Christmas Celebrations

Well, Connor is now nearly 8 weeks old! I can hardly imagine it myself. Time is escaping from me with lightning speed. He is growing and healthy. We saw our midwife for Connor's 6 week appointment, which was also our last with her:(, and he was a whopping 13 lbs 4 oz. He is hearty! I will no longer be concerned with his finicky eating habits.
We have been going and going as most of you have with the Christmas Season in full swing. I am so sad that it is nearly January and the holidays will be over. This is most certainly my favorite time of year and with the added bonus of a new baby this year, it has been wonderful! Connor is such a joy and brings it with him whereever he goes. As I said, we saw Christy, our midwife for Connor's final follow up and it just happened to fall on the same day as our good friends, The Spivey's annual Chirstmas party. So, we stayed in Hurst on Friday the 19th and were able to see all of our friends which was just great. We came back Saturday to do laundry, go to church and have a quick visit from my parents before leaving Wednesday. On Wednesday we drove to Wimberley to celebrate Christmas with Matt's family, many of whom had not yet met Connor. From there we drove to San Antonio and made it just in time for the Christmas Eve service in the church where I grew up and we were married. We got to see lots of old friends there and it gave my mom a chance to show off her grandbaby. It was really special for me to be there because for different reasons we hadn't been able to attend the service for the past few years.
Christmas morning we woke up and had Christmas with my immediate family, which Connor slept right through. We then drove to my grandparents house for a late lunch and gift exchange.
I think part of why I love this time of year is because of the traditions we have. My family is very still detemined to meet together and enjoy time together while many others choose not to make the drive or effort, we continue. I love that we spend hours on end playing games, eating junk and catching up. It is so special to me.
Anyhow, finally on Friday we went to lunch with Matt's mom and aunt and then had our own small Christmas there. We exchanged gifts and it was so nice to have a quiet afternoon together.
Saturday we made our way back home loaded down with gifts and full bellies. Praise the Lord for another blessed year.

Connor Weeks 5 & 6

Over the last two weeks I think Connor has doubled in size! The boy is growing like a weed! He is awake and alert more and more everyday. He is getting stronger and holding his head up on his own a lot. Here are some pictures of his latest activities: Church staff Christmas party, Sunday School Christmas party, a visit from Grandma Julie and Honey, lots of cuddling with Mommy & Daddy (and sometimes Avery). Connor also attended his first two MOPS meetings and leadership meeting at church! He's very active. Hope you enjoy!

Bulldawgs

Congratulations to the Copperas Cove Bulldawgs on a great season. On Saturday night a buddy and I went to Waco to watch the Dawgs play the Wylie Pirates in the State 5A Division II semifinal game. (There's nothing like high school football in the state of Texas) They battled all game long but ended up losing the game 23-7. It was a remarkable season for the Disctrict and Regional champion Bulldawgs (13-2) who were moved up to 5A this season. They advanced into the 5th round of the playoffs despite loosing their starting quarterback in the last game of the season. We're proud of our Dawgs and look forward to another great season next year.

Milestones

I can't believe my baby boy is already one month old! Saturday night at 7:37 I took pictures to document Connor's one month birthday.

Strike a pose!

Another monumentous event: we drove to Roundrock & Connor was introduced to Chuy's. He will grow to love it, I'm have no doubts.

So Thankful

Last week was a great week for the Moore's. Connor celebrated his 3rd week, I celebrated my 27th birthday and we all celebrated Thanksgiving! Connor also attended church for the first time & did great. He slept through it and only made some of his happy grunts.
On Monday Jake came through Cove and picked Connor & me up to take us to San Antonio for the week. Matt followed Tuesday after work. Once we arrived my mom called the neighborhood over to come see "her baby." We had a lot of visitors and again, Connor performed quite well. He let everyone hold him with no complaints. Tuesday night was pretty much a repeat of the same with some repeat visitors and many new ones. I hated being away from Matt Monday night & it was not easy for him to be away from his boy, but we survived. Connor also made a quick visit to my mom's office before we went shopping that afternoon. Shopping was slightly more difficult than I had hoped, but not awful. I stayed in the dressing room and nursed him and changed diapers while mom ran around picking things for me to try on. Then on Wednesday we had our Thanksgiving meal at my grandparents house. Connor got to meet his great grandparents for the first time! And he went to his first movie too - big day for the boy! And on Thursday Connor turned three weeks old! (I did not cry this week. :)
We spent the rest of the week taking it slower. We saw Matt's mom a few times, a few old friends and went out to eat for my birthday! We went to one of my favorite places, Benihana and Connor got to try taking a bottle for the first time. He took right to it with ease and Matt enjoyed getting to feed Connor for the first time too. It did create a few problems though. I think the bottle allowed him to get a lot more milk, a lot more quickly than he's used to, so there we some explosions. It all came back out-of both ends. A wardrobe change was required (luckily only for him) and I had to attempt nursing while standing in a bathroom stall. Not ideal, but we'll get the kinks worked out so that bottles will be a possibility in the future.
As you can tell, it was quite an eventful week for us and we came home quite tired but truly thankful for family, friends and all our many blessings.

