The Lewis Family Chronicles

While H is away

2011-05-12T10:56:00.000-05:00

The house is silent. (except for the crazy clock Holly bought for her bathroom. Tick. Tick. Tick...)

It's raining. The dogs are looking out the window. (grateful they're inside, I suppose.)

Holly is in the Dominican Republic. She's probably telling Luma about Tessa and her amazing "fwip" skills. (translation = "flip") And Tessa is with Justin's family in Marion. Which means he is missing both his girls tremendously.

Above: Tessa mastering her fwips.

Above: She's been Beiberized.

Above: Not many of you know what I (Justin) do.
Here's a favorite snapshot of the year. One of our dear students, Lindsay, has had a profound impact on Salem College. Her legacy is proudly captured here.

Above: Spring arrives with a little guest near our carport. This little guy is a baby cardinal ...and ~~every day~~ MANY times each day Tessa wants to look at the bird nest and its occupants.
The sad update here is that a couple of days ago the baby and the egg were missing. I looked for him around the base of the bush but concluded that only predator is to blame.
On a related note, it's probably not a good idea to put a bird feeder near a bird nest - my guess is that will attract unwanted pests rather than refuel momma bird. ( :-( - How can I explain this to Tessa? )

Above: Finally - you need a good family shot from Easter.

a belated Christmas video

2011-01-15T17:42:00.001-05:00

where did those 3 months go?

2010-11-11T22:12:00.006-05:00

You probably think I forgot about the blog. And I did. Mostly. But for those of you who still check to see if we're posting (ahem...Barbara)...here we are.

Where have we been? Ending summer, starting the school year, back in the DR, and trying not to spend every waking moment behind a computer screen. But you don't care about that, you want pictures. Well, here you go.

yes, it's true. justin actually touched a horse and didn't die.

hayride and visit to the pumpkin patch

punkins!

she really like picking her own pumpkin

asheville

2010-07-27T19:53:00.004-05:00

For the first time in 5 years, yes count em 5 years, we decided to pay actual money to go on a real vacation. (Not one where we go visit friends and stay for free at their house which is what we always end up doing because we love our friends and free places to stay.) We decided to try our first B&B in Asheville.

It. was. awesome.

We walked downtown, had great meals, enjoyed the outdoors, shopped a little, met some interesting folks, and just enjoyed each others company.

The Beaufort House

Breakfast on our private deck

first course: blueberry peach cobbler

second course: 3 cheese quiche and fruit

kayaking on the french broad river

a blue heron

my arms were so sore by the end (7 miles)

a snack at the Woolworth counter

It was a short getaway, but so worth it. And we missed our girl, but she was in great hands with the Britts!

Sandbox

2010-07-10T21:04:00.005-05:00

A few days ago we had our sad sidewalk removed since the nearby trees' roots were causing serious havoc on the concrete.

Today we went outside to play and Tessa joyfully found a nice use for the empty space: a ~~sandbox~~ ..."dirtbox".

Fun huh? She would grab small fistfuls of dirt and toss it in the air as though it was enchanted specks of love, glitter and magic. Well...it got me thinking. Specifically I was thinking, "this stinks, she deserves better." And furthermore, no matter how much she loved the dirt, I knew of something better. Something cleaner, blissful and wonderful. Something that she could really enjoy. (Yes, this will most like be a sermon illustration.)

So we called up a friend who had mentioned having an unused sandbox that we could have. Made a quick run to Ace Hardware for a few bags of you-know-what. And Boom! It was real play time.

I think she likes it. She was in it for a couple of hours at least. Eventually we were able to pry her away...but we had to use a cherry popsicle as bait. (In a related story, we're expecting to give Tessa more baths.)

First Pres Family DR trip

2010-07-06T14:20:00.002-05:00

Here's a quick video of one of the many things the group did during their trip. In spite of the tropical storm that was drenching us everyday, we found moments of joy, hard work, and laughter. The video shows one of my highlights for the week. We wanted to have some time for the families to interact with each other as a whole. So, we thought of doing a "field day." But, with the weather and not wanting to invite mass chaos by giving specific invitations, we decided to hold the event in Club Cana (a covered outdoor shelter). As for the families, we decided to invite the Women's Co-Op and their families figuring it would give us a pretty good one-to-one ratio.

The afternoon came and we were literally in drenching thunderstorms. The event was to start at 2:30 which means 3 on Dominican time. At 3pm, it was still just the Americans sitting and waiting. I decided to go up to the gate and check. The rain had let up and as I walked toward the gate, I see all the families huddled under a covered area. As soon as they see me, they yell, "Holly!" I immediately wave them over and see that they are there and excited for the afternoon.

The rest, you can see for yourself. It makes my heart smile.

her favorite things

2010-07-02T19:15:00.003-05:00

reading

blue bear

strawberries and eating with a fork

playing dress up

the only reason i'm sad i missed the oscars...

2010-07-02T07:06:00.002-05:00

If you don't already know this about me, I'm obsessed with SYTYCD. (Call it American Idol for dancers.) So, in my surfing the web for more about the choreographers and dancers on show, I came across the LXD. I thought I'd share my 8am inspiration of the day.

LXD from Bboy WIZ on Vimeo.

Relevant: Haiti

2010-07-01T14:50:00.004-05:00

I know a blog post is way overdue. And I'm working on it. But for now, head on over to RelevantMagazine.com. It's one of our favorite mags and their recent article on Haiti is excellent.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/digital-issue-46?page=48

Thank you Relevant for shedding some much needed light on the situation in Haiti.

friends

2010-05-29T13:16:00.007-05:00

A couple weekends ago, our friends' daughter came to stay with us for the day. She and Tessa are 8+ months apart, so they are just getting to the point where they can enjoy playing together. We felt quite accomplished when we got the two of them buckled into their carseats and on our way to lunch with friends.

T, K, and Justin making dinner in the little house

swinging!

K showing T how to roll the ball

deciding who gets to sit in the chair

silence is golden

2010-05-29T13:05:00.004-05:00

...but there's only so much singing I can do without a little help. And while I'm sure Tessa loves the sound of my singing voice, I was a little worn out on the few songs I know all the words to by heart.

See, we were recently given a second car. Yes, given. There is an awesome family that knew we were in need and asked if they could help. They had a car they weren't using and asked if we wanted it. Ummm...huh? Let me think about it. OKAY! So, it's been great these last few months having my own mode of transportation. However, the stereo was locked and no one knew the security code to get it working.

So, my sweet hubby installed a new stereo for me last week. Isn't he the best?

spinning

2010-05-13T08:48:00.000-05:00

The Christ School in the DR

2010-05-11T21:43:00.003-05:00

My last trip to the DR was with a group of 8th graders and their parents as well as a few teachers and the school principal. It was a quick week chock full of activities. My favorite part of the week was the 8th grade class party. We invited the Dominicans and Americans to have lunch, play games, and enjoy a baseball game together. Typical middle schoolers no matter what country you're in...they sat boys on one side, girls on the other. Then, during the game time, somehow the girls began pointing out which boys they thought were cute. They would then proceed to run over and actually tag him. Not sure the boys had any idea what was happening. Oh 8th grade. So awkward.

The week was fantastic. Reminded me why I like my job so much.

I think I forgot how to blog

2010-05-05T20:23:00.004-05:00

Or maybe I feel so overwhelmed with blog posts that I've had in my head that I can't seem to figure out where to start. Or when I get a few moments with my computer, I realize I need to do actual work instead of write lots of frivolous thoughts. Though most of my imaginary blog posts have substance. I want to tell you about my last 3 trips to the DR, and about all the fun things Tessa is up to now that she's 15 months, and how much I love my husband and want to celebrate him on his 32nd birthday (yesterday), and how excited I am that my bff is moving within 15 minutes of my house after she's been 5+ hours away for the last 8 years, and well, there's so much more. So instead of logging into blogger and writing, I don't.

