So some of you have **repeatedly** asked for pictures of our new home. Here you go!
Please keep in mind that I have no pictures or decorations up yet, and the master bedroom, basement and office need serious help!!! :)
http://s187.photobucket.com/albums/x219/nkbrown81/New%20House%202011/
We had several things that were broken in the move (one of them is the computer desk), so that's what's holding us up. But everything else is coming along nicely and we're getting settled in! Our neighbors seem very nice, and there are a ton of kids on our street.
This morning, I joined a few of my moms group friends and headed to the Amish farm down the road (about 10 minutes away) to pick up some fresh produce! They already had sweet corn, peppers, cantaloupe, zucchini, cucumbers and a bunch of other wonderful things. So much better than the store!!!
The weather hasn't been too bad here the past few weeks. It's been warm and muggy but we've been getting a little rain here and there which has kept the temps and humidity down a bit.
Judah is having a blast living in a house again. He did very well with all the moving chaos and adjustment, and I think he really likes having his new room and big bed (we put the box spring under his mattress, so it's higher).
Noah's job is still going well, and I'm doing fine too -just glad everything is pretty much over and we're settling in!
We hope all of you are doing well too! Love and hugs...
FYI, we will be in Wisconsin on December 23rd, and Springfield after that. So please let us know if you'd like to get together!!!
Blessings,
Noah, Krista and Judah
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
We're "Home"!!!
Hi Everyone,
We wanted to share some big news with all of our friends and family, and pass along our NEW ADDRESS!!!
Everything is finally coming together with our house situation, both here in Maryland and back in St. Louis. We will be closing on our house here in Maryland on June 10th, and our house back in St. Louis on June 13th (what a nice birthday present!).
We got ALL of the news yesterday, which made for a crazy day - scheduling home inspections, finalizing insurance and lender paperwork, talking to realtors... but a good day, nonetheless.
Before I forget, I know a lot of you will ask for our new address. Please note that there is only one "N" in our street name. It's goofy, I know!
We wanted to share some big news with all of our friends and family, and pass along our NEW ADDRESS!!!
Everything is finally coming together with our house situation, both here in Maryland and back in St. Louis. We will be closing on our house here in Maryland on June 10th, and our house back in St. Louis on June 13th (what a nice birthday present!).
We got ALL of the news yesterday, which made for a crazy day - scheduling home inspections, finalizing insurance and lender paperwork, talking to realtors... but a good day, nonetheless.
Before I forget, I know a lot of you will ask for our new address. Please note that there is only one "N" in our street name. It's goofy, I know!
23270 Jenifer Ct.
Leonardtown, MD 20650
We may have the opportunity to move in before our closing date, so we can move all of our things out of our townhouse and St. Louis house - straight into our new house. So we're praying that that will be able to happen. If we can't, we may need to put our things into storage for a short time, which means another move. But thankfully Boeing is taking care of us in that regard!
We are going to try to make one last trip back to the Midwest in a few months (mainly for the purpose of being there for the movers in St. Louis). We can't guarantee we'll make it to see all of you. My guess right now is that we won't be able to make it to Wisconsin this summer, but we should be able to see some friends and family in the Springfield, IL/St. Louis area, who we didn't get to see at Easter. As we get closer to figuring out if and when we are coming, we'll certainly be in touch to give you the details and try to get together with as many of you as we can, in between making the sure the movers get all of our things out of the house.
Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement through this big transition in our lives! We are so thankful for such supportive and caring friends and family, and are truly blessed by each and every one of you.
Aside from the house stuff, we are doing great. The weather this past week was amazing - in the mid-70's and sunny almost every day. But it looks like this week will make up for that - they are predicting rain almost every day this week!
