Dallas

Well, our new home is so slow paced and different, we decided to take a break and go to Dallas for an extended weekend (just joking about why we went). After working really hard Thursday night and Friday morning, we left Friday afternoon and went to Texarkana. We stopped by James' grandparents for the night to break up the trip. Then Saturday we arrived in Dallas just after lunchtime. We had such a great time! We swam tons and spent one last quality family time with James' parents, aunt and uncle, and cousins. James even took me to Super Target where I found a few great deals, but of course it was all for James IV! Now, we are headed home tomorrow morning and we are ready to resume small town life. James is anxious about starting his new job on Friday and I am nervous about staying home alone in a foreign town. But the Lord watches over us and will keep us safe and in His arms. He is so good to us, and I know we have nothing to be anxious for. We will be without internet again for possibly an extended period of time, but I will post as soon as I can with interesting news from our new home!

Randomness

This is a random assortment of photos I wanted to upload. This was all within the past month in Fayetteville.

This is James getting ready for his thesis defense. He looks so sharp! And he did such a great job!

James and his best bud right before we left for the defense. James IV was so excited...I think he knew it was a big day!

This is our playdate with a friend from church. We went "swimming" with them in their backyard! Both boys had a great time. James just loves to be outside and especially in the water!

Such a great shot of James IV in the froggy pool.

Both boys having such a great time. Whit was really enjoying the spraying water. James IV sat and watched him drink the water! :)

This is James IV sitting in daddy's filing cabinet. He absolutely loves to sit there and play.

Here is another picture in the drawer. Daddy is doing a great job of watching him isn't he?!

We've Moved!

Well, I know it has been a long time, but we have been in the process of moving! We arrived safely on Monday along with all our household goods. Our house was looking like a warehouse, but each day it gets a little better. James starts work one week from tomorrow, so we are trying to get this all done before he isn't home to help! :) We are enjoying small town life. We have walked many places around town, and we even went to the zoo! It was actually really neat. They have a tiger, a camel, a black bear, and many more animals. The weather is tolerable, and everyone is super nice. We have been so blessed with this opportunity, and each day we are so thankful to live here. It may be far from home, but our families are close to our hearts. We miss everyone so much. I think we are going to be okay. We are going to start looking for a new church home. God is so great for everything he has given us and we are so thankful! Please remember us as we still transition into our new home. And until I can get back to the library to update this (no one has hi speed internet yet - they are hoping to have this service in the next two months), I hope everyone is well and has a great week.

Trip to Iowa

This is a little overdue, but we have been so busy. Our trip to Iowa started Thursday, July 2nd after James' thesis defense. We decided to leave that night at six because we could break up the trip for James IV. I drove for 5 1/2 hours, and then James took over and drove the rest of the way. We stopped in Bellevue, Nebraska to stay the night with some of my parents friends from the military. My parents were already there, so we just crawled into bed around 1 am and got back up at 6 am. Needless to say we were super tired. My parents led the rest of the way to Iowa. James did pretty well the whole trip. He fussed a little, but we kept him entertained with plastic water bottles (they are his favorite toy ever!). James enjoying the trip. We had to put pillows around him so he wouldn't throw his toys overboard!
Mom and Dad on their motorcycle on the way to Iowa.

Once we got there, we visited my Ome in the nursing home. This picture is of five generations. She is James IV's great great grandmother.

My grandma had everyone over for dinner the first night. My cousin is four days older than James IV. He was much more advanced, but it just shows me that every baby will develop at his/her own rate. I know James will "catch up" soon enough. I just enjoy him at this stage each day. This picture is me holding James IV and TJ my cousin who was born Oct. 27th. At first, I thought TJ weighed more, but after a while they were both heavy!

My grandma holding James. This was the first time for her to meet him!

The next day we had our family reunion. The clan is huge...probably 100 people or so. We got together to eat, play softball, eat some more, and enjoy each other's company. This doesn't happen very often, but it was fun.

Here are my boys "playing" the piano. James IV had a blast! He loved making all that noise. :)

Later that night, on the 4th, we went out to my uncle's land to do fireworks. Just my dad's family was there, so there were about twenty of us. My uncle, two cousins, grandpa, and husband did the firework show for us. There were a few close calls, but overall they did a great job and they were really pretty!

We started back home on Tuesday, but we stopped in Kansas City to see some friends. We enjoyed our time there. Overall, this trip was wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a better trip. We probably won't be able to go to Iowa for awhile since James won't get any vacation for a year, but maybe everyone will come see us!

Way to go, Daddy!

Last Thursday marked a very special day in our lives. After two long years in graduate school, James defended his thesis. The days leading up to this were miserable for everyone. James was nervous and would not eat, and I was constantly listening to his presentation - making necessary corrections. But all the trouble was worth it. At 3:00pm James started his presentation. Even though he went entirely too fast, it was great! He hit every major point and thoroughly explained his project. But I was a nervous wreck! All the guests had to leave after he defended and I went into the hall and cried. I thought they were going to smash him with hard questions and not pass him. I waited in the hall, holding a VERY heavy James IV, for about twenty five minutes. Then he came out and said it went well, but we still had to wait for their response. After five more minutes, his advisor called him and asked him to meet him. I followed him upstairs, but waited in the hall. As he opened the door, I heard, "Congratulations, you did a great job!" We have waited so long for those words, and it couldn't have been any sweeter. James came out and was (still is) on cloud nine. We are so proud of his accomplishments, and now we can successfully close this chapter of our lives as we open up new doors. We want to thank all the people who have supported us along the way, especially our families. Without this guidance and support, these past two years would have been near impossible.