So, here's my first attempt at reuniting with my blog. I'm going to cheat and tell you to read this. Because of everything I have to say, my friend Anna can tell it even better.

Glad to be back. Thanks for reading. Oh and how about a cute Tessa pic for good measure?

planes, charter bus, subway, train, automobiles

2010-03-26T10:53:00.010-05:00

2 weeks ago, our little mission team of 61 people was split over two flights to get home from the Dominican Republic. One group (ours) would fly via JetBlue; the other Delta. Both were supposed to connect through JFK at similar times to land in Charlotte. (so was the plan.)

This is our journey to get 31 people home that took place from 9am March 13 - 9am March 15 while the Nor'easter hovered over New England for 3 days.

9a-11:45a: SDQ: We arrive a quickly find out that the Nor'easter has canceled our connecting flight. JB employees frantically hit keyboard keys for an hour only to say..."you should just go to JFK (New York) and your chances of getting to North Carolina will be greater from there."
2:45pm: attempted JFK landing: wind gusts of 60-70 mph shake the plane to the point of much nausea. 300 feet off the ground, the pilot pulls up (probably saving our lives) and we're diverted to another airport.
3:30pm: Bradley International Airport, Connecticut: I submit that Bradley should NOT be called "international" since they only handle ONE international flight PER WEEK.
3:30pm-9:30pm - we were kept on the plane because US Customs officials were not present to process our flight. That's 6 hours (!!!) where the plane could have gone to Charlotte and back! Meanwhile, Tessa and other small ones start to lose their cool. Some students lighten the mood and seize the opportunity to snap photos in the cockpit.
10p-12:30a: JetBlue takes our group (via charter bus) to JFK. We stop at McD's along the way to eat our first meal since breakfast.
12:45am: We're in line at JB hoping to get 31 people accommodated. (because of the storm, no hotels, no meal vouchers, just sit and wait.)
2am - 8:45pm - JFK: most of our group gets parred down thanks to concerned parents re-booking their children on other flights. (JB's policy does not allow booking on other airlines.) People sleep throughout the day on the floor. Full flights keep us stuck. The remaining 12 of us await the fate of the 9:45pm flight to Charlotte. Tessa keeps everyone's spirits up. They figure if she's okay, then so are they. (a little lesson on perspective for us all.)
8:45pm: for no reason, and with clear-ish weather (maybe the clouds were too low?) - our flight is canceled. The cancellation line for JB stretches over a block long.
9:45pm-11pm: our remaining group of 9 - beyond sleep deprived, tired, neglected - leave JFK and JetBlue (you know the scene in a movie where the kidnapped victim has one single glimmer of hope to get out and run for their life? -- that was us.)
11pm: We depart via Amtrak for Baltimore, MD. (Tessa finally goes to sleep.)
1am-ish (really, now all times are vague and blurring together). shuttled to BWI airport in hopes of catching a 5:25am commuter flight via USAirways. (T is still asleep. Holly is again thankful for the reclining stroller.) Team passes out (again!) on concrete floor.
5am: 7 of us are on the flight. Holly, Tessa and Justin wait for the glorious moment when "flying standby" actually pays off. (T - still sleeping!)
5:20am: Our standby boarding passes are issued. (we're on the plane!) Tessa sleeps through the whole flight!!!
7am: We land in Charlotte!!! Tessa wakes up. happy baby. tired mommy and daddy. (no checked luggage since it was on the canceled flight).
8am: car ride home. Justin drinks coffee only to find its caffeine effects seem futile.
9am. We arrive in the church parking lot.

The actual mission trip to the Dominican Republic was wonderful. But we joke that we went on two trips that week. "There was the one where we went to the Dominican Republic. And then, there was the one where we went to JFK." (Thanks, Marti.)

[ By the way, the Delta group was diverted to Cincinnati and were all home by Sunday evening. They had a hotel Saturday night and meal vouchers. We're waiting to see if JetBlue can win the bronze medal for public relations by helping us cover the additional $$$ it took to get 31 people home. ]

First steps

2010-03-02T23:40:00.001-05:00

She's so big. Learning to swim (okay... float!) and now taking steps!

guess it's time to move the candy drawer

2010-02-20T14:38:00.004-05:00

notice who's on her tiptoes

Tessa's First Birthday

2010-02-14T21:51:00.003-05:00

After three weeks of postponing due to snow, we finally were able to throw Tessa's birthday party. Thanks to the Shores, we had an amazing stress-free time. I take no credit for the beautiful decor you see. I'm just glad I have a pro-party planner as a good friend who loves Tessa like her own.

1 year + cupcake

2010-02-06T08:47:00.003-05:00

Even though Tessa's party keeps getting rescheduled (weather!!!) we had a micro-party to celebrate the special day. [warning: watching the following movie may make either crave a cupcake or never eat one again.]

Video link: http://www.youtube.com/user/lewiedogg#p/a/u/0/EcVe9w6Uzxg

525,600 minutes

2010-01-30T20:14:00.002-05:00

How do you measure...a year in the life? (Now you will be singing this all day!)

Here's Tessa on her 1 year birthday. What a difference a year makes.

Neela

2010-01-24T00:07:00.005-05:00

The following was shared with our college students last week via a weekly email. From time to time I might re-share some of those "thoughts" here. Enjoy.

If you walk in our house you’ll be greeted by two special mutts, Montana and Neela. Montana is a bit older, a bit bigger, and a bit sweeter than her little sis. Neela is the eternal puppy, little miss sneaky, pretty whiny.

Neela is the one who I will honestly say “gets on my nerves”. She tests my patience. She looks at me as if to say “I know what you want out of me...but go ahead a accept that I am who I am. And just to prove it I think I’ll poop right here.”

If you were at Emmaus this past Tuesday you heard that Neela was hit by a car Sunday and her leg was amputated Tuesday morning. Right now, Neela sits on my office couch just as happy as can be. Probably feeling extraordinarily special that she gets a seat of honor...and coupled with the sweet meds.

I’ve been hard on Neela. Really hard. Her attitude — if you can call it that — makes it hard for me to love on her but I learned through this process how important she is to me. She’s part of our family...and Tessa’s favorite dog to kiss. (Yuck.) I love her, not in spite of her issues…but simply because she is a part of me and my story.

I think that sometimes I’m like Neela to God. I’m just a little odd. Too confident in myself. I smell like I’ve rolled around in death. I’m maimed and wounded...and the scars are not attractive. But God doesn’t weigh my value by these peculiarities. He sees my desperate desire for living water and my need for a Savior and he delights in my vulnerability. My weakness does not repel him. In fact he loves me. And he loves filling my weakness with his love.

“How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! …Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.” Ephesians 1:3-6 as paraphrased in The Message

What a blessing he is!

Have you thanked your heavenly Father for pursuing you? For choosing you? For inviting you? Rest today in the truth that you are beloved, part of a divine family...and your wounds don’t scare him.

I know right?! He really is that good! - Justin

Haiti donation contact

2010-01-19T06:10:00.002-05:00

If you have items to donate or questions, contact Myra Phillips. myra@silicones-inc.com

You can bring items to First Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem on Sunday. Building B. 1stpres.com

You can help Haiti

2010-01-18T21:53:00.004-05:00

We have a plane leaving Winston-Salem within the next week headed to the DR bringing medical supplies. If you'd like to donate anything toward our efforts in Haiti, here's what you can do:

Start a medical supply drive and/or take up money to buy supplies.

