ONE YEAR!
We have now been back in New York for one year. It's funny because it seems like we have been here our whole life yet at the same time been here so little. I guess time doesn't really matter when you are where you are suppose to be!
I would like to start this post off with a letter to my family.
Dear Family,
I am so blessed to have you all to call MY family. My family is and always has been so important to me. When I moved away to NC in 2002, I was moving away to start a life of my own. I took you all with me in my heart. We stayed in contact but the physical time we had to spend together was few and far between. I learned to become an individual, gained confidence, and started a life and family of my own. I missed you all so much and missed out on a lot but I was happy. When I came home the summer of 2015 something changed. I didn't want to leave and the feeling was very scary for me. I had never had this feeling before. Well, it turns out that it was God who was stirring in my heart that it was time to 'come home'. His plans are always better than ours and his timing is not always our own. Things fell into place and we were able to move back a couple months later. It has been the most amazing experience and way better than I anticipated. I will honestly say that there has only been one day where I actually felt like I missed NC so much that I questioned if we made the right decision. I have had way more 'ups' than 'downs' than I thought and I know it is because I am right where God wants us. I want to personally thank you for opening your hearts and homes to us coming back. Not that I expected anything less but even so it has been great! I have loved watching the boys build a stronger relationship with you all and getting the opportunity to grow up with family around them is awesome. They have flourished here more than I thought and contribute a lot of that to you all for helping us. It is true that it does take a community to raise a child and in this case, my community is you, MY FAMILY. We love you so much and we look forward to many more memories to be made in the future.
Love-Naomi
Now we have had some fun time this past month so let's get to it.
The beginning of the month the boys had their open houses at school. Again, we are so thankful for the teachers that have been placed in their lives. Max is absolutely loving school and wants to do homework everyday. He is already learning so much. Roman is transitioning into third grade well. He has never been a 'school kid' but he makes the best of it. I have learned and am still learning more everyday that kids are so different and I just have to find what makes each kid succeed and nurture that aspect of their life. It is often a difficult task, but I am willing to do whatever I have to for the best for my boys.
Rick and I have had a couple date nights. I can not stress how important it is to make the most of your marriage when kids are involved. Our lives get easily bogged down with putting all our focus and energy into our kids. It is important to take the time out and focus on each other.
I was able to take the boys apple picking...they loved it! It was the first for Max and the first for Roman that he could remember. It did not take long to fill up bags with the two of them. We made lots of applesauce with our apples that we picked. Fall is my favorite season as there are so many fun things you can do. There is nothing better than putting on a sweatshirt, holding a cup of hot apple cider and enjoying the beautiful colors that NY offers this time of the year.
I have been babysitting a couple days of week which keeps me busy and somewhat on a schedule. I finished my work at the bank as tax collector. It was nice to get out of the house some but I am now looking forward to being home and take Max to school each day on my own.
A trip to Charlotte, NC was on my agenda for a weekend. I attended my friends wedding and it was a great time to celebrate a new chapter of their lives. I was also able to catch up with some other friends while I was there. I hadn't flown in awhile and it was nice to get their so quick. The last 5 years there were way too many miles spent in the car going back and forth.
Rick has enjoyed hunting, although he has not got a deer yet. We are confident that he will get one. At least he enjoys it and gives him something to do. My freezer is just about empty so some meat will be greatly welcomed!
Halloween was a hit again this year. The boys had about a week long celebration. We went to a party at their school where Roman won first place for his Trump costume. This was all his idea as a costume and we thought it was hilarious. Max was an army guy. We also went to a party at a local camp where we were able to ride a mechanical bull, paint pumpkins, play games, and take a hayride. My brother had a party for the kids at their house where Roman was able to dunk for apples for the first time. Finally, on Halloween day we went to a nearby village to trick or treat. Roman changed his costume and was a werewolf and Max was Batman. Too much candy was brought home as usual. The next day the boys used their pumpkins as target practice.
We have consistently been going to church on Sundays now that summer is over and our weekends are more freed up. In Roman's class they have a memory verse to learn each week to earn points. He has been doing a good job learning them and I am glad to give him this opportunity to learn more about his faith and putting it to use. Max is learning about his faith too and it is so sweet how he tells us exactly what he is learning each week. We love the church we attend.
The past couple of months I have been helping my parents clean out some of the barns and storage areas. It has been fun finding treasures from the past and incorporating them into my home. We had a big yard sale to get rid of the last remainder items.
Roman had some pretty funny things he has said and I love that I get to write them down to remember. He will hopefully look back at this as well and laugh one day. When talking about where babies come from, he asked about dogs having babies. He said that dogs can't pray for babies so he wondered where they came from. I asked him what he thought and he said, 'well I just think they sniff each other's butts and that is how they have babies." I left it at that:) Another funny thing he said was "Mom, I know why people should vote for Trump. I heard that he wants to clean up all the water in Washington." I was confused. He said, "Trump said he wants to drain the swamp so I bet he is getting his crew together now to drain the water and make it clean." I just had to laugh. The innocent minds of children is what we all need. Now, I don't want to get in a political conversation with anyone but I am proud to pass on my beliefs, morals, values, and political views to my children. The news is always on at our house as it has been something I enjoy watching (most of the time). So the boys pick up on some things they hear. Max heard Hillary's name on the news and he said, 'Hiwwary is a wiar.' Well, there you have it. You know where my kids stand on the election. Either way, we will teach our boys to pray for the President, no matter who it is... we all know that whoever it is, we will need it. We will respect who is put in office as God is our ultimate controller.
