Hurricane Matthew

So we closed on our house, spent one night there and then got the road to evacuate from Hurricane Matthew. Surrounded by beautiful BIG oak trees and with no way to check on the house (I was in Fort Walton Beach and Anthony was at Baker County Firehouse), we waited out the storm and hoped for the best.

Luckily, we received very little damage and on Monday when I called Anthony to ask about power at the house, he confirmed it was on told me to head home. I came home and enjoyed that power for a few hours before the power was cut off by

Longview

It had been in the back of my mind for quite a while. Our house in Bentley Woods was small and we were going to outgrow it if we had a second kid. So when the mortgage rates were low and the equity was high we jumped in the market and found a new house. Anthony was much more cautious and hesitant which was smart of him. With a little coaxing, he got on board.

We absolutely love our new house and we only started shopping after finding another one in our ward with a pool and near Pickwick Park. That house was next to two houses on the river, too. By the time we contacted our realtor though, the house was already under contract with another buyer. We put an offer in on Longview and had it in escrow within 24 hours, so we listed our house right away.

With great staging and 14 showings in 4-5 days, we got two offers and we were able to close for full asking price. It worked out perfectly and from offer on Longview to close, it was about 60 days.

Things Toddlers Say

Owen is 2.5 and 31.5 lbs, 37.5 inches tall, and has a head circumference in the 95th percentile. Two has been an interesting age. Owen is constantly testing boundaries, asking questions,  and forming his own opinion.

Funny things he has said:
"Jesus loves all the children everywhere  in the world."

When asked what his favorite ice cream flavor is, he responded, "Black." After giggling, we were able to determine that black ice cream is chocolate.

On our cruise in January 2017, Owen began calling us by our first names. He also told me, "you're not in charge, mommy" and "spank daddy. He's a bad boy."

His prayers consist of thanking the lord for his food (even at bedtime), listing family members and friends, and then ending with, "Jesus name, amen."

Blessings
Anthony was giving me a blessing after we moved into the new house and I was sitting on the floor. Owen was there too and came up and put his little hands on top of Anthony's. It was very precious.

Un-Enjoyment

Someone once told me that unemployment really translates to unenjoyment and we found that to be the case.

In September 2015, Anthony left his role as Quality Control Specialists at Web.com with my blessing to pursue a career in writing. He's worked off and on for journalistic and some copywriting freelance work but with an inconsistent income and constant requirement to work was looking for the right full time fit.

In February, I made a career move from Autoline where my role had evolved and hours had changed to include Saturdays and 12-hour Friday shifts where I was unable to see Owen before work or after work. I took a position working from home with 'some' travel that evolved to be a lot more travel. It was stressful and very hard work.

We spent the past 12 weeks unemployed, searching, fasting, applying, interviewing, and waiting.  After over 20 interviews and waiting to hear back from some employers for up to 30 days, we have both received and accepted offers.

Anthony will be the Marketing Content & Social Media Producer for Ultimate Survival Technologies. Danielle will be a Production Support Specialist for Accenture at their client site Citi Bank.

We are both so relieved to have these new opportunities in our life and we are so grateful for this. We have set goals and are excited to begin moving forward.

New floors

I treated myself to new floors in the house because after living here 4 years, we haven't done a single renovation or home improvement project. We did vinyl planks in the living room and new carpet in the bedrooms.

'Nanny'

Owen was learning his body parts not too long ago so after bath time when I was getting him dressed and changed into PJs. I told him that what he was touching was his penis.

Then I asked him, "can you say penis?" His response, "nanny, nanny, nanny, nanny." Nanny is the word he uses for banana. I just couldn't help my laughter. He's since gotten it right but I still laugh thinking about him calling it a banana. He's awfully confident.

He Talks

(From March 2016)

Anthony wants me to record all the words that Owen knows. He's learning so fast and soaking everything up like a little sponge. It impresses me how he goes from understanding a word to stringing along phrases and sentences. He's a nonstop talker sometimes, babbling away. I can't wait to see what he'll learn tomorrow.

For now I'll leave you with his current list of words :
Momma
Daddy
I lah you
No
Yes
Aman
Row row
Ball
Doggie
Go
Boo boo (Bruce)
E Yi Yo  (think Old Macdonald)
Hi
Bye
Outside
Foutball
Down set hut
Yay!
All done
Night night

He also had his 18 month appointment recently and is 34 inches tall and 25.4 lbs. He's very healthy too.