Here is a rough list of what is needed. I will let you know what to do with it as soon as I can. But go ahead and start collecting!
------------------------------

All and any first aid supplies… ie bandages, splints, braces adhesives etc
Antibiotics, pain meds…. etc

We need antibiotics, sutures, casting materials, ACE bandages, gauze, antibiotic cream, IV fluids, water purification tablets, Band Aids, Diabetic and hypertensive medications, protein powders, milk, vitamins, baby formula, baby bottles, pain medications, tape, IV tubing, angiocaths, syringes, needles, glucometers and strips, sterile and non sterile gloves, thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, recharable otoscopes, iodine, betadine, alcohol, peroxide, acid reflux meds.

what am I to do?

2010-01-14T23:12:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, I'm DR bound once again. This time, I will have Haiti on my heart as I go. Provided that my flight goes as scheduled, I will be a mere few hundred miles and yet feel a world away from the devastation that I am seeing on the news.

If you are wondering like me, "what am I to do?," I just wanted to tell you that Mission Emanuel is putting together a shipment of supplies to take to the country. You see, a few years ago, we built a water filtration center. We have the capability to provide thousands of gallons of clean water. We have medical supplies and resources that have been gathered over the past 13 years of ministry in the DR. What an amazing God who knew that all along. He knew that we could do what we can to mobilize our people to help. Thanks to so many of you, we can DO SOMETHING.

But what really gets my heart going is that I believe God can use this to change the hearts and lives of so many Haitians and Dominicans. What most of you might not know is that there is a H U G E divide between the two cultures. "Hate" is sadly not too strong a term to use in labeling their relationship. Their history has put them at odds with each other for a very long time. There continues to be much discrimination and prejudice among the general Dominican population towards Haitians. My prayer is that God will use this to break down those barriers and show all of us that we are no different. I pray for Dominican hearts to be broken for their neighbors that they would realize we are ALL called to action. God can work so much better when we get out of the way, forget what shade of brown our skin is and just LOVE somebody.

Ok. I'll stop there. If you want to give, do it. I don't care how. Just $5 will make a difference. At our water plant, a 5 gallon bottle of water costs a little under $2. I bet you can find that hanging out in your couch cushions!

Anyway, if you'd like to donate through Mission Emanuel. Click here. Or if you prefer talking to a real live human being (Julia, Kathy, or Traci), call 407.422.9200.

a window into our new year

2010-01-10T22:51:00.003-05:00

11 months

2009-12-30T20:34:00.003-05:00

Crawling all over the place and fast. Pulling up. Cruising. Singing. Dancing. Making herself laugh. These are all the fun things she's doing these days. It's happening way too fast.

Christmas time!

2009-12-28T21:51:00.003-05:00

Here are the first set of pics. Our Christmases are usually spread out over a couple of weeks. We've had three of four so far. Tessa has been so sweet. I love seeing the twinkle of lights in her eyes.

nose, red nose, ahhh-chooo!

2009-12-23T10:15:00.003-05:00

We had brought back this puppy dog from Justin's parents' house a few weeks ago. It has labels and buttons that you push and it will tell you the name (ie. hand, foot, tummy) and then sing a song. Tessa didn't really seem interested in it since it doesn't light up like some of her other toys. But I pulled it out the other day and she's started to play with it. Yesterday, Justin figured out you can push the nose even though it's not labeled. Tessa found it quite amusing.

Later in the afternoon, she started pushing the nose by herself and laughing every time.

tiny dancer

2009-12-22T13:52:00.002-05:00

yesterday we were waiting for the beahms to come by for a visit. here's tessa as she patiently waits.http://vimeo.com/8334483

lrrdldrldlrdlrrlrdl

2009-12-18T17:46:00.003-05:00

i hope tessa is this talented in a few years

2009-12-18T11:24:00.000-05:00

thank you sytycd

2009-12-07T11:12:00.001-05:00

10 months

2009-11-23T20:41:00.002-05:00

Well, this has perhaps been the longest time in between posts in awhile. I guess it's due to the fact that we have a 10-month-old! She keeps us quite busy keeping up with her these days. And I guess it only gets worse! So, 10 months comes with so much fun and personality. She's crawling everywhere and her favorite thing to do is stand up. She pulls up on everything. Chairs, tables, my legs, the dogs. She knows her name and can wave and give high fives.

We're so excited for the holidays and ready to start new traditions with her. Do you have any favorite traditions?

9 months

2009-11-05T20:52:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the delay. All 3 of us were in different places on her 9-month bday. Justin = Banner Elk, NC for the Emmaus Fall Retreat. Holly = DR for work. Tessa = Marion with the g-parents for her first time away.

What is she up to these days? Well, everything. First came the army crawl and now she's into the legit crawl on all fours. She pulls herself up on everything. Walls, doors, tables, chairs, Montana, Neela. She has a million toys and only wants to play with non-toys. Her top front teeth are coming in. She ate a french fry. She turns and looks at you when you say her name. She's more fun than she'll ever know.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

2009-11-01T15:02:00.002-05:00

Tessa and the girls

2009-10-08T15:16:00.005-05:00

Of course we have a ton of toys for Tessa to play with, but her favorite playthings are furry and bigger than she is. Montana and Neela are politely tolerating her so far. Let's hope it stays that way. (You'll notice it's mostly Montana in the pictures. That's because Neela just tries to lick Tessa all the time, so we make her move. Poor Neela.)

...and forward

2009-10-08T14:23:00.007-05:00

On the move

2009-10-07T14:03:00.004-05:00

It's happening. Life as we know it is over. Tessa is crawling. First, she was able to push herself up and then lay back down having scooted backwards a few inches. Then, she was up on all fours rocking back and forth trying to move, but not going anywhere. Next came the lean and roll to reach a toy in front of her. Now she's on to the army crawl and the occasional up-on-all-fours legit crawl. And within the matter of a few hours, she went from crawl position to sitting. Then at naptime yesterday, I laid her down only to hear her a few minutes later. When I peeked through the door, she was up on her knees playing with the ladybug mobile (which has now been removed).

We've been trying to catch her on video as much as we can, but our little camera isn't the best at movies. I think a real video camera is on the short list!

Here's our first installment. Backwards:

Baptized

2009-10-07T13:44:00.002-05:00

Tessa was baptized on September 20, 2009. It was such a special day celebrating her and all that God will do in her life. We committed ourselves as her parents to raise her as a follower of Jesus teaching her to love Him more than anything. I pray that we will lead her by example everyday.

reunited

2009-10-07T13:29:00.003-05:00

A couple weekends ago I hosted 4 friends from college for a girls' weekend. It's been 6 or 7 years since the 5 of us have been together. And none of us can remember when it was. We have a picture from that time, but no date to tell us exactly. We know we've had as many as 4 of us together since then, but living in TN, NC, VA, and MA as well as another country since moving on from Chapel Hill has kept us apart. Well, now we're all back within 2 states so we decided to reunite. We had so much fun catching up on life.

I'm so thankful for friends that I can go years without seeing (which is NOT my preference), but as soon as we're back together, it's like we never left. Love you girls! (Now we have Facebook, my blog, and pictures with dates so we won't forget this time.)

8 months

2009-09-23T13:05:00.003-05:00

Tessa is 8 months old today. Here are her pics with her bear. She's really becoming fond of stuffed animals. She wanted to hug and eat the bear while I was taking her picture. And the hair is looking especially fluffy today! She's almost crawling. Definitely up on all fours moving backwards really well. She flips over so fast now. Her favorite place to do this is on the changing table making diaper changes quite the challenge.

We'll have more pics from her baptism up soon. And hopefully some fun videos of her latest moves in action.

Happy Fall everyone!

