It's been A LONG, LONG time...

Ok, so I know it has been FOREVER since I have updated this thing. I don't really have an excuse, except every time I go to update this thing, it is so overwhelming because I am so far behind!! Oh well, I will just start from the last couple of weeks. I'm sure everyone knows, but Scott found out at the end of January that he got into a residency in Memphis!! So we are moving the first week of June and are so excited!! We are going next week to look at houses and check out preschools and such. I have already started to apply for jobs, but if anyone reading this is a nurse, you know they don't tend to hire 3 months out, if they post a job on their website it is because there is an immediate need. So anyway, not much for me yet on the job hunting. I figure in April or May it will get better. We know the general area we want to live in Memphis, it's a little suburb like 20minutes from the city called Germantown or Cordova. It's kind of like the Plano or Frisco to Dallas. I have already started packing, but I am a little overwhelmed. I think as soon as we go next week and have a better idea of a house and a school/daycare for the kids, I will feel better. I'm just not good at not knowing. My parents are planning on renting our house for the 2 years we are gone, so that helps with the stress of worrying about putting it on the market. It will be weird to come home and visit and our house not be "our house," but we are happy we know my parents will take care of it.
Leah acting like Mommy and being a nurse :)

Scott and I got to go out on a date night thanks to Scott's sister Lisa and her husband Mark

Aunt Lisa and Uncle Mark with Leah. Leah just loves them!!! That is a big part of why I am sad to be moving, Lisa and Mark are going to have their first baby in July, and I wanted to be there to help her out and spend time with the baby. They only live like 5 minutes from us now, and we do lots of dinners and TV show nights together, so I am definitely going to miss them a ton!!

Leah was supposed to be down for a nap and she came out in this get-up. Love the socks!! She cracks me up!!

Silly girl!

Jackson got a Tool table for Christmas from Mamaw and Papa Carley and Aunt Stephie. He loves that thing, lots of morning he has to get dressed in his carpenter gear before he can start the day. He is so funny!!

Love how high the tool belt is here and his ear with the googles, such a stud :)

Jackson made Leah wear the googles so he could take a picture, he is getting really into taking pictures lately, I need to get him a little kids camera

ABout a week and a half ago, we had more snow then I hve seen in ALL our years in Texas. We had well over a foot of snow!! The kids loved it!! Jackson made snowmen, both kids went sledding and we had lots of snow ball fights. We loved it!! (kind of made me happy we aren't moving to Buffalo, though)

Jackson and Daddy

Building their snowman

The kids getting ready to go sledding. I was such a bad mom, I had no winter clothes for the kids, so they had to wear socks on their hands and Leah is in Jackson's old coat :( We don't get weather like this often, ok?!?

Even in Jackson's clothes, she still looks adorable!!

Jackson holding Leah going sledding down a big hill in our neighborhood. I used an old changing table, heehee, it worked perfect!!

Love this action shot

Jacksona t the bottom of the hill, he couldn't get enough of it

Jackson, strapped to the changing table :)

Notice the socks on his hands :)

Jackson using his photography skills to get a pic of Mommy and Leah. (Notice her pj's?? She love piggys)

Jackson and Leah

My silly boy!! I love him so much!!

Now Life Should Get Back to Normal....

So Scott's interviews are officially over!!! We are so looking forward to life getting back to normal and getting our children back on a schedule! All of the interviews went really well and Scott and I really liked Buffalo, NY. We went to NY last week and minus the fact there was a BLIZZARD when we landed, the area was really pretty, the cost of loving is really affordable, school system is great and it is really safe. Scott really liked the residency program as well. So all in all, we think we'd be happy no matter where we go. We will find out where he got in on Jan 25th.



Here are some random pics from the last month. Now that everything has settled down I have vowed to try and post more often :) We had Thanksgiving with both Scott's side of the family and my side of the family at Scott's parent's house and we had a really nice time. Everyone was worn out by the end of the day from all the eating and playing. We are truly thankful for the amazing family we have and that they are able to get together on the holidays and have a good time. Leah and our niece Carly on Thanksgiving

Dad and Megan

At the end of the night we decided to try and get a family pic, Jackson was not cooperating after not getting a nap ALL DAY

Scott, Leah and I :)

Jackson minutes after what we now refer to as "The Thanksgiving Family Picture Fiasco"

Jackson got a bike from Aunt NJ for his birthday and he has gotten so good at riding it, we are so proud of him!! Such a big boy!!

