Master of Destruction

This post is for all of my wonderful readers who enjoy my Kendall stories. She gave me a lot to write about today, but before I start on her I have to start with a few Bradley stories...

When Bradley was about 11 months old we gave him the name "Master of Destruction". It may have even started before then, but I will start there. When Bradley started crawling he somehow managed to get into everything. I didn't think it was possible to get into more things...until he started walking. He climbed on everything, pulled everything off of shelves, climbed the stairs, went over, under, and through baby gates. I used to joke that I was going to send him to P&G as a test baby, because baby proofing did not work with him. He actually figured out how to slide his hand into the lower cabinets and pop the lock open. We could not take out eyes off of him for a second. He took his diaper off on two different occasions and smeared its contents on the walls and carpet. My favorite was when he went up the stairs, into the laundry room, lifted an economy size bottle of blue laundry detergent, unscrewed the cap, and poured it all over our cream colored carpet. It was interesting to clean up because the more water we used the more bubbles we got! He kept us on our toes and there was no longer a moment of rest in the Brock house.

When Kendall came along she was so different. She was such a calm baby. She would lie back in her swing and just watch all of the things that were going on around her. I thought that she would be the complete opposite of Bradley. She was so cautious of the things that she did. She did not sit up until she was six months old, but the day she decided that she was going to sit up on her own she never fell. She did the same thing with walking. She walked along the couch for about a month and then the day that she took her first step she walked all over the house. She was a late talker, barley putting two words together at 23 months. However, the week before she turned two she started talking in complete sentences. Looking back at these things I should have known that she was a planner. It didn't take long for her to take over the name "Master of Destruction".

I have shared many Kendall stories, and most are quick and easy to write about. Today's story needs an entire blog. Our day started as any other day. We got up, had breakfast, Kendall snuck a few drinks of my coffee, pretended to use the bathroom so she could have a piece of candy, had diarrhea in her underwear, and then the real fun began. The kids were playing so well together that I decided to try and get a few things done. I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, cleaned the kitchen, and started a load of laundry. At this point I realized that too much time had passed since I saw the two rug rats, so I went to their room to check on them. Every blanket and pillow had been pulled off of their beds and thrown onto the floor, every book was off of the bookshelf, every toy was dumped from its basket, and all of the dress up clothes were out. After telling them to clean up multiple times I had them lie in their beds in complete silence for 40 minutes while I cleaned up. I decided that it was now time for us to take a drive around Harlan so that I could take some deep breaths and clear my head.

When we got home it was time for me to feed Jacob. I knew this was going to be trouble. It started with Bradley and Kendall sneaking off to the kitchen. Bradley has gotten much better at covering his tracks, however Kendall is still learning, so she came back with donut crumbs on her face and a donut behind her back. When I finished feeding I went to the kitchen, where I found a stool pushed over to the refrigerator and Kendall standing in the refrigerator drinking an open can of Sprite. I calmly got her down, closed the refrigerator, moved the stool, and walked out of the kitchen.

As I continued with the laundry Bradley and Kendall continued to play. I was sure that my death threats would be enough to keep there room clean, but I was wrong. I was not too surprised when Kendall came out of her room with no clothes on, as she often does. I went to her room to find her clothes and happened to step in something wet. Bradley was sure that she had peed on the floor, but with more observation it appeared that she had filled her pots and pans from her kitchen set with water. When I took one of the pans to the bathroom to pour the water in the sink I discovered that she had clogged the sink with toilet paper. I think that I laughed a little to myself. I could not imagine what else she could get into today.

After dinner I was cleaning up the kitchen when Kendall came walking in with paint on her hands, feet, shirt, and a little in her hair. After cleaning her up I dreadfully asked what she had painted. She led me to her room, where she had attempted to paint her white bookshelf pink. Luckily it has a very glossy finish so the paint wiped right off. With a few more dumpings of blankets and books, she is now sound asleep...or so I wish. I think I am going to have a beer and call it a night...until tomorrow!

A Hike to Remember

People say that, when faced with death, your life flashes before your eyes. I had a similar experience this weekend, but rather than being faced with death I was faced with Life....

