Wrapping Up . . .

We are so sad to say good-bye to our friends we've met during our time here, and we are so grateful He gave us such awesome relationships. But I can't make this post all sad and serious so instead I'll just post some pictures of our good times.




Jesse takes a turn as local barber.





And here is our progress of us trying to get a good girfriend picture . . .















And finally we got a good one . . .

Happy Belated Easter and Other Miscellaneous

Hey everybody! It's me-Renae! I get to write today. Mommy has been slacking at this blogging thing so I'm stepping up and taking charge of todays post. Mommy and Daddy are busy with lots of other things anyways and all I have to do is put things in my mouth and work on eating more so I grow. Other than that, I've got lots of free time. So I decided to be a good family member and write for Mommy. Here is what I have been doing this past week!

My First Easter!

Please . . . no autographs.

No seriously. I'm too busy looking cute to sign your shirt.

I love watching Daddy play sports. He is so good!

What We Do For Fun Around Here

What DO we do for fun?


We play soccer!!!



We walk. A lot.



Occasionaly we go out to eat. We miss this kind of food.




We take pictures of ourselves in bathroom mirrors.



We go to Target!!

Crazy Renae . . . .

Here is what we do for fun with our little girl . . .this makes me want a Mac-purely so I can have Photo Booth.

A Visit to the Capital

Although the forecast predicted rain, we ventured out with just and umbrella and hit the streets of D.C. It ended up being a perfect day for walking all over the city because the temperature was great, and the sun was not out. However, during the last 15 mintues of our 5 mile walk back to Union Station, we did get dumped on. We threw an extra rain jacket over the stroller so at least Renae wasn't soaked, and made it just in time. I attribute the rain to my doubting Thomas Jesse. Shortly before the rain hit, I mentioned that it seemed He had been keeping the rain off all day so we could get things done. Then Jesse and his pessimistic self says that it will probably rain during the last half hour of our walk. I kid you not-within 20 minutes, the rain started flowing. Jesse thinks it's a fluke. We all know better. :) Good thing he's so cute and I still love him.

We had a great time and saw lots of neat sites. I had been there once before when I was in elementary school and those memories came back as I saw each familiar landmark. My Dad took us on some amazing vacations as a family and I'm so grateful for them! It was fun to revisit places with my new family.

Renae taking one of her very short naps.

I tried . . .

Our state's column on the WWII memorial is right there.

Daddy and his girl.

Me and my Man.

Two tired girls.

Volleyball!

Our small group spent yesterday morning playing volleyball. It was a blast! For lunch we went out and had some REALLY good burgers. It hit the spot. This was a great relaxing weekend and it was well needed.


Jesse the super star!


This is how Renae spent the time.


"When do I get to play volleyball?"


Me and my buddy.


Seriously. That was a good burger.

I'm So Cute . . .

It's been awhile since I've written but now that I'm 6 months old, Mommy thought I should have another go at blogging. I've been very busy lately. I'm meeting lots of new people, and I love my 2 new friends. They are much bigger than me, but we still get along. Their Mommies told them not eat me. They haven't tried so far! Some nice Grandma's watch us all during the day and then Mommy and Daddy come to get me. I love when they come get me, but I love being in the nursery too. There are so many fun things to do there! They even have a flat piano that I can lay on and make noise.

For some reason, I keep hearing people say that I'm sooooo cute. Lots of people come up to me and ask Mommy if they can hold me. I love being held by new people because they smile at me and tell me I'm so cute. I guess it's true huh? Well, since I'm so cute, I'll let you look at some pictures of me. Mommy says that when they have another baby they will know for sure if he/she is really cute, or just cute to them. I guess I've set the standards high . . .

Bathtime Fun!

Renae is loving her bath!

Sorry for the short post. We are busy! I'll try and take some more pictures this week but this is all I had this week!

Valentine's Day

We had a great Valentines Day! Some great friends volunteered to watch all of the kiddos so Jesse and I went out with two other couples who have become great friends. We met them in October.



The girls



The guys



The girls being more like our true selves



And what Valentine's Day isn't complete without a trip to Wal-Mart . . .


Jesse got his hair cut by Valerie earlier on in the week so he could be really good looking on Vday.


Last night we also hung out with a new friend from back home and some of his students. We learned to count to 3 in arabic. :)

Renae's First "Real" Food

You may find it helpful to start the movie, then press pause while the video downloads. P.S. She is eating squash. Yummy . . .

