What We've Been Up To Part 1

It's been an exciting summer for us with a cross-country move, new baby and a new house. Many of you have asked how we are doing and how we like TN. We are doing really well. God has been very gracious to us! We had a sweet farewell time in CA and miss our friends dearly but had a wonderful, warm welcome in Chattanooga from family and friends. Zane's new employer, UNUM, generously moved us including packing and unpacking us and putting us up in a furnished apartment downtown for our first two months here. Through the help of Zane's stepfather, who is in real estate, we found a great new home and became homeowners for the first time. We have been attending a great church and are enjoying reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. And of course, the best gift by far was our sweet baby boy, Weston, who was born in the middle of all this on August 2nd.

Over the next couple of days I hope to get you all caught up through pictures.

During our last few weeks in CA, I made a point to take more pictures, especially of all of our friends. We loved our neighborhood and I am sure we will never live in such a community. It still amazes me to think of how we knew all of our neighbors, saw most daily, and watched our little ones grow up together. It's unbelievable that we had over 30 children on our block under the age of 5! We dearly miss you, Lincoln Avenue family, and I would be lying if I didn't say that the pictures I see of you all together on Facebook make my heart hurt just a little! These little ones were like my other children and their moms where like mothers to Grace and Lucy. Thank you all for everything!

A special note to the woman I basically shared a house with, my duplex neighbor, Lani. Thank you Lani for being a second mom to my girls. You were the first non-family member to meet Lucy and I often thought she preferred you to me, especially when she would lean for you to hold her when she was in my arms and one of her first words was "lali!" We miss you and our sister 'Kayla!

We were also blessed to have a wonderful church in LA, Pacific Crossroads Church. The worship and teaching stirred our hearts and drew us closer to God but mostly, it's the people that were the church to us. Thank you too for being family to us. I don't know what I would have done without you ladies (you know who you are) who studied the Bible, prayed and cried with me and stayed up late making me laugh at moms' night outs/ins!

Although we lived five miles from the beach, we weren't there every week but I did have two little California beach babies. 

Three other fun highlights of our final weeks in CA were a day trip to the San Diego Zoo, Uncle Will and Daddy taking the girls to Disneyland, and super Gigi coming for a visit to help us get everything together for the move.

The Zoo

Uncle Will flew down from northern CA just for a day to surprise Grace and Lucy and go to Disneyland with them. They didn't know where they were going when we packed them up in the morning to head out with Daddy. When they got Will from at the airport, he had a clue for them - he had brought them each a princess crown. 

The highlight for the day was definitely meeting Cinderella (or "Cinderwewa" as Lucy calls her) but a close second for Grace was riding on the roller coaster. She's our thrill-seeker!

While they were all at Disneland, Mom and I organized, packed and got our nails done. That's the last $30 mani-pedi I will get for awhile! I only have two pictures of my mom with the girls from this trip but these about sum it up...

Trying to get the girls to nap on moving day...Girls 1, Gigi 0

And when Gigi woke up, this is what she found. 

Of her own accord, Grace had decided to put stickers on Gigi's face while she slept!

For our last date night in CA, Zane and I watched the sunset on Santa Monica beach.

It really was a great ending of a great chapter of our lives!