Everything is bigger in Texas

And it's about to be bigger, because we are moving to TEXAS!!! We have spent a lot of time praying and seeking God on this and we feel like this is the right decision to make. It's crazy how God has guided us and I guess I could say has nudged us in this direction. We are very excited and feel like this is a great opportunity for Brian and for our family. We have so felt your prayers throughout this journey and would appreciate them as we look forward to our transition in mid-June. We are super excited for our ministry in Dallas and for what God is going to teach us in this next phase of life. Thanks so much for your support and prayers!

PS- this picture was taken in Dallas a few weeks ago when we attended a minor league baseball game in Frisco.

Parenting

Yesterday I went to the library to pick up a few books. I came home with, "The New Strong-Willed Child," and "Parenting the Strong-Willed Child." These books have been recommended to me after a few people have spent time with Halle. Was I offended- no. Do I feel like I have a fiesty one- yes, at times. The funny thing is about 55 pages into "The Strong-Willed Child," I realized two things.

1. That a child's nature mostly comes from their genetic makeup- not environment, so I felt a sigh of relief that no, I am not a bad mom, she was just born this way.
2. Halle does not fit the profile of a "strong-willed child." Yay!!!

I was so relieved because a lot of what I was reading about the typical strong-willed child, she does not fit. She was great baby- slept well, ate well, listens to me, and is usually just a fun, great kid. Now there are times when Miss Independent comes out and knows exactly what she wants. All of this to say, I realize she's not even two yet, and I'm going to keep reading to learn maybe some techniques of what to do in certain situations. If anything, as I was reading, I was thanking God for such a great kid! So, my little girl, that's growing up every day is facing the challenges of a normal going-to-be two year old and I'm sure we'll face many challenges. Overall, she's just the best, I mean look at that face! I can't get enough of her!

Update!

What a weekend!! We are back from our weekend in TX. We are soooo exhausted. It was so great to come home to our Halle girl. Although she's begun to call me "mom" instead of "mommy" so I'm wondering what happened to my little girl! Brian and I really enjoyed the experience in TX, and were overwhelmed by it as well. It was a very intense interview process with many people to meet and many questions to answer. I was so proud of my husband and just amazed by his ability to do so well in that situation. We're still at the point of seeking God. We will know later this week whether we'll be offered the job or not. And if so, we'll have to keep praying and having conversations as to whether this is where we should be or not. I had hoped to leave TX with more clarity than I have right now. I think God is reeeeaally trying to teach me patience and the importance of walking so closely with him. Thank you for your prayers and we'll keep you updated!!

The Road Ahead

Isaiah 30:21

"Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left."

In the past few months, we've been on the hunt- the big JOB hunt. Every since we arrived in July we knew our time here would be short and we wondered what God would have for us next. We've lived in 3 states in 3 years and we're anxious to go somewhere and to settle. This year has been a great experience for us both- fulfilling a dream of Brian's- getting his doctorate, and an amazing opportunity to live in community with the other families here, and a chance to gear up for what's next. It's been strange being in a place for only one year- wondering how much to invest, how much to be involved- it's not the ideal situation. But God has been faithful in so many ways, growing us both and energizing us for what's ahead.

What is that? Well, we're still not sure. A few months ago, we drove to North Carolina to pursue a potential job there. We didn't quite feel a great sense of peace with the situation even though it was truly an incredible opportunity for Brian. So, we prayed and prayed and turned it down. A great sense of relief and peace was felt after we walked through that door and closed it. It's one of those times where you ask God- "just because this door is open, does that mean this is your will for us?" So since then, we've talked around a lot of ideas- a lot of them revolving around church planting. I never thought I'd say those words- because that's pretty much the most scary thing for a pastor- or maybe just a pastor's wife. :) In the midst of many conversations and knocking on a few doors, we didn't really gain much ground. And then we got a call. The call was from a church in the suburbs of Dallas- a church plant that was started 3 years ago, and the pastor is now leaving to plant another church. Long story short- we met with the pastor and felt really good about the idea and Friday we leave for the weekend for our round of interviews. For the past month we've been awaiting this weekend- learning more about the area and the church and praying a lot about knowing if this is God's will or not. We both have felt a lot of excitement and a huge peace about the situation- but ultimately we'll know more when we get there this weekend. We're very excited- and I'm honestly just ready to get it all done- to see where we're going to be. We're really hoping it's a good fit for us and a good fit for them.

