A Tornado Warning

We got a tornado warning a few weeks ago and it was the fist time I have actually gotten the kids up and sat in our "tornado shelter" (really the stairwell in our house).  

After receiving a phone call from a friend, making sure we saw the tornado warning, I quickly turned on the TV and immediately heard them name some cross streets just a few miles from our home as the area they were concerned about a possible tornado forming.   So, I quickly woke up the kids and we had a little "party" in the stairwell until the tornado warning was lifted.   This all happened while Tyler was traveling which made it even more interesting as I was on my own.  Neal loved our little "party" and even asked the next night if we could hide from the tornado again.  Thankfully no tornado actually formed and we didn't even get any strong winds.  It was quite the eventful evening, however I hope not to have to experience it again, even though Tyler missed all the fun.  Even the idea of a possible tornado is something I don't think I'll ever get use to, which is why I am so thankful we hardly ever get these warnings here.

What Season is it Again?

Things here have been crazy!  One day we are outside enjoying the warm winter weather and the next day we are trying to stay warm inside by the fire.    Last weekend was the first time it actually looked like winter outside.  We had an ice storm come through and it made everything look like it was dusted with snow however it wasn't snow, it was all ice.  A solid sheet of ice covered our back yard.  Yawkey, our dog, had a really hard time walking around on it in the morning.   Then today it was 72 outside and I went outside and found Yawkey laying in the sun soaking up the heat.  Here is a little look at the two extremes we have seen this week.

It is strange needing your winter and summer clothes within the same week.   I am still trying to get use to the warm in January, but now after the ice storm I will gladly take 70 over raining ice.

Bugs

Bugs, bugs and more bugs.  Not only are there lots of bugs outside but Neal likes to try and keep them in his bug catcher so he can watch them up close.   As long as they stay in the bug jar I am ok with that, but I make sure to put plenty of tape on the lid so no little hands can let them out without me knowing.


May favorite one we caught was a "blutterfly" (as Neal calls it)

The June bug was way to loud and made all of us (even Tyler) jump when he would suddenly buzz and fly around.

The coolest looking one was the Praying Mantis (which is hard to see in this picture).

Neal loves to watch them and tap the jar to make them move.  After a day he wants to go outside and watch them fly away when he open the lid.

And so it begins...

Just look at what is coming this weekend...

We have been given an "Excessive Heat Watch" for our area over the next few days.  I am not sure what we will be doing to avoid the heat but I am sure it will be things indoors or at the pool (though even being outside at the pool sounds to hot).   I'm starting to think I am going to have to switch to iced coffee to make it through the summer.  I think this heat spell calls for some movies, games and quilting (anything indoors to keep cool) - could turn into a fun and relaxing weekend.

Official

This last week the final step in our cross country move was finalized...

That's right, we are officially NC residents.  North Carolina is our new "home sweet home" and will probably be the only place Neal will ever remember living.  We are having a great time settling in here as a family, and even though it's a big change from AK we seem to be adjusting just fine.

Feeling more like home

We are so excited to finally have our own house here in NC!  We moved in a little over a week ago and are getting close to having all our boxes unpacked.   When we moved from AK we sold almost all our furniture so last weekend we took a trip to Charlotte, NC to shop at IKEA for some furniture.

It was a great family trip ( it's about a 3 hour drive) and we were able to find almost all the furniture we needed.   Neal loved shopping with us and pointing out all the things that he liked.  All that furniture shopping made for one tired little boy (or I guess a silly boy who was pretending to sleep while we paid for everything)

Once home we had our work cut out for us, assembling everything...

Assembly wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated.  I was even able to assemble our nightstands by myself while Tyler was at work.

All of us were involved in putting together the furniture, even Neal, who was very helpful in putting together kitchen chairs.

So, finally a year after moving out of our home in AK, one month of driving cross country, and over 2 months in the TWR lodge we finally have a house that is slowly beginning to look like home.

 It's good to be home.

A few things I love about the south...

Yep, they have the most amazing thunder storms...and they've got Krispy Kreme


Neal was a bit unsure about the whole doughnut experience, we got the glazed doughnut, freshly made and hot off the frosting belt and it was a bit to messy for his liking (I know a little weird for a kid not to like being messy). Neal is not a fan of having things stick to his fingers and the warm frosting was doing just that.


Oh well, that just means I got to enjoy his doughnut and we'll have to go back and try again...I'm sure he will love them once he gives it a good try.

A Temporary Home

We have made it to North Carolina! This state will be our new home for the indefinite future. The sun is beautiful and we are halfway between the beach and the mountains so I am thinking we will like it here.

We officially stepped into full time ministry with TWR this past week and Tyler is busy beginning to lay the foundation for the video ministry. Remember you can jump over to our ministry blog if you want to hear more details about what we will be doing with TWR.


We are currently looking for a home here in NC but until then we are able to stay at the lodge here at TWR. This has been such a blessing to us to have this temporary housing while we look for a home. So, this is what we call home for now:


We have our own adjoining rooms (pictured below is Neal's room) and a common living area and kitchen to share with any other guests that are staying at the lodge.


There is also a fun toy room that Neal loves!


It will be nice to eventually get settled into our own home but for now this is the perfect place for us to be. Tyler gets to walk across the parking lot to the TWR office and Neal and I get to have Tyler home for lunch each day which is special.

Visiting the Slaymakers

Our good friends from AK, the Slaymakers, moved to TX last October. We have missed them greatly since they have been gone. So, as we drove cross country, we stopped by their new place to spend a few days. As always we had a great time together, the boys played outside and Natalie and I sat on the porch talking in the sun.



Kyle and Tyler got to hit some golf balls, play basketball and ride around on 4-wheelers.



They even took us all out together for a fun family ride.



Neal seemed to fit right into the TX look quickly. Less then 24 hours and he was already sporting this look...


It was fun to all be together again. We watched some movies, played some card games, ate some delicious BBQ and just enjoyed catching up in person. Kyle, Natalie and Kaleb have found a perfect fit for their family in TX and we are so happy that the move for them has been so good. However, we can't help but wish that we were all living in the same town again.


At least we are close enough that we can meet half way for a trip to Disney World all together some time in the future...