Landing...

Well...we have officially landed in the UK, but it feels like we are still landing and will be for a while.  If you follow Michael and I on Facebook you might have seen we have had quite the interesting start.  Since I am up before the crack of dawn and am tired of looking at the list of all the things that need to get done, I am gonna try and blog to update everyone on what is has looked like for us so far here.

Let's start with take off shall we???

On Tuesday (meaning a whole week ago!) we headed to the airport bright and early at about 6 a.m.  Evie complains on the way there of her tummy hurting :(  We get through checking our bags and security without too much trouble, which was good.  Then as we are waiting to load the plane for our first of 3 flights for the day, Evie poops and let's just say it isn't firm :(  (OH...and if you don't like to read stories of poop and puke..stop reading now...sorry--this is just honestly how things have gone for us and the story will include both things plenty unfortunately).  Continuing on...

Evie doesn't seem too upset, but a little uncomfortable.  The first flight goes alright for the most part.  Then we get off the plane in Chicago and Evie melts.  She is miserable and hurting and unconsolable really.  We scramble to tend to her and try to find some food for lunch.  At this point I wonder if we are going to either A). not be able to continue on with the travel or B). have a miserable baby for the remainder of the flights which I am sure everyone will love who are also on the plane.  Before loading she finally calms down a little, but complaining of her tummy hurting.  We load the plane and guess who poops?  Yep...Michael took her to the bathroom on the plane and somehow managed to clean her up and get seated.  As we are getting ready for takeoff, she poops again...and this one I believe almost everyone sitting around us could not only smell, but hear as well as it happened.  I took her this time to the bathroom and quickly tended to that clean up before we hit the run way.  After that Evie fell fast asleep for the entirety of that flight which was nice.  She woke up right at landing and you will never guess it...she poops again.  I am just thankful that it isn't running out into her clothes, meaning having to deal with poopy clothes while traveling...that part at least comes later in the story.... :(

In the next airport we find our terminal and get a little snack (which Evie won't really eat...).  The final flight is somewhat smooth other than both girls only sleeping about an hour max.  Michael and I didn't get any sleep and Emma Rose (who praise the Lord is traveling with us and helping with SK all along the way).  We land in Manchester around 7:30 a.m. and head to get our luggage.  We are all pooped at this point and still have to manage getting our luggage.  Oh, and we get our stroller at the gate and somehow they managed to break the bar off part of the stroller, which irritates me, but it still functions fine...gotta still call the airline about that...

I should have taken a picture of us trying to figure out how to get all of our carry ons, 10 pieces of luggage and 2 kids and a stroller out to meet our friends that were picking us up.  It would have made a good picture, but I was too tired to think about that...

We finally get loaded in the 2 cars that we were picked up in (which...let me tell you.  It was a tight tight fit).  We headed straight to the cafe to get food and see everyone.  It was great to be greeted with hugs and cheers as we got out of the car.  It refreshed my heart after a long tiring day of travel.  After eating, we headed to our new home to check out it and get some rest.

Our church family here did such a great job of having beds set up for us and things in the kitchen so we could at least have somewhere to sleep and get by in the kitchen till we were able to make it to the store to get things and for our shipment to arrive.  All of us took a good little nap (trying not to let it be too long so we could work on getting over jet lag) then headed over to the Donahoo's for dinner and everyone in the church came to hang out at our house after that.

Can I just say what a blessing it is to have families here that have loved on us so well so far.  Truly.

The next day we were able to leave our girls with Emma Rose to play around the house while we went to Ikea to begin setting up our house with dishes and furnishings and such.

One thing I have had to learn to be ok with is the amount of time it is taking and is going to take to get our house feeling like home.  We still haven't heard anything about our shipment and as far as I know it is still at the port in SC...  that's a big bummer.  We are limited on what we can fit in a small car when we buy anything at the store and we are relying on friends here to cart us around to stores to get things.  Michael is going to look for a car today for us, so hopefully that will make it easier to get out to find things for our home to begin making it feel homey.  It is hard though, being 33 weeks pregnant and wanting to next and feel settled here before baby arrives and only be able to do so much in a day.

