A View Through My Lens: Our Neighborhood

The other day, Charlotte and I took my camera out on a walk through our neighborhood searching for signs of fall.  Uhhhhh...we found exactly zero.  It doesn't help that the high was 90 degrees that day.  We ended up just taking pictures of each other and stuff on our street.

However, it occurred to me on the walk, I could share some of the photos so our friends and family have a chance to see what our area looks like.  This part of Texas certainly has its own feel, and even though I didn't necessarily love the look at first, it's starting to grow on me.

Without further ado, here are some shots we took.

This is me, everyday.  Looking like a slouch, usually with a baby strapped to me.

This is Charlotte, everyday.  Off frolicking in her own happy world.

Here is what the houses look like--big, brick, with two story entrances.

Suburban in the driveway, naturally.

This is the look of the neighborhood streets--lots of trees and shade.

Everyone with a kid in middle school or high school that plays a sport has a sign in the yard.  The signs are EVERYWHERE.

Football rules in the Texas, of course.

Ice hockey?  Eh, it doesn't rule so much, but our neighbor does play :)

And everyone has their address numbers painted on the curb right outside their house.  Most are adorned with a Texas flag or, more often, a favorite sports logo--haha.

I don't have any pictures of this, but Texas A&M logos are ubiquitous.  Texas A&M to our area is very much like Virginia Tech to Salem, VA.  It's fairly close to here, and people pick their car colors based on their love of A&M.  UT is more like UVA, although you very rarely see any UT logos around.

Another thing that is different here is the mailboxes.  Mail is not delivered to your house.  There are larger mailboxes for 16 houses that are stationed around the neighborhood.  It's almost like what you'd have in a townhouse community.  Our mailbox is just two houses down, and we certainly don't mind the walk, but it kind of threw me off when I first moved here.  Cate is actually the mail girl now, she loves going to get it :)

Being in Texas makes us happy, happy, happy.  We really love it here.

Yay Texas!

Looking Back

I was looking back through pictures from the spring in Virginia, and I couldn't help but think, "Uhhh, that was THIS year?"  So many things have happened since April, anything before that almost seems in the distant past.  I am talking 2015 photos looked like they were circa 2012.  Totally bizarre!

This could not have happened in 2015.

I was pregnant a few months ago? #waitwhat #notpossible

Texas prep was underway THIS past spring??!?  Feels like it's been forever.

Part of it is that it's like Emery has always been with our family.  This ridiculously cheesy, but he is the perfect little puzzle piece to our crew.  We were at Chick Fil A last weekend, as a family of five, and Cate looked around at our table.  She then announced very honestly "This family is perfect, I love everyone here and love when we're all together!"  So glad she approves of us! ;)  And then she announced we aren't having any more babies. Haha!

Emery really is the greatest thing to happen to our family and a great baby.  He came at the most perfect time, and I love that the girls can enjoy him.  They light up whenever they see him.  And he lights up right back.  The other day he was smiling at Charlotte and she said "Oh my, Emery!  You are just too cute, I can't take it!"  And then she covered her eyes to really prove her point.  So sweet.

It took me a long time to feel like I was sort of in a groove, but I'm getting there.  I mean, I'm still generally a hot mess, but I can usually pull things together when I need to.  I will say I finally reached the point in life where I had to think **really hard** about when my last shower was.  Eww!  Dry shampoo is my best friend.  #noseriously

Emery is finally able to put himself to sleep pretty reliably, and generally goes down for the night when the girls do.  At three and a half months, he weighs more than 15 pounds, is learning to reach and grasp things in a fluid motion, sees us across the room, is able to roll, and talks/laughs/kicks up a storm when he sees Rhett or the girls.

Cate's mission in life is to hold Emery as much as possible.

Three months and gaining serious leg rolls.

Thank you, God, for this most precious gift, and all the gifts in my life.  I read recently something that said "If your children are healthy and you have a roof over your heard, you are living the dream."  How true that is.  I'm looking back on all that we've been given this year and I am so very grateful.

