Here are some more pictures of our time in between our houses. They start down at the bottom on Jan. 1 and end at the top of this post on Jan. 3. We miss you, everybody!
Goodbye, Sam! I love you, buddy! I'm so glad you're visiting in June!
Here are our two families. It's early in the morning, as you can see by the pajamas in the picture. The mommies are starting to have some tears at this point.
On our last morning together for awhile, Sam and I got to play for a little while. Here we are flying his airplanes.
On our very last night before we moved, Mommy and Daddy went to a special dinner with some of their friends while Sam, Katherine, and I stayed home. (These are Jamey's parents, Emma Claire's parents, and Sam's parents.) Sam's grandma and grandpa took care of us. We had a great time with Mr. Tom and Ms. Gloria.
There were lots of little yellow and gold blocks on the tables at the party. They were great for making towers, and I also liked to make sure that the gold ones and red ones were in separate piles.
Daddy's work gave him a special party on his last day there. Here are Daddy's work friends praying for us before we leave.
Here are Sam and his family. Katherine had her backpack, but mine was on the orange truck traveling to our new house.
Our last three days before moving were with Sam and his family, and we got to do some hiking. Here I am with Mommy and Daddy at our hiking destination. As you can imagine, Mommy didn't enjoy this much because we were up high in the sky. But, at least we were all together!
Moving Adventures, Part 2
Moving Adventures, Part 1
Here are some pictures of our moving adventures. The pictures in this post are actually in backwards order, starting on December 27 at the bottom and ending on December 31 at the top. Big thanks to all our family and friends who let us stay with them while we were moving! We miss you all so much!
We stayed at my great-aunt Jan and great-uncle Mel's house. They have so many Christmas trees for baby Jesus' birthday! I just loved their house. We don't have a picture with them, but here I am with their tree that has a train going around it. The train scared me a little bit when it was turned on.
We stayed at Paul's house for a couple of days. Here we are with the mommies and daddies.
Paul has a new kitty that I love. Do you think I'll get a kitty someday? Thanks, Paul, for sharing your toys and letting me love your kitty.
Mommy and Daddy ate some of their wedding cake that they had carefully sealed and frozen since their wedding reception a long time ago. Paul's mommy and daddy thought this was a pretty gross thing to do, but Mommy and Daddy said that the cake tasted yummy. (Notice that I didn't get a taste because they ate the cake while I was sleeping, of course.)
Maximus and his mommy and daddy were in town, so we went to Maximus' grandparents' house to visit him for a little while.
Here I am visiting my good buddies, Victoria, Christine, Nathan, and Gabriel (not pictured) while the movers packed our things into the truck. We stayed with our good friends, Mr. Tony and Ms. Rochelle, but we didn't get a picture with them.
Here is the big orange truck that came to our old house to take our things to our new house. It was soooo big! (It carried some other people's things, too. We don't have quite enough stuff to fill this truck.)
Too Bright
When the sun is shining in the car and it gets in my eyes, I tell Mommy, "Too bright. Need sunglasses eyes." Since Mommy hasn't bought me any sunglasses of my own, I thought I'd take matters into my own hands.
Playing with Kids
My mom has been trying to make sure that I get to play with kids as much as I can. Last week, we went to MOPS for the first time, and I loved it. We also went to a playgroup. Jared's nice mom, Amy, invited us to come. It was at Ella's house, and there were nine of us kids in all.
Today was playgroup again, but this time it was at Jared's house. Two of the moms and six of the kids couldn't come, so we had a small group. We play and then have lunch together. Here's a picture of all of us having lunch (except Mommy, who had the camera.) I did well until lunchtime, when I started crying and didn't stop until we walked home.
Mommy is really thankful for all these nice moms including her in their playgroup. I really miss my little buddies, and I always will miss them, but it's nice to have some new buddies nearby, too.
"After" Pictures from Mommy
Here are some pictures of the kitchen after painting and unpacking. It's similar to the color of our last kitchen, and that helps us to feel more at home here.
This is the normal breakfast view for Jonathan. The computer won't always be in the kitchen, but it's convenient for me for now!
Jonathan's feeling under the weather today, so we're sticking close to home.
