How long can I call him BABY?

So, Xander turned three on Saturday. Where has the time gone? Every time I looked at the clock on Saturday, I would reminisce about what I was doing at that time three years ago. Nine AM - laying in the hospital bed with contractions. 11 AM - the Dr. finally shows up (Five hours after I checked in to be induced). One in the afternoon - Dr. broke my water. Seven PM - Dr. decides that I need an emergency c-section since I haven't dilated more than 3cm. 7:38 PM - My baby is here and he is the love of my life! (you know, besides Tracy)



And now my baby is THREE! So much has happened in the last three years. But it has gone by so fast. Our heads are still spinning but we are so in love with this little person who has changed our lives.


We started the day by hunting (or as Xander says, "I'm a detective looking for clues.") for his presents. I hid them around the house the night before so he wasn't overwhelmed by a pile of presents...this way, he found them one at a time, got to open each one, enjoy it and play with it for a while and then look for another one. I forgot about taking pictures until half way through "the hunt" so this is the first picture I got.


Found another one!


And another!



Later that day we went to the Durham museum; one of Xander's favorite places here because of all the trains. Also, right now they have a huge display of vintage pedal cars. His absolute favorite part of the museum is the gift shop. He chose a Steam Engine Train Toob. It's just a clear tube with lots of little train cars and a steam engine inside. He loves it.
Then we got home and the mail man came! A present from his best friend in Texas! Thanks Ian!


That evening, his little girlfriend, Simone, came over to help him celebrate the big day. Thank you, Simone!


We had a great time. I made a big cookie for Xander instead of a cake since he won't eat cake. Or ice cream. Oh, and I burnt his cookie. I'm such an awesome mom. So he didn't end up eating the big cookie either. He opted for one of the regular sized ones that I didn't burn. LOL He loved blowing out his #3 candle...Tracy kept relighting the candle for him to blow out. I also made one of those giant cupcakes. That was fun. But if you ever make one, have a plan for cutting it up. Once you cut through it, each side falls over and then you just have a big mess. I will need to figure out the best way to cut it up. If you know how, let me know!


Xander is three. Can I still call him my baby?

Our move to Omaha

Tracy's client in Dallas was Washington Mutual and they went out of business and were purchased by Chase bank. So, without a client, Tracy wouldn't have a job, essentially. So as the account was coming to a close, Tracy was scoping out new accounts. With the economy the way it's been, we didn't feel like we could be picky or choosy. So the first one that came up was the one we took. Hello Omaha.
I was so sad to be leaving my sister in Dallas and all the friends that I had made there. But you gotta go where the job is.
We decided that it would be a good idea to rent once we got there so we could take our time getting to know the area and get a feel for where we would like to buy a house. So, I had this brilliant idea. I thought we should rent a loft downtown. It was an ideal time. We needed an apartment to rent, I always wanted to live in a loft, we didn't have a dog (which was always Tracy's excuse for not wanting to). So Tracy set out to find a loft. He found a great one right in the old Market. Unfortunately, the one he found was not the one that was available. He toured an upper level loft...the building has 6 floors. We got one on the ground level. The cherry hardwood floors apparently weren't on the first floor. We, instead, got industrial berber. With lots of gross stains. Lots of other perks came along with the first floor. We got people peeing on our windows, we got to go outside at 1am to break up fights that were right outside our bedroom window, we got to hear AND feel the front door to the building close every time someone went in or out. WHAT WAS I THINKING????? So, within the first week of living there we started looking for a house. At that point, we didn't care where we lived....as long as it wasn't on the first floor of the Joslyn Lofts!
Luckily, we found a great house in a great neighborhood in a great ward and it's close to Target. So, I'm happy! LOL
Here are some pictures of the new place. Of course, this is the sellers furniture but they show the house.

Here is the front of the house:



The entryway, looking back at the front door:




The entryway, looking in to the living room:


Living Room:


Dining area (it's an eat-in kitchen):


From dining area, looking into the living room:


Looking into the kitchen:


In the kitchen- yes, we will be making big changes in the kitchen soon:


There is a 1000 sq. ft. finished basement which we love:


There are a lot more pictures but I don't want to bore anyone. I think sometimes pictures that are of interest to us, are not so interesting to others. LOL