We have now been in Rogers for almost three weeks! It still seems so surreal that we’re actually here. Nathan and I have been talking and praying about a move like this for quite some time. We’ve known God was leading us in the direction of church planting, but had no clue when or where or how it was going to happen. Now it is finally unfolding and we are actually taking steps in the direction of planting and most days I’m still amazed by that.

We have been blown away by the encouragement we have received from all of you as we have made this transition. So many of you have reached out to let us know that you were praying for us and would be willing to help in any way that we needed. I’ve joked with several people that we don’t ever do things the easy way. We always jam as much as we can into small amounts of time (ex: becoming parents to three kids in one year), so the willing hands and faithful prayers have been such  blessings to us!

Many of you have asked how we are settling in to this new life in NWA, how we are handling the transition to a place without our closest friends and family, and how the kids are adjusting. Let’s be real: the majority of you just want to know how the kids are doing and what crazy antics they’ve been up to lately! So, I thought I would share a few updates with you!

Em started Kindergarten the day after we moved into our new house. She was a bit nervous and a little clingy when we left her in her classroom, but no tears were shed! She came home beaming and loving everything about school, except the fact that she didn’t get to swing on the swing set because the other kids wouldn’t give her a turn (sigh). She also mentioned that she almost fell asleep a few times, but I think the lack of a nap is getting better! She has already learned so much from her teacher and classmates and of course the teacher in me is loving seeing her little brain soak in new things! She got a new hair cut last week and now officially looks like a grown up Kindergartener. I can’t even handle it!

 

Isn’t she just the cutest in her little jammies that Kay Kay and Pappy got her from San Francisco??

The big boys are adjusting to not having their big sister around during the day. For the first couple of days all we heard was, “Where Emmy go??” Honestly, I think they’re enjoying their few hours to themselves in the mornings. They have become quite the little duo. Wrestling, imaginary games, and deep conversations are their things. They’re keeping us laughing and are amazing us with how much they are learning and growing together. They are now wearing the same clothes and are almost the exact same height, so we pretty much have twins on our hands. Wild, rambunctious, full of life twin boys.

 

We had a donut date after we dropped sister off on her first day of school. They seemed to handle their emotions well!

Baby Beau has just been a long for the ride! He still hasn’t figured out this whole sleep thing, but we love him anyways. He just started smiling and giggling last week and is looking like a big boy while holding his head up to look around at everything going on around him. His smile is contagious and his siblings absolutely adore him. He has them wrapped and will probably get anything he wants from them for the rest of his days. He’s growing like a weed and is looking like he’s going to be built more like Gabe than JB. I’m pretty excited about that. Who doesn’t love a little chunky baby??

Nathan and I are really enjoying learning our way around in a new place and having so many opportunities to meet new people. One of the really cool aspects of this residency that Nathan is going through is the freedom to work from home and have time to spend with the kids. We have so enjoyed spending more time with him and taking on this new journey as a whole family.

One of the fears I had about moving our family to a new place was that the kids would have a hard time meeting new people and building new relationships. Obviously this is a stage that all kids must go through at some point, but it’s hard to think about as parents sometimes. Our kids were so blessed to be treated like superstars by all of our friends, family, and church members in Conway. Our high school students invested in them, our friends tagged along to take care of them, and our family was constantly spoiling them in the best ways. They have been able to form relationships in the short years of their lives that many kids never have the opportunity to have. So to leave all of those relationships and come to a place where they knew no one was a bit scary for me. But wouldn’t you know, the Lord provides. Our kiddos have already made several wonderful friends at church, school, and in our neighborhood. They have shocked me with how outgoing and excited they have been to meet these new friends. Two of which are these cuties below, Sam and Drew. We’re pretty sure Em has her first crush on Sam and Drew can’t stand to be away from Em. It’s a little love triangle!

Our last step in fully being here in Rogers is to sell our house. We have had a lot of showings and several very interested buyers. We are hoping that we could possibly receive an offer by the end of this week. Would you be in prayer for that? Trying to sell a house from a distance is a bit stressful and is like a brick hanging above our heads. We would love to be able to tie up that loose end so that we can be fully here without unfinished business. We know the Lord is working and we are praying that the right family would come along and be able to build as many wonderful memories in this home as we did.

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. We look forward to sharing more with you about all that we are learning in the coming days. God has been so faithful to us and we look forward to sharing His goodness with you as He carries us along this journey.