two more pics

Here is a pic. of Amy doing some painting on the new house. It is a lot different looking being painted and with all the stuff in it :) You should have seen it before we primed it.



Here is a picture of mike and nathan after a long day. (Well, it was probably closer to mid morning, but it was still a tough few hours)

Wes turns 1

on Sunday!

it is over...

the moving is done. We are officially in our new house. But for those who might be mailing something - it doesn't really matter where you send it to. You can use our old address, our new address, or just the city and zip. As long as it has our name on it, it will get to us. A joy of living in a small town.

Now, on to the unpacking.

moving

Tomorrow we move all our stuff into the new house. Fun Fun Fun. Tonight is the last home game for the football team and a 5th Quarter afterward. Then tomorrow morning is the mens' breakfast. Then we move :)

We are really excited about the move and can't wait to be in. More once we get settled

a few pictures (to go with the captions)

Our little guy sure is growing up!




Our first TP since we've moved. They also got our new house, but it was such a sorry job we didn't even bother taking a picture.



This is the last picture of any of our stuff in storage:) Thankfully this has all been moved to our new house - now we have to just organize it.



Here is Wes showing some love for GA (the state, not the football team)! Sure would love to be back in GA today, its like 42 here.

Walking

Wes is officially walking. Last week, he just woke up one day and "decided" that taking steps was not enough any more. So, now he will walk across the room and is actually starting to prefer walking to crawling :)

It has made for a few more bruises and bumps, but its a lot better to take him outside now. He actually almost ruined two pair of pants this summer from crawling outside. Nathan was too scared of the grass to crawl on it, but not Wes.

On the housefront:
we are almost done painting (should finish tonight) everything we want to paint before we move. We are planning to move in on Saturday. (wow, that seems quick - yet its been so long)

This move will mean that we can walk alot more places: the park, the school, downtown Albion :), the pond for some fishing, the ball fields, the pool. Mike will be able to walk to and from school related events (thus leaving Amy with the car if needed)

Please pray about the move and the transition. Thanks.

More pics (supposed to be)

Here are some more pics. (not really, because I am having trouble loading them. But I have left the captions in the post. If I can get the pictures loaded and on the blog I will.)

-Now, just imagine the pictures that go with the captions-



This was our storage building at its max. We have since emptied it and moved the contents to our new house. Even though they are still in boxes, pretty much like the last year, we feel better because at least the boxes are at our new house.



A little Georgia love. (not the football team, but the state)



Look how cute he is! Now if that doesn't make you smile...



Our little buckaroo is growing up into an awesome little boy.

a few more pictures

Here is a nice pic of Mike being a great dad. Wearing some really cool sunglasses and helping to 'fix' the mailbox with Nathan.











Here is Amy being a great mom. Its really cool to see how much Nathan loves his mommy.










Wes was ready to go back inside. (If you look closely, you can see him pointing to the door, his way of asking to go inside).










I tried to get some more pics up, but having problems. Will post more soon. Will the pictures be of our first TPing, the new house, the boys or what?

it finally happens

Today we are going to close on our new house. So that is good :)

Yet this means, a lot more projects to be done (as we don't have many, at all, now that we are renting) and grass to be cut. We are really excited about finally moving and being in a settled location. We'll try to put up pictures soon so you can see what it looks like.

More fun, fun, fun

It has been great to have the family together this week. Though tomorrow and Saturday I (Mike) will be gone to Promise Keepers.

It is def. starting to become Fall around here. Let's just say it is cold in the morning (not something I missed being in GA). It is actually really nice to have the changing of the seasons. The weather is pretty nice and it helps to not be so hot all the time. The boys have not seemed to notice too much. They have not minded having the jackets and sweaters on.

Please pray for us as our moving to a house is no hold. There are a few things that need to get completed before we sign and move. Hoping to not take too long, we are hoping to get settled and stop thinking about moving or the fact that we are in a constant state of transition.

Excitement

Today is the day Amy and the boys get back home. I am so excited to have them back!

I can't wait to hear what all they did and learned. :)

More ADORABLE pictures from the Fort

Wes takes step

In the last post, Amy put some pics up for all to see. (Yeah, after a long wait there are finally recent pictures)

The ones of Wes are him taking a step. He decided that since he was away from home and his daddy, he would take a few steps. As you see from the picture, he was more than overjoyed with himself.