This was our entertainment center in our old home, but since our living room has built-in shelves here, we planned to take it upstairs. It wouldn't go upstairs, so it's here in the kitchen and I'll use it to store my Creative Memories things. I have a little more trim work to do on the paint by the ceiling and doorway, and then I'll be finished.
I'm thankful for a sunny kitchen!
Thaw!
The weather is getting warm again, and now the frog and turtle and ducks can enjoy their fountain. It was even warm enough to go to the park yesterday after church and play in the backyard, too. Yipee!
It Didn't Work
After a snack of three big graham crackers, Mommy thought I was done, but I didn't. I wanted more. So, here's what I said to her:
"Little red firetruck like graham crackers.
Little red firetruck need graham crackers mouth."
She didn't fall for it.
Family
Even though Mommy and Daddy and I are missing our buddies, we're really enjoying having our relatives close by. You've seen a picture of Grandpa recently, and here are some other pictures of me with family:
Grandma is reading me the giant dump truck book.
Great Grandma is reading me Things that Go, a.k.a. the Firetruck Book.
Great Grandpa and I are looking at my firetruck. (Do you notice a theme here?)
I've also been able to see some aunts and uncles and a cousin. It sure is great being able to see them without getting on an airplane!
But Not for Me
Somebody at Daddy's work is really nice and made everyone name cookies. Daddy's name is not very long, so he didn't get a lot of cookies. My name is long...do you think that the cookie maker would make my name? In general, I hardly ever get to eat cookies...
Daddy is learning a lot at his new job. It's really close to our house, which Mommy and Daddy and I really like. We have to drive past some train tracks and box cars to get there, which is great, too! It's easy to have lunch with Daddy, and I love to see him during the day before my nap. Keep up the good work, Daddy!
Jumping & Jared
Here is one of my favorite places in the house. On the bottom half of the stairs, I'm allowed to jump down steps. (Don't tell Mommy, but Grandma lets me jump down more steps than that.) I hold onto the railing with one hand and to a big person's hand with my other hand, and I jump down the steps one at a time. Sometimes Mommy will make funny noises with my jumps, and that cracks me up. (You can also see that Mommy likes to put laundry here so that she can bring it upstairs on our next trip up.)
And, here is the little buddy, Jared, that I told you about earlier this week. Here I am with my mouth full because Jared kept putting apples in it. Our mommies both thought it was pretty funny. Jared and I spent most of our visit competing for trains. I think I'm in for some sharing lessons! Maybe I'll see Jared again soon.
Storytime
Mommy and I used to have lots of things to do in the mornings besides eating and playing and cleaning. But now that we've moved, we have to find new things to do. I sure miss seeing my little buddies during the week.
On Mondays, we used to go to Moms and Tots. Yesterday we didn't do that, but we did go down the street to introduce ourselves to a new little buddy of mine named Jared. He is six months younger than me and is also obsessed with vehicles.
On Tuesdays, we used to walk. But today, we didn't do that. We went to Storytime at the library. Mommy told me that a lady would come and read stories out of books. So, when the lady came, I walked up to her and tried to crawl up in her lap. Is there any other way to read stories? Mommy didn't let me sit in the lady's lap. I had to sit in Mommy's lap. During the story, I kept walking up to the lady to see the book closer. Mommy didn't like that, either. So, we went to a kid-sized table and read books on our own. I hope we get to go to Storytime again!
Wednesdays were our Bible study days. I loved playing with the kids while Mommy talked with the ladies! Tomorrow, though, I get to play with Grandma while Mommy goes to get a new driver's license and new license plates for the car.
I wonder what we'll do on Thursday...
Frozen
Our little fountain has been frozen for days, and it's still too cold to thaw out. The poor turtle and frog and ducks can't swim or drink or anything. I hope the weather warms up soon!
This and That
My first trek in the neighborhood on my new trike. (We didn't get very far...we'll go longer next time.
Here are Daddy and Grandpa figuring out my new train set from my little buddy, Natalie. Thanks for the great trains!
Here I am sleeping on the comfy new bed. As soon as I saw it, I asked to sleep and be covered on it. It really is comfy!)
Probably Needs Batteries
I had my fire truck out in the car, and it got so cold that it stopped working. I told Mommy and Daddy that it probably needed batteries. They liked what I said so much that they wanted you to hear me say it.