We have a couch and chairs as of Sunday, so that is nice :)  I plan to try and take pics around the house today and post those, even though the rooms are still quite bare with nothing on the walls.

As far as the kids go...Evie didn't really eat for about 4 days and ended up throwing up 3-4 times then SK got sick.  SK only threw up one time and has had a bit of an upset tummy on and off since then.  I won't go into all the details of that since I am sure you wouldn't mind being spared that part, but I will say that I never want to deal with that much puke and diarrhea again.  We have changed sheets and pj's in the middle of the night countless times.  OH...and did I mention that our washing machine doesn't work and we are waiting for a new one to come in that we have had to order???  Thankfully, the church here has more than taken are of us and are taking our nasty stinky clothes, sheets, towels and such and washing them for us.  That has been such a help.

It was great to get to worship on Sunday with our new church, though the kids were still not 100% and still aren't really.  Evie seems close to being back to herself, but SK is still recovering.

Pray they continue to heal and get back to themselves soon.  And protections for Michael, I and Emma Rose to not get it or anything else for that matter.

Also I was able to walk over to the GP "Surgury", which back in the states we would call the doc's office on Friday and turn in my paperwork to get registered, then fill out paperwork for the midwives group.  They were going to fax that paperwork to the midwives and I am supposed to hear back from them to get an appointment set up this week.

Pray for Michael as he goes to look for a car today.  Pray the Lord will provide a reliable car that is within our budget (or below would be cool :).

Pray that we would continue to settle in well and that our house would soon begin to feel like a home.  And in the in between we would be content with how it is and not be overwhelmed with so much to do.

Pray too for SK and getting her registered for school.  I am just realizing that I have missed a cut off date for registration for the fall and will now be considering a "late" register.  Pray that somehow the Lord works out those details for her to get into the school that is closest to us.

We also have an appointment today to get set up with a bank here.  Pray that goes smooth and we can get a bank account without hassle.

Praise the Lord with us that he has taken care of us thus far.  We have so many things we can be thankful for even in the midst of such craziness.  I have to step away from the lists and stresses and sickness to look at how kind the Lord has been to our family and provided for us.

We are excited too how the Lord continues to provide for our financial needs as well.  Since arriving, we have had another church join our support team, putting us at about 93% fully funded.  We are beyond thankful for that and trusting the Lord will bring in the rest of our needs in his timing.  You can pray and praise the Lord with us on that too.

Ok...that's enough for today.  I will attempt to take a moment today to get the camera out and take some pics of our new home (even if there is nothing hanging on the walls...

Move time...

Well...we are less than 2 weeks from our move date.  I feel like we have been running like crazy most days trying to do so many things to get ready to go and barely had time for processing what is about to happen.  I am so excited, yet grieving as well.  Since I can barely think clearly...I will give you my thoughts in list format...

*Here is how my brain works lately...-"We need to call____", "OH, we also need to___", "I am so tired, I will just lay here on the couch and write a list of those things", "Hmmm....what can I eat while I make this list", "I need a root beer"...and so it continues.

*I get tired easily these days being 30 weeks pregnant and it is hard for me to rest when my body is telling me I need to.  Michael is doing amazing at helping me do that though.  I am thankful for him.

*The lists are getting insane.  INSANE.  From phone calls, to forms, to packing, to sorting, etc., etc...

*I went to my last OB appt. yesterday.  I am now 30 weeks!  Doc sent me with all my paperwork so I can take it with me to England.  Pregnancy has gone well, I know I haven't blogged about it much...been a little busy I know.  Baby boy moves a lot and likes to kick me right on my left hip bones.  I told Michael I think I might end up with internal bruising from his jabs :)  I have been more sick this go around, but not horrible.  I have had round ligament pain (which I never had before) and the last few weeks I have been having indigestion like crazy every. single. night.  It's fun, let me tell you.