Noah's job is going well, and he is getting more opportunities to fly on the aircraft he's working on, which is very exciting for him. When he flies, he gets to wear a full flight suit and military issue boots, and he looks like one of those Top Gun pilot guys! :) I managed to snap this rare image of him in his gear, and mysteriously have never seen him come home in it since! haha
Judah and I have stayed busy with the Moms Group we're involved in. We have had a bunch of play dates at the park, breakfast at Panera, a trip to an Amish farm, storytime at the local library and a lot of other fun activities. Judah is talking a mile a minute, asking questions left and right, and likes to point out everything going on around him. He knows his alphabet, and is trying to count to 20 (missing a few of the 'teen' numbers, but we're almost there). He loves to draw and color, but he also likes to figure out how everything works (i.e. - vacuum, car keys, what the mail man does, trash truck, dishwasher, laundry, you name it!). Judah continues to love music too... so he's definitely got a little bit of both his mommy and daddy in him! He is such a good boy, and so much fun.
I have been starting to get involved in our church in addition to the moms group. There was an audition for the worship team several weeks back, and I am not a part of that! I'll be playing piano and singing in the band, which is an honor and a joy! It will be so nice to get back to serving in that capacity at church! I have truly missed it.
I think that is about it for us (for now at least!). We hope all of you are doing well, and miss you! Please keep in touch. When we get settled into our house here, we would love some visitors. Please don't be strangers!!!
Love,
Noah, Krista and Judah
Monday, April 11, 2011
Maryland Madness
Hi Everyone! We hope everyone is having a wonderful 2011 so far! It's been a while since we updated our blog, so there is a lot to say. Here goes!
God has been working amazing things in our lives since we got here to Maryland. The trip here went smoothly in November, and we moved into our townhouse, which we have been renting. It's a tad smaller than our house (1/3 the size, to be exact), but we're managing famously. It just means we're all a little closer, which is a good thing with a crazy, wonderful little 21-month-old boy running around! :) We still have a lot of boxes we can't unpack because we don't have room for things, so our bedroom has turned into a temporary storage area.
We have been in waiting to find out what the future holds for us, either here or back in the Midwest. Recently, Noah received a job offer from a competitor, and Boeing actually fought to keep him and gave him a wonderful raise, in addition to the great benefits they offer, so we could stay on the East Coast. So in a nutshell, we're staying in Southern Maryland permanently. It is bittersweet, since we are farther from friends and family, but we are thankful that we finally know where we will be living on a long-term basis.
Noah is liking his job more these days, now that he as actually gotten to fly on the plane he works on! The days he flies on the plane (to gather data), he comes home in his flight suit and boots and looks like one of those spiffy pilots from Top Gun. They even gave him an official name patch and a flag patch for his arm. Pretty cool. I think he'd agree that it was worth it to go through all the crazy swim tests and hypoxia training to be able to fly on the aircraft he works with. It sounds like he enjoys working with his team, and he has a good boss too.
Along with that good news, we received word that a family from Arkansas wants to buy our home in St. Louis! We will (hopefully) be closing the deal on that in the next month or two. Please pray that the family buying our home will be able to sell their home quickly so they can buy ours! Right now the contract on our home is contingent upon the sale of their home.
In addition, we have been doing some serious, heavy-duty house shopping out here in Maryland, and God has blessed us with a great deal on an amazing house out here! So we are writing an offer on it today. The only catch is that it is a HAP home (which means it is basically owned by the DOD, and they have to approve or reject our offer, which could take up to 3 weeks to hear). So please also be praying that they will accept our offer! It is an amazing place, in a wonderful neighborhood, great schools, closer to everything. We feel so blessed to have found the place, and are just praying the deal will go through. Please stand with us in praying and believing it will happen!
Judah is doing great. I think I mentioned a while ago that we were starting formal potty training. Well, in the midst of all of this chaos and house hunting, it just wasn't working. If we didn't have all the craziness, Judah would probably be doing awesome with potty training. I don't think Judah was ready to do the potty thing in so many public places with so much noise and people and action going on around him. So he's back in diapers again, but we're still putting him on the potty when we're home (and whenever he tells us when he has to go when we're out and about) so we don't lose all that we've worked for so far.
