Hanging out with Emmy Jean and Hannah Beth

This is our first visit to Emily and Hannah in their NEW house in Greenville, SC.  We now live 1hr 15 mins from them instead of 20 mins.  Emmy and Jacob were definitely missing one another, but we try really hard to let them hang out often.  Jacob and I go to Greenville at least once a month and Steph and the girls come to Toccoa about as often.

Here is Mimi reading a story to the older ones while Hannah was napping.  They LOVE Mimi and want to know right where she is at all times!

Jacob loves his cousins and feels right at home in their house and playroom!

First Weeks in GA

Our first weeks in GA were super busy and fun.  We had lots of stuff going on with the youth and couldn't believe how often we were getting to see our families!  Jacob especially loved getting to see grandparents so much.  He knew instantly that these people REALLY loved him!  Here are Brett and Jacob on Brett's first day of work for First Baptist Toccoa.  

Our dear friends Jay, Sara, & Bailey Mosser also accepted a youth pastor position in Toccoa and we are now reunited again after 2 years on different continents.  Bailey and Jacob are great friends now!

Jacob wanted to get inside the drawer. . .

Here is our stinkpot with 2 remotes.  One goes to the TV and the other to our DVD player.  He loved them so much and normally wouldn't mess anything up when he played with them.  However, within a matter of 2 days, he lost BOTH of them and we haven't been able to find them yet.  We have searched everywhere.  They have literally disappeared off the face of the earth.  Really, it is quite frustrating because we have to watch the beginning of every DVD we put in the player now :(

Loving my new book basket in the living room.

Hanging out with Daddy (and the remote) after work one afternoon.

Jacob still really liked the magnets and carried them all over the house.

He REALLY started walking after we moved and got steadier and steadier each day.  I can't believe how much he has changed since we moved here 4 months ago!  He looks much more like a big boy than a baby!

Moving Weekend

During the summer, the opportunity was presented to Brett to pursue an youth/associate pastor position in Toccoa, GA (our hometown).  After much prayer, we decided to take the position and leave our beloved Bethlehem Baptist Church.  We had LOVED serving there during the past (almost 3) years and couldn't imagine leaving all the sweet friends we had made.  That time of service taught us sooooo much about the ministry and how to lead a youth group.  They were so patient with us and loved on us in so many ways.  When Jacob was born, I think we had meals every night for a month!  Many of the people in the church became our "family" away from home.  We can't thank you all enough for the ways that you opened your lives and homes to us.

The last week we were there we took Reagan White out for ice cream.  She loved Jacob and we all loved her!  It was a special last treat for us :)

Moving weekend, Brett's dad came up to help us load up on Thursday.  He and Brett worked all day on Thursday, Friday and Sat morning to get ready to load the truck.  Stanley flew in on Sat morning and Jacob and I went to pick up Stan-Wayne from the airport.  By the time we got back, they had loaded up half the truck.  Even Wayne Bray came to help that morning.

Jacob on Dada's shoulders.

Very happy although he is wondering what was going on!  He was definitely way more fussy around the time of the move.  It took him a couple of weeks to settle in to our new life in Toccoa.

Our last Sunday there, some of our former youth dressed in all black to show that they were in "mourning" that we were leaving.  :)  So funny!  Lots of our former youth came back that day to tell us bye.  The youth led the entire service,  the church gave Brett the ENTIRE New Testament commentary set that he had been wanting and threw us a big reception after church.  The youth presented us with a scrapbook that they had been working on that documented our entire time at Bethlehem.  They included every trip we had been on and also had some sweet pages about us having Jacob too!

Here are lots of our youth there to say "goodbye."  I definitely cried like a baby when we hugged everyone that afternoon, but I know that we will still stay close and visit as often as we can.  What a sweet sweet place that Church holds in our hearts!  God blessed us so richly to have given us the opportunity to serve in Youngsville, NC.  Love you all so much!!!

Mimi comes to help pack!

My mom came up to help us pack to move (more on that later. . . ) to  GA.  What a blessing!!!! Seriously, I cannot not overemphasize how much I appreciated all that she did to help.  We worked like crazy people from Thurs until she left on Sunday.  We literally got 70% of the house packed up!  It was amazing!  Also. . . she watched Jacob so that we could go out on a date.  We were so excited!

Good morning Mimi and Jacob!  As you can see, J is a little excited to see Mimi this morning :)

Mom thought it would be really cute to get a pic of Jacob with all the boxes.  I agree!

Jacob  thought the new boxes were really cool and wanted to explore his newly redefined world.  I was super cute to see him "unpacking" boxes that we had packed.

He is sooooo interested in the cabinets now.  We were trying to wait it out and just do the locks on the cabinets in GA.  He was about to make us reconsider waiting!

Drooling lots with all his new teeth.  We are almost ready to move!

August 11th, 2012: Jacob is 1!

The very day Jacob turned one was pretty uneventful.  Since we had already partied in GA, we just hung out with the three of us that day.  I was not super great about getting the "monthly" pictures (sometimes it was the 1/2 month by the time I took it. . . sometimes I skipped the month).  However, I really wanted a picture of "the day" he turned one.  So, that evening after his bath, we set him up with his jammies on.

He was very interested in the sign, so we tried to set it above his head. . .

He thought he would still explore it, so we decided to just take pictures with him holding it :)

and tearing it. . .

And eating it. . ..

And throw it in the floor. . .

Mimi arrived on Thursday night to help us pack for our move to GA (more to come on that).  Jacob was so excited to see her and really wanted to help her eat her pizza.

He has become such a little beggar. . . .

Mimi loves you sweet boy and we do too!!!!