Weekend Recap

This time of the year is BUSY BUSY for the Weavers.  It seems like we have something on our calendar for every day.

I love it and am completely exhausted by it all at the same time.

This past weekend was filled with family, friends, and fun.

On Friday afternoon my parents along with my niece and nephew drove up for a visit.  We had plans to go see the Christmas lights at Silver Dollar City but the weather kept us away.  Instead they came over to the house for dinner and left Mikey & Ellie for a sleepover.  

Ellie was not too sure about Lib & Lincoln.

And Mikey wanted to be Lib & Lincoln.

Aunt E was sleepy so we all piled into the bed to watch a Christmas movie.

 He could not look any more like his daddy!

I hope she always plays with his hair.

Mikey was the first one awake Saturday morning and he was super cuddly.  I LOVED it!

Ellie was not ready to wake up quite so early.

She popped right up when she heard me say breakfast but she didn't last long.

They are now 3 1/2 and we had a first on Saturday.  I've never taken these two to the store by myself but we got brave and ventured out to Dollar Tree.

We had to do something.  Aunt E's toys are all in storage somewhere.

They were really well behaved and picked out lots of fun toys.

After lunch and more play time my parents came and picked up the kiddos and said goodbye.

I instantly missed them but I also instantly took a nap.  

Saturday evening we headed to hang out with some friends.  One of the best parts of this move has been living less than an hour away from Andrew and Heather.  Her Andrew and my Andrew were college roommates.  We have loved picking up where we left off all those years ago.

We made homemade pizzas and visited until way too late.  Their kids had never made homemade pizzas so it was fun to watch them assemble their masterpieces.

These are the only two pictures I got of the night.  We are too busy talking and laughing and I forget to snap one of the adults.  Maybe next time.

Also...can I just say how much I love watching my husband with our friends' kids.  Melts my heart every time!!

We rounded off the weekend with a fabulous play put on by the kids at church.

It was sweet and funny and all the things a kids Christmas play should be.  We especially loved seeing our three neighbor girls on stage.  

And now it is one more week of work and then the travelling begins.

Tuesday Tunes - Labor of Love

Tuesday Tunes - The More I Seek You

A New Adventure

Hi people!

I seem to have taken a hiatus from the blog.  I'm not sure if anyone even noticed.

But I'm back now.

A new adventure has prompted my return.

Let me back up a few months and fill you in.

At the end of May Andrew resigned from his job.

This afforded us something we'd never had before.

A summer off work together.

I tell my fellow teachers this and we joke about how awful it must be to have your spouse home all day every day during summer break.

And I'll admit it drove me crazy at first. Having Andrew home was a change to my summer schedule.  Thankfully it didn't take him long to settle down into a summer routine of nothingness.

It gave us the opportunity to take a vacation we've only dreamt about before.

In June we packed our car to the gills, dropped the LBs off with family and headed west.

We had no itinerary, no spreadsheet.  

We've never traveled so irresponsibly.  

There were a few nights in hotels but for the most part we camped our away across the west travelling over 5,000 miles through 13 states in 14 days.

Maybe we'll share some of those adventures with you soon.  I've wanted to blog it since we returned but it was such a big trip the thought of putting it all in words was overwhelming.

At the end of June we moved out of our rent house and back to our home in Heber.  By this point our house was on the market and we planned to live there until it sold or until school started again.

August arrived with no offers on the house and it was time for me to go back to work.  Working almost two hours from where you live is not the ideal situation.  

On Monday mornings I get up crazy early and make the long commute to work.  I then stay with Andrew's parents throughout the week.  

Staying with the inlaws. 

 People tend to apologize to me when I tell them that's what I'm doing.  I guess not everyone has inlaws like I do.  I've enjoyed staying with them and hopefully they haven't been too bothered by my presence.  Big Man is always good to make sure I'm comfortable and the air is set to just the right setting.  Belinda has given me a new love for all the cooking competitions on Food Network.  

When Friday mornings rolls around I pack my backs so I can head home for the weekend.

This isn't the first time Andrew and I have been what I call weekend spouses.  But I wouldn't mind if it were the last time.  

As I returned to work, Andrew decided it might be time for him to do the same.

And the job search began.

There was talk of several different options.  Some were short talks.  Some were more serious.

I continued to tell him I'd follow him wherever he wanted to go.  

Seems like a cheesy cop out answer, but it is how I felt.

Life has felt very unsettled and I simply wanted to feel settled again no matter where that meant we lived. 

He mentioned cities I didn't really want to call home, but I just wanted that feeling of being unsettled to disappear.  I was willing to discuss any and all options.

In the midst of the job search we accepted an offer on our house.   God  brought the perfect buyers and we are set to close at the end of October.  

