Moving!!

Whew!  After I started this post, life moved at even more of a break neck speed!  Here's the original post, with an update below in blue.

2013 will go down in the books as the biggest year in our marriage for sure!  In January, Mark quit his job, went back to school, and started an internship in the field of long term care.  He used to work in municipal athletics, so this was a HUGE change!

After countless hours of studying, and even attending and extra test prep class down in San Antonio for a few days, my honey took the very final step of this long process.  He took and passed his national boards on the first try!!  The girls and I were at the pumpkin patch while he took them, and it killed me to not be there right next to him, praying for him and watching his expression as he took the test!  We did the next best thing.  Our dear friends with us at the pumpkin patch stopped what we were doing and prayed for him as he started the test, and continued to pray as our kids played!  

When he called with his AMAZING results, I just sobbed tears of joy!!!  Then immediately got Landrie up from "rest time" so we could paint him a banner before he got home!  That was on a Friday afternoon.  He already had a job offer outside of Houston that started on MONDAY.  Oh, and his wife was alomst 38 weeks pregnant.  Oh, and we were prepping our house to put it on the market as soon as he passed.  Talk about pressure to pass a test!!  I am so proud of him!  (And both of us have agreed 

that if at all possible, we will never do something that stressful again!)

I came outside after showing our house one day and the girls' playhouse was moved to the middle of the patio.  I asked Landrie about it.  She said, "We were playing moving!"  I guess I have a little more explaining to do! 

We were all set to meet with our realtor, when I talked with my friend Megan.  Her mom is a realtor, and she passed along a great tip!  Realtors can take pictures on their own or hire a professional.  If you've spent hours on realtor.com like we have, you can certainly tell a difference!!  Because of Megan, we knew to ask for the professional ones, and it made a big difference.  He gave us lots of tips to make sure the house showed well.  Since this blog is our family's only scrapbook, and our house has never been cleaner, I'm posting the pictures from our listing!

Our first home!

Come on in!  We edited out a LOT of furniture and family pictures before these pictures.  We aren't usually quite this sparse!

I LOVE that Landrie calls this this "diamond room."  I don't think I'll ever correct her on that one!!

He had special lenses that could capture our entire family room in one shot.

This bedroom used to be the girls' playroom, but we borrowed a crib from my sister- in- law to stage it as another bedroom.  Plus, we will need a second crib for Harper soon!

The girls' bathroom

Landrie's room

Tatem's room

UPDATE:

So, I never even got to post this!  We met with a realtor Sunday afternoon, then Mark made the 4.5 hour drive to the Houston area to start his new job that evening.  Monday, I was 38 weeks pregnant, my husband was out of town and our house went on the market.  We had 2-3 showings every day!  The girls and I had to be SO clean and out of the house A LOT.  When we were home, friends dropped in to help pack or to take the girls so I could get stuff done. Thankfully, Friday of the same week we got 3 OFFERS!  One was more than the asking price, which just doesn't happen in our area in our price range.  We accepted the offer Saturday and 2 days later, I went into labor and gave birth to Harper!  What an answer to prayer that our house sold before she was born!!  Her birth story is another post entirely. :)

Harper is 1 month old!

Well, it's official!  My little Houstonian is 1 month old!  It's hard to imagine her telling her friends one day, "I was born in Fort Worth, but when I was just a few weeks old, we moved to Houston!"  I wonder where she'll be living when she's old enough to talk!

What a sweet baby!  

As I'm typing this, I just realized that those of you who don't know us in person may be a bit lost.  In all the . craziness, I've never finished the blog post I started, but I'll quickly sum it all up.  Mark unexpectedly got offered a job in Houston, instead of Fort Worth where we were living.  He moved there and started working (4.5 hours away) when I was 38 weeks pregnant.  So, when Harper was just 3 weeks old, we moved to Houston!  We couldn't stand just seeing him on the weekends any longer!!

My friend got Harper this outfit, and she didn't even realize that the fabrics are the same ones as in Harper's nursery!

So, Miss Harper Joy, let's see...  You started off as a GREAT eater, and still are today.  You eat every 2-3 hours around the clock.  Your current record is about 4.5 hours, but you usually go about 3 from the start of one feeding to the next.  You gained a pound in the week between your first 2 doctor's appointments, which is about double what is expected!  I have no idea what you weigh today, but at one month we officially put away your tiny newborn clothes and newborn size diapers!

So, with a one month old, sleeping and eating kind of go hand in hand.  Harper, you spent the first month of your life sleeping on your mommy's chest all night long!  Some nights, I was so desperate for sleep I even slept with you in the Moby Wrap.  That thing is magic.  You fall asleep in it within 60 seconds, no matter how mad you are when I put you in.  We are currently trying the baby step of moving you to sleeping in your car seat at night, but I don't mind so much when you end up back on my chest halfway through the night.  As I lay there, I know that time will fly by, and it will soon be impossible for you to fit on me.  You always scooch up my chest by pushing with your tiny feet until your head is nestled right up in my neck, under my chin.  You are such a snuggler!

You love to smile!  I know this makes me sound like an overly proud new mom, but I guess I am!  When you were just 1 week old, I was talking to you in the middle of the night, telling you how much I loved you.  Your uncoordinated eyes darted all around, but suddenly locked with mine, which had not happened before.  Your whole face lit up, and you smiled at me!!  I just melted.  I don't know that my mom quite believed that they were real smiles until she saw one just a day or two later!  Oh, that makes every sleepless moment worth it!! I love to hear 2 year old Tatem exclaim, " Bay Ahhh-puh is filing!!"  (Baby Harper is smiling!)  Your big sisters love to give a running commentary of everything you do. :)  You've laughed a few times too, but only in your sleep.  You must have great dreams!

Harper, you love your family, MILK, the Moby Wrap, being bounced/jiggled on someone's knee and that magical ceiling fan.  You do NOT like being undressed, diaper changes, having a dirty diaper or when your headband falls down and covers your eyes.  haha!

The whole time I took these pictures, your big sisters could hardly control themselves when I asked them to stay back.  Before long, they were sneaking in like this!

So, we had to take a few with your 2 biggest fans!  Your big sisters ADORE you and hold you every day.  They love to get in your face and give you a hundred kisses on your face, and really don't care if you are sleeping when they start!!  

Harper, we are so thankful that you are a part of our family!  Although it's only been one month, it feels like you've always been here.  We couldn't imagine life without you!!

Three Sisters!!

A year ago, I would have told you there's nothing sweeter than seeing how much these two sisters love each other!

Today, I'm here to admit that I was wrong.  There's nothing sweeter than these THREE sisters loving each other!

To say that Landrie is head over heels in love with her sister would be a serious understatement!  Many, many times a day we have to tell her to stop kissing and hugging Harper!  She loves to hold her (for about 1 minute) and is my "babysitter" for Harper in the car.  :)

Tatem follows right in Landrie's footsteps 90% of the time, and her attitude toward Harper is no exception!  Tatem is Harper's voice and when Harper cries she'll say, "Harper want MILK!" or "Harper paci!"  or "Harper sad, Mommy!"  Harper, with these sisters around, there's no need for you to ever talk!

(On a side note, look how much bigger Harper is in the last picture at 2.5 weeks old versus 1 week old with Landrie above!)

I'd be lying if I said that there are never moments when my 4 year old, 2 year old and 2 week old are all melting down at the same moment, or that life isn't totally crazy right now, but I am soaking up and treasuring these sweet times between our girls!!