Update and Pictures

I am sorry that I dissappeared.  Things have been going crazy around here.  We did not get that trailer I was talking about in my last posting.  A week before move in they pulled out because they did not actuallly own the property but their son-inlaw did and for some reason they decided to sell instead of rent.  We were crushed.  We started looking at craigslist and came across a few we called on and one of them was particularily interesting.  My husband called and talked to the landlord on the phone for quite awhile and were going to look at it the next evening after my husband got out of work. 

The next day my mom and I were sitting around thinking about the house and decided we should drive by the neighborhood and see how it was.  Once in the neighborhood we decided to drive by the house (you see where this is going right?).  Once by the house we thought maybe we could peek into the windows as we pulled up we noticed that the door was open so we went right up and there was the landlord.  They were finishing some painting and things but showed us around and we loved the place.  I told him that I really liked it next thing I knew he was pulling out the paperwork and telling me where to sign as my mom was saying she'd write a check for the amount of the deposit and I could pay her back when Hubby got out of work since it was payday.  A lady walked in and we found out she'd been there everyday that week trying to get it.  She even brought cash.  We had swooped in on her (sorry!).  I signed then even though I knew I should have waited for my hubby but we would have lost it to her if I hadn't.  Hubby was a little upset with that but once he saw the house he forgave me.  We really needed it.  Living in a four bedroom house with eleven people is a bit much.

We moved in a few days later and love it!  There are some problems.  We have a bug problem with both roaches and fleas we are in battle mode and I've had them out to replace the bathroom floor since it was sinking in.  Our dog also got out of our fence somehow and was missing for few agonizing days.  Some people had saved her from a car on the busy road in front of our house and then a few days later turned her in to the pound.  We are so happy to have her home!!

Things have been a little tight around here.  That first payment we made left us barely any money for gas and it was only the deposit.  The next paycheck was our rent and again barely any money for gas.  This last paycheck was once again the rent with barely any money for gas.  Our car started making a lot of noise so we had to fix it.  Sunday we took it apart and found that our driveline, bearing, and some other part needed to be replaced.  My parents helped us and my brother and husband spent two days fixing it.  I can't wait for things to normalize.

I'll be posting some more later. Until then here are some pictures for you to enjoy :D

Our Kitchen

Beautiful moon the night before the Super Moon

Pumpkin at the beach

Here's my little Monkey

The shells along the shore

Beautiful waves

More shells on the seashore

Sand Angels from Pumpkin

See the little sand crab? At least that's what we think they are

Sand crab again

sand crab

sand crab upside down

lots of sand crabs

Uncle buried Pumpkin in the sand

Looks like trouble is brewing

Mount Nephewmoore

Beautiful sunset

The sunset kissed clouds over the ocean to leave you with.  How awesome is our God?

Time is just flying by me. I can't believe how fast it has sped up in such a short time. Last month my mom and I took my three boys to Seattle for my sisters wedding. We went a week early to help her with some final things. Flying with the boys went well. They were really good and no ear problems at all. I brought along Brens machine and I'm really glad I did because he needed it a few times while we were there. The wedding itself was beautiful and I am so happy for my little sister. I believe that she really has found her other half. My sisters and I sung Johnny and June for them at the reception which was scary and a mess but the meaning was important since it's a song that she loved. I got to see my best friend in Wa and we got a little hanging out done we really wished it could have been for a longer period of time but weddings are busy. I really liked meeting her son and niece they are both so cute.

Ok so now for the huge news: we have our own place! Ok well not yet but our move in date is for May 1st yay! It's a trailer but hey it's a stepping stone in the right direction. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a deck, a firepit, a large yard, it's a little secluded, it's three miles from the beach, it's closer to my church, MOPS, and bible studies, and it's affordable yay again! Oh and they allow our pets. I can't wait. This does mean I need to pack again but it's worth it I'm going to be alone with my family again. I'm going to have my own room with just my husband and my own kitchen the boys get their own room I'm so excited I just can't stop wanting to bounce around! Ok I need to breathe lol. Isn't God good? He heard my small cries...ok my loud begging and whining which was probably like a mosquito or fly buzzing in his ear lol, anyways he heard me and he provided. The people I will be renting from are very sweet and their daughter homeschools and is in my group. They also are Christians woot. I can't wait!

My lack of posting has been kind of a testament to how boring life has been since my move here to NC.  At the holidays we really got out and then just as they were begining to wind down we became sick, really sick.  So our days became home based...and without already having friends or any family here besides us, it became quiet and not very entertaining.  The next thing we knew we had three people working and all needed cars or rides so we began to play a car switching game.  My brother gets the van no contest because he's the driver for two other people at this job.  It was a condition for him getting the job.  My sister and Hubby have to share the little blue car...thats where the fun begins.  They need to work out rides and times between themselves and then any appointments or shopping my mother and I might need he car for.  It gets difficult some days.  So that really ended my socializing and friend making 'sigh'.  I knew we needed a car and fast but money was tight.  Well we got our taxes back and my hubby got a permament job (yay, woot, woot, happy dance) so things were looking up.  All we needed now was a car.  This brings us all the way up to this last Saturday.  We found a car on Craigslist and went to look at it.  I am always nervous but my family talked me into buying it so here it is our Nissan Quest van.

