Family

Fireworks!

We rode the rides at the community festival until it was time for fireworks, then walked down to a spot right in front of our van which was a perfect viewing spot for  the fireworks. 

At this point the kids were exhausted and needed to keep moving or else they were going to fall asleep. So a little pre-fireworks wrestling kept everyone happy and awake.  Ava also treated us with a little dancing.

Silly, tired baby.

the baby photo bomb

Eagerly anticipating.....

FIREWORKS!!

I was excited to see how Dawson would react to the fireworks.  After the fireworks started he stopped dead in his tracks, pointed at them and said very seriously "boom boom."  From that point on he was entranced and stared at the fireworks while sitting in Mike's lap.  He was even waving at the boom-booms!  Ava was a little scared that they were coming our way, but after sitting in my lap she was quite happy.  What a fun, exciting, exhausting day!

We Made It!

Well, we have arrived in our new home and our belongings have arrived as well!  We really couldn't be happier!  We had a week of "camping out" at the new house.  But as of yesterday everything has arrived and we are settling into our new home.  First and Foremost I owe some huge thank yous!

• Thank you to Bo and Grandma:  It was wonderful spending a week with you.  Thank you for welcoming us (and all our chaos!) into your home.  We couldn't have gotten so much unpacking accomplished this weekend if it wasn't for you guys.  Thank you Bo for watching the kids so I could go to the inspection.  Thank you so much!
• Thank you to Meme, Grandpap Bob and Nana:  Thank you for letting us crash at your house for a week as well.  Thank you Dad and Nana for watching Carter and Dawson while I met with the moving company at our old house.  Thank you Nana and Meme for all the wonderful meals and clean laundry.  I was so spoiled, I wish I had personal assistants all the time!  Thank you!
• Thank you Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Jason:  It was wonderful to be able to go house hunting with no little guys.  Aunt Tiffany, I know that was an exhausting day and it really meant so much to us!

Yes, I know I should be writing thank you notes to each and every one of you.  I know this is not a good substitute, but with all that is going on right now I know that I won't get to it.  We love you guys so much!  

But onto some pictures:

Our very first meal at our new house:  deli rotisserie chicken and some raw veggies. 

Wouldn't you know that the eating on the floor thing didn't work out very well, so we ran out the very next day to pick up the table I had been pining for.  In case you are wondering, Carter wears his sunglasses whenever and wherever the mood strikes him.  And also, the coffee was for me, not Dawson.

As soon as I find my good camera, I will be taking pictures of the kids in their new habitat.  I bet it is with the remote controls for the TV and Carter's walkie talkies.  Oh, the joys of moving!

Some funny tidbits about our new home:

• Although we are living in a neighborhood with close access to plenty of shopping, our new home is more rural than our last home.  Recently while driving around we passed a field that had been newly fertilized.  Oh, the drama!  Carter was hyperventilating and yelling "Nobody breathe in, only out!"  Ava was yelling "It smells like a dog that pooped it's pants around here."  I was laughing so hard!
• This new home is (obviously) not child proofed, and it is actually very difficult to do so.  We are still looking for a cost effective way to block off the bottom of a stairway that is close to 13 feet wide.  But Dawson has been loving all the newfound freedom.  Anytime he is out of my vision he will crawl up the stairs as fast as his little legs will carry him to check out my shower.  He is obsessed with all the buttons and sprayers in there!  (Just like his Dad!)
• Lately sharing a room with Ava and Carter has not been working out.  Ava is a night owl and wants to party while Carter the morning bird wakes her up too early, resulting in one cranky girl.  So tonight they are spending their first night apart in a year!  I'm happy to report that night one was a success.

Well, that is it for now.  I really should be unpacking, organizing and cleaning.  But instead I'm going to go enjoy a glass of Shadle cranberry wine and my hubby!     

Moving Update

Since the beginning of January we have been living out of a suitcase, visiting various grandparents.  The purpose of this was two fold: we needed close proximity to Akron to aid in the house search and allow for a "show ready" house.  We have been SO incredibly lucky because not only have we found our dream home, but our house is now under contract!  We were on the market for four days, and it sold to the very first person who saw the it!  We are beyond happy!  At this point we have had a satisfactory inspection so fall through protection has been enacted.  Our new home has had an appraisal and as soon as it has been approved by our moving company, we will be able to move in.  We are hoping to be in our new home (with furniture) in the next two weeks!

Believe me, I know how incredibly lucky we are.  We couldn't have asked for this move to proceed any smoother and we are so thankful.

Funny Kid Stories:

When we were at Meme and Grandpap Bob's house, Ava loved to put Eddie to bed. She would turn on the sound machine, cover him in blankets and shhh everyone who walked by.   

