Being Thankful on a Top Ten Tuesday

The past 2 months I have been tested with patience, faith, relationships, and dealing with the loss of my grandfather. I have to say, moving to Texas has been one of the most stressful things and times that has happened to me and my husband. It's been so stressful that we have both questioned whether or not this was the right thing for us to do. Even after praying for God's will in all of this, we were afraid we had gone against it.
Through these difficult times we've had to learn that God's timing is perfect, and trying to do everything on our time makes for a difficult time. Being patient is hard, but worth it. I'm praying this journey of ours will only make us stronger and better after all is said and done.
Through this difficult transition it's hard being thankful, but I know it's something I always need to be. So here are some top ten things that I am thankful for:
1. My husband's job. He flew into Abilene for one day to apply and test for this position with no certainty that he would get it. Well, he got it:) That was an immediate weight lifted off both of our shoulders before it really began to weigh us down, and such a blessing!
2. My sister and her family. It's nice to know we have our best friends 10 minutes away.
3.Our health. My sister got me into MckMama's blog, and after reading what her and her family go through it makes me praise the Lord for what he's blessed us with, and make me question why I even complain.
4. Nice people. It's hard to be rude when you're in public here, because 99.99% of people are so over-the-top friendly it makes you laugh.
5. MOPS. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but it's so much fun to be surrounded by other Christian stay-at-home moms. I laugh so much and have a high of happiness after each MOPS meeting.
6. My Friday job. I watch a baby girl who is 2 weeks younger than Nolan. I'm hoping this can lead me watching another child throughout the week. This would be a big financial burden lifted off of my husband's shoulders.
7. The affordability Abilene has to offer us. With Jr going to school full-time we're able to afford living here comfortably while on a budget:)
8. Nolan. He keeps me busy. When I'm with my son I forget about my selfish attitude and all my focus is on him. I love how he makes me feel.
9. Our new home! We put an offer on a house on Friday, and on Saturday it was accepted. It's in a nice neighborhood, a good school district, and is bigger than our Jersey home! We are so excited and can't wait to get into it and start making it our own.
Even through these stressful times the Lord continues to bless us. He also lets us experience how hard life can be if we depend on our timing and not His. I know we're supposed to be here, and I don't doubt that anymore. I'm thankful for the love of my Father and His reminder that He has it all under control. And that makes 10!
Romans 5:2-5
...and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.


Nolan News...
Nolan loves to crawl backwards still, and has been rocking back and forth on his knees. He is so close to crawling forward! He'll get himself stuck up against a wall or the couch. He gets pretty frustrated and cries for help each time. It's pretty funny!

He loves his bath time in the "big boy tub" as we call it:) He's learned to splash and loves to play with his washcloth. He cries every time I take him out.

I've started giving him some cereal to help teach him the pincer grasp and to feed himself. He likes to hold them in his hands and I'm not sure if he realizes that he's actually feeding himself. He puts them in his mouth like he does everything else, and then makes a face as if to say, "what is this?"


The exersaucer is always a favorite of his.
He still enjoys swinging. I'm so glad his swing holds up to 30lbs!
He loves bath time!


Mom, I'm stuck!
Getting ready for his cereal!
The container was much more fun.
First taste!
Out cold in his cousin's swing.

Bat-Boy

Nolan's first Halloween!

The mask did not last!

It was Mommy's first Halloween too;)
His new favorite thing to do is ride on his Daddy's shoulders.
Bat-Boy in his Bat-Mobile, ready to go!

A Month Overdue...

