Y10.

It's sad to think that this chapter in our humble little 850 square foot apartment will be coming to a close in a few short weeks. This wasn't our first apartment in Louisville, but it was definitely a sweet apartment. A lot of "firsts" happened here and a lot of memories will always be linked to our time here:

Like moving in just 3 weeks before Levi arrived
and our mad rush to get his room ready.

Spending our last Thanksgiving as a family of two 

eating at Cracker Barrel and watching movies. Levi came just a week later.

Bringing him home to this place after some scary days in the NICU.

Our first Christmas as a family of three--when Levi met his Papi and Uncle Scott 

and we had no clue what we were doing.

Too many snowy winter days. 

And trying to figure out our new rhythm as I worked from this quaint little place with a newborn.

Way too much spit up and tons of naps were had here.

And a snowy 3rd Anniversary.

Hot tea in our bellies and bright flowers on our table to help with the overwhelming and rough days.

 

Lots of daddy snuggle time on Sunday mornings.

As well as good times rollin' and strollin'!

Enjoying many times with friends in this place (like the "Tim Tam Slam" night).

Celebrating Christ's life and learning about new life on the way!

And previewing the new Superman movie together!

Big things happened here, like visits from grandparents...

But I'll always remember the routine, everyday things as well.

This apartment saw many the morning snuggle, homemade meal, and Bumbo time.

A lot of busy weekdays and rest-filled Sundays.

And plenty of mischievous play was had here too!

Here, we found out that baby Crowder was a girl!

And I took way too many photos and Brian read way too many books.

We celebrated another start to Fall and our little boy continued to grow and grow...

...and grow and grow.

And many a swing was swung.

I know this apartment is just a place. And I know that home is wherever we are together. But I can't help but think back on our time in apartment Y10. All the changes that our life threw at us and all the learning that happened along the way. It was here that we became a family of 3 and God truly revealed himself to us in a little boy named Levi! And for that, it will always be a special place.

Intent to Vacate.

I have seen those words far too often in the past 5 years. Intent to Vacate. Brian and I were thinking back the other day, trying to calculate the number of times we had moved since we each moved away to USF (Brian in 2007, myself in 2008). The score: Ashley - 7, Brian - 6. That's crazy people, just crazy. I feel like a nomad.

Well, it makes me cringe to say it, but it seems we will be moving again! And in just 3 short weeks. We are extremely excited and slightly nervous at the same time. We're staying in Louisville, for sure--heck, we are not leaving here until Brian is holding his Masters degree in hand (Lord willing).

But it turns out the Lord has blessed us with a house to rent! An entire house. Like, with a backyard and a whole room for Brian's books and more than one toilet. We are so thrilled!

When we moved to Louisville in 2011!

Some family friends who live in Europe recently bought it as an investment opportunity. We had talked to them over the Summer about the timeline with it, but we never imagined it would still be available for us to consider, since the lease for our apartment isn't up until October 31st. I guess God had some different ideas in mind and we were blown away by his timing!

The house is located just a few blocks down from our church--which we are very excited about. It is an older neighborhood in Louisville, and admittedly a bit of a rougher section of Louisville. We've been a part of stepping into that neighborhood through different church events and we actually have several friends who have houses in the area as well. And now we'll be able to call it our neighborhood too! We are hoping that our home can be yet another beacon of light where there is much darkness.

You might ask, well why would you choose to move your family from where you currently live to a less safe area? Our response: because God commands us to go! He commands us to get away from our comfortable life, to build relationships with those who do not know Him, and to be salt and light in dark places. And what a better time to do so than while we are here in Louisville, attending seminary, and being trained as ministers of the Gospel!

Are we nervous about the change? Maybe a bit. Right now, we live in a quaint little apartment complex 1-mile from the seminary and mostly filled with fellow students. So yea, things will be quite different. But Brian and I have always been firm believers that (1) sin is everywhere and (2) God is sovereign. God is in control in every situation and in every place of residence--so we can have faith that he will be watchful over our family in our new neighborhood.  Plus, he has also given us the necessary wisdom as parents to protect our family as much as is possible, should the circumstance warrant it.

Okay, I'll end my rant on that. Anyway, we can't wait for this new opportunity. We are so looking forward to making this house a haven to our family, friends and neighbors! Now begins the less fun aspect--packing.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for some photos of our cute new abode!

Levi: Week 42 Summary

How is my baby boy 10 weeks away from a year old? I still remember the day he was born so vividly. During our routine cuddle time this morning before his breakfast, I couldn't help but notice what a big boy he was turning into. He has developed his own unique personality and he is just growing by the day. I'm so thankful that God blessed us with Levi. Here is a summary of last week (September 21-27)--his 42nd:

FEEDING
Still nursing! And pressing on toward our goal of 12 months!

This week, Levi also tried the homemade baby food I made for him. He loved all of it, with the exception of the cantaloupe and strawberry puree. Boy, he definitely hated that one! Too much melon flavor and not enough berry flavor is my guess. His face while trying it is priceless...

NAPS

His naps were very sporadic this week and many were shorter than usual. I'm pretty sure this was due to one or two of his top teeth coming in. 

NIGHTTIME

Despite the fact that Levi's naps were a bit off, he slept super well at night! Every night this past week, he slept from 7 PM - 7 AM. And this mama was sure happy about that! 

TEETHING

Yes, he is definitely teething! I had my doubts since I couldn't actually see teeth coming in, but last week one popped on through. It was his top left lateral incisor (so basically one next to his top middle teeth). I was surprised by this--all along I had expected his middle teeth to emerge first! He was definitely in so much pain though and he rarely let me put him down because of it. Brian and I started calling him "Snaggletooth" because of its lonesome placement. Toward the end of last week, I was pretty sure I spotted his right lateral incisor about to cut his gum as well. If that's the case, Mr. Levi is going to have some amazing fangs.

MOTOR SKILLS

Levi is now not only able to scoot around on his belly, but also his butt! When he is feeling particular lazy and sitting up, he'll simply wiggle his legs to move his whole body forward. He can also rotate his body around while sitting on his butt, which is so funny to watch.

OUTINGS/EVENTS

Not too much out of the ordinary this week! We spent a lot of time outside because the weather was so nice most days! Levi loves it outside, so most of the time he is super content just sitting in the grass and watching everything around him.

We did go to the SBTS pool one afternoon with my friend Cherish and her son (Levi's buddy), Seth. They had a really fun time splashing around and just watching the other kids play.  

We'll see what next week holds!