Comfort and Joy

I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will
give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
Jeremiah 31:13

Monday, July 30, 2012

We are off the captain shouted...

We are heading out on our 24 hour drive home. 1400 miles with 2 small children and a timeline of 2 weeks till our stuff will make it to Memphis. We will see if we all survive.











Here we go again...

Today is packing day and tomorrow is moving day...I can't believe its finally here.  We have been dreading and eagerly awaiting this day for months.  Austin has been counting down the days until he gets to see his beloved Sadie (our dog) but then when today hit and he saw the movers packing his toys up, the water works started.  It's so hard to truly explain to a 3 year old that you need to say goodbye because you don't know when you will see your friends again and that your toys that are being packed will meet us in a new city hundreds of miles away.
  Untitled Untitled
My emotions are all over the place.  It doesn't help that I am pregnant and trying to do this move but I can't figure out if I am coming or going.  I am exhausted but energized, sad but happy, nervous but excited...I am everywhere.  I am so sad to say goodbye to the precious friends we made here...friends we will cherish for life.  Moving to a new place where you don't know anyone will really make you branch out and put yourself and your family out there to meet new people.  I was so lonely in August and September and truly so sad to be away from our friends and family but God was so good...so good in the friendships he provided for me.  Godly women who loved me, loved my children, and longed to know me deeper and better.  I have cherished every moment I have spent with these women and their children.  It truly has been a gift from the Lord.  Last night my bible study/play group hosted a "Going Away BBQ" for our family and it was so special.  The kids had the time of their lives playing with their best buds and David and I enjoyed talking and hanging out with dear friends.  It was so special to look around and see the joy on the faces of my boys and the smile I couldn't contain at the way God provided...He provided a perfect place for us to live...a perfect fellowship for my husband...a perfect church and bible study for our family...perfect friends to love us and cherish us...and a perfect 13 months in a city we have grown to love and adore.  Boston will forever hold such a special place in my heart.  It is true that what makes a city so special are the people...Boston is a great city with so much to see and do but what made it so special were the people.
IMG_7133 IMG_7089
So thank you Boston for a wonderful 13 months...thank you precious Boston friends for a year I will never forget...and thank you Lord for providing as you always do to meet our every need.
IMG_7046
So tomorrow we will hit the road on our long journey home to Memphis.  1400 miles with 2 little ones and a pregnant woman who needs to pee often may make for a difficult journey but this is what our year has been about...a journey....one we will forever hold in our hearts.

If you want to say a little prayer for us we would really appreciate it. Please pray for this: Untitled
and not this:
Untitled
See you soon Memphis!

Friday, July 27, 2012

Precious video announcement

The boys have something they would like to share...


This video was taken 2 days before our big ultrasound and the boys were right...we are having a...GIRL! I can't believe it...totally in shock but completely overjoyed! She is healthy, perfect, and beautiful!  The ultrasound couldn't have gone any better.  Truly praising the Lord for her health and growth.

 For the last 6-7 weeks Austin has been telling us that I have a girl in my tummy. He wouldn't even consider that it was a boy. A few times I even tried to talk to him about it possibly being a boy and he wouldn't have anything to do with it. He knew there was a little girl in my tummy and by golly...he was right.  When we showed Austin the ultrasound of his sister he asked a few funny questions:
-Why is it so dark in there?
-What's in there with her?  Bananas?  Smoothies?
I absolutely love experiencing this pregnancy through the eyes of a 2 and 3 year old.  It makes it so much fun and entertaining.

We are thrilled, overjoyed, ecstatic that she is healthy and perfect. What a treasure she already is to our family and I am so thankful for the blessing of her precious life. Bring on the pink because a little girl is joining the Spence clan!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Life lately...

Life is c.r.a.z.y!  Seriously so crazy.  Just a small list of the many things we have on our plate:
1.  Planning a race (like planning a wedding every year...crazy!)
2.  Having work done on our new house in Memphis
3.  Making decisions on the new house in Memphis
4.  David finishing up his fellowship training
5.  Making numerous phone calls to shut things off in Boston and turn things on in Memphis
6.  Working on stuff for the Forrest Spence Fund
7.  Getting organized and cleaned out to prepare for the movers
8.  Trying to entertain 2 little boys and keep them happy
9.  Growing a baby =)

Life is c.r.a.z.y but fun at the same time.  We have had some sweet moments between the craziness of life.

