The Difference One Year Makes!

Home Sweet Home!

Hopefully it won't become routine to wait every FOUR months to write a blog post but instead of mulling over that for a second longer...on to what we wanted to share!

One year ago today (the Tuesday after Labor Day weekend), we found out we were expecting our second baby. At the time, we did not know how far along we were, when my due date would be, or if we'd be having a daughter or son...but we knew our hearts were filled with JOY! Fast forward to today and we are enjoying each and every day with our #AdorableNels & #SweetNatalieJoy ... AND today marks the start of a new adventure for our family of four which is preparing to move back into the house that Brandon & I bought and lived in prior to our two year interim in Birmingham. 

It's hard to believe that we have already been back in Nashville for a year and a half now ... we could never have imagined how sweet this season would be. Getting to see our Nelson grow from a baby to a toddler, the pregnancy and birth of our precious daughter, living next door to some of our dear friends and getting to enjoy all that that entails with game nights, cookouts, wagon walks, and just living day in and day out so close...we stand in awe of how the Lord continues to show us that He is in all the details. There's certainly a mix of emotions about leaving the sweet street we're on now (even though the move to our house will be just around the corner) but we have seen over and over how the Lord is preparing our steps...

The tenants of three years are officially out as of yesterday and projects to freshen things up and prepare for our October move are about to begin. Thank you in advance for your prayers for our family during this exciting time! Read this quote earlier and thought it summed up what has been on our minds lately: "It takes intention to furnish a home with grace and rest and acceptance...I want to make a home on purpose — with purpose." -The Nester (aka: Myquillyn Smith)

"Pway Pway"

Natalie Joy Nall ~ The newest member of Team Nall!!!
We can't remember our lives without you!

It's been 4 months since our last post and a lot has happened since then...including the birth of our precious baby girl, Natalie!! She was born on April 19, 2014 and it's hard to believe that she just turned one month already! Time is certainly flying and we are soaking in each and every moment with our two bundles of joy, Nelson and Natalie, which is why "free moments" are few and far between (aka: non-existent at this point!) and we have not updated the blog before now. So much to share about the Lord's work at our lives in these past days and months and our desire is to share about the amazing birth of our daughter and the days leading up to that soon...but for now it's on my heart to share what happened in our home tonight...a few minutes ago to be exact!

To set the stage...it's been a great day...a full day, but great! Two dear friends, who had babies a few days before and a few days after the birth of Natalie, came over with their other children today and we had some other friends stop by and had some cherished "girl time" while the littles played and we held our newborns. Then we enjoyed our "quiet hours" of 1-4pm which has been a Godsend to have both kiddos sleep during that time. A sweet friend brought over dinner (another true Godsend in this season to see friends and have food delivered) and then the four of us loaded up in Brandon's car to go retrieve my car that has been serviced the past two days since just last week the automatic doors on the van had been giving us some trouble (aka: stopped working!) ... After picking up the car around 6pm, we hugged "Daddy" (Brandon) bye as he headed on to his baseball game. As you may know, May to August in our house is baseball season -- Brandon has been part of a Men's Baseball League the past couple of years which is a very life-giving outlet for him and in turn, a life-giving thing for our family since it is so refreshing for him. It does take a little extra effort on my part on the nights he has games because now that we have two kiddos, any mom can tell you how helpful it is to have Dad home in the evenings helping with dinner, bath, bedtime routine and all. 

So tonight, we pulled in to our neighborhood around 6:45pm (Nelson usually goes down around 7pm) and instead of rushing in to try and fit our normal routine in...we got out the double stroller and enjoyed the gorgeous evening. Natalie slept and Nelson enjoyed seeing his neighbor friends. By the time I rallied the kiddos and got us inside, it was getting close to 7:30pm and I was almost dizzy from how hungry and t-totally exhausted I all of a sudden was feeling from our great but full day. I knew as soon as we walked in and it was time for Nelson and I to eat, that Natalie would wake up and it would be time to nurse her. So I hurried to get a quick bite and get Nelson's food on the table and sure enough, Natalie woke up! As I was nursing her, I prayed and asked the Lord for His strength to get through the next hour because I didn't know how I could physically do it in my own strength.

