Trip to Milwaukee

We are currently in Waukesha on our house hunting trip. We got in last night and have toured a bit today. Let's just say it's 50 degrees outside in May and we are definitely in a blue collar, working class area. Not a bad thing, just very different for us. We've never lived in a place like this before. We have found the local Walmart and it's very nice. The cost of living here is way more - think at least $200 more a month to live in an apartment smaller than our current home in GA - yikes! Also, we were told a highlight of Milwaukee (by the rental car person) is that they have good signage on the roads! at least they were right about that. The funniest part is the accent - totally noticeable. :)

CORRECTION - Florida here we DON'T come!

I am correcting this post only because it is supposed to rain all weekend in Florida and even here. I am not driving 5+ hours to sit in a beach house to watch it rain all weekend when we can do that here - BUMMER! Oh well, we'll get to Florida one of these days...


We are going to Florida this weekend to a beach near Destin! David's co-workers/friends got us all a place to rent and invited us to join in on the fun in the sun! It was a good deal and we've heard these beaches are white sand and clear water and we can't wait! We need to go the beach as much as we can before we freeze up north for the next year. Hopefully the kids will do well in the car for 5.5 hours!!!

Update on move

We found out Friday that David's last day at Cooper Lighting here in Peachtree City is June 19. We should have the movers come that Saturday, clean the house Monday, and be gone by Tuesday, June 23, which also happens to be my 33rd birthday. We moved at the same exact time last year as well and I spent my 32nd birthday on the road in Alabama. This time I'll be somewhere between Georgia and Wisconsin! David's first day at Cooper Power Systems in Waukesha, Wisconsin, will be June 29.

Unbirthday

Drew had his 4th birthday celebration at school last week. His birthday is not for another month but since they don't have school in the summer, he is celebrated at the end of the year. However at this age, Drew didn't quite understand it's not his actual birthday yet and has been saying he's four now for a week. He likes to show me something and tell me that "only 4 year-olds can do that." I was supposed to bring a treat for snack time on his celebration day - they don't like cakes that you have to serve up and they don't really like cupcakes because they are quite messy. So, I went for Drew's favorite dessert - chocolate chip cookies! I made cookies for all his classmates and then a big one for him. He loved it and it was quite easy I must say. What a fun time he had with all of his friends singing him happy birthday and he made a green crown that he proceeded to wear all day long once we got home.

Picking Strawberries

We went to Adam's farm last weekend in Fayetteville to pick strawberries. Last summer we picked blueberries there and made cobbler out of them - this time it was strawberry shortcake! We had a good time searching for the ones to pick. David and I did most of the picking (after we realized Drew was squishing them on accident while he was trying to pull them off) and Drew held the bucket. It didn't take long before we had 2 lbs of delicious strawberries to take home with us. It's such a fun family outing that doesn't take too long but is well worth the rewards!

Soap Star

I have been watching the soap, Days of Our Lives, since I was young - think back to like 5th grade. I have vivid memories of my sister and I swimming and laying out in the mornings during the summers and then when it got too hot which was around lunchtime, we'd go inside, grab a bite to eat and watch "Days." Over the years, it's been off and on, here and there, but really I just put it on the background while I blog or do work on the computer. Lo and behold, they have a new actress who just came on the scene... read below...

"Shelby Young will be playing Kinsey, an old friend of Mia’s who fills Will in on her past. Look for her on Thursday May 7."

YES! I can't believe it... not only is this the first and probably only "Kinsey" character ever on television but on a show I've been watching for years. Now the problem is that I haven't seen this character again since this one episode and she was quite the 'mean girl.' But hey, it's something - she even spells her name exactly like mine (and it isn't McKenzie either)... awwwwww, yeah! :)

Almost 4 years old

Someone has declared that he is 4 years old now, even though he has about one more month to go before that happens. He is so disappointed he isn't 4 yet and gets really bummed out if we tell him he has to wait until his birthday. :)

End of the Year Program

Drew participated in his end-of-the-year program at school this past Tuesday night. It was so good and he did so well! I have to admit that I teared up a few times - just seeing your child get so big and realizing it is going by so fast! I just love this little boy so much and he was so precious singing his songs and doing his hand movements. Again, these moments make everything so worth it as a parent.

