Starting A New Life in Ohio

Ok folks here are finally some new pics of our life here in kickin' Ohio!

Here's Morgan catching a few zzz's on the journey to our new homeland.
Cody looking excited to finally be on our way.
Here we are so happy to have our couch and toys back. Pregnant women need comfy couches!

So here you go everyone, our sweet new ride! A 2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L complete with dvd player. Yep that's right we're riding in style and loving every minute of it!



Here's Morgan trying out our new car for himself. He still likes to pretend driving it at least once a day. We'll see how quickly this wears off.
Here are some shots of Cody's new work environment. So far we couldn't be happier to be a part of the Smucker's family. They rock!Smucker's corporate offices and Cody's new building. Apperently the cafateria has some super yummy and cheap food!

Saturday Cody's brother Khan and his family came up from the Cincinatti area to spend some of the weekend with us. They stayed at a fun hotel with a little indoor water park. We all enjoyed the water, especially Morgan who woke up Sunday morning asking for the pool. After we went to dinner at a little dutch Cracker Barrell type place. Surprisingly Morgan did well despite the fact it was past his bedtime.

His smile is so big he has to shut his eyes to make room!

My beautiful boys!

Saturday morning before we headed to the hotel/water park we took Cody's mom to the Smucker's store that is down the road from the main headquarters. They renovated this barn and turned it into a store and cafe. It is truly worth the trip and had lots of yummy food!

We are so grateful Cody's wonderful mom flew out to NYC to help us with our big move and transition to Ohio. Morgan and I took her to the airport and said good-bye today. We were both very sad to see her go. "Gam" we truly could not have done this without you and miss you terribly already! Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything! (We're only letting you go because it seems Dad and Kuzi need you more!)

Such a beautifully decorated store!

Don't look to close, I have no makeup on, my hair is a mess and I seem to have some sort of scowl on my face. But you get the picture...we're happy to be here as a family!

Last week, funny enough Cody had to go back to NYC after two days of working for a Jif peanut butter event on Friday(sorry NYC buddies, Cody was busy from morning till night so he didn't have a chance to say hi, but promises to the next time he's there). It was weird being here without him but luckily Grandma filled the void nicely. Morgan adored bathtime and books before bed with Grandma.

Here's Morgan and Grandma practicing his alphabet letters. Cody was back for the video but you get the picture. They formed a bond that broke my heart a little it was so sweet!

And finally here's a picture of me at 35 weeks. I am sitting on our new bed and new comforter. I promise to post pictures of our new apartment as soon as it looks a little nicer. Thanks everyone for your well wishes and prayers!

So far so good!

Saying Goodbye to Harlem and Friends

I have been putting off writing this post for days now. We are in Ohio now and settling in to our new suburbia lifestyle. Our home only has a few more boxes left to unpack and pictures to be hung. Things are going well and Cody loves his new job.

With all of the stress of moving and excitement about starting a new life, we just didn't know how to properly say good-bye to our wonderful life and friends in NYC! How can these boys and their parents ever know how special they were to all of us! In one of our final playgroups before we left, Minde, Ashley and I set the boys up for a little photo shoot. I mean honestly aren't these the cutest little friends in the whole world! Morgan misses you Chase and Eliot!
My wonderful friends threw a surprise going away/baby shower for me before we left.
Thank you to Ashley and her lovely friend for creating such a nice afternoon!

Waiting for my arrival, Sunny, Ashley, Minde and Anna.

I thought Minde and Ashley were taking me out to lunch. I was surprised and very grateful for my wonderful friends!

Ashley and Minde put together a little picture album of our boys growing up together. Morgan loves looking at all the pictures of his little buddies.

How will I ever survive without these beautiful women?!

L to R: Kiasa, Anna, Me, Ashley, Minde and Sunny

Thanks Ann for capturing these wonderful memories!

One of the nights before we left we went over to Minde and Tyler's for a last get together dinner. The boys love saving space on the couch by sitting right on top of each other. Just ignore the fact they both look a little droopy eyed; my camera is never quite fast enough.

Morgan and Cody playing guitar hero.

Morgan was fascinated and kept asking for more.

Good thing Chase had a spare ukelale for Morgan to play along with.

I laughed hard at Cody's concentration face!

What a handsome guy?!

Before we left Eliot and Morgan had a few playdates as well. Ashley was also very thoughtful and watched Morgan while we spent one last afternoon enjoying our beloved city. These boys are musical buddies!

Morgan feels the need to point when asked to smile in pictures...no idea why but it sure is funny.

Eliot singing along to Morgan's special music.

Something else we had to say good-bye to was our favorite playgrounds in Central Park. We couldn't make it to all of them but luckily we had some nice days so that we were able to enjoy the few close by.

Morgan said good-bye to the ducks.

So happy to still have Daddy around to play with for a few more days.

On one of our outings to the park, Harper and Sunny came along to help us enjoy the playground.

Morgan masters the art of hanging like a monkey.

These two just kill me with their cuteness! Harper's hat is classic!

(Can you tell I couldn't decide which picture I liked the best?!)

Good-bye sweet little Harper!

Ashley was also nice enough to open her house on a Sunday night to throw a going away party for us and invited our favorite Harlem 1st Ward. It was a great way to chat with everyone before we had to say good-bye. Thank you Melgars!

Harper working those pants in front of Eliot's cool BMW!

Saying good-bye to Hunter College. Thanks for the Master's Degree!

Saying good-bye to the subway and mass transportation.

We tried to go on one final temple trip but alas we forgot it was closed for cleaning. And yes that is my enormous belly sticking out of my dress!

Saying good-bye to home teachees, good-bye Paul!

A final dose of fun with his nursery buddies. Thanks for everything nursery leaders Ruby and Lindsey!

Walking around during our last days in Harlem, we had to stop and take some pictures of our favorite shop names. Sho Nuff barbers was at the top.

Just a typical walk to the park. Always something going on in the city.

So life was pretty sparse in our house once the movers came and took everything away almost a week before we left. Luckily we weren't taking a few essentials like our table and chairs and bed but it still felt like camping in our home. Thanks to everyone who took us in and fed us during those last few days.

Thank goodness for portable dvd players!

Mommy makes a good couch.

Well, that doesn't really do justice to how much we are going to miss our home in East Harlem, our unique and wonderful Harlem 1st Ward or all of our fantastic friends. We loved every minute of those 4+ years we lived there and wouldn't trade any of it for all the money in the world!

We are looking forward to our new life here in Ohio and know there will be a lot to get used to outside of the bubble of Manhattan.

I will update everyone soon on our new home, new car and new life but for now I just wanted to say good-bye and we love you!