Saying My Goodbyes

Goodbye to... the zinnias in the front bed that Adah loves to grab, the view of the fields from our backyard, Snowball (one of two cats I have ever liked) relaxing on our car, the short walk down the farm road to the Murrays house, the pond with its loud toads, the pigs and their silliness, Sali and Belle in their big white fluffy coats, the sweet screened in porch, Jamie and the kids randomly popping in to say hello, the biggest kitchen in the world(!), the rowdy cows, being an hour's drive from Raleigh friends, the crazy hens and their scrumptious eggs, the freshest of produce you can get, the lovely coop grocery store: Company Shops Market, beautiful sunsets over the fields, the friendliest of neighbors Gary and Wanda, Harley the german shepherd patrolling the premisses, dear friends Danny, Grace and baby girl Anna, the short forty minute zip to Aunt Lauren and Uncle Brad's house along with the weekly hangouts for Adah and Eva, the Durham Farmers Market, picking strawberries and blackberries from essentially our backyard, the quirkiness of our lovely home with its beautiful uniqueness, the sound of cars pulling down the gravel driveway, baby chicks chirping, the Saxapahaw General Store, the greenhouse teeming with life in spring, the creepy basement I avoided at night, the fruit vine wallpaper in the kitchen, the memories of pregnancy and newborn Adah in this place...

I am thankful for time to say goodbye and grieve what I am leaving behind.  I am thankful for God's peace in this difficult transitional time.  I am thankful that God is going with us to Wilmington and that the next chapter He is writing is going to be just as exciting and blessed as this one.  I am thankful that I am allowed to be sad and excited at the same time.  I am thankful for our two, beautiful years at Sunset Farms.

4 Months and Loving Her Feet

Adah is four months old today! She has discovered her feet just within the last week and loves to bring her toes to her mouth! She is sleeping great at night leaving Kyle and I feeling more alive and more ourselves.  She is now squealing more than cooing, and loves to make this pterodactyl-like noise (who knew that was spelled with a p?!).  She loves to play with the wooden bears attached to her bouncy seat and this colorful ball she is able to grasp in her tiny fingers.  She is laughing more than ever which is the best! She will sit in our laps and "listen" to a story and enjoy looking at the pictures.  It is amazing to see how she has become so aware and interactive.  I took these pictures last night after bathtime before bed.

One thing I realized this morning is that I have been a mom for four months.  That's it.  So when the times come where I'm not sure if she is hungry or sleepy I am going to extend grace to myself and be gentle with myself and remember that I am new at this!  I am no expert and I am not perfect and I am not supposed to be! 

Why is it that we are the hardest on ourselves?  I have realized that there are many occasions when I need to think encouraging and uplifting thoughts to myself (instead of the opposite) and it has been life changing to do this!  God is a loving God who loves us amidst our imperfections and mistakes and who is gracious to all who call upon Him!  On Sunday Bill Goans (pastor at Grace Community Church) talked about how we live in such a way towards others and ourselves as we see God being toward us.  If we see God as a stingy God, not giving us much, then we too are stingy.  BUT if we see God as a generous God, the ultimate giver that He is, the one who has given us much grace and forgiven us much, then we too will live with generous hearts.  It has been good to analyze my own heart and see if there are ways in which I have a wrong view of God and if I am living in such a way that reflects this.  Does God expect me to be perfect? No, He doesn't. Does God speak harsh words when I fail?  No, He whispers loving, encouraging and gracious words to me and I am going to start doing the same thing and I hope you will too!  

Slow Down Baby Girl

Just this week Adah has been working so hard to roll over and she is getting so close! Even though I know it will be a while I still feel like she will be crawling before we know it.  She gets great joy from spending time on her belly. She will just lay there, lift her head and look from side to side, taking it all in like a little beautiful prairie dog child.  The new best thing in our life is Adah's laugh.  Her new favorite hobby is singing along with Kyle when he plays the hammered dulcimer.  She smiles and oohs and ahhs along with the music.  There was a day this week where it seemed she had become more mature in the course of hours. Mere hours.  I thought I had my daughter figured out but I now realize that I am just getting to know her and that this is only the beginning of it all!  I cannot imagine what is to come!  I am thankful for God's promise in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Thank you Lord.

Drum Roll Please...

Taken in CA in April

 Some of you may already know, for those of you who don't, Kyle and I are expecting a Baby Stenersen in October!! We realized our shared hope for a baby last September and then found out we were pregnant on Kyle's birthday, February 11th!  We are so excited to say the least! And we are so thankful! I am now 19 weeks along and am nearly halfway into the pregnancy (which is crazy).  My belly is growing and we are looking forward to feeling the baby move and kick inside me!  We want to be surprised to know if we will have a son or daughter so we are waiting until he or she is born to find out! We are amazed at God's goodness, faithfulness, power and grace as we experience this baby growing inside me! In an amazing way we must lean on Him and trust in Him for He is in control and He knows just who He wants to create and give us as a child.  Please pray for us as we are in the beginning of this adventure of parenthood and as we continue to prepare for our child and continue in the pregnancy. Thank you!
WHOOO HOOOO!

We picked sour cherries from a tree in our yard last weekend
and plan to make a pie and some jam!

Baby Stenersen likes sour cherries too!

The fruit of our labor.  We picked 9 more pints yesterday too!
The tree is now empty.