Love the Beach!!!

Ask me where I want to spend any vacation, and I will always say…the beach!  Loved every minute of our family vacation this year!  Here are my favorite pictures!

Ande on the beach…

Family pictures around the pool…

Ande and Robert having fun…

 

Ande and her cousins, Hank and Audrey…

A few of my favorite Ande pictures:

   

  

And even a few of Robert and me…

Ande LOVED the swimming pool…

And we ended it with a night in Atlanta on the return trip home!

This was the first vacation we’ve actually been able to take during the summer months since we have been married!  Wow, how life in North Carolina is different from life in New Mexico!  So thankful for a week to spend with family!  Vacationing with a toddler is definitely a new experience, but Ande did great!  I think her most quoted line was, “Again!” said in a country twang with a few syllables after she kept jumping in the swimming pool!

 

A Catch-Up Blog Post

In the midst of our summer starting, dealing with morning/evening sickness and a few other things, I confess my lack of desire in posting anything at all!  So, I’m going to spend a little time catching up in pictures and a few words.

The next post in our blog should have been Ande’s Birthday Weekend #2.  Honestly, though, I haven’t really felt like writing about it because I received word on the day of her party that my dear Uncle Steve had passed away suddenly.  I have not experienced a ton of death in my life.  I am very fortunate.  Maybe that’s why I haven’t wanted to post anything lately.  I’m not really sure how to completely process everything in light of his passing.  But, I do know that he is completely whole, fully healed and rejoicing with our Savior in heaven.  He’s in a much better place than me.  Rejoicing in the midst of sadness.  It’s something that’s hard to wrap my mind around.  Yet, I serve a most loving God who grants grace for each and every moment.

Here are some pictures from Ande’s 2nd Birthday Party #2 – her Uncle Scott and Aunt Sarah graciously offered for all of us to have her party at their house in Cary, NC.  Such a beautiful home they have!

We started the day off with a town Easter egg hunt.  (Confession:  the hunt started at 10, we got there at 10:02 and all the eggs had been collected – so we found a few spares and threw them out for Ande to find!)  Then we had a fun “Bubble Guppies” birthday party!  (If you’re wondering, that’s Robert, Adair and Scott in the masks.)  We finished the weekend off with spending time with Scott and Sarah, who, we are excited to announce, are expecting a baby girl named Molly later this year!  Another big thanks for them letting us barge in and have a party at their house!

Here are a few pictures from Easter Sunday:

And, one of my new favorites from a field trip I went on with Ande’s class to the WNC Nature Center:

And, one of our new little baby:

We’ve asked Ande if she has a baby brother what she wants to name him – her reply is “Jake the Pirate.”  We’ve asked about a baby sister – her reply is “Barbara.”  Love this little girl and her sweet, sweet spirit.

Our summer has officially kicked off – we’re spending lots of time on the deck at her water table, in the yard in her sand box, at local parks and lakes, going to story time at the library and even “nastics” (how she refers to her time at an open gymnastics class each week).  She asks about her dear teacher, Mrs. Martha, almost daily.  Luckily next week we get to go back to FBC Asheville (where her preschool is) for Bug Camp!

Exciting News from the Suggs!

Ande has some big news to share today…

 

 

Ande’s Second Birthday Party Weekend #1

We just got back from a fun-filled weekend in Kentucky celebrating Ande’s 2nd birthday and BD’s 62nd birthday!  One thing I have really missed over the past few years is being able to celebrate little things like this because of the long distance we would have to travel.  Though we still have a good drive, it’s fun to not have to figure out how to pack everything to fit in 2 suitcases for the airplane!

Ande loves Minnie Mouse, so I decided to celebrate with a Mickey and Minnie birthday theme!  Here are some pictures from the festivities:

I have to admit, I have never seen a kid get as excited about opening presents as Ande did!  It was hysterical!

Another highlight of the weekend was going to the fire station and playing on the fire trucks.  My Grandi was a fireman, and we have all grown up visiting the fire station.  It was fun to see Ande get to do the same!

We broke our trip up on the way to Kentucky and took a detour to spend the night in Gatlinburg.  Robert has never been there – how is that possible?  So, we had to take a little time to walk around and explore the sights…and eat breakfast at the Pancake Pantry.

 

An Update in Pictures

It’s been awhile since my last post…so I’ll do a month update in pictures once again!

Ande had her first dentist appointment last month!  She did great!  She was much more excited about the balloon and new t-shirt she got!

And, another first…Ande’s first haircut!  She did great there too!  Don’t worry, I didn’t get too much cut off – she just needed a little “shape-up”!

Ande absolutely loves her dog…just bless Sadie for being such a good sport!

Our new favorite place to spend warm afternoons is at the amazing playground at Montreat!  If you are in the area and have kids, I highly recommend it!  (A little history lesson – Robert and I got engaged on this very bench at Lake Susan in Montreat!)