Amy was great enough to get some video for me to watch. I am so proud that he is starting to walk, though I'm not sure if we are ready for two walkers.

3/4 family vacation

This week is a good week, sorta. Amy and the boys are up in Fort Wayne enjoying some time with family. While Mike is in Albion, enjoying some time with Sticky and Sadie (who don't seem to move too much during the day with no one home).

It has been a sad few days for me (Mike) without Amy and the boys. I had the day off yesterday and forgot how different it is to not have anything to do. I can't speak for Amy, but I have gathered that they are having a good time. Lots of fun stuff going on and the little stinker (Wes) took his first step while in Fort Wayne. :( for Mike. But I'm glad family gets to be there for this cool moment. I'm sure I'll see him walk enough over the next few years.

Just wanted to update.

short vacation

The past few days we have been in Cincinnati with friends and family. We decided that we wanted to try to make the trip with the long weekend (which means I had Monday off). We left Sunday after lunch and got back last night around dinner.

It was a great trip. A blessing to see old friends that we haven't seen in a long time. The boys did great on the trip (we tried to time things around nap so that helped a lot). We stayed with our friends Jeremy and Jessica. We had a great time just relaxing and talking with them. Nathan, Wes and Mike got to make smores on Monday night. Well, Wes slept through the entire thing.

Sticky and Sadie also went with us and got a chance to hang out with Leo (Jeremy and Jessica's dog). A great time was had by all.

Amy and I are always blessed when we get together with friends. And this trip was no different. It is wonderful to hear what God is doing in our friends' lives and how things have changed over time. Lots of cool stuff going on by the way.

Again, I wish I could put some pictures up....

first football game tonight

Tonight, we are going to the high school football game. We are excited because we think it will be great for Nathan and Wes. We know Nathan will love it (at least as long as he can for a 2 year old). We're hoping Wes has enough interest or people to interact with to not get bored. We'll see, it should be fairly chilly.

We expect to see a lot of people we know, since over 1/2 the town goes to these (so we've heard). :)

uh-oh

Yesterday when Amy and the boys picked me up from work I was playing with Wes in the back seat. He dropped one of his toys on the seat and I said "uh-oh." You know, not thinking anything of it. Wes copied me and said "uh- oh" :)

It was so cute. Now he won't stop saying it. He has now joined the ranks as a copycat. His favorite words right now are: uh-oh, boo, and woof.

volleyball game

We went to the high school vball game last night. First time for Nathan and Wes to go to something like that. It was pretty fun. Overall, the boys did great. Wes just wanted to crawl around and be thrown in the air. Nathan watched for a bit and then just wanted some snacks :)

Its nice to be able to do stuff like that, now that Wes is a little older. And hopefully when we move we'll be able to walk to the school for stuff like that. Its just so dark when the games are over.

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that we have a life outside of our house. Still don't have one outside of church stuff :)

More to come... (will we ever get pictures?)

new house

This week has been pretty busy, so we haven't blogged about this new development. About a week and a half ago we made an offer on a house and were accepted. (btw, its a lot different real estate market around here) We don't know for sure when we close and move in, but at the latest it will be the 20th of next month. We are pretty excited about the new house and its location. It is right behind the school and close to the park (as well as being "in town"). We are going to miss living next to our friends and the people who let us rent their house, but we know we won't be too far away.

We just wanted to let you all know what was going on. Please be praying for us as we make this transition. There are a lot of things we have had in storage for over a year, so we don't even remember what all we own. Again, I wish we could put a picture of the house on here, but I can't. But our move will change that as we will get internet at home and I will be getting a new computer at work soon (hopefully this week) and I will be able to do it from work now too.

Anyway, just wanted to update.

family visit

Today, we get to enjoy another family visit. (One of the great things about living semi close :))

Amy's mom and sister are coming in for a few days. Nathan is super excited. As are Amy and I. Wes doesn't really show too much change in facial expression (but then again he doesn't really understand all we're saying). We're all looking forward to the time we get to spend. Tonight is going to be pretty segmented, due to our small group that meets at our house, but we will just consider it special boys only time with the family.