*I do love to watch my belly move all around.  It is probably my most favorite part of pregnancy.  It is amazing to see how there's a real life baby in there making my belly move.  I am amazed at our Lord every time I see and feel it.  I mean really, it is incredible to me.

* We are now officially living out of luggage pretty much.  Yesterday, we went ahead and packed up a good bit of our clothes (which we can still access out of our luggage), but needed to see if things were going to fit and how we were doing on weight.  We are planning to take 6-7 checked bags and each bag can' go over 50 lbs.  But we are trying to get each bag as close to that as possible to be efficient as well.  Then we have 4 rolling carry ons and an assortment of backpacks and such as well.

* I cried last night at church.  I actually had a good meltdown yesterday afternoon.  I laid on our bed after packing my clothes and sobbed.  It was more of an overwhelmed by so much to do and being pregnant and too tired to do it all sobbing.  I don't like the chaos going on right now and I can't control it.  The Lord is still working on me in terms of teaching me that I can't be in control all the time and have order, and that is ok.  He is showing me I am just going to have to trust him and rest in him during the chaos and know that He will take care of us through this whole transition.

*Then I cried at church.  I have held back tears the last 2 times we have worshipped at our home church.  Then I had tears last night.  I am going to miss our CPC family.

Maybe that is enough processing what is going on in my brain for now.  This move is getting real and we are days away.  I can't wait to get there in so many ways and settle into life in Culcheth.  I can't wait to set up our home and make it warm and cozy and inviting.  I can't wait to invite people over for dinner.  I am also anxious to see SK make new friends in the village and start school in the fall...and anxious about having a baby there.  I know the Lord will take care of all of my anxious thoughts.  He can handle them, I know that.

I was reading Mark this morning and am feeling a bit like the daddy in Mark 9, when he says, "I believe, help my unbelief!"  I cling to that and cry out the same thing this morning as my day begins. I struggle with my unbelief, but want so badly to believe.  I need Jesus.  I need lots of lots of Jesus right now.

Our shipment being taken...which should arrive a couple weeks after we get there.

The luggage line up.  Well...some of the luggage at least.

January 5

I won't even try to make excuses for my lack in blogging.  Maybe I can dream that once we get moved I will have more time to get back to blogging.  eh....not too sure.

But for today, I am going to blog.  :)

What all have I missed recording in the blog...

Let's see...since Nov. 10th, we have been able to have Thanksgiving with family for the first time in 4 years, we took an awesome trip for the first time as a family to Disney world, we have gotten sick, celebrate the birth of our Savior, and done lots of things in preparation for our big move.  I think that sums up the big stuff at least.

After our wonderful Disney trip, we came back and immediately starting fighting off sickness.  First it hit SK, the Michael and I, then Evie and now it is back to SK, though she seems better today.  Yesterday though is what I had on my mind for blogging about.

Yesterday I found myself at the Pediatricians office with SK getting her checked out due to her sickness coming back again.  I was signing in at the front desk and had to write the date.  I asked since I wasn't sure, and it was Jan. 5th, said the nurse.

My heart sank.

If we hadn't lost our baby, and he would have been born on his due date, he would have been 5 yesterday.  5.

Then....we get called back to the room and are waiting on the doc to come in.  SK and I hear a little baby crying from another room.  SK then unexpectedly brings up her sibling that is with Jesus.  She asks how old he would be if he hadn't died in my belly.  I then tell her he would be 5 that day.  I tear up.

The Lord is faithful and fully comforting though.  He loved me in that moment and I felt it.  SK then proceeded to talk about how she can't wait for all of us to be together in Heaven and be able to celebrate her brother's birthday with him there.

**And to clarify if you don't know the story of our loss completely....we didn't know the gender of our baby, but I felt like it was a boy, so that is why I say "he".