immeasurably moore

our growing boy

I apologize for the delay in picture posting, but you see I have this baby now who can single handedly monopolize my entire day. If I'm not feeding or changing him, he's sleeping and I don't want to disturb him so I don't move for long periods of time and then there are the times when he's wide awake and looking at him and smiling makes an hour fly by. I am so head over heels for is precious little lump that I may never leave the house again.
We have made a couple of small outings but nothing that I can't rush home from very quickly. When he was 6 days old my mom & I went to Walgreen's for a couple of items. Then the next day we ventured to Wal-Mart. That trip didn't go as well as I had a few things to return and exchange. We made it back home in one piece though and I took the next few days to stay home. My mom left on Friday and we had to figure out very quickly how to manage a house and a newborn. I'm pretty sure we need a maid & a cook.
This past Wednesday our church held the annual Thanksgiving dinner and we decided this would be a good time to show Connor off to a lot of people and still have the freedom to leave as desired. It went very well. Matt's mom was here visiting and was able to help me get him dressed and to the dinner on time. We ate and visited for about an hour and left without having to tell anyone no, that they couldn't hold him. I was very grateful for that.
My baby is now two weeks and 1 day old. I cried when he was one week and again at two weeks. I'm not sure how long that will continue but time is flying just way too fast. He is outgrowing clothes already and I'm just not ready for that.
Speaking of growth, we had his 2 week appointment on Monday, a couple of days early. He is a healthy growing boy. My midwife had prepped us by saying, "if he's not quite back up to birth weight we aren't going to worry because it's a couple of days early." His birth weight was 8lb 11oz and on Monday (day 11) he weighed 9lb 3oz. No worries here. Matt joked that Connor will outgrow him by age 13. Anyhow, here are some new pics of our growing boy!

the boy

Microwaved Inspiration

It has been a while since I (Matt) made any posts to this blog. I appreciate Sarah's faithfulness in keeping it up to date.
Many wonderful things have happened in our lives recently. I will write more about those at a later time. For this post I will simply focus on a new habit I have developed. Most of you who know me very well know that I love to be inspired by great ideas and to wrestle with unanswerable questions, but I don't have much patience or endurance for reading. I have never been much of a reader and most of the books on my shelf have bookmarks in the second or third chapters. The stack of books that I would like to read is only growing larger and the amount of time I have to read them seems to be shrinking by the day. So I have developed a new habit that seems to have helped me in my pursuit of inspiration. I have begun reading more blogs. I discovered that most of my favorite authors maintain blogs. Most blog posts are reasonably short and get to their point quickly. This is a winning combination for me the guy who is looking for inspiration and ideas but isn't able to dedicate the energy required to finish books. In the future I may occasionally post comments or reviews of other blogs that I found to be particularly interesting. So if you're just subscribing to find out the latest on Connor and Sarah feel free to ignore my posts, you won't hurt my feelings.
Note: This does not mean that I have given up on reading books, I still desire to make it to the bottom of that "To Be Read" stack.

Connor Has Arrived!

Praise God! Our little boy is here. Here are a few pictures...more will surely follow.
First family photo!

Fresh into the world!


