Updates from Bentonville!

I'm going to take a break from posting all the pictures from the past few weeks just to give you some updates. So many people have called or emailed us to see how we're doing so I thought I'd take a minute to fill you all in. :)

Gavin loves his new home! The child wakes up saying "outside" and says it all day long until we give in....then he never wants to come in. He is perfectly content playing in the backyard with his new water table (thanks to some very special people in Cincinnati) or rolling balls down the driveway. Mommy doesn't like that game very much, though. :) He's doing much better in his new big boy bed than we thought he would. Naps are still hard - we can't just lay him in his bed like we did with the crib. He gets out and knocks on the door crying. Night time, though, he does really well. Last night, he fell out of the bed for the first time. :( Hopefully that doesn't make our big-boy-bed a scary place... As we inch closer to his second birthday, I think he's hitting a growth spurt. Our bug is FINALLY eating....A LOT!!! He's eating all three meals plus snacks, and trying foods he never ate before. Thanks to samples at Sam's Club, we found out he loves ham now. In the past week or so, he's also eaten other random foods like shrimp scampi and cashews! Hopefully we see a good weight gain at his next appointment.

Jarrod is adjusting to his new job. It's a different pace of life for him - much less chaotic than being in the club. I think after the whole adjustment period is over, he's really going to love the hours. There aren't anymore 5am days, so most mornings Gavin is waking up just as he's leaving so he gets to say goodbye. He's home for dinner every night! It's so nice for me to plan dinners without trying to figure out what nights he has to close, etc. Of course, he's thoroughly enjoying yard work again. :) That's definitely something he missed while living in the apartment.

I love the new house. I can't believe how much space we have and filled up so quickly. It's finally starting to feel like our home now that we got some pictures on the walls. We still have a lot to do, but it's getting there. Hopefully by the time I finish with the recent pictures that need to be posted, the house will look good enough to take pictures and I'll post those as well. Maybe even a little 'tour' thanks to the Flip Camera. I love having access to the rec. Swim classes with Gavin are great, and even though I haven't been much, I really do enjoy working out again. It's just stressful knowing Gavin's crying the entire time in the child care...I really hope he gets used to it and enjoys going. Our neighborhood is really nice. It's quiet, and everyone is friendly. The area is very pretty - just more cows than I've ever seen in my entire life put together! I'm excited to get my Tastefully Simple business going again here and meeting even more people.

We haven't found a playgroup yet, but I'm thinking about possibly starting my own. We still try to get out daily, though. Swim lessons every Wednesday, story time at the library on Tuesdays. I can't believe how much Gavin loves the library, so I try to get him there at least one other day in the week. We've been taking lots of walks and are going today to meet new friends - Erin from our NY playgroup hooked me up with one of her friends that also has a 2 year old. We're excited to meet them!

I'll keep you all updated....you know I'm a little addicted to this blog thing. :) Feel free to call or email anytime. The guest bedroom is almost set up, so let us know if you'd like to come visit the cows!

Visiting Shaw

After we left New York, we were able to spend 4 days in Cincinnati with our families. Since moving away, I cherish that time with our families even more than before. I was so glad that we could enjoy family dinners, playing with Gavin, and lounging around the house for a few days.

On Wednesday, we headed north for a few hours so I could visit Shaw. You have no idea how much I was looking forward to that visit! I couldn't wait to see my old students, coworkers and friends. Being there in the halls felt like I'd never been gone. It felt so normal to be there, heading to room 12 (which changed numbers the last year I was there, but I can't remember to what....). I even glanced down to see if I had mail in my mailbox while chatting with Karen in the office. So strange!

Gavin loved being there, too. The big kids in the halls didn't phase him at all. He just made himself at home in every class we visited. He was extremely excited to find Henry hidden among Mrs. Howard's recess toys. She was even nice enough to let him keep it! (And believe me....he loves it! We even had to turn around one day and come back to get Henry after we'd left because he was crying in the car saying, "Henry, where are you?") My favorite pictures, though, are from Mrs. See's room. Gavin found an empty chair and climbed right up. When Sara announced that they were going to watch a movie, he got all excited thinking it was Elmo. Wrong, Gavin....you're going to watch 'Children of the World: Puerto Rico' with the second graders! :)

He quickly got bored and started looking through the desk for things to do.

I had a great time....I just wish I could have stayed longer and visited more friends in Dayton. But, our time was limited, and we had to get back to dinner with the family. Hopefully we'll all see each other again real soon.

Ridge Road Station

As we were preparing for our move, more and more people kept telling us that Gavin would love Ridge Road Station. So, the Sunday before the movers came, we drove out to check it out. Gavin loved the train display, but he didn't quite understand that he couldn't touch. That resulted in a lot of tears and meltdowns, but we got through it.

After walking through the display, it was time for some shopping. Gavin found this hat and put it on immediately. Cute! (But we didn't buy it....) He was still checking out the trains around the ceiling in this shot.

Leave it to him to find the Thomas section. He knows exactly what he wants, doesn't he?

Lastly, we found a play area that he could actually enjoy! He loves train tables so much. We spent a lot of time here just letting him play.

To all my Rochester friends, it's definitely worth the drive to check this place out. Just take Ridge Road West through Spencerport and a few other little towns....sorry, I can't remember exactly. I think it's in Holley. You'll like it :)

Final trip to Melon Bean

I finally got pictures on the computer so it's time to start updating. For my own sanity, I'm going to try to stay in order....you all know I'm weird like that. :) The Saturday before we left Rochester, I met Danielle at Melon Bean so that we could spend some time chatting, let the boys play, and I could enjoy my usual sandwich made by Andrea. (I have already copied her and made my own Mediterranean Turkey Bagel for lunch here, but it tastes better when you make it, Andrea.)

This is Andrea. I truly think she is an amazing person. I know we only knew each other for a short time, but the hard work and dedication she put into Melon Bean is inspiring. I told her I'd love to open my own place here similar to Melon Bean, but I don't want to work as much as she does. :) Although she really didn't want to, I convinced Danielle to take a picture with me. The lighting is awful for some reason and makes us both look pretty pale (ok....I'm already pretty pale) but I'm glad I have a picture of the two of us. It's so comforting to know that we're 1000+ miles apart but we'll still be friends forever. I miss you already, Danielle, and wish I could be there to meet Connor!

So, while we chatted, the boys ran, and ran, and ran. That's one of the reasons I loved it there so much. Andrea was always so laid back and the kids never bothered her, no matter what they were doing. I, of course, took advantage of their cuteness and snapped away. I love these pictures. Evan and Gavin are such great friends.

Finally!!!

We are finally back in the loop and have cable and internet! Wooohooo! :) I promise to get things updated soon. The house is great and we're really enjoying the backyard and the warm Bentonville weather. Unpacking is almost complete, but we still have a lot of organizing to do. I promise to upload lots of pictures soon - I have to considering my memory card is just about full. I've been having issues with my texting here through Verizon, so if you recieve many of the same message from me, I'm sorry. And, I'm still trying to adjust to the time change (we're an hour behind most of you), but I'm trying to remember so I don't call or text anyone too late. Ok....I have to get back to work. I'll get some pictures posted tomorrow. Bye bye for now!