Hopefully, we will be able to post some pictures in the next few months :)

No really, I've tried everything I can think of to get pictures on my computer at work, but alas it is not going to cooperate. So, until I get my new office computer or we get internet at the house or we move, you won't be seeing any pictures on here. That is, unless we can try to do it on a friend's computer.

rain, rain, rain

Today and yesterday have been filled with one thing... rain (as if the title wasn't enough of a clue).

We needed the rain. Amy mentioned yesterday that she looks at rain differently now that we live in an area that depends so much on rain. I agree. Its not a problem when you know your friends really need it for their crops.

Other than the rain, things have been rather dry :)

Wes is really starting to want to stand next to everything and will even stand on his own for a brief bit. Nathan is really growing into a little boy. And his memory is incredable. Everyday it seems like he amazes us with what he remembers.

We've been able to have a few visits from family lately and that has been great. And we look forward to many more to come. More later...

lots going on and no time to write

and we don't have any internet at home.

Let's see what has been going on: Summer in the Son (a great week with some of the high schoolers), getting settled into our temp house (fun, fun, fun), VBS this week (getting to know some of the middle schoolers and other adults), Pork Day (best one ever), Wes is really trying to start standing and walking, Nathan is learning lots of new words and putting words together, and lots of little stuff that goes with moving across country.

We'll try to write more about Pork Day and the boys soon.

(I need to get back to work)

We are here

I know its been over a week, but its been pretty busy. We are here in IL. No phone or internet at home and some limited at work (due to being in the country and in some sort of "valley" that won't let the technology of the 21st century into the building :)). So, we haven't been able to do much updating.

Just wanted to let you all know we are here and safe and happy. Next week, we will be going with the high schoolers to Summer in the Sun. It'll be a great way to get to know some of the youth better as we start the ministry.

Hope to have some pictures up sometime soon (probably a few weeks).

Bob, are you serious?

Bob, are you serious?
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is Wes on the Bob the builder ride at Chuck E. Cheese. He didn't seem to impressed with Bob, just look at his face (esp. the eyes)

Nathan's new hat

Nathan's new hat
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Another great pic of Nathan playing with his favorite toy. The hat is one of Mike's old ones that Nathan wanted to wear - it doesn't fit that bad.

What is he eating?

What is he eating?
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Its Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper. But he really didn't eat it. Amy did accidently try to feed it to him, and he hated it. (Thankfully) He was a lot more willing to eat the baby food after he tasted this spicier mexican treat.

Amy takes a swing

Amy takes a swing
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is a pic of Amy taking a practice swing with a seven iron. We never got to go play golf, due to bad weather. But I (Mike) like to believe that I would have still won, mainly because Amy has never played a round of golf before. It was a fun day.

Storage Room

Storage Room
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

This is our "storage room" as we have pretty much filled it up. It is just about as full as it will get and in a week, we get to empty it!!!

We are ready to not have a storage room, and actually put the stuff in a storage building.

we got it!!!!

Some of you have already heard, but for others here it is. We got the job in IL. We are pretty excited to be heading back into ministry. I (Mike) am really ready to get back into it. Its been a long 11 months, and God has been faithful the entire time.

We will be moving in 2 weeks - so its almost over :)

Mmm...good

Mmm...good
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Nathan really likes oreos! He had a few on the trip and didn't want any of it to go to waste, so he does what we all do and licked his fingers. Despite the messy clean up it was pretty cute.

Wes starting to crawl?

Wes starting to crawl?
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is Wes this weekend deciding that he wanted to try this crawling thing again. He hasn't been able to crawl yet, but he started rocking and scooting himself backwards.

another great trip

This past weekend offered us another great trip up north. The drives went well, with the boys doing great. We had a couple great opporutnities to just hang out with people (a women's banquet, softball games, ice cream social) and some more formal opportunities (Mike preaching, visiting SS classes).

We feel really good about the vote next week, and so does the leadership. We will finally know for "officially" on Sunday afternoon. Please be praying for the vote and for the next step.

Happy Anniversary!!!

Today is our 5th anniversary. Happy anniversary babe.

For our anniversary, I thought we could take an 8 hour trip :)

weekend to come

First, the pictures are coming. It's been pretty busy around here this week. Yesterday was Mike's last day at the dentist office and next Wed is his last day at Target. He wanted to have some time off before the move and start of a new job.

