Also there was a day when we had a house showing around dinner time, so we had to go out to eat. It was rainy and dreary, days I typically dislike. But as we were walking into the restaurant, Ashley was sticking her tongue out trying to catch the raindrops. She turned miserable rain into such a fun activity together. That is what I love about children, they make you see the world through new eyes again.
I also chose this title to remind myself to just take in life. It has been SOOOO busy and hectic over the last couple of weeks, you need to remind yourself not to miss out on the special moments.
First, our house has sold (well, it's under contract. The closing date is May 31). We got a call with the news on our trip up to NY/NJ. With the projects we did to the place, we were able to get the exact amount we had hoped for/predicted. The realtor wasn't too far off--she had predicted it'd sell within 30 days, and I think it was 32 days total. Not bad. We had showings almost every day, so I'm glad it didn't take much longer since it's challenging to have them with 2 little ones and a dog. But I'd use the time to go do fun things with the girls so it didn't seem like too much of a hassle.
We also had a very hectic (but fun) trip to NY and NJ. We first went up to NY for our niece Alyssa's baptism. Cheryl and Billy asked us to be the Godparents which was such an honor. It was a long treck up there, but we stopped overnight which helped and the girls were great during the ride. We really are blessed with two amazing, happy, easy going kids who just go with the flow.
Ny was a lot of fun. We spent a lot of it with family. Cheryl had come over with Alyssa the day we got there. Mom actually invited dad over too, which was quite a shock since they had had a pretty ugly divorce and didn't have much to do with each other over the years (understandably). It's amazing how grandchildren can bring people together. We actually had a nice visit...everyone was civil (and even nice), and it was so fun seeing mom, dad, and Cheryl with the girls. Lots of fun!
It was also so nice having the cousins meet. Ashley kept calling Alyssa "baby cousin" the whole time. She was so sweet to her, wanting to talk to her, hug her, kiss and play. She even shared her stickers with her and decorated her whole face with them. Haha. When Cheryl went home with Alyssa, Ashley kept saying "baby cousin? baby cousin?"
The baptism was nice but very hectic. Alyssa cried during most of it, poor thing. Lol. Just lots of people, stimulation and having to be awake during her regular nap time. Cheryl had her wear the same baptism dress that mom wore and that all 3 of us wore as babies, so that was really cool. It made me want to do it too, but our church believes that the person needs to be old enough to make the decision for themselves.
Afterward Ashley stayed with grandma to nap and relax a little, and Matt, Emily and I met up with some family for lunch out. It was nice visiting and catching up. It made me excited to think about seeing them more often.
The next day Cheryl came over with Alyssa, and we were able to spend most of the day with just them, which I haven't been able to do in ages. That is the thing I am most looking forward to about moving--when we come up now for visits, it's such a hectic whirlwind, cramming everyone in with my family, Matt's two sides, and friends. It's so busy and rushed and exhausting that it's hard to even enjoy. I'm looking forward to more frequent, less rushed visits and even some one on one time rather than always having to be together for get togethers, since it can be totally different dynamics one on one.
After NY we headed to grandmom and grandpop's house. We had a VERY hectic time while there since we were house shopping every day, but we had a real nice visit with the time we did have. Ashley came along with us one day, but then grandmom was so helpful and watched her the others. Lisa and Bruce took Ashley to a Curious George exhibit at a museum one day which is soooo cool since Ashley LOVES Curious George (in fact, she is watching it right now as I'm writing. Haha). She also went to the library, and did some fun crafts.
Emily came along with us for the four days. She was sooooo good. I don't think she cried once the whole time, and we had LONG busy days. We saw 40+ homes over 4 days. Phew! We didn't see a whole lot--the good ones get snatched up FAST in matter of a few days. On our last day we did find one house that we LOVED. After seeing so many, we walked in and was like "we're putting an offer in right now". It was soooo nice, all updated and meticulously detailed. We loved it. We looked at it a couple times, and Matt even took Lisa and Bruce to look at it. We had written up an offer, but didn't send it in--we didn't want to be impulsive, we wanted to think about it. We ultimately opted not to, because it was really pushing our budget too much. It would have been really really tight and we would have been house poor big time. We don't want that. Turns out they got a few offers, and ended up getting $45,000 over asking price, so we wouldn't have gotten it anyway.
The good news is that with the house we liked, the son who did all the work is a contractor, so we at least got his card and may hire him to do work to our place if he's affordable. Chances are we are going to be getting a place that needs some work done to it. I think it'll be easier to shop once we're up there so we can act fast and be more aggressive.
So we shall see....I am much more ready and excited about the move now. I know myself pretty well, and I knew that I needed time to be sad, and mourn everything here and everything we were leaving behind. But once I had that time, I'd be more ready to take on the next chapter (although I know I will still sob like a baby when we pull away for the last time)...but I feel I've been getting closure with friends, with work, and with the house. The new owner actually came by yesterday during inspection. She is a young girl, and very sweet. I feel good about her moving in here, and that helps me get closure here too knowing it's a nice person who is so excited and eager. She said she walked in and instantly fell in love with the place. I'm glad, and know she will love it as much as I have. Now I just hope we find a place that will do the same for us.
So more updates with the girls.
First, Emily rolled over!! On Friday, April 12, Emily rolled from her belly to her back. She's been doing it ever since. And today, April 17, she rolled from her back to her belly! Yay! What a big girl!!!
That same day (Fri), she also discovered her tongue and kept sticking it out. It was so cute.
She also started playing in her exersaucer. She's still a little young for it, but she seems to like it and is fascinated with all the objects on it.
Emily is also quite the hair puller. Lol. I remember that I had cut my hair short when Ashley was about this age, and people would say "I guess the baby was pulling your hair a lot". Ashley never did, I just cut it because I wanted to. This time around I have long hair and Emily is always pulling on hair and trying to eat it. :)
Emily is also very interactive. I love it. I wish I could bottle this time and pause it for like 3 years. It's such a fun age....she's still little, but yet big enough to be a real "person" and interact with you. I wasn't sure what Ashley would think as Emily got older and more interactive. I know some kids like/don't mind the baby when they're newborns since they don't do much, but then have issues as they get older. Ashley is the complete opposite. She LOVES Emily, and Emily LOVES her. My heart melts every time I see them together. They are truly best friends. I look back and remember when I was so worried about having the girls so close in age, and not wanting either to be robbed of their own developmental growth. Now I almost giggle about it when I see them together, and how much they love being with each other and playing. Ashley is always giving her kisses and hugs, she asks for "Emmy" first thing in the morning, she always wants her to play with her and do whatever she is doing. And Emily loves her just as much. She is so fascinated with whatever Ashley is doing, and you can tell she is eager to take part in it. Ashley even doesn't mind when they're laying together and Emily pulls her hair (I explained to her that babies use their hands to learn and discover, and she's not trying to give her a boo boo).
When we were up in NJ, Bruce pointed out that he was trying to get Emily to laugh but she wasn't. As soon as she saw Ashley, and Ashley started laughing and smiling, Emily did too. It's going to be so much fun watching them over the years.
Ashley is doing so much too. She is using an extensive vocabulary, and now uses like 5 words in a sentence.
She also started saying "now" at the end of her sentences about 2 weeks ago. She'll ask for something and say "Ashley wants this now" (although she doesn't say it in a demanding way). It's kind of cute.
She can also count to 10 all by herself, and is also good at singing the ABCs.
Here are some pics...they are all mixed up, and takes too much time to put in order. But you can figure out what's what :)
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