End of Year Wrap-Up

We have finished kindergarten and 1st grade!!!  I'm so proud of Savvy and Cohen, they handled switching schools like pros.  Savannah got straight A's and E's since she's been at the new school so we got to attend a special ceremony for her

 When we were leaving the program I was talking and I heard Savannah yell "mom caleb's booty" and I look to find Caleb, shorts and underwear around his ankles taking care of business...on the elementary school...exhibit A

 We have been getting so much rain lately.  It has warmed up enough so Norah and Caleb were able to play in it

 Cohen had his kindergarten graduation and I did get teary, I'm just so proud of him.  He did wonderful and looked precious singing the songs;)

 And I found them like this one day, we just need one more door for Norah ;)

My baby is 1

I can't believe that Norah Jane is one.  We have had such a wonderful, hard and amazing year.   You are so beautiful and precious and absolutely, positively adored by all of us.

But on May 1st 2014 you were not feeling it :)  You had the motto "its my party and I'll cry if I want to"

We had a lot of this...

                                                        and this...

and I thought surely a prozac cake from muddy's would turn things around but...

no

 We love you sweet girl, screams and all!  To your credit I do think you were teething.

                                   M.A. came even though she felt horrible :(

  Before dinner that night we were waiting for Mom and M.A. to come and this is how Caleb greeted them.  I sure do love my boys

Easter

We celebrated Easter with Mom and M.A., Michael's family and Dad's family!  It was so wonderful to be able to be with everyone this year.  The kids got way too much candy and we all ate way too much food :)

 This really happened, and that is M.A. and Cohen smelling Savvy's armpit... Savannah has wanted to wear deodorant since she was two.  I used to pretend to put it on her but a year ago she figured out that I was rubbing the side of the deodorant bottle on her instead of the deodorant itself.  I'm a hippie at heart and believe less is usually more and the aluminum in it..yada yada.  I told her I didn't want her wearing it until she needed it (AKA smelled).  This has turned into her always checking to see if she's ready for deodorant.  So here she is so excited and trying to convince everyone that her armpits stunk.

Random Random

I thought I needed to post some pictures of the kitchen!  We love it and I can say now it was worth the weeks of not having counters, cabinets and appliances... and much, much better than the pineapple wallpaper that was there when we moved in.  But I bet in 10 years I will think pineapple wallpaper is so vintage and wish I had it in my kitchen ;)

 I talked my dad and Drew into driving to mom's storage to pick up some furniture for me... we also picked up M.A. and Emma.  You can't see Norah or Emma in the picture but there were 7 breathing things riding back in this 1992 truck

 I'm so in love with this picture, I love Norah's face, M.A.'s face and the fact that Blake and Elizabeth are at our house

 We went to Wynne one weekend and got to experience Picnic'N.  It was so much fun, different stores downtown had local artwork displayed and each store was given a country and had food and wine to represent it.  So yummy.  The art was beautiful but Savvy was so disturbed because there were some paintings of ladies, well just naked, she ran over to me and said dramatically "mom we have to get our of here NOW, there is inappropriate pictures"  I love her

 April and the kids came in town and we cooked out and got to enjoy our fire pit that Michael made

Memphis livin

Our first month back home was a whirlwind.  Moving across the country, buying a home, unpacking, renovating and lets just throw in 4 kids... it's been cRaZy!  Michael texted me one night when he was driving to Memphis and asked how it was going.  I sent this picture and it captures how we were doing to a T

We've survived and most things have settled down now.  Savvy and Cohen have handled the transition like all-stars.  They are loving their new school and really really loving being back with grandparents 

 Caleb had a harder time.  He still doesn't fully understand what "Memphis" is.  He cried the first couple of nights because he wanted his bed and just couldn't comprehend what was happening.  He has lived in Washington longer than Tennessee but I wasn't expecting him to struggle with the move.  He is doing much better now but still talks about our friends in WW a lot :(

                         Our old friendships have picked up right where they left off

                          Caleb's made some girlfriends :)  He loves to hold hands

                             And I got a much appreciated girls night out :)

Adventure

Savannah, Cohen, Caleb and Norah,
                       My main reason I try to keep a blog is for you (actually the main reason I do most things is for you).  I hope that in 15-20 years you can look back at this glimpse of our lives and it rekindles memories and brings laughter.  I imagine one question you will have as you grow is "why the heck did we live in Walla Walla for 2 years?" So I'm going to write it down here, because I can hardly remember anything now and in 10 years I will probably be asking "why did we move to Walla Walla :)   When Savannah was around 2 daddy and I went out to eat and one of us mentioned how neat it would be to live in another country while you guys were young, to see a different part of the world, for you to experience a different culture, and right then and there we decided we were going to start looking for some international jobs.  He applied everywhere, Africa, Germany, Australia, you name it we tried.  Then 3 years later, and a new job at the Corp, and a Caleb, and after every single door being shut we thought maybe God was telling us we needed to stay in Memphis.  In October of 2011 we decided that if nothing happened by January 1st then we should stay put.  So he kept on applying and then we got and accepted an offer to Walla Walla December 1st :)
       I had never even heard of this town.  We were so excited and terrified and kept telling each other this is going to be such an adventure and even if it ended up a horrific adventure at least we would be together.  It has been far from horrific, actually it has been even better than I could have imagined.  We have learned so much and you have learned so much.  We have made lifelong friends and memories and fallen in love with the northwest.  But one lesson that has been made clear to me is that you don't have to move across the country for an adventure :)  Don't get me wrong, moving across the country is an adventure but you have the choice to have an adventure every. single. day right where you are.  Waiting an hour to get my oil changed... adventure, 3 hour plane delays... adventure, up to my eyeballs in laundry... adventure.  Our happiness and attitude is totally up to us, regardless of circumstances we choose.  And I choose life and love and pray you do too.   Its hard, life is hard and there are times I've wanted to throw in the towel or I've failed you or things just aren't fair.  BUT there is hope, for me, dad, you but again you have to choose.  Most of life is out of our control but in Jesus there is life, love and hope and saying yes to him your life will be changed and will change the lives of people who are around you.
     Each one of you are so crazy precious to your dad and I.  I pray you know you're worth and who it is rooted in then choose to go live your adventures.  I love you forever and always

Winding Down

Our time here in Walla Walla is winding down and my emotions are all over the place.  I'm ecstatic to be living back home... just writing the word home warms my soul.  But then telling my friends bye has been really, REALLY hard.  We've been soaking up our last weeks

We have a chain length count down

My crazy man when camping and snow shoeing in the snow

Visiting the BEST toy and candy store ever

                                  Norah has been telling her friends bye

We had the Nelsons and Giovando's over for Super Bowl and we got snow :)  Savvy came in soaking wet, she washed her hair with snow outside