As many people do, we got to celebrate Thanksgiving twice. Last weekend we went to Louisville and had a weekend celebration filled with family, friends, and a lot of fun. We got to visit with great friends, watch the horses run at Churchill Downs, date night to see Breaking Dawn, a little shopping, and then Thanksgiving dinner with my mom's family. It was great to see my Mamaw visit with all 10 of her Great Grandchildren. She was so happy:)

Our Thanksgiving celebration continued this weekend when Steven's sisters and their families came from Cincinnati. Bradley and Kendall could not wait for everyone to get here. We were so thankful for the beautiful weather, which allowed the children to enjoy the trampoline, swing set, and new tree house. I even got to play a little football with the boys! There were so many things to be thankful for, however, at the end of the day on Thursday I found myself feeling very down.

For some reason, while thinking of all of the wonderful blessings I have in my life, I also thought about all of the things that I wish I could change. It started with the baby weight that I am carrying like an inner tube around my waist. I know, Jacob is only 12 weeks old and it is going to take time and effort to lose the weight, but my clothes don't fit, so that is just not something that makes me feel happy. Next I thought about our un-sold house (that's probably not a word!), and the YEAR that it has sat on the market. I am very thankful for our parents who have provided us with so much during this time, but I am beyond ready for us to have a home of our own again. Bradley is so confused that he said he want our next house to be with Aunt Julie. I told him that our next house will be just us! Then I thought about the fact that, for the first time in seven years, I do not have a full time job outside of the home. Of course being a wife and mother is a full time job, but unfortunately I do not get a paycheck for that. I am working a few hours a week, and I love what I am doing, but it's not the full time pay that I have grown accustom to. So, after all of these thoughts, I went to bed under my self-created dark cloud.

Saturday morning we had decided to carry on our tradition of a Thanksgiving hike. This started last year when we did a family hike to the top of Knobby Rock. This time we decided to hike Bad Branch Falls. Unfortunately, Steven woke up sick, so I would have to rely on the rest of the family to watch Bradley and Kendall while I packed Jacob. We could not have been blessed with a more beautiful day, clear skies and 63 degrees! As we hiked our first mile to the falls I was more worried about the safety of my kids, and took little notice of the beauty that surrounded me. We finally made it to the falls. As I stood there, taking in one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen, my life flashed before my eyes. Not in the face of death, but LIFE. The self pity that I was feeling previously was gone. I was overcome with emotion. Every wonderful and amazing blessing that I have filled my heart. God was there, right in front of me, reminding me that he has given me everything that I NEED in my life. The picture above shows the falls, however it does not even begin to capture the true beauty of seeing it in person.

Our mile hike back to the car was very different, because I was very different. I did not worry about Bradley and Kendall because I knew that they were safe. I held Jacob so close and I took everything in. I breathed in the fresh air and felt the sun on my face. I watched every small stream flow from one rock to another. I let my heart smile! I will lose this weight, but for now it is a badge of honor, and I have a very healthy baby boy to show for it. We will sell our house, but for now I will be grateful for everything that our parents have provided for us. I will get a full time job, but for now I will work to be the very best wife and mom that I can be. I will continue to follow this journey with my eyes open and my hand in God's hand. I will also remind myself of these things everyday. I have so much to be Thankful for!

This is one Blessed Family!

Just a Sad Man Without a Dog...

As many parents often do, I love to imagine what my children will be when they grow up. Bradley really got me thinking about this a few days ago... As I picked him up from a cousins house he informed me that he would like to live at their house. When I asked why he explained, in such an innocent way, "because I just love dogs so much and they have dogs that live in their house." I told him that we just moved into our new house and I really want him to live with us there. I also reminded him that he can ask Santa for a dog, and if he is a very good boy he might just get one for Christmas. As he quietly pondered this information he sighed a small huff and responded, "I am just a sad man without a dog." I couldn't help but laugh and then my mind wondered as I thought, what is this little boy going to grow up to be.

Country song writer appears to fit this particular moment, although I think there is so much more that lies ahead for him. He has never met a stranger, so full of life and energy, he greets everyone with a smile. He has a way of expressing himself that often shows he is wise beyond his years. When he wants to make his point, he will pace back and forth, hands up in the air, his words do not stop until you cut him off. He can be very convincing, a politician maybe? He loves to wear his suits and ties. The picture above shows him ready for bed. I told him to go get his pajamas on and this is how I found him:) He has also developed a true passion for Bible stories and prayer. I know I have said it before, but his dinner prayers just warm my heart. He is so intentional and so pure. Maybe we will see him standing in front of a congregation one day. Now that is a career path I can fully support. No matter what it is that he decides to do when he grows up one thing is for sure, I love watching his story unfold.