Yesterday was a big day.  Along with realizing the date and processing the emotions with that, we also started the day with a 4 a.m. Skype call :)  We had friends (who are at the church we are headed to be with in England) go and look at a new house that came up for rent.  We were anxious to hear their thoughts on the house and if we needed to jump on it, since houses seem to be quick to be rented out and hard to come by.  Well, after chatting and seeing videos of the house, we decided to jump and send in our application for it yesterday.  We are now waiting to hear back from the application!  So we could have a house lined up now, which is a huge answer to prayers!

Things are starting to all fall into place for our move.  We are in the midst of packing up what we are wanting to ship and hope to have our shipment on it's way by the next week or so (it will take 6 weeks to arrive in England).  We, as of yesterday as well, now have all the luggage we need and have already begun trial run packs to see what we will be able to fit into our luggage and still be within the 50 lb. per bag limit.

We have about 5 weeks till our move.  It is crazy how quickly things are happening now.  We will probably order plane tickets later this week assuming we get our visas back today (which they should arrive today and Lord willing have been approved and all!).

Pray for our stamina.  There is still much to figure out in the next few weeks.  And all along the way I am still homeschooling SK.

Maybe I will get back on here soon.  First though, I have to go work on packing and sorting.  And eating...I like to eat these days too.  Baby boy seems to be awfully hungry these days.

Here's to hoping the new year brings more time for blogging...

Introducing...

I know, I know.  It's been a while since I have blogged.  Life has been a bit crazy with little time to sit and blog.  We have been on the road sharing at many different churches about our calling to England and it has been good.  The Lord is continuing to be so faithful in meeting our needs and get us to England.
I first would like to introduce you to our little guy.  So without further ado, we would like to introduce you to....

Silas Jeddie Davis

(Silas is a name we have always loved that means "man of the forest" and in the Bible he accompanied Paul on his missionary journey, and 

Jeddie is Michael's dad's middle name)

We had our big ultrasound on Friday and were greatly surprised to hear "It's a boy!"  SK was with us (Evie was at home napping) and was grinning from ear to ear when she found out.  She had been saying for the last few weeks that she wanted the baby to be a boy so she could have someone to wrestle with :)  He was so precious as we watched him on the monitor.  He was curled up in a little ball for a while then got hiccups at one point.  We love him so much already and can't wait to hold him in our arms.

As I sat in the ultrasound room, I couldn't help but think about all of the emotions that must happen in that room.  I have had too many friends (and myself) sit and hear sad news.  My heart hurts for so many women that have lost babies.  Having been through loss ourselves, we don't take this news of our baby doing well for granted.  We are so very thankful to the Lord for health of our baby boy.

For myself, I have been feeling pretty well lately.  I am mostly past all of the gagging and nausea that hit me pretty good at the beginning.  I am back to being able to eat meats (which I wasn't able to do much in the first trimester).  

My cravings:  Southern home cooked veggies (mmm...can't get those enough)--like fried okra, green beans, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, squash, peas, and the list could continue, but I am getting hungry just naming them :).  I also think I have had a root beer ever day this pregnancy.  My poor husband has been sent to the store multiple times when we have run out!  I haven't been too into sweets this go around, but do love reece cups.  

Other symptoms I have been having are some killer headaches, lately it has been almost daily.  Peppermint oil and water seem to help greatly and a nap if I can.  I also have had round ligament pain this time, which I haven't had before.  The doctor wasn't worried about either of these and just told me to keep doing what I am doing.

Now that we know we are having a baby boy, it is time to start going through our baby stuff!  We aren't that far from thinking about what will be shipped overseas, so I am starting now with baby stuff!  No need for baby girl things to be shipped :)

Hopefully I can blog again before long :)  

Evie turns 2!

Today, my baby girl turns 2 years old.  To be honest, this is probably my least favorite age, but she is still a cutie and totally worth celebrating and keeping around ;)

So what all is Evie up to these days...