Before the hummus covered his body!

Meanwhile, I look over at Nelson who has chosen to eat the whole cucumber (skin and all) this evening and a few minutes later I see that he is covered head-to-toe in his hummus. I take Natalie upstairs and lay her down in hopes that she will stay resting while I take care of Nelson and sure enough, she stays sleeping and I get Nelson upstairs into the bath. After his bedtime routine of bath, pajamas, foot stretches, and putting on the snowboard...we go to sit in the glider chair in his room and he bear hugs me. Brandon has been the one putting Nelson to sleep in the past month since I have been usually nursing Natalie during this time. It was so precious to get to have this time with Nelson tonight. As we rocked in his glider, he starts saying: "pway pway" (pray pray) and I start praying as we always have for our family, the night's rest, thanking the Lord for our blessings and so forth. Never have I ever heard Nelson go to town like he did tonight ... it sounded like he was interceding or something as I was praying because I was praying and he was literally listing off each person (and thing) he knows: Ma-Ma, Da-Da, Nadlie, Suuue, Pops, LaLa, E, Lilly, ball, slide, bath, light...it literally brought me to tears. Even when I first said "Amen", he kept saying pway pway so I kept praying, thinking of all the other people and prayer requests we have been lifting up and many countless things there are to pray about. He kept wanting to pray...so my tears kept flowing. This precious son who God brought into the world 21 months ago and used to be a newborn like his dear sister, is now old enough to start talking and to see his brain at work and his desire to pray and lift up these dear friends and family...was so humbling and so rewarding all in the same. In that moment, I felt so refreshed. More so than any "spa day" or shower or "meal by myself" could have ever made me feel. In that moment, with the rest of the house in the beautiful mess that it is, I was so thankful that I had stopped and asked God to give me the strength to see His fingerprints on the rest of the night and not just "survive" the next hour. I had even texted a dear prayer warrior sister when we sat down at dinner to ask for her prayers that God could give me endurance. So grateful for the sisters God has placed in my life to be real with as we walk this road of motherhood. We know our hands are full, but so are our hearts. Thank you, LORD, for allowing me to find beauty in the mess all around me, because it is quite evident that LIFE is happening here. And I certainly don't want to be "so busy" to get to the next place or the next moment to "clean up" that I miss out on the hugs, the prayers, and baths here there and in between. Thanks for letting me share this...I am so thankful to be Brandon's wife, and Nelson and Natalie's mom. I have heard my parents talk about being parents my whole life but never have I understood the love you have for a child until having my own. And now to see Nelson's heart bent towards the Lord, that in and of itself is an answer to our prayers. May he (and his sister) always love the Lord and want to know Him more than anything else in this world...

Our Mouths Filled With Laughter!

"Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." -Psalm 126:2

It's a new year on the blog!! So much has happened since our last post but instead of recapping every detail...we'll just pick right up with where the Lord has us now! Nelson will be 18 months next week (!!!) which is extremely hard to believe. Every day is such a gift with him and it's amazing to soak in each and every stage of growth. He is becoming more chatty and will copy the words we say...so cute! It's been quite cold here in Nashville lately and he loves to grab his coat and his shoes and go stand by the door to go "outside"...the cold doesn't seem to stop him from his love of the great outdoors! He is a great eater and amazes us at his love for "real food". He loves to read -- so cute to watch him bring us book after book. His laughter is absolutely contagious. Here is a peek into his precious laugh from earlier this evening...

He sleeps like a champ! That has been SUCH a huge blessing to this pregnant mama!! This may be news to some of you that simply keep up with us on the blog and not the other social media avenues...Nelson is going to be a big brother! We found out at Christmas that we will be having a baby girl in May...Natalie Joy Nall! I am 25 weeks right now and feeling great!! Very thankful :) Please keep us in your prayers as the Lord brings us to mind...that we will soak up each and every moment with dear Nelson and that the Lord would prepare us to welcome Natalie into this world in the next 15 weeks!! Time is flying! We are sooo very excited! Each day is a GIFT and we give thanks to the LORD for these blessings!!!