Tessa's DR adventure

2009-09-08T20:57:00.003-05:00

Last week, Tessa got her first stamp in her passport. Big accomplishment for a 7-month-old. She and I set out for five days in the Dominican Republic. My mom (thankfully) joined us to help out and see the place I've been telling her about for years. The trip was fairly smooth. A quick overnight stay in Charlotte, then a 6am flight started the trip off well. Until Miami. Ugh. First we were delayed an hour. Then another and another. We occupied our seats at gate 36D from 8am until 1:45pm. Then sat on the plane for another hour waiting for the crew to get there to pilot the plane!

Once we did arrive in the DR, I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw Elliott and Lindsay there to pick us up. There's nothing like a familiar face after a long day of travel. Tessa was such a trooper. She ended up sleeping through both flights. My mom was awesome. She lugged around our carry-ons, fed and played with Tessa, and helped keep me sane as we waited like what seemed forever in that airport.

After a decent night's rest, we started our day in Cielo where I was able to introduce many of my Dominican friends to my mom and Tessa. My mom was a little more excited about meeting people than Tessa was. It's really funny to see people talk to a baby in a different language/culture. They still talk in high-pitched voices and call her things like "doll," "chi-chi," (I guess short for 'Chinita' which is 'little Chinese'), and my personal fave, "caballita (little horse)." The latter is due to her hair that sticks straight up all over her head. Like an Asian afro. Needless to say, they loved her even though she wasn't so happy at the sight of them. It was more about her being tired than not liking them. She doesn't like anybody when she's tired.

Anyway, the Women's Co-Op spent the few days working on a jewelry project with Caroline. She had been down in June and started working with them then, but decided to return to really help jumpstart the business. The products are beautiful. I'll post about them soon. We hope to have them ready to sell for the holidays.

We visited Luma and her family every day. We had some good quality time with Elliott, Lindsay, and Avery. Tessa and Avery were able to get to know each other as we hope they will grow up to be best friends! (We'll have to put a few more stamps in our passports to make that happen.)

I'll leave you with a link to all the pics. I've already put them on Facebook and I'm too tired to post them here. So just click here and you can see them. Thanks everyone for your prayers as we traveled!

college!

2009-08-24T20:40:00.002-05:00

Now that we're constantly surrounded by college students, Tessa has a multitude of new friends. She's learning all sorts of new things like how to relax in a hammock and how to look good in the trendiest shades.

7 months

2009-08-24T20:29:00.002-05:00

Let's see...what's new in the world of Tessa? She's sitting up on her own which means she can now sit in high chairs and shopping carts. She has a new big girl carseat and high chair. She can roll both ways, though sometimes she forgets that she can. Her first two bottom teeth are starting to come in. Yellow squash and pears have been added to her eating repertoire. The coolest thing that everyone loves is her growing hair. It stands straight up on her head. Thus, no hair bow will stay. I've tried a couple of times, but it's just too wispy. That's ok, Justin doesn't really like hair bows anyway. Though I've realized they could come in handy, especially when she's dressed in red and someone calls her a "him."

home

2009-08-22T12:59:00.003-05:00

It's been over 8 months since we moved back to Winston and we're still settling in. It's haunted me ever since a friend of ours mentioned that our house is nice, but we don't have anything on the walls (thanks Katie!). So I've been trying to make our house more like our home now that we know we're going to be here for awhile. There are now 8 things hanging in proper places on walls. The 4 that I'm most excited about we just finished hanging this afternoon.

A friend that we've spent numerous weeks with in the DR also happens to be an amazing artist/designer/photographer extraordinaire who was kind enough to send some of his latest prints. He decided to take up-close pics of the wood of different Dominican houses. I first saw them on the Drakes wall (via their blog) and LOVED them. So, now we have ours. A simple, beautiful reminder of a people and place that we love. Thanks Bob! You're amazing.

And here's a pic of the pretty flowers my sweet hubby sent on our anniversary. I meant to put this up that day, but time got away. Eight years, five moves, two dogs, jobs, seminary and one daughter later here we are. Becoming parents has been the best and most challenging task yet. But so worth it!

two of my favorite people

2009-08-17T10:42:00.002-05:00

Tessa and Charlotte

2009-08-05T13:35:00.002-05:00

Born just 20 days apart, Tessa and Charlotte have their first conversation of what I hope to be a lifetime of "girl talk." Charlotte's mom and I have been friends since 4th grade and we often refer to each other as our twin. We've shared so much over the years and we can only hope we'll live close enough for our daughters to experience a friendship like ours. Love you Christy!

Virginia is for Lovers

2009-07-30T21:31:00.003-05:00

On the road to see the Alleys, two great moments.

Justin: Whenever I listen to Radiohead, I always think about... what's that movie... you know the book... Edward...Bella...Vampires...?
Holly: Twilight
Justin: Wow. Now I feel like I've packed so much stuff into my head that I'm shoving out simple, obvious things like Twilight.
A car approaches quickly from behind. The driver is noticeably agitated...perhaps because I (Justin) am just not going quickly enough for him. He swerves around and passes...while holding his New York Yankee (blinged out) hat for us Red Sox fans to see.
Justin and Holly: (laughing out loud)
Holly: That's never happened before.
Justin: For some reason, it's just funny.
Driver of little white car with blinged out Yankee hat: (bursting with pride) Yeah, yeah, yeah...I passed you! And Yankees rule. Take that you ****** Sox fans.

Favorite moment of the night (so far): Reading Cat in the Hat and What Smurfs Do All Day to Owen.

6 months

2009-07-28T20:10:00.003-05:00

I'm a little late in posting, but she did just have her 6 month well-check today. So even though it's not her actual 6-month birthday, we're close enough. The doc says she looks great. She's the size of a 9-month old! Just under 19 lbs and just over 27 inches long. Every night my shoulders are sore and I think I've realized it's from lifting her all day long.

As for new fun stuff, she loves her jumper. She is so tall, we've had to creatively figure out how to raise it higher so she doesn't spring herself out of it. She can scoot herself backwards and in semi-circles on her tummy. She babbles all the time. Mostly "da da"s (yay Justin!). Only once has she said, "ma." She loves to watch Montana and Neela. As soon as she hears the click of their nails on the floor, she starts looking. One day we were on a stroll through the neighborhood and she started laughing at Montana walking beside her. She's eating more foods...rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potato, avocado, peas, and bananas have been added to the mix. I'm trying my hand at making my own baby food. It's pretty simple really. Just throw it in the food processor and go. Thanks Anne for the Super Baby Food book. It's great!

Here are her 6-month pics. It was fun taking these because this is the first time she's noticed the bear sitting beside her.

some of our latest pics

2009-07-12T22:29:00.005-05:00

More pics added today! (7/22)

My new job

2009-07-05T22:29:00.001-05:00

It isn’t any surprise that I (Justin) have been waiting for the first post-seminary job for 6+ months. I joke with folks that I (along with other graduating seminary students) carried a hefty amount of naivety when it came to job expectations…perhaps in part due to optimism, perhaps the rest in ignorance. This economy has placed question marks on many graduates’ resumes and the applicant pools have been tougher – being filled with so many talented men and women.

We set off for Winston-Salem this past December in faith not knowing where “home” would actually turn out to be. Boxes were left unpacked and pictures remained unhung. When Tessa came, we needed her home to warm and complete, but we could never really bring ourselves to settle and re-establish roots. Our church, however, family stepped up -- brought meals, dropped by…called. And they prayed for God to open doors.

Having spent hours upon hours reading job descriptions, meeting with churches and pastors, I became further relegated to my basement office and doing odd jobs for folks around Winston-Salem. It should also be no surprise that the work I’ve been doing (volunteer/part-time) has been with college students and young adults. My heart and passion has increasingly grown more excited and committed to this generation and I have longed to pastor these groups.

