Snow!

We had some great snow today and had fun playing in it and eating it:)

Emma and Brice's first snow cream!

Emma's first snowman!

Brice and I...Brice wasn't to thrilled about the snow or smiling for pictures.

"Up pss"(translation: "Up please")

I'm back:)

Ok so it has been about 2 month since my last post! Our "Odyssey" that we are on has been keeping me pretty busy:) We finally made the big move from Columbia, SC to Cornelius, NC about 1 1/2 months ago. My brother and sister in law graciously invited us into their home to live with them as we secure jobs and a more permanent place to live. This has been such a blessing! It has been fun trading off on meals and babysitting and just being able to hang out with each other in a way we wouldn't normally get to do if we were not living together. This has been especially good since Jason is still living in Columbia part of the time so that he can keep his job there until he finds one here...pray! Just this past weekend we let go of something we have had for 6yrs...our house in Columbia! It was freeing and good knowing that we are one step closer to getting more established in Charlotte but also sad to leave the place where we brought home Emma and Brice from the hospital. It was a crazy moving weekend with torrential rain showers, couches that didn't want to leave (Jason and I had a hard time fitting them through the doorways), sore forearms and trying to start my friend's van with the wrong key and freaking out because it wouldn't start! Moving out of our house in Columbia is also good because it eliminates a lot of bills that we no longer need to pay so that we can be saving....or maybe just staying even for a while.
One of the fun things I have gotten to do since moving here is take care of my nephew Jack (6mo:) 3 days a week while my sister in law goes to work! It has been so fun to get to take care of Jack and build a bond with him...he is a great way for me to get my baby fix:) I originally moved here for another job with a little girl but that fell through...I am still looking for other children to care for though I am getting spoiled just caring for Jack and my children:)

Facing my fears

As I mentioned in the last post we were blessed by taking an extra car home with us when we left my parent's house. My parents recently bought a new truck and no longer needed their VW Passat. We were excited when they told us that they would like to pass it us. God is amazing...we have been so blessed by cars being given to us...we have never had to pay more than $1, 000 for a car and have never had a car payment! Thank you so much Mom and Dad!
One interesting thing about this car is that it is a stick shift! Jason and I had a stick early on in our marriage. When we first got it I tried to learn but gave up soon after because it made me too nervous. So that car ended up being the one Jason drove. So now that we have another car that is a stick shift it was time for me to face my fears. I have had 2 days of driving it and so far it has gone pretty well. The first day I did not stall at all and did really well. Today was a different story. I tried to drive it to church this morning but kept stalling as I was trying to turn out of our neighborhood. I ended up getting out of the car (waving and mouthing "sorry" at the person behind me who had waited through 5 attempts of me trying to get it to go) and changing places with Jason. Later on after church I drove some more and did much better, I even drove it on the highway. It takes some time to get used to but I think I'm going to like driving a stick. I told Jason the first day I drove that it was fun except for the feeling of needing to throw up because I am so nervous. Today I was only slightly nauseous:) Emma's comment today as I was trying to get it to go was "mom, you make the car talk!":)

Our Christmas

We had a great Christmas! We had some good time with our family, I was able to spend some time with a good friend from college, Jason and I got to go on a date thanks to my mom and sister (saw Fireproof...great movie, really uplifting for our marriage), Jason got to drive home a "new" car and we were able meet our newest nephew just minuets after he was born:)

And now for the pictures....

Nothing says Christmas like some some holiday baking:)

This year for Christmas Eve my mom, sister and I took the girls to a Moravian Love Feast in Old Salem, NC. This was a tradition that we had every year growing up since I was about Emma's age. It was fun to share that tradition with the girls. They did really well through the service and enjoyed eating a special orange roll and holding the beeswax candles at the end (Even though Becca was deathly afraid the whole time she held her candle because her mommy said she'd better hold onto it or she could burn down the place...sorry Laura, I couldn't resist:).

We mainly gave the kids stocking stuffers this year...Brice had fun pretending with Daddy and playing with the rubber duckies in Bamma and Granddaddy's bathtub:)

Spaghetti night at Bamma and Granddaddy's...they decided it was more fun as body paint:)

Good pictures of us in our hats:) I FINALLY figured out how the size the hats so that they fit someone other than an infant:)

Baby Aireon was born Dec. 28th at 2:25pm, he weighed 7lbs 12oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. We arrived at the hospital at lunch time and had a great time waiting for his arrival. The waiting room was great because it has a big window to look into the nursery. Emma, Brice and I were easily entertained by watching newborns get their first baths and bottles. When Aireon arrived we were able to greet him through the window as well:) Better pictures of Aireon to come....