Road Trip!

I left Friday afternoon about 1:00pm to begin my trip to Memphis for the weekend.  I went to see a cousin of mine get married and because it was an "adult only" wedding, I traveled alone.  Lucas had his first long weekend all alone with Layla.  Before I left, we were switching the car seat to Lucas's car and Layla was SO excited about being able to ride in "daddy's car".  With Lucas's job he is unable to do a lot of traveling, so I left my family behind and started the 6.5 hour trip to Memphis.

Luckily, on the way there, I was able to break up the trip.  I stopped in Murfreesboro and spent the night with my parents.  This was the first time I was able to see my uncle since his surgery, and he looks great!  We were even able to go OUT to dinner on Friday night.  That was the first time he had been out of the house in 2 weeks.  Saturday morning, I picked up my almost 90 year old granddad and his wife and they rode along with me to Memphis.  We got to spend some quality time together in the car talking about family of the past.  I love spending time with them in conversation, there is always so much history to be shared.  We arrived in Memphis about lunch time and it was non stop after that.  The wedding was beautiful on Sunday and I got to see many people that I haven't seen in over a year.

My cousin (the groom's brother) trying to not get salsa on his tux:)

Reception.  Girl in middle is Talia. She is the fiance of the cousin above.  Other is a long time family friend Kelly.  It was a fun night!

Mimosas and Chocolate covered fruit for breakfast...YUM!

Back home, Layla and daddy stayed busy as well.  They had playground dates, went to church and attended a birthday party.  Natalie took Layla to dance for me today and watched her until Lucas was able to pick her up after work.  THANKS SO MUCH to the two of you for making this trip possible for me.  It blessed me, as well as others.

Layla at the birthday party

Then at Barnes and Nobles.  She really does have the BEST DADDY!

I left Memphis about 7:15am this morning with my grandparents.  I dropped them off in Middle TN where I then picked up one of my other cousins who just got out of the air force and was needing a ride to Atlanta.  He is staying with us for a few days.  I grew up with my cousin Adam, so it has been fun to catch up since he has spent the last 5 years in Germany.  We gained an hour and arrived in Atlanta at about 3:45pm.  Not too bad of timing if you ask me:)

I did learn in on the way home that our childhood pet dog, Maggie, of about 15 or 16 years died on Sunday.  Maggie was a chocolate lab who was one of the most gentle, loyal, dogs... ever.  She arrived on an airplane from out west when I was around the age of 11 or 12.  If I remember right, she was from a show breed but because of a defect on one of her claws she was not able to be used.  Somehow, we got connected with her and she quickly became a part of the family.  Not too long after we had her, she got hit by a car and the vet told us to put her to sleep because she would never walk again.  Well, my uncle is pretty old school when it comes to that, so he just brought her home.  We would go down to the barn everyday and try to beg her to walk by moving her food bowl just out of her reach.  To all of our amazement, within a couple of weeks she began walking.  Until the day she died, she walked flawlessly and you would of never known that she was ever hit by a car.  We knew her time was coming.  She would get up and down slower, and slower, and her body eventually just gave up.  I am thankful that she did not have to face another winter, because it was so tough on her old bones.  Because of my uncle's back surgery, he was not able to dig a grave so the neighbor came over and helped.  Maggie, has a permanent spot of rest behind the barn on the family farm.  RIP Maggie.  You definitely lived up to the reputation of your breed.  To be able to share life with a dog like you was a joy.  Thanks for all the fun memories and companionship.  You will be missed!

These were taken in May.  This about sums up Maggie's personality.  She loved everyone.  As long as someone was touching her, she was so happy:)

I know Layla will miss Maggie.  It will be sad when we got back to Grammy and Granddaddy's house because I know she will call for her.

This is Maggie with our dog that lives at our parents,  Lilly.  

Refreshed!

Lucas and I LOVE living in Atlanta and we see reasons every day why God has moved us to this great city!! We have made some awesome friends through various avenues and we are so thankful for each of them.

One thing was missing.

We have been searching for over a year for a church body. I have mentioned our journey through this process and I am so thankful we have found a church to call home but now we know why it took us so long. God had very strong intentions for us to develop some of the close friendships that we have over the past year. In the past, all our most valued relationships have been with people who shared that same Christian values that we do. To mention the name of Jesus in every day conversation was/is normal. For the first time in my life we have more unchurched or nonchristian friends than we have ever before. I am not just talking about acquaintances but people that we are doing life with. I do believe that if we would have immediately got plugged into a church, we would have gravitated towards that community and easily become immersed in the kind of relationships that we have always been accustomed too. Thank God for his all important timing. He has totally rocked our world since moving us here and without a doubt, He has us exactly where He wants us. I believe that he has given us a great circle of influence and He is going to use of to be a blessing to this city.

In saying of all this....
We have also been CRAVING a Christian community. God created us to be relational and without a doubt I know I am a better person when people of speaking the things of Jesus over me. Now, we finally are coming to that place! We attended our first House Church meeting last night and we left there feeling so refreshed. Throughout the meeting, Lucas and I would just look at each other and smile. My heart was finally at home in this big city. Then, this morning was the first meeting of the mom's group and I had that same sense of refreshment.

I just feel like we are in the best place we have been in our lives. I believe that God's desire for us is to be trained and sharpened but what good is all of that if we are not invested in relationships in which we can be intentional of living out our calling??

So, Jesus we need your help. Help our relationships to be balanced in a way that we have the greatest impact on furthering your kingdom. Hold us accountable in holding on to your Truth without compromise but loving no matter what. Thank you for this diverse city in which you have called us and please continue to challenge us so that we know exactly who we are in You.

