Snakes and all sorts of other bugs...

There have been a few things that we, as Alaskans, have to get use to here in NC. One of those things is bugs. We aren't really use to so many flying, crawling or slithering creatures. Neal loves watching ants and tries to catch them. He also was very interested in a wasp that got in the lodge the other day. That interest of his was quickly stifled, by me, as I informed him that the wasp is not an insect he wants to ever be near and made him sit on the couch until I killed it.


Now I have been warned that there are snakes around here. That is something that we are definitely not use to seeing, so for the time being I have told Neal that he cannot touch any snakes. So far we have only seen one. Neal and I were taking a walk on the bridge between the TWR lodge (our current home) and the TWR office and saw a snake move in the leaves from the bank of the creek into the water. Neal was fascinated by it. Now every time we walk on the bridge Neal says "mo snakes pease". Thankfully we have not seen any more. However, Neal has named these seed pods (I think that is what they are) on the bridge "little snakes" and likes to point them out to me every time he sees them.


I guess they look a bit like a snake, really more like a worm, but to him they are on the bridge and therefore are "little snakes". These are only a few of the many things we have seen here and it is only spring.


I am really hoping to find a home with a screened back porch so we can enjoy some time outside as a family, without the bugs.

Early Easter Project

On Friday I decided to have Neal help me make a special Easter treat. Neal didn't know what to expect but was excited anyway and walked around for the next several minutes chanting "special treat". I found a recipe for some cute little Bird Nest treats online and thought they would be simple enough for a 2 year old to help make.


Neal had so much fun. He stood at the kitchen counter with me, mixed the "nest" ingredients together and then helped me scoop the mixture into muffin tins (this was all done between licks of the spoon and lots of chocolate spilling on his shirt) but we finally got most of it into the tins.


The next step was to fill the finished "nests" with "birds eggs". I made the mistake of giving him a bowl of candy eggs and turning my back to grab something.


When I turned around he had a mouth full of candy eggs and was saying "nummy". We finally got into a rhythm and would put a handfull of eggs in the nest and then one or two in our mouths.


Eventually we finished filling all the nests and even added a few birds to complete the look.



Neal brought these over to his friend Eli's house the next day and they enjoyed some "nummy, birdie treats" together. I know not on the healthy side of snacking but what is a holiday without some "special treat" to enjoy with friends and family right?

Catching Sunbeams

It has been so beautiful here this spring. I still cannot believe that we can spend the day in shorts and it is still only March. Yesterday Neal and I went outside and sat in the sun while enjoying an afternoon snack.


This morning while I was making breakfast Neal was standing at the end of the table looking at the sunbeams that were steaming through the window. As he stood there he decided to try and catch them. He would hold his hand in the sun and then close his fists. Then he would run over to show me the sun he had caught followed by saying "oh no" when he would open his fist and see that there was no sunshine there. He tried this several times, so determined to catch these sunbeams. It was fun to see his determination in trying to catch the sunlight in his hands.

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.

Aquarium

"Finding Nemo" is one of Neal's favorite movies. So, when Mammaw decided to take us to the Aquarium in TN we happily agreed knowing Neal would love to see all the fish. Tyler and I ended up having just as much fun, if not more fun then Neal. We got to see all sorts of fish and sea creatures that I have never seen before (like the seadragon) and some, like seahorses, that are always fun to see.



The best part of the whole Aquarium is the shark/fish tank where you get to walk through a tunnel and watch the sharks and fish swim all around you. Neal was amazed and couldn't stop talking about the sharks. Every time a shark swam over his head he would eagerly say "more shark please". We could have spent all day looking at the sharks if it was up to him.



The Aquarium was the perfect outing and we would go back again anytime. Tyler even got to pet a stingray. And yes, Neal did see a few fish he liked to call "Nemo"

Great Grandparents

It was so special for us to see all our Grandparents a few weeks ago. It was even more fun to introduce Neal to them. Neal has met my Grandparents before, but he was only 5 months old so it was fun to see him interact with them this time. I do wish we lived closer to my grandparents so we could spend more time together but the short visit was special and I am so happy Neal has gotten to meet them several times.



This is the first time that Neal and Mammaw (Tyler's Grandma) have ever met. We had a great time visiting, sharing memories and hearing stories.


I am excited that we will only be living about 5 hours away from Tyler's Mammaw. This is the first time Tyler has lived this close to his Mammaw so we are looking forward to spending more time with her and even getting to celebrate some holidays together.


We have such a great legacy from both of our families to look to and always love the time we get to spend with them - We hope to be able to get back again to visit soon.