Not sure where we would be living after moving out of our beloved home, things picked up speed as Andrew interviewed with Redneck Trailer Supplies in Springfield, Missouri.

Springfield sounded the most appealing out of all the places he has mentioned.  It's not that far or that different from home.  

I could do life in Springfield.

From the beginning RTS has appeared to be very interested in Andrew.  

I can't say I blame them. :)

His interview was over five hours long.  He had five different interviews for one job.

I would have be physically ill.

Actually I was physically ill the day of his interview.  My students could tell I was a bit preoccupied.  I'm pretty sure nothing I said made sense that day and I made one mistake after another.

 On Friday Andrew accepted a job offer from RTS.

We are moving to Missouri.

We are going to be...

Wait, what do you call people from Missouri?

Missourians?

Yes I think so.

We are going to be Missourians.

I have never been anything other than an Arkansan.  

Never thought I'd be anything different either.

We are excited about this new adventure.

But if I'm being honest I must tell you I've also already had a good cry about this new adventure.

I told my principal Friday and my BeMS Math Family (Earhart, just pretend like you are a Math guy).

They were all very supportive.

But they also gave me dirty looks and told me they were not talking to me anymore.

Makes a girl feel wanted.

Makes a girl feel good

Also makes a girl cry.

I love these people and my current school.  It breaks my heart to leave them.

Andrew has been saying he was retired for the past few months.  I was hoping I might get the chance to be retired for a few months but I may not get the opportunity.

Springfield has a 7th grade Math position available.  

I'm applying this weekend.

Looks like one more way God is lining it out all for this new adventure.

Andrew will move and start work in one week.  I'm not sure when I will join him.  It will depend on whether or not I have a job there.

You have prayed us through so much in the past.  We would be honored if you would pray for us as we begin this new adventure.

We love you all!

Friday Favorites: Hair and Beauty

I know I've shared about this line of hair products before but I seriously LOVE it.  I rarely use anything else but on the rare occasion that I do I can tell a difference.  I always have more little flyaway hairs when I don't use my Monat products.  Though it's not pictured their dry shampoo is by far the best dry shampoo I've ever used.

I have a drawer full of lipsticks and lip glosses but the one I always fall back on the very first tube of lipstick I ever bought.  It is Bamboo Pink by Clinique.  I love how it gives my lips some color and shimmer without being too bright.

I have dry skin year round, but this winter my face has been insanely dry.  I've had such a hard time with my make up this winter because of it.  I love a good face sheet mask and will do those on a pretty regular basis but I needed something I could use daily.  This moisturizer from Lush is IT!  I put this on my face every night before I go to bed and will sometimes use it as a primer in the morning before I put my makeup on.  It doesn't take a lot of it so this little tub will last me such a long time.

Once every couple of weeks I do a sheet mask in addition to the Lush moisturizer.  I've only tried two different kinds: Sephora's brand and this Tonymony from Ulta.  I love both of them so I haven't ventured out to try other brands.  I recently discovered a face mask subscription club so I might do that as a way to try others.

Turning Three and Mother's Day

Yesterday my favorite twins turned THREE!!

We had lunch at Las Playitas so of course there were sombreros.  One loved them while the other was not a big fan of them.

We also celebrated Mother's Day.  These three women are some of my favorite Mommas.

After lunch we stopped by the lot where Andrew used to live.  Their house burned down and no one has ever built there.   He walked me through where everything was located.  

Once we got home we enjoyed a Sunday afternoon nap before going to our second Mother's Day celebration.

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day.  It didn't look like I've always dreamt about, but it was still a sweet day.  I started my day with the Lord thanking him for our sweet Jayden.  

The messages from friends and family began hitting my inbox Saturday evening.  I have to be honest I felt a little frustrated as I read message after message saying people were thinking about me and praying for me.  At one point I looked at Andrew and said, "I wish everyone would leave me alone.  I'm fine!"

This journey is a bizarre pull between wanting people to acknowledge, encourage, and pray and just wanting them to act like it's not an issue and to talk about anything else but infertility and loss.

But yesterday morning my devotional focused on Colossians 4:12 which says, "Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings.  He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God."

As I read that verse God reminded me that maybe, just maybe, the reason I was feeling okay about the day was because of all the people who had been praying for me. I vowed then to be thankful for the prayers instead of feeling pitied.  

It's not that I don't want the prayers and encouragement.  I just wish there was no infertility for people to pray for.  

To all of you who sent me a message telling me you were thinking of me and wishing me a Happy Mother's Day.  Thank you. 

Thank you for acknowledging that I am a mother even though there is no baby in my arms.  

Thank you for going to the Father on my behalf.

Thank you for thinking of me.

Thank you for being my Ephaphras.