Our little puppy... and moving on

Do you ever have one of those days where all you want to do is floss your teeth but you can never quite get to it.... No? Well, humor me because that was totally me today. Our Hopie girl who is teething (when are babies not teething??) puts every.single.particle big or small in her mouth and it literally scares me to death. She is like this little puppy dog, nose and mouth to the ground, finding all that she shouldn't or that I swore I swept up an hour earlier and putting it as fast as you can say: "Really Miley bird!"in her little pie hole. My brother, Father Zyg, was in town this last week and I had him pray over her for sheer protection from small objects that some how (even with my needle eye going through ever-y-thing time and time again) find there way onto our floors and into Hope's mouth. Asking for your prayers too. Thanks a million, I owe you big time! 

Don't let her sweet innocent face fool you.

On an entirely different note, life is settling in for us Boda clan here on Davis Island. I think I am finally waking up from my dream of this being a really, really nice vacation to -- this is actually our home and where we live. A friend asked me the other night if I mind having no friends, you know since I am new to the area and have yet to totally spread my wings and fly. (Granted my friend asking is one of my best friends and lives 15 minutes away, but I knew what she meant, haha!) The question brought a lot to the surface because I do miss all of my beautiful friends that I was/am so, SO close to who live in Naples. And I know that yes we will remain friends, but the daily life we had together will never be the same. When I let myself really go there to "it never being the same" I get super teary eyed and have to pull myself up from dwelling on what I am missing to instead what I have been given here Tampa. But darn, it can be hard to let go... let go of play dates at the park and beach, countless dinners out and in our home, parties with multiple families that had kids all around the same ages as ours and where we could just kick back and let loose, our church, my women's prayer group and girls nights out, etc, etc. But, at the same time, I trust in God and know that He has me and our family exactly where He wants us and where we need to be.  So to my Naples peeps, know that you are never far from my heart and I can't wait to visit your paradise and land where there are no mesquitoes super soon. And please come visit us!! Just bring lots of mesquito repelent, because these little bastards up here are out for blood and I am mean every drop they can get.  

Davis Island living. 

Moving Day

Well, the time has come and it is moving day. I don't know how many times I can say bitter sweet, but that is exactly what it is. I have lived in our Sailfish home for 9 years now, almost a third of my life--crazy to think of it that way.

I fell in love in this very living room to the man of my dreams. We started our life together here and have spent all of our married years in this sweet home. All of our babes have called this their home for the entirety of their little lives. We have all loved, laughed, cried, learned, entertained, prayed and lived for God in this small abode. 

As you can tell I am feeling super nostalgic right now as I take 5 minutes to sit for one of the last times in my home. I know life is always full of change, but for me change can just be so darn hard. So right now in this moment, I am thanking God that He is in charge and praying that I can trust in Him as He leads us on our new adventure. 

I have so much more to say, but alas I here the moving truck approaching. Please keep us in your prayers!

goodbyes

Goodbyes are so hard and we had a doozy the other day. My dear, dear, best friend here in Naples moved with her sweet family to Jacksonville and boy was it hard to say Goodbye. Ann and her kiddos have been our companions up to 4 times a week for the last 2 years (give or take :), and now they are over 6 hours away. This is going to take some getting use to for me and especially little Gracie Girl, who talks about Avila an average of 20 times a day.

Avila and Grace showing off their painted nails.

Since being married, I have realized that making friends, close friends at that, can be a hard task. You would think 2 hours at the park, no prob -- we will have time to at least exchanged our life stories. But moms, and this one in particular, spend 1 hour and 56 1/2 minutes of that time juggling snacks and drinks, changing diapers, fixing boo-boos, getting more snacks, nursing, pushing one child on the swing, while yelling over to the others to stop fighting, and then mores snacks (just hoping to eliminate any form of melt down). So... my conversations are sometimes limited to 10 words and 3 sentences interspersed throughout and often times yelled over crying kids.  It takes time, many play dates, dinners at the house, date night with couples, etc to build friendship when your married with kids.

Could a sweet face like this ever be caught whining?

Or this?

Man, those college days of roomies, talking through the night, partaking in adult beverages, all while not being interrupted by crying, whining, or weird smelling odors--- I definitely took those days for granted, but how did I know what was to come... and really I wouldn't change it for the world (wink, wink).

I have been blessed, abundantly blessed, with my HS friends, college friends, and now Mommy friends who have taken the time to get to know me and my kiddos... but Ann, my friend who "just get's it" and gets me and my family, we will miss sharing daily life with you!! Tonight I am cheers-ing you with my glass of San's Sabastian and can't wait until we see you in Orlando :).