Nolan will be 8 months this Wednesday and it's hard to believe! Here's what he's been up to:
-He crawls backwards like a pro and is so close to crawling forward. He's graduated to the "crawler" nursery at church and MOPS now. *Sniff, sniff* My baby is growing up!
-He's a pro at scooting on his back and belly and rolling over to get anything he wants.
-He's very demanding and gets upset if we take my cell phone from him or if we won't allow him to bang on the laptop keyboard. (These are by far his most favorite things).
-He talks and babbles using vowels.
-He LOVES his cousins. He laughs and smiles at them and loves to pull Gabby's and Jack-Jack's hair and pinch their faces.
-He'll sometimes sleep on his stomach or side, which is so funny to see since he's always been a back sleeper.
-He's very LOUD! He loves to tell us stories with VOLUME.
-He rolled off the bed for the first time on Saturday. (No more putting him down for naps on our bed anymore!) I cried much harder than he did, and scared my sister half to death when I screamed my bloody head off. He was fine, of course, but Leah and I had some recovering to do.
-He has two bottom teeth that are completely through and has been doing very well with teething. I'm not even sure if his teeth are bothering him. If they were, then I think I would know...right?
-It's very hard to get him to smile for the camera now. He's far too busy and into other things, that the camera no longer phases him. However, he does always want to put it in his mouth.
-He doesn't do well with change. His regular sleeping habits from NJ have not returned. He still wakes up several times during the night:/
-He takes 3 catnaps a day.
-He'll put anything in his mouth!
-He loves oatmeal with any fruit for breakfast, and he'll eat his rice with any veggie for dinner. He does prefer his orange veggies over his greens though.

Well, I think you're all caught up on Nolan news. Stay tuned for pictures!

Top Ten Tuesday

Nolan and I had our last full day here in New Jersey. We spent the day in Asbury Park, where we walked on the boardwalk, lunched on the beach, and said our 'goodbyes' to all of Jr's co-workers and our friends. I'll miss a lot about New Jersey, but not enough to stay.

Top ten things I'll miss about the Jersey Shore:

1. Our home. It's been home for 4 years. It's been mine and Jr's first home together, as well as Nolan's. It's hard to leave it.
2. The Beach. I'll miss seeing the ocean, living on the bay, listening to seagulls right outside my window, and laying on the hot sand listening to the waves crash in front of us.
3. Our friends. It seems we just made the most wonderful group of friends in the past year, and I wish it had happened sooner!
4. Our church. The place where we made our friends, and have been blessed with an awesome Pastor and congregation. I hate finding a new church, and I'm dreading it.
5. Going to New York City. It will always be one of my favorite things to do.
6. Shopping at Babies R Us! I've been going a couple times a month since I found out I was pregnant with Nolan. I LOVE this store!
7. ShopRite. Our local grocery store is brand new and it's less than 5 minutes up the street from us. It's never crowded and I go several times a week.
8. Not having to pump gas. I haven't pumped gas in 4 years! I'll miss sitting in my car waiting on the gas attendant to finish his job.
9. Asbury Park. Where Jr works, and where I worked for a year. It's an up and coming city, and it just got a great review in the New York Times as the next "Soho". It's right on the ocean and offers quaint shops, awesome restaurants, and it makes for a fun day.
10. Gelato. Gelato is Italian ice cream and it's incredible. There's a great Gelato place in Asbury that makes me go weak in the knees! I think I'll have to try my hand at homemade gelato when we get to Texas.

It's been a wonderful experience, and I'm thankful for our time here. The Lord has taken care of us and has blessed us tremendously. We're ready for our next adventure!
Abilene, Texas here we come!

A Little Updating

Nolan and I only have a week and 2 days left here in New Jersey. We're flying out to Florida next Wednesday for a week, and then flying into Texas! I have to have the house completely packed and ready to be moved by next Tuesday. ( I don't want Jr packing anything...that would be disastrous!) Our truck is being dropped off on the 22nd and then it's being shipped out on the 23rd. It's all happening so fast, I can hardly believe it! It's hard leaving this home. It's been home for over 4 years. (That's the longest I've ever lived in one home!) We've gutted, extended, and remodeled every square inch, and now we're leaving it. It's sad, but I know we'll be blessed with another home that we'll love just as much.

