FPC Lenoir Is No More

Last weekend we made a quick trip to NC for the FPC Lenoir exit vote from the PCUSA.  We stopped in Nashville on our way down, spent two nights back in NC then drove home Monday.  It was a whirlwind trip and a lot of fun.  We got to see our old friends and the kids especially got to see their best friends from our time there.  We went swimming Saturday after we got into Lenoir so I saw several people from my old work.  It seems like nothing is changing there for now.

Anyway, on our way down we stopped in Metropolis and there were fun cutout things at the gas station.  We were going to try and see Superman, but didn't want to waste anymore time.  We had wasted some time trying to get out of STL and managed a great close-up view of the arch. 

Here is one of the kids after playing at the pool all afternoon. A has become quite the helping big sister. She quite bossy as well, so hopefully that will tone down some. We aren't holding our breath on that though.  At least we know she'll be the one leading people off the cliff, not following people off the cliff.  :) At least we can hope.

Sunday morning everyone was quite surprised to see us (not sure why as we knew there was a vote happening that night). The kids played with their friends and did some running around through the area. 

The vote though was quite amazing.  Before the vote there were a couple of people who got up to speak, both "for" staying and "against" staying with PCUSA.  As had been the case throughout the past couple of years, the "for" people were very hardlined and non-negotiating.  They wanted the "against" people to be grace-ful if they lost. Then the vote came back, EXACTLY what was needed. As in, if one vote hadn't been cast, or one vote for the "against" staying went the other direction, the vote would have failed. The people who had talked to everyone about how we needed to be grace-ful immediately walked out of the proceedings.  We then had a couple of other corporation things to take care of before we could truly disband for the night.  It was nice to get some closure on our time in NC.  It is nice knowing that, yes, our vote does count. It was interesting to see the exactness of the vote, but as several people said, "God knew what we needed and gave us exactly that."

Welcome Summer Solstice

The kids' chief complaint right now is, "Its Hot !" If only they knew...

However, it is unseasonably warm apparently so it may not all be in their imagination. 

The Time Has Come

Today we registered Miss A for Kindergarten.  She'll start in the fall and she is super excited.  She can do most of the "recommended" skills, only misses the "count to 29" one.  Everyone says that this is when time starts to really fly, so let's see how it goes.  Chris liked the school and managed to get all the paperwork completed. 

For Chris's b'day we didn't do much. We had a typical Saturday -- did a few things around the house, went to the park, attempted to convince kids they needed naps so that we could sleep... If you ever know someone who can watch kids so we could sleep, that'd be a great thing. 

We are pretty much set up in our new house.  We've got to turn the claims form in and then hopefully we can be done with the relocation agent.  I'm not sure this move has been "smoother" or not, and I'm not sure if it is worth the cost of it.  Chris has managed to get a kitchen island put in and plans on tiling it tomorrow.  Hopefully we can show pictures in the next couple of days.  He's done a great job with the couple of helpers that he has. 

The new job for me is good.  I'm starting to get into my role more and more, so that's a good thing.  I'm trying to strike a good balance and we will see how that goes.  We are hoping for the FDA sometime soon, so that will be a stressful interesting week.  I get to sit in and take notes during the audit. :)

Anyway, I'm beat as I mowed the lawn tonight.  It has been a while.  One of the father's of a friend said he had children to help him mow the lawn, and I completely see why.  Maybe the teenager across the street will help us out some with that lawn mowing.

Hope all is well by you!

We Are In!

We finally closed on our new house.  Chris has worked very very hard this week with his two helpers to get a lot of the house unpacked and has done a fantastic job.  He unpacked while also cleaning up the temporary housing we were in for a while.  We've made some new friends (across the street) and are having a blast so far. 

Last weekend we managed to make it to OK for my niece's graduation and had a lot of fun. The kids did well in the car, though we may wait a bit since there was a lot of, "Are we there yet?" on the way home.

Little Miss A turned 5 this week! She got a new car seat for the occasion and is working on using the booster seat well.  She's still having trouble buckling, but will need to learn how to do that for Kindergarten in the fall. 

Birthday Parties Oh My!

Chris and the kids have had a blast at b'day parties the past couple of weeks days. The past week has been rather stressful for all of us, so it was nice for them to have some party fun before packing up and coming to join me.

I'm adjusting well to my new job.  It is a learning process that I'm really enjoying.  I'm enjoying learning a new process entirely for making products.  I've liked being here in St. Louis alone, but am looking forward to my family joining me in the next couple of days.  I hope the apartment is big enough for all of us.

He Is Risen! (And Carolyn has left the state)

Well, after our beautiful sunrise service at church I left NC for the new job in STL.  So far it is going well, but that's only one day of reading endless SOPs. :) It does get better and I expected the job to start out like this.

Chris is staying in NC with the kids for the next few weeks, so pray for him and if you think he needs help -- offer, he won't do as good of a job asking as we might like. :) Chris has done an amazing job potty training G the past few weeks, and we may have crossed a line.  Hopefully it doesn't go bad with me not there.

The drive up was fairly uneventful, just some wind and rain in Illinois.

Here are some fun "I'm not ready to get up for Easter pictures of the kiddos."

Yes G's feet are almost as long as he is wide and yes, they sleep together in the same bed. 

The blue blanket has been our constant companion the past few weeks.  G has an amazing sense of things going on around him, even if he doesn't seem like it.  

Waving Palms

This morning was the last day for me to attend the church here in NC.  We are moving to St. Louis in the next few weeks and I'll be going up next week after the sunrise service.  We will decide during the week if we all will go to the sunrise service or just me.  I found a job with a company making vet products.  The new company is working on beefing up their existing quality department and helping me get there.  Chris and the kids will be staying in NC to finish up his term and then come up in a few weeks.  Prayers for all of us as we go through this exciting yet stressful time. 

The past few weeks have been eventful as we've watched some amazing things come together.  We have a contract for a house in the St Louis area and the contract was accepted outright.  No haggling or counter offers -- simply accepted. 

Anyway the children's choir sang "Holy Holy Holy" for church this morning after processing while waving palm fronds.  G got to wave a frond but was upset he didn't get to sing with the choir.  Here are pictures of the kids with their fronds and the choir. A is in the middle of the choir if you are looking for her in her cherub robe.

I hear the OU game going on so I'm going to watch some basketball since it is on the TV.  Boomer Sooner!