Other than that, Judah is having a blast being outside more lately. The other day we went to the park and all he wanted to do was swing for 45 minutes! He loved being out in the sunshine and feeling the breeze on his face and wearing his new shades. Judah is talking a mile a minute, and it just blows me away how much he knows, learns and remembers. He is such a sharp little guy... you tell him something once and he will come back days later and repeat it to you when you least expect it! One of his favorite things to help with lately is opening the front door when we get home. He will want to find the key on the ring, put it in the lock, turn it and open the door (and ring the doorbell 15 times!). He also knows what all of the keys on my key ring are for, including the mail box key (we have lock boxes, not an actual mail box). Getting the mail is a daily ritual for him, and if we don't get it by 4pm, he will remind us! haha Here are some recent pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2100039&id=1075628199&l=a9c9c1d4b3
Noah's parents recently visited us, and we took a trip up to New Jersey with them to visit Noah's Uncle Randy and Aunt Sue! Noah's brother Nick, and his cousin Tresa and her family joined us for the weekend too, so it was like a big family reunion! It was a packed house, but we had a wonderful time visiting with everyone. Here are some pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2099914&id=1075628199&l=6017fdcc84
Speaking of seeing family, Noah's brother Nick (who is normally stationed in Hawaii in the Army) has taken a temporary 6-month position up in Bethesda, MD, which is just outside of Washington D.C. - only about an hour and a half from us! So we have gotten the opportunity to see him a few times since he's been here, and hopefully will get to see him some more before he leaves for Hawaii again in July. Here are some pics from our last visit: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2100047&id=1075628199&l=fbae58a780
We'll keep you updated about what happens with the house situation. We are looking forward to a trip to Wisconsin for Easter and seeing lots of family! We will be arriving in Milwaukee on April 22, and I will be staying until May 1st with Judah. Noah needs to get back to Maryland for work, so he will be leaving on the 26th. But we look forward to a great visit and catching up in person with as many of you as we can!
Lots of love and hugs,
Noah, Krista & Judah
God has been working amazing things in our lives since we got here to Maryland. The trip here went smoothly in November, and we moved into our townhouse, which we have been renting. It's a tad smaller than our house (1/3 the size, to be exact), but we're managing famously. It just means we're all a little closer, which is a good thing with a crazy, wonderful little 21-month-old boy running around! :) We still have a lot of boxes we can't unpack because we don't have room for things, so our bedroom has turned into a temporary storage area.
We have been in waiting to find out what the future holds for us, either here or back in the Midwest. Recently, Noah received a job offer from a competitor, and Boeing actually fought to keep him and gave him a wonderful raise, in addition to the great benefits they offer, so we could stay on the East Coast. So in a nutshell, we're staying in Southern Maryland permanently. It is bittersweet, since we are farther from friends and family, but we are thankful that we finally know where we will be living on a long-term basis.
Noah is liking his job more these days, now that he as actually gotten to fly on the plane he works on! The days he flies on the plane (to gather data), he comes home in his flight suit and boots and looks like one of those spiffy pilots from Top Gun. They even gave him an official name patch and a flag patch for his arm. Pretty cool. I think he'd agree that it was worth it to go through all the crazy swim tests and hypoxia training to be able to fly on the aircraft he works with. It sounds like he enjoys working with his team, and he has a good boss too.
Along with that good news, we received word that a family from Arkansas wants to buy our home in St. Louis! We will (hopefully) be closing the deal on that in the next month or two. Please pray that the family buying our home will be able to sell their home quickly so they can buy ours! Right now the contract on our home is contingent upon the sale of their home.
In addition, we have been doing some serious, heavy-duty house shopping out here in Maryland, and God has blessed us with a great deal on an amazing house out here! So we are writing an offer on it today. The only catch is that it is a HAP home (which means it is basically owned by the DOD, and they have to approve or reject our offer, which could take up to 3 weeks to hear). So please also be praying that they will accept our offer! It is an amazing place, in a wonderful neighborhood, great schools, closer to everything. We feel so blessed to have found the place, and are just praying the deal will go through. Please stand with us in praying and believing it will happen!
