Ride 'em Cowboy!

Bowling Fun

Last night we had our last outing with the wonderful students at MBC. We went bowling in Hattiesburg to help celebrate Spring Break and had a blast! I wasn't too sure how I'd make it being almost six months pregnant, but I survived...and I was able to get out of bed this morning without too much soreness. haha Now, my score on the other hand...well, let's just say its all about the fun and fellowship! Sam and I have not bowled in forever, but Sam loves it so he was excited to break out his old skills.

I wish we could've taken Mac with us. I just know he'd love it since it involves a ball. However, we knew we'd get home way too late, so Naomi lovingly brought him home from church and got him to bed. They had their own fun reading lots of bedtime books and playing. He was sound asleep when we returned.

I'm so glad we had the opportunity to have another night of fun with these great kids and our faithful chaperone friends!!

Our crew

Sweet, sweet girls

Hangin with the guys

The Wallflowers.

They were standing back observing everyone's techniques. I think they needed the extra help! haha

Sam in action

Mr. Terrell in action trying to figure out why his ball keeps going in the gutter. hehe

One of us is pregnant...and after seeing this pic, I didn't feel quite so huge!

"The Last Supper"...or Lunch

We had a great time at lunch today with our dear friends, the Hewitts, the Bayles, the Carneys and the McCaffreys (minus Naomi). The men in this bunch go to lunch together every Wednesday at Country Fishermen in Prentiss. On special occasions, like school being out, they allow us ladies to tag along for a Wednesday pork chop :) We had a great time hanging out and laughing at life, and each other! Something tells me Sam may have to get back down to Prentiss every now and then for his pork chop with his buddies.

Mac's Best Buddy

Mr. Mike Bayles is Mac's best friend and pretty much has been his whole little life. Mr. Mike is so good with Mac and always makes him laugh and smile. Mac lights up when he sees Mr. Mike. Now days, he squeals and points his little finger when he sees him. Its so sweet. When they are around each other, you will usually find Mr. Mike on the floor crawling, rolling around, or being tackled by Mac. They have a big time and are both worn out by the time they are done playing. Sam and I couldn't be more grateful to have someone that loves Mac so very much. We will miss Mr. Mike, and his family, dearly. But, we're already looking forward to their visit with us in Branson this summer!

Thank you, Mr. Mike, for all the fun and love you bring to Mac's life!!!!

An MBC Farewell

This past Sunday our church hosted a farewell reception for us. It was our last Sunday at MBC and, man, was it bittersweet! We love our friends and "family" at Monticello and will miss them dearly. From our first Sunday to our last, the people of this church have taken us under their wing, accepted us, and loved us like their own. For that, we will forever be grateful!

The reception Sunday night was very nice and was a great time to say good-bye to several of our friends. A big piece of our hearts will remain in Monticello, so we look forward to seeing them on future visits home.

At the reception (please politely overlook the fact that its a terrible pic of me and Mac isn't looking at the camera. Ok, thanks :)

The cake. I thought it was so sweet that they included Mac. And to the people at MBC, he will always be "Baby Mac"

Picture of the church that everyone signed. I am so very excited to have this picture to take with us wherever we go to remember our wonderful time here!

Happy Birthday, Momo!!!!

This past Saturday Sam, Mac, and I drove to the coast to celebrate Momo's birthday. She had no idea we were coming, so it was really fun to surprise her. My mom was already down there staying with my grandparents. We had a great time hanging out and ate pressed poboys for lunch. The weekend before, my grandfather had suffered a mild stroke, so I was equally glad to get to see him and spend time with both of them! I love going "home" to their house...anywhere family is, it just feels like home!!

Mac, as usual, had a great time playing at momo's. He loves to be outside; therefore, their house is perfect to run around and get dirty at. He also loves their newly decorated sunroom and Eldon's blue recliner. Its like a big ol vacation for him every time we go. Even though the day passed all too quickly, I am so very thankful we were able to go and spend time with them. I love them both more than words could ever say!!

Yummy ice cream cake

Mac sure loved it!!

