Settling In

Lucas flew back to NYC very early this morning after his long weekend visit. It was great to have him home but I don't think that we stopped all weekend. We got everything moved in the house and mostly unpacked. Wish we would have not spent his whole time at home working but that is just the way it had to be. Good thing is that we live about 12 minutes from the Atlanta airport so there is not much time wasted traveling back and forth. We went to Ikea one day to find Lucas some office furniture. I had experienced Ikea before but Lucas had never been. What an adventure for sure. We found something that works perfectly and made our trip productive. Other than just a few details we are settled in. It is amazing how fast a house can become a home!

Layla did something over the weekend that she had yet to do. She is now giving kisses on the lips (to only her dad and I of course!). We were going through the bedtime routine and telling daddy night night and giving him a kiss, when Layla opened her mouth and stuck her lips around his. We were both shocked and it made Lucas's heart melt that he got the "first kiss". Layla's new word of the weekend has been "baby". She has become even more obsessed with her baby dolls and waving to all the babies that we see in public. I think it is funny because she is still a baby too, right?

We had a great weekend and Lucas has already booked his flight back for the last weekend in July. I love him being home but it seems like a vacation every time, so I get way off my routine. So today we are catching up and getting back on track. Hope you all have a great Monday!

You know you are in Atlanta when...

You are walking through the neighborhood and a funeral procession comes by with the hurst bumping to some gospel music. ...or wait was that back in Memphis??

So yes, as I type this I am in Atlanta but not in our house yet...Let me back up to share a couple details.

As I had previously posted we got a contract on our house in Memphis. It was only listed for about 4 weeks when we got a contract which was confirmation that God was on our side, especially during this day in time. So the next step was where were we gonna go? My brother n law is a homebuilder in East Atlanta. The very first house that he restored in the Kirkwood area of Atlanta , that him and Natalie lived in for a couple years is still under his ownership. He was renting it to a woman whom he had been going back and forth about kicking out because she was not paying rent. Lucas had been in Murfreesboro visiting for about a week, and when we were on the way back to the airport, he said " we need to pray specifically about the Warren St. house, that the tenant would be gone and that Chris would rent the house to us for a price that we can afford". (What Chris was renting it for was WAY out of our price range) So, a couple of days later I was in the car driving to Memphis to pack up our house and I got a call from Chris offering us the house for a price that we could afford! It was an answered prayer and was neat to see as we were closing one door of our life, God was leading us through the next.

While we were in Memphis packing the house, I was able to meet the lady who had puchased it. She said that 6 months before they had made a couple of offers on other houses, all of which fell through at the last minute for crazy reasons. She said that she hadn't officially started looking yet, but noticed our house when she was driving through the neighborhood. She called her realtor, who was surprised that she was looking at houses again, but agreed to show her the house. She said to me that when she walked in our house she just felt such a peace there. It was funny because she said that she didn't want me to think that she was nosing through our stuff, but she noticed books I had been reading and they were some of the same studies that she had done. She said that she was so excited about the thought of being in a house that "good things" had been happening. She said that our house was an answer to many prayers of their family. I had to fight back tears when I told her what a blessing it was to us as well. God really does work in crazy ways. We should really talk about Him more because He is involved in a lot more that we give him credit for.

We packed up our life in Memphis, and the house closed on time without any issues. And not only did we get a perfect house in Atlanta, but the house is freshly painted inside and out and the hardwood floors are all being refinished. Not only does God give us what we ask but goes above and beyond that. We will be moving into what will seem like a brand new house! I even got to pick the paint colors that went inside :) Now we are just waiting for the floors to be finished so we can start moving in. That should happen the early part of this next week. Lucas is currently still working in NYC. Everything there is going great. The day is getting closer to when the business will be moved to Atlanta. We are all looking forward to that day but we still have a perfect peace about this time we are spending apart.

Now to mention the most important part of our life: LAYLA!!
Layla is no longer a baby but a toddler. She is now a whole 13 months old! She makes me laugh so hard everyday. She is walking very well. Although she did fall pretty hard and bust open her whole top lip. She recovered very quickly. Amazing how resilient their little bodies are! Her top 4 teeth are finally making an appearance. She is very late getting these teeth! She has only had the bottom two up to this point. She can communicate very well. She will say yes or no when I ask her questions and she signs "more" and "all done". I have been meaning to teach her more sign language but haven't yet. She still LOVES music and has great rhythm., which def came from her daddy! She is now taking 1 and a 1/2 naps a day. Usually about a 3 hour mid day and then an hour before dinner time. I know the day is coming when she will be taking only one. Nighttime sleep is still 12 1/2-13 hours. The move from central time to eastern time has been weird. It stays daylight till 9pm! Layla has also discovered her really high screaming voice in the last couple of days. It has made me laugh a lot watching her hold her mouth a certain way in order to make that tone come out. I could go on and on about different things she does but will spare you all that because no one cares as much as I do :)

Hope this post finds all of you well. Please continue to pray for our family. We are just taking on step at a time! We will finally have a consistent internet connection on Friday in our new house. I have a lot of pics to catch up on from the last couple of months so stay tuned!

xoxoxo LK

HOMELESS....

