Friday Fountains, Beach, and Daddy

Fountains at Juan Batista with Jen, Lucy, Em, Canon, and Brady- PURE DELIGHT!

We rounded the corner of the house to go down the stairs to the beach and were greeted with the sight of glasses of cab sav, sparkling lemonade for me, bowl of fresh fruit, brownies, and snacks for the kids... just for the fun of it!  Now THAT'S a Friday afternoon playdate!  (Sabrina started the trouble- the first time she joined our little group, she brought homemade sangria and cookies... we decided we'd keep her around.)

When we got home from the beach, DADDY WAS HOME from being gone this last week for the second half of his July school session.  It was a wonderful night.  Happy weekend!

Our Next to Last week... so far!

Yesterday afternoon we went to Carole's house for one last swim.  Carole has been a surrogate grandmother to me out here, and we will miss her dearly.  She presented me with two fresh little crib quilts she made for the girls.  Abby Jane received one that is the backdrop for the majority of her pictures in those early months!  A true labor of love from a lovely lady who has blessed our family tremendously.

We've been going to favorite places as much as possible- Abby Jane's favorite park (at the Country Mart), of course, and this morning we went to the beautiful pond area that has turtles, fish, and ducks... not to mention her favorite part- the water elements that send her home soaking and delighted.

This afternoon we went swimming with our sweet neighbor Hannah and her girls Cailyn and Jaana...

I have gotten a great deal of packing done and feel very relaxed at this point about what is left!

My dear friend Jen and her 12-month-old Lucy hosted Abby Jane twice this week while I had doctor's appointments, and Jen took some hysterical pictures of the girls that I'll have to post when I get them. Abby Jane's been asking for "Jean? Jean?"  It is such a treat to leave your child somewhere that they aren't ready to leave even when it's time to go!  Last week our precious neighbor Tiffany watched Abby Jane with her sons Jacob (2) and Luke (7 months) three times, and Abby Jane had such a wonderful time that I had to work hard to convince Abby Jane it was time to go each time!  She would then come home and sing about Baby Luke during her nap time.  Sweet friends!

Sunday morning pancakes

Her first time wearing the apron Daddy gave her on Mother's Day (over her PJs!)

After pancakes book with Daddy, hats evidently required.

Have a good Sunday!

17 Months

There was a HUGE swell today, and we went out to Surfrider Beach to watch the REAL surfers show how it's done on 10-12 footers.  All these pictures are from this morning...

This is another month of verbal explosion.  She has started throwing in full sentences: "I see a boat."  "I want my nigh-nigh" (nigh-nigh= any of her burp cloths, which are her interchangeable security blankets). "I need mook!" (milk)

A couple of months ago, I told Jake it would be so fun when she got to the stage that we could understand what she was saying.  Well talking is pretty much a constant in our home now!  Her favorite phrase is still, "Where AH dey?" (Where are they?) And I answer that question at a minimum a couple hundred times a day.  If we see a motorcycle, if we see a bird, if she mentions a playmate or family member... 

One of the other fun parts about this stage is that Jake can come home and ask her what she did that day, and she tells him the highlights pretty accurately.  Except that she usually includes that we went to the "pahk" (park), even when we didn't.  Wishful thinking.

She has become SUCH a girl.  Abby Jane has PREFERENCES on what clothes and what shoes she wears.  She has put what I picked out back in the closet and pulled out something different.  She likes to wear hats and necklaces (supervised, no worries) and carries a small watering can around calling it her "purse."

But she also makes great animal, car, airplane, and train noises.  She makes her food do "choo choo"  and "vroom vroom" on her tray during meals.  Her knees are in a permanent state of scabs and scratches from her falls from playing too hard.  So she's not too girly!

She has started eating dinner at the same time as Jake and I, and often has what we're having for dinner- YEA!  I had hoped we would get to this point before the twins, and she's done it in her own timing.

So all in all, she's surviving our whirlwind summer pretty well!

The day that got redeemed!

So yesterday morning the cable guy came late and stayed late and I had to cancel a precious playdate, of which there are not many left here.  This is what we did while we stayed out of cable guy's way (which incidentally led to me discovering that washable crayons indeed comes off doors and ottomans).  

Then the power went off during Abby Jane's nap which led to a series of events, including knocking out my cell phone and internet, culminating in a slightly shorter nap for my girl and a slightly more worn out me.

So then we arrived at our afternoon playdate with our "Malibu library friends" as I call them, though we haven't been together at the library in quite some time.  

And it was  SO wonderful to be with those friends and let Abby Jane play...

Then they surprised us with a "welcoming home" party from the last two weeks of being gone, which they decided was nicer than saying a "going away" party since we'll play a few more times before we leave.

They had cupcakes from Crumbs, my favorite new bakery.  They gave Abby Jane two precious books, one being A Baby Sister for Frances and the other being Fancy Nancy, which fits our sassy girl (who now insists on wearing her "panties" a.k.a. diaper cover even during naps) to a T!  Finally, they gave me a beautiful set of Bedhead PJs for me to be able to wear in the hospital with the twins.

