It's FINALLY here!

Patrick finally received his license to practice PT in Tennessee! He applied on August 7th and 11 weeks later he got word today from the TN state board that he now has a license number and can see patients. It's been a difficult 5 weeks for him at work without being able to do what he came up here for. He's been finding odd jobs around the office, catching up on some educational reading, and killing time. He actually has a patient today and is excited he can actually start work now. Praise God!

The Mission of Motherhood...

I really am enjoying this book The Mission of Motherhood I'm reading by Sally Clarkson. I just finished a chapter on building loving relationships with our children. The book is so rich with godly advice, scriptures, and ideas of how to apply the principles she writes about in real life. At the end of each chapter, she asks questions for the reader to meditate on as well as suggested actions we should attempt with our children. The actions in this particular chapter were so good that I wanted to share them with you.

~Make a list of tangible ways you can show your children your love - a surprise picnic in front of the fireplace, an "I Love You" card under their pillow, a back-scratching or a foot rub, or even a long-stemmed rose for a romantically inclined teenage girl. Try to pick items that would speak to each child's spirit. Then make a commitment to act at least one item from your list for each child in the next few weeks.

~Mark your calendar for one-on-one time with each of your kids this month - an early morning restaurant breakfast, an ice cream date, a walk or run, or just a quiet cup of hot chocolate alone in your bedroom. I have found that it is when I am alone with my children that they are more likely to share what is in their hearts and allow their friendship with me to blossom.

Fall in the mountains...

I think this next week will bear forth the peak colors of the autumn leaves. It sure is beautiful now, but we still have a lot of green amidst the reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. I took this picture at a local park about 10 minutes from our house. It's a great park with paved walking trails, which allows us stoller-pushers to have an easier time managing our precious cargo while enjoying the scenic beauty!

We're are anticipating more company this weekend, too! Patrick's folks are coming up for a visit tomorrow and we'll be able to enjoy a few days with them. We're very excited about showing off our beautiful surroundings in addition to having some good "Gram and Pops" time with Mallory. I love having guests. I'm going grocery shopping today to purchase ingredients for my meal plans. Plus, Patrick took Cayman to the groomers today, so I'm dog-free for several hours!!! Today should be a perfect eve for a fun weekend!

Giggles

Mallory was giggling yesterday. She doesn't giggle that much and I thought it was really cute!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

This past Wednesday was Patrick's birthday (Oct 11). Mallory and I made him some Sausage Gravy for breakfast, which he really enjoyed. We also made him an Oreo dessert, since Oreos are his favorite cookie. We met Patrick for lunch at Chili's and then shared the dessert with his co-workers. After he got off work, we went to church together, which was a nice ending to a good celebration. Happy Birthday, Patrick. We love you SOOO much!

GO GATORS!

We also enjoyed watching the Gator game on Saturday with my dad. Grandpa loves his Gator Girl! Go Gators!

Weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

My parents came up for a visit this past weekend, which was SOO nice! We went to the Erwin Apple Festival on Saturday, which was SOO crowded that it wasn't really that fun.

We had a lot of fun hanging out together, though. My mom brought Mallory a new toy and a new diaper bag for me. She also made a few burp cloths to add to Mallory's collection. It was fun to receive the gifts, but it was SOO much more fun to just have them here! Patrick and I even had a chance to go have a cup of coffee by ourselves, which is definitely a rare occasion!

My mom and I spent some time on Sunday driving around the city and taking in a few open houses. It was nice to get out with just mom. As you can see from just a few of the pics that were taken this weekend, we had a great time.

Spitting out food!

OK...I have a question for the solid-food-feeding moms! Mallory has this pesky little habbit of spitting out food. It's like she's "blowing bubbles" with the food in her mouth. I pretty sure it's her sign of being done (I have been signing "all done" with her), but sometimes she just does it to play. I'd like to break her of this, but she's only 6 months and I don't know if it's just a phase or what. She's been doing it for over a week now. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

Company this weekend!

