On the Road Again...

One year ago our precious little Elias came into our lives. He surprised us by coming a few weeks early and after that experience, I wouldn't expect his birthday this year to be any different. We had planned to have a quiet party at home with Eli on his birthday and over the 4th of July we were going to have 2 separate celebrations, 1 with each of our families. Needless to say, we got a surprise call that Ty had to go to the Maple Grove, MN to help Xcel bring power back to many who had been without for days after severe storms.

Surprise! That meant our quiet family gathering turned into a road trip to Wisconsin where Eli was able to celebrate his birthday with both families on his actual birthday. It also meant seeing cousin Jackson on their shared birthday :) The trip home was short lived and Ty was no longer needed in the cities so we went home to Fargo, where later that week, we had our small family celebration just like we planned. That meant we were up to 3 birthday celebrations.

Over the week of the 4th, we had 2 more parties. One party was with Ty's family on the 4th of July, and one on the 6th with cousin twin Judah who is only 9 days younger. Needless to say, we have had way too much cake and way too much driving, but all of it was worth it to see family and celebrate such a special time and special guy turning 1 year old.  

The Constant Change

For everyone who knows us, we have been undergoing changes constantly since Ty and I started dating 5 years ago. If it wasn't changing wedding plans or living arrangements it was of prospective degrees in school. Just when you think we are about to settle in we surprise everyone and move to Fargo! As children grow they change and Eli has been doing his fair share of changing since moving up here. From getting teeth and crawling to saying "mamma" and "dada" and beginning to stand on his own. He has just started to walk along the furniture in our apartment. He is growing everyday and changing all the time. But this post is about yet another change that we are going to be experiencing this Fall.

When we moved to Fargo we had a secret. We kept that secret for awhile until everyone could get adjusted to us being SO far away. When the time was right we told our families and now we are ready to tell all of you too! We are expecting a baby girl the end of September or early October. After having the experience we did with Eli we will just be prepared for an early or late delivery :) In the mean time, we are enjoying life as a family of 3 and looking forward to the change that will make us Four in Fargo.Here is a peek at what Mr. Eli has been up to lately.

New Faces, New Places

After living in Fargo for almost 2 months, I decided I needed to find some moms to connect with and began searching online for any group I could join. I cam across one on a site called meetup.com. I joined just to see what kinds of activities they did. The first thing I went to I immediately hit it off with the moms there. We just had coffee, 4 moms with no little ones to watch. It was a great time. One of the women was from Colfax, Wi only 20 minutes away from where I grew up and the other was from the U.P. and went to school at Eau Claire. Besides kids we had a lot in common. By the end of this meeting they had convinced me to go to another, this time it was a play group with our kids.

At 9am today we headed to a new place called Corts Plus. It is a fitness center that also has a huge play area similar to what McDonalds has, but much bigger. You pay $2 and your child can play as long as you want. It was a blast. Even though Eli was a little young to play, he crawled around dodging the few bigger kids that were about to step on him. Eli has become a huge flirt so it's been funny to watch him interact with the other moms and kids. He really took to one little girl in particular and flowed her around for a little while. Overall it was a great experience and I met two more very nice moms with kids that are similar in age. We are having fun meeting new faces and learning about new places here in Fargo.

The Joys of Teething

Recently, Eli as been going through a phase. I know the older they get the more time they want to be awake, but is sleeping in until 5am too much to ask? With this new phase in life for us, and Eli has been having many new experiences of his own. He has learned to crawl...sort of, I refer to it as the flop. He launches himself to get where he wants to go and flops each time he "crawls." He is also teething. Lately,that has meant early mornings for Ty or me. Eli wakes up before either of us and this little squawking voice comes over the monitor. When the talking begins, we know he will not be going back to sleep.

This new excitement for talking and moving has really had him enthusiastic about getting up in the morning. It hasn't helped to energize mommy and daddy any. No matter how cute he is, mommy and daddy still miss sleep. So far this teething process has proved uneventful. It seems as though it will last forever. Everyday I check for any sign of change hoping for a tooth. The bulging gums just seem to bulge more and no tooth has appeared.

In the mean time, mommy will have to get her naps in when eli does and enjoy this little ball of energy who is learning to communicate and crawl. I enjoy every new sound and new phase with Eli, but I am mourning the loss of the predictable schedule and the sleep we once had. Oh, the joys of teething.

Fargo or Siberia?

Well, we have been moved in for a little over a week now, and life is starting to settle into place. Eli is a little confused as is his sleep schedule, but that could be partly due to the terrible cold he is finally getting over.

Ty is really enjoying his new job here and the people that he works with. It seems to be a really good fit for him. The job is going to be very interesting and he is already on the road to his first seminar in Maple Grove, MN to learn all about what he will be doing as an Associate Designer at Xcel Energy.

Blizzard has certainly taken on a new meaning. Here we aren't talking about the endless combinations of cookies and candy mixed into ice cream. We have been here just over a week and already there have been two warnings about blizzard conditions with around 10-12 inches of snow in the first two days. Roads were closed due to huge drifts. Which begs the question, "Did we move to Fargo or Siberia?"

Thankfully, today has been sunny but still cold. At least the sun makes sitting in the apartment not seem quite so sad. Checkout what Eli learned this last week. It's super smart, but you will see why mom isn't too thrilled about it.

A is for...

Apartment Search

This weekend we set out to find an apartment in Fargo. We drove up to Fargo Friday night and started to take in the sights. We were out for dinner and then checked out the mall Down the road.
After a night on the town we went back to settle in at our hotel. The next morning we were set to look at 8 different apartments. But that wasn't necessarily in the cards.

Appendectomy

When we got back to the hotel Ty was having severe pain and we had to find an emergency room. After many different tests, the doctor finally decided to take out Ty's appendix. At 4 am the doctor removed his appendix. That meant I was going to be searching for apartments while Ty recovered. The search was over after looking at just 2 apartments. I chose the first one I had looked at and I was able to go back to the hospital to be with Ty. After being awake 36 hours straight we were on the road heading home, short an appendix but with a new place to live. Ty is doing well. He is still in pain, but he is taking it easy. Hopefully, Ty will be ready to help with moving in 2 weeks. It's coming so fast! So much to do, so little time.

Eli playing with Mia while staying with Grandma Leslie

How Far(will we)go?

As many of you know, we have been really trying to get back to the Chippewa area. It's been hard to do that. Ty has been on the job hunt and finally had a major breakthrough. We affectionately call it a "big boy job." Sadly, we have had to debate throughout this process how Far(we will)go for a job. Well, if you haven't guessed by now, we will be moving to Fargo, North Dakota. Ty was hired on at Xcel Energy as a Gas and Electric designer. This has all been a whirlwind and we are saddened and excited by this news. We are looking forward to starting out in a new city and trying to make it our home. We are sad to be leaving so many friends and family behind, but we know we are doing what is best for our family in the present and for the future. If anyone is looking to spend some time in a windy subzero climate, you are more than welcome to come for a visit! We would love to have you!

In other news, Eli as been growing like a little weed recently. He is 7 months old now! Where does the time go? He starting to crawl and is a smiley little guy in the midst of teething. Eli loves eating avocado and enjoys playing with cousin Judah whenever he gets the chance. Mommy loves taking his picture and playing with her smiley guy on the floor. Since we will be moving, I will try to be more timely with my posts.