Happy Hump Day!

Why exactly is Wednesday called hump day??
Anyway, I want to start by giving a shout out to my inlaws, Ron & Kerri, who are celebrating 21 years of marriage.  Thank you for being an example of an marriage that sticks together no matter what! Love you guys!

Layla and I spent the morning with Aunt Natalie at the mall.  With this cooler weather approaching, I realized that Layla's fall wardrobe was pretty much nonexistent.  I stocked up on some cute things at Baby Gap (my favorite) this morning.  They were having 40% off already reduced prices.  I also ordered her some new shoes earlier in the week and plan on getting her some Tiny Toms tomorrow.  Then, I think she will be set for awhile and once again she will be MUCH more fashionable than me.

In the princess castle at the new disney store.

Selecting a movie to watch on their big screen.  Yes, we had to drag her out of here...

Other bigs things for Layla this past week:

1.  She has her first two year molar.  She amazingly dealt with this one better than any of her other teeth.  I just happen to notice it one night when brushing her teeth.  The bottom left made its appearance first.

2.  We have transitioned her to a real cup when at home.  She always says, "two hands" and "don't spill" when using it.  Obviously, the sippy is still a must in public.

3.  Her high chair might as well be put in the attic.  She is now in a chair a 100% of the time.

4.  Super Why is her new favorite tv show.  We are just thankful to have a break from that dinosaur:)

One more thing...
We are attending our first house church meeting tonight! I am so exited to get to know some other young couples at our church.  Every week they just meet at the same house & eat together.  Looks like on the agenda tonight is breakfast for dinner and the book of Ephesians:)

Week 2

Another Monday means the second week of dance for Layla.  In attempt to squeeze in some exercise at some point throughout today I thought I we (I) would run to dance class.  Well, it was 3 miles and I knew that but I didn't take into consideration how much I would dread the 3 miles home after dance.  All in all it really wasn't that bad.  It was a little colder than I thought and Layla kept telling me she was cold on the way there. After class,  I allowed Layla to walk as much of the way home as she wanted so she was good and ready for a nap this afternoon.:)  

I am making fun of myself for how cheesy this pic is but I wanted to have a way to remember where it was she took dance.

Another good thing about these cooler temps is that is means more porch time!  We spent the later part of the afternoon outside and daddy even played some music for Layla after we ate dinner.

This little girl always has a couple of babies in tow:) 

Here she is posing with them.  It was all her idea:)

Sunday Sit Down

Has it really been Tuesday since we last talked?

Seems like I was just preparing for Septemeber, now we are more than half way through!

We had a relaxing, energizing weekend. Friends. Fellowship. And Football. Doesn't get much better:)

Please pray for us as we a trying to find a sitter for Layla. Only for a couple hours each week while we attend house church. I would like someone that is consistent week to week. Might sound easier than it is, we are in a city where we don't know many "younger" girls:)

Cheers, to a great week!

Last Name

The past two days as we have been riding along in the car, Layla has been coloring in her book (thanks Publix) and reciting the same series of letters over and over.  She knows her alphabet but this phase of letters wasn't that.  I kept rattling my brain to figure out what she was spelling and then realized, she is spelling our last name!  Obvioulsy, our last name is not White or Smith, therefore Lucas and I have to spell it ALL the time.  We had not intentionally tried to teach Layla how to spell anything, much less our last name.  This just goes to show, kids pick up on EVERYTHING!  Her version of our last name is K-I-R-D-O-S.  Which is about as good of an attempt for some adults.  Listen to this video to hear her spell it:)

Today, for the first time, Layla also picked up my phone and said, "I text daddy".  At what age will she be wanting a phone??  Oh wait, she thinks mine is hers already.

I have been sitting with pillow behind my back to help with my posture lately.  Layla has recently started putting every pillow on our couch behind everyone's back.  We just put two and two together....

Another Video:

Our dancing queen.

In other not so cute news.  

I am now teaching 2 spin classes on Tuesday.  I hope I make it through our movie tonight.

And, there was a miss communication on how my uncle's surgery went.  He did have two bone fusions in his vertebrae.  Along with the removal of 6 bone spurs that were on a nerve.  Today, has been a much tougher day, much closer to how they expected his recovery to go.  He will be spending one more night in the hospital and then will be sent home with home health care support.  My aunt most definitely cannot take care of him in the shape he is in.  Please continue to pray for them.  This is the tough part about not being close by.  

Pointed Toes!

Layla finally had her first ballet class today at the Decatur School of Ballet and just as I expected, she LOVED it!  Although it is a mommy and me class, I don't think she could have cared less that I was there! At one point when the whole class (8- two year olds) were tip toeing across the studio, Layla was right behind the teacher following every step! For a moment, I kind of sat back and just observed.  I am so proud of my (almost) independent, beautiful, talented daughter.  Of course, at this point it is too early to tell if ballet will be here thing, but for now she is giving it her best shot while looking mighty cute in her leotard and tights:)

Here are a couple of pics before we left.  Unfortunately, since I am a participant in class it makes it hard for me to take pics.  I will try to do better in the next few weeks.

Of course, Monkey can't miss a dance class.

BTW: Thanks for all of your prayers for my uncle.  His back surgery went well.  They removed 6 bone spurs but none of the vertebras seemed to be compressed which is good news.  He returned to the room with his pain under control.  When he had his first back surgery this time last year, pain control on the first day was a huge issue. Thankfully, this time things seemed to go more smoothly.  If all goes well, he will just stay the night and then go home tomorrow.  He will have a long recovery after that, but at least he can be at home.