I'm so excited to host my parents this weekend! I've been piddling around my house hanging pictures up, cleaning, preparing the guest bedroom, meal planning (which is SO fun!), and sharing with Mallory the excitement of her grandparents arriving tomorrow morning! I'm going to the grocery store this afternoon to pick up the food. I'm planning on preparing 3 recipes off of my friend Beth's blog (Peach Cake, Cream Cheese Peppers, and Jalapeno Syrup), which are perfect since my dad and Patrick enjoy hot peppers. We just bought a brand new queen-sized bed for the guest room and it arrived yesterday. We now have a comfy place for guests to stay (hint hint) instead of an air mattress on the floor.

I'm just so excited!

The Mission of Motherhood

As Mallory is getting older, the weight of the responsibility I have as her mom is beginning to weigh heavily on my shoulders. I feel that she's at an easy stage right now; she doesn't know how to reason between right and wrong, her favorite toys are her feet, and she's content knowing that mommy and daddy will play and feed her. Through my time at Desiring God Community Church, I have been so thankful to the Lord for putting godly mothers around me so I could have current examples of how moms rear their children in Christ. I've gleaned so many ideas from Kelly, Nicole, Beth, Joy, and others and I thank you all for sharing your lives with me!

In addition to their examples, I've enjoyed reading The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. This book has been such an encouragement to me and impresses the truth that the role I have in laying a Christ-centered foundation in my child's life is my greatest mission right now. I am over half way done with the book and I'm looking forward to finishing it soon! I found this book at a bargain sale in Pigeon Forge, TN when I was about 7 months pregnant. I knew nothing about the book and bought it because it was a great price and I didn't have any sort of parenting book. I'm glad I bought it!

I struggle with selfish motives daily when it comes to my time and actions. I find myself getting frustrated when Mallory wakes up from a nap and I'm doing something else I haven't finished yet that I need to get done. I also find myself grumbling over laundry, cooking, cleaning, and running errands. I have also noticed a "what's in it for me" attitude. I'm ashamed of how selfish I've become! The Lord reminds me of His blessings, though. What a joy it is to be able to stay at home with my child! What a joy it is to prepare my home for my husband! What a joy it is to serve the Lord through being a mother and wife without the distraction of a corporate job! God is good and I'm so thankful for this mission He's given me.

Peaches?!?!?!

Fall is here!

Northeast Tennessee is so beautiful in the fall! We've enjoyed the cool weather and bright sunshine over these last few days and the leaves are starting to get a little color in them. It's going to be a beautiful month! It seems as though every weekend from now until the holidays has some kind of festival or event for the public to attend. This past weekend, we went to a Harvest Festival hosted by a Methodist church. They had a huge "flee market", which was really an oversized garage sale. They had TONS of clothes, knick knacks, shoes, toys, etc for the treasure hunters to sort through. I think I found a couple of gems...I got an old Fisher Price clock toy and the original Memory game (from like the '80s!!!) that were both in great condition. I also got a book and some old French card game I had never heard of, but it came with some directions on how to play. My side of the family loves to play cards, so I figured I'd have to bring it home and we'll all have something new to try! Anyway, the UM church had a silent auction and a HUGE BBQ dinner. Patrick and I ate our fill (much to Patrick's chagrin!). There was also horse rides given to the kids. One of Patrick's co-workers had a horse up there, so we walked over to meet her and she offered to let Mallory "ride" the horse. It was so cute! Mallory may take after her cousin Skye in being a horse lover!














After our Harvest Festival adventure, we drove around the area and found a great kid consignment shop. It was a dumpy looking building; it looked like a place you would drive by on your way up to some deserted mountain town that sold hubcaps and old Pepsi signs. But, it had a couple of kid toys in the front instead and I asked Patrick to stop. When I peaked inside the door, there was a gold mine of clothes, shoes, and other accessories! I spent about an hour in there sifting through the clothes and found many warm clothes for Mallory to adorn this winter. I asked the lady at the counter what shop was next door and she told me that it was a salon and saddle shop. I thought that was a strange collection of retailers...a kids store, salon, and tack shop. Odd. But, I will be going back!

