Venturing Out

Since we made the move to Charlotte I have been trying to make the most of our days and keep the kids occupied even though we don't know anyone here yet. :)  We have done a decent job, I think, considering how much it has rained and how cold it's been.  Brrrrr!  My body hasn't quite adjusted to the colder temps. yet.  I'm gonna have to toughen up b/c I've definitely gotten used to Florida winters.  We are trying to venture out and explore a little before Maddox starts preschool next week.

First thing on the list was to find Target! :)

Thank goodness we have several Chick-fil-A's close by!

Somebody loved sipping on Daddy's cup!

We went to our local library yesterday to check out storytime, but when we got there we found out it doesn't start back up until January.  The kids didn't seem to mind, though, and found plenty of other things to keep them occupied.  It was hilarious to see them try and use an "old school" computer.  They couldn't quite figure out that mouse. :)

I have to say, I am impressed so far with the amount of things to do with the kids here.  We haven't scratched the surface yet with what we have done, but we plan to do some more exploring next week! 

The Move to Charlotte

The past couple of weeks have been such a whirlwind!  On December 18th, we moved to Charlotte, NC.  We were not planning to move until January 9th, but the people who bought our house in Tallahassee came back and asked if we would be willing to close early so they could be in by Christmas.  It took some shifting of our schedules, but we ended up making it work out.  Lynn came down to Tallahassee and helped with the packing and loading of the truck, which was so nice!  She stayed several days to make the drive with us and Don also drove over to help unload the truck on the 19th.  My parents took the kids for about 4 days while we loaded everything, made the drive, and then unpacked.  It was such a relief not to have to worry about entertaining the kids during the move!  Nothing would have gone as smoothly as it did without the help of our families... we can't thank them enough!

We spent all day on Dec. 17th loading the moving truck in Tallahassee.  We got started about 7:45 and were pulling away from the house that night by about 6:00.  It was a full day, but went fairly smoothly.  Matt Sapp came by for about an hour and a half that morning to help with the heaviest items, and we were glad that he did!  After cleaning the house that evening, we called it a day and grabbed some dinner before heading to Charlie and Elaine Reavis' house for the night.

Our last picture in front of our Tallahassee house!

We left town early on the morning of the 18th b/c we knew it would take longer than usual with the Uhaul...

We got into Charlotte in time to do a final walk-through on our new house, then go grab dinner before crashing at the hotel.  We had closing first thing the morning of the 19th, then got busy unloading!

We absolutely loved our realtor, Melissa Brown!

My parents drove the kids up to Charlotte on the 20th.  By that point, we had done most of the unpacking and it was fun to see the kids' reactions to their new rooms.  They seem to love the new house and especially love having more space to run and play.

The new house... that's not our Lexus in the driveway :)

We are definitely not settled in here yet. :)  We are slowly getting there, but I know it will take a while before it feels normal to live here.  Just days after moving, we packed up and drove to Nashville for Christmas, so we still haven't had a lot of time to figure out our new surroundings.  I've had good days and bad days since moving.  I miss my Tallahassee friends a lot, but I keep reminding myself that friends are friends no matter the distance between them.  Here's to new adventures... :)

Maclain is THREE!

On November 25th, Maclain turned three... how is that even possible?!?

There is so much personality wrapped up in this little girl, it's crazy!  She makes our heads spin at times, but we wouldn't trade her for anything in the world!  I am loving the spunky little girl that she is becoming, even with the challenges that come along! ;)

Just yesterday she was getting dressed and she informed me that, "The Bible says that the tags go in the back when we get dressed, Mommy.  The Bible says it!"  I'm glad she knows what the authority should be in our lives. :)

Maclain is going to preschool 3 days a week with Maddox right now, but after we move, she will most likely be back at home with me full time until Maddox starts Kindergarten in the Fall.  Now that Miller is getting a little older, they can develop their own little "sister bond" that I hope will prove to be very special.

For her birthday, she got a Frozen bike from Nana and Pop, and she is loving that right now.  She has been riding Maddox's bike here and there over the last couple of months, but now that she has her own "big girl bike" she is getting better at it.  Today, we went over to an abandoned parking lot and let her get in some good practice!  By the end of our time there, she was going almost as fast as Maddox. :)

We love our silly girl!

Miller is ONE!

On October 4th our little Miller turned ONE!  I still can't wrap my mind around it...

It's so weird to think that we no longer have a baby in our house!  Miller is now almost 14 months old, and it seems like it has happened in the blink of an eye!

Some things I want to remember:
-Miller is still not walking yet... She has taken 1-2 steps in the last couple of days, but nothing consistent
-She is beginning to transition to one nap a day
-She is by far our best eater... not too picky and will try most anything!  Her favorite foods are pasta and strawberries!
-Miller is saying many words, but her favorite one is "NO!" :)
-She wants to be in on everything her brother and sister are doing, but it's hard to keep up sometimes :)
-She is still not a great traveler, but will do better if we let her watch a movie
-She does not like being handed off to anyone right now, and will let you know it!

