Jr Homecoming!

Cailtyn decided she would like to go to the Homecoming dance this year. She has a group of friends that are all going. I'm so glad she is making some friends. (And that this dance doesn't involve a boy. lol!)

We went shopping for the perfect dress. It is not easy to find a dress for my tiny 13 year old. Her options in the girls department looked like something a 10 year old would wear for Christmas pictures with the family. Not what Caitlyn had in mind! The juniors department had the style she was wanting, but finding size 0 was tough.

A few stores later we found one that she loved!

My little girls is looking WAY too grown up these days!

Double ear infection:-(

Poor Lydia has another double ear infection. Her sleep has been off for about a week. She was a screaming mess last night and most of today. Earlier in the week, I wasn't sure if it was the cold she was getting over, teeth or her ears. It's so hard to know! The waking at night and crabby fits have gotten worse, so I brought her in to a minute clinic today. Poor thing has a double ear infection. This is her 4th one since March. As soon as we get our insurance all straightened out I'll be getting her into a doctor. I really hope she doesn't have to have tubes, but I also hate that she keeps getting the infections.

She must be getting used to the ear checks, though. She happily went to the doctor and let her look in her ears today.

Praying this is the last one!

First Day of School!

Caitlyn's first day of 8th grade was August 1st. She has been doing really well and seems to be liking the new school. She has been moved up to advanced band and is looking forward to a band trip to Disney World this year!! I'm so glad she has had such a good attitude about moving here and starting another new school.

Miss Lydia had her first day of preschool today! She was so excited about taking her Scooby Doo backpack and snack box with her.

I was a little nervous because she has not been crazy about leaving her mommy lately. She was happily playing in her new classroom until I tried to leave. Then, she broke out the tears....and screaming. :-( Her teacher said the crying lasted about 30 minutes. I guess it could have been worse, but I am hoping this isn't how we start every preschool morning! When I picked her up she was happily playing with her new friends. She told me all about playing with play-doh and going outside. I think it was a good first day!

8th grade and preschool, how did this happen? These kids are growing up too fast!

Happy 2nd Birthday Lydia!

Yesterday was Lydia's 2nd birthday. Can't believe it! She is such a fun little girl to be around. She amazes everyone by knowing her ABC's, counting, colors and talking a mile a minute!

Eric's parents have been here this week. It was awesome to have them here for the celebration. Miss Lydia was spoiled with many new toys!

Whirlwind

That is what the past few months have been! We found out about the move to Georgia in April. Getting the house rented out, packed up and moving out here was a process. I am happy to report that we all survived and are settled into our new home!



We broke up the 1200 mile journey into 3 days. The girls were angels. Lydia did some coloring, read some books and watched some movies. Caitlyn helped keep the snacks flowing and her sister content.



We made it to Georgia on Thursday, July 14th. The next day we got into our house. Eric had to pick it out during one of his trips out here, so it was my first time seeing the place. He did a great job! It is a beautiful home. The girls are loving the pool!



As soon as we got unpacked, I had to get Caitlyn enrolled in school. They have a different schedule and go back on 8/1. It's a short summer for her, but I think it will be nice for her to get in there and meet some kids. Her open house is tonight!


I also decided I'd like to get Lydia into a preschool. I looked at 3 of them yesterday. I really like one of them. Lydia sure impressed the teacher with her knowledge of colors, shapes, letters and such:-) We are going to attend their Sunday morning service and we will decide after that if it's the right fit. She has been talking about going to school all day. I think she will love it!



We went down to Eric's office this week too. The girls loved seeing where dad heads off to every day.



This weekend we are heading out to find a bed for the guest room. I hope it gets used often by all of you Minnesotans!


The new place!

C25K

I started the C25K (couch to 5K) program a couple of weeks ago. My droid has an app that I downloaded for it. I love that it tells me what to do every week. The first week it tells you to alternate jogging for 60 seconds and walking for 90 seconds for a total of 20 minutes. As the weeks go by, you jog more and walk less. I just finished week 2 day 2 and it feels good and painful! Ha! I'm definitely feeling it in my legs, but I really enjoy plugging the headphones in and going for a jog.

I even bought a jogging stroller so I can take Lydia with me. Caitlyn often bikes with me, too. It's a fun way to get out in the morning or evening.

It's a 9 week program. Wish me luck on getting through it!

We have renters!

The thought of paying a mortgage here and rent in Georgia was enough to make this newly one income family nauseous!

I showed our house to a family a couple of weeks ago and they came over on Tuesday to sign a lease. They will be moving in July 15th. They are currently apartment renters and are sick of moving. ( Totally understand!) They are hoping to stay in Zimmerman for a while. I'd love for this to work out long enough for us to be able to sell our house and actually walk away with a down payment! I'd take getting the rent paid on time for a year though. ;-)

Pastor Wendy gave me a dvd called Facing the Unknown. A modern look at the life of Abraham. One of the things that helped me in this video was that things don't always happen when we want them to. God often waits until the last minute and gives just what you need. I won't lie, it didn't stop me from worrying about us finding a renter! It did help me to focus a lot less on worrying and a lot more on praying. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful Pastor in my life and that I have the Lord to help me through this transition. I feel like someone is always there to help me work through things. It's a great feeling.

Only 2 weeks and 1 day until the semi trailer is dropped off! Eeeeek!

Moving day has been set!!!

A semi trailer will be dropped off on Friday July 8th and we will start loading on Saturday, July 9th. Eeeek! We are really moving to Georgia. :-o

We hired a company to drive our stuff to Georgia and it should get there on Friday the 15th. We will load up the girls and leave on the 12th with hopes of arriving on the 15th! Please pray we all make it there without too many tears!