A Visit With the Fam . . .

Renae meets her 2nd or 3rd cousin or something once removed.

The three little ones with their Mommies!

Aunt Kim is an expert slider.

Renae and Andi are so little they can share a swing. How cute!

We Made It!

After about 15 hours of traveling, we have finally made it here. Our 6 pieces of luggage however, did not. We ended up getting sent to a different airport, while our luggage went to another. But thankfully, we still received all 6 pieces around 10:30 last night. And if you're wondering, those 6 pieces weren't just suitcases of clothes for our 2 month stay. We aren't THAT bad of over packers. Renae needed a bag and a half for all of her baby gear-which isn't much. Jesse brought his guitar and we brought Renae's pack 'n play. So really, we didn't do that bad with packing.

Anywho . . . we got to see some family today! Grandma K was the last of the Great Grandparents to meet Renae. I also got to meet some 2nd (?) cousins for the first time. We went to lunch, walked around our training center and swang on the swungs. Now THAT is a phrase I'm not sure I said write but it sure is fun to say. Say it with me now. We swang on the swungs. And since we're in the south, lets all say it with that famous southern twang. We swayng on the swu-wait a minute. I feel like an idiot. I just wrote "swungs." I must really be in the south now . . . Anyway, you get the jist.

I've got pictures to post but somebody (aka Jesse) just forgot to bring the camera to me like he said he would. :) So, check back later and I'll have some cute pictures of Renae to post.

Saying my Good-byes . . .

Our things are in storage, our cars are sold or ready to be given to someone else. Our apartment is a mess and we still need to place whats left into our 5 trunks and 5 suitcases. We also need to pack some of those suitcases to take with us to training. Whew. It's been a busy past few weeks. You may think this post is a tear jerker about the people and places we've had to say good-bye to. But you know that's not how I roll . . .



No more visits to old friends I never see anymore. The Spanish teachers I taught with the past two years threw me a shower a few weeks ago. These girls are great teachers and passionate about teaching languages to children.



No more playing video games. Jesse hasn't played video games in months. But when we went to our best friends Tom and Jenny's house this past weekend, he got to play one more time. As you can see, Renae is a quick learner.



No more sewing! Really! I'm not taking my machine with me as I usually only use it when I have random crafty bursts in me. These also usually happen when I'm with Jenny and I won't get to see her for awhile either. Unless she has her baby early in April! (P.S. I made THREE slings last weekend!)



No more sleeping in a crib for Renae-ever! Renae's bed overseas will be a pack-n-play until she needs a bigger one. I took a picture of her last sleep in it.



No more skinny jeans. Ok, this one has nothing to do with moving overseas. I had saved them after I had Renae for motivation. I wanted to fit into them again. They were my absolute all-time favorite pair of jeans. However, I wore them before I had hips. Now, I don't think it matters how much weight I lose. I will never fit into those pants again. I sadly put them into the Goodwill bin, shed a tear and then walked away without turning back. Fabulous jeans, R.I.P.


And I must leave you with one classic picture that has nothing whatsoever to do with this post. I had the joy of experiencing a photo session for the first time. The subjects were my 3 year old niece, my 7 month old niece, and Renae. You'd think it would be easy to get those three girls to all smile at the same time . . . . yeah right.

Our Quick Trip to Chicago a Few Weeks Ago

Shortly after (as in the very next morning) we returned from our adventures, the three of us headed to Chicago to turn in our visa application. I was pretty excited to go because I really enjoy big cities and had never been to Chicago (unless the airport counts-which it doesn't). So we packed the wee one and headed out. They don't call it the Windy City for no reason! It was one cold night and day but we still enjoyed it. After checking into our hotel and eating a quick supper, we went out for a walk to see the sights. It was cold and dark, but we still had fun. Plus we did some window shopping the warm department stores so I was happy!

The next day we walked a good 11 blocks to turn in our application, turned around, checked out of our hotel and left! But I was still so glad I got to see Chicago finally. I'm looking forward to living in a big city for a few years. I don't think I'd like living in a big city permanently, but for a few years, it will be great. Here are some pictures from our trip:


We haven't yet trained Renae to take a picture so we still need to use the long arm shot.


The peanut all bundled up!


Waiting to be told everything is in order and we can go.


Is this not the cutest baby ever? She was social (of course) with the few others there.


"Woohoo! I'm in a big city!"