I think Eddie appreciated the use of pinky for the week.

Ya'll I'm totally slipping.  Here is Carter enjoying his very first corn dog.  As you can imagine it was very well recieved.  (By the way, the hair band is for keeping his hair down.  He really hates "up hair."  He was also sporting an Ava hair tie as a bracelet and a homemade pony bead necklace.) 

I'm so glad that we will be able to be together during the week again.  We miss Daddy so much during the week and I know staying at a hotel is wearing on Mike.  We are nearing the end of our journey, luckily it has been a short one.  

 

Changes

Well, we have finally made the big decision!  We will be moving to Akron at the beginning of the new year.  I am sad to be leaving good friends, a city that I love and of course my family.  But I believe this is an exciting new adventure for our family.  We have the opportunity to shorten Mike's commute, find a home that better suits our needs and be closer to Grandma, Bo, Uncle Jason and Aunt Tiffany.  As soon as the holidays are over, our life is going to be crazy and hectic.  Do you know the saying "be careful what you wish for, you just might get it?"  This move has been long anticipated by our family, we have been hoping for a shorter commute and a new home.  We've been throwing it out to anyone who would listen, but we've just never been able to make it happen.  But God had something different in mind for us!  We've gotten what we've been hoping for, but with a completely different twist on it than we could have ever imagined!

But back to our little life and the important things that I love to blog about.  Today I took the kids to Pump it up for a chance to jump and bounce out some energy.  I only brought my phone with me, so pardon the quality.

Ava and Dawson enjoyed some playtime together.  I just realized that Ava was sucking on the steering wheel, yuck! 

I was so proud of Ava, she was terrified to climb to the top of the big slide by herself.  Although she did it a couple of times with me following closely behind her while clutching Dawson.  Finally she did it!  But once she got to the top, she was too scared to slide down.  I was afraid I was going to have to drag the baby to the top again.

Enter one big brother.  After sitting there for awhile, I found Carter and asked him to help her.  He went to the top, took her hand, and they both slid down together.  He was so proud that he declared himself the "rescue kid."  He got a big grin on his face when Mike told him he was a "rescue kid" just like firemen and spidermen.  Although not perfect by a long shot, they have a very sweet relationship with each other.  In fact, Mike and I asked them if they would like to share a bedroom in our new house or get seperate rooms.  They both immediately answered that they wanted to share.  They were afraid of being lonely!

 

Saturday Hike

Hiking day today!

We decided to shirk responsibility.  Mike needed to mow and do lawn work, I had bathrooms and vacuuming that were screaming my name.  But we decided to go for a hike instead, and boy am I ever glad we made that decision.

Here are the pics:

Mom head hugs.

Our kids are tree huggers.  Or at least we want them to be.

I'm a sucker for a good leaf picture.

Back story in case you were scratching your head:  It was December 2006.  Mike and I headed out Museum Center for a company christmas party.  For some weird reason I was feeling incredibly tired.  Then we started looking at a photography exhibit.  There was a picture of beautiful fall leaves in a stream.  I started crying because it was just so....beautiful.  (And by the way, I'm not a frequent crier.)  Then we found out a couple days later that we were pregnant with Carter.  That explains a lot, we should have known!

Fairy in the forest

This little boy is 100% team Dad.

Family in the Forest

I can't believe that both older kids hiked an entire mile.  There was quite a bit of whining and complaining at the end, but they pulled it out.  It's funny how they were too tired to walk another step, but we had little "races" and that motivated them to finish the last quarter mile. 



Goodbye 2010

Goodbye 2010!

A year in pictures:

January

The beginnings of penguin love

February

Snow, Snow, Snow!

March

Spring is coming at the zoo

April

Our little girl turned one, and by the way a new little one is on the way!

May

Congratulations Dr. Jason

June

Camping for Daddy's Birthday

July

Playing sports with Daddy

August

Our big boy is three

September

Our ring bearer little boy

October

Pumpkin Painting Fun

November

Waiting for little brother to arrive

December

Our perfect little boy

Welcome 2011.  I can't wait to see what is in store for our family.

The Astronaut Family

Daddy Astronaut plus

Mommy Astronaut

Equals a baby Astronaut! Approximately seven years later.

(Those first two pictures are of Mike and I in the same astronaut suit at the Air Force Museum. I'm thinking it was 2002? It was one of the first outings I went on with the Shadle's.)

Introduction

My name is Tracey and I am a mommy to my toddler man C and my sweet baby girl A. I found the love of my life M in the fall of 2000 (almost nine years ago!) and we've been together since a little after then. What you see here is what follows............