Our Little Pumpkin

We took James to Hill Ridge Farms today to pick out his first ever pumpkin! He loved all the pumpkins and crawled from pumpkin to pumpkin chewing on the the stems. I think he would have put a whole pumpkin in his mouth if he could have. (I do promise that I fed him before we went!) :)

 He loved it so much he didn't really want to leave. He pitched his first little fit, at least his first public fit when we tried to pry him off the pumpkins to head home. :) Oh boy! He's not even 9 months old yet... I'm not sure what we are in for in the months and years ahead, but it is funny to see his little personality develop. I have a feeling he may be strong-willed or persistent, at least. :)

It was really a fun day as a family. As he's getting older we are able to do more things that we all 3 can enjoy. I loved watching his little face so content on the hayride over to get the pumpkin. Seeing him enjoy it and take it all in, was a reminder for me just to slow down and breathe it all in. :) Fall really is beautiful!

We took so many pictures but here is my favorite one of the day!

The Power of Words...

Words are so powerful! Words can uplift us or hurt us deeply. We can hang onto words of encouragement shared with us by others for weeks or months (I know that I can) and replay hurtful words or messages in our minds for years. Words can often be misunderstood, misinterpreted, or even go unexpressed at all. As a "words of affirmation" girl (my #1 love language) I totally understand how powerful words can be for our good and sometimes not-so-good. I have so often hung onto and deeply cherished a genuine compliment, or an "I love you", or a word of affirmation, and even replayed hurtful words over and over in my head more than I'd ever care to remember. I'm not unfamiliar with the pain that can accompany words unexpressed either. Clearly, what we say and even what we don't say has a big impact on others.

Scripture addresses on many occasions the power of our words and the importance of controlling our tongue. Proverbs 12:18 says, "Reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings about healing." Healing. A word that has been such an important part of my life's journey as well as our recent journey. A word that has been in our conversations, in our hearts, in our prayers, even in the songs that I've been singing lately...(around the house, of course :) )

Last Sunday we visited a church. After serving on staff at two different churches the last few years, it was different to be on the other end of things as a first time visitor at a church. After praying about it and even some shed tears on my part, we decided beforehand that it was time to go ahead and introduce James to the church nursery. This church had a children's program that we felt great about with loving volunteers, giving us the opportunity to worship freely without worrying about his safety (a huge relief for me). And although we were ready, he was not. After about 10 or 15 minutes of being in the service, a sweet volunteer came and found me and said, "I think James needs you." This was the same volunteer that put her arms around me earlier that morning and offered up genuine words of encouragement (she herself was a mother of a boy now 16) as tears streamed down my face when I handed him off to the nursery workers and I confessed that "I've never left him with anyone other than family before."

We walked together to pick James up (who was hysterical) and then she escorted us to the "cry room" to watch the rest of the service. She stayed with us for a few minutes and encouraged us...she even let us share "our story" with her and shared some of hers with us. She was a blessing to us, to me especially.
The morning didn't go as we had planned at all, but God ministered to us through that church member in so many ways. We didn't hear much of the service that day but in the midst of talking with her and calming James down,  I did hear one thing. In fact, it was the only part of the service I got to hear that day. A familiar song. A song that I sang (around the house) so often the last few months - a song that had spoken to my heart. I smiled when I heard it. A simple reminder of God's love for us. There was a line in the song that had so resonated with me all those months - "now by your grace we stand, healing is in His hands." I offered up a simple prayer thanking God for His grace and for healing to come.

On Friday afternoon James and I went for a walk, and I decided to stop by our mailbox while we were out. There was a card inside. A card from that same sweet volunteer. The card was beautiful and uplifting from start to finish but my favorite part said, "I know you didn't really get a chance to be in worship but one of the songs said 'now by your grace we stand, healing is in your hands.' I wrote that down as I thought of you and Stephen and the journey of healing that you are on -- all the while in His hands. You are so precious to Him and it all matters."

Wow! Powerful words! "It all matters...." How many people need to hear that they matter to God? That He cares about their circumstances? I praise the Lord for this sweet lady, Danette, that allowed God to use her to encourage our family. I pray that I would bless others with my words today and always.

Reckless words pierce like a sword but the tongue of the wise brings about healing. Proverbs 12:18


And for those of you wondering, we are visiting again tomorrow morning. :)

8 Month Update!

James is 8 months old!! How is it possible that he's been ours for 8 months? I wanted to quickly update you on some of the things he is doing at 8 months before time gets away from me and he's 9 months old!!