This weekend we are heading back up to IL for one last visit. We are excited and a little anxious. Please continue to pray for a safe trip and for the overall trip. We want to be ourselves and get to know a few more people. Thank you for your continued prayers and thoughts. We are thankful for all the support we have received the past 10 months.

Well, gotta get packing. Will post probably on Tuesday.

Have a great weekend.

100th post

This is our 100th post!!

(pause for spontaneous celebration and balloons - a streamer or two if you must)

Back to the post...

Well, today was a great day and a long day. Since we are hoping on moving in the middle of June, we decided to go ahead and put our house on the market. We thought it would take around a month or so to sell our house. This would allow us to be able to know for sure what was going on before we would sell the house. Well, let's just say it doesn't seem to be working that way. Today we had 4 people look at the house (with at least 1 more wanting to look tomorrow). Out of the 4 people who looked at the house, we received 4 offers on the house tongiht. How crazy is that - 4 offers in one day.

We will hear back tomorrow on the offer we "accepted" and countered. Now we just have to hear back from the church and see what happens :)

Just wanted to update. We'll post some new pics soon.

roller coaster weekend

This weekend was filled with soem great highs and a horrible low. Let's start with the low.

On Thursday night, after work, I (mike) went to the hospital to visit our friend John who was in the ICU. His wife was not there, so I had a chance to talk with one of his sons for a bit. Then when I was getting ready to leave, his son asked if I wanted to go back and see John. I had not thought about doing it, but since I am a minister Josh (the son) said they would let me. I went back to the room and as soon as I saw him I started crying (not just those "end of a sad movie tears" but the real "weeping" I can't believe I am looking at you in this condition tears) and couldn't really control myself. I prayed with him and cried.

Well, on the way up to IL, we got the call we didn't want to get. John passed away on Friday afternoon. It was a tough ride after that point. Because we were out of town, we did not get to go to the viewing or funeral.

But we had some great news this weekend, too.

The weekend went great. We had a chance to get to hang out with some of the youth and coaches/elders/staff on Saturday night. It was a fun time and we felt right at home. We even said it didn't feel like an interview. It was a great feeling to just be "right back at home" even though it was the second time we were there. We stayed with a great couple, we much prefer this over a hotel :)

On Sunday, I was able to teach the jr. high sunday school and the sr. high sunday night classes. It was good to be able to teach in those settings again. We felt like both classes went well and God used the subject matter to reinforce some things that have been taught over the last few months. We still haven't been able to meet all the youth yet :) (they must be scared of my overwhelming personality :))

Anyway, on Sunday afternoon we had a lunch with the search team and elders again. At the afterlunch meeting there wasn't too much discussion about new stuff. It felt like everyone had already made up there mind as to what they thought about me and the open position (probably didn't hurt that everyone loved Amy and the boys). So they decided they would have a meeting right there after we left. They met and decided to ask us back in two weeks to preach and meet the "rest of the congregation" - you know the people who don't have children and those who don't work with youth or are not elders. They want to give every opportunity for the people to get to meet us. We will also be visiting different SS classes during that trip.

I was offered the job and we accepted. This next trip is almost basically about "PR" with the congregation. We are looking forward to it.

Hopefully, we will be able to move and start in about a month or so. Wow that is strange to type. It has been almost a year since we started this process. Throughout the entire time God has been good, no great.

Wes sitting up

Wes sitting up
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Just wanted to show a good pic of Wes sitting up all on his own.

Opening up presents

Opening up presents
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Nathan got to be in the middle of a circle of people as he opened his presents. It was pretty hot outside and it was supposed to rain, so most of the people stayed inside (and we don't have a huge living room, but we love to have it packed). Nathan opened up his presents with the help of some friends (Isaac and Ella both helped :)

How do you tell a 2 year old that he won't get to see these good friends much longer? We wish we could take them with us, and we know we wouldn't hear any complaints from Nathan.

Anyway, what a day for Nathan. He got some pretty cool clothes, some great outside toys and some really cool indoor toys - oh and about 1 billion gallons of bubbles.

Nathan's garbage truck

Nathan's garbage truck
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is Nathan with his new trash truck. He picked this up with some of his birthday money. Its pretty funny, too. He has been looking at it everytime we go to the store, but has always been ok not getting it - then when we were there and told him he had some money to spend he decided he wanted to get it. (He's already learned delayed gratification - I think our work as parents is over) :)

He plays with his trash truck and puts the trash in over and over again. Too bad our trash didn't really fit in a trash can that size.