Six

This afternoon we got Cate's teacher assignment for first grade.  FIRST GRADE.  In real elementary school.  You know, that big brick building with those giant kids running around, and huge rooms for lunch and Gym.

Every parent marvels when their kids hit a big milestone, but doing that feels especially abrupt with your oldest.  You think, "Wait, what?  Already?  How did we get here?"  First grade sounded so young to me a few years ago, but it really isn't.  Looking around at other first graders I can't help but think just how big they are.

And, of course, Cate turned six last month so on to first grade we go.  Every year, I have her answer the same set of questions.  Here are her answers for this year:

Favorite Color :: Yellow and Pink
Favorite Toy :: Razor scooter
Favorite Fruit :: Pineapple
Favorite TV Show :: Jake and the Neverland Pirates [note: I have no idea why she said this, we never watch it!  I think it's because it's the forbidden fruit and so she finds it super desirable.  Ugh, is this a preview of what's to come when she's a teenager??!? ;)]
Favorite Movie :: Frozen
Favorite Thing to Wear :: My new sandals and flowy Lilly Pulitzer dress [another note: the LP dress is from Target!]
Favorite Animal :: Cat and flamingo
Favorite Song :: Jesus is My Superhero
Favorite Book :: Any "I Can Read" Book
Best Friend :: Kaitlin, Vivian, and Taffe
Favorite Snack :: Peanut granola bar
Favorite Drink :: Milk, Dr. Pepper [I let her have her first sip of soda on her bday], and a Slurpee
Favorite Breakfast :: Waffles
Favorite Lunch :: Strawberries, carrots, cheese stick, and pretzels
Favorite Dinner :: Noodles, carrots, strawberries, and yogurt
Favorite Game :: UNO
Favorite Thing to do Outside :: Hula hoop
Favorite Holiday :: Christmas
What Do You Sleep With At Night :: Yellow Blanket and Soft Pink Bunny
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up :: An art teacher and a mommy

And here are a few recent shots of Cate:

First morning as a 6 year old!

Showing off her new Bible, a gift from Mr. Brian.

With her favorite gift, Emery.

Cate requested a pink and yellow ice cream cake with mint chocolate chip ice cream.  Ask and you shall receive! 

One Month Old

"I'm gonna watch you shine

Gonna watch you grow

Gonna paint a sign so you'll always know

As long as one and one is two

There will never be a (mother) 

Who loved (her son) more than I love you."

-Paul Simon

ELK

A couple years into dating, Rhett and I started talking about "the future."  We got to talking about children--how many, when to have them, and what their names would be.  We settled on the name Emery Lynn for a boy early on in those discussions.  Rhett is actually Everett Laverne (the third!) but we are not French royalty and decided that he would be the last one in this line.  However, we could keep his initials, ELK, and honor our grandfathers, Emery (Rhett's maternal GF), and Lynn (my paternal GF) at the same time.  Obviously, we had no idea whether or not we'd ever have a boy, but it was fun to talk about all the same and we both hoped we would.

Fast forward to last summer, when I was still going through my never-ending fourth miscarriage.  It was a real low point and it seemed like we'd never have another child, much less a boy.  Emery Lynn was something I was starting to let go of.  And then, of course, things have a way of happening, all for the best.  You can't see it when you're in the thick of the hard times, but really, each event is woven into God's big, beautiful tapestry of life.

After being surprised and elated upon finding out we were expecting in June, I went on to have a normal pregnancy very similar to Cate and Charlotte's.  Of course, I was on Lovenox, and my mind was consumed with an all-time high amount of stress, worry, and anxiety...and that, my friends, is saying something.  But, in my head, I was pretty positive we were having another girl because of the similarities to the others.

On the date of my scheduled c-section, June 5, we went in around 10:30am to prep for a noon surgery.  It was SO SURREAL to be at the hospital, waiting on the doctor.  Once she got there, she told Rhett that he would be the one to call the sex.  Rhett got suited up and they took me back to the OR a little while after 12pm.