Well, I am pleased to announce that as of July 1, 2009, I am the new Associate for College and Young Adult ministries at First Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem. By God’s great grace I get to continue and grow deeper in my ministry role(s). And I get to do this at a place we now call “home”. (Yes, pictures might finally appear on walls now.)

These next couple of months are going to be wonderful and challenging; I look forward to carrying the torch of both Joe Farrell and Andy Hamer – honoring their work and legacies, particularly in their work with Emmaus. And I look forward to seeing how God might use my gifts to shine a new, unique light on these ministries.

Pray for the days ahead; for clarity and the right pace. For now, enjoy the following announcement in today’s church bulletin:

naptime?

2009-07-04T21:24:00.001-05:00

5 months

2009-06-23T10:12:00.003-05:00

The past month has flown by! Tessa has started doing some fun things...eating solids (rice cereal and oatmeal), rolling over from tummy to back, babbling ("deedeedee dadada"), screeching (we'll show you a video soon), and sleeping from 8pm or so until 6 or 7 in the morning (yeeessssssssss...). Her personality is showing through more and more each day. She loves to play and laugh. She likes playing peek-a-boo and standing in her johnny-jump-up. I can't believe it's been 5 months since she showed up and changed our lives forever.

laundry

2009-06-22T19:08:00.004-05:00

We do lots of laundry these days. Mostly it's due to Tessa's diapers, but between the 3 of us, we go through alot of clothes and towels too. As I toted the laundry basket up and down the stairs today I realized that if I used the big basket, I could accomplish toting Tessa too! She seemed to be okay with it. What do you think?

un regalo para T

2009-06-16T16:45:00.004-05:00

In January, the annual Mission Emanuel Women's Trip was held in the DR. This is the first time in 3 years I've missed that trip. I knew the women would be working on an embroidery project that week and had even seen some pictures of them in action. But little did I know that they were actually working on something for me. At a recent reunion of the group from Winston, I was blessed with a gift for Tessa.

Each of the patches was made by one of the women in the group. I know many of them personally and they are dear to my heart. Seeing their names and handiwork on the quilt is so special. I cannot wait for Tessa to meet her Dominican family!!!

Sweet T

2009-06-15T22:08:00.002-05:00

The long-awaited installment of T's fascinating (and fascinated) moments:

Enchanting isn't she?

By the way, welcome to the I-Have-A-Daughter Club, Beahms and Drakes! I expect your videos soon.

Not much else going on. I (Justin) might have a job update soon... for now, please keep us in your prayers as we wait.

Lovey

2009-06-05T11:25:00.003-05:00

Tessa has a new friend. He doesn't have a name yet. We just call him "froggie" or her "lovey." We just started to put him in the crib with her when she sleeps. Apparently, it can be good for babies to attach to something other than Mom or Dad. I think she likes him.

We actually have several of these small blankets with stuffed animal heads. Two frogs, two bunnies, two bears. Each one is slightly different, but the same concept. I'm hoping she'll be happy with all of them and not settle on just one. If not, we'll be scouring stores and the internet for several extras in the inevitable case that we lose one at some point in the next few years. (Speaking of which, Christy told me that there are mean people out there who buy up all of these things and then resell them on eBay for insane amounts of money. They know that desperate parents will pay anything to replace their child's closest friend). Anyway, I had to wash the frog yesterday and she seemed just as happy with the bunny.

Did you have a lovey as a child? I had "Elephant" and a blanket. Elephant is still around I think at my mom's house. The blanket is long gone. Not sure if Justin had anything when he was little. Probably a GI Joe or Transformer.

The rice cereal experiment

2009-05-24T21:34:00.001-05:00

Since we just celebrated Tessa’s 4-month day…and found out that she’s the size of a 6-month old… we decided (with Doctor Bill’s encouragement) to give rice cereal a shot. We’ve spent a few days reading up on this big adjustment and today we took the plunge. Instead of telling you about it, we’ll let you enjoy the video!

4 months

2009-05-23T20:54:00.002-05:00

Hasn't she grown? At our doc visit on Friday, we found out she's more the size of a 5 or 6-month-old. Here she is beside her bear. Big difference from a month ago!

Believe, Behave, Burp

2009-05-17T15:03:00.002-05:00

Those were the three “words” given by my commencement speaker last weekend -- three words of wisdom given to graduates of Gordon-Conwell, who are marching forth into vibrant ministry, teaching, or counseling positions… (“Burp,” just to clarify, was the advice to raise a holy ruckus…and at times, upset the status quo to speak against injustice. Credit to Dr. Seuss, of course.)

What a blessing to be with school friends and introduce Tessa to New England. (And yes, a Nick’s Roast Beef sandwich was crucial to the visit.)

The real highlight though was having my wonderful family present with us in Massachusetts. (And by family, I mean my parents, sister, grandmother, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, and 3 cousins!!!) It’s both honoring and humbling to be so supported and loved and the past month has given plenty of opportunity to receive it.

April 19- Ordination at Grace Community Church

April 23- Tessa’s 3 month bday

May 4 – 31st birthday

May 12 – Graduation from seminary

What a month, right!? Thanks to all who made this a special weekend and for the years of support! Enjoy the pics from last weekend.

Other news: Still no news on the job front… obviously, this is the question. We’re trusting God to help us through and know that he takes care of his kids. Please pray for open doors and new opportunities.

View Full Album

born and bred

2009-05-05T11:27:00.003-05:00

Saturday we took Tessa on her first trip to Chapel Hill. We've been wanting to go since the azaleas started blooming to see the sights and reminisce, but also to buy the all-important National Champs t-shirts. Kev accompanied us as well and we set out for our day-trip adventure. First was lunch on Franklin St., then a walk through the quad, pictures by Davie Poplar (the Old Well was occupied by a bridal picture session), peeking in the windows of Gerrard, shopping in Student Stores and Chapel Hill Comics, Oreo yogurt from the Yogurt Pump, a detour to Trader Joes (one of the things I miss about living in MA), and then dinner at 35 Chinese. What a great day. Aaaah. Chapel Hill. It's good to be home.

guarding tess...

2009-05-01T22:13:00.003-05:00

nursery rhymes for dummies

2009-04-29T16:33:00.001-05:00

Now that Tessa is becoming more playful, we've started singing songs and playing little games with her. However, in the process Justin and I have come to realize that we need to brush up on our nursery rhymes and children's songs. Why? Here's my version of "Patty Cake."

Patty cake
Patty cake
Baker's man
Bake me a cake as fast as you can

Roll 'em up
Roll 'em up
Throw 'em in the pan!

After doing this several times, I realized there's something wrong with this and it makes absolutely no sense. So, as with all things I don't know, I google it. Apparently, there are lots of versions, but mainly one. And nowhere does it say "Roll 'em up, roll 'em up, throw 'em in the pan."

Mother Goose, visit the Lewis house soon. We need some help.

3 months

2009-04-26T18:14:00.002-05:00

So, another blog I follow is documenting her baby's growth as compared to a stuffed animal. I thought it was a good idea, so I'm totally copying...

And, check out Tessa's latest fashion accessory.

what's so funny?

2009-04-22T11:40:00.003-05:00

this is perhaps the most awesome thing ever. (but then again, i'm slightly biased)

Easter weekend

2009-04-16T13:17:00.005-05:00

After a few rough days and nights of little sleep, we managed to make it to church on Easter Sunday. Tessa was in her first Easter dress (thanks, Aunt Irma) hamming it up with her church family as we celebrated the risen Jesus. Later that day, we headed to Nana and Grandpaw's house to celebrate his 68th birthday. Of course, we had to take a few photos by the tulips. And my mom pulled out a pic from my first Easter (I was about 6 months old). We took a pic of Tessa's Easter pic beside mine. Amazing, huh?