We've enjoyed our time in the hills so far and have been spending a lot of time looking around at the different housing developments, which are so different that Charlotte. There are only a handful of large neighborhoods; the majority of neighborhoods have approx. 15-20 homes, which is nice!

This weekend, my parents are coming for a visit, which we're ALL looking forward too! I have a lot to do before they come, but it will be fun preparing my house for company. We'll be attending an Apple festival this weekend in a neighboring city, which is supposed to draw some 90,000 visitors! I'm hoping to squeeze in the Storytelling festival in another town as well! With the FL/LSU game at 3:30, I'm hoping we'll be able to do everything!!! BUT, playing with Mallory is priority for Grandma and Grandpa! 

5 months old!

I'm a little late with the 5 months pictures. Mallory turned 5 months on September 19th. I took this pics on Sept 27. It's just taken me a while to catch up on pics! I've still got a TON to go through. We had a fun weekend with Mallory and I hope to blog it sometime soon. She's growing so fast and is getting more beautiful every day!

Happy Birthday, Gram!

Today's is Gram's birthday! Mallory would like to say she misses you and hopes you have a good day! 

Mallory's first feeding

We gave Mallory her first taste of Rice cereal on September 18th, the day before her 5 month birthday!!! She was so funny. By the way, the bib she's wearing was the first bib she received. It was a Christmas present last year from her fishing-loving Grandpa!


 

Pictures from Moving Day

Mallory and I on moving day. This picture was taken right before the movers arrived!

Here is a picture of the truck at our rental in Johnson City 

You can have all this world, but...

Give me Jesus! This hymn was playing on our portable CD player as I was standing in my empty house, watching my daughter playing gleefully in her swing (oblivious to all the changes about to happen in our lives), and signing the papers the movers gave me, giving them permission to leave with all of our worldly possessions, taking them to our new city. Our new home. Our new life. I had an epiphany. I realized at that moment that even though all my stuff was packed up in boxes, and I was leaving all that was familiar, and I was heading toward the unfamiliar and unpredictable, that Jesus is all I need. As I was sharing with Patrick later that evening, he told me although that stuff is nice, it really is just a burden to us. So true!

Well, we’re here in Johnson City. It was a week ago today that we arrived, which is so hard to believe! In a sense, it’s gone by fast. But, it also seems like we left a long time ago. It’s strange how my senses contradict each other sometimes. I have a few minutes now while Mallory is asleep to jot down an account of our past week.

My mom came up last Monday to help pack the remainder of our things. I’m SOO glad she came to help. She seems to know what I need without me telling her. I was so maxed out by the end that it was hard for me to be anywhere close to organized. She helped throw the odds and ends, which didn’t seem to have a place in a box, in a box. We worked through the next night until everything was pretty much packed and ready. The movers arrived around 8:30 on a rainy, chilly Wednesday morning. They had everything loaded and gone by 3:30. What a whirlwind! It was strange to see it all being carted out of our first home – a home of MANY first memories. It was the first house we bought (actually, I bought – Patrick proposed to me a week before I closed). It was the house we first came home to as a married couple. It was the first house that sheltered our first baby. It was the first house we sold…

Anyway, I nonchalantly said to the mover as he was finishing up the last of the packing, “So, when do you think you guys will be dropping off our things?” Now, I was expecting him to say “sometime on Friday” or “maybe sometime this weekend”. But, I was unprepared for “9am tomorrow morning”. WHAT? That was NOT in my plans. I was very excited our stuff was going to arrive the next day, but I was expecting a long wait-time. My concern, though, was how were we going to drive to Johnson City, get the key, turn the power on, and get back to the house before 9am the next morning when they were leaving our house around 3:30pm that afternoon? After a few phone calls, we determined that we could meet the property manager at the rental at 8am the next morning and she would bring us the key, and by the way the power was on since they were cleaning the house that day. Praise the Lord! So, that meant we had to get up at 3:45 the next morning to head out by 4:15/4:30 to arrive on time. We were so exhausted from days of packing our stuff and the stress of the move that it didn’t seem possible. Oh, and Patrick had gotten a certified letter from the State of Tennessee around the same time we were told we had to be at the rental by 9am the next morning that his application for his PT license was incomplete and that he can’t get his license yet (but that’s another story entirely!). So, our anxiety levels were *slightly* high at this point.