Now Kendall, on the other hand, is what I like to call our "hot mess". At times I see so much of Bradley in her, but then there are those moments that she just stops me in my tracks. She is so independent and strong willed. She does not hesitate to tell you no, and her facial expressions say so much more than her words. She also responds strongly with her actions... One day she asked to walk to her cousins house, which is about 200 yards away. She was not going alone, but we told her no because it was almost bath time. Instead Steven decided to take her out back with him and his parents. When she asked to come back inside he opened the door and sent her in, not realizing that I was upstairs. A few minutes later the phone rang, it was Steven's cousin asking if we were missing someone?! Steven had sent her inside through the back door, she walked into the family room, put on a pair of shoes, out the garage door, and 200 yards (alone!) to her cousins house! We never even knew she was gone! I could not have been more thankful at that moment that we live on the side of a mountain with other family members! No traffic, no ponds, no strangers, just dogs and bugs! As I watch her walk across the room in her 4th outfit of the day, I can only smile! I imagine that she will finish her senior year of high school and take off to New York or California, just because she can:)

As for the baby, well he doesn't even have a name yet! This is always a difficult decision for us because it is such a permanent and life changing decision. Steven and the kids have taken a liking to the name Jacob. I was really starting to like it too, especially because my Mamaw's dad was Jake, but then I went to church on Sunday... I knew that Jacob was a Biblical name, but I am embarrassed to say that I did not recall the story of Jacob. So for those of you who do not remember, let me briefly refresh your memory: Jacob had two wives and two mistresses. He stole from his father and father-in-laws. His brother grew to hate him so much that he formed an army of 400 men to go and kill him. The name Jacob was declared to mean "betrayer". However, Jacob was not all bad and was forgiven for all of his wrong doings, at which time his name was changed to Israel. I know that there are many great people with the name Jacob, but how could I not take this message as a sign that Jacob may not be the name for this sweet baby? Well, the wait will be over soon. We are down to just about three short weeks and when we look into our babies eyes we will know, and share, the name that we have chosen.

This past weekend we spent our last weekend in Harlan as a family of 4, and it was perfect! Saturday morning we packed lunches, loaded up the boat, and spent most of the day out on the lake. It was so beautiful and relaxing. Later that night we had dinner with about 15 family members. We finished our weekend with a wonderful Sunday service and a trip to Super Walmart in Virgina:) Kendall and I will be going to Louisville at the end of this week to wait on the arrival of Baby Bus (still her favorite name). We will then be a family of 5...Complete!

Finger Paint and Homemade Pizza

So many women have done it before me, women everywhere are doing it right now, and there will be many more women that will do it in the future. I truly believe that it is the most difficult and challenging job out there. It comes with more responsibility than you can possibly imagine, the hours far exceed 40 a week, and there is NO paycheck! There is little to no recognition for the hard work that you do, yet you are always expected to do more. For anyone who has ever been, is now, or plans to be a stay at home mom, I have more respect for you than I can put into words. Mom, I don't know how you did it, but I am sorry if I have never expressed how grateful I am for it! Currently this is my summer job, but it looks like I may be taking it on full time. I think I may need a training manual.

This week has been a true test of my ability to be a stay at home mom. With the unbearable heat and scattered rain, we have been forced to stay indoors, and my ability to entertain is not looking so good. Did you know it takes about 30 minutes to create a scavenger hunt, and about 5 minutes to follow the clues and find the treasure? Homemade pizza was a hit, but the cheese burnt in the oven so no one would eat it! Finger painting was fun, but not something that I want to clean up more than once a week. As you can see here, Kendall does more of a "hand" painting and she painted much more than the paper...but she had fun!

Speaking of Kendall, I have put a lot of work into "Project Kendall" this week. I would say she is winning by a landslide of 99-1. The big girl bed is working about as well as I expected. The freedom to get in and out of bed is such a thrill to her that she refuses to fall asleep. She has always been such a good sleeper, but I think that the boundaries of the crib played a large part in that. If I was keeping data (for all of my special education teachers out there) I would say that I have spent about 70% of my waking hours trying to get the little stinker to stay in her bed for nap and bed time. I have given up a few times and put her back in the crib until she falls asleep, but I only do that when it takes over two hours to get her to sleep. I am trying so hard to win this one, but I guess I am going to need a new strategy!

