Changes are Coming...

We have big news. No, I'm not pregnant. We have other big news. Jonathan was offered a job in Toledo, Ohio and we are moving. In three weeks! Yes. I'm still reeling from the news. This was nothing we sought out, so we know it's God's will and we have to follow His leading.

Back in August Jonathan and I talked about reevaluating our lives and our priorities. We ended up listing our house for sale by owner thinking that if we could downsize we could get to a place where I could stay home with the kids which has always been my dream. About 3 days after we listed the house on Zillow Jonathan got a call out of the blue from a recruiter. When he googled the company he found that the company was located only 3 miles from my parents house. We decided that we couldn't not walk through that open door to see where it took us. It was like God was waiting for us to release our grip on our "safe" lives and putting our house on the market was just that release.

The interviewing process took many weeks between the different interviews and then we had to find a weekend that we were able to get up to Toledo for him to do an in person interview. Through all of those weeks I just had this feeling that I knew that we were moving. I love Lexington (and so does Jonathan) and I really think I needed all of those weeks to wrap my head around the idea of leaving this place. I had so many songs and scripture versus, sermons and Jesus Calling's that just spoke to me where I was and I just had this knowledge that Lexington was no longer my home and that I needed to start taking mental pictures because these would no longer be my regular views. (I drive 2 miles to work each day past rolling hills with beautiful fences and cows. So pretty. If you drive most places around town and you see horses in a picturesque settings.) We both moved to Lexington in 1999 to attend school (not together. I went to Asbury and J went to UK.) so we have lived in Lexington for 15 years. All of our adult lives. Lexington is home to us. Jonathan has never lived outside of Kentucky. Northern Ohio will be a huge culture shock. And we may need a snow blower come wintertime... :)

After the in person interview, Jonathan was told it would be a week before he heard anything back. The very next morning he got a call back from the recruiter notifying him that they were drawing up an offer package that he would receive it by the end of the week. We spent that entire week jumping at any noise our phones made. Waiting is nerve-wracking. That call could change our lives! And it did. I had asked God for a big neon flashing sign. I needed more than just an open door. I was being less open minded about picking up our lives and starting over so I really asked God for a way to know 100% that this was from Him and that we had to go. Well I had something specific in my mind and when the offer came through the offer was for the exact number that was in my head. It was one of those things where I told Jonathan that I guess we didn't need to discuss it. God made it evidently clear that we were to move and that this was the job for him.

So here we are. We gave our notice at work this past Monday and have been telling our friends in person over this past week. My last day of work will be November 5th and Jonathan's will be November 7th (his birthday!). I'm trying not to stress out when I think about everything that needs to be done in the next three weeks before we start our lives in a new city.  I'm really leaning on God to give me a peace about moving and leaving our friends. Right now that's the part that stings the most. But I keep remembering that God is providing this job and providing me a way to be a stay at home mom. He's given both of us our dream jobs. We just have to release our grip on our safe lives here and follow His leading.

It's a bittersweet time. We're trusting that God will bring a buyer for our house so that we're not living in my parents house for any length of time:) Yes, our house is on the market with an agent as of today. And I'm trusting that God will help me not break down through all of our goodbyes. I'm thrilled to live near my parents and have my kids live near grand parents. I'm also excited to live near my extended family and have my kids be near cousins. And as I've been home a day and a half this week with sick kids, it has reminded me how wonderful it will be to be a stay at home mom so I don't feel like I'm letting work down when I need to stay home with a sick kid.

God's timing is not our timing and his ways are not our ways. I would have never fathomed 6 months ago that I would be writing this blog post or that we would ever have the notion to move away from Lexington. But I'm thankful for Jonathan for leading our family in this venture by following where God has opened doors. Here we go...

