Settling in

Bless me Father for I have sinned, it's been a month since my last blog post.....

Okay, I know you will all cut me some slack since we've been so darn busy trying to move our family (minus Jersey, more on that later) to Florida.  A HUGE thank you goes out to all of our friends and family who saw us off before our big day and also those that have helped us with loose ends that needed tying up.  What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been for us!!!!  

We were given a place to live the week we were supposed to leave and then two days before our big day the application was rejected because we were not over the age of 55.  UGH!!  They found us another place very quickly in a place called Satellite Beach.  I was not too excited since I really wanted to live at the condo in Viera so we could get a good feeling for what community we wanted to live in there but at this point I was happy for a roof over our heads.  It just so happened to be that the place was on the beach.  Seth was jazzed since he could fish all the time from the beach but I was still skeptical.  Well, it hasn't been all that bad really, and you can see the ocean from our slider door.  We are not directly on the beach, but one building behind the one is that is on the beach.  We are on the corner though so we can still see the water.  Kole and Sydney are sharing a room which is working out fine so far.  We had a bunch of Kole-proofing to do when we got here but it's working out well so far.  And as you can imagine, Seth is like a pig in poop with his beach fishing.  It literally takes him three minutes to walk from our front door, down the sidewalk and down to the beach access.  He's been out almost everyday and catches fish almost everytime he's out!

We packed lots for Florida and put it all in our cars.  Our cars took their own trip down south ahead of us and were delivered to us a few days after we arrived here.  We packed clothes, toys, the highchair, baby swing, and other necessary things we use on a regular basis.  Okay, so I don't use my sewing machine everyday but I won't have another chance to get it here before we actually move into a permanent place and who knows when that will be.  I am SO thankful to the moving company that they let us put stuff in our cars.  We'd be up a creek without a paddle if we didn't have our baby/kid gear for the kids!!!

The trip down here was pretty good and not too eventful.  My mom came to the airport before the crack of dawn to see us off and to help with the kids (THANK YOU MOM!!).  We got through security after what seemed like an eternity with our double stroller and bags and "settled" into our spot to wait.  Kole was super naughty, well, I suppose he wasn't so much naughty as he was wild and active.  Mommy was not scared to give him a timeout in the corner at the airport at 7:30am :)  I did give him some Benadryl before we boarded.  The pediatrician said it was okay to do that to help him with his ears and I was nervous about that with both kids.  Kole was a little timid about boarding the plane and sitting in his seat but we got on pretty early b/c we needed the extra time to get settled so he calmed down a bit.  Kole sat in the middle and Seth held Sydney.  Buttercup fell asleep before take off and believe it or not, Kole fell asleep as we took off.  He was fast asleep by the time we were all the way in the air and over Grand Rapids.  Nice.  Kole slept for about an hour and Buttercup slept for about an hour and a half.  I fed Sydney on the way down and gave Kole a paci and it was okay.  They got a little fussy but nothing to distracting for anyone else :)  We collected our luggage and looked like the Griswolds walking through the airport with all of our stuff.  We rented a mini-van (I HATE to admit this, but I actually liked the mini-van) and loaded up.  Naturally, we spent some time at Bass Pro Shops in Orlando and then to our new place on the beach!!!

Kole loves the beach and asks about it all the time, "Beee?  Beee?".  He enjoys having his feet get wet in the surf but the waves have been pretty big lately so we've been hanging on to him pretty tight!  Sydney takes it all in and just watches her daddy fish and her brother act like a wild indian.  We've been doing some exploring and learning our way around town---thank God for GPS, that's for sure :)

Aunt Laura, Uncle Dave, and Emily offered to take Jersey for us until we were settled into a place that accepted pets.  I was hesitant at first but I CANNOT imagine dealing with Jersey in this place or any other place while trying to get settled.  THANK YOU to the Witts who are spoiling Jersey :)  She gets to sleep in beds AND gets to lay on the porch furniture.  She helps Aunt Laura sew in the basement and sleeps with Emily at night in her bed.  Jersey must be in all her glory!!!!  She's finally top dog again and not playing second and third fiddle to her brother and sister :)  Kole was asking about Jersey the other day out of the blue.  He looked confused and said, "Jur-jury?  Jur-jury go?  Jur-jury?"  Emily has been taking pics and vids of her so I've been showing them to Kole.  He seems to like seeing his dog again, even though its through the computer!

