Yes, it does snow in eastern North Carolina

I thought that moving south was a ticket to sunny, mild winters filled with brisk mornings and comfortable afternoons. Sure, you have to wear a coat and scrape some January frost off the windshield in the morning, but the coat and the frost disappear by noon, right. Think again.

Don’t get me wrong; I love snow–God’s beautiful creation blanketed in pure white. You snap a few pictures, bundle up Joshua and let him play, and then go inside to make a cup of hot cocoa and wait for it to melt…and wait…and wait…and you get the idea.

It began with a light rain on Saturday that quickly froze into a sheet of ice. This provided a nice bed for the 4-6 inches of snow that fell. Frost that with a little freezing rain, and you have a 4 inch white blanket that I can walk on without sinking in! Just look at the picture below and see if you can spot any foot prints; I dare you.

 

At this point I was still smiling and enjoying the beautiful snow. However, the next hour was spent in the first round of shoveling the driveway. Because of all the ice, it was a lot more like scraping than shoveling. Even that was fun at first. Remember, I’ve lived in the south for over 10 years now, and during all that time I have not had to shovel snow. Normally it snows and the next day it’s in the high 50s. Not this time. So with some helpful reminders from my highly experienced mom I dove right in. Joshua continued to play.

An hour later, I was half way done and exhausted. Joshua had deserted me for the warmth of the house. I was discovering that certain muscle atrophy when you go a decade without shoveling snow. Needless to say, I was not going to need to do any Wii Fit exercises this afternoon.

After a two-hour break for lunch and putting Joshua down for a nap, I tackled the other half of the driveway. Thankfully, it went more quickly. I am now the proud owner of a cleared driveway. Of course, I have yet to see any snow plow or salt truck to treat the ice rink that was once our street. 

I hope they don’t expect me to shovel that too.

Time to Catch Up

It’s amazing how much “stuff” is crammed into the end of each year. The addition of having a new baby has only magnified the busyness of the season. Even in the midst of all the activity it is wonderful to consider the goodness of God over the past year and to enjoy the blessings and struggles that He has prepared for us.

Last week we hosted Michelle’s family for an exciting Christmas celebration. Seven adults and four children under five kept the house bustling. Michelle planned and prepared several wonderful meals with the help of her sister and parents. Due to my unique culinary skills I primarily assisted with the dishes.

It’s amazing how much fun kids can have together. It’s also amazing the kind of mess they can produce in a short time. As an example, I’ve included a picture of Joshua’s room. I believe they were in there for about 5 minutes when this picture was taken.

The children, of course, were even more excited about the presents that appeared under the tree after the afternoon nap time. In an age-old custom from both our families, we required the children to pose for pictures before letting them open the gifts.

Joshua really got into unwrapping gifts this year! Uncle Rob taught him the fine art of tear paper and throw it on the floor. Joshua picked it up like a pro. James will have to wait another year or two to get the real hang of the process. He let mommy do most of his heavy work.

After the Sunday morning service, we took a quick picture of Grammy, Grandpa, and the grandkids before lunch. Everyone but Michelle’s parents left Sunday afternoon. Mom & Dad Lewis stayed until Tuesday morning. This had the fringe benefit of providing us with babysitters for our 7th anniversary on Monday.

Thanks to all for the cards, gifts, and thoughts during the holidays. May the Lord truly bless you with a closer walk with him in the new year.

New pictures

James is 1 month old today!  Here are some pictures of our family that we had taken this week.

 

James, 1 month old; Joshua 18 months

Daddy and his boys

Ready for My Close-up

Here are a couple pictures of the litlle guy up close and personal. At first, he didn’t like the light in his eyes.

But he finally opened his eyes for a few pictures.

Here’s a picture of Joshua for those who want to compare.

James Comes Home

James made it home this afternoon around 4:oo. Joshua was waiting at the door and got very excited when he saw the car pull in. He wasn’t too sure about his new little brother at first, but he soon warmed up. Below is a pictorial summary of the process.

Michelle "signing our" James

Daddy getting James ready for his first trip outside

 

James in his car seat

Joshua tries to share his toys with James

Joshua wanted to read a book with daddy and his new brother

James and mommy taking a little break; they've both worked pretty hard the last 48 hours

Discharge This Afternoon

James is getting discharged this afternoon. I will have some more pictures for you then. My mother arrived last night to help out with Joshua (and see James of course).

James-Day 1

James has excelled at all the responsibilities of a one-day-old: eating, sleeping, and making diapers. Here are a few pictures

This is where the nurses want James to sleep. (The gloves are to protect James from his long nails.

This is where James wants to sleep.

Mom is thinking, "What a cute little boy." James is thinking, "Lunch. I need lunch."

Dr. Grant Signs Off

Our pediatrician just stopped in to tell us that James looks great! He doesn’t even look like he’s going to have jaundice. We should be discharged around noon tomorrow after James’s circumcision.

A Night at the Nash General Hospital

There are some mysteries in life that I will probably never fully understand: what happens to the socks that disappear in the dryer, why does my grass grow better in the flower beds than on the lawn, and above all else, why do my children insist on being born in the middle of the night? One minute shy of midnight James burst into the world with a falsetto scream that he perfected for the next 15 minutes. Thankfully he has quieted as soon as they gave him to Mommy.

After taking the first pictures and walking to the nursery for some video footage, it was about 1:30am. I’m past the tired point and have moved to hungry. Michelle, being an excellent multitasker and having just given birth, opted for both tired and hungry. So in the tradition of the great hunters of the past, I set off at 2:00am in search of food for my family.

Having gotten directions from the local natives in pink smocks, I descended into the bowels of the hospital to locate the cafeteria. The initial promise of an awning with the word “Cafe” brought me instead to a nearly deserted kitchen area. The menu by the door revealed a variety tasty options had I arrived at a decent hour. But the only staff member willing to serve food until 3:15 was the short-order chef. Michelle’s chicken salad sandwich went back up to the room via hospital room service while I faced the choice of chicken sandwich or hamburger. The chicken won (and is still winning).

James came back to our room around 4am. He cleans up well and looked really cute in his little hat. After two relatively close feedings, the little guy let out a big burp and fell asleep. (Babies have it so rough.) Mommy and Daddy took advantage of the opportunity to get about 2 hours of sleep before the nursing staff visited again.

Over all, we’ve had a great experience here at Nash. The nursing staff, especially in labor and delivery, were excellent. Even the food was good for a 2am special. Thanks again for all your prayers. Truly the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Announcing a New Arrival

I would like to welcome James Robert to this strange place we call earth. He barely arrived on Nov. 2 making his debut at 11:59pm. That means that he only got to enjoy one minute of his birthday before it became Nov. 3. He’ll have to wait a whole year to get a full birthday.

Stats: 6 pounds, 19 inches [Batting average TBA]

He is completely healthy as far as we know. Praise the Lord!!! Below are a few of his first pictures.