Friday, December 12, 2014

A PISTOL & A HANDFUL {2 & 5}

Ava is ready for school. It becomes more and more evident every day. 

The other day, I asked Jaina who her favorite princess is. Without hesitation she said, "Ava!"

Potty training is going wonderfully. She only wears a diaper at night and the solid end is coming along but I don't trust her 100% on that yet. 

Jaina calls oatmeal "opio"

Ava helped me carry the groceries in and as I passed her on the sidewalk lugging a gallon of milk she said, "Mom, you know I have slightly intense muscles for this sort of thing." 

Thursday, December 11, 2014

OSCAR DEAN {8 MONTHS}

  • Growing like a weed
  • Size 5 diapers
  • 18-24 month clothes
Oscar is crawling all over the place and even pulls himself up to stand once in a while.
He loves to get into the dog food and chew on phone chargers.
He falls asleep like a champ but he doesn't stay that way. He still wakes up a handful of times every night. It's starting to take it's toll on my mama brain. Just yesterday I put the milk in the pantry and microwaved my oats without water. I feel like we've tried everything....
Oscar loves Tap....and taking baths.
He cut three teeth all at once for a total of six now. Four on top and two on the bottom. 
It seems like he's losing interest in baby food. He still loves to nurse and now prefers that over solids. Maybe it's time to start him on some black beans and soft chunks. He does like his finger foods....
Sits like a big boy in the bath tub.
He's a little bit of a cuddle bug. :)
He's not a fan of getting his picture taken...it's like pulling teeth to get him to smile. :) Takes after his Dad maybe. 

ANOTHER ADVENTURE

I've been trying to write this post for a month but up until now, there have been too many unknowns. 
We had planned on moving this summer when our lease was up but life never goes as you plan it and our time line got moved up...to the end of January. 
How do you decide where you're going to settle down? When the world is open to you, how do you choose? When your families are almost 2,000 miles apart....how do you choose? 
We did the only thing that made sense to us. We started applying for jobs in both Oregon and Minnesota. When it came right down to it, we wanted our choice to be very clear. No questions...no doubts. 
There were two interviews with companies in Oregon, one in Austin, TX for a possible remote position and then one in Duluth, MN. Donald had two phone interviews with the company in Duluth and then they flew him up to spend the day with them. He spent a long weekend with my parents and when he got back to TX, they offered him a job and gave him everything he asked for. 
Could it have been more clear? I don't think so. 
Because of this, I'm surprisingly chill. 
But, just because our decision was practically made for us doesn't mean it's without it's complications. Like our lease....it's not up until July. 
Also, it's bittersweet in a lot of ways. Our hearts are in Oregon too. We have some very special friends here in Texas and it'll be hard to leave them. The girls love our friends here. Ava has told me more than once that she doesn't want to make new friends when we move because she already has friends.  
One thing that amazes me is that I think that Donald is more excited than I am. We've come a long way folks. :)
I don't think it's really sunk in for me yet. I never thought I'd live in MN again. When I think about all of the things I want to do with my kids I get that funny feeling in my heart....like it's going to burst. When I think about finally living close to my parents...I tear up. 
This will be our eighth move in eight years together. I'm ready to settle. 
Mild winters have made me soft....will we survive? 
According to my Grandma, "It's cold, windy, snowy and wonderful."
Spoken like a true Swede Minnesotan. :)