August 2011: A bunch of randomness....

We just moved from Alabama to Virginia last month and are settling into our house here. I found it to be quite a struggle to find a house here and I spent endless hours scouring the internet, militarybyowner.com for homes for rent. FINALLY, it happened. We started looking in March and we FINALLY found our home in May....it is perfect. It is a Mid-Century Modern house....funky and fun! Lots of windows, lots of light, and great views of the trees and outdoors. It feels like a "treehouse."

We got here the end of June and brought my brother with us to help us unload our truck. He is always so helpful and great to have around. The kids love their "Uncle Kyle." We got the keys to our house June 29th and our truck came on July 2nd. It was super HOT moving in! Humid and hot!

Kids in front of the White House

Me and Mikhail in front of the White House.

Grant making his Cheesy Face!

Watching the neighborhood parade.

We quickly met our neighbors. They are all super friendly and older. We love old people! There is something special about them :) They are awesome. We were invited to the neighborhood 4th of July picnic in the park. It was old-fashioned and fun. There was a little parade with the fire truck, some old cars and lots of children with decorated bikes and wagons.  

The Mt. Vernon Community band played classic patriotic music, there was great food, ice cream, and pony rides...it was just great. We met some new people from around the neighborhood and have come to realize what a unique and special place Hollin Hills is.

We are loving the neighborhood and the house. We even joined the neighborhood pool and are so glad we did. It is great fun for the kids and also for me and David.

Celestia turned 7 this month and Grant turned 2.

Birthday boy!

Birthday girl!

 Celestia is a great girl. She is so helpful to me and is a mini "mom" to the boys. She is always trying to do good and follow her Savior's example. She is quiet, has a soft voice, but a strong spirit. I love her. She came to me the other day asking how much a new barbie would cost. I said $15. She said, "Wow, that is a lot!" I then said we could get one for a $1 at a yard sale though, to which she replied, "But they never have the accessories!" I thought this was funny! She loves her brother Max who is almost 5 months old. She holds him, sings to him and is always willing to help his out when he's crying.


All the kids come up to me throughout the day and ask, "Mom, where's Max?" They are so cute, always thinking of their baby brother. Mason asks me more than anyone! Mason will lie down on a blanket with Max and sing/hum him a little song, play with his little hands, stroke his head, and just keep him company. Mason will do this for a good 20 minutes or so. It is adorable. He's such a sweet little boy.

Cute Max hanging out!

He loves sucking his fingers!

Grant cleaning the windows.

Jack loves to build towers!

Jack is an amazing tower builder...you can see one of his towers above.  He loves to build with blocks, legos, sticks, whatever....he is a builder with a great imagination.

Grant is really starting to talk more and more. He is starting to sleep in a big boy bed in his room once in a while. He goes back and forth still from the crib to the bed. He loves helping me around the house. He will help get ice for the glasses for dinner, he will find a towel and clean up spilt water. He likes to help mop whenever he can. He helps David put things together, etc.