Feeling Right at Home

It's been so long since I've felt a real keyboard beneath my fingers, I don't really know where to begin. I have so many stories and pictures to share, but I don't want to overwhelm my readers. I guess to begin I should just say that we officially moved to Jamesville at the beginning of July, with the twins spending their first night here on July 5th. I was so fearful that they would be scared by being in a new place, but they had no problems whatsoever transitioning. They love their rooms, their playroom, their big open backyard, the playground close by, and the quiet streets to take walks and ride in their wagon. Steven and I are enjoying the quiet life of Jamesville and I am especially liking living in my grandparents house. Here's a picture for those of you who'd like to imagine where we live.

And here are a few pictures of the twins enjoying the outdoors at our new home.

This tire swing has swung many a grandchild and great-grandchild on it. Glad to see my kids join in the ranks.


Time with the twins is Grandma's respite. I'm sure it must do her good to see her grandchildren enjoying the home where she grew up.


Going on evening walks has become part of our routine. Here's Steven and Berkley walking towards the school gym at sunset.


Berkley and Meredith's first car race.


And here are pictures of them enjoying the inside of our new home.

Kicking back in their playroom. Don't they look like old friends who are catching up?


Berkley is playing with a train set that his cousin Jamie gave to him. Berkley had never been introduced to trains until moving here and now he absolutely adores his Thomas the Train set! He plays with it everyday, and everyday he finds a new way to set up the track. I love to watch his little brain figure things out and how to make the track work each day.


Here are the twins goofing around at the foot of the stairs. They love sliding down the steps and they are the best steps to slide down, I should know because my sister and I used to love to do the very same thing.


Bedtime in the Manning home. The twins have really grown in their love for reading over the past month. I see them maturing in so many ways and this is just one of them. They will sit for longer periods of time and will even listen to longer stories now.


Not long after we moved in, we packed up for a beach trip with Steven's family. The trip was cut short due to my dad's hospitalization, but we had a great time while we were there. I was shocked that Meredith was my dare devil who loved the pool and the ocean and that Berkley was more stand-offish. Meredith got in the ocean and was fussing at me because I wouldn't take her out further, whereas Berkley would run from the surf saying it was going to get him. Meredith jumped in the pool three times and I had to scoop her out and Berkley preferred playing around the edges (but he actually fell in once as well). I definitely learned that I could never handle them in a pool by myself at this age. The beach was a great time together as a family, it was especially great because the twins got to spend some concentrated time with their cousins, Hutch and McKinley. Boy do they LOVE their cousins!!!

Meredith wearing McKinley's shoes. She loves them and is giving a double thumbs up for the Pirates!


This is Berkley's elation at seeing his Papa walking towards him on the pier. That boy sure does love his Papa!


This is Berkley staring in adoration at his cousin Hutch. I'm pretty sure that Berkley wants to be just like Hutch one day.


A morning with cousins.


Snack on the deck.


She's ready for a swim.


Steven's family hosted an amazing celebration cookout for him on July 24th at Morotac Park. I wish I had pictures to share, but I was just too busy visiting with dear family and friends and praising the Lord (and my husband) for Steven's completion of residency! Steven took his family medicine boards in July as well, but has to wait until September 5th to find out his scores. We're so excited about all that lies ahead for him in his new family practice. The practice is called Martin Family Medicine and he along with Dr. Elisabeth Ann Scott will be the primary physicians there. Steven has been super busy the past few weeks interviewing and hiring employees, ordering supplies, setting up the office, and all sorts of things that come along with initiating a new practice. He was even on the local morning radio program and has spoken at a couple of community events. It's so exciting to see my husband feel like he's doing what God wants him to do! The community has been so, so supportive of his arrival and we are looking forward to getting Martin Family Medicine rolling. Once the practice is completely finished, I'll be sure to post lots of pictures.

On August 1st we had some excitement in our neighborhood. The twins and I had just returned from visiting my Nana at the nursing home, which we've made a habit of doing almost everyday, and we were playing outside for a few minutes. It was a quiet, calm day until we heard someone shout. At first I dismissed it, but then they shouted a second time. Meredith put her finger to her ear, telling me that she heard something and said, "somebody need help." About that time I saw thick black smoke across the street. I ran to the front yard and saw that the Christian Church across from our house was on fire. I ran back to the twins and grabbed my phone to call 911. We were the 2nd callers and it seemed like ages before the fire trucks arrived, when in truth it was less than 5 minutes. We watched the whole ordeal, from thick black smoke and the church being completely intact to the building being completely engulfed in 40 foot flames. The fire was so intense, we could feel the heat from our front porch. It was a sad sight to see indeed, especially since my home church was lost in a fire 10 years ago. But I know that the Jamesville Christian Church will just grow stronger through this ordeal. Their fellowship hall was saved and they've been meeting there ever since the fire. I'm sure it will be so encouraging to them to see how God provides for them in the coming weeks/months/years. Here are a few pictures I captured that day of the fire.

The beginning of the flames


The beginning of the worst


The most intense flames


Do you see the vinyl siding of the house next door? The flames were so intense!


So, we haven't had a dull moment at all. On July 5th I had the privilege of flying to Phoenix, Arizona to visit my best friend and her family to attend her baby shower. My best friend, Andrea Sutton, and I met during our years at East Carolina University. I haven't seen her in two years and her baby shower was the perfect excuse to get out there. Andrea will be having a baby girl, Madalyn Kate, in September and she already has a little boy named Benjamin, who is 6 months older than the twins. You can imagine that seeing sweet Benjamin everyday made me miss my two just terribly, but it was such a sweet time of catching up with Andrea and getting to know Benjamin and Matt (Andrea's husband) better. Benjamin and I hit it off and I wish that I could remember every precious thing that he said, but one of my favorites is when he asked his mom to leave the room so that he could play with me only, he called it "Mrs. Candi time." Here's a sweet picture of me and Andrea at her baby shower.

So...as you can see, we've had a lot going on since I've last had a computer and could actually type a detailed blog post with pictures. In general twin updates, I am just amazed at how much they've developed over the last month. I'm seeing them mature so much. They are saying please, thank you, and even yes sir/no m'am more and more. Their vocabularies have increased tremendously. Meredith is a serious little talker (just like a girl) and Berkley is talking more now that we have taken his pacifier away. Yes, Steven decided to take the paci, or "pipe" as we like to call it, away yesterday, August 13th. He's done AMAZINGLY well without it. We told him he was a big boy and didn't need it anymore. He cried for 2 minutes yesterday about it, but none last night, none at nap today and didn't even ask for it at bed tonight. We had noticed that Berkley's speech just sounded so slurred when he wasn't using his pipe and we figured it was because he wasn't enunciating his words, plus it looked like his teeth might have started getting pushed out because of it, so I think it's a good thing that we're getting rid of it. I have to admit, I'm sad all at the same time. I feel like letting go of that pipe is letting go of my baby. They're not babies anymore at all and I just have to come to terms with it.

Meredith can count to 10 now, but she always skips 3...isn't that funny? They are both interested in the potty, but we haven't officially started potty training yet. It's coming soon though. They both enjoying coloring now, but Meredith mores than Berkley. Hmmm...I think that's all for now, except for a few more fun pictures to share of course.

Berkley and Steven at the Roanoke River. I sense some fishing trips in our future.


Me and Meredith grinning together. Yep, she looks just like me.


We took the twins to Deadwood in Bear Grass tonight. They have this awesome little train to ride as well as all kinds of other fun things for kids to do (including a roller coaster, yes, a roller coaster in Bear Grass)! They loved their first train rides and merry go round ride.