Connor's second day

Proud "Papa"

finally at home

Prego Pics - as requested

36 weeks - at home & in need of some make up!
37 weeks at my church baby shower in Cove

Freedom

Thank you so much for all of your sweet notes and phone calls this past week while I was homebound. The week went much more quickly and easily than I would have thought. I saw my midwife yesterday and she released me to resume normal activity and have this baby whenever he's ready to come! I immediatley felt like I'd been energized with my new freedom.
Matt and I are hosting an open house today for people here in Cove who either helped to get us here or have welcomed us with open arms. So, we came home from DFW yesterday with quite an agenda to get ready for the party. We worked very hard last night and still have a few things to do this morning but I'm really looking forward to it. I plan on taking a couple of pictures & I'll post them soon.
For now, here are a couple of current nursery pics. There are still a few things we need & want before I'd say it's ready, but it's getting closer!

San Antonio Baby Shower

House Rest

I wrote last week about my midwife recommending that I cut back and take it easy to ease the strong contractions that I was experiencing. After about a week of diligently resting in the afternoons when I got home from work, the contractions were still coming on strong in the evenings, even if I was just sitting around the house. So as of Thursday I am on what we're calling "house rest." I am not restricted to the bed but I am restricted to the house until next weekend. After next weekend I am free to resume normal activity. For now I am allowed to sit and surf the Internet, watch TV or scrapbook but I shouldn't stand for lengths of time or get up and down too frequently. I am also supposed to try to drink a gallon of water everyday; Friday & yesterday I think I only hit about 100 oz.
We are pretty unclear about my due date, but according to our math & the ultrasound, I should be about 35 weeks along right now. I need to make it to 36 to deliver outside the hospital & I would really like to make it to 37 just to be sure that Connor is fully developed and won't have digestion issues or otherwise. I laid in bed most of the day Thursday consumed with worry and fears and making list upon list of all that needs to be done before this baby arrives, but by the end of the day the Lord really comforted me. He assured me that I can't see inside my womb and I don't know the development of my baby but He can and He does. I don't need to worry because He goes before me and He has promised to uphold me. I am learning to rest in those promises and trust His timing. After all, when He is ready, I will go into labor and we will have a baby.
I am truly so excited and the anticipation is growing by the hour I think. I've started packing the things we want with us at the birth center for when he arrives and trying to list the things we still need and all the questions I have for my midwife. We see her again Friday. I'll keep you up to date with the latest news.

Week 33 & 34

I am 34 weeks pregnant now & feeling it more all the time. The closer we get the slower time seems to creep. I can't wait to hold my baby boy for the first time. Let me catch you up on what's been going on lately. Last weekend we were showered with gifts in San Antonio & I had a really great time. I love getting to go home and see so many people that I love. The shower was great fun & we came home loaded down with "stuff." We actually borrowed my grandparent's truck because our crib arrived the week prior and we needed a way to get it back to Cove with us. So, during the shower Matt picked up the crib and we made it home, unloaded it and assembled it all in one night. It was a lot, but we love it.
I've been having some abnormal contractions lately (too frequent, too strong, etc.) so I've been talking with my midwife pretty frequently and she wants me to take it a little easier for the next couple of weeks. For now that means I'm going to cut back on work hours, run minimal errands and naps are mandatory when I have to be on my feet that evening. It sounds nice but really I just feel somewhat lazy and like I'm being a wimp. I don't like that aspect. Anyway, Matt has been so great about helping with dinners, laundry, dishes, etc. He is so encouraging and helpful and I know that I am so blessed to have such a great husband!
We also started our childbirth classes this weekend, which exciting. We are taking the classes with a midwife in Killeen who we may consider using for future births. I guess this is sort of her interview! Anyway, I enjoyed it very much and am excited to go back next week.
Saturday night we went to see the movie Fireproof at the local theater. Our church reserved a showing of it and sold tickets. We had a really good turn out and in spite of my skepticism, I really enjoyed the movie. Sure there was some cheese, but all in all the acting wasn't bad, the script was good and it made us talk about and evaluate our marriage. Anytime we talk about our relationship, I love it. I feel like we are growing and communicating and those are very important to me.
I have pictures from the San Antonio shower & the updated nursery with furniture, but I haven't uploaded them from my camera yet, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading, until next time...

