Logan

The third child, he's teething...and loving it!

Spring Break

Spring break is usually a little daunting...how do you entertain 3 kids for 9 days? Well between the sun coming out, my dad being here, and Jim having a couple days off it was wonderful!
We had a Met (Metropolitan Museum) week :)

We went out to the Cloisters, a Met run old monk monastery that was beautiful! It is perched up at the tip top of Manhattan overlooking the Hudson. What a neat little escape from the city. The building was really amazing and I'm glad we visited before our move.

A couple days later after being inspired by a friends pics :) we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and visited the roof deck. The kids loved it! On top are three Jeff Koons sculptures, one being a huge yellow aluminum dog. So fun! The view of the city is also breathtaking and we sat, ate snacks, and enjoyed our surroundings.
I wanted to share a few pictures. In the top one Jim took a picture of our reflection in the sculpture titled Coloring Book :)

After a long walk home through the park, a quick stop for ice cream and flower picking we felt completely satisfied putting our feet up and enjoying some quiet time.
Thanks dad, thanks Jim...

ABD

Yesterday at 4:00pm Jim presented his doctorate proposal. He is now officially ABD (All But Dissertation) Yea!
I got to go to the presentation and he did amazing! Calm and confident he spoke for the exact 20 minutes showing how much knowledge he has on his subject (biography and case study on 19th century artist-teacher George Wallis), yes I learned a lot too.
During the question and answer period he was exceptional also. It was the part I was nervous about :)
I was so proud. I couldn't help but think just how far we have come in our 12 years together.
So in just a few short months Jim will have his Ed.D. And I'll be married to a Doctor (well, sort of)
Love you and good job Jim!

Papa

This week Samantha is on Spring Break and my dad, papa Paul came to visit.
Yea! It has been sunny, warm, and wonderful. It is so nice to have a break from the norm. The kids are stuck to Papa like glue and we can be out and about for hours.

We continue to have many showings on the house and are so thankful for that, but will be very grateful when it sells and we can go back to being our normal messy selves :)

Since my dad has been here the move has become more exciting. I can't help but talk about what we will be doing, looking at houses, going to the beach this summer, the kids spending weeks at a time with my parents...

Thankful and excited!
(especially the above moment when I was cooking dinner by myself!)

An uphill battle

I was watching Logan the other day at the park. He has only been walking for two months but he acts like he owns the playground. After some meandering around he finally spotted the slide. This was his first experience with it but of course from the stroller he has countless times watched Samantha and Trey.

What is the first thing he does? Tried to climb UP it of course. No matter how many times I took him away from it and showed him something just as cool, he found his way back, over and over climbed and fell, climbed and fell.
So I couldn't help but relate to this. I often want to try the hard way even though I know I won't make it. Out of sheer determination I try to keep the perfect house, be the perfect wife or mom, even try to make the perfect lunch. I know that I can't but when I fail I get back up and try again. When will it be enough?
I trust that God's love is enough but I can't seem to mirror that in my life. My body can't seem to follow my heart's intentions. Calm down, enjoy the moment, follow Him instead of the world.
Maybe, just as Logan learned that day, you can only fall so many times before you have to take a step back and decide if what you are doing is worth it. Then move on hopefully a LITTLE wiser than before.

In these pics... He was on his own, then Samantha tried to lend a hand, then of course Trey gave a push also :)

Good friends

We have been lucky to meet some pretty spectacular people in our neighborhood. And I was reminded this week just how thankful I was that certain people are in our lives and just how much I/we will miss them. The week can fly by and without these people I may not make it.

KJ who faithfully walks 22 blocks every Wednesday to mom's group. You know I would be in a taxi if it weren't for you.
The Bazants and our wonderful carpool schedule to the East Side for Preschool.
Holly for being there when ever I needed including a healthy lunch once a week.:)

The list goes on...all the smiling faces during the winter when the cold feels like it won't end.
Then the sun came out this week it has been unbelievable. I think my kids caught on that I want to enjoy the spring in the city before we move because we have spent countless hours outside. And with hardly any complaining we are just basking in the sunshine.

p.s. the kids friends have been amazing also. Trey loves his preschool friends, seen here enjoying a play at Central Park and Samantha and Nathan doing an experiment on a trophy (safety goggles and all!)

Silly :)

Jim and I went to a movie this weekend (Smart People, it was pretty good) we saw this preview and thought it was hilarious.
It may not be your cup of tea but it cracks our family up.

click below for 2 minutes of nonsense
Trailor

Terrificly Tired

I'm sure you've had one of those days that are so fun and yet so exhausting. Both yesterday and today we were lucky enough to spend quality time with friends and have amazing spring days.
Every morning my family cleans the house. We all do our part to get the everything in order so that it can be shown at any moment. Since it just went on the market there have been many people in and out the last few days, so we have stayed away...thankfully the weather has cooperated.

