Our Home

Okay friends, here are pictures of our new home and some of what we have been doing to pass the cold days. The first pictures are of Ellie's room (Riley counting for hide-and-seek) and a Pinterest project I did for her room, the boys room, the upstairs bathroom and a Pinterest project I just finished in there. Then, there is the foyer from two angles, followed by the livingroom/toyroom, the downstairs bathroom and the kitchen. I know some of the pictures are dark but at least you get the idea. I didn't get a pic of our bedroom because Thatch was napping in there at the time. In addition you will see storytime, Riley's playdough creations and a "cave". Enjoy!

What's Been Happening

In the last two weeks we have packed up all our worldly possessions, spent a few nights "camping" in our own home, went to a wedding (actually we only made it to the reception because we were still packing), spent the night in a hotel, moved, unpacked, unpacked, unpacked and oh yeah, took care of three kids in the midst of all of it. And Griffin started a new job. It's been pretty slow around here. :-) We are slowly finding a new normal here. It helps that I lived here before and know where to buy groceries, get gas, the quickest route to the ER, and the quickest route to a Starbucks. The kids love their new home and the stairs they get to climb multiple times a day (since we moved from a ranch home). I am loving my beautiful and spacious kitchen and all the storage I have now. Hopefully pictures of the new home will come soon. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the last two weeks. My baby.

My big boy.

The moving van.

All empty.

Our last lunch.

Making new memories in our new home in Ellie's new big girl bed.

I'd be lying if I said I'm not tearing up looking at these pictures and thinking about the last few weeks. I loved that home and all the people that entered it and got to live life with us there. It is sad to think that season of life is over. Sad. I know there are good things for us here. Really good things. I am excited about being here but I am also sad. The kids asked about their preschool friends today and I tried to explain why they are there and we are here. They asked about our old neighbors Jim and Marie and I had to try and explain that too. Moving isn't easy. The kids are resilant and they are already excited about their new neighbors that had them over for a playdate today. I am excited about our new neighbors too. I'm excited to attend PSU events and activities, to be involved on campus again with the Navigators and to see our family grow (not in number but in years) here. I'm excited for the home that God provided for us here, right by a park and a great walking trail. But, as I try to figure out the new normal for us, our daily routine, fun activities to do here with the kids, etc. I mourn the loss of Lancaster and all God provided for us there. Four years ago when we moved there I was thankful to be there and no longer in Philly but I longed to be back in State College. Now, five years after I left (when I married Griff) I am back. God brought me back here. He answered many prayers of mine and Griff's. And for that I am excited to see what He is going to do here in and through us.

Their Many Faces

These days are extremely crazy and full with preparation for our big move. So, in the midst of it all we have found some comic relief in our children and their many faces. Happy Face -

Angry Face -

Sad Face -

Poopin' Face -

Happy Face -

Sad Face -

Angry Face -

Poopin' Face -

Happy Face -

Angry Face -

Spittin' Face -

He's 4!

My sweet Riley came into the world four years ago weighing only four pounds eleven ounces at 8:10am. He was a smiler from the beginning and continues to be a charmer. He got to celebrate his special day with Grandma and Grandpa Henry, Mommy, Daddy, Ellie and Thatcher. He also got lots of phone calls from family. His requested meal was chocolate chip pancakes, which if you know Riley is always a hit. And he got his first bike for this fourth birthday. A black, red, and white Hot Wheels bike with training wheels. We are already practicing in the basement.

November 2013

Before I can post pictures from November I obviously need to take a little time to catch people up on October. Here is Thatcher's 1 month photo. He weighed 10 pounds 6 ounces which was what Riley weighed at his three month check-up.

And then somehow it is November already...

Thatcher weighs in at 13 pounds 5 ounces and is 23 inches long. No wonder my back is hurting so much.

Behind the Name

Thatcher Levi Jones was born into the world on September 13th and I must be honest, I am in love with this little guy. It feels like he has been part of our family much longer than 17 short days. The kids love him. Ellie is constantly wanting to see him, kiss him, hold him, touch him, hug him. I am glad it is this way and that they aren't asking me if we can take him back to the hospital. Many have asked us where we came up with Thatcher's name and so I thought I would try and explain for all who are curious. Thatcher was actually a name we tossed around a little bit when we were thinking of names for Riley but it never stuck. This time around it was on the list pretty early on again and it just stayed there. Whenever I would pray for him I kept feeling like his name started with a "T". I kept throwing out different "T" names but Griff would quickly shoot them down. Many names were talked about, a long list was made (of non "T" names and many names were crossed off the list as well, leaving only Thatcher. The middle name actually didn't come about until two weeks before he was born. For the last couple months of the pregnancy I had been having contractions but when we were at church and I was singing during worship I would have a lot of contractions and he would be moving like crazy in that crammed little space. One Friday night we were at our church for a conference. I was only 35 weeks pregnant at that point, so not fullterm yet. During the extended worship that night I was having contractions every 3 minutes and thought, "This might be the night!" Thankfully, I went home, layed down and the contractions subsided. But, after several weeks of on and off contractions during worhsip we just felt like the Lord was trying to tell us something. This little boy, from the womb, was going to be a worshipper. So, I began looking for names that meant worship, worshipper, etc. Nothing really stuck out to us until one morning I was reading in the Bible and came across Jeremiah 33:22 - "I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashores." There it was! David and the Levites were followers of God. He would blessed them and make their descendants measureless. Wow! Riley's middle name is David and there in the same verse it talked about the Levites as well. They were the priest in the Old Testament that went before the Lord and worshipped, made sacrifices for the people, prayed, etc. It seemed fitting that Thatcher's middle name be Levi and Griff whole-heartedly agreed. So, we have added Thatcher (aka Thatch, Thatchy, T-bone, T-dawg) Levi Jones to our family and we are enjoying getting to know him, learn about him and watch him grow.

Our Last Week in Pictures