Settling In

You probably want pictures of my house.  It's beautiful, it really is.  It's just not fully furnished yet.  We have everything we need, and are waiting for good deals on the things we want.  So I'll keep you waiting just a little longer.

Things are delightful here.  I'm learning my way around, we've met lots of people and I've made a few friends.  I told myself I'd cut off my friendship bracelet from Brooke in Quad 7 once I had friends here, and today I was finally brave enough to do it.  Yay for me.

Bryan likes his job.  These days, he gets paid to do his hobby all day.  He still works hard, and feels like he has a lot to learn, but he's doing what he loves.

I live maybe ten minutes from my sister, Heidi.  It's great.  Little Heidi and my niece, Paige, have so much fun together.  Heidi Adele is always so happy when I say we're going to play with Paige.  She says, "Pdg." My sister and I trade babysitting all the time, especially in those situations where you couldn't really ask someone because you'd "put them out."  But we're family.  So we do.

Heidi and Peter and I have settled into a nice routine.  We go on an outing in the mornings, get home for lunch, and then I have some time (lots of time) do work on personal projects which the kids nap.  Recently, both of them sleep in the afternoon.  I probably shouldn't even say that, because it'll make some moms so sad... so I'll just say that, "I'm sure Peter will wake up soon."  And "Heidi will grow out of her afternoon nap in a few weeks or months."  Or "Peter is going to change his naptimes and be awake in the early afternoon."  There.  Don't hate me.

So for now I have some time.  I'm scrap booking and doing family history during naptimes.  I could also read, but I usually fall asleep when I read, and I don't want to use the kids' naptimes like that.  I definitely used to... when I first got here, after lunch we'd all take a nap.  And it was wonderful.  But now that Peter sleeps through the night (I really shouldn't say that either.  But no, I didn't sleep train him or anything.  He just stopped waking up at night.  Heidi did too at about this age.)

Peter smiles a lot.  He hasn't laughed yet, but if he's not hungry or tired, he'll smile back.  He loves to sleep while being held or while holding something soft near his face.  Any ideas on what to give him so he doesn't suffocate?  You can comment on that when you finish reading.

Heidi is learning more and more words.  Now, she can string three words together.  "Almost all done" or "Heidi do it" or "Mommy do it" or "Heidi's turn now" or "Bless you, Daddy."  Her favorite two word phrases are "baby's sad" or "Hi, Mommy" or "Peter's owie" or "Daddy's shoes."  She can take her shoes off and put them away.  She's getting good at using a fork and a spoon, and always requests one at meals.  She loves to eat... she got that from me.  If she sees someone with food, she'll go over and ask for some.  It doesn't matter what time of day or what it is or who it is.  Her favorite foods are cheese or crackers or "Mananas" or "Doodles."  You win if you figure out what that is.  She still loves her monkey, but she also really loves "Meankets."  Especially Peter's meankets.

She's really good with Peter.  She's learned not to touch his eyes, or push on his nose, or rock him too hard. She can almost dependably put the pacifier in his mouth.  She likes to play peek-a-boo with him, and she like's to say, "Hi, Peto."  "Mommy do it." (Until I come over and say hi to him too.)  "Hi, Peto."

Grandma Braun's House

At the end of our jaunt around the country (and at the beginning of Bryan's) the kids and I stayed at Bryan's parents' house in Spokane.  We made messes, ate lots of food, overstayed our welcome, and otherwise had a wonderful time.  Okay, to be fair, Brenda always made me feel welcome.  But we did eat lots of food and make messes.  And have a wonderful time.  Here are some pictures.

Just having some dollhouse time. 

Both kids zonked out in the drive home from church. 

She didn't really go for the Teletubby (How do you spell that?).
That's why he's (she's?  What are teletubbies anyway.)
 sitting all alone back there. 

Hello, handsome.  

Hello, gorgeous!

Running around the table. So fun!

Toddlers are blurry in so many of my pictures.

 Brenda and Barry took their son Stephen to BYU, and I rode along for the opportunity to visit my grandma in a care center.  She was happy to see us.  She kept telling all her friends and nurses that Peter was her 72nd great-grandchild.  They were all properly impressed.

Little matching boy!

The Brauns watched Heidi at the park while I visited
with Grandma.  This is her learning how to slide.  The first
 time, she kind of fell down before she was ready.
 Enlarge to see a really funny face.  

We also went on their ward camp out.  Where I saw my friend Holly from BYU!  We were in the same year of the same major, so we had almost every class together.  And we were buds... we always chose to work together on group projects.  It turned out that she married a boy from Spokane too!  She married the older brother of Bryan's really good friend.  So Holly and Caleb were at the camp out, and we chatted for a while.  So random, and so fun.

Nature time!  

Grandpa Braun taught her how to put her hands in her pockets.  

Little snuggled boy.  Who did not freeze!
I learned something from my last camp out.

Playing in the woods and on the beach is hard work.

Peter spent a lot of time like this.
He slept best snuggled next to me.   But I also had to
chase Heidi, so this was a good solution.

Except during mealtimes. 

When it was time to go home, I flew with the kids from Spokane to Washington D.C.  By myself.  With all our stuff.

An adventure.

The first flight was great.  They both slept the whole time!

So happy. 

I had a layover in Denver, so my dad came to see us.
He helped us pass the long three hours.

The second flight was less awesome, though... Heidi did NOT sleep.  The man in front of her commented when we landed that she's training to be a soccer player.  Oops.  And everyone on our row got drinks, except Heidi and Peter and me.  Bryan suggested that it was because of Heidi and Peter and me.

Har.

Well, it ended, and Bryan picked us up and showed us our new home!

He had done all the apartment hunting, all the sleeping on my sister's couch during apartment hunting, all the sleeping on the floor, all the cooking without food or utensils, all the utility set-up. All alone for a month.  And I flew from furnished home to furnished home, always surrounded by family. :)