A few more photos.

During our move I was so busy packing and helping Mark and Ken (or just getting in their way) that I didn't take very many photos. The fact that it was freezing cold, windy, and horribly uncomfortable outside didn't help, either. But when I dumped my memory card I did find a few photos that I just love:


Jack-Jack learned the word "Grandpa" the first or second day of my Dad's visit. He would say "Night, night Grandpa" (pronounced "Dampa") every day before nap time and bedtime.


Wearing Grandpa's hat and saying "hat".


A kiss from Dad before work.


On my to-do list for February is to create a scrapbook layout featuring Jack and his hats. His favorite hat is the pirate hat we purchased for Ev for Pirate and Princess day at school.


Could they be any cuter? Evan and Rocket are definitely best friends.


When Mark and Kenneth were packing up the truck in Ohio we had to leave the front door open so they could get in and out easily. It was well below freezing outside, and the inside of our house dropped to 42 degrees. Jack did not handle the cold well so I wrapped him up in blankets, pillows, and put him in a fleece jacket and pants. He was not a happy camper.


Mark and Kenneth unloaded the truck in under 4 hours. I was really impressed! And the weather in Florida was much more pleasant than in Ohio!


Jack-Jack's favorite place in our new house is on the back patio. He says "outside" and runs for the back door. He likes to push his shopping cart, ride in his blue buggy, and sit on his trike.

Mark and I are watching Red and hanging out on the couch with Rocket. The boxes can wait until tomorrow :-)

Erin.

Settling In.

(The view from our patio.)

Hello from sunny Florida!

I have been busy unpacking, playing on the patio with the kids, and keeping Jack from emptying every open box in the house so this post is going to be brief. I'm sleepy!

I absolutely love our new house. Mark did a wonderful job finding us a big home with all the amenities we were living without in Ohio. I know it sounds silly, but when I walked into the kitchen and saw our dishwasher, disposal switch, and refrigerator with water and ice in the door I think I squealed! And the covered patio at the back of the house is perfect for the kids (and Rocket). We have already spent hours out there riding bikes and pushing Jack on his firetruck. The boys love having the freedom to be loud and play on their outdoor toys, but I don't have to worry if the phone rings or I need to run inside because they are in an enclosed space.





The move was stressful, and we definitely wouldn't have made it without the help of my Dad and brother-in-law, Kenneth. My Dad was so helpful with the kids, and Kenneth kept us focused on getting the truck packed, and he drove the U-Haul from Cincy to Palm Bay. I don't know what we would have done without them!

An update:

* Mark and Kenneth are busy packing the truck.

* I have finished packing my office (so sad to see my scrapbooks in boxes!).

* Dad has been keeping the wee ones entertained. Today Dad and Evan went to McDonald's and Wal-Mart. Everything is super fun when it's with Grandpa :-)

Wish us luck over the next 48 hours. We are moving with many, many inches of snow on the ground. Lovely timing, I know.

When I write my next post it will be from sunny Florida!

xoxo,
Erin.

A quick layout

(Supplies - Paper, tags, brushes, stitching: Felis. Staples: Digi Essentials. "You" sticker: Modern Marvel. Font: Georgia)

Thank you for all the kind thoughts, Facebook messages, and prayers for Jack. He is fully recovered from his anesthesia and spent the day playing with his cars, wearing his pirate hat, and making me smile.

xoxo,

Erin.

Saying Goodbye.

Mark and I are moving again.

Crazy, I know. I feel like we just moved to Ohio. But this move is going to be a good thing for Mark and a good thing for our family. This last year has been a fantastic adventure and our family has learned a lot, but Ohio hasn't felt like home to me. And I am really, really tired of the snow. And being cold all the time. And huge heating bills because I refuse to turn down my thermostat below 65 during the day.

So it's a good thing we are moving to Florida :-)

And for the record, I am NEVER moving in January again. This will be our third move during the month of January, and it sucks! It's cold and snowy, and I'm praying the roads are drivable when we leave in a couple of weeks.

My Dad and Mark's brother have graciously agreed to help us during the move and I can't thank them enough. Evan worships both of these men and they will be a huge help to us as we pack the truck and drive to our new house. Evan is looking forward to driving with Kenneth in the moving truck and teaching my dad how to play Super Mario Brothers on the Wii. He is kind of obsessed with Super Mario Brothers right now :-)

And any tips on how to keep a 20 month old entertained during an 18 hour car trip would be appreciated!

In other news, we got back some unusual lab results for Jack. If you could keep him in your prayers, I would appreciate it. We are repeating his lab work tomorrow and should have the results by Thursday. If his results were correct (as opposed to a lab error), we will be seeing a specialist on Friday. He did have an MRI today and the results were completely normal. That experience was really stressful, and I hope I never have to go through it again. Jack did great while the nurse took his temperature, blood pressure, and weight, but he would not fall asleep after they gave him the oral sedative. He ended up needing an extra dose through an IV, which caused him to be extra loopy and goofy this afternoon. The medication could be in his system until tomorrow afternoon, which will make his 9am physical therapy appointment interesting.

Tonight I am going to take some deep breaths and watch a little football. I think I've had all the excitement I can handle in one day.

Wish us luck.

Stuck

Rocket tried to follow Evan up the basement stairs, but he got scared and froze halfway up. Luckily Mark was there to rescue the poor puppy and relocate him to solid ground.

Happy Sunday, friends.

Making Progress.

I finally have a few minutes to myself (Ev is at school; Jack and Rocket are napping), and my Christmas pictures are sorted and edited. When I looked through the photos I took Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I was not surprised that I only had a few good photos. I usually don't take that many photos at Christmas because I'm so busy helping the boys, cooking, cleaning up wrapping paper, etc. I think I took a whopping 26 pics this year on Christmas Day, and none Christmas Eve. Oh well. We had a lovely Christmas and I'm grateful for the photos I did take.


I love this picture of Jack and me. I love that he is holding his new Woody doll & still in his camo pajamas.


The kids each received several things from LeapFrog this year. Jack's new Tag Jr. was a big hit, and his favorite book is Curious George.


One of the first gifts Jack opened was a Playmobil 1-2-3 parking garage. The people included are his favorite part.

So, those are the Christmas photos. At least I'm in a couple of them :-)

And the rest of these are for my family. It's been almost 6 months since my parents and sister have seen Ev and Jack, and I know they need regular photo updates.




I love the faces this little guy makes. In the first photo he is surprised because Mark just walked in the door. In the second photo, Mark made a silly face and Jack thought it was funny.


"What?! I can't come in the kitchen while the oven door is open? I won't touch it, I promise!' I am such a mean, mean mommy.


He sure knows how to turn on the charm :-)


My favorite photo of the bunch.


You will notice I haven't posted many photos of Evan today. He has been growling or saying "no thank you" when I pull out the camera lately, so I don't have many pics of him. I hate that my 4 year old has an opinion!


My Uncle gave the kids an easel for Christmas and it fits perfectly in the kitchen.





Mark and Evan spent two days frosting and decorating their gingerbread house. It was truly a team effort, and it is still sitting on our kitchen table.









I love this photo of Rocket and me. He loves to chew on the string of my sweatshirts or Evan's sweatpants.


A little Cougar pride in Ohio. During one of the WSU games I was watching I had Evan shout "Go Cougs!" whenever we scored. Pretty soon Jack chimed in and was also shouting "Go Cougs!" I love my little brainwashed Cougar fans :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,
Erin.