Meadows Family: July 2013

Well we have been in our new home for a little over a month now, and it has flown by! Everything is unpacked, we have some things hung on walls, and for the most part we are settled in! The kids' rooms are all settled, now just time to decorate which will be a work in progress! We have been spending most of our time at the house just kind of enjoying each other since we know that in a little more than a month, we will be BUSY with both big kids starting school! I did find out the library's schedule for the summer so hopefully next week we can utilize that a little bit and hopefully meet some others that are the kids' age! I think that is the one thing that I am definitely looking forward to is the kids getting into school and us meeting some other families around here that have kids the same age. I have also been researching churches here and I hope that soon we will be able to test drive a couple and see what fits us best as a family. I definitely want to find a church that has a good youth involvement that can grow with the kids and that the kids can be a part of as they get older. We will see what the good Lord has in store for us!

The changes we have seen in each other since moving over here are things that THad and I definitely like. I feel like we are both less stressed with his shorter drive, her gets to sleep in a little longer and doesn't get home when the sun is going down! It seems like he has more energy for all of us and with 4 little ones demanding every bit of it from the moment he gets home, it's nice.

The girls are in a super fun stage! Malin will be crawling before we know it and Marin seems pretty content to just sit by and watch! Marin can sit up by herself if you sit her up while Malin tries to sit up by herself while scooting around! Both roll around everywhere, there is no keeping them in one spot anymore! They have finally moved out of our room (we put them in our room for a few weeks when we moved over here) and they are now sleeping in their own beds, but LOVE seeing each other in the mornings! They are still sleeping through the night and usually go to bed no later than 9 and then wake up anywhere between 8:30 and 9:30 in the morning! I love the fact that all of our kids have been good sleepers from the beginning! Thad and I had this discussion yesterday about what we would do if our kids were not good sleepers and we honestly don't know what we would be like! We have been blessed for sure!

Berkley is in a very inquisitive phase where she is really questioning vocabulary and wants to know processes and why things happen how they do. She is also in the "rhyming" phase and can come up with lots of rhyming words on her own! I have a feeling she will either REALLY enjoy Pre-K or she will be SUPER bored; hopefully it will be the first! I know she will definitely be ready to meet some new kids! Jack is definitely hitting his peak as an "all boy!" I am extremely ready for him to get into school and start meeting new boys and really blossom out of his sometimes "shy" stage. I remember when Berkley was in the same stage where she was very timid in social situations and I am hoping that this is what it is with Jack (he is definitely a momma's boy!) He and his sister constantly pester each other and we referee from sun up to sun down! We also know how much they really love each other and there have been lots of sweet moments between them lately!

I have been training for my first half-marathon now for about a month and am making strides! I am up to running 4 miles, 3 times a week and then this week I will run my longest, 7 miles on Sunday. I train 6 days a week with a rest day, usually on Monday! I must say that I LOVE it and it has really given me a great outlet at the end of my days at home! I have a nice route around the town and I feel very safe running and hope that when the kids start school I can also find some others to run with! But for right now, I will bask in the solitude of my runs and enjoy coming home to 4 kids who welcome me with "MOM, how far did you run today....ewww you are so sweaty!" I have also tried to be a little more "clean" with my cooking and eating options; getting the whole family on board is a little more difficult! I am drinking a gallon of water a day and the other day I really noticed that it helped my stamina throughout the run!

Ok enough about all of us, now a few pictures because I know that is what everyone looks for! Hope you enjoy!