Nolan's Lola is here visiting. We went out to eat last night to Applebees, and Nolan was the loud, annoying baby in the restaurant. He wasn't crying, thankfully. He was just super happy and excited to be dining out at Applebees! He was squealing, yelling, and laughing louder than he ever does here at home. It was amusing, but a little embarrassing at the same time. Jr kept saying, "No one better say anything about him being happy-they'll regret it!" Thankfully, no one did:) At one point a waitress was seating a family right next to our table, and the mom looked over at loud Nolan and all his toys and car seat and said, "could we sit somewhere else, please?" I'm sure everyone was happy to see us leave!

I'll be spending this next week packing and making meals for Jr during the week we're in FL. He'll probably be flying into Texas a week after Nolan and I get there. And he FINALLY told his boss that he's leaving. He took it very well and is happy that Jr is going back to college.

That's all for now. We're off to Asbury Park to enjoy this Labor Day with Jr...while he works.

6 Month Progress

Nolan had his 6 month check-up and immunizations today. He's still in the 50th percentile with his weight at 17lbs and 1 oz. (Thankfully he can still hang out in car seat a little bit longer, and our scale at home is a pound or two over!) He's also still in the 75th percentile with his height at 27 1/4 inches, and he has a very large brain which is in the 80th percentile! He's a big, strong, healthy boy, and his Dr. gave me the go-ahead to start feeding him 3 meals a day.
He got 3 shots and a sweet little drink and cried for maybe a minute. He did so well, and I'm hoping and praying he won't run a fever or have diarrhea like last time.

Other than that, not much else going on. We can't wait to get out of here. I think I'm going to finish packing the house this week. Even though we have 4 weeks left, I'm ready to get it over with. I'm so sick of all the stress that comes with moving and selling a home. It's causing a lot of rows in our relationship, and Jr told me today that all this stress is making his heart hurt. So with that said, I'm hoping for a sooner departure!

Nolan's 5 Month Accomplishments

Yesterday morning Nolan had his first bite of cereal! (Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice cereal, to be exact:) He was a complete natural and he loved it so much that he grabbed my hand to bring the spoon to his mouth each time. He was so sweet to watch.


Nolan getting ready to eat and fascinated by his new plastic bib!
Nolan has been doing back bends and pushing himself with his legs to scoot around the living room floor. I'll put him on his blanket to play, and I'll watch him move himself off his blanket and all over the floor. He's also tried to push himself up on his knees when he's on his belly. He's so funny to watch and he entertains me daily with his silly moves.

Sitting up on his own!


Nolan showing his Lola his floor moving skills...(he was on his gym!)




Nolan doing his back bend and scooting away from the camera...


Jr weighed Nolan the other day, and our scale indicated that our son is about 18 lbs. If this scale is anywhere near calibrated, we're going to need another car seat soon. His Graco only holds 22 lbs, and I thought that he wouldn't exceed the weight limit until his 1st birthday...silly me!


Nolan's new favorite toys are his Bumbo, Jump and Go, and Exersaucer!


Our moving date is getting closer. We close on the house on Sept. 28, and then we're out of here! All the inspections have almost gone through. We're just waiting to hear from the buyers about one issue we have to take care of. We have two sheds in our backyard, and the county is only allowing us to have one. SO, we have to get rid of one, but we need to make sure the buyers agree with this. So we're waiting on our Lawyer to get a hold of their Lawyer, and then their Lawyer to come back to our Layer with an answer. It's so annoying selling a house and I can't wait for it to be over with.

Jr and I have been slowly packing things. We've emptied out both sheds, organized and boxed everything in the attic, filled about 10 storage bins and the garage is filled with boxes! I didn't realize how much stuff we actually had until I started putting it all in boxes.

We just got back from spending a wonderful afternoon with our Young Couple's Bible Study Group from church. We ate a ton of delicious grilled food and salads, and now I'm ready to put my feet up and relax in front of the TV while Nolan naps!
Here's a couple pretty cute pics to end this blog...