Jennifer, Gordon, Wilson, Hil and Hank came for a visit during their spring break a few weeks ago!  Hank and Ande became quick friends!  Ande asks on a daily basis where “Hank Wilson” is.  I don’t think she grasps Wilson and Hil are actually twins – she still sees them as one person!

Trusting God

If you’ve talked to me, read my Facebook posts or even ventured into this blog in the past year or so, you’ve had an opportunity to get a small glimpse into some personal aspects of my life – mainly being a stay-at-home mom, being content with where I am, etc.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately if you want to look at it from a different angle), I have another confession to make.

I don’t always trust God.  What’s worse – I often say I am trusting God, yet deep within I am trying to fix things on my own.  Planning.  Playing out different scenarios.  Searching.  Figuring out how I can make it work.  At the very least, definitely not trusting the God I know has everything worked out for my own good.

I often wonder why I do this.  I have a personal relationship with God.  I have seen Him provide for me time and time again.  Literally, time and time again.  He has never disappointed me.  His ways have always been better than anything I could ask or imagine.  Yet, when something new comes up, my first response is not always to seek God.  Lip service.  I say I’m trusting Him.  Yet, all the while I’m wondering what I’m going to do to make it work.  I guess I have a hard time laying things at the feet of Jesus.  This is something I’m working on.  Daily.

For quite some time I’ve been looking for some type of part-time job.  Robert and I have prayed and talked for months about different things I might be able to do.  I confess I have spent hours (and I mean many hours) pouring over the internet in search of something that’s not a scam.  The thought of all of these jobs online, though, was really just not appealing.  In my pride, I kept thinking to myself, I have a master’s degree – why is this so hard?  So I would go back to the internet and search for hours and hours.

A few weeks ago in my Bible study the following question was posed:  “When are you in danger of honoring God with your lips without truly worshipping Him?”  My answer hit me like a clap of thunder.  My response:  “When I say I am trusting Him, but I am actually relying on myself.”  Here’s how my conversation with Robert went that night before dinner:  “Robert, can you please tell me to stop looking for jobs on Craigslist and spending hours on the internet searching for something to do.  This isn’t the right way for me to do this.  Right now, just tell me to stop.  I say I am trusting God, but I am really not.  I’m trying to figure this out on my own.  God is not going to honor that.”

My conversation with God on the way to drop Ande off at preschool the next day:  “God, I’m going to need you to just place something in my lap.  You’re going to have to just hand it to me.  I’m going to trust You to do this in Your perfect timing.”

Trusting God.  Why can’t I just do this from the beginning?  He has it all under control.  His plans are far greater than anything I could ask or imagine.

Awhile ago, I posted this on Facebook:

“This is a long shot, but just thought I would try! I would like to find something to do from home to make a little extra money – we’re talking like $200 a month, so nothing big. Any thoughts? I don’t want to sell anything or have to do any kind of parties. Just something I can do from my home. And I don’t want to be a telemarketer either.”

While I appreciated the responses I got, they really didn’t open any new doors that I hadn’t already explored.

Last week, I met with a friend who had seen my post.  And, what an answer to prayer – she had a job opportunity just for me!  So, in March, I will officially begin blogging for ministryservingministry.com.  This is a blog designed for Christian retreat/event planners.  At Glorieta I was heavily involved with event planning, so this is a great fit!  I will be doing some research for other social media outlets for them, as well.  I have a 3 month contract in place now that may be extended depending on how it all works out.

Trusting God.  You’d think by now I’d get it.

This past week I was able to share this with my Bible study group.  In the lecture our speaker had said, “God’s timing produces far greater blessings than if He immediately answered our prayer requests.”  How true.  Trusting God requires waiting.  Waiting requires patience.  Patience requires discipline.  Discipline requires prayer.  Prayer requires faith.  Faith is trusting God.

My prayer tonight:  “Lord, teach me to trust You.  When I try to do things on my own, they are certain to fail.  Your ways are so much higher than my own.  Lord, teach me to trust You.”

A Sun-Filled Weekend

We asked for it, and we got it!  A sun-filled, fun-filled weekend!!  Ande loves being outdoors, and when we are outdoors, she forgets about the T (the television), the iPah (the iPad) and the iPhoe (the iPhone).  Technology can be great.  Ande can work an iPhone as well as many adults.  Just ask the owner/chef/server at the Mill Pizzeria in Black Mountain.  We ate there this week, and he actually came out to see if she was actually working the iPhone on her own since he saw her from the counter scrolling through pages.  Yet, technology can be a curse.  We are working diligently on making sure she enjoys playing without technology, while being mindful she will grow up in a world more technologically advanced than where we are now.