Judah is doing great. I think I mentioned a while ago that we were starting formal potty training. Well, in the midst of all of this chaos and house hunting, it just wasn't working. If we didn't have all the craziness, Judah would probably be doing awesome with potty training. I don't think Judah was ready to do the potty thing in so many public places with so much noise and people and action going on around him. So he's back in diapers again, but we're still putting him on the potty when we're home (and whenever he tells us when he has to go when we're out and about) so we don't lose all that we've worked for so far.
Other than that, Judah is having a blast being outside more lately. The other day we went to the park and all he wanted to do was swing for 45 minutes! He loved being out in the sunshine and feeling the breeze on his face and wearing his new shades. Judah is talking a mile a minute, and it just blows me away how much he knows, learns and remembers. He is such a sharp little guy... you tell him something once and he will come back days later and repeat it to you when you least expect it! One of his favorite things to help with lately is opening the front door when we get home. He will want to find the key on the ring, put it in the lock, turn it and open the door (and ring the doorbell 15 times!). He also knows what all of the keys on my key ring are for, including the mail box key (we have lock boxes, not an actual mail box). Getting the mail is a daily ritual for him, and if we don't get it by 4pm, he will remind us! haha Here are some recent pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2100039&id=1075628199&l=a9c9c1d4b3
Noah's parents recently visited us, and we took a trip up to New Jersey with them to visit Noah's Uncle Randy and Aunt Sue! Noah's brother Nick, and his cousin Tresa and her family joined us for the weekend too, so it was like a big family reunion! It was a packed house, but we had a wonderful time visiting with everyone. Here are some pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2099914&id=1075628199&l=6017fdcc84
Speaking of seeing family, Noah's brother Nick (who is normally stationed in Hawaii in the Army) has taken a temporary 6-month position up in Bethesda, MD, which is just outside of Washington D.C. - only about an hour and a half from us! So we have gotten the opportunity to see him a few times since he's been here, and hopefully will get to see him some more before he leaves for Hawaii again in July. Here are some pics from our last visit: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2100047&id=1075628199&l=fbae58a780
We'll keep you updated about what happens with the house situation. We are looking forward to a trip to Wisconsin for Easter and seeing lots of family! We will be arriving in Milwaukee on April 22, and I will be staying until May 1st with Judah. Noah needs to get back to Maryland for work, so he will be leaving on the 26th. But we look forward to a great visit and catching up in person with as many of you as we can!
Lots of love and hugs,
Noah, Krista & Judah
Friday, January 07, 2011
The Holidays 2010
Hi Everyone,
We had a very nice holiday - hope all of you did too!
We flew into Milwaukee on Christmas Day, and that afternoon we were whisked off to a fun get-together on the Schubert side of the family. The rest of the time in town
was a blur... trying to visit with all of the family in Wisconsin in 4 days was crazy! Unfortunately we didn't get to see everyone, as we would've liked. But hopefully we can make up some of the time with them next time we visit!
My brother Eric and his wife Melissa are the proud owners of a brand spankin' new house in Madison! Congrats to my little bro and wonderful sister-in-law! They closed on December 28th and moved in quickly afterwards. Very exciting! :) We were blessed to have the opportunity to get together with Oma Schubert a few times and then left for Illinois to see Noah's family on the 29th. We had a very nice time celebrating Christmas one more time, and got to spend some time with Noah's grandma too! On the 2nd we drove back up with Milwaukee to fly back to Maryland on the 3rd. Whew!!! I have to say, even though we enjoyed our quick visit with family, it's good to be back to a regular schedule again! We had a lot of late nights, and it's tough to keep up with a running, jumping, talking, giggly 18-month-old little boy when you're pooped out! haha
Speaking of Judah, here are some pictures from the holidays...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2089277&id=1075628199&l=f136f91852..
