mother's Day Out program. We had fun celebrating our sweet buddy!)

In My Mind I'm Going to Carolina

The week before Thanksgiving, we listed our house on the market:

(my instagram post :)

Coming Soon

While I was at the beach with my small group of women, we received an offer on our house the first day, and we accepted it with minimal negotiations. The Lord completely provided for us, as I was feeling very overwhelmed getting our home ready to put on the market (and to show it) with 2 young children and a dog.  And the buyers were in our same situation, relocating from Connecticut, away from all their friends and family, to sweet Birmingham, Alabama.

Andy came up to Charlotte several times, and finally narrowed down the wild home search to one, literally one, house that worked for our family. There isn't much on the market around the winter holidays, and couple in the high price market in Charlotte, required a great deal of trust on my part that the Lord was truly in charge of every single detail in our moving journey.

Here it is!

Andy (and dog)  moved up on New Year's Eve and was invited to the neighborhood party that night and met so many nice people.  I stayed at my parents' house a few days, and then headed up with the kids. We amazingly got the majority of the boxes unpacked in the first 30ish hours, and then my mom stayed that week to help hang, straighten, watch kids, etc.

Our address number is 710, and God revealed an amazing verse to me, with our house address (yet another  affirmation of His sovereign plan over every.single.detail.)

2 Samuel 7:10-11  "And I (God) will provide a place for my people...and will plant them so they can have a home of their own...The Lord himself will establish a house for you."

So here we are, and while I have certainly had my melancholy days of missing family and my best best friends back in Birmingham, I know (that I know, that I know) that God has us here, not only for Andy's job, but to minister to our neighbors, to raise our children here, and I am excited to see everything He has in store for us.

 Helping mommy unpack in mommy's closet

 Thank you, random Easter eggs, for entertaining Ellie so I could unpack the kitchen

 Just chillin' at the Fort Mill dinner hot spot

 Our first overnight visitors!  (GiGi was taking the picture)

First date night in Fort Mill at the Fish Market

 Does this stress anyone else out? Moving Day

 

 2 days later...making progress

 Moving Day

2 days later

GiGi relaxing by the fire on our outdoor porch

Christmas 2013

A Christmas update in pictures.  We had fun celebrating Christmas at home, and then headed over to my parents' house to open gifts with my family and grandparents.  Merry Christmas!

 Zoolight Safari

 Classic

 Our Christmas card 2013

 (back of card)

 Christmas Eve service

Uncle JJ is in town!

(check out his band, The Roosevelts, if you're in Austin)

 Checking out his new choo-choo from Papaw...a huge hit

 Ellie's first gift to open

 Playdate with our friend Ford