- He is wearing size 3 diapers and wearing 9 month and 12 month clothes. It seems like he has gotten a lot longer lately but it might be when the seasons changed that I noticed again how long he is based on his pants length!

- He takes 2 naps a day usually around 10:30 and 3:00 and goes to bed by about 8:30.

- He is SO active now! He really moves all day long starting from the second that he wakes up in the morning. Maybe he'll be a morning person like Mommy! He even moves in his sleep (sleep crawling and pulling up!) which we were told was like Daddy as a baby and then wakes himself up because he is moving so much.

- He is crawling, pulling up, and getting into everything. He even pulls himself up and lets himself go and will stand for just a few seconds. He thinks he is such a big boy!

- He has two teeth. He cut his first bottom tooth the day before he turned 8 months old and the second one came through just a couple of days later. I have been brushing them and letting him play with the tooth brush just to get in the habit but I'm probably being silly.

- He is eating some finger foods now. I cheer for him when he finally gets them into his mouth (he is focused and determined) and he gets a kick out of that! I have let him have Gerber puffs and yogurt melts and MumMums (these rice wafer things). Thank goodness for foods that soften in his mouth because I am a paranoid mom for sure but I am starting to lighten up. Stephen and I have tasted all of them to make sure there is no way he can choke on them. I will hopefully introduce some real finger foods closer to 9 months. He is still eating lots of solids and is now drinking water from his sippy cup with every meal.

- We really think that he knows who "Mama" is now. It's the only word that he says so far and for the longest time we didn't think that he knew what he was saying but he now says "Mama" at times when I walk toward him after being in another room. I love it, of course. :)

- He has become a belly sleeper this month and sleeps more soundly (especially for naps) on his belly.

- He loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and his new Mickey Mouse stuffed animal. He looks at his stuffed animal and then up at the TV as if he's contemplating how he jumped out of there and into his hands. It is so cute!

- He has transitioned out of his infant carrier into his new car seat.

- He had his first move (to North Carolina).  He transitioned pretty well. His toys are here and his Mama and Daddy are here - what more could he ask for? :)

- He really enjoys when we read books to him. He has always liked it, but now he seems extra interested.  His favorite books are "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "Goodnight Moon".


James, you are a joy and delight! It has been our privilege to be your parents for 8 whole months! We love you always and forever, sweet boy! Love, Mommy and Daddy

4 in 3.5

... This is our  fourth move in three and a half years of marriage. I know it seems like a lot to some of you as well that have recently asked, "So where are y'all now?" and believe me we would have chosen a different option if we could have but we also know that God is in control of our lives and circumstances and we trust Him.

So, we are back in Wake Forest, NC attending (well, Stephen is) seminary full-time and committed to staying here until Stephen has at least his MDiv degree in hand. We are starting our second full week here and Stephen is off to his new job this morning (a huge praise!). He is working for a mortgage company assisting loan officers and helping people to refinance and lower their monthly payment. He is working two miles from our campus apartment and his job is very flexible with his school schedule. We pray this job would provide for our needs and that he could have longevity there. We pray also for opportunities for Stephen to share Christ. 

We are also beginning to look for a new church home where we can get involved (please pray for us). Two weeks ago at the exact moment that Stephen was closing the door on our old home in Georgia for the last time, a church called in North Carolina. Stephen met with the Pastor when we got here and then a few days later James and I went with Stephen to meet the Pastor, his wife, and a member of the search team. And while we loved the direction the church was going and connected so well with the Pastor, we did not have peace about proceeding in the process any further. God was clearly telling us "no" and while we may not know all the reasons I am so thankful for the privilege to be able to hear our Father's voice. And even though this didn't go the way we thought or hoped, it served as an encouragement to us that God was going before us and He was opening new doors for us in North Carolina. He is so good, so loving, so faithful to us!

We don't know what awaits us in the days (and years) ahead but we are taking it one day at a time and trusting in the One that does. Pray for us in yet another transition and relocation. Pray we can make friends and continue friendships we had started when we were here before. Pray for James to have friends and opportunities for him to continue to grow, learn, and develop. Pray for us to find a church home where we can get involved and serve. Pray that we will be wise financially and pray that we will find ways to save so that I can continue to stay home with James. Thank you for your friendship and lifting us up before the Father!!

Look who has been very involved in "helping" us unpack....  :)