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2086184&id=1075628199&l=eda0a9846e
We had Judah's 18-month appointment today, and the doc said he looks great, and is way ahead in his development! I had no idea, but I guess a 2-year-old's vocabulary should be around 40-50 words. But Judah says over 175! I thought I was crazy when I got curious and tried writing down all of the words he uses on a regular basis (without me saying them first), and the list just kept getting longer and longer! It makes me feel so blessed that I can be home with him and help him learn so much. We are working on learning numbers and the alphabet now to try to keep him challenged, and he knows all of his colors already. He is a little sponge!!!
We are also starting to potty train him... or rather, get him used to using the potty. I know he is only 18 months old, and that probably sounds nuts, but he has been telling us when he goes, and even tells us when he has to go sometimes. He is still in diapers, but we ask him periodically thoughout the day if he wants to use the potty, and he has been going on the potty at least once a day since we started about a week ago. He is doing great so far, and we are so proud of our little guy! He is just growing up too fast!!!
Other than Judah's explosion of developmental craziness (haha!), we are doing pretty well. We are starting to get to know more people here in Maryland, and have been going to a church out here. The people are very nice. I got together with another stay-at-home mom from church today and her little girl. It was great to get out of the house! I will probably be joining the church's stay-at-home mom group that meets on Thursdays... I'm pretty excited about that. It will be great for Judah (and me too).
Noah's job is going fine, although he isn't doing his real job yet. He is a Flight Test Engineer for the P-8 project at Boeing, and works at Pax River Naval Base here in Maryland. It's a very short drive to work for him, which is great - about 8 minutes from parking lot to parking lot. Noah recently passed his Flight Test Certification (yay!), which included jumping in a pool with full flight gear on, and passing various swimming and drown-proof tests. (When the plane he is working on begins flight tests in the next few months, he may get to ride along. The plane flies over the bay/ocean here, so it's required to be able to pass the test incase something happens and it needs to land in the water - not that that would ever happen.) So congrats to my hubby! Woohoo! He will also have to pass a high-altitude chamber test for his job. From what he understands, he will have to take a class, then be put into a chamber where they will reduce his oxygen percentage, and he will need to identify altitude sickness symptoms. He has been talking to some people who have gone through the test, and it sounds like sometimes people do some pretty silly things when their oxygen level goes down! :)
The area we live in is okay. It isn't bad, just very different than St. Louis, Missouri. Patuxent River, MD is built around the Naval Air Station (base). The population in the area is a majority of people who work or live on the base, and it has exploded within the past 10 years. With the population explosion, more stores and businesses have been built out here, but not nearly the number you would find in an established city. The housing and zoning around here is strange. There can be a business, then an old house that's been here for decades, then a brand spankin' new house, then a trailer or modular home... there aren't very many nice "neighborhoods" or subdivisions in the area. It has been a challenge to look for a house out here because of that. But that is ok. We are still unsure of how things will happen with Noah's job, and how long we will actually be here. Noah's first 6 months will be up in April, and we should know more as we get closer to that time. We will keep you updated.
Again, we hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and are starting out the New Year! Blessings to all of you and your families! Please keep in touch. We miss all of our family and friends in the Midwest (and the south, and the Pacific! ;)
Love,
Noah, Krista & Judah
We had a very nice holiday - hope all of you did too!
We flew into Milwaukee on Christmas Day, and that afternoon we were whisked off to a fun get-together on the Schubert side of the family. The rest of the time in town
was a blur... trying to visit with all of the family in Wisconsin in 4 days was crazy! Unfortunately we didn't get to see everyone, as we would've liked. But hopefully we can make up some of the time with them next time we visit!
