Snack now, plan for later.

This is a photo of the carpet below Alex's booster seat after snack time. I am fairly certain that he strategically plans to drop tons of Cheerios on the floor so that he can come back later and "clean" them up. As soon as he toddles by and notices that there is food on the floor, he's all over it and they are eaten as soon as possible. My question is: who needs a Dyson when you have a toddler?

T-Minus 4 days and counting...

Well we have 4 more nights in Iowa and then we are off to Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday, then the move to Houston. The moving crew is coming Friday this week and they will pack up and load our entire house on that day. Jason, Alex, and I will be camping out at home for a couple of nights with our air mattress, a pack & play, and our suitcases. Needless to say, we will be spending some time at the park to spare Alex from going nuts in an empty house. We'll also get to enjoy lots of take out from our fave local joints. Oh, the joy of being dish and pan-free - that means I will have no cooking responsibilities...with no excuses. =)

This week we had two check-ups here in Des Moines for Baby #2. The baby is already in the 60th percentile for growth, which is good. I am also healthy and doing great at 25 weeks of pregnancy. We found a doctor in Houston and have been able to transfer everything easily. We are grateful that everything has worked so smoothly for the transition...

We'll probably take a little blogging break till we get settled in Texas. We are looking forward to seeing many of you very soon.

We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday... May you be overwhelmed with gratitude for all you've been given and enjoy a festive time with friends and family!

Goodbye Play Date

Today we went to my friend Michelle's house for a goodbye play date with all the mommies and kids. We had so much fun enjoying a nice lunch, catching up, and watching the kids play. It has been so fun to watch all the kids grow over the past couple of years! I will dearly miss these ladies and I know Alex will miss his little playmates. Thank you, friends, for making us feel so loved.

All the friends (from left): Cole, Alex, Grace, Larae, Michael, and Ella

All the mommies and the babies! Oh, I mean kids!

Laughter. Lots and Lots of Laughter.

Alex has started doing this laughter thing that has us very entertained. He likes to be silly at the table and then practice his sudden outbursts of laughter. Funny!

Surprise Going Away

Our Connection Group friends managed to pull of yet another surprise party for us last night! (the first surprise was a baby shower for Alex) These friends are so precious to us and we loved the chance to hang out with them last night. One thing we will certainly miss about Iowa is our virtual weekly dinner parties with these friends. They really know how to party - good food, great fun, and sincere fellowship. Oh, how we will miss them! Thanks again to all of our friends who chipped in to make last night very special for our family.

p.s. We missed you, Carolyn, Gabe & Grace!

A Day at the Park...in November!

The weather was so gorgeous today we spent all morning outside at the park. Hooray for sunshine and warmer temps in November!

Alex still loves to swing.

Enjoying one of his favorite park activities...attempting to eat ALL the rocks. Or at least taste them.

Just hanging out in the grass.

Big brown eyes!

This boy has his Daddy's straight hair and long eyelashes.

2 Weeks & Counting

Hard to believe that we will be leaving Des Moines in 2 weeks! We have finally secured a house in Houston and are looking forward to finishing up details here in Des Moines. Thankfully the weather has been amazing this November in Des Moines. We are enjoying lots of time outside at the park and lots of sunshine. In fact, the weather has been so good that our friends jokingly told us last night that God was trying to show us we have made a mistake in planning to move. =)

A little about our new place in Houston: Jason will be about a 5 minute drive from the Medical Center, and even better, a 4 mile bike ride! Our house is about a block from the bike trail in Houston that goes straight into downtown and the Med Center. We are also about a block from a great park, down the street from Whole Foods, and Chick-Fil-A....can it get any better?! We will have 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, so it will be nice to spread out a bit. As a bonus, our yard is filled with 2 pecan trees, a magnolia tree, and 2 lemon trees. Perhaps the most exciting thing is that we won't have to climb three flights of stairs to get to our front door. Don't get me wrong, I have LOVED our third floor condo in Des Moines, but the thought of walking about 10 paces from my car to my front door is quite exciting.

We are on the countdown now!