Sunday News

Ohio has brought us many new friends and adventures. We're so grateful for our move here and to take on a different pace of life. Brad's back into the swing of school and I am semi taking some time off from teaching.

It is with our greatest joy on this beautiful Easter Sunday to share what we have now been celebrating for weeks in our home.

We're PREGNANT!! [WAHOOO!!!]

 

God has been answering our prayers all along, and we're so glad to see evidence of that now. It's been hard to see as He was preparing our hearts and our marriage to bring a little one into the world.. actually quite frustrating at times. We always knew He was being faithful and hearing us as we prayed, plead, nagged, etc. for a child... we just didn't know when it might actually become a reality.

We're so thankful and excited to start this new chapter of our lives and bring a baby into our home this November. Oscar is very excited to be a big brother too! (Or so it seems as he tilts his head when we tell him!) Thank you to all of our friends and family who have been praying for when this time would come for us since we got married in 2011.

The Lord's timing is perfect and good.

Time Keeps on Slippin'

T-3 days until we roll out from AZ.

Words can't describe how much our first assignment has meant to us. When we first got word that we were going to Arizona, I was not exactly enthusiastic. Luke was 5 out of 6 on our list of bases we wanted to go to. It was on the list, however, and I'm so glad we came.

Brad has done great things at Luke and I'm so proud of his hard work with the squadron and how his leadership has developed. I've spent two fantastic years at Mountain View teaching first grade. I am so blessed to have worked with an amazing group of ladies each year, as well as my two groups of kiddos. It is hard to think that I won't be there with them again this next school year, but those kiddos coming up are going to have a fantastic first grade year!

We have absolutely loved life out west. One of our favorite parts has been traveling to a lot of beautiful places, which many of you I know have seen from all of our pictures online! Aside from the travel, we are so thankful for the friendships we have and will cherish. We will miss all of you something terrible... and that is an understatement. [Hopefully I can hold it together the rest of our time here, unlike I did at TK's. ha]

The memories we've made here have been priceless, and we are so excited to continue that on in O-H-I-O!

We love you ALL.

Red Rock Country

As our time is dwindling down in Arizona, Bradford and I have vowed to make the most of it. Seeing friends, new places, loved places, etc.

This past weekend he informed me that we had some going away parties to attend for some of his guys who I have maybe met a couple times before. Of course I'll be there for support, babe.

Friday morning came and B placed our notebook that we write to each other in by my sink so I would see it when I got up and ready for the day. Inside he wrote to tell me to pack for 3 days including swimsuit, camelback and hiking shoes. And so my husband, who has not always been the best at keeping secrets or surprises from me, crafted a perfect weekend getaway.

I kept insisting that we were going to Sedona, while he assured me it would be Missouri. We ended up swinging by the airport (which was his lead into the Missouri idea) to pick up some of our best friends from back home in NC who joined us on our trip to...... Sedona. :)

We had such a great time with Josh and Carly seeing the Red Rocks in Sedona and visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross, tasting everything at VomFass, hiking "0.5 miles" to Devil's Bridge, and of course hot tubbing at the resort. Props to hubs, it was a great way to spend one of our last weekends here in Arizona.

Views from the Chapel of the Holy Cross

Devil's Bridge with a great view!

Lunch break smiles

Our view from the lunch spot we chose under a rock at the top of the hike. Devil's Bridge is below us.

The boys at the bottom of our rock spot. Serious, rock climbing faces.

Banana Cookies

Say What?

Yeah, I made cookies with bananas, oats, and mini chocolate chips. They're da bomb.

I followed this recipe at skinnytaste.com. I didn't have walnuts on hand so I substituted them for chocolate chips. After I'd gotten started mixing everything I realized my oats were not 'quick oats', but mine turned out just fine!

If you haven't tried this yet please go make some!

Frisbee

One of Oscar's favorite things is to go outside with B and throw the frisbee. So much so that anytime B gets home from work he immediately goes for the frisbee and carries it around until B takes him out. 

Here's to Sunday afternoon frisbee action.