Hello, all! We thought that we would provide an update since quite a few things have happened since our last family update. Since we’re not on social media nearly as much as we used to be, we wanted to be intentional about updating those who follow this blog as a way to keep up with us.

First Things First

The biggest piece of news is that we recently welcomed another child into our family. Winston Adams was born on 09/23, coming into the world in an eventful way. We had planned a homebirth for Winston, just as we had for Oliver, but shortly after the midwife arrived, she recognized that Winston was not head down and instructed us to call 911. An ambulance ride later (much to our relief, they let me ride in the ambulance with Jen), we were at the closest hospital where Winston was birthed naturally, despite his breach position. Although he needed some close monitoring (as well as to be put on oxygen) for the first twelve hours or so of his life, he is doing well, as is Jenny. It was a scary thing to go through, but we are so thankful for the ways that we can see how the Lord was protecting both Jen and especially Winston the whole time, and for the emotional healing that the Lord has been faithful to provide.

We’ve been blessed to have our church community and our families come alongside us as we adjust to having two children. While it has been an adjustment, we’re so grateful for our kids and look forward to seeing the boys develop a relationship with each other. Oliver loves his brother and is very sympathetic toward him, which is a blessing!

Our Home

In other news, we were blessed by God to be able to buy a house this past July! Despite the fact that finding something affordable seemed unlikely in this market, the Lord blew us away (as He consistently does) with His timely provision. We moved from the duplex we were renting in Oklahoma City out to a town about thirty minutes from the OKC Metro. We are glad to be out of the city and are slowly adjusting to the longer drives that come with that. We are so happy to be homeowners and are enjoying the process of settling in and making it our own. We’re certainly ready to put down some roots and we look forward to not moving anytime soon!

In Other News

I graduated from Liberty University Online with my English and Writing degree in August, so I’ve been watching for job postings for the schools in the area. The postings for teaching positions in the fall usually go up around the December or January beforehand, so I should be able to begin applying for positions soon. In the meantime, I’m working on applying for a temporary certificate with ACSI and adjusting to a position change (a positive one) at my current job at a local credit union. I’m very glad (as are Jen and the boys) that I’m school-free during this time so that I can be more present and helpful when I’m not at work.

Jen has been adjusting to having the two boys at home by herself during the day, a process which has been made more difficult by a couple of colds making their rounds in our household over the last couple of months.

Oliver has been growing fast and talking more. He is able to communicate pretty well with his limited vocabulary and has even willingly started using a training potty. He likes being outside and playing with his tools, something he’s especially enjoyed since seeing his Papa (Jen’s dad) do some improvement projects around our new home in October. He seems to like our whole family being together; if anyone is out of sight, he says their name and looks for them, including Winston (which comes out more like “wee-wee”).

To Conclude

Overall, we are doing well! We were happy to get to see family as they visited for Winston’s birth and then for a family member’s wedding in October. The tree in our front yard turned a beautiful auburn which was nice considering here in Oklahoma most of the trees turn brown quickly. The weather has definitely turned colder and we are enjoying it.

Prayers Appreciated

We would appreciate prayer for a teaching job for myself in the Lord’s timing and that I would be patient until then. Also, for Jen, that she would have the perseverance and energy for taking care of the boys at home during the weekdays. Prayer for wisdom as we seek to have both myself and Jen at home as often as possible would be appreciated, too. A job where I can be home more often would be best from our perspective but we trust the Lord to provide the best job for our family.

Thank you for reading!