I had to get the spinal done without Rhett (wahhhhh!).  I forgot how quickly the medicine works and a minute later I could feel nothing from the chest down.  Soon enough, Rhett came in and the doctors began their work.  I felt TERRIBLE and very exposed and so nauseous.  I remember thinking "I am not doing this again!"  They gave me some packet of oils to sniff which helped and when I heard the doctor yell out "One minute to baby" things got really real!

My doctor yelled "Stand up, Dad!" and Rhett jumped.  Then he looked down at me and said "IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!"  I said, "No, it's not!" and he repeated "It's a boy!!!"  I cried, the end.

Emery Lynn entered the world at 12:43pm on June 5 and it still hasn't all totally sunken in that I have a son.  We are so happy, grateful, and amazed.

Cate and Charlotte came to visit later in the afternoon.  As we've done with all of our babies, Rhett has changed into a colored shirt, pink for the girls, blue for Emery, once we've gone back to our room.  Cate knew this and was rushing into the room to see what color Rhett was wearing.  She later told me she could barely sit still on the car ride to the hospital because she couldn't wait to see if the shirt was pink or blue.

Both girls love their baby brother very much.  Cate loves him HARD.  Like, as if he's her baby doll who can be lifted by the arms.  Charlotte is much more gentle and even though she originally said she wanted a sister, she is so happy with a brother and tells me all the time, "I don't want Emery to grow up ever!  I want him to stay a baby forever!"

Here are some shots from our first couple of weeks of us at home with our sweet ELK:

House Tour: The Girls' Room

We are just a handful of days away from my c-section (how did that happen??!?), and Rhett and I have been working steadily for the past month+ to get our house in an almost settled state before the baby arrives.  We weren't going for perfection, but we've gotten through a bunch of projects and made a good number of purchases to help fill in our new home.  The projects have been suuuuch a nice distraction to get me away from my crazy pregnancy anxiety and they've made us really love this house.

Since we can't have all of our friends and family over to see the house, I figured I'd do a few posts on some rooms that we've completed (for now).  

The first room we finished was the girls' room.  Rhett and I really, really wanted them to feel settled and excited about their new digs.  I'm a terrible decorator, and we couldn't do a ton with their room in Northern VA anyway because we were just renting.  So, we hadn't purchased too many things to make their old room nice.  Here, I couldn't afford to go out and buy all new stuff, so I did what pretty much everyone else in America has to do and I used what we had to furnish the room plus some family hand-me-downs.  Rhett did give me a little house decorating budget though, so I was able to make a few purchases.  I utilized fancy retailers such as Target and Home Goods to make it all work.

Here is the room:

Walking in...

...and even further in 

Toys/books

Beds

The color on the walls is Sherwin Williams White Dogwood.  It is a pale pink, and it ended up working surprisingly well in the room (and I say surprising because I solely relied on Pinterest--I didn't even test a paint sample on the wall).  It's enough color without being overpowering, which was my fear in painting an entire room pink.  We used the girls old drapes and curtain rod from Pottery Barn Kids (sorry, I didn't get a good picture of those).  Their window is super low and small, and the drapes are massive, so we hung them high and wide and thankfully it makes the window look much bigger.

I got new crystal lamps from Home Goods for the dresser and Cate and Charlotte love them.  Thankfully they can turn them on themselves which I never really thought about, but is a HUGE help.

We also put an old Pottery Barn Kids shelving unit and a book rack from One Step Ahead in to tame some of the clutter.  Rhett proudly hung a Carolina pennant near the toys so the girls don't get too disillusioned seeing all of the Texas A&M gear here.  It's EVERYWHERE.

The beds were my grandparents' and they are old and perfect.  It makes me smile that we have them.  I ordered new white on white monogrammed duvets and shams from Pottery Barn when they had a big sale a few months ago.  I also used some pillows and storage benches from their old room.  My mom stitched needlepoints for both girls, and those appear over their beds.  They also have a hand-me-down nightstand with an old white lamp, the greatest clock in existence, and Cate's Russian dolls on it.

The room has been great so far and the girls are so happy to share.  When one has to go to bed before the other, they are sooooo sad to be by themselves.  I'm sure there are many hours of lost sleep from sharing, but the girls love being with each other so much, I could never split them up.