Momo opening all her loot :) It looked like Christmas! What you don't see is the iPad my grandfather got for her the day before!!!

Now to some random shots of the rest of the day...

"Cheese"

This boy loves to get dirty in rocks

If you look closely, you can see all the white specks flying around. Those are the rocks that Mac loves to throw! haha

Smiling because he's so proud of himself and his rock-throwing abilities. Boys...

Playing horsey with CeCe

Having a big time in Eldon's chair

Chillin with Daddy. Now, I'm thinking this chair may have a weight limit. I'm not pointing fingers, just saying! haha

Momo was such a good sport. Mac likes to go "up"...

and "down" over and over again.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

"Where You go, I'll go
Where You stay, I'll stay
When You move, I'll move
I will follow..."

These songs lyrics to a popular Chris Tomlin tune have come to mean more to me over the past few months than I could have ever imagined. A few weeks ago Sam accepted a position as Student Minister at a church all the way in Missouri! I'll start from the beginning...

Several months ago Sam received a random email from a random man at a random church in Missouri asking if Sam might be interested in their Student Minister position. Well, since we were both perfectly content where the Lord had us in Monticello and things at MBC were going great, Sam responded that he may be interested in finding out about the church, but he really just politely declined. I mean, like we really wanted to move 9 hours from our family anyway!

Well, it became apparent that the Lord may have a different idea. Despite each door that we tried to close, the Lord just opened it right back up. So in December Sam and I went to visit First Baptist Church of Forsyth and see what the Lord was doing there and if we were to become a part of that work. After several more weeks of prayer and seeking, it became abundantly clear to both of us that the Lord was calling us to move to Forsyth.

Now, I'll just go on and admit to all those who may not know, I'm a homebody, and I enjoy my comfort zone :) Moving 9 hours from family (while my parents are in the process of moving back to Mississippi) and being 5 months pregnant, all the while loving the students and people at our church, does not exactly add up as perfect timing for me! But despite all the potential stressors and seemingly inconvenient factors, I have an incredible peace that we are acting in obedience in the Lord's time. My, my the lessons I'm learning to trust solely on the Lord and act in obedience accordingly.

Sam and I are thrilled to move and be a part of Exciting First in Forsyth. It is a very bittersweet time for us. We couldn't be more excited to see what the Lord has in store, but we also couldn't be more sad about leaving very dear friends, family and students in Monticello and Mississippi. So, we expect lots of visitors!! Oh, and by the way, Forsyth is only like ten minutes from Branson. I know, I know, you're probably thinking exactly what I was thinking, "Branson is for old people." But oh no, its surprisingly a fun, bustling, growing place to live and visit.

The past few months have been a wild ride to say the least. And it has been overwhelming to see how the Lord has been working and moving to get us to this point. Now if He could just provide a box packing and moving fairy...haha.

"Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." Galatians 5:25

Church sign in Forsyth surrounded by snow.

Mac and Sam at the Landing in Branson.

Bundled up on one of our very snowy visits in January.

Boy, Oh Boy!!!

We found out today that Baby #2 is a boy!!!! We are so super excited! Now, I'll just go on and be honest and say that I'd love to have a sweet little girl. However, since Mac and Baby 2 will be 22 months apart and only one grade apart, I think it will be just perfect to have two sweet little boys as playmates, teammates, and best friends. And hey, with Parker, Mac and Ramsey, we already have the boy stuff taken care of. I think we can outfit any little boy, for any season, any size up to a 3T! I couldn't be more thrilled. Of course, Sam is the practical thinker...he is so excited that he can coach both boys on the same team! haha The mind of a man...

Mac isn't too sure what's going on just yet; however, he was quick to give his vote this morning before the appointment. When Sam asked him if he wanted a baby brother, Mac replied, "O-Tay." When asked about a sister, he hesitated briefly and then gave a very loud "no" along with the shake of his head! Guess he got his wish.

We can't wait to welcome our sweet precious baby boy in July. Now to come up with a name!

I just couldn't post without a pic of Mac...He's being all boy playing in his camo tent.