Nathan's birthday cake

Nathan's birthday cake
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is the cake Nathan had for his birthday. A friend made it for him, she did a great job. Nathan absolutely loved it!

Nathan's future job

IMG_7149
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

For Easter Nathan had been asking for a very unique present--one that I don't think the Easter bunny usually carries. It was a gas can. So, we took him to Lowe's to get one and it seems like he has hardly put it down since. We think that he might have a future at a full service station. It is amazing to see him play pretend, even pulling an imaginary cord on the mower to start it, stopping the car when it runs out of gas to walk to the gas can for a fill-up. He is a very smart little guy.

Sadie

IMG_7215
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

One night Nathan played a game of Sorry with Mike and me--he actually stayed pretty focused for the whole game. Well, I guess Sadie was feeling a little left out and decided to be yellow. She didn't win, but had a good time playing. Anyone who knows Sadie will appreciate the value of this picture :) She is one of a kind!

A big swing set for a big guy

IMG_7240
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is most of Nathan's birthday present--there is now a glider swing that Mike finished putting up since this picture was taken. Thanks to all who gave Nathan cash for his birthday that went towards his backyard park :)

a great birthday and more

Well, its been longer than we promised and still no pics from the party up on the site. But no one has complained - which means one of two things: either no one is reading this or you are very forgiving and understanding :) (maybe a third, you don't pay attention to details or words and just look at the pictures)

We had a great day on Saturday, a bunch of people showed up, the rain held off and Nathan had a great day with his friends. We have some pictures we will put up later that show the swingset.

We started some work on the house to try and get it ready to sell (not that we are ready to sell it yet) but we are hopefully a lot closer than ever. A friend came over and helped (by that I mean, he did most of the work) repair some bad wood on the side of the house. Next weekend, we're going to work on some other problem areas.

Still two weeks until we go on our trip. WE are very excited about the trip, but we are ready to get there - this month wait is too long.

on a sad note... please pray for some friends of ours. John had a heart attack on Sunday night or Monday morning and has been in critical condition the last two days. He looked like he was getting better, but it turns out that he is not as good as hoped. Its been really hard, they are part of our adopted family and they are very special to us.

We'll post some pictures soon.

Nathan turns 2!!!!

Can you believe that Nathan will be 2 on Sunday? I can't!

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that we were celebrating his first birthday. Man, how things have changed over this past year. I have lost one job, gotten two more and looking for another ministry. We have 1/2 our house packed up and in one room. We have a second wonderful little boy. and so much more

We are getting ready for the big party tomorrow. Picking up some tables/chairs, getting the food ready, cleaning up the house, hoping that it doesn't rain. I am also going to try to finish putting together Nathan's big present - a new swing set. He helped Jamie and I put the frame together on Tuesday and can't wait to get on the swings and slide.

We'll post some pics after the party tomorrow

Papa, meme and Allison visit

Papa, meme and Allison visit
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

We wanted to post a picture of everyone from the great family visit we had during spring break. It is a great blessing to have some family down here. It was a boost from all the waiting and "interviewing" we've been doing. Nathan and Wes really seemed to enjoy having some new people around the house, too. :)

We know that we are looking forward to the possibility of moving closer to everyone so these visits don't just happen once a year. The next time we see dad and mom we will hopefully be using them to help us move.

daddy's mistake

daddy's mistake
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is a picture of my little mistake the other day. I was playing with the hulla hoop with Nathan (notice it in the left side of the picture) and I sorta threw it too high and got it stuck. Then I decited that Nathan's plastic rake would work to get it down. Not only did I end up braking 3 pieces off I got it stuck in the tree, too. I did get them down, but only after there was much laughter. needless to say Nathan got a new rake and Amy had a really really good laugh.

I don't think I'll try using a lightweight plastic kids toy to get another lightweight plastic kids toy out of the tree again.

In the reading room

Nathan at the library
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is Nathan at the new library. They have little reading rooms/cubbies that kids can go in. Amy says it is a really nice library. So I'm sure we'll be there a few more times before we move.

Wes

IMG_7057
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

This is Amy's favorite photo of Wes. If anyone wants a copy of this, just let us know what size you would like.

In 15 years...

