In search of a new home.

As you've read(or maybe you haven't), we moved our family an hour away from our normal "home". Arden, North Carolina has proven to be a great place, so far. We were super ecstatic to move here & start a new life with our daughter(we also have a baby girl on the way).

 

After the move, I started to miss church. Since moving here almost 3 months ago, we haven't attended ANY church & I feel it heavy on my heart. Back in Rutherford County, NC we attended the family church & loved it there. It was very accepting, warm & a wonderful atmosphere to be in every Sunday, I loved it! But since we know basically only a handful of people here, finding our new church home has been difficult.

 We had Alexa dedicated at our other church & we made a promise to God that we would continue to keep her active in church & right now we have not held our end of the deal up ...

Soo ... I used the tool I had at hand - GOOGLE.

 

A strange thought ran through my mind about "Mega" Churches & the wonderment set in. I had never -ever- been a fan of big show off type churches & have really shyed away from any sort of denomination. Even though I was raised Southern Baptist. I just felt like I loved the freedom to worship, sing & shout at during a services if I felt the Lord moving through me like a gust of wind. This was surly frowned upon in most SB churches that I have ever attended. 

My quest to find somewhere to attend church brought me to a Mega Church not far from out house. How could this be? I had been so against it in the past, where was my sudden interest coming from?

Upon doing some research & praying, I figured this was the Lord's way of shedding some light on where we were meant to be.

I love the contemporary type churches, the music, the word, the translation. I really heed to what is going on, apposed to a very quiet, gospel type service. In my experience, some people have a hard time paying attention to things if they don't find them understandable. Which is why I think for pastors, it is super important to make worship comprehendable for everyone, preaching in a way that people today can relate to.

 People are FREE to interpret the Bible how they want to. It is full of song, metaphors & riddles. The fact of the matter is, it was written many times over by people who read it how they saw it & no interpretation could be %100 correct. I love when worship explains that & they go through different reasons & don't throw it at you saying "This IS what this means". I need an understanding pastor in my life, one who won't cast stones & has a very humble, compassionate heart. No doubt sometimes we do need to be held accountable for our mistakes ect, but who wants someone to make them feel terrible all the time?

A HUGE reason for my choice, is the fellowship. I want/NEED it. Since moving away from close friends & some family, I have a strong need to fill the void. I do have a Brother & SIL here, thankfully. The nursery for the babies is quite impressive & the security is pretty awesome. I've longed for the days where I can sit in worship & not struggle with Lex or have to get up & leave in the middle. This is also a great way for her to be social with other children her age. I'm sure there are tons of little ones in there just waiting for someone like her to play with! :)

I want to go to church excited, ready learn & looking forward to what's next. I want to pray with others & listen to stories, I miss that. Having been a church goer since I can remember it is almost built into my DNA & when I don't go, I feel incomplete somehow. But we're gonna fix that!

I'm excited for Sunday & to explore new waters(faith wise) & to meet some great new people.

Maybe I'll meet some fellow preggos too lol. I'm looking at this as an opportunity, adventure & a way to let God bless my life, while we glorify His!

I will update with our adventure. Stay tuned!

A few months with an update.

It's been a few months, whew it's been a busy few to say the least.

We took Alexa to the beach for our very FIRST family vacation, though it was MUCH needed & I was super thankful to be able to go, she didn't care for it to much. The sand on her feet was foreign & she wasn't able to crawl around outside, and as expected the beach side is where we spent most of our time. She was rather unpleasant for most of the trip. Not to mention she caught a nasty little cold while we were there & the poor thing just couldn't catch a break! But we did catch a few laughs, photos & her first steps there, so it will def be a trip to remember for time to come.

Spending time with Brian was great :) We went with his parents so it was nice to have a buffer there to help us out with Lex so we could enjoy each other.

After our trip we came home to a nice(and clean might I add) house :) It is so nice to go on vacation but the return home feels like a million bucks .... especially after traveling with a toddler!

We had our ultrasound for the new baby & discovered we are having another little girl :) I couldn't have wanted it any different. We are over joyed with excitement about her upcoming arrival :)
Brian says "It's his lot in life to be surrounded by beautiful women" haha.

