News! (with a few accompanying pictures for fun)

We're going to move to Iowa!  We've been in North Carolina for 8 years, but now that we've had kids it's time to move back to the midwest and be closer to our family.  Jeremy got a job at Iowa Ortho where he'll do CTs, MRI, x-rays, and assist in surgery and casting etc. . .  He's really excited.  His job is in Des Moines so we'll be there or in a close suburb.  We sold our house here after 5 days on the market so on Easter Sunday we're all heading to Des Moines to move into my sister, Suzy's basement.  Jeremy will live there until we can close on a house at the end of May or first of June and after we put a contract on a new house I'm going to hop down to my other sister's house in Tulsa for a while with the girls and dog.  It will be quite an adventure!  I may hop from house, to house, to tent, to box, whever!  We leave in 9 more days!

Gabby wants to be packed too!  We find her in all random boxes.  We check closely before we tape them up!

I'm really going to miss NC; with the mountains and beach so close, our first house that we built from the ground up, all the memories we made in it, the beautiful yard with the woods out back, a church and softball teams accompanying them that we love, the future plans we had for ourselves and children here.  Need I go on?  I don't think so or someone should hand me a kleenex.  But I know this move is God's will so I'm sure we will love Iowa too.  Just not next winter!

Adorable!



What's cute than a sleeping baby sticking her rear up in the air?

Hadlee has some issues getting comfortable while falling asleep.  She crawls around and eventually this happens.  Doesn't look very comfy to me!

And again, I can hear my kids giggling at each other in the other room.  So much fun!

Spring Hike

A few weeks ago on one of our early really warm spring days we went hiking at a state park.  We had a picnic first, then headed out on a 2 mile hike.  We couldn't go too far since Maddox is now old enough to actually hike and Jeremy had to carry Hadlee on his back.  Maddox loved hiking!  She got herself a little walking stick, climbed over all the trees, and sang lots of songs with me.  She did about 1 mile all by herself!

Then Maddox got tired and wanted to be carried.  I was up ahead with Jessi so Daddy picked up her, rounded the bend, and found the start up the hike back UP the mountain.  He hiked all the way back up to the top carrying both girls!  I carried nothing and was still totally out of breath with soar rear!  What a man!  After we got to the top I finished the rest of the hike with Maddox riding piggy back on me.  But I got the summit of the mountain and back down the other side.  Much easier except for the slipping on leaves.

By the time we got to the top Hadlee was out.

We went back to the car and had a snack then went on another short .8 mile hike because I thought Maddox would like it.  It was along the lake and had about 15 bridges to cross.  She liked all those bridges and did the whole thing by herself.

Currently I can hear both girls in Hadlee's crib, Maddox being silly, and Hadlee giggling at her sister.  I love that sound.