Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was spent here in Charlotte. My oldest sister came up from Georgia with her three kids (#4 is on the way!!) and her hubby! And my other sister was kind enough to host us all. It was such a wonderful day though. I love seeing all the kids together playing. Even though there is the occasional screaming fit they truly love being together. I was just thankful for us all to be together. If we were still living I don't think we would have been able to make the trip down due to my pregnancy. At the end of the night my Dad asked us all to talk about ways that God revealed himself to us or showed up. It was neat to go around and here what everyone had to say. It's been a hard year in our family for many reasons, but the one thing that has remained constant and true has been the presence of the Lord and the fact that the ONLY reason we are all able to feel thankfulness for anything is because of Him!
Here is our day in pictures:

The key to the yummy turkey

Loves Rocks

Stella girl

Love some Caroline Gray

Hunty!

It's normal for kids to want to play with rocks in neighbors yard right? 

Manny and Ware! 

The Fleming Boys

Indian Hats for the kids

We like to call him Dennis the Menace

Running Indians...on your mark, get set, GO!

My sweet Indian! 

Silly Goose

Loves these kiddos

Kel and G

Our little photographer

Mom and Michelle

Yup...he's pure sugar!

The end of a fun day! Stella loves her Uncle Silly

Halloween

I know...it's November, well actually it's almost December. But I totally forgot to post pictures of our Halloween. We went to my sisters house and let Stella and James trick or treat together. They had a blast. It was so much more fun this year with James. He really got into it and had fun running up to each door. Every house he went to he would say "just one" and then say "thank you-welcome" when they gave him the candy. It was just a bit cute! He dressed up like a dragon and Stella was a peacock. I already have lots of ideas for how to dress he and his brother up next year. Here are some pictures from the night:

In the Home Stretch

We are in the home stretch! Only a few more weeks to go. I am turning 34 weeks this Sunday. It's so crazy that it's almost time for this little one (still no name) to arrive. There is a part of me that is super ready for him to just be here but there is another part of me that is terrified of having a second child. You would think that I might be worrying about delivery, but that is not it at all. I am just nervous about how life will change, be overwhelming, and nervous of the affects on James. All of wish I know that God will see us through. I have literally already started praying for strength and endurance to get through those first few months once he's here. I am not one of those people that does well on no sleep so I'm just praying for super natural strength! :)

Other than that we are hanging in. James is such a delight most days. Now don't get me wrong we still have our days and moments that are tough. But his little personality is so much fun and most days he just makes us laugh. He talks all day long and I feel like since we moved here his vocabulary has tripled. I think he'll be a great big brother!

The house is still slowly but surely coming along. We actually have a roof, well the beams for the roof up! Last week we picked out our cabinets and soon we'll work on lighting, fixtures, and paint colors! I can wait to pick more stuff out. We are still hoping to be able to move in come January but I think if we're realistic it'll be more like February. We shall see though.

Life lately through pics:

We got to get dressed up for a gala! So fun! 

My sweet boy loves being outside

Serious conversations with Daddy about the acorns

This kid is obsessed with sunglasses

Cool dude

My little monkey

30 weeks

31 weeks

With my best friend

Just chillin...he sleeps with his arms like this too!

Again....no words! Love him!

Updates on Life

Wowzers it has been a crazy month getting settled and adjusting to life back in the South! We are loving it though. It has been wonderful to be back. Our past few weeks have been spent catching up with old friends, getting our condo packed up in Boston and making new memories with our family. We are in the final weeks of preparing for baby boy #2 to arrive. I personally feel like I have been pregnant forever, but I will say these last few weeks have been flying by. I am 31 weeks pregnant this week. So if we go by when I had James I could have this baby in 7 weeks! Crazy! We have a doctors appointment tomorrow to check up on the babe! Can't wait to see him again!

Our new house is coming along slowly but surely. We are trying to really trust in the Lords timing and know that we will get in when we are supposed to get in. I will admit though that it is super hard being patient! I will head over there one day soon to take pictures to update what it's looking like!

*Note: I have been trying to upload pictures for the last two days to this post and it won't let me! Ugh...Pictures to come!

We made it!

So after two days of travel we finally made it to Charlotte around lunch yesterday! We left Boston first thing Saturday morning. James did great both days of travel. Saturday we drove all the way to Richmond, VA and stopped overnight. I was so glad that we chose to stop because after 9 hours of travel this pregnant chick and our 2 year old were VERY ready to get out of the car. Amazingly we hit NO TRAFFIC either day of driving. It was a miracle. Actually it was the Lord and I am so thankful. We had lots of people praying for safe/easy travels for us and we got them for sure.

Now we are here at my parents trying to "settle in" as much as we can. This will be our home for the next 3 or so months. I am so thankful that they have willingly opened their home up to us, no questions asked. It's a place we know and are comfortable. So as we wait for our new house to be completed it will be nice to have a cozy place to rest our heads and to have extra hands to love on our babies. (yes I will be bringing a newborn home here)

I'm trying to get past the place of feeling like a temporary visitor. I imagine that will pass after a few weeks. But as for today I don't feel like we live here yet. I feel like we'll be here for a week or two and then heading back to Boston. We'll get a routine soon enough and get back into the groove of things. It will all just take time. I feel like we just went through this "adjustment period" yesterday with Boston and are now right back there. But I will take it. We are HOME and living in a place I missed so much for the last year. I feel overwhelmed with God's kindness to bring us back.

