Family in Arkansas

Lately when I have thought about blogging I push it to the side because it seems like I just wrote on here and I don't want to overload my friends, family, and the web with my life but when I finally did get on here to blog just now I realized I haven't written since February! Luckily I'm better at keeping up with my handwritten journal.
Some updates on us:
Nathan has been rocking it in his new job as an MLP (merchant leadership program) at Walmart and talks all fancy about merchandizing stuff, it's fun to go to the store with him because I can sneak stuff like ice cream in the cart while I ask him what all the numbers on the shelf label under the ice cream mean! He has also added swimming to his regular workout routine which has done fantastic things to his shoulders :)

Asher says all sorts of fancy words such as shoe, walk, tucker, baby, baby-sleeping, mom, dad, bampa, show (TV show), apple, water, keys, car, go; he quacks when he sees a duck, and makes awesome car noises, and roars for lions, alligators and cats... He is in size 3t! And size 7 shoe, and loves rotisserie chicken with a crazed animalistic passion that is only acceptable and adorable because he is a toddler. He stops to pick up any leaf or rock he sees and cries to go on walks and play in dirt. He has become awesome at playing with Miriam, until she has one of his toys which makes him turn, point his finger at her and say "no" very slowly and deliberately. We also found this awesome app called 'Endless Alphabet' it teaches the letter sounds and names, Asher has become very good at it. He sliced open his eyebrow with a spool of thread...still trying to figure out that one. Luckily a week later you can barely see it.

Miriam is rolling over, sitting up and moving! Chubby adorableness getting around on her own. She does an impressive army crawl. She is in 6/9 month clothes and she just turned 7 months on the fifth. She has the cutest laugh and twists in really crazy ways to keep an eye on Asher who should watch out once she starts really crawling, he will never be left in peace again! She is super giggly, and I think she might have a strawberry tint to her little locks that are finally growing. She loves toys with faces and will hold them really close and jabber at them for long periods of time, (relatively long, maybe 30 seconds.) and she eats baby food! And would eat anything we eat if I let her. She does shockingly well at staying clean too, you know, for a drooling, arm waving, enthusiastic giggler.

And Tucker and I are doing great. He is loving that it's warm so I leave the porch door open and he is able to soak in the sunshine, and make friends with stray cats that wander too close. Luckily none have made it in the house like they did last summer.
Now some highlights:
My wonderful Mom came to visit! We were able to relax and we found a zoo, and go shopping and eat good food. She had her first pedicure and loved it. Such a fantastic week.

Joe and Autumn and their family, as well as mom and dad Childs, came up which made for an awesome conference weekend, also full of great food and company!
Jill came out (whew! Good thing we really like all our family!) for a short trip but again, full of girl's nights out eating and shopping, being baby free! (Thank you so much for that Nathan and Jason.) I'm glad I have my sister as my friend.

We had our third year anniversary!!!  Three years, three states, three jobs, two babies, four apartments, one dog, and I have sincerely never been happier.
And the day before our anniversary Nathan bought me a house! Well, we bought a house, but it's much more exciting to say he got it for me for our anniversary right?! It was crazy, we've been looking at houses online, on our own, and with a Realtor for weeks and had found a couple we like but nothing we both absolutely loved. So we started expanding a little out of our desired location and BAM! April 11th we walk through this house that was perfect. Something about it just hit all the feel good spots we had been looking for. We decide to sleep on it. Then then next morning (Jill was here poor lady had to deal with all our stress and uncertainties) we wake up really wanting to put in an offer so we ask for all sorts of crazy stuff (it's new construction so blinds, sod, to pick the flooring, and a fence mostly) and think we have a couple days. Nope! Two hours later the builder counters basically accepting everything so Saturday we walk through the house again to make sure we still like it and sign a contract! Months later and I still like it m ore every time we walk through. And Nathan also surprised me with flowers and chocolates :)

We were supposed to close on the house a couple weeks ago so again we had family in town! Phil, Maren, Ben and his girls and Mom and Dad Childs. We went fishing and explored all over, Devil's Den and Roaring River. I'm almost glad we were able to relax with them instead of stressing while moving.

All in all we have come to love it here in Arkansas, the weather is great, the people are great, its beautiful and for now its a great home for our little family.