"Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here one hour I would die for you."

.........................................................

October 29, 2008

Happy Birthday Daddy!



Nate is celebrating his 30th birthday today! This has been a big year for him. He has become a dad this year and is now celebrating a milestone birthday. We love him so much and hope he has a wonderful day. He is the best husband and daddy we could have ever asked for. God has definitely blessed Laila and I beyond our greatest expectations. The greatest thing about him to me is that he tries to seek God's will for his life in all he does, and that he truly loves and cares for his family and friends so much. Even when he is not calling or talking to people he loves all the time, they are constantly in his prayers when we pray together. Our life is FAR from perfect, but having him as a husband and life partner makes the difficult times so much easier. I know we wouldn't be the family we are today if it weren't for your love, support, and prayers, so thank you! I hope you don't mind me bragging about my hubby but I just want to make sure he knows on his birthday how proud we are of him and how much he is loved. Okay...I'll get off my soapbox now! :)

This past weekend his family and I planned a SURPRISE party for his big 3-0! We pulled off the surprise and had a great time. Thank you so much to all who made this happen and for those of you that were able to come. We had a blast! Here is a little note that Nate wanted to add himself:


It was such a blessing to have all my family and friends surprise me for my 30th birthday! I truly had no idea that Joy and my family had planned me a party and thank you all for taking the time to come and celebrate. To know that I am loved by so many is a wonderful and humbling feeling. As I look back on my life up to this point, many of my most treasured memories have been shared in your presence. It's been an honor and privileged to have those moments with you and I am grateful for how each has enriched my life over the years.

Now looking forward, I can't help but wonder what the Lord has planned for me and my beautiful family. With that in mind, I recall one of my favorite verses, Jeremiah 29:11, " For I know that plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." With that promise and the love of my family and friends I have no fear of what tomorrow holds. I am excited about the adventure each day brings and the hope found in the words of the Lord. No matter what the years ahead will bring, I am certain that the moments shared with each of you will continue to bless my life. ~Nate


Enjoy all the pics! If you were there and took some other good pics, please send them our way!

The birthday boy with his wife & daughter!




My bundle of joy!


Joy's brother Matt, sister Holly, and cousin Melissa

(and sleeping beauty)!



The Moss Family


Aunt Bekah & Laila



Laila's Grandpa and Great Grandpa Lail



Great Grandma Phelps & Laila



Great Grandpa Phelps & Laila





Laila's Grammy, Great Grandparents, and 2nd cousin Melissa





Jake, Uncle Matt, and Jeremy


Ansley, Carey, Joy & Laila


Robert and Donna



Barbara, Becky, Peggy, and Jim




Trying to count all the candles!



Greg and Donna


Laila with her Great Aunt Cathy, Aunt Susie, and Nonna

The Almons with Nate's Uncle Rich

(thanks again for letting us use your house Uncle Rich!)


Aunt Susie, Laila, and Oma


Great Grandpa and Grandma Lail



The Ryckman Family



Linda and Bekah



Grandpa Schuck and Laila



Nate with his mom and sisters, just before they threw him in the pool!



Here are some other pictures from October that I thought you would enjoy. There are also 2 short videos at the end!

No we didn't put marshmellows in her cheeks for this picture!


No more leaving her unbuckled in her chair...she likes to squirm out of it!


Caroline and Laila...one of Laila's very first friends in Tallahassee



Hanging out with her 2nd cousins Natalie and Eli




Laila with her Great Nana...she's going to miss her!


The following video is of Laila's crazy Grandpa Lail! Needless to say, between his Harley, his scooter, his hunting stories, etc., Laila has a lot to look forward to! Well, at least a lot of good laughs to look forward to! :)





This next video is of Laila sucking on her toes! Too funny!