IMG_7038
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Can't you just imagine this little guy as a teenager just hanging out on the couch? Hopefully him just sitting there will be as adorable as it is now.

A family visit

IMG_7072
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

We were very fortunate this past week to have Mike's mom and dad and his niece Allison visit us for a week. Their trip was encouraging to us and we are thankful that they made the long drive. This morning when they left, you could see that Nathan had really enjoyed the visit as well because he was upset to see them go. He kept asking to go with them, and although that was very special to see, it was a reminder of our longing to live closer to home. This picture is of Allison, enjoying the sun and decorating our patio.

A sweet roll for a sweet boy

IMG_7063
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

We did let Wes try a roll at a restaurant this past weekend. He was rather fond of it. Last night he was able to have his first bites of baby food. It was a step backwards from the roll though...it was peas :)

New Foods for Wes

IMG_7086
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Well, we decided to start Wes on "table food", and what better start than a Coke? Just kidding...but he sure did like to hold the cup.

crazy 6 weeks...

It's been a few weeks since our last post - we do apologize :)

We had a great trip up to IL to visit a church. We felt welcome and were able to connect with the people. Things seem to be going really good at the church (felt like they were really moving and following God). We know we can see ourselves working there. Another fun trip with both boys (who have really begun to dislike long car trips for obvious reasons).

When we got home from this trip, we had a message on our ans. machine from a church in KY. They got my name from a friend of mine and were contacting me to see if I would be at all interested in looking into their open position. Both of us talked with the chairman of the elders numerous times over the next week and by that Saturday he had asked if we could come up for a visit. So last weekend we were in KY doing an interview. (Count them, that's 3 long trips in 6 weeks) God is showing us some great churches and opportunities.

We had another great trip and were able to connect with the people. I (Mike) had a lot more interviews with the staff and elders than Amy did. I met with people for most of the day Friday and a little Saturday. We felt good about this opportunity, also.

Both churches have good points and some bad points (and don't all churches have those :)) So, we don't have a feeling right now as to one over the other.

Another thing that happened was last week (before we went to KY) we were contacted by the church in IN. They offered me the job, but we didn't feel like God was leading us there so we turned it down. There were a few things that were red flags as they were similar to situations we encountered before. We also felt like they need someone with a little different set of gifts than I have. It was tough to tell them "No", but we feel confident we made the right decision.

My parents are visiting this week with cousin Allison (so that is fun and a great break from the craziness that is our life). We will post more on that and add some pictures later.

Wes in his rented Jeep Stroller

Wes in his rented Jeep Stroller
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

This is Wes at the house we stayed in during our trip to IL. He was in a great mood and we think this picture captures his adorability.

Flexible Wes

Flexible Wes
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is a recent picture of one of Wes' favorite things to do. He has recently found his feet and likes to try to put them in his mouth. The biggest problem is it takes him a lot of energy to accomplish this task. We know that one day we will want to stop him from chewing on his feet, but now it sure is cute.

Nathan gets a new bus

Nathan gets a new bus
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is a picture of Nathan during our trip to Albion, IL. Aunt Kim sent some presents for him to open during the trip (a great idea and help). This bus has been everyone with Nathan, including naps and bedtime. We hope his love for buses continues as he grows and needs to ride one to school.

trip up to IL

Today, we are leaving to go to another interview, this one in southern IL. We have decided to forego the driving through the night and will be leaving in an hour or so and stopping to sleep tonight. We are actually pretty excited about this new way. :)

Please be praying for our trip and the interview. Thanks

We'll let you know how things go when we get back

Matching boys

IMG_6888
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

We couldn't resist a picture with the boys in matching sweatshirts (thanks to Grammy Carol). Maybe one day we can snap a picture when they are BOTH smiling! :)

