NC & 4th of July 2012

I am so behind blogging, so here are the photos from our fabulous trip to North Carolina and Kure Beach!! I am so mad because I didn't take very many pictures :( With all the moving hubbub (we got the job offer the night before we flew out, then flew from NC to NJ to house hunt) and working with the realtor to set up our visit to NJ the following week, we missed out on all the 'relaxation' part of the vacation. Plus, with a baby on my hip and sunscreen all over my hands, it was a challenge!

We got to be a part of our precious niece Amelia's baptism!

 After the baptism on Sunday we went over to our brother-in-law Peter's parents home for a lovely brunch. They made the most yummy breakfast casserole that I am dying to make here at home with bacon, eggs and cheese. Later that day we packed up the ginormous van that we rented to hold all of us... a total of six adults and five little people, plus luggage, strollers and other beach gear. Jarrett joked that we probably looked like a cult or something crazy like that piling in and out of that van...LOL. Thank goodness Carol (my mother-in-law) has a special license to drive one! It thundered, rained and lightening the entire four hour drive to Kure Beach, NC.

The view from our beach house deck... pretty sweet right?

 Now, the beach house we rented did have a great location and deck, but the inside was not great. It was pretty old, but it had four bedrooms and two baths which came in pretty handy with our crowd. It was able to accommodate five kids and it's share of sand, sunscreen, spilled red wine, drool and other gross stuff. Maybe it was ok that it wasn't that nice...lol. Here are a few (very few...sorry!) pics of our fun from that week:

After the kids went to bed, we got to enjoy Margaritas... courtesy of our in-house bartender, Uncle Peter!!

There were some catnaps...

It was Grandma heaven for Nonna, who got to have all her grand babies under one roof for a week. I think we wore her out!

Saluting on the fourth (not sure why, but it was unprompted...lol)

Happy Fourth of July!!

Madison Grace's 1st Fourth of July
5 months old

 Since the beach was literally in our backyard, we got to enjoy hours in the sand and surf. The Atlantic ocean is much warmer than the Pacific, and Jarrett and his sisters took a swim while me and Nonna chaperoned the kiddos. It was SO hot and SO humid... it was the week of the record breaking temperatures across the US. So glad we had air conditioning in our beach pad.

Maddie and Nonna watching the waves

Auntie Sarah and our sweet niece Amelia taking a snooze

Beach babes...LOL

Ameila's 1st Fourth of July
6 months

The "Big" kids... Nate (3yrs), Lindsay (2.5 yrs) and Katarina (2.5 yrs)

 The cousins had so much fun playing together...Lulu is still talking about her cousins and wanting them to come over and play. They got along pretty well, and only had a couple meltdowns, usually around bedtime or nap time :) We went on a few excursion, checking out nearby Wilmington, where we were thrilled to see where they taped Dawson's Creek (yep we are that nerdy), and Nonna took the kiddos to the aquarium. There was also a before bed walk into town for ice cream cones, and watching fireworks from our deck over the pier. We all took turns cooking one night and not surprisingly chose to eat Mexican food, including famous Reid Tacos. It was a fun-filled week filled with great conversations, games (J won Yahtzee), good eating and a pirate landlord. Cmon, let's make this an annual event. Love u guys!

Sweet Cousins

Eating smores on the 4th..So very American :)

Happy Birthday America!!

Five Months

Sweet Miss is FIVE months!!

A wobbly sitting-up pose...

Look Ma! Found my tooties!!

Tummy time!! (Still not a big fan)

Playtime with Daddy and Sister

Daddy's Baby Girl

Madison turned five months and her little personality has just exploded! She is just the sweetest little love, and enjoys falling asleep in people's arms, snuggling and watching her big sister.  Maddie has been busy this month... she's traveled to two states, discovered her feet, tried cereal and been sleeping 4 or 5 hour stretches!

Daddy fed me my first bite of cereal mixed with breast milk...

Going for the spoon...

Hmmm... not quite sure about it.

Stats:
Weight.... 15 lbs
Length.... Not sure, but is in 6 month clothes, and getting close to wearing 9 month footie jammies.

What she's been up to:
*Eating... Big Girl has been eating cereal in the mornings the past week! While we were in NC and NJ, she was grabbing for our food and imitating chewing, so when we got home we knew she would be ready to give solids a shot. We started her off with two tbsp of cereal mixed with breast milk. At first she was a little unsure, but by the end of the bowl, was loving it! She has been still exclusively breastfeeding, and when she is 6 months we will introduce her to veggies and fruits.
*Sleeping... With two weeks of traveling and co-sleeping, I was worried about her having problems going back to her crib. As soon as we got home, she was so glad to be in her own bed, she only woke up once! Well that ended pretty quickly, and on a good night, she goes to bed at 7pm, then I feed her before I go to sleep at 10pm. She will wake up around 3am, and go back to sleep until 6:30am. Since we have been home, she has been taking a 1.5-2 hr nap in the morning and afternoon, with a 45 minute cat-nap around 4ish.
*Vocal... Boy, this girl loves to talk. She just goes on and on, and just adores the sound of her own voice. She's been cooing and smiling, and listens very carefully when you talk to her.
*Hair & Eyes... Her eyes are still green-blue, and her hair has lightened up to a honey brown. It sticks straight up like her Daddy and Sister's hair at this age.
*Sittin' Pretty... Maddie can sit for a few seconds unassisted, and has been scooting everywhere on her back. The other day I was cooking dinner and noticed she moved off her exercise mat, across the room on our hard carpet.. pretty sure she had rug burns on her little head..LOL.
*Hand/Eye Coordination... We noticed her coordination has gotten better this week- she has been grabbing and pulling things to her mouth, and studying her hands for a while. We noticed that she favors her left hand, and has grabbed my hoop earring and a french fry (got it before she put it in her mouth)! Sometimes we will catch her chewing on her thumb. Perhaps she is pre-teething? I am sure a tooth will come in the week we are packing....lol.
*Favorites... Right now Madison loves bath time (and sucking on the wash rag), snuggling, when Daddy tickles her and watching her sister play. Lindsay can always distract her when she is upset, and will lay on the play mat and talk to her... I think it's the beginning of a sweet relationship. The other day Lulu got so upset before we went somewhere because she thought I was going to leave Madison all by herself. She said, "Mama, don't forget about Maddie. She goes too!!" Love them.

