A Tribute to Autumn

I'll retro-post as time goes by. Boy, do I have alot of pics and stories to post. But for now, a tribute to both my sister and the season...that we are enjoying as a family for the very first time!

Autumn, funny you should ask if I'm still on this planet. I had planned this post last night before I saw your comment...and it's directed at you! We went on our first Autumn Walk yesterday. ;-) We started the evening with Autumn Soup and crescent rolls. Then we donned fall clothing (thanks to Anna for the warmer kid clothes!). The walk was so glorious -- crisp, breezy, quiet, acorns and leaves everwhere, cloudy sky. Then, Matt and I topped the evening off with some tasty ice cream when the kiddos were in bed. Hope you all get a chance to enjoy this season!

Can someone find me amidst the boxes?

Kinda weird to update my location from "California" to "Maryland" on various websites. That's no small update as it was no small move. Boxes are EVERYWHERE. But at least they are here.

A couple came over yesterday to help with the kids and movers since it was Matt's first day of work. One woman -- how could she do two kids, 3 movers, and a truck load of stuff? They were precious people. We had a good time getting to know each other and then directing boxes and people. I can't wait to have them over for dinner when all is said and done. I want them to meet Matt and I want to meet their four kids. They were crazier than us -- their first was born in a September, the next kid was born November of the very next year. That's insane. But they are still alive and have two more kids, four total. Gives me hope that maybe SOMEDAY I will want more than two. But right now? HA HA HA HA HA HA! You're funny.

The kids' room is much smaller than we anticipated so I had to bend my brain in half to figure out an acceptable layout. Sadly, no amount of brain-bending will help me figure out what to do with the glider (that I refuse to get rid of). Maybe we can paint it black, recover it, and put it in the living room?? The boys are now sharing a room. Last night and today has been the first go at it. Not sure how this is going to work, but other people do it. So it must work out eventually. Elijah's current fussing is probably going to wake Judah up...if Judah ever went to sleep that is.

Life will be normal and routine again. Eventually. If anyone wants to take a field trip, Columbia would be a GREAT place to visit. I know of a wonderful ministry opportunity that awaits you. ;-)

And I'm dead serious.

A moment for pics.

On our last official night in Salinas/Hollister, we went to some friends' house for dinner. We took Matt's parents the "back way" to Hollister so they could see the beauty of the country out there. Dinner was delicious and the goodbyes sweet!



Matt's graduation, obviously. If you look hard in the second picture, you can see where he sat. I had to spend the first part feeding Lijah in the Family Friendly Room, so I had to sit separately. Lijah eventually fell asleep on his Mamaw. :-) My hubby has two degrees now -- how cool is that?



Elijah's first plane ride!



An apartment with paint on the walls. Our stuff is set to arrive Monday. Can't WAIT to show pics of the entertainment center my dad, grandfather, and Matt just built! When you can't find what you want, make it! And we get a new TV next week.... ;-) Living/Dining is beige with a purple accent wall in the Dining. Boys' is bright sky blue -- can't WAIT for our stuff...it's going to look like a real nursery now! Master is medium sage. No more golden yellow. I've lived in a yellow room since 6th grade save for one year in Jackson. Already though, it has been very restful to wake up to the new color. And the blanket Momma bought us (for warmth during the winter!) matches perfectly. Again...can't wait for our stuff to see it all pull together...and to live a normal life again. As it is, the only thing to sit on in our apartment now is the floor or the air mattress. It has to get more challenging before it gets easy, right?

I got some really cute video of coos and whines that I'll post later. Lijah is a different baby even from last week. Much less crying, better schedule, better nursing, more laughing and cooing. It's wonderful! He's so cute!

A split second to post...

In order to save time, this is what I e-mailed back to GBC for our update. I'll post pictures of graduation, flight, and random at a later time!