Our family photo

IMG_6900
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Locked out

I (Amy) had an interesting experience yesterday. I was locked out of our house for about an hour until Mike came home for lunch. I was having a slow moving morning, as I am sure many of us have had, and was feeling pretty discouraged, so I decided to try going outside for a little while. Nathan and I had taken some of his cars out to the driveway to play with, and I had just come inside to get Wes and his bottle to feed him while we were outside. It was a few minutes later when we tried to come back in to warm up Wes' bottle that I discovered I had locked the door behind us. I tried to open it a few times, I guess thinking that maybe our circmstances would change. As I thought about it though, if ever I would be locked out, this was the best way to be- I had both boys and food for Wes, it was warm and sunny, and Mike would be home rather soon.
Nathan grew a little impatient with not being able to go inside. It is hard to explain that concept of locked out to a toddler. He tried knocking on the door and even barking to see if it would open up the door. I had some time outside to do some thinking. Here are a few thoughts I came up with...
1. It is amazing how when you can't do the things that you had not wanted to do when you had the chance to do them, you suddenly have the desire to do them.
2. Being locked out is a good description of how I am feeling right now about our life in Georgia. I feel like the door to Mike's job, our moving on with our lives, the chance to go to the next chapter of living- that all of those doors have been locked. Only this time I am not sure when they will be open. But just like yesterday, the situation could be so much worse.
3. I will always go out the front door to go outside. :) You have to have a key to lock it.

Aunt Kim was here

Nathan and Wes (as well as Amy and I) got a treat this past weekend. We had a visit from Aunt Kim. She was able to come down and visit for a few days. We got to enjoy some great GA weather (70's) for part of the time. It was a busy few days, but we enjoyed every single one. We will put up some pics in a day or so...

Please keep the ministry search in your prayers. God continues to show us that He is in control and we hopefully will have some decisions to make coming up.

Nathan wraps himself

Nathan wraps himself
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Nathan decided to help wrap his friends' present last week. Don't worry, he got enough paper around the present to give it away.

He sure does love to work with wrapping paper.

Nathan reads to Wes

Nathan reads to Wes
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Wes started to hold himself up on his elbows the other day. And he started to roll over more regularly. Nathan loves to read to Wes and play with him and show him toys.

What a pair of brothers they are.

Wes feeding himself

Wes feeding himself
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

He sure is growing up fast. We even gave him cereal tonight for the first time.

Soon, he'll be walking :)

God's divine wisdom

God showed up on Thursday in Mike's conversation with Brian from OH (the contact from the church). Well, really He is always there and its a matter of us seeing Him - but this works well for our story. We have been praying about where we will be going and where our next ministry will be. We really felt good about the church in OH. They had many things we are looking for in a congregation, the leadership seems healthy and passionate about people, we felt like we made a connection with the leaders we met while we were there. Overall, we left with a different feeling than the other interviews. All of this was for good reason - it was different from the other interviews, we did connect with them.

In the conversation Mike was told that the elders had decided to go with one of the other candidates. And that sounds pretty bad, but there is more to it. Out of the last three, it came down to Mike and the one who was offered the job. The two of us have one major difference - he grew up in the church (and I mean that particular congregation. That was the main reason the job was offered to him and not Mike (and that is not a bad thing - the elders had set in their vision that whenever they had opportunity they would try to hire "Timothy's" of the church). The decision was not an easy one even with this factor. There were about 1/2 dozen meetings about it. They even began to try to figure out how to hire both of us. (if anyone has some extra $ laying around and could pass it along to be salary, please let me know) :)

For me (Mike) it was not a typical "no" conversation. And I actually felt a little encouraged afterward. Obviously, we don't know where we are going and we feel a little "lost, unsure..." Brian made it clear that the elders did not want to end all contact with us, they are wanting to stay informed with how we are doing. He also let me know that during the meetings when they were trying to hire both of us they decided they might start working on hiring a 4th staff person (when funds and things would make that possible). This 4th staff would be a breakoff from the one that was just filled and would be ms/hs (and they would like to keep my resume and if possible contact us about the position). Amy and I are not going to wait around for this to happen (it could be a few months or a year - that all depends on God), but we would consider it if it would work out.

So, God showed us because we were willing to see past the smokescreen of human disapointment and see the bigger picture. This picture is still not complete, but we are trusting God to fill it in as needed. His wisdom is divine and we would much rather trust it then ours (even though it is tough to follow when we are not completely sure where we are going)

(we will keep you updated and please continue to pray for us and our move)

extended wait time

We found out and have wanted to pass on that it will be a few more days before we find out about the church in OH. Hopefully next week we will be able to tell you something. thanks for all the prayers

Our Wesley

IMG_6619
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

This picture is almost a month old now, but it is still one of my favorites of Wes. He is such a happy baby.

