Happy St. Patrick's Day

As you read this post, you may be wondering why I chose to post it today. It might seem more appropriate for our wedding anniversary or Valentine's Day, but today is an anniversary for Joey and I. Five years ago today, we met for the first time face to face. For those of you who may not know, Joey and I "met" on eHarmony. We were matched up on Oct. 9, 2005. I was going to end my membership at the end of the month when we were matched up. We communicated online through the site, email, and IM for months and eventually through phone calls and text messages. After months of communicating, we prayerfully considered meeting face to face. It was a big decision to make. Since he lived in Memphis and I lived in Leavenworth, the meeting meant an entire weekend, not just one night over dinner. It was a major commitment to make, financially and time wise. The Lord answered our prayers when Joey's dad had to go to Kansas City for business and asked Joey if he wanted to tag along. It was the sign we needed. We made plans to meet that weekend.

St. Patrick's Day 2006 happened to fall on a Friday. It was a workday for me at school and the following week was Spring Break. All day long, I was a bundle of nerves. I could barely eat the Guinness stew I had for lunch at a local restaurant. Very few people knew that we had been communicating at this point, but those who did knew how nervous we were. It was with a sense of relief that I finally left work and went back to my apartment to get ready. Finally, the moment arrived, Joey picked me up at my apartment. He was even more good looking than his pictures. We were both so nervous. What if the weekend worked out and things went well? What would we do about the distance? What if the night did go well? Then we would be stuck with each other the rest of the weekend. We went to Granite City at the Legends for dinner. It is our special spot and any time we are in Leavenworth, we make it a point to go there. Wish there was one here.

Despite our nerves, dinner went well. We then went back to my apartment and watched a movie. Joey went back to the hotel he and his dad were staying at. We made plans for the next day. I showed him around Ft. Leavenworth. I think he was probably bored with my history lesson about the Fort, but he covered it up well. I guess that is what comes with dating a history teacher. Sunday, he went to church with me and then we went to my parent's house for lunch. He met my entire family that weekend. What a brave guy. My brother and sister in law came in from Ft. Reilly for the occasion. Sunday evening, we had dinner with his dad. It was great to be able to meet a member of his family that weekend. I would meet the rest of his clan that April over Easter. After dinner, we went back to my apartment to watch a movie and spend a couple more hours together. If you ask Joey to tell you this story, he says I denied him a kiss. I did, choosing to wait until we were sure this was it. With sadness, we said goodbye that night. Joey and his dad were heading back the next morning. I wanted to go with them so bad, but had some commitments for the week. After he left, I wanted to cry. It was a wonderful weekend.

So began our long distance relationship. We would fly back and forth to see each other. We talked on the phone every night and text messaged a lot. I had to up my text messaging plan to cover the number of texts we sent. A year and a few months later, we were married and began our life together. The Lord truly blessed my St. Patrick's Day 5 years ago. I am so thankful that He brought us together in His time. We were able to really get to know each other in those months before we met and discuss topics that aren't discussed until later in a relationship. Happy Anniversary to my wonderful, amazing husband. I love you more now than I did 5 years ago. I thank the Lord for you and our life everyday. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

We Are HOME-LESS!!!

After a very long wait, the Lord has finally blessed us with the sale of the house. We closed on it yesterday. We are both still in a state of disbelief. It is still a little hard to believe that it is sold, we are no longer homeowners. Joey's parents were a huge help taking care of the house and getting it ready for the closing. They took care of the pool, the yard, Mom and Carley cleaned it, and they took care of so many other details. It has been a crazy 4 weeks as we prepared for the closing. Joey went back to Memphis every weekend for the last 3 weeks. There were things that needed to be fixed and furniture that needed to be moved out. Joey and Dad had to move my piano all by themselves. One weekend, the kids and I went with Joey so I could sort some boxes, correction, a lot of boxes. I got rid/donated about 10 boxes worth of boxes. Anyone who knows me, knows what a sacrifice that is. It is a collection of books that started in my teens. There were some books I didn't want to part with, so we are making room in the apartment. I really want an ereader. What a space saver it would be.

