CJ and Family

It's a blessing to be settling into a routine. We've sufficiently progressed through the unpacking phase to have things very functional. :) The "feathering of the nest" is most definitely a work in progress, but it will come.

Day 152. The kids enjoyed quite the ride over to Nanny & Poppy's house Monday evening ... it just might have been even better than the pizza dinner. :) (And yes, we're officially working on the making the switch from Grandma and Grandpa to Nanny and Poppy.) ;)

Day 153. It's official. The plates are switched. :) Chris also passed his CDL permit test! Thanks for praying!

The boys are enjoying having a place to spread out with their creations. Mommy and Daddy enjoy not having to wade through the piles every night before bed. ;)

Day 154. Miss Abby is still working on crawling ...

Day 155. So. Close.

Day 156.We love being near family, and we enjoyed a great visit with Jenny's grandparents this Friday! So thankful. This was the first time they had been able to meet Abby. ♥

Grandma had fun teaching the big kids how to make ornaments from fabric scraps and styrofoam balls. :)

So thankful for a really special visit! ♥

Then we had more fun that evening ... the big kids enjoyed spending time with Nanny and Poppy while Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a date night. :)

We managed to pick a very. nice. restaurant. :)

And afterwards enjoyed walking around the canal.

We even had the privilege of seeing the inner workings of the lock when a canal worker decided to interrupt the monotony of his quiet evening with some conversation. :) We were shocked to learn that the gates, the lock itself, and the engine/gears/levers are still original 1910 equipment!

Day 157. I truly am a blessed momma. Peter surprised me Saturday afternoon with this bouquet gathered from around our yard.

And my hubby figured out a very creative solution for stacking our "non-stackable" dryer on our washer. :)

And such be our days. :) Thanks for visiting. :)

What a whirlwind! On Tuesday it will have been four weeks since we loaded our moving truck. It hardly seems possible. It's been an adventure for sure. :)

If you don't mind an abundance of pictures, join us on a tour of our first few weeks in NY ...

Day 131. With "new" homes come new responsibilities, including mowing the yard ...

And fixing the septic. Definitely thankful for Grandpa's tractor which makes/made both of those jobs easier. ;)

We've had the distinct pleasure of enjoying two springs this year. :)

Day 132. Happy 10th birthday, Hannah-bug!! ♥ You bring so much joy into our lives. What a delight it is to watch you growing and maturing into a young lady. ♥

This would be the face of a young lady who was very excited about her new Kindle. :)

And she specially requested "cousins" for her birthday dinner. :) Grandma definitely blessed Mommy by continuing to provide dinner each night for this first week even though we had moved into our new home. Thanks, Grandma! ♥

Day 133. This would be a little lady who really, really wants to crawl! :)

And this is the first meal Mommy prepared on her new gas stove. I was definitely a wee bit intimidated by gas at first, but I'm really starting to enjoy it!

Day 134. This tree graces our front yard ...

And our crew can be found in its branches on a very. regular. basis. :) It's the perfect climbing tree! :)

I am loving my quiet spot in our dormer window. Having a dormer window has been a dream of mine since I was about Hannah's age. It was worth the wait. :)

Grandma took care of Mommy's birthday dinner, too. :)

And my family spoiled me. :)

Day 135. The work clothes went on and the clippers came out. :)

Day 136. And after tackling the yard, we tackled the laundry room.

I love paint. ♥

And this young man was a huge help! He played with Abby for nearly two hours while Mommy painted and the big(ger) kids helped Daddy outside. ♥

Day 137. Snuggles are a good way to wake up on your birthday ... ♥

After Daddy's birthday dinner, we took a family hike to the back of our property. It was my first time in our woods. The Lord has blessed us with 16 acres in need of a bit of TLC as they were logged (not clear cut) last summer.

Abby-girl loves being outside. :)

Daddy and his crew!! ♥

♥

Day 138. Somebody decided to explore the drawers ...

Here's our laundry room ... phase 1. :)

The wire drawers were one of my very first purchases for our new home, and I am loving them. :) I love not having stacks of folded clothes waiting to be put away, and since the drawers are easily removable, it's super easy for the kids to carry their folded clothes upstairs to their bedroom. :)

Day 139. Sometimes Daddy gets to drive the tractor to work. :) (It gets used at the shop for moving scrap metal and such ...)

Fun times :)

Day 140. Sometimes you just need to take a game break in the midst of unpacking. :)

Day 141. Abby loves Toby. ♥ And Toby is so patient with her. ♥

Day 142. Grandma watched the kiddos while Mommy and Daddy took the morning to take care of some necessary paperwork and enjoy lunch together. :)

Yep. Daddy makes a pretty good horsey. :)

A plan in the making for over two years, Daddy's birthday gift to Mommy was new pots and pans. They are beautiful, and I am so excited!!! ♥

Abby liked the box ...

Day 143. Long story short, we discovered there was a rather urgent need to replace our water heater. Thankful for the Lord's protection and provision in doing so.

Abby-girl was fascinated by Mommy's purse the entire time we were grocery shopping ...

Day 144. Remembering those who gave their lives that we might be free ... including He who died first--our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We've been pushing hard. A three hour nap was just what the doctor ordered. :)

Day 145. A pocket knife provides an excellent learning platform for young men. Peter learned a good bit this week. 'Nuff said. ;)

Abby is eating like a champ!

Day 146. And, ... DRUM-ROLL, PLEASE!!!! Our dear missionary friends came to stay with us this week!!!!! We are so thankful!! As Hannah told Sarah: "It's so good to see someone we know!"

They stayed with us for three days and we packed an abundance of fellowship and wonderful memories into those days. ♥ It was fun exploring our new neighborhood with them. ♥

At the park, we discovered that Abby loves swings! She was giggling and clapping and having so much fun!!

And her buddy Zachary was having just about as much fun! :)

Day 147. Sometimes Mommies and littles just need to sit in the shade ...

Sarah and I had so much fun planning a special surprise party for our kiddos. Just because. ♥

Day 148. Our last day together was filled to the brim! We enjoyed a picnic lunch and then a guided tour where we learned about the Erie Canal.

Janet, our tour guide, was amazing! She obviously has the heart of a teacher and did such a great job engaging with the kids.

After our field trip, the Mommies told the kids they had to play outside while the littles took their naps. Happily the Daddies were available to play outside, too, so we locked the doors behind them and prepared! :) So. Much. Fun.

Somehow I managed to lose most of my pictures from the party, but the kids were so surprised when we finally let them back in, and they all had a blast! :) It was a Big Hero 6 theme, so they had fun painting, building "microbots" from marshmallows and toothpicks, and playing "pin the heart on Baymax." Later in the evening we ate popcorn, M&M's, and seasoned oyster crackers while watching the movie. :) What a special way to end our visit together. ♥

Day 149. And guess who is ten months old!?!?

And guess who may or may not have actually taken a bite out of her circle ... !!!!

How you've grown, Abby-girl! We love you so very much!!

At ten months old, she ...

is 17.8 lbs
is eating table food ... all the same stuff we have, just cut up small. In the last month I have not found anything she won't eat.
continues to nurse well
is *usually* sleeping about 6–7 hours at night
has 8 teeth
is scooting backwards, pushing up, and oh. so. close. to crawling
is very cautious around strangers
loves. to. bounce. With great delight, she throws herself backwards repeatedly in her exersaucer, high chair, your lap ...
loves Toby