Changes

Things change really quickly. Have you ever noticed that? One minute it's 30 degrees out and you have to bundle up to check the mail, and then the next it's 90 by breakfast. My husband and others who know me well will tell you that I'm not very observant. I have a little bit of a one track mind. I focus on a thought or a task, and I forget to notice my surroundings. In fact, once Lance bought me a dozen roses and left them on my night stand in my room. When I arrived home from work, I walked into the room, changed my clothes, glanced into the mirror, and walked out without even noticing the beautiful flowers! Yeah. It's a problem. I like to blame it on my astigmatism, but deep inside I know that's just a cop-out. I am really bad about directions. I am not a landmark direction follower. People will tell me, "Yeah you know that little yellow house? The one with a red barn behind it? So-and-so used to live there. You know? Well drive that road over two bridges, and then drive past the cell phone tower and make an immediate left when you see a red dirt driveway. It's gonna be the 5th mailbox you see." Oh my gosh! I can't handle directions like that. I honestly don't have a clue where in the world I'm supposed to be going when given those types of directions. I don't remember the color of the house. I don't ever look behind people's houses to see if there's a barn there. I can't keep track of how many bridges I've crossed or mailboxes I've seen. I'm just not that observant.

I have to make myself notice things. I mentioned that there is quite a bit of change going on right now. The first major change is that somehow, overnight, when I wasn't looking, my baby boy turned into a toddler. He zipped through the walking stage rather quickly and moved onto bigger and better things: Running, climbing, spinning in circles, walking backwards, and other physical acrobatics. He's also all of a sudden and very social little person. He waves, blows kisses (when he's in the mood), hugs, high fives, says a few words, follows simple commands, barks at dogs, shakes his head no, throws mini-tantrums, throws balls, and other toddler behavior. He's very normal, but to me he's amazing! I love watching these little changes. Sadly, he's waved bye-bye to his baby years, and is leading full charge ahead into toddlerhood!

Our family will also being changing a bit too. We will be welcoming a new addition to our house very soon. And before you freak out, NO I'm NOT pregnant. It's a dog. Calm down. Don't get too excited. His name is Merrick, and he's a beautiful Sheltie. He's my parent's adorable dog. Merrick will be our foster dog, and he will be calling our house his home for a few years while my dad is in seminary. They will be living in an apartment, so Merrick will have to chill with us for a while. I'm so excited to have him. He's very sweet, good with kiddos, and hopefully will become best buds with our dog, Max. We know Caleb will be pleased to have another playmate!

And the biggest change of all: My family (parents and little sis) are moving from Alaska to New Orleans, LA. Only three hours away! My dad will be attending New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to finish a degree in Marriage and Family Counseling. Rachel, my sister, will be a freshmen at Louisiana College a few hours away. I can't tell you how glad I am to share this news with you. For years I have wished my family was just a little bit closer, and those thoughts have been on my mind even more frequently since I had a child. I'm so pleased that Caleb will have a chance to get to know his other set of grandparents. Skype is great and all, but it's nothing like being in person. My parents have sold the house and are busy packing. They plan to drive from Eagle River to New Orleans and arrive by mid July. It's always been my parent's dream to travel the Alcan (Alaska/Canada highway) and travel down to the Lower 48. (as we Alaskans call the Continental US) Rachel and Merrick will be flying here to stay with our family in a little less than 2 weeks. Rachel was not too thrilled at the idea of 2 weeks on the road with my sightseeing family. Knowing my sweet mom, they will be carrying a Milepost and stopping at every scenic view from AK to LA!

I'm thrilled with all these life changes. Just wanted to share what's going on with all of you. Have a fantastic day!