Moving Update

Our plane tickets have been purchased! We will be leaving Monday, August 12 for a two day journey to our new country. The week before we leave, we will get to spend that time at the beach with my family, come back to Raleigh on Saturday, be commissioned by our church on Sunday, then leave on Monday. It will be a busy time for our family, so please keep us in your prayers!

Today as we began to clean out our house and think about what to bring with us, this thought occurred to me: We need so little to live yet we think we need so much. As we looked through our possessions, I began to think it silly that we have so much. Why am I keeping several posters that I had in my classroom here in the States? Oh, because I will PACK them and take them with me to my new classroom. Really? I get to take TWO bags, and so of course, I immediately think to bring POSTERS. Toss them. And then I see SO MANY TOYS. Why do I think Addie needs two cruisers, 60 books, 150 teethers, 30 lovies, 500 blankets? We should absolutely keep and store them for when we return because she will USE THEM ALL. Seriously. Pick two from each pile. Toss the rest. Now I should choose which pairs of jeans to take. Well, this pair is my fancy pair. These are the ones I wear with boots. Of course I need my skinny ones. This pair I wear with t-shirts. These are my fancier-casual ones. This pair is my grungy-fancier-skinny-causal-tshirt wearing ones. OMG.  And of course I let Eric know that we are going to need to purchase all of the BOB (stroller) accessories before we leave. Well Eric, Addie is going to need a tray that sits in front of her so we can place her cheerios and sippy cup on it while we stroll through the airport and travel around in our country.  And don't forget about the cup holder that attaches at the handle bar. This is a great place to put my latte so I can have a free hand to powder my nose and instagram a picture of said latte. Of course. 

 The more I think about packing and living overseas, the less stressed I am getting. Because I just don't feel the need for a lot at this moment. Really, I just hate unpacking, so I figure if I only take 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants, that will take me 5 minutes, maybe 6 to put in a drawer. Then I'm done. DONE. Also, I really dislike doing laundry, and we have to HANG DRY over there. So logically, the less clothing I take, the less I have to hang. Winning. But in all honesty, what REALLY do I actually need? How much do I really need? Not much I think. Not much at all.

So, here's to trying to squeeze everything of mine (not including Eric's or Addie's) into TWO bags. Not sure if I can do it, but I would like to try. I'm excited to get away from excess for a little while. I'll keep ya updated.

Weekend Getaway

This past weekend, Eric and I went on a weekend getaway to the classiest beach around. I'll let you guess: streets lined with Wings and Eagles, twenty minutes to go two miles, a gazillion hotels - most of which I would never step foot in, lots of mullets, extreme country accents, tattoos in places I shouldn't have seen, and women in bathing suits that were way...way...way too small. That's right, Myrtle Beach y'all. Despite of our lovely surroundings, our hotel was clean and nice. Since Eric travels often, he got this great deal on a weekend stay at a hotel in either Myrtle Beach, San Francisco, or Orlando. Although I would have loved to visit San Fran, we didn't have the time or extra money for plane tickets. So Myrtle it is! We had tons of fun. My mom and dad came up to Raleigh to keep our sweet girl so we could fully experience the beach. Our last beach trip wasn't too successful and was mainly spent in our room because our dear daughter hated the ocean and sand.

We played it pretty low key. Sat on the beach, people-watched (seriously the best at Myrtle), hung out on our balcony, and went out to dinner. That pretty much sums up our weekend! Oh and my legs got super burnt. Oops!

BURNT legs...Had to sit like this on day 2. Wah wah

Dinner on Saturday evening

Saturday morning it rained, but was followed by the most vibrant and beautiful double rainbow. This picture doesn't do the beauty justice. It was a full complete rainbow, but my phone wouldn't let me capture the entire thing.

Beachin' it up

We had so much fun! Thanks mom and dad for keeping our girl!

Photo dump at 9 months

9 months (so I won't forget...)

Active girl

Not a huge fan of the ocean or the sand 

Climbing stairs now

Loves bath time

Starting to understand the word NO...

9 month update

Addie turned 9 months a week ago, but it has been a crazy past few days so I haven't had a chance to write an update until now. She is such a happy baby so much fun to be around! 9 months was a big one for her. She has accomplished quite a lot, hopefully I'll remember it all.

