Our Announcement

Since I am already pregnant you know that can't be it and those on facebook already know our news. My dad has been called to serve as a mission president (place to be determined) entering the Missionary Training Center with my mom on June 23. This is an announcement enough, but in addition, Justin and I will be moving to Arlington to live in their house and take care of their properties and such for the next 3 years. It has been a tough decision because we have grown to like Ephrata. Justin loves his job at the high school and I have a good job as well and leaving them is scary. We have a house here and friends and are comfortable here. But we both feel like this is the right thing to be doing to serve my parents and to serve the Lord. Plus living 3 years mortgage free will be a nice perk. This has been in the works for a long time (like 13 or 14 months), but just recently could start telling people as it has become official. And now the big task at hand is to sell our house. We have talked with a couple agents and would so rather not have to waste money on their services. We are going to try to spread the word as much as possible, put up a sign with flyers, an ad in the paper and see what happens. We will set a date that we will have to sign with an agent to help us out. We really want to have it sold by the end of the school year, but could even move out sooner if the right person came along. We have had a couple people talk to us about it and one family came to look. We are trying to have faith that since this is what we are suppose to do that the Lord will provide. Another stress is that Justin can't even really start looking for a job until about May because teacher jobs aren't posted until then. There are a lot of schools within about a 30 mile radius though which is a plus. I am excited to be closer to some old friends and fun things to do, not so excited about the weather and traffic. And wherever my parents end up, we will be able to go visit. It will be English speaking so probably state-side, but could be Australia, Canada, London, South Africa to name a few. We will keep everyone posted.

And as for the house, anyone that may know of anyone interested in buying in Ephrata spread the word! Here are a few specs of the house:
Address: 209 Columbia
2100 square feet (1050 ground floor, 1050 finished basement)
3 bedrooms upstairs, 1 non-conforming bedroom and a bonus room downstairs
1.75 bathrooms
Hardwood floors all upstairs except slate tile in kitchen
Corian counter tops and stainless steel appliances (all stay- new 10/06)
Large family room in basement (fully carpeted- new 7/2007)
Large pantry and large laundry room
Single car detached garage
Storage shed in back and fenced backyard (new 5/07)
Asking price still is TBD but around $157,000 if we can go without an agent

Thanks to those already who have helped and supported us with this. Your thoughts and prayers and service are certainly not unnoticed or unappreciated!

More Signing

Grey is now over 18 months and still has yet to really say a word. I think he has said "mom" or "dad" and even "papa" once for grandpa, but not consistently at all. Now I even ask him to say something and he will shake his head no. We have been working lots on the signing though and it is crazy how much he knows and now how quickly he learns new signs. This is a peek at the majority of the signs he knows. I remembered "baby" and "apple" after we finished though and I am sure there are a few others that I forgot as well. The doctor wants us to really work on his vocabulary which I feel like we have, but now anytime I say "Say milk" he gives the sign. And in his world, he is right. He hears just fine and knows what we are talking about and could probably talk, but he is just being stubburn. He will probably one day wake up and say a full sentence and never look back. I am just glad that he is communicating and showing some sign of intelligence.

Our Big Purchase

Since we have been married, there have been several things that I said I would never do. I would never like country music. I would never have a baby sleep in our bed. I would never buy a mini van. Well, I have had to eat my words on everyone of those statements.

Justin and I have been going back and forth for quite awhile about what to do when the baby comes regarding our vehicles. My Highlander may have worked, but it would have been awfully tight with three carseats in the back. The suburban would have been okay too, but is a huge beast. I have been driving it on Mondays to pick up kids for preschool and realized that it is a pain to get the kids in and out of (and was getting worse and worse as my belly was growing). So we decided to bite the bullet and get a van. We had some stipulations though. We wanted a Honda or Toyota just because we figure it will run forever. We wanted leather if we could afford it. And I did not want it sand colored. We went to my parents' house over the long weekend and long story short, ended up coming home in our new van, a 2007 Honda Odyssey, rather than the Highlander.



It actually will hold as many people as the suburban (8). We have taken the middle seat out from between the two bucket seats so that kids can get into the back easier. The back seats collapse into the floor which is very nice for extra cargo space. The back is really deep for cargo too (I would have taken a picture, but it is full of our recycling to take to the recycling center tomorrow). We were able to get the leather which I love (heated seats!!) and the doors open on their own either with my key or with a button by the steering wheel. It only has 40,000 miles too which for a Honda is nothing. I loved my Highlander, but I have very quickly fallen in love with my van. And at least I feel like I can be a "cool van" mom in it!

What gives?!?

So if you have read my blog before or are a good friend, you have probably heard my struggles with getting Grey to sleep in his own bed. As I continued to get bigger and bigger, our bed was getting smaller and smaller and the need to get him out was very pressing. So we agonized for a few weeks and I read everything I could about getting your toddler to sleep in his bed through the night. And all of a sudden, we started doing pretty well. He still wakes a couple times in the night, but just needs a binkie and a love then lays himself right back down. Well, tonight it is 11:41- way past my bedtime- and I am down on the computer while he is crying in his bed. I have been in there 3 times already and he won't stay calmed down. He does okay for a few minutes and then starts crying again. What gives?!? Hopefully this is just a one night thing and that he gets with the program again. We don't need to go back to square one!