The weekend after we go to Texas, Brian flies out to Colorado to investigate some church planting ideas. This development has come about extremely recently- as in days! There's a lot of uncertainty about what this opportunity would look like, but we're praying about it as well, as the Texas situation is not set in stone. So, over much lack of sleep, I continue to pray over this Isaiah verse, begging that God would make it sooooo clear to us what we're supposed to do. June 1 is our deadline on moving out of KY- no home, no paycheck, you get the point. So the planner I am, I am ready to have one! A plan! But I want to be faithful to where God's calling us and for the vision that he has for Brian.

We'd appreciate your prayers as we continue to travel this road and hopefully soon, we'll know where we're headed!

Happy Easter!

What a wonderful day to celebrate Easter yesterday. We had a great church service celebrating the important day. Halle looked so pretty in her dress. She loved wearing shoes that tap on the ground. In the afternoon, we did an Easter egg hunt with the kids that live by us. Halle really didn't fully understand all of it- she was more interested in Jelly Beans, which she hasn't stopped talking about since! It was a little chilly to be outside, but we enjoyed a day of sunshine and thanking Jesus for being ALIVE!!

My beach baby

F-L-O-R-I-D-A!

We're back from the sunshine state! Brian, Halle, and I were able to spend a week with my parents in Florida this past week. My mom was on spring break, so Halle and I planned to fly down and meet them in Tampa. At the last minute, Brian decided he could join us after turning in the first 3 chapters of his dissertation. (Yay!) So, it was a great week of relaxation and exploring various sights. We stayed between Ft. Meyers and Tampa in a town called Englewood in a house that was given to us for the week from a family friend. It was a huge blessing and a great place for us to stay. Halle was a trooper with all of the traveling and had a great time with many new experiences.







We went to the beach...













Halle was really skeptical at first, but by the end of the week, she LOVED it! She loved playing with her bucket in the sand, and running into the water.

We also went to Busch Gardens which was a lot of fun. There were lots of neat animals to look at, rides to take, and things for Halle to play with. Busch Gardens is where I rode my first roller coaster ever! Brian and I went on a few and barely had to wait in any lines!







Overall, it was a wonderful, relaxing time. We made great memories, saw great places, and had a blast! Thanks mom and dad for a great trip!

Brother Bear Quinn

This is my big brother. He is one of Halle's favorite people in the whole world. A pretty cool thing happened last summer. Our family moved to Wilmore, KY, and my big brother moved to Wilmore, KY. It's pretty crazy that we both moved to the same small town, in the same state, for two different reasons. It had been about 10 years since we have lived in the same town with each other. So really, this year has been an awesome gift for brother and sister to live by one another and do life together. It's been a ton of fun and really special for us to be able to share this year together. We've shared many meals and many laughs together, and of course it's been great to have the world's best babysitter right down the street! With our future uncertain, we're not sure how far away we'll be from each other. But one thing is for sure, I'll never forget this time we've had to share life together and to see each other grow, and to become better friends. Thanks Quinn for all you do and we love you so much!

And thanks mom and dad for giving me a great brother bear!

The Irish!!!

Happy St. Patty's Day! We are all wearing our green today- and will have Irish Stew for dinner. Halle is in her shamrocks. She asked me what they were all over her dress and was trying to say shamrock. She definitely looks like an Irish girl with a tint of red in her hair.

On another note, here's Halle extremely unhappy with sitting on the potty. We're not seriously potty training but exploring the task. She doesn't like it!



And here she is more herself...






We babysat for our friend's baby, Jack, and Halle was fascinated by him and loved to sit right by him and give him kisses!