Yesterday after school we spent a few hours in central park. The somewhat warm temperature (and the Cates family) lured us to the carousel and a picnic in Sheep's Meadow. The kids loved it! Their spirit of adventure came screaming out as they collected sticks, tried to catch a lizard, and soared around on the horses. You know it's a good day when even they want to get in the bath, the dirt was caked on :)

Then today was the warmest we have seen, 75, sunny and beautiful. This time Holly and Sacha joined us for some midtown fun at Bryant Park and the New York City Library. Logan had his first ride on, what Trey called a "chocolate" horse? and Trey got to see the big lion at the library.
We had a lovely time, but once again came drifting home at 6:00 ready for a peaceful bath and bedtime.


We hope to take it easy this weekend! But are thankful for the time outside.

A day in the life...

As we have been talking more about the move, Jim and I had an exciting conversation about buying a car. Why exciting? I haven't had one for three years and sometimes when I leave the house I feel like a walking chauffeur for my kids. I make sure we are set- jackets, drinks, snacks (diaper bag!), best route, who will walk who will ride,can we stop by the park...I know it's not all that different than any venture out but at least in the 'burbs we can hop in the car!
The thought of the stroller falling over one more time because I have piled to many things on it... I'm ready for a change of pace.
The things I love about the city, walking, shopping, etc...can also be the things I hate about the city. Each day Trey, Logan and I pack up and go up to the school to get Samantha. She has classes a few times a week. On Mondays she has tap so I had to share with you this picture because Logan and Trey were beyond cute. They stood at that door for close to 20 minutes watching Sam dance and cheering her on. And just imagine that right beyond them is a very crowded NYC dance studio, they could have cared less :)

Date Night

Most Saturday nights we have a sitter. :) Last night was one of those nice, almost spring, New York nights. A little chilly, a little windy, but totally perfect for walking around. Jim was at the Whitney Museum Biennial finishing a tour and I was delivering a meal to a beautiful mom (welcome baby girl Boone Ireland) when we both hopped on separate trains and met up in SoHo.



Before I knew it we were sitting at Balthazar, an amazing SoHo restaurant, that I'm not even sure how we got into on such late notice. But it didn't matter. The food was tasty, the atmosphere was cool and we enjoyed a peaceful, long dinner.
The best part was when the couple next to us (of course you are only 12 inches from the people beside you) asked if we were married or on our FIRST date. Did we look that happy and relaxed?

I am so thankful for those nights out. It gives me a fresh perspective on our relationship and gears me up for the coming week of craziness with the kids. Isn't it awesome to come home to sleeping kids that somebody else put to bed...:)

Next stop...Claremont?

It is weird to have to start looking at communities and houses again. We began our search of the outlying areas of Azusa a few weeks back. So far we like the city of Claremont. It is home to many small colleges, it has a cute downtown, and somewhat affordable housing (it is Southern California). Jim and our friend Mark took a drive around it when Jim was interviewing and had a really good sense. We won't know for sure until we go out as a family, but in the meantime...
I begin the task of finding schools for the kids, a nice neighborhood to settle down, and hopefully an overall feeling that this is where God wants us.

Jim took the offer one week ago today and we put our house on the market Thursday. Scary! We know that God has a plan and we feel confident in this move. But I can't help feeling nervous and a bit anxious.

The sun came out today in the city, I feel change coming...

The recurring question

In the last few days many people have heard of our move and have expressed different emotions. It is amazing to me to see just how many people that we have connected with here, from Samantha and Trey's school, to church, mom's group, our building, the neighborhood. I never thought when we were planning our move here that we would be surrounded by so many cool people.

So I have noticed in all of these conversations recently that the same question keeps coming up.
"Are you excited?" I thought I would answer this now because after reflecting I realize that my answer may be different than I thought. I have been saying, "Yes! of course! I can't wait to be by family." And while this is very true I realize as I am saying the words just how much I will miss this city! I'm not just talking about New York City (which of course is fabulous :), but of the life we've created here.
After all this time of wanting so bad to get back to Cali it occurred to me that I need to remember to live in the moment. Sounds simple right?
God brought us here for a special reason and it is through all of these friends around me that I see why. Yes of course Jim has faithfully worked on his doctorate, but I needed a life also. I am eternally grateful for the people that invited me in, it made the city feel not quite so large. Instead of always waiting for the next thing, at least for right now, I am going to live in this city and have a blast with all of these amazing people around me.

And then after we say goodbye I can look forward to the next phase.

More about the job...

Jim had two offers and decided to take the job at Azusa Pacific University (about an hour outside LA). This is where Jim and I went to college, 10 years ago this fall! We met there in 1995, fell in love and got married right after I graduated. We are anxious to be back on campus. There is a neat community that we hope to become connected with again. Plus, the biggest bonus is that Jim's sister, Christine, is a freshman there this year. We will have so much fun with "Tia", Samantha is especially excited.
Jim will be an Associate Professor, teaching Art History and running their gallery. He will be amazing at APU, he has so much to offer! I hope to continue taking classes for my Master's and I really want to be in one of Jim's! :)

We're moving...

So it is official this weekend Jim accepted a new job and we are off to California.
I am so excited and yet we've created a wonderful life here and made some amazing friends.
(One of those being KJ who urged me to do this blog so that family and friends can stay updated, thanks,friend).
Every once in a while check my site and we will let you know all the ups and downs of moving from coast to coast.
Here's a pic of Jim and Logan. It was a great weekend for both - Logan turned 1!

Things we will miss in NY!