525,600 decisions

Yes, that number is from the song, "Seasons of Love" but it was the one going through my head on Monday as we made 525,600 decisions regarding our new house... what color will the shingles be, the siding, the cedar shake, the door, the garage, the tile, the hardwoods, the carpet... and by the way, where do you want carpet, and do you want level 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 and would you like to upgrade the carpet pad to a 6 pound 1/2 inch or an 8 pound 1/2 inch? Once I'd recovered from those decisions, it was on to the master bath - tile or marble, body jets or just a shower head, grey grout or taupe grout, brilliance stainless or chrome faucets... speaking of faucets, there are 15 to choose from. Oh yeah, while we're on tile, what color would you like your back splash to be? what granite? would you like a chef's kitchen or a gourmet kitchen? which cabinet would you like, and what stain would you like on it? speaking of stain, would you like your patio to be stained concrete, stamped concrete, or brushed concrete? Speaking of brushed, would you like your door handles to be chrome, oil rubbed bronze, brushed pewter...

Okay, so you get the point... literally 525,600 decisions... now I haven't mentioned the best part... we're exhausted from all the driving the two days prior, allergies attacking our brains, and not sleeping too well... and since we've come from VA, we have baby Nathan... and yes, Bailey.

THANK THE LORD, my parents were so willing to drive to the design center with us, help us make many of those decisions and keep Bailey and Nathan going. Thankfully the folks at the design center were dog lovers, so Bailey had free reign of their showroom for 6 hours! She was perfect. Nathan was also perfect, he napped well in a stroller pushed from area to area, he played well on the floor, and he really enjoyed watching tv with his grandpa.

So here are some of our choices - I don't know if you can see them well enough to get a feel for what's going in our house. I don't remember what tile is going in the bathrooms because at that point, I let Chad make all the decisions. I do know that the vinyl is going in our laundry room and the dark wood will be our hardwoods downstairs. Wow, the pieces are starting to come together.




By the end of all the decisions, I wanted nothing more than to make easy dinner decisions (it was after 7pm and I was starving). Cheese sticks, chicken fingers, and fries... and oh they were so good!

Allison and Michael's shower

This past weekend, Chad and I headed first to my parent's house in VA to drop off Nathan. He stayed with Grannie ShaSha and Grandpa while Chad and I continued our trip up to Washington DC. We were headed up there for one specific purpose - a wedding shower! It wasn't just any wedding shower, after all, who would drive 6 hours one way for just any wedding shower? This was the wedding shower for one of my BEST childhood friends... Allison Costa. She's marrying a guy named Michael and they are such a cute couple... don't you think?

The shower was lots of fun, the food was great, it was wonderful to see Allison again, and it was cool to see how people live in downtown DC! We were in a 6 story building of condos and the metro runs right under the building. Pretty cool! The traffic getting there (since we were in a car, not on the metro) was HORRENDOUS! I've never seen so many cars and people and traffic jams at 12:30am (when we left). Anyway, it was really neat to meet Allison and Michael's friends up in DC. There were about 20 people there, and I was one of 2 in the room who didn't have a Masters or a Doctorate degree. Chad and I were one of 2 couples who were already married, and the only couple with a baby. It's so funny how life is so different once you get out of your current circle and step into another. All of our friends at home are married and most all of them have kids. Very few of our friends have Masters Degrees, and none of our contemporaries have Doctorates. Just a different lifestyle. All of that to say, the evening was great and we really enjoyed our time with everyone.

If we weren't in the process of moving, I could post so many pictures of Allison and I. We've known each other since 7th grade and were almost inseparable all the way through high school. Allison was my only friend who could spend the night on school nights. A very smart girl and I guess my folks thought she'd be a fabulous influence on my studies while there on a school night! I've got pictures of us after shaving cream wars, stuck in a clothes hamper together, in ugly bright green chorus dresses in middle school, and I could go on and on and on! Unfortunately, the majority of those pictures, including the ones of Allison and I at my wedding, are in the POD. But I will post the few that I had...

Last day of 8th grade... from left to right, Ashley Savage (now married and for those of you who work with Chad, yes this is JA's oldest daughter!), me, Laura Mee (now married - another great friend from middle and high school), and Allison! Wow how we have all changed!


Allison and I at Senior prom


Allison is one of those friends I'll have my whole life long and I'm so thankful for her friendship. I love you girl! Have a great time getting married in Greece! I'll see you soon!

21 weeks - photos with Lion and photos from this week

Here are Nathan's 21 week photos with the lion:









21 weeks old and wow is he fun! Nathan is learning so much right now. That said, he's also HIGH maintenance. He doesn't want to lay down and play, he wants to sit up or stand. Problem is, he needs an adult to help him with those things. That's a good problem though, and one that is simply a season.

This week, lots of new things have happened. He's eaten new foods... bananas and peaches - he prefers his veges. He rode in the "buggybagg" in the child part of a cart while we went grocery shopping (I forgot the camera, so pics will come soon). He was much more fond of grocery shopping this way! He was mesmerized by all of the colors and shapes and I think his mouth was open the WHOLE time! I must say that the buggy bagg is the way to go, hands down! Nathan also rode in an umbrella stroller for the first time - it's much easier to get in and out of the trunk! (pics on that soon too). This week has been the first time we've noticed that Nathan identifies his room as where he goes to sleep, and he's started to fuss the minute we walk in there when he's tired. So we're trying to spend more fun time in his room!

Nathan and Mom


As far as moments we've captured on film... tons of smiles...




Looking at all the squares on the quilt my Aunt Judy made... this was the first time he'd noticed that they were different and he carefully studied them for quite some time.


First ride in a big car seat - Britax Boulevard - I must give it props - it's great, big, but great, so safe, easy to install, and it looks so comfie!




Nathan is now able to stand and support his own weight for almost 60 seconds. He holds our fingers, but isn't hanging from them - in other words, he's able to balance himself on his feet and hold his weight! Yeah!



Nathan is trying to sit on his own, and although he can't hold himself upright, he tries so hard and can do it for a couple seconds. He tries to sit up constantly... in the bed, in the bouncy seat... everywhere!

Things that continued... Nathan still LOVES his toes


He is also very proud that he can put anything in his mouth. Now, his preference is of course his paci, but his second choice is his fists and he chews hard on them. He can also put his toys in his mouth... all of them - we have to be much more careful with what we hand him! I won't show you pictures, but Nathan can also put Bailey in his mouth... not all of her, but her hair, her face, and yes, he also shares kisses with her! Precious for the dog lovers, repulsive for those who aren't too keen on the canines!




Lots of giggling going on these days. Here's a video for your enjoyment...

Oh yeah... and we went to the doc this week for a check up and Nathan weighs a whopping 17 pounds! We didn't measure his height, although I would guess about 25 inches. His doc says he looks fantastic. He's very social... smiles easily... is rotund - yes he said rotund... and he's very alert! So that's it for this week! 5 months old is right around the corner... it will be here next Wednesday. I can't believe it!

Nathan's dedication April 13, 2008

This past Sunday, Nathan was dedicated at our church (Westover Church). It was such a sweet time as a family and as members of our Church. Thank you so much for those who came to support us - mom and dad, Wendy and Preston, Kaz and Kendra, Billy and Dianne, John and Emily, Nicole and Dave... it meant a lot to us that you guys were there - and have been there, every step of the way. Thank you also to our wonderful Pastor, Don - it was an honor to have you dedicate our son to the Lord!



The verse that we chose for Nathan is 1 Chronicles 28:9 (English Standard Version),

" And you, my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you..."

Here are some pictures from the dedication...








We were a little anxious about how Nathan would do because something frightened him right before the start of the service and he was balling. It was also time to eat, so we soothed him and then fed him... and then he got the hiccups. Hiccups and a full belly often result in puking... so we were hopeful that Pastor Don's shirt would stay clean. Of course, as always, God is good! :) Nathan hiccuped and cooed into the microphone while Don was praying for him. So precious!

20 week photo shoot