Back in the Saddle Again

Literally. Well, almost. (I'm sure I'll be on a horse in no time-right dad?). Life has gotten away from me since I last posted. Many changes. All good - or bittersweet. 1. Early May: My sister Amanda moved out of our apartment and back to Amarillo. We hated to see her go but we were glad she was able to experience New York with us. 2. Mid-May: My sister Heather came to New York to visit for a week. Fun times! 3. Mid-May: We took a family vacation to Niagara Falls. It was beautiful. Drake wanted to push the stroller everywhere and got mad every time we tried to take a photo with him. Oh well. 4. Late May: We went to Far Rockaway Beach in Queens. Drake loved the sand and even the icy cold water. It was the only beach trip we took that had nice weather. In June we went to Coney Island in Brooklyn and Jones Beach on Long Island and each time it was chilly and rainy. Strange. 5. Early June: We find out we're going to have another baby! (No photo of the complete shock on our faces - sorry!) 6. Mid-June: Andrew got a teaching job in Fort Worth. Big answer to prayer! 7. Late June: Drake and I have to say goodbye to Aurora after almost a year of having her in our home. Drake misses you Aurora and hasn't found a girlfriend to replace you :). 8. Late June: We move away from New York back to Texas. Incredibly bittersweet! Drake and I stayed with Ma & Pa in Oklahoma while Andrew drove our belongings across the country with his dad. Drake had fun riding the lawnmower with Pa (yes-the mower part was turned off). Andrew's parents were wonderful to put us up in their home for the month of July while we searched for a house to buy. Drake loved playing with Gram and Grandaddy everyday. 9. Mid-July: We found a house in Fort Worth! It's a beautiful and charming home built in 1922. The previous owner was a kind man who had taken great care of it and worked hard restoring parts of it. Thanks Buddy! 10. Mid-July: We visited the family in Amarillo (there's a lot of them now) for a few days. Of course Drake still loves the swimming pool at Grandma's house. We had a really nice visit with everyone (lots of thrift store shopping and garage sales - not to mention bargains!) I got to eat my beloved Taco Villa and Andrew was able to hang with a couple of friends he had in New York who, strangely enough, are from Amarillo. We stopped in Holliday on the way back to visit with Andrew's Grandmother. It's always a delight to spend time with her - she adores Drake! 11. Early August: We moved in to our house and have since been unpacking and decorating. Drake absolutely loves having a room big enough to play in. He pushes his toys (and the furniture) all over the hardwood floors. He also loves to go outside and play. We have a nice big front porch where we sit and drink coffee on the weekends. The back yard needs some work but we have plans to make it a great family space over the next couple of years. I'll post some photos of the inside of the home after we're a bit more settled :). I'm sure I've left some things out. I'll try not to get so behind again. I'd love to hear from you so leave me a comment after you read!