3 months

Dilan is 12 weeks old and 3 months old officially. She is smiling a lot and cooing still and starting to lose a bit of hair in the back. She keeps kicking her feet a lot when she's on the ground like any day now, she'll flip herself over. She still doesn't sleep a lot during the day unless you are holding her - she loves to nurse to fall asleep but we are trying to avoid that. We love our little girl!!!

Playground Injury

We went to the playground today and Drew came home with this wonderful scrape down his face. Drew was having fun with his friend, Fox, and they were spinning around and around on a pole - kind of a mini merry-go-round - and I thought they were going too fast as I saw them do this. But I was a little ways off near the gate (to make sure the kids did not get out of the playground area) with Dilan. Sure enough, Drew comes crying to me and he had been going so fast that he flew off. He scraped his face on the playground's surface but quickly recovered from the injury and kept playing with Fox.
We went home for lunch and David asked Drew what happened. Drew proceeds to tell his dad, "me and Fox were going too fast and mommy wasn't watching me and I fell." Yes, that's right, he told David I was not watching him. David could not stop smiling and laughing. I was appalled! :) Of course I was watching him but I didn't see him fall - totally a mother of two thing now where I can't watch him every second! Even funnier was that he went to his school program that night and told his teacher the very same story... yes, even the part where his mom was not watching him... sigh.

We're Moving!

Yes, we found out last week that we are moving to Waukesha, Wisconsin - a suburb of Milwaukee. We should find out more this week when David's start date is (probably sometime in June) and be able to make plans on our upcoming move. David is in a 3-yr rotational program with Cooper and this will be our second rotation. We have thoroughly enjoyed Peachtree City and will be so sad to leave. Surprisingly to us, we have made some of our closest friends here and they have truly supported us and been there for us. Having no family here and with Dilan being born here, our friends have meant so much. For those reasons and among others, Peachtree City will always hold a special place in our hearts.
We will update our blog on our move to Waukesha, WI, when we get more details...

Transportation Day

Last Friday, Drew had transportation day at his school. We brought his bike and helmet to school and the kids were able to ride around and do various activities that were set up. The funniest thing was that Drew took off like it was a race once he got his helmet on and hopped on his bike. It was too funny to watch him - he was very eager! He loved going through the car wash and he stopped at the pretend vet and picked up an animal there. He also loved pulling into the "garage" and parking his vehicle. He had so much fun riding around. It was quite warm that day and when he took off his helmet, he was the only kid whose hair was completely wet. We have a kid who sweats easily, I guess! Anyway, it was a lot of fun to see him with his classmates having so much fun.

"I'm sorry, so sorry..."

A few weeks ago we had a pretty bad day where Drew's teacher told me to call her when he got in the car after school. You always know that is not good to hear. Come to find out he had a few altercations with his friends at school which is not like him at all. So, it was concerning and we talked about it that night as a family. David and I were reminding Drew that we don't hurt our friends, etc. and when we went to say our family prayer, (Drew saying it) he blessed both of his friends that he had hurt that day, and it was very sweet. At that moment, David took the opportunity to teach Drew that when we hurt someone, not only do we say, "I'm sorry," to the person we hurt but we also say we are sorry to Heavenly Father for hurting them as well (a little lesson on repentance). So, Drew bowed his head, folded his arms and said, "I'm sorry, Heavenly Father." Then he said, "That's okay, said Heavenly Father." And he got up and ran to his room for bed. It was hilarious - but it also reminded me of the simplicity of forgiveness and that we are all entitled to it. How often it is that when we are trying to teach our children a lesson, they end up teaching us instead! :)