Well, I suppose that's all I can think of for an update right now.  I'm sure things will continue to be busy for us as we learn our way around and meet new people.  Enjoy some pics and vids below (the vids are first, can't figure out why).

Kole hard at work

My Beach Girl, Buttercup

First cereal

The choo-choo train at the mall

Trying to wake up her brother from a nap

Trick or Treating in the kitchen (no, we didn't go out)

swimming outside in October!!

The new ride

Okay, so I need to explain this one:  we were up at the cabin for a few days and one day two ladies were riding their horses down the road.  We were out on the deck and were pointing to the "sha-shees" (like Kole calls them) and the ladies ended up turning around and coming into the driveway so the kids could take a closer look.  Kole was SO excited!!  One lady got off her horse, Oreo, and let Kole sit up on it with Chris holding him. It made Kole's day!!  Kole and Auntie Rae even have a song they made up about the "sha-shees" and Kole was just singing it the other day to Auntie "Yay-Yay" over the phone.  Yes, Kole is wearing Elmo slippers on the Sha-shee :)

Kole loves holding Sydney and asks to do so then also asks to have their picture taken together.  What a good big brother!!

Happy Halloween!  Her jammie says, "don't be a scaredy cat"
Kole wore it too back when he was that size :)

Sitting in Kole's high chair to eat

Seth got a chance to go fishing the last week we were in GR.  This was up in Newaygo on the PM

The next week Seth was fishing in the Atlantic :)

Bluefish

on our way...

The Griswolds

The choo choo train at the mall.  Seth does not look happy about this :(

Another fish out of our backyard.  This may be another bluefish, I can't remember

Happy Halloween Jersey, we miss you!!!

Apparently, a State fan since moving in with the Witts

Papa Tom telling secrets to Sydney

First time in her exersaucer.  She is still so darn tiny she needs to be propped up

Playing with the same tag Kole liked to play with when he was little

"So cute its scary"

Yes, Buttercup you are so cute!

It's Our Favorite Time of the Year

It's our favorite time of the year; Fall!   The leaves are changing, the weather is turning crisper, and we can turn the AC off and leave the windows open during the day (and the heat on at night).  Too bad its our last Fall in Michigan.  boo hoo :(  We are getting excited for our move to Florida in a few short weeks!  The time is going by very fast and before you know it the moving trucks will be here.  It is starting to sink in slowly that we won't be living in MI any longer and although I am excited about our new move and Seth's new job, I can't help but be a little sad.  House is still for sale with no leads as of now.  We'll be living in a temporary apartment or condo until we find a house.  Aunt Laura, Uncle Dave and Emily are going to be taking Jersey for us for a couple of months until we get settled into a new house.  Shocked?  I am suprised that I agreed to it myself!!  We'll miss her like crazy but it really makes sense for the time being and the Witts are excited to add Jersey to their mix :) 

Kole's birthday came and went last month as he turned TWO!!!!  He had fun at his Sesame Street themed party and had a great birthday celebration the next day.  He has a love/hate relationship with daycare these days.  He HATES going and being dropped off; he SCREAMS and cries when I pull into the driveway there and when I bring him in.  About 5-10 mins after I leave however, he's fine.  The daycare director mentioned to me what a funny character Kole is; she hears him cry in the morning but then sees his smiling face with the toys and his friends later on in the day.  He's learning lots at daycare and according to his "report cards" every day he's having a blast!!!  He is in LOVE with his alphabet and can recognize about 20 out of the 26 letters and sometimes knows what sound they make.  He's doing great with his colors and starting to work on learning his shapes.  Kole was drawing circles tonight while coloring with Grammy!  His vocabulary is increasing day by day and just the other day he pointed to my dinner and said, "bwock-wee".  Where did he learn broccoli??  Not at our house :)  He is still as active as ever and has recently gotten over a short spell of being sick with a virus and a case of the "sleepies" where he was ASKING for 2 naps per day (at 2 hours each).  He took his 2 year old shots like a man (just a few tears) and tells people he's "two". 

