Home, Sweet Home

We are slowly getting settled in our new house.  We LOVE the storage, extra square footage, and most important to us during this process....location.  We moved to the neighborhood behind our old house, exactly 2 streets away.  In fact, you can see our friends house that lived behind us from our new backyard.  We still frequent the playground we went to each week as it is at the end of the cul-de-sac that we live on.  The spray park is located at the opposite end, and our good friend's and neighbor's are only streets away.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Except for the fact, that  as of this past Friday, we closed on our house on Tuswell so we are currently the owners of 1 house and never had to make 2 mortgage payments.  Whoo hoo!

As promised to my family and friends far away, here are some photos of our house.  We are still getting unpacked, pictures hung and are currently waiting on cable service (it's been 2 loooong weeks...I think I miss Nick Jr. more than Mackenzie:), so most of the pictures uploaded are from our final walk through before we moved in.


                                   
                                                          3 car side load garage

Our favorite part of our new yard is that we no longer bake in the sun all day, but enjoy playing in the shade all afternoon!

                              

                           View from balcony of the entry way.  It's the only pic I have of the entrance.

Jeremy's Office

Dining room

View from front door to great room and kitchen

Kitchen, complete with double ovens.....I'm in heaven!

Eat in kitchen

My sweet girl sweeping the floors before we mop

Great room....the staircase to the left leads up to the Master Level. 

Master Bath

We have a 5 level split, so the first floor has the office, dining room, great room and kitchen.  The second level is the Master Bed and Bath.  Then the stairs leading up from the Master level leads to the 3rd level, where the kids bedrooms and baths and guest room are. 

Mackenzie's room and bath, she loves having her own bathroom, but is eagerly waiting for us to paint it

Mackenzie's room far left, guest room in middle, and Caleb's room down hallway far right

View from loft of the 3 bedrooms on the upper level

View from loft area of the main floor/great room

The loft is top left.  We're not sure how we'll utilize this yet, but for now it's going to be a sitting area or extra play room for the kids.

Caleb's Room

Stairs leading down to lower level

This is technically our basement, even though it's not underground. The nice part is that since there's windows Mackenzie will go down there by herself b/c it doesn't feel like a true basement.

Unfinished basement

....and a few miscellaneous pics. . ..

Daddy with the kids after we got the keys to the house

Having a pizza picnic

Just yesterday...once we got the tv hung and access to the DVD's!  :)

Mackenzie playing with dress up dolls from Aunt Sari and Uncle Frank.....you're the best!

Mackenzie and Caleb's first bath together at the new house!  So sweet!

I hope that this home brings us as much happiness and as many good memories as our house on Tuswell.  We feel truly blessed that this house fell into our arms and that we were able to get it for a steal!  We feel like we are on vacation everyday!  It's beginning to feel like home the more we settle in. Thank you to my wonderful husband for being a risk taker and helping us wheel and deal the house of our dreams.  You never cease to amaze me! 

Caleb, 7 months

My sweet boy is 7 months old and changing every day!  This has been a crazy month as we bought a house, moved in and are waiting to close on our old house (more to come soon).   Here's the update on my sweet boy.

*You are a wild man!  I can put out the shiniest, noisiest, most entertaining toys in front of you, but all you really want to play with are the outlets, lamp and computer cords, and stick your fingers in the slats of the vents.  Your other favorite activities include crawling under tables, chairs and onto the stairs.  We cannot leave you alone for any amount of time.

*You can pull up on the bottom stair or on our leg. 

*You have not been a great sleeper these days.  Not sure if we are so out of whack with the whole move, or maybe you are going through a growth spurt, or maybe even teething, but it feels like you are a newborn all over again.  You still require an 11:30 feeding, and then are up around 3:30 or 4, and then again around 6:30.  I am not enjoying this one bit.  Mama likes her sleep and is hoping next month is better!

*You are talking much more these days.  When you get really excited you let out a very loud and girlish like squeal. 

*You are still all smiles, and you even have debuted a new one.  You now wrinkle up your nose and do a smile, accompanied by a snorting sound.  It is hysterical.

*You are near impossible when it comes to changing your diaper.  You turn, wiggle, arch your back and do whatever it takes to make the diapering process a challenge.  You pull the same shenanigans when it comes to putting you in your carseat or high chair.  Now that you can move, you just want down. 

*You LOVE your sister and still give her the best smiles and laughs.  She couldn't love you more either.  I hope this lasts for a while, b/c I know the day will come when your feelings for each other change.

*You usually take 2 good naps, about 1 1/2 hours twice a day. 

*Your appetite had decreased this month, and unless you are really tired, you fight food.

