new pictures of the babes

We had some new pictures of the kids taken- Hannah's 3 year pictures and Owen was almost 9 months. I figured it was a good time to get new pictures! When isnt? In our Fall family pictures Owen wasnt sitting up so we couldnt get any of them together but after lots of bribery we were able to get a few of them smiling together :) I love them, they are such a great memory! Probably some of our last pictures in Louisville. Maybe Ill just have to get their pictures taken when ever we come back and visit. Louisville is just so much prettier than Vegas! These are just a few of my favorites!

 This is my FAVORITE of her!

9 months old.

Big things are happening for this 9 month old! Crawling, pulling up, trying finger foods, saying da da and lots of other babble and waving! The waving is ADORABLE! I forgot how cute it is when they first learn :)

He is not the same baby he was a month or two months ago. Happy and sad! He is squirmy and would rather crawl everywhere! Hates being changed and fights it every time. He is showing his frustration in squeals and screams when you take something away from him, put him down or move him away from something he wants (i.e. little toys he shouldnt have!). He is STILL my sweet little boy but he is definitely growing out of that snuggly baby phase. It has gone way too fast!!

We are still not sleeping through the night...but Id rather Owen wake through the night than Hannah- cause she wont go back down! He sleeps most comfortable rolled to his side. Its really cute. He still loves his paci and loves baths...loves them! He splashes the whole time and then Hannah thinks that is her cue to splash too :) we are introducing some finger foods- blueberries, carrots & some puffs. He loves the finger foods but I'm a crazy person about choking so I'm not ready for it!

I took him on the 8th for his 9 month appointment- weighing in at 21 pounds 4.5 oz, 29.5 in long and a big ol noggin :) One of the movers we had walked into the house and said, "That kids got a big head! He's going to be a football player!" I know Jeremy probably loved that one! One funny thing about him- he hates wearing socks! He always kicks them off. I put them on him on the way to daycare and by the time I get him out of the car- he has kicked them off.
He is in size 4 diapers and mostly 9 month to 12 months clothes. He is eating about 5 oz every 3-3.5 hours and more baby food and now some finger foods. He is just not the eater that Hannah was! He still doesnt have much hair but I love his little soft, bald head :)

Then we ended up back to the dr because he had a fever and tested positive for RSV. I couldnt believe it :( I felt so bad for him. In about 7 hours that poor baby only ate 4 oz. He was miserable. But after breathing treatments and antibiotics for his ear he was on the mend!

 This kid could play with straws all day long!

'

His smile lights up a room and he could not get more excited when he sees Hannah. He just smiles from ear to ear when he sees her. Its so heartwarming. They are such sweet siblings. He will grab ahold of her hair pretty good sometimes though!

The last 9 months have been busy, exhuasting, joyful and have filled us with so much hapiness. We know he has so much more in store for us!!

peace

Ever since we decided to take this huge step we have questioned whether or not its right. Is it meant to be? Is it the best for our kids and our future? We dont know the answers to those questions. We will only find out the answers as the days and years pass. We did what we felt was best but we will have to live there and find out for sure. Its the unknown that creates fear. There may be less fear if it was just Jeremy and I but we are trying to do the best for all four of us. Since we made this decision in December we have been BEYOND blessed to be able to get some answers to these questions by things that have happened as we prepare for this move. We questioned if this was right for us and if we use the last 3 months as any indication then Im hoping the answer is that it is meant to be. From the moment we started this adventure things have gone so smoothly- when people ask how things are going they all say it seems as though its meant to be.
We listed the house on a Sunday- had an offer 4 days later. The negotiations went so smoothly- we even got our full asking price. I wondered who would get to live in the house we loved. The house I have such a huge attachment to. Were they a young couple who would bring their own babies home to that house? Were they older and would enjoy the quiet cul de sac? When you have such an attachment to a house its hard not to wonder who would take your place. I met the couple at the closing. Amazing people. In conversation I learned they had 4 kids. What an amazing house for a big family. I could have only dreamed about bringing home more children to that house (Of course Id just like to sleep through the night right now! ha ha!) but Im so glad they will literally fill that house with love. They were genuinely the nicest people. I was a little nervous because of all the emotion I have. But they asked about us and the move and what we did to the house and couldnt have been more interested in us. Here they are buying a new home for their family and all they talked about was us. I know deep in my heart this house was meant for them. Im so grateful this house is going to a family who, no doubt, will love it as much as we did. It truly brought me peace. I cried as I left....It was hard to hand over keys but the smiles on their faces gave me such joy. They told me to bring Hannah over if she wanted to see her house one more time before we leave. What kind hearts. As we closed on this house and opened a completely new, scary, exciting yet overwhelming adventure I feel so good about this family and their love for a home we loved and will always hold the most special place in our hearts. Its more than a big, red brick house- its the feeling we had when we walked through those doors with OUR keys. When we brought Owen home from the hospital. And all the nights we spent loving our children there.

Oh and they have a little boy named Owen....coincidence? I dont think so :)

Family, friends, love & support

We are SO grateful for all the love and support we are getting from our friends and family. The friends who just offer to help watch the kids or sacrifice their time to come pack boxes which isnt fun for anyone!! The kind messages, the emails & phone calls. We are so thankful for all of these people. Without them we would not get through this process, especially without Jeremy being here. I know he misses us a ton but Im not sure he misses the boxes...since we JUST did this and still have boxes we never unpacked from a year ago. Its a very emotional process so we are so thankful for all the people here to support us. I know deep down for our families we all wonder how we will get through it without eachother but its not forever and technology will make it feel like we are much more connected. There are moments I just stand still in my tracks and Im overcome with emotion because Im not sure what Ill do without my family. I dread the goodbyes but look forward to hellos. Bittersweet. I realize there are MUCH harder things in the world but our families are our world and this will be one of the hardest things we have done.
Im so thankful for their love and support. They put on happy faces when sometimes all we really want to do is cry and hold eachother. Especially the kids. How do you look at those precious children knowing Im taking them away from all their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Heartbreaking for me.
One day someone told me we were "brave" for doing what we are doing and doing something completely out of our comfort zone. I dont think there is a better word. It is brave. We will be strong for eachother and for our families. And we know as hard as it is for our parents they are being strong for us. Its just what we do!

And its not forever, right Jeremy? Thats part of the deal :)

Oh and why do we always move in the winter!?!

Well hello, February!

January came & went quickly but was filled with big changes! February will do the same. Big things happening over here- we will be closing on our house in like a week and a half! I was shocked to get the notice they were ready to close as we were thinking it would be late Feb/early March. This will let us save more money before the big move but also puts a HUGE rush on packing! They wanted to close the 8th (we had not packed one thing) so we got it pushed back to the 12th. That means the next 10 days are FILLED with packing & there is a very fun packing party at our house on the 9th! I'm overwhelmed & I know we didn't have to do it this soon but I guess we will at least get it over with. Very emotional to say the least. We will be going through baby clothes, pictures & things I've held on to for a long time. The plan is that we will move out to Las Vegas the first week of April. Sounds far away but really it's going to FLY by. Going to get in as much quality time with family & friends as possible!
I had not had a chance to post pictures from our reunion with Jeremy, so here are a few! Hannah RAN to him in the airport. We miss him alot!!

Even Owen was so excited too :)