Sydney is growing (not much though) and changing.  She is now taking some formula after nursing her a bit since she's not gaining a whole lot of weight.  We are taking her in tomorrow for a weight check so we'll see how that formula is working out for her.  She is now rolling over both ways, but only when she wants to.  She is not about "showing off" when you want her too.  She smiles all the time and is in LOVE with Kole.  She follows him with her eyes when he's around and makes sure he's nearby.  She's been "grabbing" lately, whether its hair, toys, or your face if you are close to her.  She loves her rattles and reaching for things.  She's still sleeping well but waking up during the night about once because she lost her paci.  I should let her cry it out or let her work on it herself but I don't want her waking up Kole who has been doing this waking up during the night thing lately too.  *sigh*

Seth went up north hunting last weekend and was disappointed that he didn't see a thing.  So disappointed in fact that he's going up north again next weekend to try again.  *sigh*

The kids and I checked out ArtPrize today for the first time.  We had fun with Nicole, Lexi, and Reese checking out all the cool art submissions.  We found out tonight who the winners were.  My favorite one (out of the few we did see since it was SO huge this year) ended up winning!!  It was a beautiful day out today---we started out in our winter coats but ended up in short sleeve shirts by the end of our afternoon :)

Check out lots of pics and videos of the kids below.

 At the pumpkin farm in Bay City

Feeding the animals at the farm

I'll buy one...or two...

Kole is lining up the pumpkins.  Typical Kole.

Running on the "shaky" bridge

Oh my sweet Buttercup

HOLY SMOKES!!!  A TRACTOR RIDE WITH UNCLE TIM!!!!  YAY!!!!!

I found out that the mall has "rides".  It occupied our time during an open house.

Kole's tool bench he received from Nana and Papa for his birthday.  He's answering the phone, "mu-low!"

Banging on the drum near the lion exhibit at the zoo

Half jammies half clothes as Kole poses next to his Elmo sign in the front yard

Kole's birthday balloons!

Technically tangled, but Kole thought the balloons were chasing him!

Cool slippers.

 

Playing one of the pianos set up at ArtPrize (out of order?)

More chasing

Sydney had too much partying for Kole's birthday

has a death grip on that rattle

Birthday/Sugar high

We were listening to kid songs in the car today and we heard "fuzzy wuzzy was a bear" and Kole completely lost it in a fit of giggles over and over.  That boy is nuts :)

 

At Toys R Us on Kole's birthday.  They also have a "ride".  I gave in and he rode it twice since it was his birthday.

Playing with Sydney

The pumpkin dance

Piano man at ArtPrize

Kids update

It has been a really busy time around our house lately.  We've been getting ready for the house to go up for sale and we finally have it listed!  Sad to see a FOR SALE sign in front of our house :(  We are in Viera now looking for homes and narrowing down our search.  Pretty much Seth and I are on the same page with homes and neighborhoods we like (give or take a couple of floor plans...).  Good trip with all of our goals accomplished.

Kole has had a busy couple of weeks.  After a busy Labor Day weekend with Nana and Papa in GR, Kole ended up catching something from daycare.  He was sent home early last Wednesday with a fever of 102.9.  Gave him some Motrin and some time on the couch with a video and he was better.  However, that night while we were up north visiting Dad and Deb, he got up with another fever plus some vomiting!  Poor thing!!!  He couldn't keep anything down so Dad had to "run" to Cadillac in the morning for some Tylenol for Kole to be given "where the sun doensn't shine".  His fever did break after a few hours, a nap, and a bit of time outside.  He was as good as new by the evening but ended up falling asleep around 6pm in his clothes and slept until about 6:30am the next morning!!  He ate a good breakfast since he was so hungry and was good to go.  Must have been a 24 hour bug or something.  Kole stayed at the cabin for a few extra days while Seth and I headed off to Florida.  Sarah the wonder-sitter came to watch Sydney for a few days and Dad dropped Kole off at home on Monday so he could go to school during the week (we pay way too much for him to miss voluntarily!).  Sydney is a little love and smiles and coos all the time.  She LOVES Kole and watching everything he does.  She is sleeping the whole night like a good little girl.  The weather has turned a little chilly so I had to buy a few long sleeve shirts and pants for her since she didn't have much.  She's still a little peanut and wearing some NB things and finally some 3 month things. 

