Lately

We've been hanging out with new friends.

And getting wet.

And being adorable.

[Not pictured: the toddler, who has been a stinker lately and slightly less adorable than usual.]

We've been going to the doctor for check ups.

And getting a haircut.

And getting kisses.

And eating sno cones.

And being blessed!

A Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was definitely the best weekend so far since I've moved to Virginia. It felt--um--normal.

Yeah, normal.

On Friday, we went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant with a friend. On Saturday night, we went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant with friends. And today, we met up with an old friend for lunch. Normal for us is "social." Some people feel rejuvenated by a vacation or alone time. We're the kind of people who feel rejuvenated by people, parties, and getting out of the house!

And something really awesome happened this weekend. But I can't tell you yet, until it's official. :) . . . just know that it's awesome.

We went for a family walk on Saturday morning. It was perfect! The temperature was sixty, the Roanoke River was rushing by next to us, and every single wonderful person that we walked past commented on how cute our boys were. :) We stopped at one of the several parks along the Greenway and played.

I am happy/over the moon/elated to announce that my hubby has ONE WEEK of nights left! Woo hoo! We've made it! And you know what? It wasn't terrible. I've been so concerned about NOT turning into one of those complaining resident wives, and so far, I have succeeded, dammit! (I can toot my own horn, right?) Yeah, residency is going great! I am so proud of my husband, and HELLO, after four long years, he's finally making a pay check! Now that's worth celebrating! But, truly, after two months of nights, I am ready for him to walk in the door in the evenings--not be walking out of it!

I'm hoping this week doesn't drag. Both boys have come down with colds. Boo! I think the baby caught something from the nursery at the Athletic Club, and then he gave it to big brother. They're both in bed with medicine in their systems! But, seeing as the toddler sneezed IN MY FACE six times today, I'm thinking I'll be super duper lucky not to have the crud, too.

But, c'est la vie! I'm thanking God for a wonderful weekend full of friends, GREAT news, pizza and beer, ice cream, and beautiful weather!

And here's one pic to leave you smiling:

Go play! Have a fun week! :)

Eight Months Old

Yep. It's true.

My baby boy is eight months old!

His sweet eight months have been filled with major life change after major life change. When he was three months old, we found out we were moving to Virginia. When he was four months old, we put our house on the market. When he was five months old, we moved into my parents' house. When he was six months old, Daddy moved to Virginia. When he was seven months old, we all moved to Virginia. And here we are, at eight months old! Whew!

My precious red head loves, loves, loves his big brother. Like, big brother can be torturing him, and he's just cracking up laughing, loving every minute of it!

This one (at 22 pounds!) can EAT. I just stopped nursing him this week. He's eating lilcrunchies, yogurt bites, yogurt, baby food, arrowroot cookies--pretty much everything that Gerber makes. He's got four teeth, and he knows how to use them. Yikes! :)

 

Baby brother has about ten different nicknames. My favorite? The toddler calls him "Lala-co!" (Probably because Daddy calls him "Jack-a-bo") I call him "Jack Attack" and "Jack Bean." Speaking of which, I have already started planning his first birthday party. The theme? Jack and the Beanstalk. :)

 

The baby goes to bed at 7:00 and wakes up at about 6:15. Awesome! He is "crawling"--it's not quite an Army Crawl--it looks more like swimming freestyle on the carpet. Ha!

 

He has the deepest laugh and a deep, raspy voice. It's so cute! He's our little man. :)

I love my Jack Attack so much! Jesus has blessed me deeply and richly with this sweet child. His soft, wispy red curls, his deep dimple when he smiles, his piercing blue eyes, his soft skin and chunky rolls--oh, I could just eat him up! He brings so much joy and laughter into our home. I cannot wait to see him blossom into a toddler (although, I don't think I can handle the fact that my baby will be ONE in four months)!

Wearing Pants and Losing Shoes

This morning, the kiddos and I went for a walk with some of our new friends. And do you know what I wore, on August 1st, to go walking? Pants. Workout pants. I'm sorry, did you hear that? Pants.

My Southern soul just doesn't understand.

I'm still startled when I walk outside and it feels . . . what's the word?

Pleasant.

Anyway, so we walked along the beautiful Roanoke River, played at the park, and my red head lost one of his shoes (from The Toggery, no less). Boo!