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast

The time has finally arrived. The wait is finally over. Survivor begins tomorrow! In our estimation, this is the greatest hour on television each week and deserves full consideration. This season features the African landscape of Gabon. This is the seventeenth season of Survivor and the first one shot in HD. There are 18 new competitors & the same ruggedly handsom host, Jeff Probst. Be sure you all tune in at 8/7 Central on CBS, Thursday night. You won't regret it.

Week 31

As I ended my 31st week of pregnancy, I enjoyed my 1st baby shower! We had another weekend in DFW this past Thursday, Friday & Saturday. This time we stayed with our sweet friends Beau & Cara and thier little boy Ian. We brought Avery with us because we don't know anyone here in Cove well enough to ask them to keep our dog, but it turned out that Ian was thrilled to play with her. He pulled on her tail, ears and legs and just giggled and grinned about it. It was so fun to see our dog (the apple of our eye) lay there and let this baby tug on her. She is going to be so great with Connor. Friday, we saw Matt's orthopedic surgeon in the morning. He's had some pain that was concerning us but our fears were put to rest. The doctor said the joint was strong and that there was nothing to worry about. From there we went to see my midwife, Christy. The appointment went well. We listened to the heart beat and measured my belly. I measured right on schedule & things are looking good, which is always comforting to hear. That night we gathered with friends at Phil & Holly's house for a relaxed pizza and game night, only to find out that Emily is pregnant! Yeah Muck's! Then, on Saturday, my friends threw me a shower which was just great. I was blessed with great gifts, notes of encouragment and prayers on my behalf. I was also lucky enough to have 3 friends from college show up as well as my friend Margaret whom I grew up going to school with! Marquel, Kathryn, Bonnie & Margaret all came and braved a shower where they really didn't know anyone and I felt so loved for that. Thanks girls! Well, here are some pictures from the weekend.

We have been busy as usual in the last few weeks and I've posted a new slideshow so you can see what we've been up to. Beau, Cara & Ian McLeod came to visit with Stephen & Whitney Williams one weekend. We've worked on the house some. I helped host Holly's baby shower and a baby shower for my new friend Kelly here in Cove.
As far as new baby information, there isn't much to tell. I'm measuring right on schedule for Connor to arrive around the 20th of November or slightly before. (Wouldn't that be great!!!) We have ordered a crib and are hoping it arrives earlier than we were told. I am feeling good most of the time, however I'm tired more often, like I was my first trimester.
We also went to see the Roundrock Express game on Sunday night (an event Matt organized for the church) and I came home sick. I am pretty sure it's allergies but could be a cold. Anyway not being able to take anything has really been difficult. All I wanted was a good night's rest so my body could heal. It is getting better though, last night I only woke up twice I think. That's a huge improvement from the previous 2 nights.
Oh, the myth of "pregnancy brain," is NOT a myth! It truly exists! I have been doing things that are completely out of my character and not even realizing it until Matt tells me. For example, leaving refrigerated foods out all day, leaving exterior doors open, not completing sentences and the list goes on. It is very strange and I did NOT believe it was real before experiencing it. Well, I guess that's all for now. - Sarah

Summer in Cove

Update

Matt completely beat me to the punch. I started to blog about our anniversary on Wednesday but decided to wait until after the weekend so I could tell you how it went. He sure is great though. I love my husband very much. To celebrate our 4th anniversary, we took a small trip to San Antonio over the weekend. Thursday we stayed the night at the historic Gunter Hotel in down town and went out to eat at Paesanos! It had been a couple of years since we'd been there but it was every bit as good as we remembered it. Then Friday morning we slept in and went to a late breakfast at the Gunther House. Again, melt in your mouth good food. Gosh I love that about San Antonio. There are so many good places to eat. Anyhow, we spent the day just piddling around, hanging out with family and watching the Olympic opening ceremonies. My dad came home late that night from a trip to Colorado, so we spent Saturday morning with him and by lunch time we were on the road back to Cove. It was a very sweet weekend with family. Here are a couple of pictures of our recent activities.
Thanks to the new show "Greatest American Dog" Avery is getting lots of training these days. She's learned Up, Over & Under!
The sun setting one evening from our backyard.
These were before we went out for our anniversary dinner. I was 26 weeks here.

She is . . .

