Ains gets a tooth

That's right, after many cranky days Ainsley got her first tooth last Thursday. She's now working on number two. Fun. As you can see, she enjoys "brushing" her tooth. Except for when she pokes herself in the eye.

Doin' the Puyallup!

Here's Ains at her first Puyallup Fair! Next time she'll be big enough to enjoy all of the animals!

Apparently all of the walking around wore Ainsley out. I saw this nice armchair and thought I would try it out. As I sat down I asked, "What do you think of this chair Ains?" As we leaned back, her arms flopped out, her head dropped back against me, and her eyes fluttered closed. It was hilarious--the passersby all enjoyed it too! My eyes are closed just to make the photo look better. :)

Honey...we're home...

Well, we've been back in WA for 12 days now. It still feels like vacation to a certain degree, but I think that we're starting to settle in a bit. We still have quite a lot to unpack and sort through, but at least we're not living out of a suitcase. Ains is starting to hit her rhythm too, which is nice because she's the one who needs some sense of normalcy the most.

The three girls (my mom, Ains, and I) went to the Puyallup fair on opening day. It was a lot of fun and Ains was really good. I have a great story and picture to share...but you'll have to wait for another post for that. We had scones (mmmm...) and checked out all of the exhibition halls. The weather was perfect and you can't really beat getting in for free. :)

Yesterday we checked out the local Episcopal church (also called Christ Church). We were prepared for anything because while the website didn't have anything posted that would cause concern we still didn't know where the church stood on some things. Thankfully, we didn't have any outright heresy or teaching that is contrary to what we believe. The service was "short" (a mere 70 minutes) and the people were really nice. We were greeted during the peace by a good number of folks --including Father Ben-- as well as after the service. We would have stayed for a bit more of the fellowship hour time but Ains was tired and hungry which doesn't usually bode well for being social. We'll likely go back this Sunday and hopefully their choir will be singing. That should be good.

Joshua starts work tomorrow at his new Starbucks and I am still looking for employment. I hate finding new jobs, and it's all the more difficult now that I actually am getting to be a stay at home mom. I know that it can't last, but I am loathe to give it up. Please continue to pray for us as I look for a job and we settle back in to life in the NW.

ps...to our MA peeps...we MISS you all so much!!! just thought you should know....

Peace out to MA

We have less than 24 hours left in this fine Commonwealth in which we have lived for almost exactly four years. There are many things that I could wax poetic about here, but I will be brief...mostly because I still have to pack. We will miss the friends who have become our surrogate family out here. We will miss the four distinct seasons. We will miss random wild turkeys on the side of the road. We will miss Dunkin Donuts. Oh wait--that last one was a joke! All sappiness aside, we will leave some part of our hearts here in MA with the people we love.

On a practical note, we will be radio silent for the next few days as we make the coast to coast move. We are still reachable at our new numbers, but email will be limited.

We move on Wednesday?!? Who thought that was a good idea?!??!

Well, the moving part is a good idea...packing...not so much...