Welcome Home! Part I

We made our first trip to Austin this weekend. A toddler and a trailer made it a VERY LONG drive, but we made it. Went to dinner at the Oasis last night to celebrate and took this picture.

Big girls and slides

We're in the transition time and are even going under contract for our home sale already! We'll be moving Brent down for his new job soon, and are finally having a chance to be really excited.

Below is a picture of the Highlands Street Fair in our neighborhood. It's kind of a big deal.

Banner and Emory are at such a fun stage. They talk to each other in baby jabber. They had an entire conversation about Emory's shoes without saying one real word. They went down slides all by themselves (with a catcher at the end) over and over on Monday.

A little of this and that...

I think I'll use the sand wedge for that shot....

For my new hobby of road biking in my new city of Austin.

Emory and Audrey

Big adventure to Target with Audrey, Paige, and Emory. This fun lasted for about 10 minutes, which was longer than we expected.

One of the most exciting things about moving to Texas will be having these two girls get to grow up together. Audrey Petru (Tim and Miriam's second daughter) is 8 weeks older than Emory. Noni (Brenda) has lots of twin outfits planned for their future. It's really fun to watch them get to play together....even when they hit each other with blocks. :)

Austin Bound!!!

We are moving to Austin!

Brent and I decided a while back that we were ready to plant roots and settle down in a town we wanted to call home. We LOVE Denver and have enjoyed every moment here, but we have not been settled, and always spoke in future tense about some other place....

My prayer has been that God would keep doors shut that we shouldn't walk through, and only provide a very clear path for us to follow as we make this transition. He was so faithful. A really exciting job opportunity came along in Austin- a place I had somewhat blown off as an option because jobs are so hard to come by. Brent worked very hard to get an interview, but it paid off and he'll be starting with this company June 27th. It will be awesome to be near family and old friends and WARM winters. :)

So, if you know anyone looking for a cozy cottage near downtown Denver with blood, sweat, and tears poured into its updates, let me know because ours is on the market.

Daddy got the job!!!!!! We celebrated in beautiful Golden, Colorado. One of those amazing places that will make it hard to leave.
I'm not guilty. I didn't feed the puppy anything.....
Karaoke night, here I come!
Don't worry, Mommy, I'll put my clothes away.

Texas in May

I spent one week in Denver and 3 weeks in Texas with Emory in the month of May. We went to Austin the first week for a family visit and a wedding. Emory first got to see the Caroom family (cousins from my mom's side). Catherine and Ryder are pictured center and I have to give a shout out to them for their ENGAGEMENT!!!! Congratulations! Austin Children's Museum
Dancing with Grand Tex in Austin
With Aunt Andrea and Cousin Haven
With Aunt Leesa

Spring Travel

In April, we made a road trip around North Carolina. We began in Raleigh with a quick stop at Carrie Paschke's house to see she, Dan, and their three kiddos. Then off to Wilmington to see the Carpenters, then to Charlotte for a visit with Justin and Caroline Hipps, and then to see my cousins in the Chapel Hill area.

I love North Carolina. We love our friends there. And it was tough to leave.

Our trip to Wilmington was such a wonderful vacation. Liz and I haven't gotten that much time around each other in years and to combine families for a few days was so fun. She and Parks were such great hosts. They are both amazing cooks, tour guides, and parents. Lily Kate and Charlotte made us feel so welcome, too. They are adorable, amazing little girls.

We went to Wrightsville Beach, out in downtown Wilmington, to the park, and as pictured below, the strawberry patch. Emory got her first taste of homemade ice cream, and she liked it.

North Carolina

Here are a few reasons North Carolina is amazing. My mom used to always take pictures of flowers and I thought they were so boring, but here I am amazed at the beauty of the Wilmington, NC azaleas and snapping away. These pictures are mostly from the Wilmington Botanical Gardens.