It's been awhile

Boy, it sure has been awhile since I last posted. Packing was just consuming every minute of my day. We were able to load the truck on time and in the pouring rain. Thank you Matt for your help, Kevin said you were a workhorse! We couldn't have done it without you. We headed out Sunday morning after church and arrived here in Minnesota Thursday afternoon. It sure was a long drive and the kids were awesome. Thankfully, my Mom brought two portable DVD players along so that the kids could have some entertainment. We have now been here for two weeks and we are still unpacking. The big stuff is done, but the little stuff is taking awhile. I also started my new job on Monday, so Kevin is now Mr. Mom. The kids seem to enjoy it, and the apartment hasn't burned down yet, so I think it will work out for awhile. It has been nice to be with adults and have adult conversations! We are getting Curtis ready for kindergarten. His school is one mile up the road and it sounds like a really good school. I took him in to have his early childhood screening done yesterday and it didn't go to well. Curtis did not want to co-operate and I was told to put him in a preschool or kindergarten readiness class. I'm not sure what to do because we can't afford to put him in preschool or the readiness class.

Lauren is still Lauren and she is adjusting very well. She still doesn't like to wear clothes and I'm not sure what to do about that. I'm hoping that she will grow out of it.

Claire is standing by herself all of the time now and she has taken a couple steps by herself too! She loves to dance to any kind of music and she has a great sense of humor. Now if I could only get her to sleep through the night, I would be a happy camper. That's all that's new with us, so here are some pictures from the last month.

This was a week before we moved. Need I say more:)

When we were driving through New Mexico, a bunch of NASCAR trucks passed us. This is Tony Stewart's truck. I felt like I was in the movie Cars!

The kids playing in the snow in Missouri. They had so much fun:)

Here is the big girl standing on her own. She is growing up too fast!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Things are definitely full speed ahead around here. I've been packing like crazy and trying to find a place for us to live. We are waiting to hear back if our application has been approved on an apartment. We are praying that we will have a place to live once we get to Minnesota. It's hard to believe that next week is Kevin's last week at his work. Poor guy, the president, owner, and owner's wife have been giving Kevin the cold shoulder. It's sad that people have to be like that, especially since Kevin has bent over backwards for them. Oh well, God has something better in store for him:) Here are some pictures of the kiddos:

Our big girl!

Buzz Lightyear, need I say more:)

Lauren has been taking her naps in Curtis' bed. She wants out of the crib so bad. Once we move, we will be getting Curtis a twin bed so that Lauren can have the toddler bed and Claire will go in the crib.

Claire making her scrunchy face. Notice her two front teeth are completely in and her orange nose. Curtis had an orange nose as well. It must be a 'C' thang.

Here is Curtis and his orange nose.

Lauren decided to get herself dressed and put on Claire's shirt. Lauren calls her ponytail her "pretty, pretty hair".

Curtis wanted me to take a picture of him and Claire. I love the look on Claire's face.

Minnesota Bound

Well, I got the call this morning and I was offered the job. Of course I said yes, so we are now Minnesota bound. I start on March 15th, so it will be go, go, go for the next couple of months. We are so excited! God's timing is so perfect. Monday, the controller at Kevin's work quit and yesterday 10 people were laid off. Kevin said the ship is sinking fast and he is looking forward to putting in his two week notice on Friday. It still seams so surreal, like we are in a dream. I'm trying to find a place for us to live once we get out there. I've called a couple of places and am just waiting to hear back. I will keep you all posted.

Uncle Lu Gets Married

We had a whirlwind weekend to say the least. My brother, Luis, got married in Vegas on Saturday. They decided to get married before my brother leaves for Afghanistan in April. We left early Saturday morning for the long drive with all three kids in tow. The kids did really well. Claire had a major tantrum on the last leg because it was feeding time, but there was no where to stop and feed her. Boy, that girl can scream! Curtis and Lauren had their hands over their ears because they couldn't take it. We arrived in Vegas around 1:30 in the afternoon and hung out with my family in their room until 3 p.m. Then we left and checked into our room at Circus Circus. From there we left and went to the wedding. The ceremony was very quaint and short. Kevin and I looked at each other and said how thankful we were that we never though of getting married in Vegas. I know people have said that Hollywood is the modern day Babylon, but Las Vegas is definitely Babylon. We had to keep covering Curtis' eyes from the images on the billboards. Anyway, Luis and Michelle will be having a regular wedding next May after he returns from Afghanistan. After the ceremony, we went back to my families room and had cake, then we went to a dinner buffet at The Orleans. It was really good and the kids ate very well. Claire made friends with our server. It was cute. After that, we drove up the strip so that the kids could see all of the lights, unfortunately they fell asleep shortly after getting in the car. When we got to our room we all crashed. Yesterday morning, we got up, had breakfast, and walked around the midway so that the kids could see the circus acts and play some games. We had lunch, then headed back home. We didn't get home until late last night because there was an accident and construction along the way. I'm so glad to be home and sleeping in my own bed. So without further ado, here are some pictures from this weekend.This is the invitation that I had made for them before Lu found out he was going overseas and the wedding plans changed.

