Moving News

Life is a bit crazy right now and I'm guessing it will only get crazier. Between the phone ringing and the doorbell ringing I am feeling a bit frazzled. Jon's new company sent a few things via Fed Ex and Caitlin's outfit for the wedding is arriving in pieces (shoes, dress, bows, etc). Then I have 2 realtors, estimates for the moving companies, carpet cleaners for our rugs and several other things.

The company will pay for professional packers to come. At first I didn't want to go that route. We'd done it once before and it wasn't the best experience. But after trying to sort through one box I changed my mind. The contents of the boxes kept disappearing and were soon spread all over the house. I had some old latex gloves from when I worked in a dental office. I kept them for craft projects and was sorting through the box. This is what Dominic thought should be done with them.

 

 

Yesterday I decided to take a break from the moving stuff and went over to my neighbors. We have the BEST neighbors and I really wish I could just pick them up and take them with us. Sherry's grandson Lucas has a pool there and since it was so hot the kids jumped in. Dominic has already been back over this morning.

My neighbor Sherry.

Moving

We have had a very crazy past few weeks. Jon received calls from several recruiters while we were at camp meeting. Once we returned he received several other calls. When it rains, it pours. He had a phone interview and while we were at vacation bible school the recruiter called and set up an interview for a company in Cookeville, TN. This would put us within 2 hrs of my parents and all of our siblings. It would put us within driving distance to Jon's parents. The town is a great place to raise children. The crime rate is considerably lower than New Bern and the cost of living is lower as well. They have a church school and the church is over 2x the size of the one here.

I decided to go with Jon and look at houses while he was in the interview. It was a crazy two days and it took the kids about a week to get back on schedule and catch up on sleep.

But today we received official notice that Jon starts work at Tutco in Cookeville, TN on July 19th. So now the craziness begins.

We are excited and yet it so sad. I've had several friends cry and that has upset me. I was crying myself this morning. Such a bittersweet time. But God has shown us where he wants us - so let the adventure begin.

I will try to keep everything pretty up to date. We'll see how that goes. =)

Goats in church

Church today was very entertaining. During children's offering we could hear a noise that sounded like a sheep or goat. But I thought it was a toy that would be used as a prop during the story. I was a bit wrong. The goat was very much alive.

The kids weren't sure what to do with this goat.

But they seemed to enjoy watching him.

It was 13th Sabbath so Dominic was up front. When they asked the kids what their prayer requests were Dominic said "I want my mommy to come to Sabbath school." He made it sound as if I never went. =) What he really wanted was for me to teach his Sabbath school class.

Caitlin was with Jon while I was trying to take pictures. Jon had to be in sound booth today and for the most part Caitlin was behaving herself. 

She got the wear the headphones.

Summer Fun

We went to the aquarium yesterday. The kids had a ton of fun. Michelle told the boys to make silly faces. Caitlin wasn't thrilled with the thought of being so close to that awful alligator.

There is a Dairy Queen right outside the doors of the aquarium. So after we finished inside we went out to eat lunch. Caitlin was still hungry afterward and was working on some gold fish.

Dominic was riding his turtle and talking about bucking broncos.

 Caitlin was exhausted when we got home and fell right asleep. So cute!

Last night when we returned from town there were dragon flies everywhere. Two of them landed on me and I told Jon to get the camera. One was camera shy, but this one kept coming back to my hand.

 The kids thought he was so cool.

Caitlin wore the cutest outfit last week. A friend's husband brought it back from Japan.

Caitlin was obviously tired and wasn't happy when Jon put her down after her photo shoot.

Help! I've lost my body!

Jon and I were still in bed this morning when we heard this little high pitched voice.

Apparently this is a conversation with kitty. Dominic wanted her to join him for breakfast, but she wasn't able to until she dealt with an issue.

Kitty:

"Hey, where is my body? Where has it gone?

"I have to wait for my body to come back. I don't know where it is."

"Oh, there it is. It was attached to me."

Dominic:

"It was hiding on her."

Caitlin - 18 Months

In the mix of other things, I completely forgot to put Caitlin's 18 month info. She turned 18 months on the 5th of June and we took her in for her well-visit.

She weighs 19.4 lbs and is 30 inches long. She's a tiny little girl and we love her so very much. She's a mess too and it's so much fun. If she's upset she'll pat us on the back when we pick her up just like we do to her.

The other day she pulled her little chair into her room and pushed it behind the door so she could reach the shoes on the back. I couldn't see what was happening, but I heard a crash. She had fallen off the chair into the laundry basket and was NOT happy!

More VBS pictures

I finally got the cd to work and am including a few more pictures from VBS. This is the throne room.

