Travels to IL

We traveled to my parents in Illinois for a wonderful visit. Here are a few pictures from Memorial Day at the parade in my hometown, and our BBQ afterwards with the family. It was fun to have time with all my relatives and Halle's cousins who are very close in age.







And some more of us around town...






Then I took Halle to MI to visit some of my best friends and visit baby Mya, who is my friend, Diana's 5 week old baby. It was so fun to see Halle with her and be so interested in a little one. It was also great to visit our old home in Michigan where Brian and I met. It's so fun to catch up with friends and to be in a place that holds so many memories. I will miss my friends dearly moving so far away!






And finally, we are proud to announce...




Halle's going to be a big sister!!!!

The Battle of the wills

The other night, Halle refused to eat her last bit of chili- that would be the last out of three bites she was required to eat. The battle began around 5:20 when we all sat down to eat. For some reason, she was not in the mood to eat what I had prepared and decided that no way no how would she eat her bites. So here we went, back and forth, back and forth- trying to get her to eat her bites. We got her to eat 2, but the third was a killer. We left her in her chair and in between crying fits, would try and get her to eat another bite. Finally at about 7:20-after I had left for Bible Study- she conceded. She finally ate a bite for her dad ( at that point was one macaroni noodle and one kidney bean) but it was the point that counts. Brian was so bothered all night wondering if he was too hard on her. It was a hard battle, but we won- oh yes we did! And eating has been much more peaceful since.






On another note, when Halle is not busy avoiding dinner times, she's busy doing this...

My pride and joy

This is why I love being a mom!

Only a mom...

-lets you hide behind her legs
-knows just how to scratch your back
-lets you play with her hair
-lets you play with her antique dolls
-leaves work only to make your big assembly
-only feeds you healthy snacks
-misses you every time she's gone
-sits through hours of cheerleading competitions, when you only perform for 2 minutes
-takes you shopping for that perfect dress
-lets you give her advice even if she doesn't agree
-wants to talk to you for hours
-hurts when you hurt
-rejoices when you rejoice
-can dry your tears
-can fully enjoy seeing you become a mom yourself
-can continue to mother you know matter how old you are
-will hold your hair back when you're sick
-will drive a long way to take care of you after getting your wisdom teeth out
-will write cheers when you're taking your finals
-will understand childbirth
-will sing to you before you go to bed- when she's near or far
-will do everything in her power to do everything she can to help you with anything in the whole world.

Thank you mom for years of support, encouragement, loves, hugs, back scratches, and songs!

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight, someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight...

Beeson Year

This a our group photo of all of the families that we've been living with this year. There are 10 pastors in all in Brian's program, some with families, some without. Our year is very quickly winding down so we managed to get a big group pic. One huge benefit of this year has been living so closely with these other families- it's felt like college again living so close to them and being so intertwined with our daily lives. We've become great friends, and our kids have bonded so closely. It will sure be sad to say goodbye, but we've definitely made friends for life!

In case you couldn't see us, here's a closeup!

Spring is in the air!

Well some days we have wonderful spring weather, and some days we have yucky rainy spring weather. Here are a few pictures of Halle doing some springy activities. Our two neighbor girls are Anna and Susanna and they are all together most days. They have recently discovered the art of sidewalk chalk and love to color on the ground. We managed to capture them once when they were all looking! We are going to be so sad when we move, to not have Halle's friends so close.








On another note, I'm going to start packing this week! We have no idea where we are going to live yet, so that's a huge prayer request. But we are setting things in motion to head out of here the second week of June. I can't believe our year here is almost over!

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!