My brother Eric and his wife Melissa are the proud owners of a brand spankin' new house in Madison! Congrats to my little bro and wonderful sister-in-law! They closed on December 28th and moved in quickly afterwards. Very exciting! :) We were blessed to have the opportunity to get together with Oma Schubert a few times and then left for Illinois to see Noah's family on the 29th. We had a very nice time celebrating Christmas one more time, and got to spend some time with Noah's grandma too! On the 2nd we drove back up with Milwaukee to fly back to Maryland on the 3rd. Whew!!! I have to say, even though we enjoyed our quick visit with family, it's good to be back to a regular schedule again! We had a lot of late nights, and it's tough to keep up with a running, jumping, talking, giggly 18-month-old little boy when you're pooped out! haha
Speaking of Judah, here are some pictures from the holidays...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2089277&id=1075628199&l=f136f91852..
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2086184&id=1075628199&l=eda0a9846e
We had Judah's 18-month appointment today, and the doc said he looks great, and is way ahead in his development! I had no idea, but I guess a 2-year-old's vocabulary should be around 40-50 words. But Judah says over 175! I thought I was crazy when I got curious and tried writing down all of the words he uses on a regular basis (without me saying them first), and the list just kept getting longer and longer! It makes me feel so blessed that I can be home with him and help him learn so much. We are working on learning numbers and the alphabet now to try to keep him challenged, and he knows all of his colors already. He is a little sponge!!!
We are also starting to potty train him... or rather, get him used to using the potty. I know he is only 18 months old, and that probably sounds nuts, but he has been telling us when he goes, and even tells us when he has to go sometimes. He is still in diapers, but we ask him periodically thoughout the day if he wants to use the potty, and he has been going on the potty at least once a day since we started about a week ago. He is doing great so far, and we are so proud of our little guy! He is just growing up too fast!!!
Other than Judah's explosion of developmental craziness (haha!), we are doing pretty well. We are starting to get to know more people here in Maryland, and have been going to a church out here. The people are very nice. I got together with another stay-at-home mom from church today and her little girl. It was great to get out of the house! I will probably be joining the church's stay-at-home mom group that meets on Thursdays... I'm pretty excited about that. It will be great for Judah (and me too).
Noah's job is going fine, although he isn't doing his real job yet. He is a Flight Test Engineer for the P-8 project at Boeing, and works at Pax River Naval Base here in Maryland. It's a very short drive to work for him, which is great - about 8 minutes from parking lot to parking lot. Noah recently passed his Flight Test Certification (yay!), which included jumping in a pool with full flight gear on, and passing various swimming and drown-proof tests. (When the plane he is working on begins flight tests in the next few months, he may get to ride along. The plane flies over the bay/ocean here, so it's required to be able to pass the test incase something happens and it needs to land in the water - not that that would ever happen.) So congrats to my hubby! Woohoo! He will also have to pass a high-altitude chamber test for his job. From what he understands, he will have to take a class, then be put into a chamber where they will reduce his oxygen percentage, and he will need to identify altitude sickness symptoms. He has been talking to some people who have gone through the test, and it sounds like sometimes people do some pretty silly things when their oxygen level goes down! :)
The area we live in is okay. It isn't bad, just very different than St. Louis, Missouri. Patuxent River, MD is built around the Naval Air Station (base). The population in the area is a majority of people who work or live on the base, and it has exploded within the past 10 years. With the population explosion, more stores and businesses have been built out here, but not nearly the number you would find in an established city. The housing and zoning around here is strange. There can be a business, then an old house that's been here for decades, then a brand spankin' new house, then a trailer or modular home... there aren't very many nice "neighborhoods" or subdivisions in the area. It has been a challenge to look for a house out here because of that. But that is ok. We are still unsure of how things will happen with Noah's job, and how long we will actually be here. Noah's first 6 months will be up in April, and we should know more as we get closer to that time. We will keep you updated.
Again, we hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and are starting out the New Year! Blessings to all of you and your families! Please keep in touch. We miss all of our family and friends in the Midwest (and the south, and the Pacific! ;)
Love,
Noah, Krista & Judah
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