We love you Miller Lee!

A New Chapter

Our family has some pretty big news to share...

We have sold our house here in Tallahassee, FL and will be moving to Charlotte, NC this month!  This was not an easy decision for our family, but one that we think will bring the best long-term happiness for us.  Daniel has made a job change and we will be heading up to Charlotte in just a couple of weeks!  We have made two trips up there to secure housing, and we feel great about the area where we will be living.  We are buying a house in Matthews, NC... just outside of Charlotte.  I have gotten Maddox enrolled in a preschool up there, and we are now packing like crazy!

We have had a great experience here in Tallahassee and we have made friendships here that we hope will last a lifetime.  Sometimes there just comes a point in life where you feel led in a different direction, and this is where we are finding ourselves.  We are stepping out on faith that this move will be a great one for us.  I truly feel that life is what you make it, and so we intend to make it the best we can!

In the Past Week

Here's a little bit of what we have been up to in the past week...

A morning blowout led to a morning bath :)

Isaac spent the afternoon with us and the boys had fun playing outside

This girl is one big mess!!

Maddox rode a horse at Kate's 5th birthday party!

He loved feeding the horse too!

Maddox and the birthday girl, Kate!

Maclain and Audrey enjoyed eating their snacks at the party :)

Baby Tyler

My good friend Renee had her baby boy a couple of weeks ago and I was able to go see them in the hospital the day after Tyler was born.  Even now, I still forget how tiny babies are when they are first born!

A week or two later I took the kids over to Renee's house so they could meet him.  Maddox and Maclain really enjoyed holding him...

Isaac showing off his baby brother

Miller didn't like it too much when I held Tyler.  Oh dear!  At least she will never have to adjust to a little brother or sister ;)

Miller - 11 Months

Wowza...that was fast!  In less than a month we will have a 1 year old!  I wish I could say I was really sad, but honestly, I'm so excited to see Miller keep growing and experience more as she gets older.  She has been such a good baby and is changing so much!  It's been a fast 11 months!

Some things I want to remember:

-She is becoming less interested in the bottle and more interested in table food.  She loves "real food" and I think we have been better this time about introducing what we are eating to her starting at a younger age.

-Favorite foods: green beans and strawberries!  I can't feed her either of these fast enough.  I'm convinced she could eat an entire container of strawberries in one sitting.  She also really likes pasta (like her Mommy)!

-Still naps pretty well and takes a morning and afternoon nap.

-Has started saying a few words: uh-oh, Momma, Dada, and night-night.  She also waves, gives kisses, and claps when she feels like it ;)

-Has started pulling up, but is not close to walking yet.  Maddox and Maclain didn't walk until 14 months, so I don't expect it to happen before then for Miller.

-Has definitely developed stranger anxiety and prefers to be with Mommy or Daddy.

-She loves it when Maddox and Maclain play with her and they can still get the best laughs out of her.

What a joy our little Miller is... can't wait to celebrate her 1st year in a few short weeks!

Back to School

I've taken a bit of a blogging break this summer.  Now that school is back in, I hope to catch up and update more often.  I'll start with back to school...

Maddox is in VPK this year and it's his last year before starting kindergarten.  He is in Mrs. Cherri's class at Timberlane and we could not be happier with the way school has been going so far.  The program is paid for by the state (hallelujah!) and is 5 days a week, 9-12.  His very best friend Nolan is in his class, and he is absolutely loving school.  Maddox has always appreciated a structured routine and thrives in school. We are blessed by Timberlane's program.

Meet the Teacher Day!

Maddox and Mrs. Cherri

Maclain is going to preschool 3 days a week and is also adjusting very well!  This is her 2nd year in the 2 year old class, but they had to split the group because it got so big!  So they put her with the older 2's and Mrs. Jill is her teacher this year.

Ready for Meet the Teacher Day!

Maclain and Mrs. Jill

I won't lie... this last summer was the hardest one we've experienced yet.  There are several reasons, the main one being lack of a schedule.  Miller was at a tough age for a lot of different things, and it seemed like I just couldn't keep us busy enough.  I thrive when we are on the go and have a lot to do, but life at home with 3 littles doesn't always lend itself to that lifestyle ;)  We are all thankful school has started back and we are figuring out a new routine!  Here's to a great 2014-2015 school year!

First Day of School 2014

Picture Update

Here is a little bit of what we have been up to this month...

We still eat at Chick-fil-A a lot ;)

Everybody has their own set of wheels :)

I just love this one!

They love playing in our bed

Lydia and me at our girls weekend

Loved catching up with April!

All the girls... what a fun weekend! :)