We have yet another answered prayer!! As I type this, I am so humbled by the mercy that God has shown our family. We are such IMPERFECT people but yet God chooses to pour out His blessings on us again and again! As of July 9th, we will no longer be home owners in Memphis! Our house has been on the market a little over a month and we now have a contract on it! Such a GOD thing! Thank you for the praying that you have been praying doing for us throughout this transition. We can really feel God's favor in our lives.

So the question everyone has asked is "Now What"? I still don't have an answer for that. Things are going well for Lucas and his job in NYC. His time there is not over yet. As for me and Layla, we are enjoying the family time in Murfreesboro. Layla is loving all the attention from grandparents and great grandparents. Obviously, we are anxious to be back with Lucas, but we are waiting on the Lord to direct our steps. We have a few options as to where we can settle for the next 6 months or so, but are not going to jump into anything just yet. The great thing is now we have the freedom to explore our options because we are not tied to a house in Memphis. Our end goal is still Atlanta but it is not quite time for us to head there yet. We are very thankful, and have a peace about waiting....

Walking in Memphis

Layla is finally WALKING!! But in Murfreesboro, not Memphis :) She actually took a couple stepps on her first birthday and then a few days later took about 4 steps. Then last Saturday when she was playing with her cousins (Reese 6, Gavin 2.5) she started taking about 8-10 steps. I didn't want to say anything because Lucas was in NYC and I wanted him to be surprised when he returned home. Layla is now walking from room to room and will intentionally drop a toy, bend down to pick it up and keep walking. It is so weird to see her walking!! Layla has also started doing a couple of animal noises...She can moo like a cow and bark like a dog :)

Last week was also a pretty miserable week for Layla. She started all of the teething symptoms again (runny nose, cough, and drool drool drool). I was pretty much giving her Motrin every four hours during the day. This week has been much better and the mortin is no longer needed. Her gums are swollen all the way across the top and I actually think she is trying to cut all four of her top teeth at the same time. I guess we will know soon enough!

Lucas got home at noon on Saturday and Layla saw him coming up the terminal at the airport and recognized and reached for him immediately. It was SO sweet. They were so happy to see each other. He brought her a stuffed monkey. She loves it and it is very fitting since we are always calling her monkey. We are enjoying our time together while he is home! He even took initiative to change a dirty diaper! Our week filled up very quickly but we have reserved Tuesday night for just the 2 of us. We are leaving Layla for the first time over night and heading up to Tim's Ford lake to spend the night at a lakehouse. Looking forward to some "adult" time! His work in NYC is going very well! Keep praying that God would open up doors for more work so that we can be back together as a family ASAP! Although it is hard to be apart, I know this is a necessary time and Lucas is learning so much about his work. We are still waiting on our home to sell in Memphis. We have had some interest and just believing that it will sell by the end of the summer.

I haven't been doing much while Murfreesboro. It has been nice staying at my parents since laundry and house keeping is pretty much taken care of :) I have been running, trying to train for the Middle Tennessee Half Marathon that happens in October. I was having issues with my knee a few months ago, but it had not been hurting me while running until our long run last Saturday. I got a brace today and just praying that it will help with the problem and I don't have to see a doctor! Running is addicting and I hope that I can continue with minimal pain.

God is good and blessing us in more ways than we deserve!

1 Year Olds are Smart!

After Layla's first birthday it is like a switch was flipped! All of a sudden she is a big girl! She has started talking alot and using her sign language. And without a doubt she is understanding a lot of what I am saying. I love watching her take everything in and then respond. She is also loving the pool. I put her in the float and she gathers all the balls that we have in the pool and just entertains herself! With her first birthday she also became a picky eater. She LOVES yogurt and would live off that with fruit if I would allow it. She pretty much refuses any green vegetable and if I start her meal with bread she will not try anything else. She is still napping twice a day, usually about 2 hours each nap. She has been sleeping a whole lot lately. I think that she is getting ready to finally cut her top two teeth because we have started the excessive drooling and clear runny nose again. She is having a time adjusting to the nursery at our church here. She did so good in Memphis but this is a new atmosphere and it has thrown her for a loop. Atleast here she has Granna or Aunt Abbey to occasionally come to her rescue! I am looking forward to a fun summer with her. She is at such a great age!

New "words" she is saying:
Hey
Thank you
Hey Lilly (the dog)
Kitty
Nite Nite
Bye Bye
Yes

Of course none of these words are as clear as you or I would say them, but she is repeating me and using them in the correct context.

Of course