Even though this month has been a bit of a challenge, we still love you!  But could you please start sleeping through the night again?  Mama misses her sleep, but is trying to appreciate the late night cuddles!  I know they are numbered and one day I will miss this quiet time with you.

We've moved. . .

 Goodbye Tuswell Drive.  Thanks for being such a wonderful home...the place where we started our married lives together, where we decorated for the holidays in a Clark W. Griswold fashion, where we brought both of our babies home from the hospital, where we met neighbor's and made friendships that will last a lifetime...

We will carry the memories that we made here with us forever. 

All Grown Up

Somehow, before my eyes, my little girl has grown up.  I don't know if it's because I've been so preoccupied with a newborn, busy juggling 2 kids, or trying to sell a house, but I am so proud of  what a great kid she has become.  I have been making monthly posts about her little brother, for the past 6 months, so I decided that she was due her own post.  So, sweet girl, this one is for you!

*Some of our best conversations are in the car.  She is so observant and is never reluctant to say "S-T-O-P, stop Mom, the light is red, or G-O, Go Mom, it's green.  Ocassionally, she will yell out an "eat our dust" to a car we are passing. 

She no longer takes naps, but occasionally will if we go for a car ride.  I will admit, there are days when Momma needs a break and I will load up the kids, pop in a movie, and take an afternoon drive...and within minutes she is out. 

*She LOVES swimming, and is taking her second round of swim classes.  She is not afraid to put her face in the water, bob under water and touch her feet to the bottom, or even. . . .

. . . dive off the diving board. . . that's right, not jump, but dive!  She is completely fearless!

*She can spell a handful of 2 and 3 letter words (go, no, yes, etc), along with family names (Mom, Dad, Mackenzie...we're still working on Caleb).  She also knows her birthday, phone number, address and how to call 911.

* She is ridiculously independent.  I'm not sure if this is a girl thing or part of being first born, but there are few things she wants us to do for her.  She picks out her own clothes each day, brushes her own teeth, straps herself into her carseat, and makes some of her own meals (with my help, of course).  This is a picture of her changing out of her swimsuit  and into her clothes after swim lessons.  I will tell you that if she was aware of the fact that I snapped this photo, I would be in the dog house. Every day when she goes into change, she says "Mom, don't come in, I need privacy."  :)

*She is head over heels in LOVE with her brother.  She is completely smitten.  She gets the best smiles and best cackles out of him.  She loves the role of big sister, and we are so proud of her.  I hope this special bond continues all of their lives.

*She loves to cook.  One night last week, before bed, she said "Mom, tomorrow morning let's make pancakes.  We need to get the ingredients.  Directions:  flour, milk, eggs, butter, jelly and syrup. Does that sound good, Mom?" I am predicting that this girl may be hosting her own show on the Food Network!

*While she still has moments of being a typical 3 year old (whining and dramatic), she surprises us with her maturity.  Without us asking, she is good to use please and thank you, and will even reply with a yes ma'am.  One night we were out to dinner with friends and there was a table of kids next to us being really roudy, running around and refusing to eath their dinner.  Their mom got onto them and Kenzie was taken back and totally absorbed into the situation.  A few minutes later I took her to use the bathroom, and we crossed paths with the kids from the table next to us (let me just add that they were without their mom....all 4 kids, running wild....nice, right?).  Kenzie went right up to them and said "can you guys sit down and eat your food please?"  I was so proud of her.  I have no doubt that she will be a leader in life and will not shy away from doing what is right. 

I love you so much, sweet girl!  Thank you for making our life full of laughter.  I hope you always stay a "Mommy's girl" and will let me share in the joys and sorrows of your life.  Love you to the moon and back!

A Look Back

It's hard to believe how much life has changed since this moment. . . .

When we had the whole world ahead of us. . .

 

When we took fancy vacations, like our wonderful honeymoon to Jamiaca. . ..

and met life long friends there.  . .

. . .  and then we learned that our family was expanding (and so did Mommy's belly:) . .  .

. . . and we were full of joy. . .

and months later, we  were blessed with a beautiful, baby girl!

. . . and Mommy got the girl she had always wished for. . .

. . . . and we became the 3 Musketeers

 and then we learned that our family was again growing. . 

                                    

. . . and that Daddy would get the boy he had always wished for. . . .

. . . our perfect little buckeye. . ..

. . . and we now had built in playmates, who adored each other. . .

. . . and we would become a family of 4!

How life has changed since the day our family first started. . .

. . . every step of the way, we've done it hand in hand,

 

. . . what an adventure these past 6 years have been!

Happy Anniversary, Jeremy!   I love you!