The boys were very patriotic today, weren't they? My new obsession is coordinating their outfits. I know. I need a girl. ;)

We're getting more settled in here with each passing day. I'm looking at lots of homes with our realtor next week, I've got the athletic club figured out, I know my way (mostly) around the grocery store, and I even know the names of a handful of streets. I do miss Arkansas, but I don't let myself think about it.

We're enjoying the adventure that God has for us right here!

Trip To North Carolina

I was very excited when my Aunt C invited me to her beautiful home for my cousin's birthday party/going away party. I wrote her back, "Yes! We'd love to!" Since the hubbs is working nights right now, he gets home on Friday at about 9:30 AM and he has to be back into work Sunday at 5:00. So, it was a quick trip--and it was a wonderful trip! The drive was only a little over two hours. Not bad at all!

It was good for my soul to be around family. It was so peaceful and soothing to be around people who've known me my whole life and who deeply love me and whom I deeply love. I mean, really. When you leave most of your family 13 hours behind, it is a true blessing to have some family only two hours away!

The toddler ran around the backyard with my cousin, he caught his very first fish with Uncle K and Daddy, and he pretty much had the time of his life!

The party was so much fun! There were lots of people gathered on the back porch, eating a yummy meal, and listening to the rain storm. Um, perfection, yes. We stayed up late that night, playing games. Have you ever played Quelf before? I think it should be renamed "Awkward." ;)

Me and my cousins. They're wonderful, and I love them a lot. :)

The next morning, my uncle made my favorite. . . blueberry pancakes! Yumzers! And coffee! Blueberry pancakes + coffee + family = heaven. The toddler and my uncle watched some cartoons together and discussed cows and other important matters. :)

When we left, we decided to go see Duke University--where my dad graduated. It is only 30 minutes away. We walked through Duke Gardens, the toddler got to feed some ducks, the baby ate copious amounts of lilcrunchies cheese puffs and yogurt bites, and I (for about the 35th time in the past 2 weeks) was unbelievably grateful to be living in such a beautiful part of the country.

And here we are, at the start of a new week! I hope your week is full of blessings! :)

Well, Here We Are

Well, we're here! We're officially in Virginia! After a 13 hour drive through gorgeous mountains and major cities, we made it (all thanks to my mother, who kept the baby mostly quiet while I drove).

About two hours outside of Roanoke, I started freaking out. I started majorly regretting the fact that I'd never visited before. Are you insane!? You've never seen this place before. And now you're moving here. With your two small babies. And you don't have a house yet. And you have to live in an apartment for three months. And your husband is in the middle of working 15 hour night shifts. And And And. Panic Attack. Help. Breathe. Breathe. 

Okay, I'm breathing.

I'm breathing.

And in fact, when I drove into the city, it was breathtaking. Really. It's gorgeous here. We're surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains--absolutely surrounded. The hospital that my husband works at is in the side of a mountain. No joke. The downtown has massive steeples, historic buildings, cute storefronts. And to top it off? It really is southern. And I like to think of myself as The Queen of All Things Southern. The people here are so friendly! They'll call you "honey" and chat with you about anything! So, it's beautiful and the people are nice.

And I'm still breathing.

Despite the fact that I'm a little bit scared, that I've developed allergies and am feeling miserable, and that both of my children are going on day 6 of Fifth Disease.

Whew.

Okay, how about some pictures? Pictures are happy! :)

Here's the toddler, enjoying a Spongebob push pop (at 9:20 PM--I know, Mom of the Year). We've become snuggle buddies with Daddy gone at night.

And here's my "baby" (7 months old, TWENTY ONE pounds, and he wore one of his brother's 2T shirts yesterday) eating his lilcrunchies.

The toddler thought it was especially cool that Daddy brought home some laparoscopic surgery instruments.

And we did actually go to the park before the boys broke out in red spots from their heads to their sweet toes. So, here's the proof:

Okay, so we're here. And I'm breathing. And hopefully soon, we will find a cute house, and a wonderful church, and an amazing group of friends! :)

Dear Daddy, Day 29

Baby boy is 7 months old today! We played with friends! We had a special lunch! Blew bubbles! Watched Movie Rockets 2! ;) MISSED YOU! Xo!

Dear Daddy, Day 28

Dear Daddy, Day 27

Good luck on your first night on call! We love you, and we will see you soon!!!