The Big Move

I started this post almost a week ago, if you happened to notice the date, and I am just now getting back to it! I will have to be satisfied with small snippets since I obviously can't get to the computer as much as I'd like. Maybe that's a good thing. I just wanted to mention our move and to say how much we liked not driving a truck and using these moving pods instead. It was super smooth to have them dropped off in our parking lot and have three days to load them up and then to drive all together in our car across the country. It took a week for the pods to make it to Indiana so we just hung out at my parents' for a few days, seeing as they live right on the way. I would like to put up some of those pictures but I'm on the wrong computer, so that will have to wait.

Spencer was very interested in the big truck dropping off the pods.

Here are the pods in our driveway, with everything still intact:

For those who were asking, we came to Indiana for more school, Daniel just can't seem to get enough of it :) He will be doing his PhD in Physics at Purdue, which we expect to take 4 to 5 years. He was super excited to be accepted here and it was an easy choice to come, especially with family not far away. In fact, we only applied to schools in the Midwest because we were done with the long trips to visit our families, but Purdue had the best research opportunities for his specific field so he's eager to continue in that direction. Because Daniel already graduated from BYU with his bachelor's, he didn't feel the need to stay for a graduation ceremony (and was more concerned with finishing his thesis than getting pictures in a cap and gown) so we've kind of brushed over this big step for him. But I wanted to take the chance to say how amazing he is and how hard he has worked to finish this second degree, while still managing to keep his wife happy and give lots of attention and time to Spencer and Esther. Now he's bracing himself for his third, and last, degree and we are content to stay poor a little longer while we're still used to it. We are happy in our new home and the ward and community has been very welcoming already. It's hard to believe we're really here, that our time at BYU really is over and that we made it all here in one piece. Hooray!!

That was more than a snippet, and I still feel like I left a lot out, but this is a blog and not my journal so that will have to do. Thanks to everyone for your greetings and support--it's great to still feel connected even though we're far apart. Please keep in touch!!

New Home in Indiana

Here are a few pictures of our new home. We definitely have more room to wiggle, we get to park in a garage, and we have the best landlords ever!! We have the Internet in our home now but we have to arrange a few things to get my computer connected, so I may be a bit delayed still with posting. I look forward to the day when we are done unpacking and all settled in (will it ever come?)

Front door and entry way:

Living room, right after the entry way:

Kitchen, taken from the living room (excuse the mess!):

Fun with abc's

Spencer and I have fun whenever we can...



...and yes we did sing the song another three or four times before the dishes were done.

Exersaucer

A friend from our ward lent us her exersaucer this week (thanks Tarmy!) and Esther appears to like it. Daniel caught this video of her, thinking at first it had to be Spencer making the noise and then discovering that he wasn't in the room and that she had figured it out herself.

Happy Mother's Day!

Where did April go?

I know it's so cliche to say time flies, but holy cow does it ever!! Here are a few highlights from the month:

Spencer was sick when the Primary had an Easter Egg hunt and then we had bad weather and some other delays, but we did finally give him his own hunt in our lowly little apartment and he had a blast. He made us hide the eggs again and then he did it himself and then again the next morning. I love it how the simple things mean so much to children.


We celebrated my sister-in-law Stephanie's birthday with a picnic in the park. We were loving the sunshine and just soaked it all in.



Esther is now three months old! I can't believe I can't say I have a newborn anymore. She is acting more like a normal baby with a few more fussy spells, though her drooling makes me wonder if teething is to blame for that. She has been sleeping through the night for at least a month now and I am just as happy as can be, especially with our continual struggle with Spencer's sleeping habits. It just isn't fair that he's a night owl AND an early bird!!


It's fun to see her vision improve and to watch her discover new things around her, such as this cute lion mobile that she especially likes staring at.


My mom came out for my cousin's wedding last week, but do you think I remembered to snap any pictures? I can hardly believe I didn't, but we enjoyed her visit all the same, as well as the wedding. Daniel and I were able to attend the sealing in the temple, which is the first time being in the temple together since Esther was born, so that was a real treat.


Can you see the Y on the mountain? Daniel is officially finished with his TA work for the semester, and forever at BYU, and can now spend all of his time on his research and thesis, which he plans to finish next month. We are finally coming to the end of our BYU chapter, after starting here as freshmen 10 years ago in 2000, and are getting mighty excited. I told Daniel that I am curious to see if I will miss the mountains after living so close to them for so many years. I already know I'll miss the dry summers, but I'm sure my skin will enjoy the humidity once again.

And Daniel wonders why I wanted a little girl ...

Yet, of course, I couldn't trade Spencer for the world. I don't know how many times I told him today that I loved him, but that love just keeps growing no matter how much trouble he causes. Besides, he's bound to teach Esther all of his ingenious tricks anyway. (And yes, he came up with this one on his own, and it has kept him entertained for up to a half an hour at a time, so I guess I shouldn't complain.)