Bennett Turns One!

Our little boy has officially been in our lives (out of the womb) for over a year now. He has been quite the adventure, definitely our greatest adventure, but not always the easiest adventure.

Since his birthday was the day before Mother's Day, I decided to combine his party with the Mother's Day celebration, and host both at once.

Bennett on his birthday. It was a "stay-in-jammies-all-morning" type of day.

Bennett has quite the obsession with balls. For his birthday we got him this kiddie pool with several balls, and he loves it. Never enough balls for this boy!

I cannot say that I have been to a Mother's Day meal, where the theme was surrounded by foxes. Nobody seemed to mind, I think the kids may have actually enjoyed it for a change.

This fox cake was much easier to make than I expected. My brother-in-law walked into the house, took a look at it, and commented on what a cute kitty cat the cake was. I do admit, that it has a striking resemblance to Garfield, but nonetheless, I was going for a fox.

We played a few games with the kids.

Bennett enjoyed all the action going on. Usually his house is not near this exciting.

It was special to have both Nate's mom, and mine at the party.

As I suspected, Bennett did not want much to do with his cake. That is just fine. He will probably make up for that in the years to come.

The crazy coup was his gift from Grandma and Grandpa Z. It has been a hit!

He even shared it with his friend Kaylee the other day.

He also spends much time in his swing from Grandma and Grandpa F. 

What a well-loved little fella!

Bennett Clay, I could go on and on and write about how special you are to your Mommy and Daddy. We cherish you as our little son, and love you more than words can describe. We pray that you will grow up and make Jesus proud. You are our sweet gift from heaven, and we thank God for the gift He has given us in you. We are unworthy to be your parents, and we do not take the responsibility lightly. May we strive to be the best examples for you. Thanks for putting up with us, because many days we have absolutely no clue what we are doing. You are our greatest adventure!!

We love you sweet boy!!

Hard to believe we have a one-year-old.

Happy Birthday Bennett!!

Getting Settled

We have been moved for two months now. While there are many things I miss about Ohio (mainly the people), Indiana has been good to us. It has been a busy couple of months, but we would have it no other way.

Many have asked us if there was much that needed done on our new house. It was just fine as it was, but we wanted to customize it a bit more to our style and preference.

My dad assisted Nate with replacing the front door. It was one of those projects that ended up being a bit trickier than expected. The joys of a century-old home=)

Top photos- Before
Bottom photos- After

We had so many who were eager and willing to help us with moving, painting, meals, and the list goes on. The support was overwhelming, and we could not have gotten to this point without our loved ones.

New paint, new lighting, and new flooring were the main items on our agenda.

Nate did an excellent job putting up this faux beam in our living room. It adds an element of warmth to the space.

New lighting in the dining room area!

Below is a video of our Kitchen/Living Room Makeover. It goes into a bit more detail if you are interested.

We celebrated four year of marriage this past week. I thank God for my loving husband, who I call my Steady Eddie. He is perfect for me!

Bennett Clay is six days away from turning a year. What a year it has been, a year filled with much change. Benny is our sweet little boy, who we cannot seem to get enough of. He brings us endless joy, yet irritates us at the same time. How is that even possible?

Nonetheless, we thank God for the little miracle He blessed us with twelve months ago. We truly have so much to be thankful for, and I hope all of you feel the exact same way.

Blessing to you all!

It Is Getting Real

As I held my sleeping baby and rocked him back and forth, it was as if a wave of thought and emotion came out of nowhere. The wave swept me up and there was little I could do about it.

My thoughts were directed to the past four years, spent here in Ohio. 

I thought of those first few weeks as a new bride, here in Paulding county, not many familiar faces around. I would count down the minutes until Nate arrived home from work, because in a sense, it truly was the two of us.

I thought about my interview at the hospital, soon after being married, and how I was thankful for a job so close by. The relationships formed were special and I felt a sense of belonging in this new community.

I remembered how thrilled we were to buy our first house together and make it our own, and now here we were, knowing that there was an offer on the table, and that we may soon be handing over the keys.

Thinking about the heartache we endured, in these very walls, when we realized that we would not be starting a family quite as soon as we had hoped.

Wondering how many countless times we had walked around the block, in this sweet neighborhood, and how many hours I had spent staring out the front window, watching the neighborhood kids run around.

I thought about the friendships that God had brought along, and how I could barely stand the thought of saying "goodbye."

I marveled at how I quickly fell in love with our church family, and how they have continually wrapped their arms around us and supported us beyond belief. 

I remembered back to the day when we brought our baby boy home from the hospital and introduced him to his new home.

I think about the many loved ones who have walked through our front door. Some from other parts of the world, and I am grateful that we could open our home and hearts to them.

I think about the day when we will drive away from this house for the very last time. Have our last Sunday at the church that has become so near and dear to us. Bid farewell to the borders of Ohio.

Will there be some sadness? Definitely

I have not written these words with dry eyes whatsoever.

But we know that there is joy awaiting too. We know that there is a new normal to be had. Change is not always meant to be easy. I am thankful that this transition is not easy, for it means that we have invested our hearts, time, and love into the place in which God has meant for such a time.

Thankful for these verses which God gave me this morning.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world....And the world passeth away, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. ~1 John 2:15 & 17

What a good reminder to not place so much value in our earthly possessions or circumstances. As the title states, "It Is Getting Real," and that is the truth. We are getting closer and closer to our move date. What a privilege for Nate and I to look back, at our first four years of marriage, with such fondness. We will miss so much about this place, but we know that God has great things in store.