We Moved!

We made the big move 4.5 weeks ago and are slowly starting to feel settled. Moving with a youngster has proved to be slightly challenging (read: unpacking with Avery around is literally counterproductive). We take out; she puts back. We move the empty boxes to the living room, she slides them all over the house whilst putting random objects inside said boxes thus providing for more unpacking. It was all fun and games until Jeff and I realized we’ve been here for over a month and the place still looks like we’re squatters. Okay, maybe I’m being a little dramatic. And really, I shouldn’t blame the slow progress on a two year old. It’s more than just her, but she’s more fun to talk about than the fact that Jeff and I work a lot, have busy lives and do enjoy a little late night mindless TV without our attention being on the boxes at hand.

The house is one thing, but the neighborhood?! Well, that’s just Candyland hopped up on Skittles and milkshakes. There are 18 homes on our cul-de-sac, which in and of itself is great…not a lot of cars driving through, plenty of room for the kids to play, etc. These 18 homes have all been built within the last five months, so everyone is the “new neighbor,” and we’re all in the same boat with unpacking, settling in, meeting each other and so on. Want the kicker?! Within these 18 homes are 21 kids between the ages of one and 12 with the majority landing on the younger side. Oh, and you can’t forget about the two babies on the way, which will make the count 23 come June. This is kid paradise. Jeff calls it “constant recess.” And, along with lots of kids come lots of awesome parents. Score!

Here are some photos of our house and neighborhood. I will take more once our place is picture perfect.

The night before the big move - pizza and family at our new home!

The Simpsons chowing down, planning the move.  Blurry and all.

Ready for some more big news??

Avery is potty trained! Wahoooo! She exceeded my expectations completely and “got it” within an hour. I have to be honest though, “getting it” is close, but not exactly the same as “getting it and applying it.” We’ve had a few accidents, but way less than I anticipated. I almost cried when she officially went potty for the first time…partly because I was so proud and amazed and partly because she looked so proud and amazed.

In related “big girl” news, Avery is now sleeping in a toddler bed. While this is a great feat, it was spurred on because she jumped out of her crib twice in three days. Thankfully, she never got hurt, but minimizing her risk was a top priority. Avery has had a little trouble adjusting to nights in our new house and our once perfect nighttime sleeper is currently battling some nighttime woes. We are making progress and are keeping positive that Sleeping Beauty returns soon.

Things come in three, right? You betcha! More news - Avery’s hair is now long enough where we can put it in pigtails! So stinking cute. As long as you distract her with candy or TV, she will let you “do a do.” It’s fun and she looks adorable! Jeff and my Mom wanted us to grow her hair out. I was hard to convince because I love her pixie cut. We’ll see what she prefers. She is bound to have an opinion shortly.

Pigtails and potty training.  Busy weekend at the Simpsons!

We will keep the updates coming, so check back soon!

FPT

Cooking with Papa during one of our last nights with my folks... =)