Come and see where we are living...

Our street.... this is our drive home

OUr steep driveway up to our home...

Our beautiful backyard... this was taken a week ago... right now it has leaves covering it!  RIGHT now as I am typing... the leaves are falling like rain!

Front yard

My favorite reading spot

Living room

Breakfast nook

Jim

Our room

From the front door.  We had to put up a gate for Joe.  The kids say it is the Smarts gate... like we took theirs or something...

Our down stairs hallway

OUr guest bedroom (down stairs)

Toy room. (Down stairs)

Down stairs den type room.  My Uncle Rodger gave us some couches to go in here.

There is a room just off the den downstairs.... I hate the decor in there so I am trying to cover it with pictures or something...

Come visit us anytime!!!

INK... Interactive Neighborhood for Kids

INK is a place where kids can come and play in an adult world.

Above is Hunter "flying" a plane

This is Kimberly playing with Jonah in the Dentist office

Jonah grocery shopping.

At this place we were there almost two hours.  The boys had a blast (Haley was at school).  Hunter spent 3/4ths of the time at the Thomas the Train table.  Shocker.  I got to follow Joe all around.... he is active dude! 

Above is Joe at the bank.  The talking penny told us all about money.  Jonah LOVED the talking penny.

I was invited by Kimberly to come to this place.  It was fun!  Her two boys had fun too!

Kimberly and her youngest son Corbin (Corbin is two months older then Joe)

Aunt Bonnie

The day my mom left we stopped by to visit my mom's aunt Bonnie.... Rodger's mom.  My grandma Lembke's younger sis.  She had knee surgery and is recooping in a local recoop center place.

Below is the view out of our guest bedroom :) hint hint

finding our place

Sorry i haven't updated you guys in a while.  

It is weird being on this end of things... what I mean is, I have always lived in Alta Loma (for the most part) ... and attended the same church for ever, then when the Flipside broke off, I went there.... pretty much, I was never the "new girl."  I was always the one who was encouraged to help new people feel welcomed and belonged... and now I am on that end of it... I am the new girl trying to find my place in this new culture.  

I have a friend now... Kimberly!  She is super sweet and nice.  She lives in Jefferson and has two boys... (I have talked about her before) Her and her husband planted a church in Jefferson a few years back.  They, too, are non-natives to Georgia.  We have attended their church a few times in Jefferson.  It is about twenty minutes from our home.  We really enjoy Darrel (Kimberly's hubby) and his sermons and just who he is.... their church is small, which is nice.  I don't want to go to a HUGE church where you are just a number.... but on the other hand, there isn't a whole lot of friend choices for Haley... as in, NO girls are in her class in the church... she either goes with Hunter (which she has) or she sits with us in the big service.  

I have gone to a moms group that meets really close to my house.  It is not affliated with any religious groups... which is fine with me.... I kinda wanna see what else is out here.   I went only once.  I am not sure if I will go back.  They were all very nice.  It cost money to join and the kids that go are a lot younger then Hunter and he is who needs the socialization.... so we will see. 

This morning we went to Lanier Hills Church, in Gainesville.  It is about 35 minutes from us.  We really enjoyed it.  It has  some  groups for us to check out and possibly get involved with to meet people.   Haley and Hunter have the same class... which was a plus.  The only bummer is that the church isnt super close to where we live.  And some of the groups meet even farther then the church is from us.  

So we havent really found our home church yet.  We are still praying about which direction we should go.  Maybe we will continue to check out other churches closer to us. 

I am finding that I am having to put myself out there... I have to make the effort to meet people and ask questions.  I have to be brave and go to a play group without knowing anyone there.  It is easier then I thought... just time consuming.  Being a mom is time consuming as it is and to maintain the friendships you already have take up time and energy as well....  I guess I just pray there are girls out there who are willing to pour time into getting to know me.