Hope you like the room--I think the girls do!

Texas

Yee haw--we are here in Texas and loving it!  Everyone is still adjusting, and we are still organizing the house, but so far, so good.  Here is a quick recap of the past few weeks:

The girls and I bid farewell to the boys--Rhett, Homer, and Major--a few weekends ago as they trekked from VA to TX in my Suburban.  Our vet made it clear that Homer was not to fly and if we did put him on a plane, he would likely have a heart attack (!!!).  So the plan was made for Rhett to drive the three days to Texas with the dogs.  Rhett kept threatening to make a "Free Westie" t-shirt and let Major out somewhere before the Texas border, but somehow my little buddy made it--phew!  They stopped in Roanoke and Nashville before making a 12-hour drive to Texas, and they all seemed a little keyed up when they got to the house.  But, everyone made it.

The girls and I had it a little easier--we flew.  The plan was to stop in Charlotte, NC and have a nice layover so we could get lunch and meander over to our gate.  That was before the Charlotte airport SHUT DOWN for an hour in the middle of our flight, so we circled forever before finally landing.  I then had to haul my girls and everyone's suitcases and backpacks--they wouldn't carry them for more than five minutes and I had no time to argue--we had to get to the complete opposite side of the airport before our second flight took off.  But again, everyone made it.

Everyone's favorite in-flight activity--movies!

Our stuff arrived off the moving van a couple of days after we got to TX and we began the great unpacking.  Cate started school the day after that.  She was definitely overwhelmed at the size and volume of her new school since she was used to being at her little Kindergarten program with nine kids and two teachers.  Her new school has 20 kids and 1 teacher with a "humongous" (her word) cafeteria and gym.  But, Cate made a new friend quickly who also happens to live in our neighborhood, and it's been pretty smooth since then.  Her new friend is named Devon and he is apparently "so cute" and Cate "loves him."  I also witnessed them holding hands in school--poor Rhett is not thrilled about that.  Regardless, the girls LOVE the fact we can walk to school and they take every opportunity to do that.

First day!

Charlotte and I have found a little playground one neighborhood over, and we usually stop by on the way home from school.

Charlotte in her happy place :)

We very much like our house, even though, to us, it is pretty "Texas."  Rhett kindly gave me a decorating budget, which allowed me to paint a good chunk of the house ahead of time, and take away some of the Texas elements that I didn't necessarily love.

Giddy up--we're home!

The girls' room was the first thing to be settled.

Part of MY decorating budget was a new TV--funny how that happened?!?!  Not sure I wanted to account for that.  Rhett and Cate hooked it up for me, so that did help on installation costs though.

We've found the Target, Home Goods, a church, and a good pizza place, as well as a decent grocery store (RIP my visits to Wegmans--sooooo upsetting they don't have them here).  I also visited my new OBGYN who was refreshingly well versed in Lovenox.  Below is a picture of what I looked like last week.  At this point, I'm scheduled for a c-section on June 5 which is less than four weeks away.

It's so surreal to type "less than four weeks" when I'm talking about a new baby, and it also makes me realize how much I have left to do!  But I am pausing to enjoy our new (for now) normal, with wide, tree-lined streets and nice neighbors :)

Ahhhh...

Grateful

It has been so long since I've had any updates, I know!  A few weeks ago I started an insanely long blog post detailing all of my medical history over the past eight or so months but I immediately trashed it because what is more boring than someone else's medical issues?  Hahaha, not much I say!

The wonderful, awesome, terrifying, happy, scary, thrilling news is that we are expecting #3 in June.  The other wonderful, awesome, terrifying, happy, scary, thrilling news is that we are moving to Texas in less than two weeks--a few months before we expected to go.  We've closed on our house and we're already underway with a few updates.  Huzzah!

The girls are psyched because we have a pool--they don't yet realize that most people have one--so they think we are livin' large in Texas :)

I'll try to post more updates after we move and as we get closer to June.  There is so much to look forward to and be grateful for.