Then, on Monday, our friends, Christy, Owen, and Charlotte came to visit. We had a blast, though it was crazy at times with 3 adults, a 3-year-old, 2 2+-month-old babies, and 2 dogs. It was so fun to enjoy time with our friends who we see too little of in the first place. One of my favorite moments was getting up in the morning to feed Tessa and Owen would come in the nursery and lay in the floor because he didn't want to go back to bed. Eventually, he would come into our bedroom with us after Tessa was back to sleep. He would snuggle in the bed for a few minutes only to wake and proclaim, "The sun's out!" meaning...get up you guys!!!

We visited the Ledfords on Tuesday and it was so great to swap stories of being a mom. (Justin stayed home and enjoyed a little break from the action.) After much playing by Thad, Hudson, and Owen and a couple naps for Charlotte and Tessa, we headed home for Taco Night and American Idol. We were all exhausted and went to bed without much fuss. We were sad to see the Alleys go yesterday and hope to see them again soon. You could even bring Will along next time! (If only he didn't have important things to do like saving lives...)

cookies, books, and friends

2009-04-05T18:03:00.006-05:00

Tessa sure has had a fun past few days. She received a few great packages in the mail. First, a box of cookies from the Yandles. Then, several books from the Amazing Baby collection. Our friend, Maryanne, really likes hers, so Nana Norma bought some for T. I know she's going to love reading them soon. And this weekend, Becky flew down from MA for a quick visit to meet her niece. We had a great time chatting, shopping, and then grilling and cheering on the Tarheels!

The most exciting thing happened this morning. I had just come back from taking Becky to the airport. Tessa was sitting by the front door looking at the sunlight coming through the glass. I went over to say hi and she returned the greeting with lots of smiles and her first laugh! It was by far the best part of my day. We tried to get her to laugh again on film, but no such luck. Maybe next time. You'll have to settle for her just talking for now. :-)

A good day to be a Tar Heel

2009-03-29T20:39:00.001-05:00

She started her day off excited; the sun had finally reappeared and she was eager to sing at church and share the Holy One’s affection for all things Carolina blue.

Then…game time came and we cheered and cheered. (Holding her first pom-pom wasn’t nearly as much fun as trying to eat it.)

And once the victory was secured, relief (and exhaustion) took over and sweet, blissful images of net-cutting ceremonies flooded her dreams.

It was a good day.

Other than today, we’ve had a good weekend. Friday, Holly and I finally had a date night and Tessa finally had her first babysitters (Thanks again Babs and Jim!). Then Saturday morning came and T and I were especially excited to give Mommy a morning to sleep in. Ever since we brought the little critter home, Holly has been working and working to nourish and nurture our sweet T. (and now, I’m thirsty for sweet tea.) We really love weekends, but a persistent cloudy sky kept us inside – meaning not much time to play Frisbee with Tessa. Here’s looking forward to a bright, eventful week!

like mother, like daughter?

2009-03-25T14:01:00.005-05:00

growing up

2009-03-24T09:57:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we celebrated 2 months of life with Tessa. Everyday is more fun as she's begun to smile and coo and play with her toys. It's quite amusing watching her little arms and legs flail about as she tries to hit the dangling animals. She played so hard yesterday that she slept from 11pm till 6:45am. We woke up at 3:45am and said, "She hasn't woken up yet??? Is she breathing???", fully expecting to hear a cry within the next few moments. But back to sleep we went only to wake equally shocked when we looked at the clock once she really did wake up.

This morning, we had her two month checkup at the doctor. Fellow parents of young children, you know what that means...shot day. It actually wasn't that bad. She screamed and had big tears, but it was pretty fast and now she's konked out. Also, she is doing great growth-wise up to almost 12 lbs!

Here's a few pics and a little video. We really should cancel cable since this is now our greatest form of entertainment...

swingin'

catching a quick nap before the doctor appointment

look who's talking

2009-03-19T10:53:00.003-05:00

So, our friends Benjamin and Gabby put a video on their blog today. After seeing theirs, Tessa was inspired to share a few of her latest thoughts with you. (Please excuse the phone ringing a few seconds in).

all smiles

2009-03-17T22:50:00.004-05:00

What is it about a smile that can always make you smile back? It’s pretty fun these days to watch our little one grow and develop a personality. She loves to stare at your face and return a grin or two if you smile at her first. I love that God gave us the ability from such a young age to communicate happiness and joy. Here are some of my favorite smile shots from the past few days...

Contrast

2009-03-04T20:20:00.001-05:00

You might recall the images on the side of T’s changing table. Just know that she LOVES them and is already smiling at the dog/penguin every day. In honor of Kal Barteski and her magical animals, I bring you my own version of high contrasting images to stimulate our daughter’s mind (while adding enough color to brighten her world).

View Full Album

Also, there are blogworthy things going on these days in the Lewis world. But for now, I wanted to leave you with some more fun with Tessa.

View Full Album

Happy 1 Month Birthday, T!

2009-02-23T17:11:00.003-05:00

Yep, how time flies. She's one month old today. It seems like it has gone by so fast and yet I can't seem to remember what life was like before she was here. Strange, huh? Justin and I are so glad to be at home together in our first month of parenting efforts. We both have said multiple times that we don't know how people do this by themselves!

Tomorrow, we go to the doctor for her 1 month checkup. We'll find out how much she weighs and ask all of our first-time parent questions to our wonderful pediatrician who, we think, is more like a therapist! Every time we leave the office, we feel so much better. I guess it's just nice to have a little reassurance that we're not completely inept as parents.

Let's see...what else is going on in Lewis life? Well, we did mostly finish the kitchen project, though there's still a little more to go. Our parents helped us unpack the stuff that was still sitting in boxes from the move and we've barely started making our own meals. It has been SO nice to have our church family and friends bring us food for the last month! Thanks to you who have brought us food. We so appreciate it. Anyway, Justin is still on the job hunt. There are a few leads and he's had some good conversations. Keep praying! I'm still doing work for Mission Emanuel. The spring break college groups are headed down starting on Saturday. It's weird to not be going too. Hopefully, we'll make it back down this year.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll leave you with some pictures since that's what you really want to see anyway. :-)

Tummy time

Checking out her high contrast pictures by the changing table

1 month old today

Will you be my valentine?

2009-02-14T13:59:00.005-05:00

So one of the perks of having a baby is you can dress them up for special days like today. I'm not so sure she likes it, but she's too cute not to show off. Happy Valentine's Day!

The announcement

2009-02-14T12:37:00.001-05:00

Carolina girl

2009-02-12T10:46:00.003-05:00

Hello world. It's been nearly a month since I wrote a new post. Tessa is 3 weeks old tomorrow. I am just starting to feel semi-normal again. Regular sleep is a distant memory, though when I do sleep, there is no more discomfort from not being able to roll over due to my enormous midsection. We have spent most of our days at home getting out only for doctor's appointments or the occasional stroll through the neighborhood. So last night was a new "first."
As most of you know, the Tar Heels put a whoopin' on Duke last night. We had big plans to watch the game at home by ourselves since it was starting at 9 and I'm usually struggling to stay awake by then. However, our dinner was delivered by the Greenes and they, being UNC alumni as well, invited us to watch the game with them. When Andrea asked if we'd like to come over, I'm sure I gave her a puzzled look. I was thinking, "Uhhhhhh...I.......uhhhhh....I dunno." This was a whole new concept. Going out?!...at night?!...with the baby?!

