The Big Move

Our last blog post was in June of this year and a lot has happened since then. Instead of boring you with all the details here is a short summary of the months that have followed since we last wrote.

June

At the end of June we celebrated our 5^th anniversary and Josiah turned 5 months old. He was passed around to different baby-sitters on the day of our anniversary and we were able to hang out together sans baby. We enjoyed breakfast in downtown Tucson, a swim in the pool, a viewing of our wedding video and then a great dinner at night. It was a much needed break from our son who, at that time, was teething and leaving us rather sleep deprived. June was also the month that we began our journey back to our homeland in New England. Eric applied to work as a server administrator at Gordon College in Wenham, MA in hopes that we would be able to secure some income before making a move across the country. It was the only job he applied for.

Reinhold family at Truett's birthday! Great photo courtesy of our friend Sam! 

Eric eating a flower made out of salmon.  Soooo good! 

Bethany eating duck bruschetta. 

The birth of little miss Carmen! 

July

Once July came, our lives started to take a turn for the busy and crazy. Bethany was diagnosed with post-partum hypothyroidism and put on some medication to help level out her hormones. Meanwhile, Eric had an interview with Gordon over Skype and then they called to ask if they could fly him out for a final interview the first weekend in July. We were hoping he would come back with a yes or no but it wasn't until a few days later that they called and offered him the job. They also wanted him to start as soon as he could because they were in the process of getting ready for the new school year. Eric put in his two weeks notice at intelliTECH and we began the process of selling one of our cars, our furniture and packing everything up for a move to Massachusetts. During the two weeks of packing, we also started sleep training Josiah because it was obvious that he needed to learn how to go to sleep on his own and stay asleep. Bethany was convinced after two days that he would never get it but after two weeks of training and praying and crying from both mom and baby, he took his naps without crying and started sleeping for longer periods of time at night and during the day.

A cute picture courtesy of Amy! 

A very precious photo reminder of God's kindness

We call him "little tootey pants"

August

At the beginning of August we said good-bye to all our beloved friends in Tucson and watched as a moving truck came and took all of our stuff to ship it across the country. Bethany and Josiah flew to her parents in Vermont and stayed with them for a week while Eric drove across the country in the Echo. He was very thankful to have his brother, Dan, join him in Houston for the rest of the trip. We moved into Eric's Nana's house in Beverly, MA and a few days later, Eric started his new job at Gordon College. Phew! The Lord provided in so many wonderful ways for us during the transition and we are thankful for His care. One adventure down and another one beginning!

Josiah finished packing his room with some help from Mom and Dad

Our lonely empty apartment

Karen and Dan!  Thanks so much for everything! 

Eric is excited to not be in the driver's seat.  Really excited. 

Four generations of Reinholds

September

As mentioned above, we moved into Eric's Nana's house in Beverly, MA. The location is ideal for us in so many ways: 10 minutes from the college, easy walking distance to the beach, easy drives to see family, and the home of the American League Champion Boston Red Sox is just a short train trip away. We got to go to our first Red Sox game together and see the Red Sox destroy the Yankees!  It was amazing. The house is currently owned by Eric's mom and uncle and we moved in knowing that the circumstances could be a little challenging for us. It is a beautiful 4 bedroom home but also has accumulated lots and lots of stuff over the years and needs some work because it is almost 100 years old. As old as the last city we lived in, Tucson! Eric's family worked hard to clean out the master bedroom, a room for Josiah, the bathrooms, and the kitchen so that we could comfortably settle in. Each week they continue to make the drive down to work on cleaning out the remaining stuff and it is quite a process. By God's grace, we are content and thankful for a place to live and we are excited about the possibilities for the house once it is cleaned out. Being new to the area also meant looking for a church, doctors, dentists, etc. and so the busyness of our lives has increased upon our arrival here in Beverly. Josiah transitioned to the new time zone with only minor bumps in the road and also learned to crawl in his new backyard.

This old house after getting yard work done on 50% of the front yard

Our first Red Sox game together. Red Sox stomped the Yankees!  I never thought I would see the day. =) 

October

Here we are almost at the end of October. The leaves are changing to beautiful colors and falling all over the sidewalks and lawns. The cooler temperatures remind us that winter is coming and we feel like we have to prepare for it like the first pilgrims that landed here a few centuries ago. Our year round sandals and t-shirts from AZ will probably not be sufficient in the snow. The Lord has been kind to us and blessed us with a church that we will probably call home and some wonderful new friendships although we continue to miss our Tucson friends every day. Eric finds his job challenging and rewarding and loves working with his boss and other believers. Bethany spends her days watching Josiah sprout like a weed before her eyes (figuratively speaking because he is still pretty small for his age!). He crawls all over the place, pulls himself up to a standing position, eats solid food 3 times a day and seems to be always filled with energy and joy. His naps are still often the rockiest part of the day but he sleeps well at night and babbles and plays by himself quite happily for long periods of time during the day. Bethany is also looking for ways to make some extra money because we have the opportunity to possibly purchase this house and make it our own home. She already has a tutoring student and is also considering giving piano lessons to bring in some extra cash. We would appreciate your prayers as we approach the end of the year and wonder how the Lord is going to work out our budget if we purchase the house. We also give praise and thanks to God for all the ways He has blessed us in our new location and look forward to telling more stories of His kindness to us! We would also appreciate your prayers for Bethany's health as she continues to be treated for her thyroid issues. A recent ultra sound showed that it is inflamed so she is hoping to see a specialist soon. The nurse did say not to worry about it though so we are hoping it is only a minor thing.

Josiah learning about 4 seasons, Fall is one of the good ones

Praises: As you can hopefully tell from these pictures we have much to be thankful for!
Prayers: Bethany's thyroid and prayers for our housing situation. 

If you need our new mailing address, don't hesitate to give us a call, send an e-mail or PM in Facebook. We would love to hear from you! Love, Eric and Bethany