We are settling in mentally and emotionally here, praise the Lord. Physically though...it's HOT and MUGGY. But at least we have AC here. We've noticed a heat wave occuring in Salinas, so we are not really sad to be vacated from there since AC doesn't exist. ;-) The trees are starting to change color -- I'm starting to be excited that we are in a place that has real seasons again. Chocolatechip pumpkin bread tastes so much better when it really feels like fall! And our mall has palm trees inside. Kind of odd, but nice to see and remember California.

We're getting the feeling even from locals that getting lost in Columbia is very easy to do. Probably because you have to get on highways and interstates to go anywhere! And I gotta say not being able to walk to Target or Safeway on a whim is going to take some getting used to!

We went to Chesapeake Bay to visit my extended family last Sunday, and I received my first two mosquito bites in years (less than 24 hours after arriving in MD). Yes, I'm still allergic. I had hoped pregnancy had changed my body chemistry enough. Oh well. I guess Skin-so-Soft and Cortizone will be my friends from here on out. Matt fits in well with my family. My grandmother has 8 sisters and 1 brother -- and they are all that loud-crazy-fun personality. It was strange to be there with a husband and two kids when the last time they saw me I was 14. But my Great Aunt Terri said it was even more weird for them to see ME all grown up. The Bay is beautiful with all it's sailboat glory, but not nearly as beautifully blue as Monterey Bay. Today we are going to Annaopolis to have lunch with my great grandparents and whoever else can come. I love Annapolis! I can't wait to start showing Matt around this area...I still am in happy unbelief that I live here close to one of my favorite cities (WDC) and where my family originates from.

Here is a quick prayer update on how things are going.

-Judah's fever has subsided and he is back to his normal self, though tired and maybe developing a cough. Please pray for continued healing and praise the Lord that there seemed to be no issue with the time change for him.

-It has been a pleasure to have my parents and grandparents with us all week. I dare say I've become spoiled at not having to change every diaper, entertain Judah's every whine, or burp Elijah at every feeding. Praise God for their generous help in painting our apartment and building a new entertainment center. Pray for safe travel home to Arkansas this weekend.

-It turns out that our stuff arrived here before we did and was placed in storage. The company DID try to get ahold of us...with a completely wrong number. So now our stuff is to be delivered on Monday -- after our help has gone home. Monday also happens to be Matt's first day of work. Please pray that our prospective church here will be able to provide someone to help me with the kids. I'm not sure how directing movers and caring for two kids would work by myself!

-Pray for Matt's first day of work!

Just Pictures & Video

Computer's free...time is limited...enjoy!

Judah got to help Daddy paint a little bit. It's amazing how bare everything looks with white walls, huh? And notice that chunk on our bed?




Our Going Away party was very awesome. SO many people showed up! The kids had a blast, the eats were good, the cake very special and tasty. I love Grace. They truly exemplify what Christ wants for His church! A lady got Elijah a cute motorcycle shirt in honor of Hollister, a biker town. I saved it for the party. Shouldn'a done that. He might get ONE more wear out of it...he's phat.




These are my precious Bible study ladies. Tuesday was rather tearful as I said goodbye and received many words of blessing and encouragement. I already miss them greatly and can't imagine finding another group of ladies that could even equal this one. God has His work cut out for the MD ladies! ;-)



This morning, Judah ate like a horse! Two eggs, a little more than one piece of toast, two helpings of strawberries, two handfuls of cheerios, juice, and water. And he kept it all down! He then wanted the coffee cup sitting on the table, so we let him have it. Boy was it cute to watch! And sometimes "older" grown-ups can pull kids' pants up way too high. Makes for cute pictures but a bad fashion statement.



Here's our handsome big guy! He smiles and coos alot now. His eyes just sparkle...but his cry is still ear-piercingly sudden when it happens.



This is Elijah's blanket from Grandma (Matt's mom's mom). I LOVE it! It's a really thick ribbed fleece. Brenda said she made it red and patriotic because of me. How sweet! :-) It will go perfectly in our someday guest room which will be patriotic. I have two old fashioned patriotic teddy bears -- Orson and Olivia -- that I had planned to put on the bed. The blanket is so soft and warm!