It has been a big year for the Moores. We've faced graduation, pregnancy, starting over in a new city, buying our first home and beginning our first full-time position in ministry at a new church; just to name a few.
And through it all 2 things have become clear to me: Our God is a good God, and I am married to the most wonderful woman in the world. Sarah is not only incredibly beautiful. But she has handled this year with a tremendous amount of grace and strength. She has so faithfully supported me and joined me in seeking God's Will, and seeing her trust God by faith with our future regardless of where He leads us has been a tremendous blessing to me. She has honored me immensely with her unconditional love and support. In the midst of so many changes and challenges Sarah's true character has been revealed. Today we are celebrating four years of marriage and my heart is overflowing with love for her. She is a godly woman full of grace. Sarah is a loving and caring wife and soon she will be a wonderful mother to our son. She is my bride and I love her.

"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

Connor's Room

Matt & I have started working on the nursery a little. Some of you have been asking so, here are a couple of pictures of what we've got so far. We have decided to paint the walls a shade of brown that I would compare to suede but Sherwin Williams calls Hopsack. We're planning to buy a black crib & dresser and we've registered for bedding at Pottery Barn Kids. It is a quilted set that's mostly white with some blue and green stripes. As of last weekend we are going to decorate in what we're calling "vintage travel." We bought a couple of things to put in the room like a leather suitcase, miniature airplane, truck & car. So that's the plan for Connor's room. We haven't done much so far, but we'll get there.

Life in Cove

Big accomplishment today - I found HEB on the first try without any mistakes! I am generally very good with directions but there is no logic to the way this city is laid out. I know where HEB is but getting there directly without over or under shooting it is a BIG accomplishment. So yah me!

It has been a big transition moving to such a small town but we're learning. We have already had a number of visitors and are ready to host whomever else dares to brave the streets of Cove. Only three days after moving in Jennifer and Travis drove Matt's car down from Bedford and stayed the night with us. We got to try the Cactus Motel Mexican restaurant - La Jalascience and take them to Mel's Hamburgers. Both of which we enjoyed. The following weekend was the 4th of July. My parents and Jake came up Thursday night and we barely squeaked in to Mel's for some great burgers. Then we worked and painted all day Friday. The nursery and dining room both got some color on the walls. Since it was the 4th, we grilled out shish-kabobs and had a huge spread. Side note- Jake's friend Janice was able to join us for the evening and I really enjoyed getting to meet her. After dinner we ate brownies & ice cream in the back yard where we watched about 6 or 7 different fireworks displays. It was a great time for us to appreciate our home and the landscape behind us. Then on Saturday we worked and painted some more. Matt & Dad assembled everything for a garage door opener but realized that they were missing a piece so that project got put on hold for a few days.

Sunday we got up and went to church as usual and came home to meet Matt's mom. She was able to stay Sunday night and all day Monday. We ran errands and did some more painting. For a new house there sure is a lot of work! Oh, and bugs! They're getting better but thus far we've killed 1 scorpion, 1 roly-poly and about half a dozen spiders; one as big as a silver dollar. I'm sure part of it is being out in the country a bit and the other is all the construction going on around us. We'll live I'm sure.

Monday night some friends from church came down and helped Matt finish the garage. We are so grateful! We're all set to close Friday morning so the house will finally be ours! By the way, we do have a driveway, sod, Crepe Myrtles & flowers planted. I'll post updated pictures soon.

Oh, and we've decided on a baby name: Connor Thomas Moore. Hope you like it, but if not, please don't tell us. We love it & are so excited that he is moving so much. Matt is feeling him a little more all the time. His kicks are getting stronger and Matt has been able to feel him 3 or 4 times now.

Okay, now I think I'm done. I'll try to be more organized in my thoughts in the future!

ALOHA

Sorry for the delay but we've been in the process of moving into our new house and it took a while to get Internet up and running. So much has happened in the last week that I need to blog about though!