On that note...let's make our lives greater by making memories, living out our values, and showing love even to those we don't want to.
October Photos
I would like to start this post off with a letter to my family.
Dear Family,
I am so blessed to have you all to call MY family. My family is and always has been so important to me. When I moved away to NC in 2002, I was moving away to start a life of my own. I took you all with me in my heart. We stayed in contact but the physical time we had to spend together was few and far between. I learned to become an individual, gained confidence, and started a life and family of my own. I missed you all so much and missed out on a lot but I was happy. When I came home the summer of 2015 something changed. I didn't want to leave and the feeling was very scary for me. I had never had this feeling before. Well, it turns out that it was God who was stirring in my heart that it was time to 'come home'. His plans are always better than ours and his timing is not always our own. Things fell into place and we were able to move back a couple months later. It has been the most amazing experience and way better than I anticipated. I will honestly say that there has only been one day where I actually felt like I missed NC so much that I questioned if we made the right decision. I have had way more 'ups' than 'downs' than I thought and I know it is because I am right where God wants us. I want to personally thank you for opening your hearts and homes to us coming back. Not that I expected anything less but even so it has been great! I have loved watching the boys build a stronger relationship with you all and getting the opportunity to grow up with family around them is awesome. They have flourished here more than I thought and contribute a lot of that to you all for helping us. It is true that it does take a community to raise a child and in this case, my community is you, MY FAMILY. We love you so much and we look forward to many more memories to be made in the future.
Love-Naomi
Now we have had some fun time this past month so let's get to it.
The beginning of the month the boys had their open houses at school. Again, we are so thankful for the teachers that have been placed in their lives. Max is absolutely loving school and wants to do homework everyday. He is already learning so much. Roman is transitioning into third grade well. He has never been a 'school kid' but he makes the best of it. I have learned and am still learning more everyday that kids are so different and I just have to find what makes each kid succeed and nurture that aspect of their life. It is often a difficult task, but I am willing to do whatever I have to for the best for my boys.
Rick and I have had a couple date nights. I can not stress how important it is to make the most of your marriage when kids are involved. Our lives get easily bogged down with putting all our focus and energy into our kids. It is important to take the time out and focus on each other.
I was able to take the boys apple picking...they loved it! It was the first for Max and the first for Roman that he could remember. It did not take long to fill up bags with the two of them. We made lots of applesauce with our apples that we picked. Fall is my favorite season as there are so many fun things you can do. There is nothing better than putting on a sweatshirt, holding a cup of hot apple cider and enjoying the beautiful colors that NY offers this time of the year.
I have been babysitting a couple days of week which keeps me busy and somewhat on a schedule. I finished my work at the bank as tax collector. It was nice to get out of the house some but I am now looking forward to being home and take Max to school each day on my own.
A trip to Charlotte, NC was on my agenda for a weekend. I attended my friends wedding and it was a great time to celebrate a new chapter of their lives. I was also able to catch up with some other friends while I was there. I hadn't flown in awhile and it was nice to get their so quick. The last 5 years there were way too many miles spent in the car going back and forth.
Rick has enjoyed hunting, although he has not got a deer yet. We are confident that he will get one. At least he enjoys it and gives him something to do. My freezer is just about empty so some meat will be greatly welcomed!
Halloween was a hit again this year. The boys had about a week long celebration. We went to a party at their school where Roman won first place for his Trump costume. This was all his idea as a costume and we thought it was hilarious. Max was an army guy. We also went to a party at a local camp where we were able to ride a mechanical bull, paint pumpkins, play games, and take a hayride. My brother had a party for the kids at their house where Roman was able to dunk for apples for the first time. Finally, on Halloween day we went to a nearby village to trick or treat. Roman changed his costume and was a werewolf and Max was Batman. Too much candy was brought home as usual. The next day the boys used their pumpkins as target practice.
We have consistently been going to church on Sundays now that summer is over and our weekends are more freed up. In Roman's class they have a memory verse to learn each week to earn points. He has been doing a good job learning them and I am glad to give him this opportunity to learn more about his faith and putting it to use. Max is learning about his faith too and it is so sweet how he tells us exactly what he is learning each week. We love the church we attend.
The past couple of months I have been helping my parents clean out some of the barns and storage areas. It has been fun finding treasures from the past and incorporating them into my home. We had a big yard sale to get rid of the last remainder items.
Roman had some pretty funny things he has said and I love that I get to write them down to remember. He will hopefully look back at this as well and laugh one day. When talking about where babies come from, he asked about dogs having babies. He said that dogs can't pray for babies so he wondered where they came from. I asked him what he thought and he said, 'well I just think they sniff each other's butts and that is how they have babies." I left it at that:) Another funny thing he said was "Mom, I know why people should vote for Trump. I heard that he wants to clean up all the water in Washington." I was confused. He said, "Trump said he wants to drain the swamp so I bet he is getting his crew together now to drain the water and make it clean." I just had to laugh. The innocent minds of children is what we all need. Now, I don't want to get in a political conversation with anyone but I am proud to pass on my beliefs, morals, values, and political views to my children. The news is always on at our house as it has been something I enjoy watching (most of the time). So the boys pick up on some things they hear. Max heard Hillary's name on the news and he said, 'Hiwwary is a wiar.' Well, there you have it. You know where my kids stand on the election. Either way, we will teach our boys to pray for the President, no matter who it is... we all know that whoever it is, we will need it. We will respect who is put in office as God is our ultimate controller.
On that note...let's make our lives greater by making memories, living out our values, and showing love even to those we don't want to.
October Photos
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