Yikes.

So much to share...but so little time/energy/brain waves to do it!!! Ha!
Ok, we arrived in VA exactly one week ago, so maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself about updating this thing... Here are some highlights and a few pictures, too...

*So hard to say goodbye to friends in South Carolina! Elise has talked MANY times about how much she misses her friends and neighbors. I don't really know how to be a parent through this...I guess I should talk to other NAVY moms who've done it dozens of times... for now, I've just been saying, "It's ok that you miss your friends. I miss my friends, too. But the good thing is that we can call them (or write/color pictures for them, etc...) and maybe visit sometime. We'll make new friends here that will be special, too". Just something tough we're trying to figure out as we go. Since we haven't really met any neighbors yet, this is a little trickier to explain. Maybe soon...

*All three kids were GREAT with the traveling/movers/etc...they loved the adventure, Mitchell just slept all the time (moving with a newborn is WAY EASIER than a toddler, btw), the 8 hour drive wasn't as bad as I thought. Adam got off easy on that one- we ended up packing his 4Runner all the way with boxes/stuff and I had the three kids and dog in the minivan...Whose idea what THAT!?! =) The kids did great, really.

*Our weather was in the 90's the day the movers were there and, just 6 days later, it was 38 Degrees here! I LOVE IT! I'm so much happier in cooler weather and love wearing jeans, tshirts, and a fleece vest. Adam, Elise, Ainsley, and I all had on our vests on the other day when we took a day away from unpacking and visited some nearby friends for a few hours. It was so crisp and refreshing to be outside!!

*Mitchell is doing so well. He's a month old today and already sleeping up to 7 hours overnight. That's CLEARLY a gift from GOD with a third baby!!! I'm so thankful! He's doing pretty well during the days and seems to have a pretty laid back personality. (Although we said that about Ainsley early on, too, and at 19 months, she's SUPER high-maintenance...so, what do we know!?).

*Adam started his new job yesterday and thinks he'll enjoy it over time...it'll be such a change from doing law for the NAVY, but we're so thankful to really feel like we'll be able to settle into a city, a church, and a part of the country we love!

*being a parent to three kids under four years old is quite a challenge. I agree with the statement from friends that "going from 1 kid to 2 is harder than 2 to 3". I have a sense of "I know I can do this all in the course of a day" that prevails when I get overwhelmed and I'm more willing to let a kid 'cry it out' than I ever was when it was just Elise and I. The hardest part is just feeling like I can't give each one of them 100% that I'd like to. If Ainsley and Mitchell were just a little further spread out, I think it'd be ok, but Ainsley is so 'needy' for attention, focus, etc...right now and I really feel like I'm neglecting her so often. I know that this will pass and that I am doing the best I possibly can, but it makes me sad to daily realize that I just don't have the ability to give her that attention. I know kids are resilient, so I just hope and pray that I can be the best mom to all three kids (and wife to Adam, of course) that I can be...exausting, but possible!

*Although we've unpacked 95% of all boxes, we're still missing a solid handful of things:
-TV Remote control and TV Power Cable
-The "emergency stop" pull-cord from our treadmill. It won't turn on w/o that cord...bummer
-Elise's finger-paints (ok, I don't miss that too much yet!)
-All the hardware for curtains in the house. We have all the curtains and curtain rods, but nothing else...
None of this is major (we've already replaced the 2 TV items), but kind of a bummer and just frustrating! I'm sick of unwrapping/unpacking and equally sick of having sheets and towels hanging over windows. I don't want to spend $$ on more hardware, but the neighbors are probably wondering what kind of people are living here...

*Elise's school situation is tricky. She's had three days of school here. I LOVED her school in SC and so did she. Some of our best friends were made through that and she still talks about her friends, teachers, playground, etc...at her "old school". A few comments I've heard this week from her: "There are two other girls in my new class. Abby pooped in her panties today and Sydney sucks her thumb. She wears a diaper, too." (what!?! This is a 3 y.o. class!) "We don't do numbers and letters at my new school. We just play". Hmmmm...so, we're scrambling to research other preschools in the area to maybe switch her over. Playing is important, but she really enjoys the LEARNING stuff, too. There needs to be a balance, in my opinion. We'll see.

*Ok, that's a lot. Here are a few more pictures. Phew. Pray for ENERGY and PATIENCE for me, for easy-adjusting for all of us, and that we'd enjoy time together as a family as we get settled. Thanks!