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| My 10 month old, Ayven, being tickled by mama! |
I have to say that my life today is 100% different than what it was the last time I blogged.
For one, I now live in Charlotte, North Carolina! Kevin and I moved here about 2 weeks ago after feeling the call for 2 years to come be a part of Elevation Church. It is an absolute HONOR to be at this church. What an incredible place of ministry. God is moving in big powerful ways through this church body. Pastor Steven Furtick...well...you just need to go hear him and then you'll understand! www.elevationchurch.org
The worship ministry here is one of the best you'll hear. We came here on total faith. We left a church and job we loved, a lovely house with friends nearby, good pay and benefits that we were comfortable living with... we left it all. We didn't come here because of a job offer or a job opening. We came here on total faith that God called us here and therefore would provide for our family, He would be faithful, and He would unfold His perfect plan. And we are seeing Him do all of that before our very eyes! These are the most exciting times in the life of our family!Everybody here has been extremely friendly and helpful. Kevin and I were so blessed to get into a nice rental house with a great backyard in the kind of neighborhood you see in movies where everybody knows everybody. I LOVE this neighborhood! It's full of trees and hills and very sweet people. Our landlord is the best you could ask for. We will call this house our home for the next 2 years. We are so thankful!!
Another huge blessing was the very day we were on our way to Charlotte, we got 2 year tenants for our house in Texas! That was the best news to hear! We knew we couldn't carry rent in Charlotte and our mortgage in Texas. We didn't know what was going to happen, but we moved forward anyway. God is so faithful when we obediently step out and follow Him, trusting that He is able!
Another huge change for us is that I AM PREGNANT!! And, yes, we planned this pregnancy to be this close to Ayven. This baby is due around April 9th and, once again, we will not be finding out the gender of the baby until it is born! In our opinion, t is the greatest surprise one could experience. It was such a powerful moment to find out that Ayven was a boy the moment he was born that I can't wait to experience that again with this baby. I am praying for an uneventful, healthy pregnancy and delivery. My C-section with Ayven was a total nightmare. So much infact that my doctor said it was the worst she's had to be a part of in 12 years. Needless to say I am praying that this time around is much more pleasant. A repeat C-section is what I'm most nervous about!
Ayven is now 10 months old and he is the greatest joy in mine and Kevin's life! I have been planning his 1st birthday for the last few days. I'm going with this really cute puppy theme that I found:
Ayven loooves puppies so this theme seemed very appropriate. I can't believe my baby will be 12 months old in less than 2 months. It has been sooo fun having him around! He has the sweetest disposition. I will say that I wish he'd start sleeping through the night though. Since getting pregnant I am soooo exhausted! Getting up with him up to two and three times a night is really hard. Thankfully Kevin has been Super Dad and gets up at night most of the time. THANK YOU, KEVIN!!!
At this stage in his life, he claps, touches his head, touches his toes, waves, points, and dances when you ask him to. He points at everything and everyone, which is super cute. We like to make a game of it and tell him what he's pointing at. Today he has been saying, "Oh" alot. He finally says, "DaDa". He has said "Mama" for a long time so we were anxious to hear him say, "Dada" to Kevin. He loves to play his instruments and hits everything with his drumsticks. I found him hitting Eli with a spoon the other day and then today he wacked Chloe with his drumstick. Sad for the puppies, but Ayven was cracking up. I had to laugh. He loves his puppies but he's so rough with them right now. He pulls their fur and hits them with stuff..he thinks it's funny! lol. I think they tolerate him because they know they get food from his highchair! He is very cuddly, which I love. He loves to just sit in your lap while you read him a book or lay his head on your shoulder. He smiles whenever I sing this song to him to the melody of "Barbara Manatee" from Veggie Tales, "Ayven Joshua, you are the one I love! Sent from up above! My Ayven Joshua!" Kevin and I catch him "singing" all the time in a little high voice. It will melt your heart!
Here are some pics of Ayven's first trip to Charlotte, NC earlier last month. We took him to the beach for the first time and we all had a blast! He seemed to really like watching the waves. Now that we live on the East Coast I sense many more beach trips for our family are in the future!