My appt also revealed I will be having a procedure done after I deliver. Quite the scaring phone call & to make matters worse, I was alone. I expected it to say the least, since it can be hereditary & my mother had cervical cancer when she was my age, causing a full hysterectomy at 26 years old. I don't have cancer, but it could lead into that if not taken care of soon. So ... this baby girl will be my last. I knew I only wanted two kids anyways, just scary that I didn't have the final say I guess.

We are now working on the new "nursery" for baby girl & Alexa. They will have to be sharing a room(large one though) for the time, but I think it is looking beautiful & whimsical like I wanted, so I am very pleased with it.

We have chosen a name for our newest addition, but are choosing to keep it quite for the time. People have a way of giving their opinions when they aren't wanted/needed & frankly, I could care less what anyone has to say these days.

Just the other day I was online & a "mommy" page I ran across had some discussion going on & the girl who posted got down right nasty with people about their parenting choices & really got under my skin. For the longest time, I have battled those who THINK they are better then everyone else based on some simple parenting technique they picked up online, in a book, or some crazy thought they had run through their closed mind. I had about enough of the looks, the snarky comments & obvious judgement. I usually do try to keep an open mind about things & never try to jump to conclusions or take sides, but that me was g.o.n.e. & I was not going to be walked on anymore, especially since it is something I feel so strongly about, MY ability to mother.

Since we have chosen to partial vaccinate, we get heat from both sides, either those who are COMPLETELY against it or those who are TOTALLY for it. We are right in the middle. I choose to co-sleep then moved her to her own bed(with success, despite people saying it would be hard or she wouldn't do well) & of course their were people who didn't like it & had their own snippy & snide comments about babies co-sleeping & then those who think kids should sleep with their parents until college. *Sigh* I didn't do CIO(Cry It Out for those who don't know the abbr) until Lex was 9 months, not because I think it is wrong ... well let me say this: I think a newborn shouldn't CIO. Just MO, people are free to let their little ones learn at an early age(birth) to cry themselves to sleep, but I won't do it. Babies need comfort, understanding, compassion & mercy -- just like adults. They also get lonely & want companionship, so why leave them alone all the time? Anyways, I didn't do the CIO until she was 9 months old & with some tweaking got my own routine down with her & nope she doesn't CIO every night, sometimes we rock her, sometimes she will lay right down & sometimes, she will fuss. So again we caught crap from every side of the fence. We don't get our methods from reading or watching what everyone else does, we get it from inside, our instinct & what we as mom & dad feel is right for our own children. Even how I want to give birth seems to be a concern to other people, not that it is their business, they just make appoint to voice their opinions. These are just a FEW of many many things I have been given "opinions" about. How this is what I should do, or that is not how they would do it ... blah blah blah. I am just sick to death of those know-it-alls. Really I am. I have completely shut down & concluded I do not like the idea of having mommy friends & I just can't compete with people who feel so strongly about their "ideas" of how they do things & that it is the only way.

Oddly, this type of pushy, opinionated, & judgmental person is who I used to be not so long ago. But, I've learned to hold my tongue & to be nice & to give advice not judgement, when asked of course...So I try to understand when people act this way & try not to judge them for being judgmental(make sense?) I do have my own opinions on things, but I don't express it ways that will be hurtful or I just don't say anything at all. Most of the time it does no good anyways, people will do & think as they want.

Brian is loving his job. It has proven to be the best he has ever had & the move to South Asheville, has improved our lives more then I can say. I whisper a thank you to God, Brian & my brother quite often for this. Being stable, financially,is blessing enough, but the fact that he loves it so much, makes it so much better. He deserves it! 4 years of hard work getting an Engineering Degree, lists of crappy jobs & pay & it has finally paid off for him. Way to go, Brian! We're hoping by the end of the year(possibly before the new baby gets here) he can apply for the job he really wants, same company of course, but this job is better paying, secure & is right up is ally, education wise -- that is our goal :)

I saw some quotes the other day & just wanted to share:

**No one will ever understand my love for you, after all you are the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside** <--- how true :)

**I have a marriage more beautiful than any wedding** <--- I really think this is true for Brian & I, we eloped & we have a near perfect marriage. We still have spats & argue from time to time, but we really have a wonderful relationship with equality & love. I think God has really blessed me with him <3

**Forget what hurt you ... but not what it taught you** <--- Nuff said