I am trying not to get too discouraged with potty training. I know that she will do it when she is ready, but it sure would be nice to only have to buy diapers for one! She loves her panties and wants them on almost all the time, but she will also stand in the middle of the room and yell to me "I'm peeing!" Yesterday she woke up dry so I offered so many great rewards for sitting on the potty, but she refuse. Five minutes later she looked right at me, squatted a bit and said, "I just pee pee in my diaper now." I sure hope that her stubborn attitude will benefit her one day!

The only project that I am winning right now is the pasi. We have limited use to nap, bed time, and long car rides. This was a bit of a fight the first few days, but I held my ground on this one. The first day she spent most of the day lying in her bed just so she could have it:) Now most days she will leave it in her bed before she gets up. I take great pride in this one little success!

I have considered all of the things that we are putting our poor little girl through. This is her third home in the short 28 months that she has been with us. When I say we are going home she has started to respond, "which one?" This breaks my heart! We have taken her out of her crib, limited the pasi, trying to potty train, and will soon be bring home a new baby. I guess I can understand the occasional meltdown...I have them too:) So I have decided that we will have a Kendall and Mommy day. She wants to go get her nails painted blue and green. I know, not girly colors, but a very girly activity, so I'm in!

Not much to report on Bradley right now. He has done such a great job entertaining himself while I try to get Kendall to sleep. Probably watching a little too much TV, but school will start soon. For all of you Toy Story fans, he reminds me a lot of Andy. I love watching him set up his toys and have them all talk to each other. He has a great imagination and I can't wait to see where it takes him!

So we did our finger painting and made our homemade pizza. Good thing it's Thursday because I am fresh out of ideas for this week. I'll keep waiting on the call from the Harlan Co. School District, but until then I will work on doing better with my current job!

Our next adventure...finding a vehicle that will fit our family of 5!

When it rains...

Rain can be nice from time to time. It can make for a calm, relaxing day. I love this picture that I got of the kids. It was a rainy day and they went out on the porch with Grandad. I was so excited that I was able to grab the camera before the moment was lost! Rain, when speaking figuratively, is not quit as nice. We have had one of those "when it rains it pours" kind of weeks and I guess it all started about two week ago...

We currently have three cars, Steven's maxima, my escape, and Steven's brand new company car which is a 2012 Nissan altima. We have been keeping the maxima in Louisville and the escape here so that we can go back and forth in Steven's new car. About two weeks ago Louisville had a big storm that brought a lot of rain, which flooded my parents driveway and Steven's maxima. Not too much damage, thanks to the hard work of my mom and dad who spent many hours vacuuming the water out. I'll call this a "rain on our parade", but it wasn't all that bad. We are planning to get rid of the car soon anyway. The kids and I ended up having a great week in Louisville!

Fourth of July weekend was wonderful! Steven's sister was in town with her kids and we spent Saturday at the Lake. Sunday morning church service was perfect. After lunch we picked up Bradley and Kendall's new bunk beds. Steven and I got to have some alone time while we put them together. The kids played with cousins and friends all day! Monday was a lazy day and it ended with a great fire works show.

Tuesday morning we faced a bit of a bump in the road. Not literally....it was actually a deer. Steven called just after 10:00 to tell me that he had been in an accident. While driving through the mountains of eastern Kentucky a large deer decided to jump over a guard rail and right onto the hood of his beautiful new car. Luckily the deer was the only one hurt. The windshield was broken and the hood flew up, but the air bags did not deploy, leaving Steven without a scratch. The car will be fixed, so this too shall pass. I am just so very thankful that Steven was okay.

The day continued with a trip to the dentist office. The most challenging part of that was getting a shower before we left. Do you have any idea what Kendall can get into during the 10 minutes that it takes me to shower? Chairs were turned over, the refrigerator door was open, her clothes were off, and she had three pieces of gum in her mouth. I would bet that she probably accomplished that in the first two minutes. I got that all cleaned up, got us ready, and we were out the door. As I was putting the kids in the car I noticed the undeniable smell of dog poo, which I spotted on the bottom of Bradley's shoe. I quickly ran back in to get him another pair of shoes, stepped in the poo myself, went back in to get a clean pair of shoes, broke my nail while shutting the door, then finally we were on our way. The dentist appointments went great, no cavities!