We took the boys for their check-ups yesterday. We have a Lollipop & Pork Chop. Brain and Brawn (thanks Skip!). Here are the stats:

Judah
weight: 22 lbs 13 oz, 10-20th percentile
height: 31.75", 40th percentile (but matches his weight)
head: 50.5 cm, 98th percentile!

Elijah
weight: 13 lb 11 oz, 95th percentile
height: 22.5", 50th percentile
head: 39 cm, 50th percentile

Notice...our boys are just shy of 10 lbs apart! Dr. C did some figuring, and Elijah is gaining about 2.1 ounces a day! He told us that we should think about stretching his feeding times to 3.5 hours and maybe even give him some water to hold him over a little. NEVER heard ANYTHING like that with Judah! :-P They both got shots, and Elijah for sure won the screaming contest and then proceded to "grieve" as Matt calls it. Such a sad, sad little face and cry.

Post-Breakdown Staccato Post

I had a breakdown yesterday afternoon. Dr. Ennis always reassured me it is ok to cry and that tears have healing properties. I still believe her. I'm fine now. And my mom said that I kind of deserve a breakdown with all that's going on. That was nice to hear. :-)

Matt has commenced painting our apartment back. Our room is done we think -- the sunshine tomorrow morning will let us know for sure. Then he'll do the living room. It's amazing how crazy WHITE it is. How do people live without color??? I can't imagine our big dark bedroom furniture against stark white walls. ::shiver:: As I've always said, I'm a woman of cul-uh!

Tomorrow night is our Farewell Party with our Family here (the people of GBC). From the amount of people that have mentioned it to me, I think we will be very surprised at how many people come! Yipee!

I am plauged by Transformers and Cars -- I can't look at semi-trucks without thinking of Optimus Prime or Mac. If you haven't seen Transformers, get your fanny to the theatre because it's awesome (save for some inuendo)!

Elijah is outgrowing even the 3 month stuff I kept with us. Hope everything holds out until the 24th! I bought him an adorable outfit tonight (on sale) that he'll wear to meet Gramps because of what it says. ;-)

The dark denim dye did come out of our borrowed towels. The only thing really affected was a burp rag that was in there. If you could have a "dark white" color, this is it. I have no idea what other color to call it. It's weird.

I got my last hair cut by Monicca today. She's been so caring of me and my hair. She even offered advice on how to find a new stylist, gave me some websites to look at, and some samples of shamp/cond that would be good to use in the humid climate. I will miss her dearly.

I killed a mosquito in our kitchen this morning. That is the FIRST one I have seen in all our two years here. And on the way to Hollister, I had a very close encounter with a gi-normous dirt devil. It was seriously hundreds of feet in the air and the base filled a house's front yard. Mosquito and mini-tornado. Easing me back into seasonal life, eh?

I love my sons. They are truly handsome and adorable.



I love my huzby. He is a great provider, workhorse, and boyfriend.

I love my bed. And it's on a truck somewhere crossing the country.

eXpErImEnTIng

So Autumn copied someone else and I am copying her. I'm gonna try to do short posts for the next week or so. Just to get my thoughts out rather than detail every new thing and picture. So for today...

It's not been a good day. I changed four diapers at Elijah's 3:00 feeding and he didn't eat well. Then he wanted to cry instead of sleep. He didn't eat well at 7:00 either. This always stresses me out. Then I realized that my new DARK denim skirt got mixed in with some lighter stuff. Haven't checked the washer yet to see if rewashing those items worked -- a few are borrowed towels. I'm extra irritable and therefore dealing with anger and impatience. It's a good thing I'm the silent angry type because you'd be shocked at some of the things running through my brain. I'm so thankful that God is all-patient and loves me even in my sinful funk. I'm trying hard to rejoice in this day He has made.

Here's a good quote from last night's Bible study: "Be a fool for God, not in front of Him."

I wasn't finished...

