Growing by Leaps and Bounds

I recently looked at Evelyn and realized that she has become a full-blown child. Not a baby, not a toddler, but an actual kid. Super bittersweet. On top of that, Elizabeth is almost half of a year old already! Time has certainly been flying by the last few months.  Below are some recent pictures of the girls and our cooking crafts from the last month!

 Gingerbread houses in February. At least we finally got them done - even if it was two months late!

Evelyn's little gingerbread village

Football cake pops for the Superbowl

Evelyn's mini heart cookies

So proud :)

Red Velvet Heart Cake Pops

First Day of Preschool!

Loving some time in the entertainer

First rice cereal

They love each other :)

First night her in big bed

Romans 8 - Words of Comfort

No words are sufficient to express the grief in our hearts. Life is so delicate, beautiful, and fleeting.  We are amazed at every gift of life and good thing from the Father above but are ever grateful that the Spirit intercedes in the seasons of life when we cannot find words and our hearts are heavy with sorrow. Grateful even more that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:18-39
" I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:

'For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.'

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

A New Chapter

It has already (or only?) been almost 3 weeks since I traded my pumps for slippers, dress clothes for PJs with spit-up, and my engineering desk job for full-time at home with the kiddos.  And I wouldn't trade it for the world! I am so grateful for the opportunity to be home with our girls and grateful that Devin works so hard to make it possible. We have definitely seen the Lord's faithfulness in answering many prayers over the last several years - most recently with Devin's job, my new full-time job, and a new place to call home. We are excited beyond words to start this new chapter in the life of our family!

Going for a walk with Elizabeth in the Moby and Mr. Frog in tow with Evelyn

 

 

It never feels like home until we break in the kitchen!

Under Contract!

After looking at several homes in the metro-Atlanta area, we have finally found the one for us!  In typical suburban fashion, we will be living at the end of a cul-de-sac (which would likely make my urban planner peers cringe. If it is any consolation, however, there are sidewalks on both sides of the street throughout the neighborhood and all of the way to both the elementary school and middle school!) While some dream of a house with a white picket fence, I have always dreamed of a house in a cul-de-sac where our children and other neighborhood kids could play - but I digress. We will be leaving our first family home in early December and will be settling into our new home in time for Christmas! More to follow as our transition begins!

Beginning Our Journey to the Suburbs

And so our journey begins...

After living in the city during our time at Georgia Tech and all of the short four years of our life together, Devin and I have decided to move our family and belongings to the Suburbs! Our girls have become true city girls - Evelyn is well acquainted with all of the shopping malls and the knows the location of each local Starbucks; Elizabeth sleeps through the countless sirens and the regular noise on the interstate behind our house. Though we now laugh about the memory of Evelyn crying the first time we stood her on grass instead of concrete, we look forward to our children having a green space to run around on each day (and the green tennis courts in our current apartment complex don't count)! Possibly the biggest added benefit, besides the spacious yard and extra space, is the proximity to the girls' Mimis and Papas. 

And now on with the house hunt!