Daddy helping Jackson

Leah has now taken Jackson's first tricycle. She is a little more fearless, she likes to get on the driveway when we are not looking and put her feet in the air and go flying down the driveway...we need to get that girl a helmet, not only for her bike but for life :)

Scott's parents went to NYC a couple of weeks ago and got a remote control train for around our christmas tree. Jackson and all of us have really enjoyed it. They are TOO good to us! It looks perfect around our tree!

The night Scott's parents came over and brought us the train, we had a Christmas Cookie decorating night. I made way too many cookies, the kids thought it was fun at first but then quit and Scott's mom and I ended up icing 10 cookies ourselves!! Leah looks so excited about the cookies here (sarcasm)

Another happy one of the Princess, do you notice the red frosting around her mouth?? We all shyed away from red after she got ahold of it :)

Grandma cutting out a train cookie for Jackson. What a good Grandma :)

This is Buffalo right when we landed. Doesn't look as bad in the picture, but we could not see A THING! Kind of scary when you aren't used to driving in it.
So this pic is out of order, but too muh work to move it around so here it shall stay. After Scott had his interview, I picked him up and surprised him with reservations to the most quaint and romantic hotel called Shaw club and spa. It was in Niagra-on-the-lake which is on the Canada side and has 21 wineries in all. They were having a festival called "21 stocking days of Christmas" where you could buy tickets and visit each of the wineries and get a tasting of their featured wines and then buy them at a discount for christmas. It was so much fun and exactly what we both needed at the end of a long 5 weeks of interviews. Our room was so perfect, we had a jacuzzi right in the middle and a fireplace, which we DEFINITELY needed. We went to the restaurant in the hotel that night and it was SO good.

When we arrived in Buffalo, we relaxed at the hotel bar, and of course had to try the REAL buffalo wings. Yummy!! Scott holding up "Five" for his 5th and final interview!

This was the water at Niagra-on-the-Lake, it was only a 40minute drive from Buffalo, but it was crazy there was NO snow, it was green as could be....but colder than sin :) They say this isn't uncommon, it is from the Lake Effect.

Pretty cliff view

The restaurant at Shaw Club. Everything was so small and quaint, it was the perfect little town, it was like you see in the movies, with lots of boutiques and cute restaurants. I could most DEFINITELY reture here one day.

When we got up in the morning they were having a Christmas Parade where they were serving hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows they were cutting into giant squares. It was the best hot chocolate we have ver had. I teared up a few times during the parade because it was just so sweet! I think I was missing the kids also, we have been away from them a TON lately and I just knew they would have loved the parade. I didn't post many pics of the parade, just one of a train for Jackson :)

This was the clock tower in the town square, thought it was pretty.

The first winery of our tour, Scott looks so happy!

The wine they specialize in here is called "Ice Wine" They actually take frozen grapes and press them and it makes a REALLY sweet dessert wine and they only sell it in Canada. It was so good, you are supposed to serve it in small amounts because it is pretty concentrated, but Scott and I bought 2 bottles, one for is and one for my dad for christmas...we will see if we stick to the small amount on Christmas :) This is a pic of some of the frozen Ice Wine grapes on the vine

Ice Wine...the color and consistency of it is so different than regular wine, this is a white wine. This winery actually had a menu displayed from Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Dinner because their Ice Wine was chosen for dessert. Kind of neat, huh? The dinner was only 2 days before we were there

Menu from Nobel Peace Prize Dinner, just if you want to see what they eat at fancy dinners!

This was like winery #7. Our tummies were feeling kind of rotten by now, we had to take a break and get food in them.

After going to all the wineries we went to Niagra Falls. It was gorgeous! The pictures do not do it justice, it was so breathtaking in person. And the noise the falls made was incredible. It sure was cold, though!! I looked like I was about to rob a bank, all I had showing was my eyes I had my scarf so wrapped around my head :)

Took down the scarf for a quick photo op ;)

What a ride this last month has been! I loved that I could go with Scott for all the interviews and be his support system through it all. Plus, we had a lot of fun sight seeing at all the places, too. I am so proud of him and can't wait to see where life is going to take us these next 2 years. For now, I am excited to be at home for Christmas with my beautiful family and spend time with my babies!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!