So, as I said in my last entry, our Sunday School class threw us a going away party Saturday night. It was so awesome! They went above and beyond any expectations we could have had. The party was luau themed and the decorations were over the top. There were coconut candles, miniature palm trees, flower lights, flip-flop shaped straws and thanks to Stephen and Whitney there was a life-sized cut out for everyone to take goofy pictures in. It was so great. And that was just the decorations. For dinner they served fajitas, but not just any fajitas, Phil drove all the way to Dallas to get the food from Chuy's. Our favorite restaurant! You'll see a picture of me in the slide show holding a big tub of creamy ranch jalapeno dip. That stuff is so good I could make a meal out of it. Then for dessert Holly made cup cakes, which were delicious. There was significance to them too though. She arranged them all on a square platter in straight rows and there were two missing from one of the rows. It was fairly obvious that there were missing cup cakes, but I didn't want to be negative, so I didn't say anything. I was told later that the two missing represented Matt & me. It is the little things like this that are so thoughtful and considerate that I love about my friends. We ate and laughed and enjoyed our time together and toward the end of the night we gathered in a circle where a few stories were shared and prayers were lifted on our behalf. It was such a precious time to feel so loved and so appreciated.

Matt and I were also able to give out some magnets that we made for our friends. We used some scripture that really expresses our heart for them and adapted it into a prayer and at the bottom we included our new address.

Here are pictures from the weekend. It is one that we will hold in our hearts for years to come.

Goodbyes

Cheesecake and Tears

Speaking of blessed, after such a fun day seeing our son for the first time and working on baby registries we were treated to a night with our friends. The guys got together and ordered pizza and played poker. They were thoughtful enough to get Matt IBC Root Beer (his favorite). The girls and I went to Cheesecake Factory, one of my faves and ate dinner. We laughed and really enjoyed each other's company. Afterward we walked over to a fountain in the shopping center and took pictures together. I felt so silly because the place was packed with shoppers and the regular dinner crowd and here we are, these grown adults taking picture after picture in front of this fountain. After dinner we went back to Cara's house to eat our cheesecake and just spend time together. We laughed and talked and then they brought out a gift bag for me. I opened it and found two scrapbooks inside that they all worked diligently on for days. They were so beautiful. I cried before I even opened one. These girls took the time to make over 100 pages of photographed memories of our time together over the last 3 years. I laughed and cried and felt so loved. Again, we are so blessed. I can't imagine the time and money these girls put into such an effort. They have been such an amazing and special part of my life that I can't really imagine not seeing them often and regularly. We laughed about how different some of us look from when we met and cried over some really fond memories made together.
I believe that the Lord gives us some friends for a season and some friends for a lifetime. The friends for a season are significant and special and can teach us so much. They are immensely valuable. However, I know in my heart that some of these relationships are not for a season, but for life. I am not delusional enough to believe we'll see each other twice a month and alternate who drives to visit, but I believe that we will be connected for years to come. These are blessings that the Lord has lavished on us that I am unwilling to let go of any time soon.

Tonight there is a going away party planned for us. I am very sure that more tears will fall but I cannot express how grateful we are to be so loved. We have been given abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine. Thank you Lord.

Drumroll...

Yesterday we had an ultrasound to see our baby for the first time. We've heard the heartbeat three times now but now we saw him. Yes, I said HIM. It's a boy! We are just about giddy right now. It is just becoming more and more real as these things continue to develop. The bummer part is that we had our girl names down to two that we love, but we can't decide on a boy name for the life of us. We have it down to a couple, it really is just a matter of deciding which first name with which middle name. I'm sure he'll let us know soon enough what his name is.

Anyhow, here are the pictures we got from the ultrasound. He was doing leg presses so there are two of his legs, one bent and one straight. Then there is a picture of the fact that he is a boy although it is hard to make out in the printed picture. Finally the last one is a profile of his body with his head turned and looking at us. We are so excited and truly already smitten with this child. He is completely healthy and growing strong. We are so blessed.

Okay, I think I've figured out how to successfully create and add the photo shows. Sorry for the confusion.