Wednesday morning I got a call from a very good friend of ours who delivered the news that was the "thunder and lightening" in our storm. I am going to do some backtracking so that this will all make sense. When we moved out of our house in northern Kentucky almost a year ago we were having trouble with a leaky pipe. A construction company came in to fix the pipe, which ran under our kitchen. We do not have a basement or crawl space, so they had to bulldoze through our kitchen floor to fix it, which wasn't so bad because we got a new kitchen floor out of the deal. After fixing the pipe Steven asked them to winterize our house because we would not be turning the water back on since we would not be living there. Now back to present time...Our friend recently sold his houses and needed somewhere to live for a while, so we offered our house, but told him that he would have to have the water and power turned on. The water company came to turn the water on and apparently nearly every room in our house began flooding. We are not sure the cause of this or just how much damage we are looking at. Steven is going to head that way this weekend so that he can make some phone calls and get to the bottom of this.

So by now I am at my breaking point. I know that things could be so much worse, but at this point it just feels like one bad things after another. Steven was working in Lexington at the time and was going to have to be there again today so he had thought about just staying the night there. When he heard how upset I was he asked us to come to Lexington. We would get a nice hotel, let the kids swim, and have a nice dinner. That sounded like such a great idea, so the kids and I got ready and loaded up for the three hour drive...what was I thinking!

The drive started peaceful. Bradley fell asleep while Kendall watched a movie. This may have been nice for a while if I didn't suddenly have to use the restroom. So I had to wake up Bradley to take him inside. Now he was up and cranky because his nap was cut short, Kendall was cranky because she needed a nap, and I was now cranky because I needed a nap. We continued driving and finally Kendall fell asleep, right about the time that Bradley told me he had to use the bathroom. I pulled over to the side of the road to just let him go in the grass, but he then informed me that he had to poop, so we were off to the next gas station. Now Kendall was awake and cranky because her nap was cut short. Finally we made it to the hotel. In our first 5 minutes there Kendall had found both phones and attempted to make phone calls, pulled all the papers off of the desk and dresser, turned the TV on and off, unpacked most of our things, and unrolled both rolls of toilet paper. This is when we decided to go for a swim. We then enjoyed a nice dinner and headed back to get ready for bed. With short naps and swimming I just knew the kids would crash. Our night ended with Steven driving Kendall around Lexington until she fell asleep.

Our drive back today was so much better. I guess they were tired:) It was so quiet and peaceful that I was able to think back to the message on Sunday. The Preacher reminded us of the story of Sarah and Abraham. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son he was prepared to do it, because his faith in God was unquestionable. For that, God spared his son and gave him and Sarah more children. "God will provide for all that we need."

The amazing thing about rain is that, if the sun is shining, you just might see a beautiful rainbow paint the big blue sky. I know that the Son has been shining on our rain, I better keep my eyes open so that I don't miss out on the rainbow!

Hello Summer!

This week I have decided that I am going to make the most of these next 10 weeks. I can't imagine how much life is going to change with baby number 3. There are so many things that I can do with two kids, because I have two hands:) I am more than excited to add a new baby to our family, but I am a little scared about the challenges it will bring!

Last week, which was our first week here in Harlan, was not a great week. I spent most of the week feeling sorry for myself because I had "nothing to do with the kids". Unfortunately, by feeling this way we missed out on a lot here and lost a very precious week of summer. I approached this week with a whole new attitude, and I am so glad that I did! The kids and I spent two days at Martin's Fork Lake. It is such a beautiful place! The lake is surrounded by thick, green mountains. There is a small beach with a roped off area for swimming. I have two little water bugs!

We were hoping to catch story time at the library, but the Summer program is at 2:00, which is during Kendall's nap, and I am not willing to sacrifice that! We did go to the library and get our new library cards. I let the kids pick a few books. Bradley could not believe that he got to check out 3 books! He was in book heaven:) I got Kendall a book called Pacifiers Are Not Forever. I am hoping that this will lead to her giving up the passy. More updates to come on that one!