*She can pitch a fit with the best of them.  She will throw herself on the ground and scream.  Bless her.

*She is talking more and more these days.

*She loves shoes.  Loves them.  Wants to wear them all the time.  Today she got some dress up shoes for her b'day and stripped her shoes off and put them on and pranced around the playground in her new dress up shoes.

*She isn't a fan of sitting for long at meal time.  She would rather get to run around and play and occasionally come over for a bite of food.

*Speaking of food...her favorites would include: chicken, any kind of beans or peas, chips, cereal bars, ice cream, fruit, more fruit, and a little more fruit.  :)

*She loves her big sister.  They are really fun these days to watch as they play together.

* She likes to brush her teeth like her big sister and cries when we brush her hair, not because it hurts her, but because she watches her big sister and wants to act like her when she gets her hair brushed.

*She is still a good napper.  She will go down around 1 and sleep about 2 hours most days, sometimes more!

*She doesn't know a stranger most of the time.  She will go up and talk to anyone she happens to run across when we are out and about.

*She likes to rock with momma before bed and is such a sweetie snuggling.

*She loves to play outside, and LOVES to swing.

*Being the 2nd child, she has had more opportunities than her big sister did to try different drinks that mommy has.  The kid will snag any drink unattended and drink it.  She so far has loved sprite, any form of juice, and root beer (which I have on hand more these days as they help with my nausea).

*She will cross her arms at us and yell "No!" when she doesn't want to obey.  And she has made a run from me in Target before, which was really fun.  Stinker.

*She loves stuffed animals.  Esp. doggies it seems these days :)

Alright, that is enough for now.  Just wanting to update on what all Evie is up to these days.  We had a fun morning celebrating her at the park with a little party with family.  We had popcorn with different seasonings and cupcakes.  It was a simple but fun party.  And she had fun, which is the main goal!

Here are some pics from our morning!  She is napping now and we are planning to take her out to a park for dinner and playing more later!

Let's get real again....

So looking back on my blog, I have shared mostly the fun stuff we have been up to since our move from STL.  To be real, life hasn't been completely just full of fun and laughter.  2 nights ago, I had a little break down and a good cry was overdue.

Life since leaving St. Louis.  hmm...

Now let me preface this that we love being in AL for many reasons.  Our families are closer.  We love our home church.  Shoot....we lived this summer (at least while we were in town) with a pool in our backyard.

But, it has been hard if I want to be honest.

We have changed from the last time we lived here.  We aren't on the same track of life we were on 4 or 5 years ago before we moved.  We have gone through 3.5 years of hard, challenging, beautiful and fun, and all sorts of adjectives that could describe our time at Covenant Seminary.  Unless you have been there, you can't truly grasp what life was like for us there.  It's kinda just like if you haven't lost a child before, you can't truly know the pain.  If you haven't had the experience of the birth of a child, you can't truly know the excitement and joy.  It takes being there yourself to truly grasp it.

Life was different in St. Louis than it is here.  And that is just how it is.  We lived in a unique community where everyone around us were pretty much all on the same boat.  We lived life together and struggled together, and cried together, and rejoiced together.  We were around each other every single day pretty much.

So now living back in AL, the best word Michael and I have found to describe how we feel at times, is lonely.  We feel lonely.  There I said it.  This is not a stab at anyone here in AL.  We do have friends and family here.  We are so thankful for that.  Don't take this the wrong way.  But we are on a unique path here that not many can relate to.  Where we have been and where we are going can't truly be understood by many unless they have been there themselves.

Full time support raising can be exciting and fun.  It can also be discouraging and hard.  What I have learned most is that this time is where the Lord is refining me more.  He is showing me that HE is going to be our true comfort and strength.  We have to lean on him to get us through this and HE will be the one to raise up our whole support team in his perfect timing.  Why do I feel like he keeps wanting to teach me patience and how to "wait on the Lord".  Why do I keep failing at that?  Why do I have to be reminding daily that he is close to us and cares and hasn't forgotten us.  He knows our hearts.  He wants to grow us more into his likeness and it isn't a pretty process.

