My Baby lives in Nashville Now!

Okay, y’all!  It finally happened. 

My baby.  My firstborn.  The one who made me a mama….

 

Is now living on his own down in Nashville.  

We moved him into his new home this weekend.  The whole family went except for Cy.  He was supposed to go and help build a loft bed in Jonathan’s new room, but he has the flu.  :(  He wanted to come sooooo badly, but had to stay back.

So it was just me and my five kiddos for the whole weekend, and it was a crazy, but sweet, time together.  (I got this picture on Sunday, right before leaving Jonathan, and we could not get Sania to stop crying.)

I shared the whole weekend on my instastories, (If y’all aren’t following me over there, click HERE right now and do it!  I LOVE hanging out with everyone over there, and I share a lot of the behind the scenes stuff about our family, so come hang out with me!)

I uploaded the videos from my instastories into this unlisted video on youtube.  I cried the whole time I put it together.  Not gonna lie, Jonathan’s moving has been tough on me.  He is my sweet little buddy and nothing but a joy to be around.  Our house isn’t the same without him. 

But I know that this is all part of God’s plan, and I know that Jonathan is ready to fly.  It is going to be so exciting to see what unfolds for him in the years to come.  

30 Comments

  1. Feel for you, mama! That first one leaving is huge! I promise it does get easier. You have obviously done a great job, and you will reap the rewards of a close relationship with him as his life unfolds.
    Totally separate subject… I saw your fun Wayfair ad for the laundry room! It was great:)
    I love your blog, it’s one of the first that I followed, and I love hearing all about your family. Keep it coming.

  2. What a beautiful video … I saw some of it daily on IG videos also. Jonathan is such a sweet, kind big brother. My oldest son is so caring to his younger brother also. Our oldest son is 28 years old, and our youngest just turned 22 years old. The oldest is married and our youngest is a senior at college. I have been doing the empty nest thing off and on since 2008 when our oldest went away to college. I won’t kid you about saying it is easy….I am a stay at home mom, so it takes some reinventing when our “job”
    changes. We are still needed, but in different ways. It is so rewarding to see our kids spread their wings and take off with what we have taught them and showed them through example. You and your husband have done well. Sit back and be proud as Jonathan shows you all he can do with his life.

    Hugs 🤗

  3. Great Video! So precious!
    It’s hard to let our babies fly on their own.
    Aww Sania I feel for her. She is so lucky to have you!!
    Thank you for sharing!

  4. My first baby starts high school in one year. She is (in years) closer to college than kindergarten!!!

    I just finished reading a WONDERFUL book…. High Performance Habits and it has enlightened my perspective on how I live and view EVERY day. That Jonathan is doing this is huge and wonderful. That you are supporting him is great; HOW you are supporting him emotionally is beautiful. The lessons and learnings for the rest of the kids…. immeasurable! They know they can go for anything and they will be supported and loved! They are seeing courage and determination and struggle and…. it is BEAUTIFUL.

    Thank you SO MUCH for sharing …..

  5. Traci, I followed your Instastories and as a mama that has launched (and re-launched) a few kiddos myself, I will hold you all in my prayers during this bittersweet time. I will especially pray for sweet Sania — she suffered so much uncertainty in her short little life before she found you. Sending love, peace, and the joy that will come as you watch Jonathan soar!
    xo Heidi

  6. How heartwarming and heart wrenching all at the same time! I loved hearing your kitty-faced sentiments! It’s how I feel as I prepare myself for Isabel’s Senior Year next year. We are beginning to visit her favorite college picks for a second time this Spring. So hard to prepare to send off my one and ONLY child! GULP! But so full of promise too! I hope that I can let go and let God as gracefully as you! Blessings from Texas,
    Kristie Henry

  7. It is so hard on a mama’s heart to have those babies fly the nest! I have twin boys so they both left home for college at the same time and suddenly the house was way too empty and too quiet. But over time, you do adjust. Plus you are so stinkin proud of them you can hardly stand it :) My boys have graduated and are working and learning that “adulting” thing. Wish they lived closer but that could always change. Thinking of you and lifting you in prayer. Be gentle with yourself, this is hard stuff for sure.

  8. Wow what a sweet beautiful family and one amazing mama! You are truly blessed. Those pictures have me in tears drinking my tea this morning. Thanks for sharing

  9. Whew! I cried and laughed! Speaking from experience, this is a bittersweet time. There will be moments, even years later, when your heart is missing the everyday of doing life together, or seeing something will trigger a time when he was younger. It does go by too fast! BUT, knowing that they are in God’s will gives such peace. Seeing them prosper, learn, make wise choices, and do the right thing, will give your heart such a thrill. Everyday you miss them and pray like crazy. You always will…
    May you embrace this new chapter with excitement and great grace. I’m so glad your husband has the video. Hope he gets better soon.