October 18, 2008

For Sale

Hey guys! We’ve already mentioned this to some of you, but we wanted to let you all know that we have some good stuff that we are putting up for sale as we are in the process of moving. If you or anyone you know is interested, let us know. We will be putting some of the items on Craigslist or trying to sell them at a Garage Sale soon, but we wanted to give our family and friends first dibs!

All of the items have only been used by us and are in excellent condition. Most of them are less than 2 years old. Email us at njschuck@earthlink.net if you would like more information about a certain piece.

Hope you all are doing well!

Love,
Nate & Joy

P.S. - The sectional couch, chair, bombay chest, kitchen appliances, and washer/dryer have already been SOLD! Sorry to those of you that were interested in those pieces...lucky for us, things are going fast! See below for what is left.


Adirondack style Rocking Chairs and side table


$150




Oversized Chair/Loveseat and Ottoman

$300



Coffee table & 2 Side tables

$175




TV Armoire

$300




We're moving!

After much thought and prayer, we have decided to move our family back to Orlando. It is a bittersweet decision for us because we really have loved so many things about Tallahassee, but the doors have been opened and we feel that the Lord is leading us back there at this time in our lives.

When we think about leaving the family, friends, and the home we've made here in Tallahassee behind, it makes us so sad, but we feel very thankful for the wonderful memories we have made here these past two years. We'll be back often to visit as our family continues to grow! Even though we are sad to leave, we are so excited about being back closer to our immediate family and friends in the Orlando area. We have missed living close to you guys and are looking forward to spending more time with everyone soon. We are thankful that Laila will get to grow up living close by to her grandparents, aunts, and uncle!

Please continue to pray for us during this transition. There are still so many unknowns but we know God will be with us each step of the way. We will keep you updated as we are continuing to figure things out, but it looks like we will be back by the middle of November. Hope to see you all soon!

Lots of love,
Nate, Joy & Laila Schuck

October 14, 2008

We love North Carolina!


Earlier this month we took a little trip to North Carolina with our best friends John, Erin and Isaac Moss (and their dog Roxy). We stayed at their family's cabin which is near Maggie Valley. It was an awesome vacation and exactly what we needed...a little peace and rest while enjoying God's wonderful creation. The weather was beautiful during our visit, as the leaves had just started changing colors. It was so hard to leave and come back to reality!

Last year when we were there, Isaac and Laila were in our bellies. It was so much fun being able to take them back now that they are outside of the womb. They both did great! Isaac is 3 months older then Laila. He is such a cute little boy. He was crawling all over the place and just starting to pull himself up on things. He was also getting ready to cut his first tooth while we were there. Laila is getting more practice at rolling over. Her new thing is sucking on her toes. It's hilarious! She also baby talks a lot when she's in the mood! It was very cute to see Isaac and Laila together. They constantly stare at one another and when put next to eachother, Isaac likes to grab Laila's hand (or anything else he can get a hold of)! We got some adorable pictures and video of the two of them. We always have fun stories to tell of each trip we make there. This year we had a few crazy adventures with our bear and mice encounters! Over the years we have made so many wonderful memories with the Moss family at the Mosswood cabin, and we look forward to many more to come. Enjoy the pics and the two videos at the end!!! :)






The view from the cabin is gorgeous!





The daddies with their first born children








Laila and Isaac are beginning to be good buds!






I'm trying to learn to sit up by myself






Do you like the bunny slippers my Aunt Holly gave me?






Mommy and Daddy's little munchkin!






Just relaxing!






Daddy's little cowgirl!





They are so cute together! She's definitely a Daddy's girl.







At our favorite restaurant in our favorite booth with our favorite friends!






Doing a little sight seeing!








My first jacket...isn't it pretty?!






The dads like to do manly things like hiking, cutting down trees, and building walls!






The new wall turned out really nice...good job daddies!







On a hike with Mommy (before the bear encounter)!








They caught me sucking on my toes!







Almost looks like he's on one knee proposing!!!








Relaxing with my Daddy






Such a pretty smile!







Do we have to leave? I love it here!