She is pulling up now. We have lowered her crib to the very bottom. She crawls around everywhere, then finds something that is low enough for her to pull up on. She can even climb our stairs.

She has SIX teeth. Two bottom, two top, and the two beside the middle top. This means she is enjoying lots of table food. She is starting that phase where she puts everything in her mouth.

She can feed herself table food. This is a huge help to me. I can sit her in her high chair and clean, wash dishes, or whatever needs to be done, while she is content with her food.

She reaches. I LOVE that she finally does this. It is so cute and melts my heart when she reaches for me.

 

She finally has something she is semi-attached to...her baby doll. Eric and I gave her this doll for Christmas and she loves it! She hasn't been attached to anything...not a paci or her thumb. Every time she sees this baby she reaches her arms out, smiles, and hugs it. It is so cute!

Her current stats: I don't have the paper in front of me so I'll update this tomorrow

Weight: 17.1 (20%)

Length: 

Head:

Current schedule (times vary, but this is something we go off of)

6-7:00- wake up, bottle

8:00- breakfast

8:30-nap

10::30-11:00- bottle

12:30- lunch

1:00- nap

3:00-3:30-bottle

5:30- dinner

6:30- bath/ brush teeth

7:00- bottle, bed

 

 

A Sheep Wedding

 ...Once again, I apologize for the picture Iphone 4 quality, I forgot our "real" camera.

This past weekend was so much fun. A weekend filled with a lot of details that needed to work out, but once they worked, it was smooth sailing. Well, sort of. There was one minor hiccup, but I'll get to it in just a minute.

It started on Thursday morning. Addie Grace had her 9 month doctors appointment, so we headed out of our house, both of us all packed up for the next few days. Eric was in Richmond for work, so he stayed put and waited on me to meet him there. Her check up went great, we got in the car, then oops. I bumped into another car. A car that was parked. And yes, it left a mark. So there I am, in the middle of the parking lot with a baby in the car, writing a note and my phone number on a torn piece of paper which I left in the dude's windshield. Great start to the morning. I decided to just go ahead and call Eric. I felt awful. Now we have to spend money we don't have, all because I hit a parked car. What a dummy. So I called Eric, and he pretty much surprised me by his response. He laughed at me. He thought it was hilarious that I hit a parked car. Okay. I guess I'll take laughter over annoyance?

Anyways, Addie stayed with my parents for the weekend. After her appointment, I dropped her off with good friends who watched her for a couple of hours, then so graciously drove her to Elon to meet my dad and sister, who were then, driving her back to their house for the rest of the weekend. (Elon was just a meeting point). I met Eric in Richmond, dropped my car off at R and J's, then headed to DC. We have friends that live in DC who moved from Raleigh over a year ago, so we thought it would be super fun to stay with them Thursday night and catch up. We arrived in DC, around 3:30ish and hung out with Allison and the kiddos until Nick got of work. Once he was finished, we headed out to a local restaurant that had AMAZING burgers and shakes.

After dinner, we went back to their house and hung out til bed. Friday morning we woke, packed our things, and headed to our final destination: Pittsburgh, for Todd's wedding, in which Eric was a groomsman. Eric and Todd have known each other since middle school, but really became close friends when they started following Jesus in high school. Since then, they have had such a sweet friendship that has consisted of praying for one another, supporting each other, and just having fun together. We love Todd and has been a consistent part of our family. He has stayed with Eric and I numerous times over the past years, and Eric's home in Greensboro served as Todd's home after his parents moved to Tennessee. We always wondered who Todd, our single brother, would marry...or if he would EVER marry. He is a stellar guy, who desires to be close to the heart of God. Last summer, Eric gets a voice mail from Todd, saying that he met his wife. And that he did, Becca. She is so sweet and so perfect for our Toddles. We are so excited for them and so pumped we were there to witness such a SWEET day.

The rehearsal dinner Friday evening was such a fun time of hanging out, eating, and sharing about Todd and Becca. We met tons of fun, new people. After the dinner, Lowland Hum (Daniel and Lauren Goans) played a concert for the wedding party and many of the out of town guests.