My New Backyard
Here I am eating my oatmeal and getting ready for the day. You'll notice that I found one of Mommy's headbands. I really like wearing Mommy's headbands! (Don't worry, I'm still "all boy.") Also, I'm doing better with my spoon. I still prefer my left hand (although it's resting in this picture) and I still get really frustrated sometimes.
I have a turtle in my yard that always sits on this rock. I like to pat-pat-pat the turtle.
I can climb up the bridge to my new playhouse all by myself.
Wheee! I hope you'll come slide with me!
I'm Taking Over
I'm taking my blog back from my mom! Thanks, mom, for doing posts while we were moving, but we're here now, and I have some more interesting things to say.
Here's a picture of me two years ago. I've changed a lot!
Thanks to everyone for reading my mom's posts. I'll show you some new pictures of me soon!
Misadventures of the New Kids in Town
Today is Jeff's first day at his new job. Since we have one car between us until the end of the week, Jonathan and I dropped Jeff off first thing this morning. Jonathan was in stocking feet and munching his breakfast. When we got home, I discovered that the garage door opener was not working, and I didn't have a house key with me. Ugh! I thought it must need a new battery.
We drove to the local grocery store, and while the store was very nice, it did not have the battery I needed. Nothing else was open. So, we drove the 13 or so miles to the town that I had heard had a Super Wal-Mart. We passed a Target on the way, but I thought Wal-Mart was more likely to have the battery. After asking directions and finding Wal-Mart, we found that it was not a Supercenter and also did not have the battery. Ugh again! So, we drove back to Target and, yes, found the battery.
Before our move, I vowed that I would continue shopping at Wal-Mart if it was cheaper for our family, even though Wal-Mart is not popular around here. Today, I changed my mind. The Wal-Marts here are not nice at all, and this one was out of several things I needed. I'm switching! :)
After all the shopping, we got home a little before lunchtime, switched the battery, and...the opener still did not work! Ugh! I drove Jonathan, still in his stocking feet, to Jeff's work to see if he could rescue us. He did, but I learned that there were TWO identical garage door openers in the car...one for our old house and one for the new house. I had been using the wrong one. Boy, did I feel silly. The great thing was that Jeff came home with us for lunch since he works so close to home. We loved that!
Sam & Jonathan
Here's a fun clip of Sam & Jonathan, which is also my first attempt at video blogging. This was taken on our last morning at Anna & Brian's right before we got on the road for our big trip to our new home. Enjoy!
Have Arrived, Have Internet
We made it yesterday! Jonathan and I arrived at the airport around 10 a.m., and my mom picked us up. Jeff made it the rest of the way here and arrived in the late afternoon. We're so thankful to be in our own place but pretty overwhelmed with all the unpacking and organizing that needs to be done.
Jonathan was so excited to be in our house yesterday and ran from room to room checking it out. He was most excited about the backyard and fort/swingset out there. He's really at the perfect age to appreciate it, and we had so much fun watching him climb up the bridge and go down the slide.
Our house appears to be in good condition so far, and the only unpleasant surprises have been the lack of overhead lights in the bedrooms and the lack of phone jacks in the house (just one upstairs and one downstairs!) Oh, and our two largest pieces of furniture-including a dresser-won't make it up the stairs. Of course, that's pretty minor, and we're thankful to be living here. I took pictures of the chaos in each room with the boxes and everything, and I'll post those soon so that you can see a difference later when we hang pictures and paint the walls. I'm itching to paint, but I guess I have to find important things first...like clothes and toiletries. :)
We are thankful to be here, but we sure miss everyone we left behind and are anxious to keep in touch. I'm about ready to hand this blog back to Jonathan so that you can enjoy some fun posts again! Keep watching for it. :)
Oh, and one more thing-as we unpacked the kitchen stuff, we found a carton of ice cream. Seriously. I'm so glad it was a plastic carton that was mostly empty!!!
Jeff is done for the evening!
He is finished driving and has arrived at a hotel. He's working on getting a room and will drive the rest of the way tomorrow. Thanks for praying for him!
Jeff is on his way...