The more I thought about it, the more I thought we should try it. They live just 5 minutes away and it's way more fun to watch UNC beat Dook with other people, not to mention they have a sweet HD TV. (Justin even commented on how the players' skin tone and hair color looked different. We obviously don't have HD). It was a successful night. Tessa was a great fan. She stayed awake for the whole game and looked super cute as she cheered on her Heels. (She started out the day in the white outfit, but it didn't make it past the morning after we got a big poop! But that's ok, she likes the blue one more anyway).

Pictures in motion

2009-02-08T11:36:00.001-05:00

Two videos for your viewing pleasure:

1) Holly introduces Tessa (4 days old) (below)

2) Tessa at 2 weeks. (below)

Backup

2009-02-08T11:02:00.001-05:00

There's something about a baby that wants to eat every 1.8 hours that creates this "fog" ... and at some point you just have to ask for help. So THANKS (!!!) to Nana Lorna (H's mom) and Aunt Haley (J's sis) for coming through BIG TIME. Last night Holly got a whopping 7 hours of sleep thanks to the heroics of Haley (and the bottle).

Today is a new day.

And just to show us how happy Tessa was, she gave us a dirty diaper, which sadly brings way too much joy into our hearts. But that's us now...and we're better for it.

Week 2

2009-02-04T13:44:00.001-05:00

Things get better... and she's getting bigger.

WEEK 2 PHOTOS (Click here or Photo below)

PS - There are stories to tell...especially how Tessa came into the world in a superfast 3 hours! We've been blessed by family and friends, and sweet T has loved all of her gifts! We're a bit tired, but even as I'm writing, we've had a night's rest with the backup help of Nana Lorna (Hol's mom). Keep praying for us...and for T to poop. (That'd be awesome.)

Some photos for now...

2009-01-24T20:03:00.001-05:00

me = typing with one arm free...

Click picture below for the growing album.

More to come.

Love,

J, H and Tessa

PS - we're home!

Tessa Nicole Lewis

2009-01-23T15:37:00.003-05:00

At 4:09 am, January 23, 2009 we welcomed Tessa into the world.
Weighing 6 lbs, 13 ounces. 20 inches long.

How are we doing?

2009-01-19T11:01:00.001-05:00

Now that we're in the last 24 hours of the due date - everyone wants to know: "How are you doing?" (mostly directed at Holly). The answer - DISTRACTED...and mostly, comfortable (the dogs, more so). I know. I know... we're supposed to be anxious and impatient. But we went into this thing knowing we might be delivering later than the due date, so that helped.

PLUS, we've been tackling a little project, the bulk of which will take place THIS WEEK, believe it or not. So that's why we're distracted. (Thanks to Kev and my dad for helping with the tear out.)

Those who love us are certainly questioning our sanity and politely discussing our decision-making skills amongst themselves: "What are they thinking! Redoing their kitchen during the week of the due date!!!" Rest assured, we haven't lost our marbles. We're just knocking this "little" thing out before/while the baby arrives. Thankfully dads and friends are willing to help in case the stork flies by during the project but until then, we've got our hands full and minds on other things.

{We're actually so distracted...that we forgot our doctor's appointment today! Ooops.}

"Now she can come."

2009-01-14T19:46:00.003-05:00

That's what we've been saying ever since the Beahm wedding when our major commitments were fulfilled. But everyday, we put together another baby thing and complete one more finishing touch, then both look at my belly and say, "Okay Baby, now you can come." Today, Shirley came by and added another section to the nursery. In two hours, we went from nothing to this...

Congrats to Lynn & Michael

2009-01-04T22:23:00.004-05:00

Our good friends tied the knot this weekend and we were so happy to be able to celebrate with them. (We told Baby Lewis that she couldn't make an early appearance since we did not want to miss the wedding. She complied. Hopefully, this is an early indicator of a well-behaved child.)

Anyway, it was great to be there to share in Michael and Lynn's special day. We also were able to catch up with the other Beahm siblings and their families. It's always fun when people ask how we know the bride and groom. "Well, we've known Jenny, Lisa, and Chris (Michael's older sisters and brother) since college...and met Michael when he was just 13..."

But, more recently, Michael and Justin have been at Gordon-Conwell together. Michael has been our resident dog-sitter, fellow Red Sox game-watcher, and favorite friend over the past year and a half. When Michael first moved up to MA, he brought (his then-girlfriend) Lynn with him and she stayed with us then and pretty much every visit after that. They also did the grueling 18-hour drive from MA to NC with us a few weeks ago. Lynn flew up the day before we left and then bounced between driving for me and riding with Michael in the worst driving conditions ever in order to help us get home. What a lifesaver! We couldn't have done it without them (and Kevin too!).

Congratulations Beahms! We love you both!!!

Guess who came to see us...

2009-01-04T22:02:00.003-05:00

Last Tuesday, I got a text asking about lunch plans for Thursday. I thought the message had been mistakenly sent to me instead of someone else. I made them take pictures in front of our house for proof. What a nice SURPRISE! (For those of you that don't recognize them...it's Mandy and Drew, our Boston BFFs).

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T21:02:00.002-05:00

Christmas has been full of family this year. A few months ago, I thought we would be spending Christmas in our apartment in Massachusetts unable to make the trip home for the holidays. But since we were able to move back to Winston-Salem, we have been blessed to have much time with all of our family this year. It has been a year since we've been to Justin's hometown and at least a year since we've seen some family members. We are pretty worn out and it still feels surreal that we're even here, but it's beginning to feel like home again.

More updates to come. Baby Lewis is expected to arrive in a few short weeks!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

it's beginning to look a lot like...

2008-12-16T16:20:00.002-05:00

A NURSERY!

Today, we put the crib together. It was just as I imagined it would be. Both of us staring at the instructions, the hardware, the pieces, and thinking..."where does this go?" But we did it. We only had to redo two parts. And we didn't kill each other. :-) Oh and I wanted you to see the art painted by my stepmom's friend, Shirley. Isn't it so cute?! She's going to do more once we get all the furniture in place.

Home

2008-12-14T14:20:00.001-05:00

(Previously titled: "18 hours of wind and rain")

It took much longer than expected to reach our destination,Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Symptoms of freezing rain followed us for half of the journey as trees leaned over the road and mocked our attempt to navigate the roads safely. Kevin and I were trying to be smart and leave earlier than Holly in the Penske truck, but a 45 minute detour in Fishkill, New York, caused us to slow our pace and meet up the the Holly and the pre-Beahms for lunch, which provided time for us to exchange incredulous stories from the road.

Though the temperatures rose as we moved South on Hwy 81, the rain was relentless - save for an hour or so. Somewhere in hour seventeen we saw the beautiful words, "Welcome to North Carolina." Finally, we breathed a sigh of relief and made our final stride toward home.

Kevin made the trip enjoyable with good conversation as we worked out the complexities of why dirty words are actually dirty (or not). Of course, he also provided the soundtrack; one unexpected song came from Old Crow Medicine Show, called "Wagon Wheel" and it captured the theme of the journey well:

Headed down south to the land of the pines
I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Lookin' down the road and I pray to God I see head lights
I made down the coast in seventeen hours (17! I wish!)
pickin' a bouquet of dog wood flowers and I'm
hopin' like Raleigh I can see my baby tonight

The song humorously illustrated our desperate desire to land in our driveway, unload the inflatable mattress and pass out. Oddly enough by the time our heads did hit pillows, we couldn't stop laughing about just how peculiar and frustrating the day had been. Sometime around 3 am we fell asleep and then awoke the next morning to unpack the truck with the help of local friends.