While we are ecstatic that we no longer own the house, we also feel a touch of sadness. We have so many memories involving that house. Joey bought the house when he was single and made it his home. He was so nervous to show it to me for the first time, hoping and praying I would like it. Joey proposed to me in the den, we started our married lives in the house, we brought Connor home to the house, and countless other memories. God blessed us with that house for a period of time. We will always cherish the memories we made there. We pray that the Lord blesses the new owner of the house as He did us. Thank you all for your constant prayers as we waited for the perfect buyer and the sale. The Lord has taught and patience and complete reliance on Him through the whole process. It truly was His doing that it is sold. God bless!!

Mealtime at the Moores

Lunch and dinner in the Moore household has become quite interesting. Bailey is starting to eat baby food and of course, the kids want to eat at the same time. Out of necessity, I am having to relinquish my need to control the mess Connor makes when he eats. He is becoming more proficient at feeding himself. I think that half of his food ends up on him and the rest he eats.
So far, we have tried feeding Bailey rice cereal, carrots, and peas. We are going through veggies first and then we will try fruits. She eats some of it, some she just lets dribble down her chin. It is hard to believe she is eating baby food now. I still remember the night she was born. I can't believe close to 6 months has flown by. It is also hard to believe that Connor is 18 months. Pretty soon he will be 2. Where does the time go? We pray you all are well. God bless!!!

What a difference a week makes

It has been a crazy week here in Arkansas weather wise. I know most of you have experienced the same craziness or worse. Friday, Feb. 4, it snowed and Joey got off work early. Connor enjoyed spending time with Daddy and walking outside in the snow.

Bailey enjoyed the weather from inside the apartment. It snowed again Wednesday, Feb. 9. Joey got to spend the whole day at home with the kids and I. Connor and Bailey enjoyed more bonding time, as if they do not get enough. Connor is now wanting to hold his little sister. Whenever we are holding her, he puts up his little arms for her. Bailey is not quite sure what to think of this. She always has a look like "what are you doing in my space" whenever Connor tries to interact with her.

This weekend, the weather was beautiful. Since we were all going stir crazy, Connor especially, we got outside for a bit. Saturday, the boys went to the park and spent some quality father-son time together. Sunday, we all went to the park. We went for a walk around the lake and then Connor and Daddy played on the playground. Connor loves swinging with Daddy and going down the slide. He also loves chasing dogs, but when they get close to him, he freaks out.

We had a great time at the park and a great weekend. I am looking forward to a great week with beautiful weather. The kids and I will be getting out a lot this week. Happy Valentine's Day and God bless!!

Fun With Books

I love the fact that my children already love books. Connor will run out of his bedroom in the morning after Joey has gotten him up, bringing a book for me to read to him. It is usually a Veggie Tales book that I can read without looking at the pages. Thank God for rhyming. He also loves to curl up in my lap and have me read the same book to him over and over again. He will sit on his own and look through books himself. He can sort of say E-I-E-I-O (as in Old MacDonald). He got a book for Christmas that is a different version of Old MacDonald. He will open it up and do his version of E-I-E-I-O as he turns the pages. Of course, some of the books have seen better days, but he is starting to learn that we treat books gently. Another one of his favorite books is a Fisher Price book that has about 175 animals in it pictured in their natural habitat. He can already point to the manatee, sea turtle, hammerhead shark, lion, elephant, anaconda, and goose. In the picture of him looking at his animal book, he climbed up onto the couch himself. Yes we are to that stage. Scary!! He has already fallen off the couch once.

Bailey also loves books too. She will pay attention to a book when I read it Connor. In this picture, the book was already opened, and Bailey rolled over onto it. She sure did look at it though, despite the fact that it is upside down. I hope that my kids will continue to love books. I can't wait until they are old enough to go to the library and pick out books for themselves. For now, I keep reading to them as often as they want. I love having them cuddled on my lap with a book. God bless!!!