On Saturday, I woke up in a KING BED all by myself. GLORY.  Not the by myself part...the KING bed part. AMAZING. Eric spent the night with Todd and the other groomsmen, and I didn't see Eric until I got to the ceremony. The wedding on Saturday was beautiful. It was held on a sheep farm, where Todd worked during Seminary.

After the ceremony, we walked up a hill to a beautiful white tent overlooking the sheep. Seriously, it was so beautiful and the reception was filled with such fun details. There was corn hole and a bon fire with smores!

This was probably one of the cutest receptions I have ever attended. Todd and Becca love to read, so each table was a theme of their favorite books. For example, one table was The Giving Tree. That table had the book in the center, with dried flowers. Each name card matched the theme of that particular table.

This sweet friend and I did summer staff together SEVEN years ago! She is so fun and it was great to be able to catch up and dance our hard-core rap together ;)

The head table

My sweet friend, Becca. We have been friends for a long time, so it is always fun when we get to go to weddings together!

Charlie was Eric's Young Life leader in high school. He is a fun guy, and we are glad him and his awesome wife, Kelly, came up for the wedding!

Some of the wedding party

Todd and Becca Murden

Eric and Robert are like brothers. Their moms have been best friends since before they were born!

Cornhole

This is by far the coolest and most creative guest book I have ever signed. You pick a date, I picked July 11 for our anniversary. You write a note on the date you chose, and then decorate it with water colors. It was so fun!

We had SO MUCH fun and wouldn't have missed it for the world. Todd and Becca's relationship is truly a special one! Thanks for inviting us and letting us witness such a special, fun, creative, joyful, Gospel-centered day! We love you two!

Moving update

Things are still progressing in our move overseas. We will officially be heading out August 12 or 13, which are the two dates we have mentioned to George, who will be purchasing our plane tickets. Once the tickets are purchased, I will confirm the date! The Lord is continuing to provide all of our needs and continues to turn our fears into peace. One way the Lord has provided is that he has allowed for someone to rent our house the first year we are gone...and get this, we can keep our furniture in it! This is such a blessing that we don't have to move all of our furniture out, and I can't imagine packing up all of our belongings and finding storage in just a few short months.

I am trying not to get overwhelmed with all the little details, like cleaning out our clutter and packing for not only me, but a baby. I also try not to think too hard about what we will be leaving behind. I try not to let my mind get consumed in thoughts about missing out on our friends lives, missing out on weddings, and babies. I am so confident that the Lord wants us to go that I don't want to long for something else and cause my heart to be discontent and anxious about leaving. Yes, I will absolutely miss my friends and long to be apart of their lives. BUT I have to trust that God knows my needs, and he will provide. With this being said, after much thought, I have decided to disconnect from Facebook and Twitter when we move. I have thought about disconnecting from Instagram, but some friends have already encouraged me to stay on so they can see pictures of us while we are gone. SO, I may stop following everyone and just post pictures. It is NOT because I don't want to keep up with everyone, but I know that if I allow myself to look at Facebook and Instagram, my heart may become discontent, and I want to be fully present in our new country. I am also confident that those who truly desire to be an encouragement and remain apart of our lives will make the effort, because we absolutely desire to be in your life.

I came across this blog post: How Can I Help My Friend Living Overseas. I encourage you to read it. This post already rings true in my heart.

If I can ask anything of you, it would be for you to pray. We can do nothing aside from God, and we covet your prayers as our family makes this huge transition. If you desire to keep up with us as we live life overseas, our blog is the best way to do so. We will also be periodically sending an email update, so if you would like receive the update, please shoot me an email at kghovis@gmail.com so I know to add you to the list. Also, we have recently discovered that we have to raise a little bit of financial support to cover emergencies, should they arise. If you desire to give financially (nothing is too small), we would greatly be blessed by your gift, and you can also shoot be an email for more information. As much as we need financial support, what we need the most is prayer. We mean that. So if anything, pray. You are loved by us, and if you have any needs and want us to pray, PLEASE let us know! It would be our joy to pray for you.

Big girl food

Addie's new favorite past time...gnawing on carrots and apple slices. She is not liking baby food these days, she wants "big girl" food. So far she likes: hummus and pita, black beans, peas, chicken, noodles, cottage cheese (in small doses), grapes, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, mashed potato, sweet potato...basically anything that is not purée. If its in solid form or off my plate, she'll eat it.