So, with plans in place on how the next few hours would proceed, Patrick’s mom met us up at the house to do some last minute cleaning and then we headed down to their place for dinner and a few hours of R&R before we had to leave at 4:30. As I put Mallory down for the night, she was having a bad case of gas – a case that Mylecon couldn’t even fix. I was up with her almost every hour and sometimes twice an hour, holding her and trying to sooth her little tummy. By the time the alarm went off, I only had about 2 hours of sleep under my belt as we entered a day of driving the 160 miles to Johnson City (separately, too, since we have two cars) and managing the unloading of the truck. Give me Jesus!

Well, when we arrived, the house looked really good, except for a few things here and there. Patrick ended up taking over the movers “bingo” sheet (they call out the inventory # they are moving in and he crossed the # off the sheet) while I tended to Mallory, cleaned the dirty bathroom and kitchen, and set up our beds for a good night rest. I probably shouldn’t have set up the bed so early, since it was taunting me all day! I was having a difficult time staying on top of things, but all of our stuff arrived without too much damage (we had a broken vase, which was worth like $1, and a broken ceramic plant column). After the movers left around 5pm, we showered, headed out for dinner, and then came back and crashed. Mallory had another bad night, but this time it was because the room that we chose to be her nursery was really loud. You could hear the cars driving up and down the road very clearly in her room. Not a good choice!

The next day, we straightened up a few things while Patrick headed up to his new office to say hello and made a stop at the Power Board to switch the power into our names. I headed to Wal-Mart for a few necessities (like mini-blinds, since there were no window coverings in the house, and contact paper to cover up the dirty cabinets). When I got back, Patrick’s folks arrived for a visit and to help with some unpacking. Patrick and his dad spent several hours hooking up the washer and dryer (that’s a WHOLE other story in itself). But, we got a lot accomplished and were able to have a nice dinner out. Mallory had another bad night of gas (in a noisy room, I might add) and I was up with her again almost every hour. I was trying to figure out why she had this case of gas when I realized I hadn’t had a good meal in two days. Poor Mallory! It really struck me how much she depends on my eating habits!

Needless to say, the next day (Saturday), we rearranged the furniture so she would have a room on the backside of the house and I went to the grocery store for some good food! Patrick spent time organizing the garage while I tried to manage which boxes we would unpack vs. which we would keep in storage. Our cable was installed and I was able to watch the Gators beat up on the Volunteers!!! On a side note, these Tennesseeans are crazy about their Volunteers. It was so much fun to watch the Gators beat them on their turf by a close margin of victory. Mallory wore her Gator cheerleader outfit all day in support of my home team!

On Sunday, we visited a really nice church we both thoroughly enjoyed. We took it easy that day, which was a good time of rest for our weary bodies.

Monday was Patrick’s first day of work. He had a good day, despite the fact he spent the majority of the day tracking down why some of his TN license application didn’t go through. He’s staying busy, though, and enjoys his new office. After making several phone calls, it looks like he’ll have his license in another week or so.

Mallory has been adjusting well. Ever since we switched her room and I started eating home-cooked meals, she’s had a much better time with her sleeping patterns. I started her on rice cereal on Monday. It’s hard to believe she’s growing so fast. She made some REALLY funny faces and I took a bunch of pictures. She turned 5 months old on Tuesday and we celebrated with a new toy that we bought using a gift card from my mom and dad. I didn’t take any formal pictures of her, but I’ll try to do that this weekend. Mallory is such a sweet little baby and has been a great companion to me over the last several days.

