My husband

I love my husband! I love being married! I love having a Christmas tree to share with someone. (He cares a lot more then he puts off!) I love sharing a bed with someone. I love Matt...

Today, I came home and the kitchen was cleaned, the floor was mopped, the family room was picked up. We had been so busy lately, barely at home, and when we are we are exhausted...so our house has fallen through our fingertips. Today, Matt made me smile. I know he just wanted to do something nice for me. I love having a husband.

Thank you Matt! Thank you for being my best friend and loving me for who I am!

~N

The Joy of Teaching

This year has been a lot tougher for me than last year with teaching. I've felt burnt out a lot more and I feel like I am working a lot more hours. First grade is just a lot tougher than second, which I expected but I just get worn out

This week though confirmed to me why I am a teacher and why I will stay a teacher. (Besides the fact that I know the Lord has called me where I am). I have a student this year who at the beginning of the school year I thought would be one of my more difficult students. He was REALLY low. REALLY REALLY low! For the last couple of weeks there has been a change in this little boy. He is sitting taller, he is able to sit still, and more importantly he is reading! READING. I sat down with him on Thursday and we read a little book together and he read it. With some help but more reading then helping. On Friday, I tested his sight words. (I do a weekly sight word test). He had a long list of sight words that he did not know. I asked him if he knew any on the page as I was writing something down and he just started reading off the words. As I began formally testing him he began to get more and more excited with the words that he knew. His voice got higher with excitement, he was looking at me for approval. I was so excited. He only missed 4. 4 out of 30! I was so proud of this little boy. He was so proud of himself. I had tears in my eyes as I watched his pride. I looked at him and said you can read! I called his mom to let her know...I hope she is as excited as I was!

This is what makes teaching worth it. I did not do anything for this boy but give him an opportunity to learn. I am so thankful I could be there to help him!

My class!


~N

Thanksgiving???

Wow! Thanksgiving has already come and gone and I don't know where it went...I had a week break? I'm more exhausted then I was when break happened.

My break started with meeting Hayden. We went to church on Sunday and Matt led worship for the first time! My parent's came to see him and I think it made him a little nervous. He still did great. I think I get more nervous then he does. That night I had the chance to go to youth group and see Matt lead the Bible study. He did really awesome with that too! The kids are super involved and I could tell Matt loves to lead it. My teacher instincts kick in though and I constantly want to simmer the kids down. I resisted though.

On Monday I went to my classroom to work on somethings but I caught a cold and didn't go the rest of the week. However, I did not get enough done.

So, early Thanksgiving day (like 4am early) we headed out to Riverside to see Matt's family. The drive went pretty well and pretty quick. It was great to see Matt's family and spend time with them. It was hard at the same time because I knew my parent's didn't have very much family around, my brother and his family were at her family's, and this was my 2nd year in a row being away from them. Praise God they are so understanding! They know that as their kids grow they are not going to be around as much. It would be even harder if they gave us a hard time!

We had a great time at Matt's Aunt Jill's house spending time with his family, playing games and eating yummy food but let me tell you, we were so tired!

The next day was a wonderful day to hang out with Matt's mom and stepdad, Mike. We went and spent time with Matt's Grandpa Russ. Whom I asked if I could call him grandpa too, he said yes! :) We had good conversation and I learned so much at about Matt's grandma, which is really great because she is such a beloved person in their lives. Then we went to this great restaurant that Matt's older brother told Mike and JoAnn about called Viva Madrid. It was so yummy! We ate lots of tapas and drank wine and talked. We went and walked around in a little Christmas shop and bought some ornaments. It was just a nice, relaxing evening!

The next morning we got to see Matt's sister's new house. It was a great house and it was fun to spend time with Sarah, Josh, and the girls.

I really didn't take any pictures, sorry! I just forgot! I have lots more to post and now it is time to get ready for Christmas! Yay! Anyone get their Christmas tree yet?

~N

Hayden!

Okay, so I have lots of pictures of the Hayden boy! He's so precious. We celebrated my mom's birthday and Thanksgiving yesterday and I could have taken that baby home with me. He is so precious. He is so sleepy! I fed him, burped him, changed him...Meghan and Justin were so great in that they were so easy going and just let me do my thing with him. I love that he is MY nephew! I love him very much, I didn't know I could love someone else's baby so much.

Meghan is doing great. She is always energetic and always bubbly and just because she had a baby and is up every 3 hours throughout the night doesn't faze her. I respect her attitude so much and hope I can learn from her easygoing personality.

Justin is also doing great. It's incredible to watch him interact with Hayden. Justin is clearly much more gentle, patient, and we can interact so much better! It makes me happy to have him that way!

Here are some pictures of the sweet baby boy. He is so pretty!











~N

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is so amazing to be a part of a church family again. Actually, I don't know if I have ever been in a true church family (other than the Inn). I mean when I was at Adventure it was just SO big. Now, with Westbridge it is small, it is a community. At the last minute, Rick (the pastor), asked the youth group to adopt a family for Thanksgiving. What this meant was that the youth would get together the necessary food for a dinner. The family that we provided for was a single mom with a 10 year old son. On Sunday we gave the kids a list of foods to volunteer to bring. They had just over two days to get the food. Matt also sent out an email to the kids. It was amazing! We had way more food then necessary for a Thanksgiving dinner! WAY MORE! These kids and their families went above and beyond what was asked of them. Everything was dropped off to our house before noon today and Matt and I delivered the basket to her. We bought a gift card for the little boys birthday and one of the kids in the youth brought a $20 gift card for Walmart.

It makes me so joyful to be a part of a church that wants to serve. I know times are tough out there for everyone. I know people are struggling. I love working with people who know the LORD is bigger then money and are willing to sacrifice what they have!


Here is the basket Matt put together:

This is the extra food:

The little boy's favorite food is chocolate chip cookies...so I made them. (They were SO good!)

~N

End of world???

There is so much talk in the Christian world about Jesus' return. There is so much talk about the end of the world. I have to be honest: I have fears about the end of the world. I have desires in my heart that I, selfishly, want to have fulfilled.

I am publicly claiming that I will not live in fear. Fear is not of the Lord unless it is fear of the Lord. I know and believe that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and I know that he has died for our sins and rose again. I know that I have nothing to fear because if Jesus is coming to take his people, he is taking me with him. I am going to live in that promise, I am going to live in that faith, and I will not dwell in the fear of the unknown. I will live my life for Jesus daily, proclaiming the truth, desiring his will, and live excited for him each day.

I am saying this to all of you blog reader's out there to hold me accountable. I no longer want to live in this bondage of fear as it knocks me down and drags me in. Please pray as I can do this only with the Lord's strength.

Thank you!

~N

Hayden Pierce

My brother and his wife Meghan are currently in labor! They should have their baby boy in just a couple of hours, right on his due date. I am excited to meet him. Hopefully, I will have pictures soon.

~ Auntie Niki...haha :)