Greetings from VA!

The past month of my life has been quite a whirlwind! Remember how I was saying I needed to take a trip to somewhere warm and sunny and watery and that there was a slight chance we would be moving back across the country?

Well, I booked the trip {to Phoenix = sun!} as a surprise to Luke for his birthday...and about two hours later he told me we were definitely moving and that we needed to be in Virginia the very day that we were supposed to leave on vacation. Um, come again.

I could have stayed another week.

Without giving too much away, I told him that that wasn't going to work, and we ended up going on vacation {yeah!} but driving straight to VA when we got back.

And when I say, "straight," I mean we left Phoenix on a plane at 10pm on a Tuesday night, arrived at the Denver airport just after midnight, loaded up the car, and didn't stop driving {except to pee and eat} until 6am Thursday morning! At which point Luke slept for an hour and a half and then went to soccer practice. We must be crazy.

Thankfully, the kids slept really well both nights we traveled and didn't lose their minds completely during the long, LONG car ride. I remember thinking when we stopped for dinner on Wednesday evening that we must be in the home stretch...only to realize that we had only gone half way. HALF.WAY. 13 hours down, 13 to go. I almost cried.

Reading to his baby in his new bed.

We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived in VA to a fully furnished three bedroom apartment near Luke's practice fields. In an attempt to live simply, we had decided to move across the country in just our Camry, to rent an unfurnished two bedroom apartment, and to borrow or buy off craigslist the furniture that we needed. Perhaps God thought that would really push me over the edge because we were informed last minute that a furnished, three bedroom apartment was being offered to us for the same price as the unfurnished two bedroom! Thank you, Jesus! It wasn't until we arrived that I realized how difficult it would have been to acquire and move all the furniture we would need.

Relaxing with Daddy.

For the most part, we are adjusting well. Augustine misses his friends and that breaks my heart. He often asks if we are going to Tavian's house and many mornings when we leave the house he asks if we are going to "play with friends." Cash and Dominic have also been inquired about, and he lights up anytime we mention any of his cousins, aunts, uncles, or Bapa. He has had fun reuniting with friends at our church Mom's Group and enjoys playing with three little girls who live in an apartment near ours. Last week he was super sick--a high fever and green boogs {like science experiment worthy}, which the {slightly dramatic?} doctor diagnosed as an ear infection, tonsillitis, and strep throat!? Oh my. He was a bit pitiful, but a real trooper considering the circumstances, and was content to watch shows on the computer and drink juice as he recuperated.

Being silly :)

Gemma is Gemma. The cutest and most happy, while simultaneously mischievous and stubborn... plus a finicky sleeper and eater. She is so super lovable though that you just can't help but want to smother her with kisses all day long. She has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger for sure! She loves to be outside, says, "HI!" to everyone who crosses her path, and is very generous with her kisses. She just had her 15 month check up and has plummeted completely off the growth chart for her weight. Thankfully, her pediatrician is not worried--she is extremely active for her age and advanced in her motor and verbal skills. He said a lot of babies who nurse through the night have high metabolisms and aren't super motivated to eat real food if they are still nursing. Meal times are a bit stressful for our family as we try to encourage her to eat, but I am trying not to worry too much about it. I can't believe how much Gemma has changed just since leaving Colorado a few weeks ago. Sigh. Unfortunately, she seems to have caught a mild version of Augustine's illness, as have I. Seriously, the germs of winter/spring 2013 can leave my house anytime they want and NEVER come back again!!

Luke is doing really well with soccer. He is the Captain of his team, and both games he has been here for have resulted in 4-1 victories. And last weekend he got a great assist! Our manager for Little Kicks has been out of town for over a week, so that has been keeping Luke super busy!! He can't wait for her to return. :)

Given that we lived here for over four years and were only away for seven months, moving back to Virginia could be considered more of a "coming home" than a "moving away"--we have many great memories of our first years of marriage and the births of our babies here. Moving to a new part of town than we used to live in and being away from my family {whom I miss dearly} are big transitions, but overall it has been easier than I thought it would be. We already have friends and communities here, and we know Richmond and the surrounding areas really well. Plus, our lifestyle here is so familiar--soccer practice for Luke in the mornings, games on Saturday nights, and many of same activities we used to do {MOPs, church Mom's Group, story time} on weekday mornings. We are no where near being in a "routine" yet...we will probably hit that stride right about the time we move back to Colorado!

Yesterday Gemma and I were messing around with the Ipad, and we started looking through old pictures = not a good idea. I don't feel wanting here on a daily basis, but when I spent a few minutes looking at pictures of the kiddos playing in the backyard and in our Colorado house, I got awfully homesick very quickly. I know the Lord brought us here for a reason, and I feel SO blessed for all that we have here and for this time in VA, but I know it won't always be easy. If you would offer a prayer for our transition, that would be very much appreciated. Specifically, I pray that the kids adjust well and thrive here and that Luke's business ventures do well. Also, I know Luke worries a lot about how we will fare when he travels, so we could use some prayers in advance for that, too. Thank you! I promise to update again soon...real soon ;)