Sunday, September 11, 2011

O.H.I.O.

I never thought I'd be able to mark in a box that the state I lived in was......Ohio. I grew up in the state directly south, where wildcat fever runs deep. Then my family moved to FL, which became "home" to me for 17 years. Now, here we are, living in Ohio. And sorry to all you OSU fans, but I will not be a crossover.

The running theme when we tell people about Ohio is, "do you know what kind of weather they get there?" When we interviewed at places up north they asked, "Are you really considering leaving Florida?" Even today when the internet guy came to hook up up to the world again, he said, "Why did you come from Florida to Ohio in the fall?" I know that our winters will be tough, but I would take any weather if it meant that my husband came home fulfilled, feeling valued, and being poured into. I would take any weather if it meant that I was able to stay home with Cooper. I would take any weather if it meant our family could grow closer to God, closer to each other, and serve others. In Ohio we are able to experience all those things, so bring on the weather! I'm sure by my saying this, we are sure to have a wretched winter.

I am certain that this is going to be a place of healing for us. A place where we are going to be challenged and stretched. I think it will be a place of growth for us.

Update on our life:

We are all moved into our new home. There are still many, many boxes that have yet to be unpacked, pictures to be hung, things to be organized, new curtains to be bought, and the list at this point seems pretty endless. But, at least we're here, and together. I really like our new home. It is different than anything both Andrew and I have ever lived in. It is old, bringing with it lots of "quirks". It has stairs...to an upstairs, and a basement. I think it's going to take me a while to feel comfortable going into the basement. There's something about it that just seems creepy to me. I'm sure the coming months will allow that feeling to pass. Even with all the quirks and things we'll have to get used to about our new home, I still like it. I told Andrew I'm ok to stay here in this house as long as we need to.

Andrew is loving his new job. He gets to do what he's best at and loves the people he works with. In some ways I feel like this church is the best kept church secret in our country. It's an awesome church, and Andrew is happy to be a part of it. So am I.

Cooper is adjusting well. When we walked in the door for the first time, he RAN to his toys and was so happy to be reunited with his train, zebra, rocking dog, elmo, perry, books, and on and on and on. He is loving the adventure of stairs. He can go up without any problems. It's down that we're more concerned with. He's mastering it pretty well, though, and he has not fallen yet (but we're only at day 5). He is beginning to pretend play a lot. He acts like animals and makes his stuffed animals play and interact with each other. He is still quite the talker, and I'm still amazed daily at his vocabulary. Yesterday I was hanging a star. The star has a circle in the middle of it. When I got it out, he said "sar". Yes, Cooper, that's a star. Then he pointed to the middle and said "circle". Yes, Cooper! He is also showing interest in going to the bathroom on the toilet. We've set him there a couple of times after he's asked, but nothing happened. Could we possibly be exiting the diaper stage in the next few months? Where has the time gone?

As for me, I have to remind myself that not everything has to be done right away. Andrew and I both like to have things a particular way in our home (Cooper's got that trait, too...big time). So, the sight of boxes sitting around makes us crazy sometimes. But, I'm not superwoman...shocker, I know. I can only do what I can and know that eventually it will all come together. I am trying my best to enjoy my new venture is stay-at-home-mom-and-wife. I have been able to fix breakfast in the mornings, fix dinner without rushing, and my favorite: spend some very precious time with Cooper. That, honestly, is why I'm not going crazy to get everything done. I am trying my best to sit back with him and enjoy him, because he's not going to be like this for long....remember that mention of no diapers much longer?? Anyhow, I'm excited to get to know people more. I went to church for the first time this past Sunday and absolutely loved it. I felt very at home there, and am happy to be here.

Computer/Pictures update: My computer is completely out of space. I cannot upload anything. I hope to remove some things to create space soon, so I promise one day soon you will lots of pictures. Probably an overload of them.


1 comment:

  1. As long as you have the proper winter gear, it will be great! Going out after the blizzard last year was a blast! Cooper will love the snow! Can't wait to see pictures of your new home and life in Dover!

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