We need a new windsheild...that seems to be a pattern for the used cars we buy lol

This is where the cd player must have been since there are cd buttons...and no player.  Luckily we saved ours from our car in CA so we will just hook that up here.

My radio set up...yes it's a tape player

My miles on it.

The driver's seat.  All the seats in the car are this nice.  The backs of a couple have some spots but I need to steam clean and wash this thing any ways so no big deal.

My favorite part of my van!!  The sun roof...moon roof which ever it is.  Ps it actually opens either by popping open or actually sliding open with a push of a button yay.  Oh and that's a little bit of damage there behind it.  Looks like they attached something there and then removed it.

The sun roof or moon roof?  What is the difference?

The driver's seat :D

The front of the van

The driver's side

Driver's side

The back of my van

More on what's been going on here later as for right now I have to go try on wedding shoes for my sisters wedding.  I'm a bridesmaid :D

Thanksgiving, Flotilla, and the Hanging of the Greens

I am still happy to be out here!  I think it's beautiful.  I haven't really made any friends yet but I'm hoping to nurture some aquantences into friends.  It all takes time.  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!  Pumpkin woke up with a tummy ache and a hard time breathing.  I put him on his machine and soon after he threw up in it poor little man he spent the day eating crackers and drinking ginger ale.  It was the first Thanksgiving without my dad and we really missed him it was also his birthday :(.  My brother drove up from Florida and brought his girlfriend.  I was really happy to meet her she seemed really nice.  She took over the kitchen and made a really great feast for us all and many pies!  I can still taste the Waldorf salad mmm.  

Pumpkin on his machine the last one he looked like he was going to fall asleep moments later is when he got sick :(

The day after Thanksgiving we had a little party for my brother Nate because his birthday was on Tuesday and he had school and Nick would be going back home so we rented movies, played some card games, and ate some ribs (Nate's favorite). 

My brother Nick

On Saturday we went to the Christmas Flotilla Festival were I had my first boiled peanuts and funnel cake which both are really good.  The funnel cake was a bit sweet and had a lot of oil so I couldn't eat much.  We were covered in powdered sugar by the end but enjoyed ourselves.  We were going to let the kids play on the five bounce houses they had set up but they wanted $10 per child so we decided the beach would be a better option.  Afterwards we went home and came back for the Holiday Flotilla Parade and fireworks.  We were a little late and had to walk a mile but it was worth it.  I can't believe how great the fireworks were and hope that they were only a glimpse into what we can expect for the Fourth of July!  Monkey, Mr A and Pumpkin made a new friend who shared his light sword.  After the parade but before the fireworks my brother and his girlfriend headed home but took a little friend with them...one of my sisters little kittens.  It was old enough to go and they loved her.  We are glad she went to a good home.

Monkey giving the beach a spiky hair dude as he calls it lol

On Sunday the boys and I began our first ever celebration of Advent.  I googled a lot of my ideas and bought a wreath with some cinnamon pinecones, plastic holly, and ribbon to go on it.  I got my purple and white candles (couldn't find pink) and we prayed and sung over our candle.  Then we read some from the bible about hope.  It was really fun.  I realized while singing, that my boys do not know Christmas songs off the top of their heads...I'm going to have that remedied by the end of the season lol. 

Yesterday Mr A and Monkey had their concert at one of the churchs we have been visiting on Wednesday.  It was a lot of fun we got to help decorate the Chrismon tree which I had never heard of before, see the hanging of the greens, the Advent candle being lit, and the singing.  It really helps put you in the spirit and I would recommend attending a hanging of the greens
service!

We have been doing our school work and are now an official school I filed the paperwork a couple weeks ago so yeay.  I had to name our school so I chose Whole Heart Academy.  I think that about sums it up lol.  I believe in order to reach our children and teach them you need to reach their hearts. 

Today is the first day of December so we get to begin our count down calendar and our Advent
box yeay (ps I still need to find one O.O don't tattle lol.  I have a twelve days of Christmas one already that has different objects in them to remind us of Jesus but that one has to wait a bit still. 
This brings us up to this weekend and I am excited to say we have three holiday parades to attend!  Thats one every night this weekend yeay!  Did I mention how much I love the holidays?  Especially Christmas!  I will post some pictures of them as soon as I can.

So what are you doing for the holidays?  I'd love to hear all about them and if you do any Advent activites.

In Love,

Noelle