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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Busy, Busy...

The month of June has been pretty busy for the Tate household. Last week, the kids and I were in Cabot for VBS at our home church. It was  nice seeing everyone and Gabe learned so much about what it means to be a Christian and loving Jesus. He came home everyday and told me new things he learned such as gratitude, grace and forgiveness. We had some nice lunch dates with friends and I even got to go and get my hair and nails done thanks to my mom and my good friend Kami.

This past weekend Johnathan and I celebreated our 6th wedding anniversary. He had originally planned for us to go out for dinner, but Abby was running a fever so we stayed in. Johnathan cooked a nice meal, tortelleni and mushrooms, a favorite dish of ours from Zaffino's in Sherwood. He also picked up some Bang Bang shrimp and bread from Bone Fish.Ii was really nice because we just sat and took our time eating, didn't have to get all dressed up or rush around getting the kids.

I can't believe we have been married 6 years already, it has just flown by. Johnathan and I have very different personalities but we share simlar interests. He is very extroverted and outgoing and I am more introverted and quiet but for some reason we fit together pretty well! I think the one thing that has kept us together with a secure marriage is our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We always try to put Him first and things work some much better. Yes, there are days when I want to ring Johnathan's neck, but we both have commited our lives to each other.I thnk the other important thing in our marriage  is communication. We talk about everything from our thoughts and feelings to our finances and how to raise our kids. The 2 biggest areas I think we fight about are intimacy and money. We have learned that we must keep each other's needs a priority above everything else. We also sit together when we get paid and right down everthing together and look at where our money will go. But selfishness does tend to get  in between us at times and we have found this leads to arguments as well. I have seen that our kids pick up on everything and their stability and security is at stake if we're not careful.

We headed back to Cross Church on Sunday and we are really enjoying the church and the worship is amazing. I signed Gabe up for their Kids Day Out program starting in the fall. I think it will be good for Gabe and me! We took our dog to the vet today and then came back home and played. I also tried to get some much needed cleaning in as well.

This weekend , we will be celebrating Abigail's 1st birthday. I can't believe she is almost one already.That topic will have to be a whole new post!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

A Typical Day: Revised

We are adapting to a new sort of normal around here. Thought I would give you a glimpse into our days.

My children are early risers, so our day starts between 6:30 and 7am. Gabe usually comes in our room and gest in bed with me for a few minutes. Then, when Abby wakes up, we go get her and make our way to the living room where we watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Then its breakfast time which consisted of a pop tart and milk for Gabe, cheerios, applesauce and a bottle for Abby and a bagel with cream cheese for me.

After we ate, we had some playtime then Gabe and I got dressed and ready for the day while Abby went down for her morning nap.  During her naptime, I got my grocery list and coupons ready for our trip to Walmart. I usually do my shopping at Kroger, but now we are a Walmart family and I can't find a Kroger around here which I am sad about in many ways. Johnathan's motto is if we shop at Walmart it will help our stocks go up, who knows.

When Abby woke from her nap, we headed to Walmart and Gabe got a much needed haircut. I got some ingredients for the taco salad we're having for dinner tonight and then we haeded home. I often dread going grocery shopping now with 2 kids b/c it's difficult and I can't concentrate like I want to. Abby doesn't really like sitting in the cart so we have to find ways to keep her occupied like giving her a sponge or something to hold on to.

We headed back home, ate lunch (leftover spagetti) and then got our suits and sunscreen on to head to the pool. We stayed at the pool for about an hour. It is a really nice day today with a high of 89 and blue skies.We had fun except for the part when Gabe was going down the slide and was trying to get to the ladder when another kid slid into the water and plowed right into Gabe pulling Gabe under. He cried and I yelled at the kid and then we both got over it.

Then, we headed home and I put the kids in bed for their nap time. This is also a hard thing to do at times but I thank Jesus when I can get them both to take naps at the same time. This is the time for me to do my quiet time, check emails and also clean or get dinner started.

So, nothing too thrilling, we just try to stay on a good schedule, stay busy and get out of the house each day even if its just for a walk around the block. The church we visited Sunday has a program similar to FBC weecare and they had slots available for Gabe and Abby, praise God.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Monday, June 13, 2011

A New Journey

And the journey continues... in Northwest Arkansas, Centerton to be exact! And what better way to start this new journey than by creating a blog for our family and friends to share in our new adventures. We have been at our new residence for a week now and God has been so good.  We are enjoying our new home and the kids are adjusting well.

The journey began about 2 months ago when Johnathan and his UALR graduate team came to Walmart Corporate in Bentonville to present a project  they had been working on. Johnathan made  some incredible connections and was excited about his trip. In May, a Walmart  executive contacted Johnathan's professor and requested an interview with her top student. She recommended Johnathan and a week later he was heading to Bentonville for an interview. We were very reluctant about him even interviewing because this would mean a move and major life changes which we were apprehesive about. Well, the interview went very well and the next day, Johnathan was offered a job with incentives we could not pass up. Walmart assigned us a relocation counselor and realtors to help in the process of selling our old house and helping us find a new home.


Our realtor in NWA helped us find a nice rent home in Centerton which is located right outside Bentonville city limits. It is a 4 bedroom house which is nice because we now have extra space for when family and friends come to visit. Our house is 10 minutes from Johnathan's work and about the same distance from major shopping areas. Our goal right now is to stay in our current home for atleast a year which will give us time to hopefully sell our house in cabot and save for our new home. Our subdivision has a clubhouse with a really nice pool as well as a gym and tanning beds which I was ecited about!


Mom came up last week to help us get settled in and unpack. We had a great time organizing the house, playing with the kids, cooking and even got in some shopping time.She was a huge help to us and we really enjoyed her.


We visited a new church Sunday morning called Cross Church at Pinnacle Hills. it was awesme! it is a Southern Baptist church with wonderful praise and worship music. The kids did wonderfully when we dropped them off in their rooms. The kids area has an aquarium which Gabe loves and offers lots of fun activities.


Right now, the plan is for me to stay home with the kids until Gabe starts Kindergarten. This morning, I was drinking my coffee and watching Mickey Mouse clubhouse with the kids and I thanked God for the blessing of being home with my kids and not having any kind of agenda.


Speaking of the kids, Gabe is 4 years old now and is full of energy and a mouth that never stops! He is such a joy, with a kind spirit and a tender heart. Abigail is 11 months old now and has just started walking. Johnathan has even slipped in a little whole milk in her bottles because he said she needs some Vitamin D. The kids love playing with each other and it brings a smile to my face everyday.


I am very excited about this new journey God has in store for us but I have to admit, the feelings of loneliness and sadness have crept in which has been hard to deal with at times. I have never lived more than 30 miles away from my family so it's a big change.I am learning to lean on the Lord for his strength and my husband in ways I never have before.


We love and miss all of our family and friends dearly. We pray for God's guidance. love and peace during this time of transition. We hope you will journey with us through this blog!
Proverbs 3:5-6