The kiss

The family photo

Cutting the cake that my grandmother made.

Lauren just loves Michelle and vice versa.

So Much To Talk About

Wow! It sure has been awhile since I last posted. I first want to start our by congratulating Jon and Ali on the birth of baby Natalee. She was born on Monday and is a cutie. We are so happy for them. Go check out their blog at www.feldmancrew.blogspot.com and see the cute pictures. Please keep them in prayer as the adoption is yet finalized.

Our phone and internet went down for almost a week. It was nice not being bothered by telemarketers, but I was waiting to hear back about the job in Minnesota I had applied for. Needless to say, our phone and internet was restored yesterday morning and three hours later I got a call from the supervisor at the neurology clinic to do a phone interview. Of course the kids were yelling, crying, and just plain being naughty the whole time. She told me that she was doing interviews this week and would probably make her decision next week. So we shall see what happens. The timing would be perfect for me to get this job because the company that Kevin works for is in serious financial trouble. I won't go into detail but bad financial decisions were made that are now costing the company their reputation and business. We are both at peace for whatever happens. God will never leave us or forsake us.

In other news, Claire turned eight months on the 21st. She is crawling all over the place and she is quick! She is also pulling herself up on everything and taking some steps. We have had a few scares with her because she has started climbing up the stairs and has fallen a couple of times. Just makes my heart stop. She sure does keep me on my toes! She is getting very vocal as well. She has the cutest voice, I love it! I have also started her on table food, which she LOVES. She is a piggy, now if I could just get her to sleep through the night. She is stubborn, but she wakes up happy in the morning. She is my worst sleeper by far. Hopefullly she will grow out of it soon, I'm tired.

Lauren's vocabulary is blossoming, which means she thinks she can boss everyone around. Her favorite saying right now is "Cool it with attitude!" She is learning so much, but colors are her hang up. She thinks everything is green. She has become a little fashionista and is very adamant about what she wants to wear, but she would rather run around in just her diaper. Kevin and I are praying about this. Two Sunday's ago she tried taking her clothes off in Sunday school! Hopefully we can correct this before she becomes a teenager.

Curtis is still just Curtis. He loves to pretend and asks lots of questions about everything. I'm gonna need to buy a dictionary because he wants to know what every word means. He is getting better with his letters and I'm not freaking out about his progress. Thank you for encouraging me and giving me helpful advice. I really appreciate it. I still can't believe he will be starting kindergarten this year! Time sure does fly by.

Well that all I can think of for now. Have a great rest of the week!

Can You Believe It!?!

I would like to start out by congratulating my cousin Matt and his wife Maggie on the birth of daughter Lia Brynne yesterday. We are so thankful that God allowed Maggie to have a full term pregnancy, since we all thought that she would be born premature like her brother. The LORD deserves all the praise!

We are currently looking for a new place to live since our lease is up at the end of February and we don't want to sign another year lease because we could be heading back to Minnesota any time. I sent my resume to the neurology clinic that I used to work for and the girl that took my desk when I left is pushing hard for them to hire me back, so we will see what happens.

I was reading an article in Parents magazine about kids being ready for kindergarten and it dawned on me that Curtis will be starting kindergarten this year and I'm going to have to get him registered soon! I started freaking out...would he be ready by September because there is still much for him to learn. He is good with numbers, but letters just aren't clicking with him. How is he going to react being in a classroom setting and having to sit for long periods of time. I almost gave myself an anxiety attack! Then I started crying because my baby was going to be starting school. I am going to be a mess on his first day of school. He has grown up so fast, my little man. Okay, I better stop before I start crying again. :) Have a good week!

Name That Photo

Okay so I wanted to start out the new year with something a little fun. I took this picture a couple weeks ago because I wanted to get a picture of all three kids in the tub together. I didn't look at the picture until I was done taking a few shots and this one caught my eye.This is photo is hilarious and there is so much going on. So to ring in the new year, I invite you to caption this photo. If I get enough people to comment, I might even make it a contest. So leave your comment by noon on Friday and I look forward to your comments.