First and foremost, we have moved! Not down the street, but to Tampa, FL. Jason had a really great job oppurtunity down here and as much as we love his former employer and appreciate everything he has done for our family, we felt this was the best decision for us. Adding to that, we also left our families in the state of Ga to venture down here by ourselves. This was, by far, the hardest part of the decision. It has not been easy to leave Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, but we are committed to staying in touch and visiting often! :) We are equipped with webcams...we just have to figure out how to use them! :)
So, how is life in the sunshine state?? So far, so good! We are renting a house for a year so we can decide what part of town we want to be in permenantly. The rental is pretty good. Lots and lots and lots of white tile. I mean, LOTS! It has a heated pool and hot tub which we should be able to start using in March, which we are super excited about! Bentley already has an ongoing feud with the squirrels. They sit up in the palm trees and chirp at him while he stands below barking his sweet little head off. I don't think its sweet when hes barking though... (For all of you Simmons reading, picture Bent barking at Genna in the river....All. Day. Long!)
I definitely have emotionally good and bad days... Its hard to start over in a new place. Its hard to find people similar to yourself. I'm definitely missing friends but these things take time...
Hannah has started a new school that she seems to like. I miss her old school and old teacher... She does as well but she is adjusting amazingly well! The teachers and the director at her new school all told me she just jumped right in and it seems like shes been there forever. This makes me so proud of her! I wish I could be as brave as her sometimes.
William is loving the mild winter temperatures. He is constantly wanting to go outside. For those of you who worry about our little wanderer, he is completely safe from the pool! We have the child safety gate up around the pool and he definitely knows not to even try and get to the other side. We talk about it alot but even if he wanted to, he couldn't! I think Fla living is really going to agree with this kid! He loves the water and boats and fish... hes a perfect fit!
Tucker is getting way too big, way too fast! He turned 6months old a couple of days before Christmas. Just like his brother, he could sit up unsupported a little bit before he turned 6m but the day he turned 6m, he could sit for a long time and not fall down! Similarities like that are amazing to me! I was a little bit concerned that he was not adjusting to the move... We "moved" Dec 17th-19th. We stayed in Tampa 2 days and then we went back to GA to celebrate the Holidays with our families. Over christmas, we were pretty much sleeping in a different house every night and there was so much going on. He was fussier than usual and he was waking up at night which was very unusual for him. At his 6 month appt (a few days after Christmas) I found out that he had an ear infection. :( Poor kiddo! But at least that was the cause of his new behaviors and it wasn't because of our move!
Tucker checked in in the 1st percentile for weight, (just like big bro) but we started solids once we were semi-settled after Christmas and its amazing how much he has already grown! He has a healthy appetite and even some little fat rolls so I am not worried about him in the slightest.
He is also no longer immobile! He scoots all over the place! He gets up on his hands and knees, rocks and then lays back down. Sounds exhausting but it gets him from point A to point B. He is still so happy, so smiley and so laid back.
Jason is enjoying his new job! The company has a LOT going on right now so things are super crazy but hopefully it will settle down soon and we can get used to a new routine. Jason actually just left this morning on his first business trip. He won't have to travel an awful lot but he will attend conferences every now and then. SO, He's off to vegas... Rough life, huh? ;) He keeps saying hes going to sleep during his down-time. Maybe I can convince him to play a slot machine, or 2! Neither one of us have ever been to Vegas so I'm trying to live vicariously. :)
I guess that about sums it up! A special thanks to my Mom for journeying down here with me and the kiddos after Christmas to help unpack some boxes! We're ready for another visit! ;) Thanks to Rusty for everything you have done to help get our old house ready to be listed! I don't know what we would have done without you... And thanks to Alissa for helping us feel more at home here and for helping me learn the lay of the land!
To all of our family, we love you and miss you all!!! :)