"Home" might be the best and worst word for us in the coming months. We are indeed "home" but we feel like we can't REALLY unpack because we're trusting God to call us to a job somewhere (maybe here). Yet as long as we're here, we look forward to time with family and friends and of course preparing a home for our little girl. (pictures of the nursery are forthcoming!)

This morning we went to church where a visiting pastor encouraged us to remember how God uses broken people for his purposes. As we celebrate the "coming" (aka "Advent") we see beauty through brokenness and humility. I look forward to witnessing how our great God will reveal his plan for us and how our little expectant family can expect to see Him lead us wherever He might.

[Holly has more updates about our house and baby showers, but for now, we're checking in from "home."]

showered

2008-12-07T21:30:00.005-05:00

On Thursday, I was given my first baby shower. It was so fun to share a sweet time with some girlfriends and celebrate our baby girl's impending arrival. Thanks Becky and Erin for hosting! Y'all are the best.

what's in a name?

2008-12-01T23:07:00.002-05:00

We've yet to decide on a name. We have lots of ideas and have received many suggestions. We have two books full of names and I have babynames.com bookmarked in order to check it regularly. Since we don't have an official name, people have taken to calling her different things that they like.

Claire Huxtable, Belky, Lynn Jr., Millicent, Mildred, Hilda, Penelope, Gracie, Jerusha, Delilah...

Don't worry, we do have the ones we like and dislike somewhat narrowed down. But I think we may be one of those couples that waits until we see her before giving her a name. In the meantime, we're open to your suggestions. However, we do have some "criteria" if you will.

You must know she's a girl upon hearing her name. Thus, no androgynous names.
It needs to sound good when spoken with a southern twang.
No weird spellings. We don't want her to always have to tell people how to say/spell her name in school.
It should have a good nickname, however, we don't want to name her and then never call her by her real name. Too many of our friends say, "Why didn't my parents just name me _____ if they wanted to call me that?"
The initials should not make anything weird. _ _ L
The first name will be the name she is called. No going by the middle name.
It should be unique, but not too unique.

Okay, now that you know the rules, have fun and suggest some good ones. The winner gets to change her diaper.

a great day for pumpkins

2008-11-27T21:40:00.003-05:00

pumpkin roll

pumpkin baby

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We have so much to be thankful for.

packing progress

2008-11-24T17:16:00.003-05:00

we're up to our ears in boxes...some of us more than others.

un-nesting

2008-11-18T20:38:00.004-05:00

So we're 9+/- weeks away from meeting our baby girl. Apparently, this is supposed to instigate my instinct to nest. However, our impending move is causing quite the opposite effect. I like to call it "un-nesting." We currently have 50 or so boxes, some packed and some not, sitting around our already cramped apartment. Oh yeah, by the way, we're moving...in 3 weeks...to North Carolina.

In the next three weeks, we have to:
take a few finals (Justin)
write a paper (Justin)
sell a car (we have a buyer. just need to close the sale!)
pack (mostly Holly, but both)
finish birth class (all 3 of us)
finish up part-time jobs (both)
pack some more
spend time with friends
eat at our favorite places
give THANKS
play in the snow (i hope!)
shovel snow (Justin, he hopes not)
say goodbye
make the 14+ hour drive to Winston-Salem

For now, my nesting energies will have to be stored up for when we get to NC and then we'll be super-nesters.

Should I be worried?

2008-11-12T13:02:00.003-05:00

In approximately 3 weeks, I will have submitted all of my final work for seminary. I will be a graduate of a fine, evangelical seminary. I will have a Master's Degree and the satisfaction of retaining a substantial amount of information. I will be able to offer a local church a eagerness and passion for serving and teaching.

But... churches don't seem to be hiring like they used to. Apparently giving is down and the "church job market" is taking a bit of a hit.

I'm not worried. But should I be?

In light of curiosity, I hope you enjoy this little parody of contemporary issues around the job market projections for 2009:

"The Job" by Screaming Frog Productions

welcome friends

2008-11-05T20:49:00.009-05:00

Over the past month+, we've had lots of visitors. Well, "lots" if you consider the fact that we live really far away from most of our friends and family. First, there was my mom. For some reason, I don't have a single picture from her visit. Probably because we spent our entire time in the car or in the mall! Hers was no scenic trip. It was a mission to spend time with me, her pregnant daughter, and outfit me with maternity clothes. Thanks Mom!

Next was our friend, Mary. She just got back from 2 years in Kenya. Now she's in Philadelphia and headed to med school. After a quick trip to Providence, RI, she took the train up to Boston to see us. It was a fun time of catching up on life after a couple of years of being in totally different places. Here's a pic of us at Frog Pond on a typical rainy day in Boston.

A week or so later, I was on a plane to the DR to visit my Dominican friends and do a little work on my last trip before life changes dramatically. It was a wonderful time of planning and dreaming for the ministry.

Upon returning from the DR, I turned 30, then welcomed the Alleys back for their second visit since we've been here. It was fun to see them especially since Christy is pregnant too. We're ahead of them by 2+ weeks. We compared bellies and pregnancy woes. Christy and I have always said we're twins. I convinced her to go to the same college, so we could do everything together. Little did we know that we'd be having babies at the same time as well. Though, she did one-up me by having Owen already. Anyway, we had a great time. We ate $3.99/lb lobstah (thanks for cooking, Will), went on our first trip to Ikea, played in Boston, watched baseball and movies, and wished once again that we lived in the same town.

Last, but not least, we just finished up a long weekend with the Coopers. Brad and Rebecca are friends from our days at UNC. It's been at least 2 years since we've seen them in person. They decided to take a little vacation and come visit. We enjoyed Newburyport, Boston, and Salem together. On our day together in Boston, we met up with some other friends, the Nielsens (who are now in NJ) and the Pfieffers (Bostonians that we don't get to see very often). All in all, it was a fun reunion. Rebecca and I noted that Brad and Justin revert back to their college personas when they're around each other...cracking each other up, quoting movies, and talking about superheroes.

Thanks Mom and friends for coming to see us. Y'all are the best.

Cravings? Nah.

2008-10-28T21:20:00.001-05:00

I wouldn't say that she's had cravings... but it is 10:19 at night and we're making chocolate chip pancakes...

I like birthdays...even if they're 30th ones.

2008-10-26T22:12:00.005-05:00

So, it's been awhile since I've blogged. Lots of fun things going on in the Lewis house. First, I'll share about my awesome husband who secretly planned a surprise birthday party for me. Mandy and I both turned 30 in October, so our hubbies threw a joint party inviting all our mutual friends. I was pretty shocked. Justin (and Drew) did a great job at throwing us off. So when Mandy and I walked into our apartment to find everyone jumping out shouting, "SURPRISE!!!", we were pretty excited. Thanks hubbies for celebrating us.

Then, after I got back from the DR, we celebrated my actual birthday by going to Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, MA. It was an amazingly beautiful day with the leaves changing and the ocean crashing against the rocks. Montana and Neela loved running around on the trails. Later, we went to dinner at the new Japanese steakhouse. Our fellow diners were also celebrating a birthday. The girl was turning 11 and had 8 of her closest friends plus her parents and little sis. Justin and the girl's dad were the only men sitting at the table of 15. But we had fun chatting about adoption (they had adopted their girls from China) and raising little girls.

Enjoy the pics of both the party and the park.

The "Bump" - month 6

2008-10-24T12:23:00.001-05:00

Sorry for not providing you with pictures for some time.

And the one below is of Hol at one of our new favorite places: Halibut Point. [Notice the special way that the jacket must be unzipped from the bottom.]

Thanks for cheering for us and our baby girl. TTYL.

Your BFF,

Month 6

2008-10-22T08:57:00.001-05:00

Here she is...our little squirmy eggplant: