There's nothing like the eclectic stylings of an almost 3 year old girl. She's quite the fashionista, don't you think? =)
Luke has discovered a great new way to get around the kitchen. He pushes the stool all over the place. He loves it until he runs into something and has to figure a way around it or until the stool tips over- which, as you can see, it did right after I took this picture. He's fine. And doesn't he look like such the grown up boy?! We've finally graduated into the next clothing size (6-9 mos). This is something I've been looking forward to as all of the clothes we have in that size are soooo cute.

At last...pictures of the new house...

Living room/dining room/entry

Kitchen

Kids' rooms

Luke has decided to adopt the lifestyle of a nudist. We can no longer let him wander around in just a diaper as he eventually sheds it. Here he is leaving the diaper behind with a "What haven't you ever seen a naked baby?" look on his face. =)

Kate loves to help Mommy clean. Here she is doing her best Cinderella impression.

We're finally connected...

Yea! I don't know how we ever lived without internet. I rely on it WAY too much. But, alas, we are finally connected via Verizon FIOS- very fast, very nice. So, are you ready for the longest blog post in the history of my blog? Here goes...

The weekend before the big move we had fun at Reagan's 2nd birthday party. Ballet was the theme and Kate could not have been more thrilled. Sarah got all of the girls different colored tutus and they looked adorable. Kate wore hers all day but the birthday girl was having none of it. That's okay, you know the rule- "it's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to!"

While we were packing (a chore I will never do again!), the kids kept us entertained. Kate came across the dress she wore for her 1st birthday and insisted on putting it on. Yeah right, it's a 6-12 month sized dress, there's no way it's going to...oh, it fits! What?! Yep, it fit. Naturally, it was a tad short but, nevertheless, she got it on, buttoned up and everything. Luke learned a new skill that may just put me in an early grave. He climbs. Check it out.

Another new skill he's developed is feeding himself. He's still boycotting anything pureed but seems to really enjoy Cheerios, bread, crackers, avocado, chicken, rice- basically anything bland. =)

On St. Patrick's Day we dressed in our green and went over to the Hefte's house for a traditional corned beef eating, beer drinking, green wearing Irish celebration. Kate and Reagan had a great time running around, screaming like only they can and Luke met his new friend RJ.

We were so excited to meet another new friend and see an old friend this past weekend. Lauren and Ben (4 months old) Schatzel came in for the weekend and stayed with us for a night. We had such a great time. Cori and little Drew (1 month old) came over for dinner. The three of us girls were Child Life Specialists together back in the day and now we're mommies. It was so strange to look around and think about how different our lives are and how much has changed since we worked together 5 years ago.

We celebrated Easter on Saturday with my parents and family. The kids opened their baskets and we had a delicious dinner. Afterwards, Curt, Brenna, Brooklyn, Kate, Luke and I went down to Main St. in Seal Beach. The weather could not have been more perfect and we had fun playing at the playground. We decided to get something to eat when Kate kept trying to go into every restaurant we passed crying out, "I'm hungry! I'm hungry!"

Easter fell on our 6 year wedding anniversary this year so after church we headed out to Palm Desert for a couple of days. It was a great time. The weather was just right for swimming and Kate had to be dragged out of the pool. Luke even got in in his new life vest which, surprisingly, he didn't mind at all. Below are some pictures of Kate on poop patrol with the flashlight and watching the golfers from Grammie and Pop-Pop's back porch.

So, there you have it. Our March in a nutshell. It's been a crazy, fun, dreadful month but we're well on our way to recovery. Tomorrow I will post the long awaited pictures of our new house. Thanks for all of your patience!

We're in...

I keep hearing that everyone is checking the blog only to find that it still hasn't been updated. Unfortunately, I have to wait until the 25th to get my internet hooked up! Ahhh! It's okay, though. I have a plan. I am going to borrow my mom's camera, take a few pics, and then use her computer to update. So look for an actual update in a couple of days. In the meantime, know that we are doing well and settling in quite easily. We are soooo lucky to have such helpful family members and such handy fathers. The move went much faster than we anticipated and all of the little things that needed repair are done. Thanks, parents. =) I'll give a more detailed account to moving day when I post the pics so stay tuned.

Off we go...

Tomorrow is the big day! We are taking 2 days to move everything we own 3 miles to our new home. Overwhelmed doesn't even come close the how we are feeling. I'm so dreading the next couple of days, oh, let's face it, it's gonna be a rough couple of weeks. I REALLY don't like feeling unsettled but it's the price you pay. So as we leave our sweet little first home, I'm am filled with feeling of nostalgia and a little sad. It's a great house and it's hard to wrap my brain around the fact that after Wednesday we'll never be back here again. I look around and think about that fact that everything here (down to the doorknobs) were picked, saved for, and/or done by us. It's really fun to think back at what this house looked like when we first moved in. Our plastic table and chairs set up in the dining room; slip covered hand-me-down couch; old hand-me-down side table posing as our coffee table; etc. There's been a lot of growing up done in this house- not only for us but for our decor. =) A lot of thought went into everything we've done to make this our home and it's hard not to feel very attached. Before we started packing, I went around and took as many pictures as I could to remember and to one day show the kids. Here are some of my favorites. My little "ode to McNab". =)

Kate's big girl room

The striped wall is one thing I'm so sad to leave. My mom and I spent a couple of hours taping the stripes so John could paint them about a week before Kate was born. I may just enlist her help again in Luke's room at the new house to recreate them. ;)

The wainscoting in the dining room was a vision of mine since the day we moved in. This room was the first room in the house that was "completed".

So, as we say goodbye to our first home, it's not without very fond memories and slightly heavy hearts. I can't wait for the new place to feel like home and for the new memories to start.

50 years to go...

Today my Nana & Bapa celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary! It will always be easy for me to remember how long they've been married since our wedding was in the same month that they had their 50th anniversary. They are truly an inspiration and a real example of love and commitment. I always loved hearing Nana talk about the first time she saw Bapa. Her uncle, Dr. Jack MacArthur, was mentoring/teaching Bapa when he began his career as a pastor. On Bapa's first Sunday preaching in church, Nana was sitting with her boyfriend and her uncle. She looked at her boyfriend, then at Bapa, then at her boyfriend, then at Bapa. She leaned over to her uncle, pointed to Bapa and said, "Uncle Jack, I want him." And it didn't take long for her to get him...I believe their engagement was only a couple of months and the rest is history. Now 56 years later they have 3 children (6 counting daughters/son-in-law), 11 grandchildren (15 counting spouses), and 5 great-grandchildren. I wonder what our family will be like when we've been married 56 years...just 50 years to go! =) Happy Anniversary, Nana & Bapa. I love you!

Family pictures as promised back in January