Saturday's With Lauren

Over the past few months I (Ryan) have alternated taking each of the kids to Lowe's for a Build and Grow clinic.  The mornings kind of go like this:  Lowe's for the clinic, some type of errand running and then lunch out with Dad.  A few weeks ago I posted about a project that Nolan andI built together (here).

Well, Lauren and I have been having our outings, too.  She built this caboose, Nolan built a coal car, and she finished the train with an engine.  Lauren also joined me on an errand afterwards on another project day to The Home Depot where we spotted a stack-out promotion of one my safes - very cool!

It is so good to spend these Saturday mornings with the kids.  I'm so fortunate that I don't have to be traveling all the time for work like I did once upon a time.

Kids' Christmas Lists

Lauren decided to write her Christmas list to Santa all on her own this year.  To be honest, she is on the fence as to whether or not Santa is real or not.  She says the kids at school tell her he isn't real, but she still wants to believe that he is.  When she asks me, I tell her that I think he is.  Here is her list (click to enlarge):

She was also kind enough to let Nolan dictate his wish list to her, which she dutifully wrote down.  Here is what made his list (click to enlarge):

Halloween Monster Truck Project

Lowe's has a great program called "Build and Grow" where kids can build a small craft with a parent.  Papa had taught us about this when Lauren was little, but somewhere along the way I forgot about it.  I ran across a clinic at our local Lowe's while I was visiting to buy paint supplies for our new house and I thought it would make for a fun Father/Son outing.  Here are some pictures of our time at our first clinic.  He had a blast, got his very own apron and earned a badge for the project which Kimberly will be sewing on for him.  He also loves his Monster Truck (he pronounces it Monka Truck):

Making Music On The Road

Not until just recently has Nolan even showed any interest in singning songs, but he does sing Jesus Loves Me at bed time.  Then, all of a sudden, he started singing this song he made up and he sings it all the time.  Kimberly says that for her it is probably the cutest thing he does right now.

A Place to Call Home

I know I am way behind on updating this blog and I apologize for that.  It's hard to believe that we've now been living in NY for over 6 months!  We have been thoroughly enjoying our summer - using the weekends to explore new areas, taking hikes, having picnic lunches & climbing trees.  So nice to be able to be outdoors without the sweltering heat & humidity, like we had in the South. :)

This last week, we received a call from our realtor in NC, saying that there was a family who was interested in renting our house.  They wanted to sign a 3-year lease (with a potential option to purchase).  Since we haven't had much interest thus far and showings had slowed to a crawl, we decided to explore the option.  We prayed about it and felt that God was leading us to accept their offer.  So, Ryan flew down to Charlotte last Friday to meet the renters, sign the paperwork & talk with a moving company about when they could pack up all our stuff to bring to NY.

At the same time all of this was happening, the Lord was working to prepare a place for us to live.  I received an email from a friend of mine here in NY that her brother-in-law had a house that he was looking to rent.  It's just a few miles from where we live now (in the same town) and still close to Lauren's school.  After driving to look at it, I instantly knew that this was the place.  It is out on a country road with a private drive on 5 acres of land.  The house is older, but the property is beautiful...and there was plenty of space for all of our things.  Here are some pictures of our new surroundings:

So, now everything has kicked into hyper-speed.  We are flying my mom out to help with the kids during the move and Ryan will be heading back down to Charlotte on September 7th to be there when the movers come to pack everything up.  We will probably move into the new place on the 12th.  In the midst of all of this, Lauren & Nolan are both starting back to school (Lauren on the 7th and Nolan on the 13th) and I am traveling to NYC for a conference (the 6th-9th).  It's a crazy time in our lives, with so many details to organize & things to prepare...but we are incredibly grateful that the Lord is holding us in the palm of His hand, giving us the strength we need & providing for us in ways that we never could have imagined!