Unfortunately I do not have pictures of the party part of our playdate, as we were all busy keeping sandy babies out of the cupcakes. I also don't have any pictures of all four of us moms and babies because usually at least one person is corralling a baby back from the ocean!  That will have to be a goal before we leave.  I'm so thankful for these sweet friends!  

4th of July and Job Training/Househunting

This blog is SO long overdue!  So here's the last couple of weeks...

We ran our third Will Rogers 4th of July race with our dear friends Jake, Lesley, and Sammy.  Last year we did the 10K, but circumstances this year indicated the 5K!  It was a fabulous little run despite my leisurely 12 minute pace these days!

Don't be impressed.  Jake pushed Abby Jane most of the way, but it was fun for me to push her down hills because her momentum kind of pulled me along!

Superdad pushing our big kid up a hill.

As is tradition, we had a great time cooking out with the Roberts and enjoying the view from their roof of three or four different fireworks displays along the coast!

We left for Atlanta the next day and Jake started training for his new job on that Monday!  He had a great, great experience and really enjoys his new staff.  We are SO thankful that the Lord has not only provided this job in perfect timing and location... but it's also a GREAT job that he'll really enjoy!

Jake's mom was super-Mimi and watched Abby Jane for some portion of almost every day of the two weeks we were in town.  They had a great, great time together, and it was such a treat to get a glimpse of what it's like to live in the same town as your parents!

Abby Jane's favorite activities at Mimi and  Bop Bop's are playing with the hose, filling buckets, making watering cans "rain"...
"hop"ping off this particular step onto the porch, swinging on the front porch, and listening and watching for "birdies" and "woof woofs".

Jake was able to get in some time with Abby Jane most nights.  She is dying laughing in this picture, despite how irresponsible it looks!

Abby Jane was also able to get in some time with her cousins Cade, Luke, Katie, and Ian, as well as her Grammy (or "Ammy") though I didn't document it!

We are still houseless (though not homeless thanks to the fact that our parents are both in town and we'll stay with them at first). But I was able to look at a ton of places and get a feel for what areas we like.  So at this point, we are continuing to look at what's on the market and what is new on the market.  My deadline to be in a home is middish to late September (it would be fabulous to be in somewhere for a few weeks before I could possibly go into labor!)

 So in the meantime we still have time to find and close on THE home, OR we may rent at first, watch what the market does, and take our time finding a home.  The bottom line is that the Lord has been so faithful in providing just what we need, and we know He hasn't forgotten the detail of where we will live and all the ramifications of the timing in finding that home!

The blog on her being 17 months is to come!

The time has come

A few weeks ago, Jake accepted a job at Kennesaw State, just outside of Atlanta!  He will be the Director of Orientation, and it is a fabulous opportunity for him career-wise.  Kennesaw is the third largest university in Georgia and is doing some really exciting things as it has transformed over the last several years, gaining all kinds of respect these days.  The Lord did so many things along the way of that job process, which was pretty quick, that made it more than abundantly clear that this was His definite perfect plan and provision for our family.  This move also places us with grandparents 30 minutes away on either side of us! 

If you had asked me three years ago how this move back would feel, I would have been far from the target.  We are beyond thrilled at being so much closer to so many of you and all the wonderful things that come with this move- proximity to family and friends, moving from a 2 bedroom apartment into a house, being able to drive to Auburn for games instead of fly :), availability of barbeque and Chick Fil A, having a yard, seeing leaves change... the list goes on and is so sweet.

But as we are leaving this community that has become our surrogate family out here, we are so humbled by how richly the Lord has chosen to bless our time here.  I think partially because the vast majority of our friends are transplants as well, the bond we all have formed is so unique and precious and the experiences we have had here in California have been much the same.  We are so grateful for honor it has been to have these sweet friendships and to have the adventure that has been our California life!

So the remainder of our summer is a bit of a whirlwind to say the least.  We fly back to Atlanta on this Sunday through July 18 while Jake has job training (and I do some serious house hunting!!)  We return on the 18th and Jake leaves on the 19th for his two summer weeks on campus at Azusa for his doctorate (yes, he can continue his program long-distance), while Abby Jane and I will begin the packing process.  Jake gets back on the 31st, and then we officially move August 9 or 10!

Please pray for Jake as he juggles doctoral work, finishing one job, starting a new job, and moving our family and all the details that lie therein.  Please also pray for Abby Jane- my job is to maintain as much consistency as possible in her little baby life, especially in anticipation of how her world will be rocked this fall with the twins!  I have another ultrasound for the twins tomorrow, but they seem to be just rocking and rolling along with no problems, which is such a blessing!  Please also pray that the Lord shows us in His perfect timing exactly which house is the one He has chosen to be our home!  Thank you in advance for these prayers!! 

Here are a few recent playdates as we try to cram in as much quality time as possible... do you notice a pattern to most of the locations? :)