Eating breakfast with Sissy and Daddy

She was really into Sissy giving her a bite.. she opened  wide!!

Sweet reward... got to play with the spoon after eating her cereal

Love that sweet face!!

Farewell Malibu, Hello Princeton!!

We are thrilled to finally announce that Jarrett has accepted the position of Assistant Dean of Students at Princeton University!! It has been a whirlwind few weeks, and with being on vacation, house hunting and packing, all before Jarrett's start date of August 13, we are excited, tired, and a little scared all at the same time. God has been so good to our family, and through this entire process, it has been so clear how He has opened (and closed) doors in this great adventure.

We visited Princeton last year while we were in Philadelphia... little did we know :)

Learning to walk... and will be running in the courtyard next month!

Our experiences at Pepperdine have been wonderful, and it is really hard to leave our sweet friends, cozy apartment and who can forget that ocean view.  Some might think that we're crazy, but when this opportunity presented itself, we knew that it was meant to be. Jarrett was really never on an all out "job search," but we agreed that if a job had the right title at a great school, he would apply. I would check the online job boards, and would occasionally email an opening to him.  He was pretty selective about the jobs he chose to apply for, and last year he applied for one job at UNC Chapel Hill. He was offered the position, but at the last minute decided that it wasn't the right decision to move his newly pregnant wife and little girl across the country. This was news to me, because I totally thought it was the perfect job --- it was really hard for me to let it go (those who know me also know I am pretty stubborn!). We had to trust that God put the interpretation and fear into Jarrett's heart for a reason, and I had to trust (and submit willingly) that as the head of our house, Jarrett knew what was best for our family.

Then, earlier this summer, there were three dream jobs that came available at great universities. For two of the three jobs, Jarrett had an "in" where he actually knew people in the department, or his reference knew the hiring manager.  We were so excited when he got phone interviews with both in the same week! We thought, "Oh my gosh... this is what we we've been waiting for!" And then, we waited... and waited.... until the next week, as one right after the other he received the dreaded "No Thank You" email. It was hard to hear "No", especially when we thought it was a sure thing.  One of my favorite Jeremy Camp songs kept replaying in my head, "I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see." And not surprisingly, God has such an amazing way of comforting us.... the day after he found out he didn't get the jobs, Pepperdine offered J a promotion. We thought, "Praise God!" We were still disappointed about the other jobs, but had a sense of hope and peace knowing that God was with us.

We had all but forgotten about Princeton, especially since Jarrett didn't even know anyone there, and he thought if the other lower ranked universities didn't want him, then a # 1 ranked, Ivy League university surely wouldn't. You know the quote, "Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans." Little did we know there was a completely different plan for us.

We had settled ourselves into enjoying another year at Pepperdine, and I signed Lindsay up for gymnastics and our Bible study. Jarrett got an email the following Tuesday evening, and to our surprise, it was from Princeton; and though it was pretty short, they wanted to set up a phone call for a "short chat at your earliest convenience." Well the next day, after an hour and a half phone call, he was scheduled for a face-to-face on Tuesday! Jarrett said he was nervous until the day of the interview, then a peace came over him. After a marathon day of interviewing at none other than Woody Woo's (what Princetonian's call Woodrow Wilson's campus home while serving as University President), Jarrett received a phone call on Friday night that would forever change our lives. On the other end of the line, the dean said "Welcome to Princeton!"

Since that email came in, we have been just blown away at God's perfect timing, and provision. As Christians we do not believe in coincidences, but in His ideal plan. Jarrett and I are so humbled, and completely grateful for all the blessings in our life. It is crystal clear to us, and I hope to you, that God uses our lives for His glory.... HE is the heart of our marriage, children, and careers. I wanted to share our story with you because it is a testimony for how BIG God is --- He opened doors and created a path that we couldn't have even dared to dream. First with Pepperdine, then with Princeton.  As we make this huge move across the country, away from family and the familiar, my heart is sad, yet excited too. My sense of purpose and walk with Jesus has grown here at Pepperdine, and more than anything, I know He has been preparing me to be the wife and mother that can make the transition possible to "Tigertown!"