Open House

Per request of some friends, I cordially invite you to a virtual tour of our new house. The downside of a virtual open house? No cookies and tea. But, if you're in the area or want to stop through, I invite you in advance to visit (and eat cookies or goldfish, which is what we seem to be going through bags of these days).

Thanks to my parents for their help moving in!

Archie and Grace are enjoying sharing a room. This way one room can double as a bedroom and playroom AND we can have a kid-free zone for a study.

Guess this next room isn't the most exciting, but it's necessary. It's pretty tiny so there was no way to get a good angle on it. I was really happy that there were two little hook things by the medicine cabinet. Way too small to hang towels on, but they gave me the perfect place to hang some Chinese decorations.

Archie likes to take his afternoon nap in our giant bed. I am a little nervous about him falling off cause it's super high, but he hasn't fallen off the bed in ages. If you've ever been to one of our other homes in America, the bedroom is pretty much a carbon copy.

I'm loving all the cabinet spaces in the kitchen. I think my secret dream (well, I guess it's not too secret if I'm blogging it) is to have a dishwasher someday. Maybe I can train Archie before we move again?

Here's our study. It has a nice little closet and two chests-of-drawers to put kids clothes on the other wall.

I guess most people would probably start a house tour off in the living room, oops!

I am a big fan of the TV area because it gives me tons of space to display my favorite pictures!

Goodbye! Stop by sometime!

Only two year olds...

Only two year olds

1. Ask to take a picture of the air when you go outside...

2. Get ridiculously excited about being able to push the start button on the dryer.

Gotta love 'em.

Birthday Cake is Yummy!

Grace's First Year in Photos

One and walking!

An international move means things get a little crazy and blogs get neglected, but I want to make sure I give Grace her due for turning the big ONE! She thoroughly enjoyed her third Minnie Mouse themed family party held by Memaw and Papa even if she was a little tired before the sugar perked her up.

So, what is Grace like as a one-year-old. She's incredibly precious!

She can now WALK! (She is so cute when she throws her little hands up above her head and staggers around.) I will have to post a video soon. (She didn't start walking until a little after the Big Day, but what does that matter.)

She has become quite the picky eater, but she loves cherry tomatoes, grapes, Cheerios, bran flakes with milk, Gerber's wagon wheels (apple flavor only), cheese toast, peanut butter, sometimes fried eggs and hamburger, yogurt and ice cream. (This may, unfortunately, be a comprehensive list of everything she's willing to eat.) This is a new experience for me as Archie is like a toddler garbage disposal. He will even eat lettuce salads, which is a shocker to me. (Even I don't eat iceburg lettuce...)

She loves her new kitchen and pretty much anything with wheels she can push. We love yard sale deals on riding toys! The best is her tree swing in our front yard and playing with brother!

She is slowly warming up to other people although I am still the definite favorite. The other day when I picked her up at nursery it was just a melt-your-heart moment. The nursery worker was standing holding her and her little head was just borrowed into her chest doing these gasping tyring-not-to-cry-from-missing-mommy sobs. Thanks for patient workers who don't call me at the slightest peep!

She is 18 lbs and 31.5 inches. This means she's off-the-charts tall and in the 10th percent weight category. Oh well! We do feed her! The doc wasn't worried.

She's a delight!

The sticky problem of too many cartrips

Since arriving in America about one month ago, we've been from Virginia Beach to Tennessee and back to Virginia Beach again! Crazy! The kids have done pretty good adjusting to car trips, and I've settled into my new found role of passing as much food back to wiggly children as their little stomachs can hold to keep the tears and screams away. On our way from Crossville to Blacksburg, I drove and Memaw spelled me on the food giving for awhile. (Yes, I'm finally driving again.) Somehow Grace ended up with three suckers (although she was only aware of one cause the other two were stuck to her). Talk about a sticky mess! I've gotta hand it to Memaw for cutting this one out without leaving a big bald spot!

Do not leave unattended in cart!

Archie's new favorite toy is this shopping cart. I have had to strictly enforce the "do not leave child unattended in cart" rule as pushing the Gracer is his favorite thing to do with said cart, which seems a little dangerous to me. Thankfully, Grandma invented a game of "shopping" for leaves, twigs, rocks and other things that junk up your yard. Clean yard, safe shopping fun. Works for me!