Kourtnee

Kourtnee is doing very well. She is growing so fast. We love her to death. Nathan and I thank God every day for the wonderful little girl that He has given to us. It is wonderful to see all of her firsts. She will soon be crawling. Right now she is pulling herself up on her knees and pulling herself forward. For the most part, she is just rolling for place to place. As her last doctor's appointment, she was 24 inches and 12 pound and 9 ounces. Last week, her first tooth came through!! She is growing like a weed and too fast!

Home is where we all are...

We found out in the beginning of September that we had a miscarriage. We were very saddened but we know that God knows what is best. It is neat to think that Kourtnee is a big sister. We are looking forward to seeing our baby is Heaven.

Wade, North Carolina is now our place to call home for a while. We are going to be here in our cute little house for at least 18 months. Nathan and I love it here! Wade is 15 minutes north of Fayetteville which is the city where Nathan works. The little town of Wade is very nice. There is a little park down the road where we can walk during the summer and when Kourtnee gets older we will be able to take her to play on the playground. We have only one light here in town and it is a flashing light. There is a post office and there is a general store that is not too far, but there are only a few things that you can get there. Really to sum it up, we live out in the boonies. But we love it!

Our family was able to travel to Indiana for a few days to visit family the weekend before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day, Nathan was off work so we were able to spend it as a family. We did not do a lot, but played games, read together and played with Kourtnee, which was fun.

It also really started getting cold here in November. I was not happy when it started getting into the teens at night down here. People around here keep telling us that normally it is in the 50s in December during the day. Not this year! most of the time it has been in the 30s and 40s.

In December, my parents and brother, Justin, were able to come down and visit. They were here for 3 days and while they were here we celebrated Christmas. My brother, Ryan, who lives in Wake Forest, NC, was able to come one night and have dinner with us. It was wonderful. Nathan and I took my family out to Chick-fil-A for breakfast... and yes, they liked it!

On the 24th, Nathan's parents were able to come down also, but they were not able to stay as long. We wish they could have, but it was great having them here.

We almost had a white Christmas. It started snowing during the night on the 25th, and did not stop until the morning of the 27th. We also had thick ice. Nathan was not able to go to work because of the weather. I was Kourtnee's first time seeing snow! I think she liked it!

North Carolina

On August 15th, Nathan and I dedicated Kourtnee to the Lord at our church in Indiana. We played a special song that was also played at my dedication when I was a child. This was also a big day for Nathan and me; it was our one year anniversary!!! it was hard to believe that we had been married for a year. And the pastor who married us did our daughter's dedication.

In the end of July, Nathan and I had started to pray about his job and the stress it was causing our family. We talked with our family and some friends to get counsel about what we should do. We had been invited by a friend of mine to come down to North Carolina to look for a job. We were wold that the job market was better down there.

Well, Nathan quit his job at Home City Ice in the beginning of August and on the 17th, we headed down to North Carolina. We stayed with my friends and looked for jobs. We looked for a month and nothing came up. At this point we had already decided that we were moving down to North Carolina to stay.

Our pastor, in North Carolina, called us in September and said that Chick-fil-A was hiring; he had just talked with the manager. Nathan and I drove over there right away and filled out an application. It took only an hour and a half after filling out the application before the store operator called us back. He asked if Nathan could come in the next day for an interview. The next day Nathan went to his interview and was hired on the spot. Nathan is now working full time and some over time.

Some of you may not know much about Chick-fil-A, but it is a Christian company, which means that they aren't open on Sundays. and when Nathan had his interview they asked him what days and times he would need off for church things.

We are very glad that we listened to the Lord and the ones that counseled us to come down. It was hard for a little while, but God is working things out the way He always does.

We have been blessed with a very WONDERFUL church family. They have done so much to help us. There are not enough words to thank them. I have been writing thank you notes, but it sometimes doesn't seem like it is enough. I pray every day that God will over flow their cup daily for all that they have done for us.