I've been packing. The house looks so sad without our pictures and with most of our stuff in boxes. Looking forward to seeing the new house and how everything fits.

I'm thoroughly enjoying being a stay at home mom. I feel so blessed to be in a position to do this.

Tomorrow the girls and I are heading to the Minnesota Zoo. Probably the last time we will visit that zoo for a while!

Last Day of Work!

Tomorrow will be my last day as a daycare provider. It was an awesome way for me to earn an income and be home with my girls. Taking care of 9 kids is no easy task, though! I had some crazy, busy days. I'm hoping the families will keep in touch. It would be fun to hear how they are growing!

I'm looking forward being a stay at home mom! Definitely a little nervous about being a one income family, but we are really hoping we can make it work.

We got word this week that we are approved for a house in Woodstock, GA. Woohooo! It's a beautiful home. Well, that's what I can tell from pictures and what Eric said anyway. I didn't get to see this one in person and I can't wait to get there! I hope Eric realizes how much trust I have put in him. Ha!

It's finally getting nice around here. I'm excited to get out and enjoy the weather with the kids! I hope you all have a great summer.

Caitlyn's 13th Birthday!

A Coach purse!

Thirteen years ago today, I became a mother. It seems like it was just yesterday and so long ago, all at the same time! Caitlyn makes us laugh every day. There is no greater joy than watching my daughter grow up.

Of course, this means she is a teenager. We all know how challenging these years can be! I wrote in her birthday card that we love hearing about her day and we will never be too busy to listen. I'm hoping that she takes that to heart and we can get through these teen years with minimal screaming and threats of running away!

Happy Birthday Caitlyn!

A proud moment.....

Caitlyn has been working her butt off this year! Immediately after walking in the door every school day, she heads to the table to do her homework. She has even been know to set her alarm on a Sunday morning and do a little studying before church! Imagine how surprised we were to get up in the morning and see that!

Last month an invitation arrived for the AAA's Award Ceremony at her school. Caitlyn received the academic award for maintaining a grade point average of 3.9 or higher all year! Her hard work has really paid off. We are so proud of how seriously she takes her studies.

Her future is so bright, I can't wait to see what she does with it!

A weekend of house hunting.

Eric and I left for Atlanta on Friday. We looked at several houses to rent in the Marietta and Woodstock area. We even found a couple that would work!

Now we just need to get our house rented out. If you know of anyone that would like to rent a 4bd 2ba house in Zimmerman, let me know!!

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. My awesome mother in law has been watching my girls this weekend, so Eric and I could get to Atlanta. I can't wait to pick them up tomorrow. I miss the little boogers!

Eric starts his new job tomorrow. I can't wait to hear how it went!

Moving to Georgia!!!!

There, I said it. Crazy, huh?!?

Eric has been wanting to move on to the next stage of his career. He has been nudged in this direction twice and just received an offer for a job at Home Depot's Store Support Center in Atlanta, GA!

We have very mixed emotions about moving out there. Leaving our friends and family is going to be so hard. I wish we could take our home, church, family and friends with us!

I have a feeling I will enjoy the winters, though. :-) I'm excited about moving to a new place. I've been in Minnesota my whole life and think it will be a great opportunity for us.

Now if only I could close my eyes, click my heals together and wake up with all of our stuff in a new home. That would be great! Moving our stuff 1200 miles is a daunting task. I just have to keep reminding myself that in a couple of months that part will be behind us and we'll be exploring our new city!

The timing is nice. Caitlyn will be out of school for the summer, so we have time to get her enrolled out there.

We'd really appreciate any good thoughts and prayers you can spare. We are hoping to rent our house out. We are also hoping to find a house to rent for the first year out there. Please pray this all falls into place for us!

3/20/2011

Like I said, I'm a slacker!

Things have been going good around here. Eric has been busy with work. He just received his 11 year badge. His job can be stressful, but the company has definitely been treating him well. He has worked his butt off for 11 years and it's really nice to see that they recognize that.

I have been busy with my daycare. I currently have 7 children enrolled. Most days I have at least 5 of them here. I love being able to be home with my girls and earn an income. This winter has been a tough one, though! Being stuck in the house all.day.long can make a girl go crazy. We've also had many cold and flu bugs being spread around. Yuck! I will be glad when spring really gets here and we can at least get outside every day.

Caitlyn is doing awesome. She is getting all A's in her classes and is still an active member of the National Junior Honor Society. We are so proud of how hard she works in school. She is still playing the trumpet in the school band and loves to play on her keyboard. For the past few years she has played softball in the summer, but this year she is trying tennis. She is a busy kid!

Lydia is doing great, too. She is a talker! She loves having all of the kids come over and play each day. She has remained pretty healthy this winter despite having all of the sickness around her. Most things she has caught have taken their course pretty quickly. She's a busy girl, too! They both keep us hopping:-)

Eric and I have also started round two of home improvement. We just finished painting the entry way. Those ceilings are high! That room will also be getting new hardwood flooring and stairs. The kitchen will be getting a face lift with new hardwood floors, granite countertops and refacing of the cabinets. Can't wait to see it all done!

We have also been hosting small group bible studies in our home. Pastor Wendy has come up with some awesome topics. We are currently doing The Truth Project. The dvd is really interesting. Give us a call if you'd like to join. We'd love to have our family and friends over!

I am an awful blogger....

Just sayin.

Where does all of my time go? This blog needs some serious updating and new pictures! I'm definitely going to do that......tomorrow:-)