  10. Traci,
    It’s an exciting new adventure for him. However, for us Mamas so hard to let go. I only have one at home right now. Two married with little ones of their own. My youngest are twin boys. One is away at college and doing an internship at a News station. He will be graduating in Spring and most likely will be moving away. Oh it will hit me like a ton of bricks when he leaves for good. Hang in there and I will continue to lift everyone in my prayers, especially you sweet Mama.

  11. Love your sweet video, Traci! Brought back memories of when each of my three kiddos took flight! As others have said, you will see all those good seeds that you and Cy have planted in Jonathan come to fruition! I will keep you all in my prayers. Hugs to you and family! And it’s okay to have those times of sadness as you are adjusting to change! And love the song Jonathan sang at the end!

  12. That is one of the hardest things we mamas have to do — let our babies fly. Loving thought ands prayers to you.

  13. Beautiful!!! ❤️ I have six children, only two are still at home, we miss the older four who have “moved out” so very, very much. When you have a close family, it is tough for those who are left. It is very quiet now, but it is sweet! ❤️ I cried all through the video. Much love to you all! ❤️ Praying for your beautiful daughter, bless her heart. ❤️

  14. A difficult time but it will get better. God bless you all on this new journey. Hope your husband is feeling better.

  15. Oh, Tracey, I’ve done this … that initial day was brutal … God was faithful in putting me “back together”. Also, I sympathize with Sania and the boys. See, I was the little sister who had to see her brother off to the Vietnam War, and no sooner did he come home than he married (to someone I detested at the time). The fear, the loss (even though not permanent) is a lot to handle! Praying for ALL of you. Once the sting of that snapping cord stops smarting, you’ll be good :)

  16. Traci, I absolutely loved your video! I’m sitting here with tears streaming down my face. Letting go is so hard and glorious all at the same time. My heart goes out to you. I have an empty nest now and my son attends college 800 miles away from home. In 2015, I wrote a blog post about the things that helped me through the process of letting go. I’m praying for your family to be filled with the indescribable peace of Christ and I’m sharing the link to the post. http://liveabundantlynow.com/2015/08/12/letting-go-6-tips-parents-first-year-college-students/

  17. OOO,good grief…did i ever cry so much…that was the sweetest video ever…yall are a sweet family….good luck….

  18. What a beautiful video that had me in tears. Your little angel has been through so much in her short life. I bet that after y’all go visit Jonathan in a few weeks, it will help her understand that he is not completely removed from your lives. I hope that Cy has completely gotten over the flu and that none of the rest of you come down with it. I am keeping all of you in my prayers and can’t wait to see all that God has in store for Jonathan. God bless!

  19. The hugs at the end of the video gave me tears. It’s a very exciting time for Jonathan with LOTS of emotions for everyone. Traci, you are a strong mama and so blessed. Thank you for sharing your family. And Good Luck, Jonathan!!! Praise God!

  20. This brought tears to my eyes and a flood of memories back as You shared Jonathan’s departing the nest. He has a good foundation and wonderful supportive family. I remember the house feeling so strange when my oldest left for college – it is a bittersweet time, but exciting to see them develop their potential. God is with Him and you have done your job well, Mom and Dad!

  21. Traci, my twin boys left for the Navy and it broke my heart to see them both go at the same time. I tried to be brave and knew that I had turned them over to God a long time ago and now I had to trust Him to take care of them. Letting Go is hard, but they were never completely ours in the first place. We were just teaching them to be prepared for the future before them. They have since married and have children, my grands, which are the lights of my life. O Happy Day.
    In times like this, I think of Abraham and Isaac. Imagine the pain he must of felt when he and his son walked for two days to obey Gods instructions at the alter. He had long wanted a son and at 100 years old, his prayers were answered, then when Isaac turned 20 years old, Abraham was asked to give Isaac, his precious son, back to God.
    Because of his obedience, he was rewarded many times over and the hope for you….. you and your husband , you will be rewarded too because I believe Jonathan will succeed in his dream.
    And for your precious little girl….my heart goes out to her as I can only imagine her feelings at seeing her new family branch out and away.
    God Bless you Traci.

  22. Oh my goodness, the tears are flowing! I’ve had 3 leave the nest, and it was just as hard with each one. I still have one at home but he is only 3 years away from leaving. Every time I even think about it I cry. I think that’s going to be the hardest of all. The most precious years of my life- raising my children- will be over. I just can’t….. From my momma heart to yours, much love and prayers.

  23. I can clearly see why you will all miss Jonathan. He is the most loving big brother. The little ones seem so sad but they will be so happy when their big brother is a big music star. I’ve been following you for a long time and always looked forward to Wed essays with Wanda. What a beautiful mom you had. Good luck to Jonathan!!!!

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