I’m doing well. My main goal is to make this house more home-like. I’ve hung blinds in almost all the rooms of the house. Our master bedroom is all together and is very comfortable. My only complaint in this room is that there is no door on the closet. The room we’re in was the little boy’s room before we arrived, so the fan in the room has red, orange, yellow, green and blue “fingers”…it adds a little spice to the room. The office is the catch-all room at this point. Patrick’s clothes live in the office, since the master close is VERY small. Mallory’s room has all of her furniture arranged, but I still have some boxes to unpack for her. She has her teddy bears out and some pretty curtains hung. Her room is smaller than before, so it’s a little snug for her stuff, but very comfortable. We only have one bathroom, and it’s not the best. The faucet is drippy, there is no vent, so to “de-humidify”, we open up the window, which will be not so much fun when the winter rolls around. There’s mildew on the tiles which I can’t seem to scrub off. There seems to be a musty smell because of the no-vent issue, so I’ve been using LOTS of Febreeze. The living space is very nice. All of our furniture fits, though a bit snug. I have a beautiful picture window that looks over a water feature in the front yard that is shaded by two giant oaks. It’s really beautiful. Cayman perches herself on the chair in front of the window and “mans the castle” with her (unpleasant) barks. The kitchen/dining area is OK. The W/D are in the kitchen with me, so that’s been strange. I only have two drawers in the whole kitchen – one is broken and only opens the entire way when I open the dishwasher. The other is blocked by the stove and only opens when I open the oven while pushing it back a little with my knee. So, I have to be creative with where I put my ovenmitts, dish towels, silverware, etc. There’s white tile on the floor, which gets dirty VERY easily, mainly because the people who lived her before us put a beach volleyball court in the back yard and sand gets tracked through the house by us and the dog.

Though quirky, I think we can make this house homey. I learned in the ladies bible study through DGCC that I have a responsibility as a Christian homemaker to establish the emotional center of the home. I’ve been taking that responsibility seriously and have been making an effort to straighten the “unstraightenable” in our place, welcome my husband home with a smile and a good meal, and be the mommy I need to be for Mallory. It’s been a challenge keeping my priorities straight and focusing on each task individually rather than trying to conquer the entire war in one breath. God has been good and has been my shoulder to lean on.

I’ve been listening to Fernando Ortega quite a bit and have grown to love his hymns CD. Every time “Give Me Jesus” comes on, I remember that He alone should be my delight and not the other worldly things that society has defined as our “needs”. Patrick and I started reading God is the Gospel by John Piper and I’ve been reflecting on the question he asks in the book that when we get to heaven and God were replaced by all the other things that “make us happy” in this world, would we still want to be there. That question made me stop, think, and really assess my attitude about life. I do want to be with God in heaven. “You can have all this world, but give me Jesus!”

I miss all my friends back in Charlotte, but I’m truly looking forward to the life God has planned for us here. Please visit!

I’ll post some pics soon…

Last post...

Well, tomorrow is the big day when the movers arrive. I'll be disconnecting our computer this afternoon and packing it up for the move. It's hard to believe that we're embarking on a whole new chapter of our lives; not only do we have a new baby, but we'll be living in a new state, finding a new church, and making new friends. God is always the same, though! I've said this so many times, but I'm so glad that he's coming with us!

I'll post again when I get settled in our little rental house. Keep us in your prayers!

We love playtime!

Here's Mallory in her jumperoo this morning! She's cute!

Odds and Ends...

OK...I have about 15 minutes before dinner is ready. Mallory is in her swing and Patrick is getting cleaned up, so I'm taking a few minutes to blog!!! Life is busy over here. Our movers come in 6 days and there is still so much to do! I'm currently packing box #80, if you can believe it! We still haven't taken the stuff down from the attic!!!

Anyway, here are some recent pics I thought you all would enjoy...


Our anniversary dinner with Patrick's folks!!! This is a great picture of us. We rarely have us all together in pics!





Cayman's life is now different with a baby! I thought this was a funny picture of how pitiful our dog looks. (Notice how she's putting herself between baby and Daddy?)




Taking a nap













Here's Mallory with her friend, Grace. Grace is about 2 months older than Mallory. They're almost the same size now!!!




Boxes in the foyer














Boxes in the Garage