Some of you already commented on the previous videos. Four videos do not constitute a "Video Feast" in my book. So here are more plus two pics! :-P

Budah Boy, Pork Chop, Mr. Chubs...take your pick. Then kiss the screen because of the close-up cuteness!

Video Feast

Post-Move Post

Ok, so I wrote this post on Friday, but the videos I was trying to load were taking too long. So here's the post. I'll work on the videos at a later date. I'm currently sick -- and it's hard to be sick when you have two kids. I don't know how bigger families do it! Praise the Lord for my husband. ::sigh:: Hope this post isn't too random...I don't care enough to edit it. :-P

Our stuff is on a truck somewhere. A few highlights from the two moving days:

• One of the packers was from Monticello, AR.


• Another packer, who shares my love of Dove chocolates, actually asked if he could have some. I said yes, to have as many as he wanted and to not even pack them. I had only used/eaten about 10 from the bag. At the end of the day, there were maybe 10 left. After the second day, I came home to a husband that said the guy had eaten all but 1 of the rest...and the last one was eaten by...my husband.


• Lois, a sweet lady from church, came to be with me and the boys on Tuesday. We had a lovely time getting travel stuff at Target and then lunch at Subway. Sitcom moment: As Elijah was fussing in my arms, I was trying to feed Judah who had gotten stuck in the awning of his stroller which I fixed with my foot because my other hand that was not holding Elijah was holding my phone trying to take care of borrowing details with Karen. This was after the Sitcom Moment of getting a call from our dentist while feeding a very squirmy and fussy Elijah and the girl kept asking about the baby she heard crying (boy or girl, how old, etc.). Just let me get off the phone, woman! :-P


• Wednesday, I took the boys over to Dianes to play with Rachel and have some lunch. Diane invited Anna and her kids (Ezekiel and Emma from previous post) over, and another lady from church also came over. It was fun and lunch was delicious. Judah wanted me to pick him up while I was trying to finish my lunch. I told him no and to go play. He went straight for Diane and motioned for her to pick him up. It is so precious to me to see how comfortable he is with the Chews. And it just kills me that he won't remember them. =..-(


• Everything got down the stairs fine. It's just that our big ol' mattress knocked an outside lantern. It still works, but it's kinda hangin' off the wall.

The following pictures are of our master bath in which we put all the things we are keeping for the next two weeks...utter chaos. It's much better now. There are also a couple videos of a boxy apartment...and our current "camping" situation.






Sweet CHUNKY 'Lijah. These little shoes always looked stupid on Judah because he had stick legs. Elijah fills them quite nicely. We're about to move to size TWO diapers for the kid because his thighs are so...beefy? Not many people have said who he looks like. With Judah, everyone would always immediately say "He looks just like Matt." So what do you think, Reader? Does Elijah resemble anyone yet?




I had my 6-week check-up with Dr. G this morning...and it was our final visit to him. It was quite pleasant. We got a picture with him because he did deliver our children afterall. He had MUCH to say and tips to give for our time in MD, both with the winter weather and places to visit. As far as myself, I'm doing great. I'm only one pound over my pre-Judah weight. So I'm basically right back where I started a little over two years ago. :-P Here are two pieces from my recent Kohls shopping spree.



Here is a cute father/son pic of getting the wireless out from under the crib so we could have internet for these two weeks. Could you imagine being completely cut off from the world for that long? ;-)




On Monday, we worked on getting all the stuff we wanted to keep with us in our bathroom. This bird was just sitting on our porch when Matt got the paper that morning. I walked up to it, and it finally flew away when I got really close. A couple hours later, it was sitting on our balcony railing. It sat there for at least an hour while Matt was getting boxes out of our storage closet. Not sure what was wrong with it, but it was funny to see Matt so apprehensive about a silly bird.


Matt just has a little editing to do on his thesis. We fly away from this place for good only two weeks from tomorrow. So strange. Time is moving forward, but I am not. I'm pretty sure tears will fall as our plane ascends. But God is good, and I know life will be just as great in MD as it has been here. It's just hard to see that on this side of the country.