Jeff left a few minutes ago for the long journey to our new place. It's 13 degrees below zero here this morning, but the roads are OK. The snow is still beautiful! There is a section of the interstate that's closed right now, so Jeff found an alternate route to avoid that section. What would we do without interstate webcams and onilne road status???
Since Jeff left a little later than planned, we'll probably see him around midday tomorrow. Jonathan and I will take an early morning flight, my mom will probably pick us up from the airport, and then we'll all reunite for the end of the traveling adventure and the beginning of the adventure of this new chapter of our lives...
Our Funny Kid
While we're enjoying time here at John & Cheryl's, I thought I'd mention some funny things Jonathan is saying these days. He talks from morning 'til night and is entertaining his grandparents. As you read his little quotes, you can imagine him concentrating and enunciating each word separately with a litte pause in between. The pauses are getting shorter, but he still really emphasizes each word.
Right before we left our town, when we were driving in the car, he'd often tell us, "Ready under train tracks." (There was a place to drive under the train tracks that he liked.) Now, he still asks to go under the train tracks, which of course we can't do, so we've told him there will be a train in our new town. So, at random times, he'll say, "Train-new town."
When we lay him down to change his diaper, he'll often turn over on his tummy and say, "Sleepin.' " And then he'll say, "Snorin,' " and make the snoring sound. We think this is so funny!
Jonathan has a lot of dog friends, and each day or two, he'll talk about all of them one by one. Today it went like this: "Flash dog not here. Norah dog not here. Dottie dog not here. Mitzi dog not here. Shelby dog not here."
I think my favorite quote from the Christmas season is that when he's seen a Nativity scene or Christmas star, he'll say, "Baby Jesus born stable."
At John & Cheryl's-Whew!
We had a wonderful time last night with Jeff's family, especially with the cousins' kids. It was great for Jonathan to meet all the kiddos, and they were great with him. It was sad to leave Jeff's first home state and roots for what may be quite awhile.
We left for John & Cheryl's after dinner and got here around midnight local time. We are so very thankful that we left last night and not this morning. The last 30 miles or so of driving were "a bit wacky," as Jeff says. There was already 1-2" of snow on the road and the snow was still coming down. This morning, there is 3-4" of snow on the ground in addition to the huge drifts that were already here, and it's really windy, too. We're thankful to be admiring the beauty of it and not driving in it!
Jonathan stayed up really late in the car last night before he finally fell asleep, but he had a good sleep here after that. He's jabbering away in his bedroom, so we're going to go get him up. I guess this is one way to help us get used to a new time zone!
Thanks everyone for keeping up with us and praying for us.
A Change in Plans
Well...it's supposed to start snowing at John & Cheryl's around 1 a.m., and it's supposed to start snowing here around 6 a.m., which would mean we'd be driving right through the storm in the morning. So...we've decided to leave here right after dinner and drive to John & Cheryl's until midnight-ish to make it before the snow starts. We are disappointed to miss out on some family time here, but for safety's sake, we figure we should avoid the snow. The storms have not been kind ones this year. :) So, please pray for the next leg of our journey. Thanks to all of Jeff's family here for a nice visit, even though it has been too short!
At Uncle Jerry & Aunt Linda's
We made it safely to Jerry & Linda's last night after a loooonnng day of driving. We said our last tearful goodbyes at Brian & Anna's yesterday morning. Jonathan did fairly well on the drive, considering all the upheaval in our lives, and even napped for a little over an hour in the afternoon as well as falling asleep after it got dark last night. He was very excited to sleep in a real crib last night.
We have been able to spend time with Jerry & Linda and Bill & Connie (who are great aunts and uncles to Jonathan) and Jonathan's great grandma and great grandpa Don. Tonight, we'll have dinner with all of those relatives and some of Jeff's cousins and their kids. If I'm counting right, there will be seven kids aged six and under at the restaurant, so it should be a fun evening. We're enjoying spending time with people and places that were a part of Jeff's childhood.
There is a lot of snow here, which makes the landscape even prettier. There is snow in the forecast for tomorrow, so we'll probably try to get on the road early so that we can drive during the clearest time (although Jeff is hoping to give our new all-wheel drive a try in real snow.) We'll have only a five-hour drive (plus stops) to John & Cheryl's, so we hope it will be an easy day!