2 sweet brothers cuddling before bed.
My loves cuddling before bed
Making a trip to Hingham to visit with David's Aunt Ellen for the morning.  Untitled
Riding the Carousel in Hull, MA. Untitled Untitled
Life with 2 boys...never a dull moment. Untitled
Enjoying the beach in Hull, MA.Untitled
Watching my little loves throw rocks in the ocean. Untitled Untitled Loved spending my birthday with my boys.
My precious husband surprising me with Ray Ban's for my birthday!Happy birthday to me...love my new sunglasses from david.
Celebrating my birthday at Top of the Hub for dinner.  Such a great night looking out over the city as the sun set reminiscing about the wonderful 13 months we have spent in Boston.  Perfect birthday dinner overlooking Boston at Top of the Hub

I hope to update a couple more times before we hit the road (1 week from today) but I may not make it. There are so many other things that need to get done when the little ones are napping that the blog may have to get a backseat.  Sorry friends...hope to be back soon.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Five for Friday

This past week has been VBS at our church.  I am co-leading 3 year olds with my good friend Kelly.  I am b-e-a-t!  Seriously so exhausted.  Between commuting on the train during rush hour with 2 little ones and then keeping up with 3 year olds for 3.5 hours and then commuting home, all I want is my bed for a long time.  I am hoping I can even finish this without nodding off.  So here is to my Five for Friday recap of the last week:

1.  Last Friday we headed to Chick-fil-a for Dress like a Cow day with our buddies.  It was so fun and this pregnant girl loved getting some free chicken.  Chick-fil-a is a good 30 minute drive so we never go so it was a real treat.
Eat mor chikin!
 2. Saturday David had to work so the boys and I headed to the Frog Pond for a little water fun. Fun at the Frog Pond
*They look cold and miserable but I promise they loved it. 

 3. Saturday night was Girls Night Out with my Book Club Crew. My book club is not your typical book club...they are wild, fun, over the top and I love them. Truly going to miss these girls. We met for dinner and then dancing on the town. I was wearing a top that you couldn't really tell I was pregnant until I tried to walk behind someone to get to the bar (for water) or bathroom and then it was hilarious to see these college guys do a double take when they realized a big round belly was bumping into them and it was a girl.
GNO with some of my favorite girls! Untitled Untitled Untitled Untitled

 4. Monday started Kids Week and Austin is in my class. It has been so much fun to experience this with him. He has been a true joy (with a few episodes here and there of him acting like a crazy man) but overall I am so glad I was his teacher. Kids Week at Park Street Untitled Untitled

5.  And this is how I have commuted back and forth with the boys.  Wearing Miller, my 2 year old, in an ergo while 17 weeks pregnant.  Crazy...but its the only way I can get into downtown on the trains with all 3 of us.
Yes, I can still wear my 2 year old in an ergo. City living
And this is how I have survived 4:00 on...coffee to get me through the afternoon/evening. My much needed cup of coffee at 5:15 pm. Fading fast...all thanks to VBS with 3 year olds.

*Happy Friday homies!  Here's hoping to a relaxing and sleep filled 2nd to last weekend in Boston!

Monday, July 16, 2012

More Whale Watching fun

I didn't realize we had taken so many great pictures of our whale watching excursion on our digital camera.  For the sake of our family memories I wanted to do another blogpost on the day.

We had beautiful views leaving and returning to Boston.
IMG_7204 IMG_7201
IMG_7276 IMG_7266 IMG_7263 IMG_7210 IMG_7253 IMG_7252 IMG_7232 IMG_7225 IMG_7219
The boys loved seeing the Fire Boat. We saw it both ways. They liked when the water hoses were shooting out water the best. IMG_7206 IMG_7215 IMG_7212 IMG_7256 IMG_7254
These are my shots of the whale...yes, you don't need to strain your eyes, I missed the whale each time I took a picture. =)
IMG_7249
The boys loved being with their Yaya. IMG_7246 IMG_7239 IMG_7243
We loved doing something together as a family. IMG_7267 IMG_7257
I loved watching my two boys see so many neat things on the water. Austin really loved the big boats and seeing the airport from the water. IMG_7223 IMG_7221 IMG_7218 IMG_7216
Truly a great day and something I recommend if you ever visit Boston.