Check out some new pics below---they are all out of order since I've been having a bunch of issues with posting photos and videos so this is all I have for now.  sorry....

Sydney playing with one of her toys she likes

Fishing

Hungry much?

Fun with Meghan and Morgan at the cabin



Dinner at the cabin

So tired

End of Summer Update

Well, as most of you know the BIG news of the Summer is that we are moving! To Florida, that is. Seth has accepted a management position with GFS and we'll be living near Melbourne, FL. That's almost on the eastern coast; we'll be about 15 minutes from Cocoa Beach (so I've heard). We make the big move at the end of October and we'll miss our families terribly :( But....if any of you want to escape the cold winter you know where you can find us (probably in shorts and tee-shirts)!!

Other big news is Kole starting "school" two days per week at a local day care center. He is IN LOVE and so am I!!! Kole LOVES going to school and has done really well transitioning. However, he doesn't eat the lunches there b/c he's so picky lately and probably b/c they won't let him sprinkle cinnamon on everything. He comes home with a "report card" and his teachers say he's a great kid who is happy and BUSY all the time. No kidding he's busy, why do you think he goes to school twice per week?? Unfortunately, Kole had a bit too much fun at school because he caught a bug that turned into a double ear infection AND he picked up pinkeye on top of it (in both eyes of course)!!! However, I think the pinkeye MIGHT just be from the germy horse ("sha-sheee" in Kole speak) at Meijer and not daycare since it didn't appear until Sunday, but who knows. So he's skipping tomorrow because of the pinkeye but going on Wednesday since he'll have the antibiotic in him for over 24 hours. Poor kid. Kole's new favorite word is "No." He says it so cute though with a little inflection at the end, almost like a question. "nooo?" And he know how to use it too... He is crazy about his alphabet lately and will point out letters to me that he sees at the store, on TV, at home, or anywhere. Same goes for his colors. We are getting ready for Kole's birthday party in a few weeks; let's just hope a potential buyer doesn't want to see the house on that day :)

Sydney has caught Kole's cold AND pinkeye as she woke up with a green boogery eye and now a cough with nasal congestion.. *sigh* She is doing awesome and smiling up a storm. She LOVES to hear her own voice and squeals all the time. She loves her brother and smiles in the morning when we both go get her out of her crib. She's kicking like crazy in her bouncy (which Kole never did....) and just loves to check things out. She is such a good baby and is still sleeping through the night :)

Seth and I are getting the house ready (so much to do I don't know where to start) to put up for sale. I think we may have to have a sale or something to get rid of some of our stuff.

Another piece of BIG news is the arrival our niece ANNA JAYNE!!!! She arrived via c-section on Friday August 27th and she weighed in at 8lbs 14oz and 19.5 inches (I hope I got that right Keri). She has lots of dark hair (better for hairbows!) and is doing well. It won't be until Christmastime but we cannot WAIT to meet her!!! Another little girl to spoil, I LOVE THAT!!!

Well, that's all to report as of now, but I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on our move. Enjoy some pics and vids.  I have been having issues posting videos so there are only two now, sorry!!!

Snack time

Poor Kole has resorted to hiding in Jersey's dog crate so he can eat his pretzel in peace without the threat of Jersey snatching it from him.

Kole wearing his Bob the Tomato backpack

Kole ready for Winter---too bad we won't be needing that gear buddy.

Second day of school (yes...I forgot to take one the first day)

Sydney and her dolly.  She gets excited when she first sees it :)

Kole's new tool bench.  His "tooooools" according to him!



Sydney "talking"