Evans Orchard 2014

Two weekends ago we met up with a few other families at Evans Orchard. It was the Apple Festival weekend which is always a good time. It was a chilly, overcast day so the crowds were low at least for the first hour. By lunchtime the place was packed! The parents didn't get much socializing time since the play area is so huge and the kids kept running from one thing to another. But the kids seemed to have a fun time. I tried to get some pictures when the kids slowed down enough that they weren't a blur:)

Cayden was not a fan of the slide and after his one trip down he refused to play on any of the playground. Stinker.

 This was a huge hay castle/fort. The kids loved it but Jonathan got tired of chasing them through the maze and lifting them up onto all of the hay bales. 

 Adalyn with two of her sweet friends. Three bow-wearing peas in a pod. 

 Trying to not enjoy himself. Emalyn was trying to include him on the fun!

 Adalyn likes to watch American Ninja Warrior with her daddy. She thought she was on ANW doing this rope hill.

 So proud of herself.

We had to take a break from the play area for Adalyn to take a pony ride. (Cayden was all about looking at the horses up close but didn't want to ride one.)

Cayden wanted to see the animals in the barn. Adalyn was begging the entire time to go back to play in the playground with her friends. But they did have a fun assortment of animals to pet. Please notice Cayden's double cowlick. And now you can feel sorry for me.

 After a little lunch, we headed out to the orchard with the Motsch family to let the kids pick some apples. So fun that we do this each year together. Crazy to think that we used to do this even before kids! My how times have changed!

 Eli stretching for an apple.

 Cayden enjoyed carrying around his apple sipper from lunch.

 Emalyn trying out an apple to make sure it was good.

 Love these two!

 Hold up...gotta take it back a few years... How has this happened so fast?

Cayden wasn't into being in a sibling picture.

 Uncle Derek got just about the only smile out of Cayden all day:) Human jungle-gym!

As we were leaving we had to indulge in an apple dumpling. YUM!

 Adalyn and Cayden enjoyed some apple donuts and apple sippers on the way home. They had a fun-filled day!

Sports

It's no secret that we are big UK fans in this house. Last month the CATS basketball team was playing in a tournament so of course we had to support them by dressing Cayden in a full UK basketball uniform! He loved it! He thought he was BIG stuff!

We were excited for football to start! Adalyn has a cheerleader outfit from last winter that still fit and Cayden has a football jersey from a hand-me-down bag of clothes from a friend. They wore them for our first game and I thought they looked so cute that I had to get a picture!

The kids both got new running shoes since they had grown out of their old ones. They are actually the same shoes but in different colors. Cayden loved his shoes and started running laps in the house to show us how well they work. It was so cute! He was bursting with excitement!

Adalyn starts soccer this weekend so Jonathan took her to buy some pink cleats. I'm pretty sure it was his most favorite thing he's ever bought her. Of course he also bought her a matching ball. Last month he found some pink shin guards at a consignment sale and they ended up matching the shoes perfectly. She also didn't have many sporty clothes so we got her a cute little Puma outfit. She is so excited about soccer! Jonathan dressed her all up and took her outside to practice so of course I had to get a picture. These kind of take my breath away since she looks way too old!

I'm pretty sure he's secretly hoping that she takes to soccer so she can follow in his footsteps. Only time will tell! I just love that she is willing to try new sports and has fun doing it!

Zoo Birthday Party

Our nephews who live in Louisville have the same birthday and a couple weeks ago we went to the Louisville Zoo to celebrate their birthdays with them. Of course I forgot the big camera so we just got a couple pictures on our phones.

It was drizzling all day but that actually helped hold off the crowds at the zoo on a holiday weekend. We were able to get a train ride before they closed it due to rain. Cayden loved the train ride. Or maybe I should call it a "choo choo" ride. He was a fan! (Even if he doesn't look like it in these pictures.)

Then we headed over to the carousel. Adalyn loved it! I even got in on the fun!

 For some reason Cayden didn't want to ride a moving animal. He seemed to like it last time so I'm not sure why he was acting that way, but he enjoyed some time with Aunt Heather and Chaz.

After the zoo we went to Moe's to get some lunch and one last cousin picture before we headed back to Lexington. The kids had a great time spending time with family!