Just some things I am learning

- FIRE ANTS.... this is my current fear right now.  my friend, Kimberly, has a son Hunter's age who once fell in a fire ant hill and got HUNDREDS of bites from the ants.  Of course out of all three children of mine, who would fall into a hill.... HUNTER.... and he did.  LUCKILY he did NOT get bitten.  I guess they hurt.   Haley got bit by one yesterday and she screamed... she said it stung.  YUCK

- HAY STACKS.... they are everywhere!  What do you do with hay?

- MIN speed limits.... You cant drive less then 40 miles per hour on the INTERSTATE.  I laughed at this law... but the other day I got caught behind someone who WASNT going faster then 40 and because there isnt like five lanes on the Interstate to pass the slow poke... it isnt fun 

- I LIVE IN THE BIBLE BELT..... I have a lot of things to go under this fact.... you know you are in the bible belt when the TEN commandments are posted on the interstate for all to read.  Also, people have it posted as a sign in their yards.  When you meet people in the store.... they ask, "Have you found a church yet?"  One guy told JImmy, that he has to find a good baptist church.  EVERYONE here goes to church.  

- ROAD KILL HERE IS DISTURBING.... it is like a BIG honking carcass to avoid with your  car.

- I hit a dog... :( because there are not a whole lot of "privacy fences" dogs run loose.... oops... I didnt kill it... but it scared me to death.

- EVERY CHURCH HAS A CEMETARY.... nice

- SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED ON ELECTION DAY.  Today Haley is hanging out here because schools close down on election day because that is where people vote.

- THE FALL COLORS COME OUT MORE AND MORE EACH DAY.... it is beautiful!

- DEER WILL JUST VISIT YOUR HOUSE.... the other day JIm saw deer crossing our street.... just out cruisin' the neighborhood.

- Hunter and Jonah sharing a room STINKS......  It is getting better but they like to wake each other up.... NICE

- GEtting use to east coast time is weird.  It is weird to watch a baseball or football game and on the game it is daylight... but you are watching it live and it is pitch black outside.

- COLLEGE FOOT BALL IS HUGE.... HUGE.... on a game day, people dress themselves... their mailboxes... their shoes... walmart has a Georgia Bulldog ROOM to shop in with all stuff Georgia Bull dogs.... 

- You can see the stars.... :)

Thats it for now ... :)

Halloween

Flowery Branch and neighboring cities, do not do a ton of Halloween stuff.... Trick or treating isnt huge here.  Most shopping centers pass out candy for Halloween.  

And they trick or treat between the hours of 4 and 6 :) so it is day light.... and warmer... which was nice

We went out to jefferson, georgia to trick or treat with some new friends, Darrel and Kimberly.

A church in Jefferson had a free bounce house thing.

Jenny came with us.... scott worked

Haley was in rare form

Below was during our car ride to Jefferson.... Hunt took a cat nap.

Both Hunter and Jonah are wearing costumes that I got from my MOPS costume exchange.... Pooh Bear and a Chicken.  Haley went as a High School Musical - East High Cheer leader. 

Pumpkin Carving Fun

Ok... I am still learning my new computer and cant figure out how to move the pictures into the order I want them.... I am frustrated so I am leaving it as it is :)

Scott and Jenny (well, I think Jenny) went out and bought the kids pumpkins before we even got here.  They wanted to help the kids carve pumpkins... which, if you know me, was a huge load off.  I am not thrilled with getting my hands inside the pumpkin :)

Scott "helped" hunter.... meaning... Scott did Hunters pumpkin for him while Hunter told him what he wanted.... Now this was a crack up.  Hunter wanted a train tunnel... SHOCKER... scott tried to get him to have a train tunnel threw the Jack-o-Lanterns mouth... NO... Hunter wanted a BIG rectangle as a tunnel...

He was SOOOOOOOO thrilled with what Uncle Scoby made!  (Check out the picture where is almost hugging it... then he hugs Uncle Scoby!)

Jenny helped Haley.  Haley attempted to help scoop out the stuff.... but i think Jenny did most of the pumpkin :)  

I made Jonah's.... YES I even scooped out the crap inside... It was NASTY!

My mom roasted up the seeds and we ate them afterwards.

The kids had a blast!!!  

We did this a week ago and all BUT Hunter's tunnel has collapsed.