Sidewalk chalk.  We LOVE it!  I can’t tell you how many pigs I drew on the ground this weekend.  Yes, I said pig.  We also found out it’s really fun to decorate your Cozy Coupe car.  And your face.

What’s even more fun than that?  Washing your car!  (Side note:  I have always been a proponent of having a clean car.  Early on in my driving days, I regularly washed my car, and often any other car in the driveway.  Maybe it was my way of thanking my parents for providing me with a vehicle.  Regardless, my dad taught me to do this.  Now, I will carry on his legacy!)  The perfect thing about sidewalk chalk – yep, you guessed it – once the car is clean you have a blank canvas to decorate again!

 

Wagon rides.  Bubbles.  Walking the dog.  Bubbles.  Exploring the woods.  Bubbles.  We did it all!  Did I mention bubbles?

The highlight of our weekend was definitely how we ended it…

A campfire in our backyard complete with hot dogs and s’mores!  The previous owners set up a fire pit right in the middle of our backyard.  We are actually going to get rid of this fire pit, mainly because it is right in the middle of our backyard.  But, they left some wood, so we decided to light it up tonight!  I’ve enjoyed sitting around a campfire, well, for as long as I can remember.  I told Robert tonight I think it’s one of the most relaxing things to do in the entire world.  I also proved to him that I can roast a perfect marshmallow, thanks to my Grandi.  (It’s amazing how we still learn things about each other even after we are married, right?!)  Ande absolutely loved the fire!  She also tried a semi-s’more (one with marshmallows and graham crackers) – as you can see, she loved it too!

It’s looking like snow again in the middle of the week, so I am so thankful for the weekend we got to share!  I asked Ande tonight if she was ready for bed.  She looked at me and said, “Yeah”…and walked straight into her room to her crib.  While it wasn’t the “Yes ma’am” we’ve been working on, I was more than okay for not even an ounce of resistance towards going to sleep!

An Update in Pictures

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything – we have been busy working on the house, digging out from the snow, trying to stay warm and still getting settled in our new little town.

Ande LOVES playing in our backyard.  I can’t wait until it’s just a little warmer for us to play without absolutely freezing.  Her favorite things to do outside are to “kick that ball” which she yells when she goes after the soccer ball and “come back here” in a very forceful voice when she’s chasing Sadie.  I have the sidewalk chalk and bubbles ready for our next warm day, which hopefully (fingers crossed) will be this week!

These next few are just some new favorites!

And finally, Ande’s first time to play in the snow!  It wasn’t as fun as I’d hoped it would be for her, but I think she’s still a little young and the snow was just a little too deep for her!  All she wanted to do was see a “sow-man” (snowman).

I’m honestly amazed at all Ande is able to do now.  Her vocabulary seems to grow everyday.  Her ability to use her imagination as she plays is impressive.  Her love for books is still as strong as ever.  Her compassion as she cares for her stuffed animals and baby dolls is very sweet.  And, unfortunately, her ability to throw tantrums is growing daily!  Robert and I are persevering and actively seeking ways to parent well on a daily basis.  At the end of the day, though, she brings so much joy and laughter to our lives.

For This Child I Have Prayed…

In July 2011, I had the great opportunity to direct a second summer season of Glorieta Family Camps.  Robert and I often reminisce about how incredible these camps were – if not for those attending then, at very least, for us.  We loved running Family Camp.  (I say “we” because Robert was such a huge part of my ministry at Glorieta.)  During this summer, though, I was emotionally weary.  I had hoped and prayed for us to have a child for months and months.  Though this wasn’t something I talked about to many people, the opportunity presented itself to share this with the families there during one week of that camp.  They prayed for me.  They prayed for Robert.  They prayed for the child (or children) we would one day have.  And, in April of 2012, our precious Ande arrived!

I saved a few little shirts from that summer, in hopes that one day I would have a little one who could help me remember the fun we had at that camp!  As Ande wore it for the first time today, I couldn’t help but think of how God answered this specific prayer for us.  And, I am constantly reminded of how God always hears us and always answers us, often in ways we least expect.

I pray we will lay a foundation for Ande (and hopefully other children one day) that truly is “Deeply Rooted” in the unwavering, unfailing, unmistakeable love of Jesus Christ.

 

Christmas is in the Air!

Just a few pictures to share from our Christmas celebrations so far!

Ande was a sheep in her preschool Christmas program.  They had a live nativity scene and lots of songs.  Ande lasted about two songs, and then she was in my lap crying!  She tried so hard though!

 

Have we introduced you to “Monk”?  For most people this would be Curious George.  But, he is Ande’s beloved “Monk”.  This is Ande and Monk on our way to Murfreesboro to celebrate Christmas with the Wilson side of the family.

Santa decided to come a little early this year!  Here is Ande with her new kitchen.  I can’t wait for all of the many meals and tea parties we will share from this kitchen!