These two boys would come into the kitchen when snack time was finished and clean out the rest of the food. I had forgotten how hungry teenage boys can get.

VBS started at 6pm, but I had to be there early for kitchen prep. So several nights we got something to eat and brought it to the church. Caitlin was enjoying her sub.

Couldn't let Caitlin attend VBS and not wear a crown.

The king and queen in the entrance to the castle.

Quiet Please!

Dominic is a talker! But this morning he outdid himself. I don't think a moment went by that he wasn't saying something. At lunch I asked him to concentrate on eating instead of talking so much.

"Mom, I've decided not to talk for a little while."

Shrieks of laughter! (Caitlin joined in even though she had no clue why they were laughing.)

"Mom, that was a funny joke, wasn't it?"

Vacation Bible School

I had promised to post about vacation bible school, but we were so busy I didn't have time. Also I was working in the kitchen each evening and didn't have the chance to take very many pictures. So I begged Daniel who was in charge of pictures to burn me a cd. Daniel spent most of the week with us at camp meeting and Caitlin wouldn't let him hold her. This whole week at vbs she wouldn't either. So on Friday night, Daniel said if I could convince Caitlin to sit on his lap he'd burn me the cd. She sat on his lap for about 5-10 minutes before he had to give her back. I got my cds today. =)

So here are some of the pictures from our fun week at vbs.

Dominic working on crafts.

The theme was Crowns and Castles. Jon was the King.

l

Jester Jake

Snack time in the castle kitchen. What a face!

 l

 Two of my kitchen helpers.

 

Caitlin loved Jon's King outfit

 

Dominic working on another craft. He loved these wind chimes.

 

Caitlin just ran around being cute. She didn't really participate. As soon as I cleaned up the kitchen each evening we went home so she could go to bed.

 

Dominic in a prince outfit. Each kid had their picture taken in this.

I have a few more pictures, but can't seem to pull them off of the cd. Will post more later.

He passed!!!!

Jon passed his check ride today. So now he is officially a pilot. Yipeee! I've bought my motion sickness medicine. So we are now planning a family trip somewhere together. We'll probably go on Sunday.

In my children's eyes

(James Slater)

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes 

My children are the most amazing things (aside from Jon) that have ever happened to me. I feel blessed that I get to be their mom. This song talks about a mother and daughter. But my son is also a reason for me being who I am. Having my son and daughter has made me a better person.

Summer Days (In the spring)

We've had a pretty busy weekend. On Friday afternoon we went to a friend's house for a bbq. They had a trampoline and Dominic literally wore himself out. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and slept till 8:30 the next morning. Caitlin had fun eating. That girl can put away some food. She also got eaten. She has quite a few HUGE bug bites. We had on bug repellent, but they seemed to ignore it on Caitlin.

Sabbath morning we went to church and then I went to my friend's wedding. It was an outdoor wedding and super hot, but we had fun.

It was so hot that the kids wanted to play in the sprinkler. Caitlin wasn't up to standing in the sprinkler, but got close enough to get damp.

Then today we had a home visit to approve us for our new dog (Basset Hound Rescue) and then Vacation Bible School. I'll have pictures from that soon.

These are just a couple of random pictures.

The kids at the pool.

Caitlin was using the spatula to pull things closer to her on the counter so she could eat them.

My aunt sent the kids some bears. Caitlin's played a song, so they are dancing.
They played that song over and over again. 

Last of the camp meeting pictures

Our church rents the campus for the week from the Methodist church. We’ve been doing this for years. My 1st camp meeting was when I was only a few months old. Here are a few pictures from around the campus.

The playground side of the little kid's building.

The building where the junior classes are held.

The stone chapel

We always have a potluck at Lynn's "house" on Sabbath.

Lynn and Kathy 

Pastor Jason, Lynn, ?, Laura, Daniel's back =)

Bob, Ryan, Jon, Caitlin, Lynn, Laura, Pastor Jason, ?, Daniel and Joyce

The lady getting the question mark is a family member of Laura's. I just can't remember her name. =)

After the meal we rushed down to the main auditorium to watch Carter and Dominique get baptized. Missed the first part because they started early. But got some good pictures of the family.

Julie and Andy were so proud of their kids, I'm sure.

The couple taking the pictures in front of me are the grandparents, Jim and Finley, who stayed in one of our rooms.

Just a couple of scenery pictures from the top of the mountain that shows most of the campus.

These last two pictures are random. We were out on the porch enjoying the weather and I was snapping pictures. Had to include the picture of my wonderful husband. =)

Dominic was playing with kitty. Apparently kitty was taking a bath and that is why her head is stuck above the "water".