Hoping to live in a place of gratefulness and not get overwhelmed with the unknown or craziness of life!

A few more days and a few more thoughts

We are in the final few days of our journey here in Boston. I can't believe we are really leaving and heading home. As excited as I am to be going home and to be close to my family/friends again, I'd be lying if I said this is easy to leave and say goodbye. Last week we had to say goodbye to two good friends, this past weekend we said goodbye to Manny's family and this week we'll be saying goodbye to the last of our dear friends. Talk about tough. As if I'm not sensitive enough already, add onto that being pregnant and you have quite the teary mess.

This week though I have been thinking about what the Lord has taught me here. He's revealed so much to me about myself while here. Some good and some not so good. :) I've better understood that he has a purpose for everything. Just our move alone was for his purpose and not ours. I fought it and didn't want to do this move, but I am so glad that we followed His leading and I followed my husbands leading. I am changed after being here. I don't think I'll ever be the same after this year here. When I look back at the tears of desperation cried for friends, comfort, loneliness I see how he loved me so well that he provided. I begged for friends and He provided. And amazing ones at that. Friendships are a bit different here. Most of us don't have family close at all. So you really need the friends and you become each others family.

Not only did He provide friends but he provided a depth to my marriage that WOULD NOT exist had we not come here. We understand each other better. Have an appreciation for each other that is stronger. We by no means are pros at marriage and have a lot to learn. But this move strengthened us. We created a tight unity with our small little family that I don't want to lose. I want to protect our time together because it matters.

I pray that all the lessons the Lord has taught me are ones that I don't forget. I want to always remember that he so tenderly took care of me and our family. I want to remember His provisions and protection. All I have thought about this week is..."Lord did I get it all? Did I learn all that you wanted me to here? Did I miss something" I have never wanted to take for granted our time here and hope that I didn't.

So it's hard saying goodbye. I wish I could pack these sweet friends I've made here and bring them to Charlotte with me. I don't want this ride to end with them. But who says it has to right? God didn't make a single mistake in these friendships they will just look a little different now.

Well it's off to the land of Southern skies and well known territory for our family! Boston we'll miss you and you better believe we'll be back for many visits. Just probably not in the winter! :)

Thoughts on our time in Boston!

Our time is coming to an end here in Boston. The Lord is graciously taking our family of almost 4 back to the South and back to Charlotte. You're probably thinking that we really haven't been in Boston that long. And you're right. It'll be just shy of a year that we spent in Boston. Literally by one month. After lots of prayer and an amazing journey that I would never change, we is taking us HOME!

These last few days I have just thought and reflected about our time here. All the lessons that the Lord taught me/us, the way he opened my eyes to a totally different and not so awful culture, and oh how he provided. The Lord took care of us in such a gentle and real way while we were here in Boston.

He gave us a wonderful church to call home, he provided some deep and real friendships that will continue on even after we leave. He showed us a depth to our marriage that we didn't know existed yet. He showed us the importance of becoming a tight unit family. He also showed me all the things/friendships/time that I took for granted while living in Charlotte.

I don't think I am the same person I was when I arrived here last November. I'm different and I like that. I'll have to lose a little of the toughness I've gain from living here. And my driving will for sure have to change. Ha! But I like who I am now. I am on a journey with the Lord that is never ending. It throws me for loops here and there but He is my constant. I overflow with the gratefulness that I feel to Him for knowing my heart. For allowing us to have this second baby boy in Charlotte surrounded by our family and friends.

I will miss Boston though. There are truly a lot of great things here and a lot of great people. I wanted to name a few things that I will miss here in Boston:

• A very active and alive city
• The food...I'm just sayin people, it's good stuff and no you cannot get bread or pastries like this in Charlotte. (my waist line will thank me)
• Russo's - It's like a farmers market but a store. It's amazing and when we first moved here it was my happy place. It still is. 
• Our back deck. We have spent many nights sitting out there enjoying the NE weather and enjoying a beautiful view
• The Charles River - it's breath taking
• Harvard Square - One of my favorite cafes called Crema Cafe is there and it's just a great place to walk around. There is so much energy there and Harvard's campus is beautiful
• The North End - Best Italian food hands down
• Being so close to my in laws and sister in law (and her boys). They have always loved on us so well and always stood by us. I am so grateful to have them. Truly. I will miss them like crazy and so will James
• Last but certainly not least....I'll miss the sweet friends God has provided for me while we've been here. I prayed for them and longed for them and God answered my prayers. Some came into my life before we even stepped foot on Boston soil. I could not have gotten through our time here without them. They have been so instrumental to our journey here. And these friendships will not end just because we are moving. I am already looking forward to coming back to visit them. Just maybe not in the winter! :) 

Some things I'm looking forward to getting back to are:

• Cheaper living (groceries, housing, gas, etc)
• No one living below us
• Living in a neighborhood and not on a main street (thank goodness for sound machines) 
• Being close to my family. It has been so hard being apart from them
• Being close to wonderful friends
• Our Church and Community there
• Nice weather all year round (it'll probably snow now that I said that)
• Slower pace of life
• My husband not being so stressed 
• The list truly could go on! 

All in all, Boston we love ya and we'll miss ya....but we are excited to get home! Thankful for what the Lord has done and will do in our family!