The Mountains

This past weekend Titus took his first trip to the mountains. I had my first trip to the same mountain cabin when I was a month old. When my grandfather was young he bought the cabin with a group of his friends. When he married my grandmother they went together, then they took their daughters and then us grandkids. It's been in the family forever and I have great childhood memories of time spent there. As I've gotten older it's lost most of its charm (for me) and I haven't been there much in the past twelve years. I was hesitant about going this summer being eight months pregnant and having contractions and terrible back pain the past week. The morning we were to leave, I still wasn't sure what to do. But Titus and I packed up the car and decided we would join the family and go. Steve had to work so we went with my mom, dad, sister and her two youngest. The next day my aunt Audrey, aunt Jean, her husband, and my cousin Pam came. It was a tight fit in that little cabin, but we enjoyed our time together. Titus loved it. He was outside most of the day. He was dirty from the moment he stepped foot outside in the morning until I washed him up at night (no shower or bathtub). He played with cousin Jackson with cars and trucks in the dirt, following Jackson everywhere. Towards the end of trip they started to bicker like siblings, but mostly got along really well. It made me even more excited to see Titus grow up with a brother. It was a difficult trip for me, but I made it through and am glad to have been able to make new memories with Titus there at the cabin.

Titus Turns Two

At two years old, Titus is...

...fun, fearless, curious, active, loving, wild, mischievous.

It's been amazing watching him grow into this little boy. He lost all his baby looks when he lost his curls. He looks so old to me some days. Entering the 2's has been a difficult transition for us all. :) I hate to call them the "terrible twos" although I understand why many people do. We have many challenging days together, but so many sweet moments as well. He is still attached to his elephant blanket, who he calls Fonti. Even more so during this time of moving than he was before. Although we are starting to work on that. He loves to clean with the Swiffer just like his dad. He is daddy's little buddy and loves when Steve is home with us. I haven't begun potty training yet, but hope to soon. We are big on manners and he does really well with that. Although he is usually the rough one at a play date, even beating up the older kids...his cousin Jackson (almost 5yrs). Steve and him have a saying they do each night before bed. Steve says, "Titus is big and strong and smart and..." Titus finishes with, "Tough!" Steve has started telling him stories at night which I love. I am excited to see him as a big brother. I think he will be the leader and a great friend to his little brother. We continue to pray that great things are in store for him and that we will have many years together as a family. We love our little Titus and are so blessed by him.

Getting Moved In

I'm sitting here at our kitchen table in our new home. So much to be done yet. I want to decorate and organize and move furniture and paint and get the nursery done...and on and on the list goes. I'm now 32 weeks pregnant and I started having back/leg pain last week and have been unable to do much of anything. It's a struggle to stay still and rest when there is so much I want to do. Not only am I in a new house and wanting/needing to unpack and decorate but I am entering the nesting phase of this pregnancy. At the moment, I am trying to resist the urge to paint our bedroom and put together the crib.

This is our fourth home in the seven years we've been married. I always forget how much goes into moving. I enjoy the packing but about halfway through the unpacking I realize I don't want to go through it all again for a long time.

---took a break for lunch, put Titus down for a nap, and put the crib together :)---

Steve and I both have a desire to see the world and live near the beach and travel...so I'm not sure that this is where we'll stay for long either. That's also the reason why we decided not to buy a house but rather to rent once again. Although we feel this is best for our family now, it isn't to say that it's where we'll feel is best for us in the years ahead.

It continues to be a struggle to adjust to this area. It's a huge transition to see Amish buggies and farmers...living right next door and across the street. Since moving in we've had two Amish families come to welcome us to the neighborhood. Steve came in the house yesterday and said, "We have a cow on our roof." It's a metal cow and I had noticed it a few days earlier and kinda cringed as well. I think we both would consider ourselves more of the city-loving type so to now be living in the middle of farmland is a huge change. At the same time we are seeing the positives of being back. Steve says for him it's seeing Titus so happy. For me it's been the help of family to babysit and meeting up with old friends. And it is great to see Titus running and playing in our new house and outside. We've been able to bring out toys that were too loud for him to play with in the condo. We don't have to worry about people hearing him through the walls or the floor. For me, it's been very freeing not to have to put such restrictions on him. I also love all the windows here in this house. I felt trapped in a lot of days in the condo. Now I have a whole room made entirely of windows. It's been rainy the past two days and I've loved it. I find it relaxing.

So, as we continue to transition, and unpack, and prepare for the new baby, and Steve gets ready to start his new job...we're so glad to have the help of our families and friends to lighten our load.


Oh, and I know our web address still includes 'mayos in florida' and though we're not in Florida anymore, I've decided not to go through the hassle of changing it. And, who knows, maybe we'll be back there one day...Steve thinks we will be. :)