Some serious housework.
And then playtime
I don’t know what we are supposed to be doing at this point, but we are not doing it. People think we are busy and our lives are getting hectic. Maybe they are supposed to be, but we are ignoring it. Papers are signed and dates are set to move August 1, but other than that we are just playing. We have collected a lot of boxes, does that count? I am sure the following weeks will be busy, but for now we are just enjoying each other.
There is really no other way to describe it. Ethan and I left town last Friday with no showings on the house. It had been on the market about a week, but no traffic yet. By the time we landed in Houston on Sunday, we had 6 showings and one full price offer. Full price is the kicker. Who goes in and offers full price from the start? With a contract in hand for a buyer, we called our agent in Nashville and submitted an offer on a house that we had found. Let me say that again, we found a house in one weekend. Just how does that work? Only by the hand of God.
Tonight I sit here. Relieved that this part is over. Contracts are signed and we enter into the pending stage. When Ethan told me the sellers in Nashville had accepted our offer, he commented on my lack of enthusiasm. Truthfully, I guess I didn’t know how to react. I was glad we got the house we both liked, but I guess it was a lot of reality hitting too. We are scheduled to close on both houses by Aug. 2 and probably move the first week of August. Does anyone else feel this is coming quick??
You have seen them all over, for sale signs. And if you pay attention you realize how many of them are out there. But have you ever really thought what that sign means to the family? Well, when someone comes by and sticks one in your own front yard, possibility becomes reality too fast.
This is our home. We lived in a townhouse after we were married that was originally my grandmother’s, then brother’s, then father’s. We eventually bought it, fixed it up and sold it. But this is our first house. We bought this house just 2.5 years ago, months before Noah’s birth. Not only did we anticipate Noah coming home here, but we anticipated grandkids coming here. We love this house. But it is still just a house. It is the people inside that make it our home right now.
So why is it for sale? Ethan has accepted a position with MankinMedia in Nashville, TN. Our good friends Ben and Amanda Mankin own this business and decided that Ethan would be a valuable asset to their company. He will do a little bit of everything to help out this 4 man team, but will mainly be responsible for marketing. This is a big change for everyone. The Mankins, grandparents, friends and especially us. Ethan starts with MankinMedia July 1st. But he is able to work from home until the house sells and we move to Nashville.
Those who know me are probably shocked. You think that I am the type to never move away. (I moved to this area when I was 6 months old.) And you are right, I am not adventurous. I am not interested in change. I am not interested in making new friends, finding a new church, finding a new school for Alyssa, learning my way around a new city, leaving my family, or establishing myself somewhere else. But I am interested in supporting my husband. And while, yes, there is a bit of excitement in all this, it is sad for me to think of leaving all of this. But I would not choose my comfort over his dreams and success. We are doing this together, and there is no one else I want to start over with.
This year was hosted at our home. We had the older Eller cousins camp over for a day this weekend. Tate and Megan hung out with Nana and Papa. We tried the follow last year’s tradition and tie-dye shirts, but they did not turn out as well as I had hoped. And two days later, I think the dye has almost disappeared from my hands. I guess that is why they pack gloves in the box. All the kids had a great time with games, popcorn, ice cream, pillow fights, hide-n-seek and some good play time. It was good to see them all together again. Pics
We took a trip to Sea World last weekend with the Kennedys. (She has a cute scrapbook on her blog.) It was fun to enjoy the time with friends and see our kids having fun together. Graham and Alyssa have such a good time together. It is hard to look at them and not imagine what it would have been like if it were Alyssa and Noah. Graham is a little older than Noah would have been, but he reminds me of what Noah would be like.
We visited the park two days and wore all the kids out by 2:00 each day. Surprising Megan did well despite the lack of sleep and the heat.
Honestly, I cannot believe my girl is 8 months old. I don’t know why I can’t just let that be enough, but I have to take it to the next level, which is, she will be one in only 4 months. It really has gone fast. Guess it always does. So here is an update of Megan: She is fully on solids, 3 times a day. Still on #1 foods, but eats all of them. Alyssa did that too, so there is still time for my poor eating habits to rub off on Megan. She sleeps about 11-12 hours at night. When we are home, she takes 2 good naps a day – I seem to miss her naps more than I recall doing with Alyssa. She sits unsupported. She pushes up on her knees and even toes. She can belly scoot (slowly) to something she wants. I saw her yesterday get to her knees in the garden, then push up to her feet. She makes good noises when she has a cheerio in her mouth, but is quiet alot of time. She can say da-da. She can find her paci in bed at night and recently can throw her paci out. Now really, what is the point of that! She is great!
There are lots of new photos. Here are a few to show the things that go on in our house . . . daily.
TV watching
Some sister playtime
And some Alyssa playtime.
She is great on the computer. She has icons on the desktop that take her to PBSkids.org or Sesame Street. Then she has 3 CDs that she can switch out and play games on too. It is nice that she enjoys this and sees playing on the computer as great as watching TV. I feel less guilty about her using fine motor skills and actually thinking.
Sorry for the hiatus, hope you feel caught up (Melissa).
Both girls in clean dresses, looking at the camera and smiling. I don’t know how we pulled that off . . . but here they are.
Megan
Alyssa
Many people think Megan looks like Alyssa, so for a true comparision I was looking at these two photos today. I took this of Megan today at 5 months old. Then I found a collection of photos labeled Alyssa 5 months. Perfect, I thought. When I opened one, I had to laugh that they had the same onesie on. Anyway, my conclusion is that they have very similar features. The eyes are exact. But the shape of their faces are different. Look how round Alyssa’s was. Ethan and I cannot believe Alyssa ever looked like that. It looks like they have the same amount of hair though.
Megan finally cut her second tooth. So she has the 2 bottom ones for now. She smiles at everyone. I have decided that she will be the outgoing, friendly child. She is so happy – most of the time – and enjoys looking around to see what is going on with everyone. She has such a funny personality, kicking and talking like everyone is just staring at her . . . okay, we are.
Alyssa is out for spring break this week. So far we have had Chick-fil-A today, an unexpected nap, and a little too much TV time. Ah! Vacation! She is so bright and sweet and I wish I could tell you somethings that she says, but nothing is coming to me. Well, other than, “Megan can be our sister and we can have another baby that is a boy to be Daddy’s brother.” That has not been confirmed.
We are headed to Abilene on Wednesday. Pictures from that excursion when we return.
Ethan turned 30 today. We celebrated this past weekend with family and friends, but tonight was just us. He had two candles on his cake – one for him and one for Alyssa.” It was a nice evening. At least until the 3 year old had a tantrum because her PJ bottoms were crooked, and the 4 month old began screaming because she had been awake for a whole 3 hours. Welcome to 30, honey. I love you.
