Friday, April 19, 2013

Over the "18 Month Hill" and off to a new house we go!



March was quite the busy month! 

Scott and I started the month out right with a nice date night together.  We had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants – it was nice to sit down and visit together just the two of us!  We got to eat together at the same time too – what a concept!  In fact, we had to remind each other that we didn't need to “speed eat” … we actually weren't racing the bath time or bedtime clock :)



After the relaxing start to the month, we took off running.  Four weeks away from our current lease ending, we started looking for a new place to live!  We decided it was time for more space – and we were also hoping for something outside of a complex. 
The next 3 weeks were spent searching, calling, scheduling and then running around all weekend viewing potential places!  Ryan was a trooper as usual.  Most weekends we were out from 9am to 5pm and he just slept and ate “on the go” – such a tough guy! 

Here’s Ryan making the best of our outings!




After a long and exhausting search we found a house that we liked!  It’s in a great neighborhood, has a good layout – Ryan and his sister get their own rooms!, and has a great backyard! 

Time to start packing … you would think that this process would be upsetting to a toddler, but not for Ryan!  He made the best of it – finding ways to “help”, usually by UNpacking boxes, experimenting with packing tape and moving boxes around for us!  What a great helper!





Here’s Ryan taking a break from packing to give his sister a nice big hug!



And in the midst of our busy schedule, we did some more experimenting with different foods and flavors!  This month Ryan sampled a few interesting things …

Olives are a hit!

… we ate them with two hands they were so good!

Cajun style red beans and rice are also a hit!  Guess we like zippy flavors!




And before we knew it, the end of the month had arrived!  First came Ryan’s 18 month birthday on the 29th!  Time if flying by, I can’t believe my baby is a year and a half old!

Here’s a quick glance back … this is Ryan in his first week …



And here he is at 18 months old!

… he’s not a baby anymore!  What a big boy!

This year the Easter bunny brought Ryan a new home, so it was a very low key holiday for us in that regard … but we did a little bit of celebrating over the holiday weekend between our last minute packing needs!

Here’s Ryan enjoying an Easter visit with Scott’s side of the family.  They have a little putting green in their yard and Ryan likes to throw the balls …



Ryan got a lot of Easter cards wishing him a very “hoppy” day!  Here he is checking out the card from Grandma Cec and Grandpa John:




On Easter Sunday we went to our new place to do some painting!  With moving day 4 days away, we thought it best to get the painting out of the way so that we could move in without having to deal with paint odor.  We painted an accent wall in all 3 of the bedrooms – it was a long day, but we got through it!



Ryan took a little snooze on mommy … he’s just waking up.  Such a trooper.



Since it was Easter after all … we thought it appropriate to have some Easter cupcakes!  While daddy finished the painting, Ryan sampled some cake … looks like it was a hit!  I think I know where he gets his sweet tooth … he and I polished off the cupcake in a matter of minutes!






And before we knew it, moving day had arrived!  It was a long 4 days of boxes, cleaning and other last minute items to take care of before we could feel at home.  Moving into a house required a great deal of work and we took it one day at a time …


Boxes and more boxes!

Ryan helping daddy!





Thanks to Scott being as patient and loving as he is, Ryan and I are getting through this change and some extra challenges … and we are finally getting settled into our new home!  There is still a lot of work to be done, but we are getting much closer!

The kitchen is almost done ...


Ryan's room! 


Ryan starting to feel at home ...



Hanging out in the front yard!



Ryan just loves his new home – his favorite things include walking up and down the hallway … over and over again!  Before we know it, he’ll be running up and down the hall!  His walking is getting stronger everyday!  He is even standing up on his own!  

Another favorite is all of the outdoor space!  He loves waving at cars as they drive by in front, and at the trees and birds in the back. 

Our family will thrive and will make so many memories in this new home!



… on to the next adventure!