So why do I share all of this on here?  I guess mainly to say we need your prayers.  We aren't anything special.  While we do have a unique calling that is different than many of our friends, we aren't any different.  We struggle with our own sin.  We struggle with our belief.  We need encouragement from the body of Christ when we feel like giving up and crying.  We need each other and that is how Christ intends for his church to act.  We are to love one another and lift each other other when 1 is struggling.

I am struggling.  We are supposed to be leaving for England in 4.5 months and a lot has to happen in that time in order for that to happen.  We need Jesus.   We need to trust him and his timing.  I need to take moments out of our chaos each day and rest in him and fall at his feet.

So last night my husband, pointed me to Christ.  He read  Psalm 77 to me and it encouraged my heart.  I need to look to Christ when I am struggling.  I need to turn to scriptures and be reminded of what is true.  I need to cry out to Christ and cry on his shoulder and cast all of my anxieties on him and leave them at his feet.  Then I need to trust that he is big enough to handle it and that HE WILL handle it.  It might not be handled how I want it to or as quick as I want it to be, but the Lord knows best.  Better than me that's for sure.

So I leave you with this, because I need to keep going back to it myself and maybe it can encourage someone else today....


Psalm 77

I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

4 You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

God is faithful.  He has been when I look back and he will be as we look ahead.  He loves me more than I could ever imagine.  I need to remember that daily (even moment by moment each day).

I know I am not the only one who feels like this?  If not right now, I know many have felt like this at some point right?  We all need to cling to Christ.  And keep being reminded every. single. day.  Because, we are broken and forgetful.

Our month in pictures....

I have been a bad blogger these days...I guess we are a little busy these days and naps win in the afternoon if I don't have school still to do with SK.

So instead of trying to remember what I haven't blogged about in words, let's just look at what pictures I have taken this last month :)

Here is our "First day of school" pic this year :)  SK is enjoying 1st grade and homeschooling has gone well so far.  Our first day we got everything done then got to go swimming!

This kid.  I will do a 2 year old blog on here in a few weeks.  Hard to believe this little one is almost 2!  She has fully embraced her 2's already, can you tell?

We have done lots of this.  There was one week a couple weeks ago we travelled to Bristol, TN, then back to B'ham for a couple days, then down to Florida for a few days, and other small drives to the Birmingham area for different meetings and such.  I think I counted around 24 hours of being in the car that 1 week.  Shew.  And this little one hasn't been too thrilled about her time in the car, but she has done well all things considered.

Here is a pic of the girls with Mimi while we were in FL.  

We had our first Doctor appt and baby looked great.  I was crying and so anxious before we got to the doctor office, and was so thankful to see our little nugget growing well and his or her little heart beating on the ultrasound.

Last Sunday we travelled down to Tuscaloosa, AL where Michael preached and we got to share in Sunday School about our hearts for England.  It was fun to drive around a bit and see our college town.  

So that gives you a little update right?  We are in full swing with homeschooling with SK and so far so good.  It has been so helpful to be able to do her school work while we are traveling and such.  SK is taking piano lessons and we will start ballet in a couple weeks too :)  

We are headed to South Carolina for a couple days next week.  I think we are getting the hang of what this fall is going to look like, with travels, homeschooling, kid's activities, preparing to move overseas, all while growing a baby in my tummy :)  

Sickness has set in a bit for me, but not horrible (about the same as with the other pregnancies).  I feel like I stay nauseous a lot, so I just snack and eat all day it seems.  Michael has been great doing some cooking around here so I don't have to see raw meat and other things that make me want to throw up. bleh.

Alright, off to tend to kiddos.  See you again soon!