New Year, New Home

We have settled into our new apartment quite nicely. It is very cozy, but we enjoy it. Connor has found some new pastimes that he enjoys. He loves to play in and hide in the Tupperware cabinet. Thanks to his Uncle Chris, he has also developed a love for Play Doh, which he received as a Christmas gift. He likes to get the top of the containers of Play Doh off and put them back on with several attempts to eat the Play Doh. He has not figured out how to play with the Play Doh, just eat it. I have to watch him like a hawk.

He and Daddy love to play "where's Daddy?" Joey hides in Connor's bedroom and Connor finds him and then laughs hysterically. He has figured out all of Joey's hiding places, granted there are not that many places to hide. He also loves going to the park with Daddy. They walk around the lake and Connor has just started playing on the playground.

Bailey is getting bigger by the day. She is sitting up, with some help. She is also rolling onto her stomach. She is already sleeping on her stomach. It makes me a little bit nervous. She shares a love of Veggietales with her big brother. She gets so excited when we put it on. I have tried several times to get some video of her watching her favorite songs, but she hears the camera go on and pays attention to that. The best I could do is a picture. She loves her Daddy so much. She is a daddy's girl already, although Joey disagrees.

We think we have found a church in the area. We have been several times and really enjoyed it. We are going to try to get plugged into a Life Group when they start up again here in the next few weeks. Joey continues to enjoy his job. It is so nice to see him in a better mood when he gets ready for work. I am still trying to figure out how to juggle the two kids. It is hard at times, but I love it. Hearing Connor laugh, seeing his smile, holding Bailey, and watching them hit milestones makes it all worth it. God bless!!!!

What a year

As the year is coming to an end and I have a few minutes of quiet, I thought I would take the opportunity to finally update our blog. I know that it has been months. It has been quite a year for us. The Lord has blessed us in so many ways. Joey got a new job with the federal government. We endured close to 8 months of separation, but he completed his training at the end of October. The kids experienced their first plane ride as we flew out to Maryland for his graduation. It was a proud day for all of us. We are now finally back together as a family.

On July 23, Connor celebrated his first birthday. He actually got to celebrate two times. Once in June while Joey was home and then again in Leavenworth with my family. The cake and cupcakes did not go over so well. Connor has learned to walk and is running now. He is quick and keeps me on my toes. He is learning to talk. Mostly, he just babbles, but he looks at you as if you should know what he is saying. Once he really starts talking, I don't know if he will stop. He loves walking around outside, Veggie Tales (still), and stuff about the farm. We had a wonderful time in Leavenworth with my family. He and Grandma were very close. I don't know if it was harder on me or him when we said goodbye to her at the end of October. He also loved hanging out with his Grandpa, as you can see in the picture.

On August 29, we welcomed Bailey Elisabeth Moore into the family. She made a dramatic entrance at 3:17 in the morning, 2 1/2 weeks early. She weighed 8 lbs, 4.5 oz. and was about 18 inches long. Unfortunately, Joey was not able to be there for her birth, but he came out that Thursday night. She has her daddy wrapped around her little finger already. She is our little social butterfly. She hates to be by herself and has a smile on her face when she sees someone.
She is already cooing and trying to sit up. It is hard to believe she is almost 4 months old. She loves her big brother. Connor loves his little sister, although sometimes he wants the attention that she gets. He tries to be a good helper boy. He tries to give her blankets, wipe her face, and put a bib on her. He loves to give her hugs and kisses.

We are now settled in a cozy two bedroom apartment in Maumelle, AR, a suburb of Little Rock. Joey is really enjoying his job and I am enjoying being a stay-at-home mom. It has been a crazy year, I can hardly believe it is Christmas. As I praise God for all His blessings, I am especially grateful for His gift of salvation. I can only imagine how difficult it was to send His Son to die that we might be saved. May the Lord bless you this season.