We had a few rainy days this week, so we were on the hunt for bunk beds. I think we have found what we are looking for. Now I have to decide if we are going to let Kendall transition out of her crib. I know that it needs to happen, but she loves her bed and she is such a good sleeper. I am not sure I am ready for her to be in a "big girl" bed.

Kendall also decided this week that she is ready for panties. It is the first thing that she asks for when she wakes up in the morning. She didn't do too bad, although I have found that she is more of a 9-5 girl right now. When it is just me and the kids she is a little less distracted and more aware of when she needs to go. Once everyone gets home from work she gets so excited and looses all focus. As with the passy, more to come on this...

I discovered this week how much I love dinner time! Bradley has been saying prayer for us and his prayer last night was the best. "Dear God, thank you for this perfect day. I hope that everyday can be like today. Thank you for my family that I love so much. I will never forget you and I love you. Amen." How refreshing! I also found that I love to do dishes after dinner. When we are done eating the kids go outside to play with Daddy, so for the first time all day I get "me time". I never realized how relaxing and enjoyable it could be to very slowly and quietly clean the table and load the dish washer! When I am done I join everyone outside. The kids have had such a great time exploring the land and riding their four-wheelers. No, I did not give in, these are their age appropriate, battery powered four-wheelers!

We are now anxiously waiting for Steven to get home from work so we can go see Cars 2. Tomorrow we are headed to Louisville for the week while Steven goes to Delaware. I am so thankful that I decided to change my attitude this week. I feel so very blessed. God is good! 9 more weeks...

Home Sweet Country Home

Our Journey is not our own, for we follow the path to which we are led. Over the past four years our journey has presented us with great joys as well as challenges. It has brought us two beautiful children, one sweet angel baby, and another baby boy on the way. We have lived in three cities which span three completely different areas of Kentucky. We have gotten new jobs, left jobs, and lost jobs. We have made many wonderful friends, and had to say goodbye far too many times. We have prayed for God to lead us on a path that would be best for our family, and we believe that our prayers are being answered.

After an intense interview process, Steven has gotten a new job as a pharmaceutical sales rep. for Astra Zeneca. His territory will span Southeastern Kentucky, which means that we are once again on the move. Our new home will be in Harlan, Ky which is where Steven grew up. We still own a house in Independence, Ky that has been on the market since October. We will be living with Steven's parents until we can get that house sold. Once we do sell our house, Steven's parents will be moving out and we will be raising our children in his childhood home. The house is perfect, the town is beautiful, but this city girl is out of her element!

There are SO many bugs, snakes, and poison ivy. Our neighbors are all family, but we are definitely not in a neighborhood. The closest mall is in Lexington, which is over 2 hours away! I do not get cell phone service at the house. There are about 8-10 dogs that live on"the hill", which has actually worked to our advantage. Bradley has been praying for a dog for a few moths now. He has quickly taken to a sweet little collie named Piper. This is his new best friend!

Across the street there is a barn with a few horses. In our front yard there is a fenced in area where the horses can run. The kids love to feed and pet the horses, unfortunately we have discovered that Bradley is allergic to horses. Nothing major, just a rash on his face and his eyes swell shut! We will be fully stocked in Benadryl! I guess the horses are walked through the yard from time to time, because last week when we went outside to play there were big piles of horse poo next to the trampoline and swing set. We are definitely not in Louisville anymore!

For kids who love to be outside you couldn't ask for a better set up. There is so much room to run and play. We brought back some of their outside toys this past weekend, but we still have a lot of moving to do. Steven is ready to get the kids of four-wheelers and dirt bikes. I am going to try and push that off for a few more years!

I have not gotten a job here yet, but I did meet with a few members of the special education department. They are waiting to see what kind of funding they will be approved for. I have a lot to offer the school district, as they do not have any educators that have received training to work with children with autism. Thanks to the Campbell Co. School District I not only have experience and training, but I found my true passion in education. I hope that my path here will lead to great opportunities for the children with autism, their families, and me.

Our summer will be spent both here and in Louisville. Steven has two more weeks of training in Delaware. He flies out of Louisville so the kids and I will just stay there while he is gone. On August 15th I will be going to Louisville to sit and wait on the arrival of our newest addition, who has yet to be named! I will also be anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new nephew and niece. Please keep our family in your prayers as we embark on this new journey. We will be sure to keep everyone updated on new babies, new jobs, and new adventures!