Anyhow, this was another jam-packed weekend for the Moore's. We left early Friday to drive to San Antonio for a wedding. My good friend Lauren Cottle got married and I had the privilege of being in her house party. On the way to SA though we stopped in The Cove to see the house that we now have a contract on (2409 Lindsey.) There were people there working and the builder happened to stop by, so it was a good time for us to be there. We got more details on the timeline of what is expected to happen and when. We still need a driveway, sidewalk, grass, A/C, a front door, all the door knobs, etc. At first glance the house seems just about ready but upon further inspection it's really not quite there. We are so excited about it though. It has 4 bedrooms, a separate dining room, a large living room and no rear neighbors! Ever! The house backs up to a creek so we have a good amount of privacy back there. We are sad that there are no trees on our lot but we plan on planting one (or a few) and at least there are plenty behind us to look at.
Once we got to San Antonio we had to quickly get ready for the rehearsal dinner which was at one of our favorite restaurants - Paloma Blanca! So yummy. We spent a little time with my family Friday night but I had to get up early Saturday morning for the Bridal Brunch which was just wonderful. During that Matt, my dad & brother went to see the moving "The Happening," which they said was a big let down. The wedding was at 5, so I rested and got ready. I had to be at the church early for pictures and to set up my guestbook table. It was such a great job for me because I got to see so many old friends as they came to sign in. The wedding was just beautiful. I love going to weddings where the presence of the Lord just fills the room. It is such a blessing. After the wedding we went to the reception and visited a little more with old friends and then we hit the road for DFW. Since we only had 2 Sundays left up here we made it a priority to be back for both of them - in spite of it being Father's Day weekend! We made great time and I slept a little in the car.
So, now we are in full swing with the packing business. We have dismantled the guest bed and have boxes and bubble wrap galore in here. In fact, I better get to work. There is much to do in the next week and a half.
Oh! I should mention that we have our sonogram scheduled for this Friday to find out the sex of the baby! We are so excited and will share with you as soon as we know! Please pray everything is healthy and growing on schedule.

Memorial Day Cookout

I reposted this so that it wouldn't start every time someone opened the page and so that the music would work correctly. I didn't add anything new. I'm still learning on here!

Another Busy Weekend

On the Move

This was taken Saturday night at the potluck.

We have returned from a very big weekend. We left early Friday afternoon for Copperas Cove so that Matt could go "in view of a call," which simply put means that the church members had an opportunity to vote on Matt coming to be their Minister of Discipleship. The vote was nearly unanimous (only 4 negative votes).

To back up though, the reason we left on Friday is because we've decided to pursue buying our first house! We are working with a realtor who is a deacon and Sunday school teacher in the church and with his help, had compiled a list of houses that we wanted to go see. Matt and I did a preliminary drive by of all of the houses Friday night and were able to eliminate about 3 of them based on neighborhood & such. We went into the weekend thinking we'd found our perfect home and all we needed would be to see the inside for ourselves, and we'd be sold. Well...this house (216 January) left us wanting a little bit more. We knew the landscaping was very overgrown and needed serious work but we thought the inside and the neighborhood were completely worth it. When we got there, I was disappointed in the layout of the house. The formal living, dining, kitchen and family room are all lined up along the left side of the house with the office and bedrooms along the right side. It felt very segmented to me and did not flow very well. I could certainly deal with those imperfections, except that the second and third bedrooms were tiny! I was very concerned that our guest bed would not be able to fit into the rooms, and if it did fit into the room, the door would most certainly hit the edge of the bed every time it was opened. That just does not work! So, this house, that we were so sure about, was demoted. Still on the list of possibilities, but much lower. We really like the neighborhood though. A few church members live there, it has mature trees and an established feel to it.

Moving on, we looked at a number of new houses in an area that is growing rapidly. It is a new neighborhood that is very large and has some great houses and some very blah houses. We typically don't like newer neighborhoods where everything has been mowed down and all the houses look the same. There are some streets in this area that fit this description but the farther East you go, the more variety there is in the homes. We found a house that we really liked here. It also has 4 bedrooms, a formal dining room and a great master bathroom and closet. Matt and I really enjoy clothes and are in need of a great big closet! This house (2409 Lindsey) also backs up to a creek which means we would have something of a view and never rear neighbors, which is so appealing! Again, there are no trees or landscaping really to speak of but the house had so much of the other things we were looking for, I think we are willing to put in some of our own sweat equity on that stuff.

So, by Saturday night we had it down to these two houses. We went that night to a potluck dinner at the church where we were the guests of honor. We ate and then there was time for church members to ask Matt questions about his position as Minister of Discipleship. We had prepared for the worst, not knowing what people might ask about, but in truth, it went really well. There were no off the wall subjects or obscure questions. Any of the difficult questions, Matt handled with grace and confidence. I was so proud of him. Actually, the people made it pretty easy on us. They were very warm and genuine. They really made us feel so welcomed. And the way everyone wanted to shake our hand and talk to us, I kept thinking it felt like my wedding reception all over again. We were center stage and all eyes were on us, except I knew everyone at my wedding!