An update of Nathan

IMG_6692
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Here is a recent photo of Nathan. People usually still say he looks like Amy, but we'll let you decide for yourself.

Our Boys...

IMG_6715
Originally uploaded by lilkup.

Can you just imagine what things these two will find to get into over the next few years? We are excited about having two boys who will grow up so close in age. They are the best kids ever...but we may be a little biased!

While I have a moment...

I thought I would update whoever is checking out our blog on how the boys are doing. Nathan turns 21 months today...he is almost 2 years old now! He really enjoys coloring these days, especially with these pretty cool bath crayons. He still seems to be enjoying his role as a big brother, although he still is a young toddler who doesn't always like to share Mike and I. Wes will be 3 months old this week. For those readers with small children, i am sure you can relate to this feeling...I feel like we have finally clicked- like I know him and he knows me. So things seem easier now then the first few weeks did. Plus he is learning how to sleep all night...sleep helps. :)
I do want to share with those readers who are not able to see the boys very regularly...I pray that soon God will open up the door for that to change. They are incredible boys and we are eager to share them more with you.
Just to ensure that they are not neglected...I will update you on Sticky and Sadie as well. Sticky is as playful as ever. She has even started to let Nathan play with her. We haven't taught her any new tricks, but I personally think training her to go get a clean diaper at diaper changing time would be awesome. Sadie, for those who know and love her, is still just as "active" as before. Her top speed is still about 2 miles per hour, and that's chasing a cat! Both are enjoying having Nathan to pet them now and they actually don't seem to mind having another little guy in the house.

nothing yet

Just an update on the job search. We are waiting to hear from the church in OH - hopefully sometime this week. We have other churches we can look at. We really liked the church and felt welcomed. We will let you know when we hear one way or another. Through it all, we know God is in control and has more than provided for us during this time.

great trip home

This past weekend, we all traveled up north for my interview and took a trip over to spend a day with family. It was a great trip (lots of driving, but well worth it).

The interview went well and we felt very good about the interaction we had with everyone. We were not the only ones who were brought up for an interview, so we have a week or so to hear what they think. We continue to pray that God's will is done. We know He will put us in the right spot and we trust His timing. We will let you know when we hear something more.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

the job search process continues

The silence on the posts is not due to nothing going on, but rather (what seems like) a lot going on. I have continued to work both my jobs, Amy continues to keep everything else together. Nathan is learning more and more words and has really started to copy things he sees people doing. Wes has started to smile a lot and start to make noises.

This weekend we are going for an interview up in Ohio. We are excited about this opportunity. We will try to post how things go next week. Please pray for our trip and for the interview. We are praying for peace about this decision, on both sides.

some news

Tomorrow night I am going to have a phone interview with one of the churches. Please pray for the interview and what the next steps could be.

Target

Just wanted to update on our situation.

Tomorrow I start my new job at Target. I will be working AM as a stocker. So it will mean some really early mornings, but I will be able to be home at night to spend time with everyone.

I contine to work at the dentist office, so I will be working Target in the morning and the office after lunch.

Still nothing new on the ministry side. We'll keep you posted

The end of my rope...

Alright, keep reading...I'm not going to say that I had a breakdown with staying at home with Nathan and Wes! (this is Amy writing) The end of my rope is actually a good thing---

The end of November was not a time that Mike and I were looking forward to. It meant the end of our income and also, as we had recently found out, the end of what we thought were his future ministry options. I came across a verse from Matthew 5 that says, "blessed are you when you come to the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule." With the "ends" that Mike and I saw ahead, I felt at the very very very end of our rope. But I can testify that God's promise in this verse is true.
Mike started work on Monday as temporary help at a dental office. Then on Wednesday he had was offered a second job working as a stocker at Target. Then we received the final bill from the doctor for Wes' birth. We were expecting around $1300. It was $23. Mike's car needed major brake work done. Then, God in his faithfullness blessed us with an unexpected gift from a friend. The "end" was just a chance for God's faithfullness to shine.

A few fun happenings at home...
Nathan put on his shoes by himself the other day! They were on the wrong feet, but at least he is trying :) He also is starting to be potty trained. Wes turned one month a few days ago. He may be starting to see us better and even smile!
Mike is waiting to hear back from the last bunch of resumes he sent out. Thank you for your continued prayers. We know God will answer them.