We moved!

We did it! We moved from our quiet, cozy Rexburg to Roslyn, Pennsylvania, not far from the Philadelphia border. Let's me just state for the record that moving is probably the most inconvenient and just plain annoying thing I've ever done. From the packing and cleaning, to the displacing of our whole family into other people's houses (thanks Shell and Ams!), and to add to the list of annoyances, Nat got Fifths disease in the midst of it all. Not something I'd like to do again anytime soon, thanks.

Pulling up to our new apartment was underwhelming, to say the least. It looked a little run down and crowded. Our apartment was older than I expected and it was dirty. And then the smell. WOW the smell. It was SO BAD! A mix of mold and stinky people and maybe something dead. I called Mom in tears that night because we had just moved our little family into a dumpster where we were sentenced to stay for the next two years. She told me to go to bed and call her in the morning. Wise advice. Everything was a little brighter looking after a good night's rest in my own bed.

Sam saved the day with several fresh linen scented air wicks, and after a good scrubbing it wasn't too bad at all. And it starts to feel more and more like home with every 'first' we get through - first time making cookies, first time dropping a scrambled egg under the burner, first time the bathroom got stunk up, first time for family movie night, etc.

Our ward is just WONDERFUL. Four or five guys showed up and moved us in in about twenty minutes, and then one of their wives dropped off supper for us later. It's nice to see old people again on a regular basis, and there are more than two kids in nursery! There are actually fifteen kids. Natalie loves it. Everyone is really friendly and welcoming. The sameness of the gospel is a really great blessing and comfort when nothing else in our whole lives is the same.

Natalie's room. By far, the most finished room in our house. Also the biggest I think.

On a walk around our complex - getting the lay of the land. It's hilly.

From the front. Well, the front of our apartment. Ha.

"Ours!" says Natalie every time we come home.

The view from one of Natalie's windows. Yes, that's the free community garden we'll use next summer!

More pictures to come! I think we're going to be ok!

Our NEW apartment!!!

This is the view in the summers from up the street and down the street from the temple. It's a beautiful sight.

This is our kitchen. We love how open it is. You can see to your right the front door and right next to the front door is a pantry where we are planning on keeping food storage. 

This is our hallway. As you walk down the hallway to your right you will see our bathroom which is across from our very own washer and dryer! Then further back on the right will be our babies room and to the left is our room.

I must say Megan did a great job with those curtains! This view is if you were standing almost in the hallway facing the kitchen. The front door is to your left. 

This is our living room. You can't see all the space we have in there (sorry) but it's a decent amount. Also that big couch is the sectional the previous renters left us. It's pretty sweet. 

This is our bathroom. We love it. 

Here is our babies room. (we had problems setting up the crib. The manufactures apparently made one of the ends holes an inch away from where it should be so we can't connect the end's to the side rail. 

Here is another view of the babies room

Here is our bedroom!

Another angle

I like how the room angles off like that

Our super big closet. The babies closet is the same size.

SO we have a lot of work still to get our house decorated with pictures and such, but thus far we love this apartment. It's big and spacious and the AC works great. We are very pleased to call this place home.

Bright, shiny, and news

Bright!

It's finally March! February and I have never gotten along very well. February Schmebruary if I have anything to say about it. Just scoot Valentines Day to some other lonely month and lets skip February. But it's over! And while the first week of March was pretty unpredictable (i.e., it would be 40 degrees and sunny til about 3 pm and then it would snow quarter sized flakes for 3 hours), I think the worst is over. We've had sunny skies all weekend! Heck, I wore shorts and flip flops all day yesterday! We turned off the heat and opened the windows!!! Pretty unfortunate timing for that though, because according to Sam, for some reason the air smelled like "horse dung."

Shiny.

This is our old microwave. Well, it's a dumpster, but our old microwave is in there. We got it for free, which was a blessing. It had no light, and no buttons. Just two dials. It served us well for almost eight months of wedded bliss. Rest in peace, Ugly Broken.

And this is our new microwave!!! It's beautiful! And so smart! It knows the time! And it has a popcorn button!! We're thrilled.

Lastly, news! Or maybe anti-news.

I guess we jumped the gun on the announcement that we're moving to Georgia. It probably won't happen this summer. It just doesn't make to much sense right now, unless you ask the emotional, irrational sides of us that say "SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY ON MOVING TO GEORGIA!! It doesn't matter that you'll have to live as squatters in a cardboard box! It'll be a great story for your kids one day! Babies who grow up homeless have solid character!! You'll be so close to home, and so far away from Canada! You can get sunburned! And eat Zaxby's!!"

We try to keep that side of us at bay. But, eventually, when Sam is done with school, we'll be there!!! And it'll be great. And it'll make sense to all sides of us. And we'll eat a lot of Zaxby's.