After that we were exhausted, so we headed back to the hotel and Matt worked on what he was going to say in church the next morning. There are two services and he was told to speak for 5 or 6 minutes on his vision for discipleship. Again, I could not have been more proud. He was so articulate and truly allowed his heart to show through to all of these strangers.

After he spoke in each service, the members voted and in the second service, the chairman of the search committee came and sat with us and the pastor. He said that the vote passed and asked Matt if we were ready to accept the position. Matt said yes, of course and Pastor Mark stood and walked to the pulpit to announce the newest staff member.

At that moment it all became very real to me. Up until that point I had not really let myself comprehend the life change this would be or the certainty of it, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was overwhelmed with emotion. I kept thinking about how big this is and how young we are. I kept thinking, "Don't they know we're just kids?! We don't know what we're doing." It was so humbling to stand there and process that this is certainly where the Lord has called us and that He has equipped us for such a time as this. I still have a very young perception of myself and the Lord was very clear in that moment, that He has brought us this far, He will continue to guide and direct us and provide for us. That is such a comfort to me; because I am irresponsible. Responsible adults don't leave dishes in the sink over night or allow their car inspection to lapse!

Anyhow, the truth is that the Lord uses a willing heart and I have told that to people so many times, but He had to remind me that morning. So I stood there with tears running down my cheeks and neck hoping I didn't look too sad while we sang. The harder I tried to stop them the more they fell, so I just had to let them. Once I made my peace with our new life that was coming, I began to picture the faces of my sweet friends I'll be leaving behind. I have been so blessed in these last three years to make friends that are so valuable to me. They are kind and generous and compassionate. I have learned so much while living here in the concrete jungle, as Matt refers to DFW.

So thank you sweet friends. You have blessed our lives more than you know.

Broken Hearted

Last night the Spurs lost their fourth game to the Lakers and subsequently the series. Similar to game one, the Spurs looked good for about half the game, but in the second half things began to unravel, thanks in large part to Kobe's decision to take over the 4th quarter. Like Pop said in his post game interview, the Lakers were the better team. That just means that Pop and R.C. have some work to do this offseason.

With that the drought has begun. Now that the Spurs season is over I am facing many long months without any good sports to watch or follow. With the exception of baseball, the world of sports will be largely irrelevant for the next 4 months until the NFL begins. Is it too soon for me to begin preparing for my fantasy football draft? I guess it may be. So I'll just have to focus on the tasks at hand. Moving to another city. Buying a house. Starting a new job.

Hopefully the trend will continue and the Spurs will win their fifth straight odd-year championship.

Summer

This has been a big week for us. After telling our friends last week that we would almost certainly be moving to Copperas Cove in a matter of weeks, we decided we wanted to take full advantage of having them nearby. We invited some of our closest friends over Sunday evening to celebrate Memorial Day. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, ate watermelon and strawberry short cake. It was a great time to enjoy each other. We loved every minute of it. However, it was so different than other get togethers we've had in recent months as babies seem to be multiplying. There were SIX children here on Sunday night. There have never been so many and the house has never been so busy. It was just a very clear to me that we are growing up.

On a different note, I finished my last day of teaching today. Since we are on the move and the baby is due in November, Matt & I decided that I will not teach next year. I must say, I am not all that sad. Today was the last day of finals and sure, there were some students that were hard to say goodbye to but the truth is I am thrilled to not have the stress or time constraints of teaching and having a baby. I may go back in a couple of years, but for now I am grinning ear to ear that it's over.

The Visit

This past weekend Sarah and I went to Cove to visit with a search committee from FBC Friday was packed with tours and introductions. While we were down there some of our fears were put to rest, but not all of them. But ultimatley we realize that there will be some fear wherever we go. So this morning the pastor called and said that the search team voted unanimously to invite us to come in view of a call, and we accepted. As with any step of faith, we are both excited and scared. We are very sad that God has led us away from our friends here, but we know that awesome things await us as we follow Him to CC.

Welcome

Knowing that it will be a great way for us to update our family
and friends we decided to follow the trend and begin a blog.
Enjoy.