Long time no blog!!

hi from Riverside!!! I know I promised I would do an update again before we left but packing/moving was WAY more hectic than I thought it would be. I cannot express enough how relieved I am that is over with. May I just suggest that moving with a 3 month old is not a good idea?!? She was actually completely excellent throughout the whole thing but O-MY-GOODNESS... that girl has more "stuff" than Gavin and I combined. Until we packed up the Uhaul trailer and saw everything in one place, I really did not realize just how much stuff there was. It has taken me the entire week to unpack and get everything in its rightful place. While interior design is not a talent nor an interest of mine, it has been fun setting up our own little place. (I am going to attatch pictures in my next update since I WILL have my usb cord by then!!) Its starting to come together and I really just want to see the finished product already. Of course Kenley's room was the one I wanted to tackle first so hers is the closest to being done.
Which brings me to the fact that Kenley is sleeping in her own room and her own crib!! The first night I was so scared to have her in there by herself. I kept imagining the worst possible situations and kept waking up to check on her or at least stare at the video monitor (coolest thing ever invented by the way). She has done amazing in her crib though. She is asleep by 8pm and sleeps til 6am. I can live with that!!! She seems to really love it here, and i know it has been an adjustment for her too but she is doing better with the change than I could have imagined. She is getting all kinds of big and is making lots of new noises. Her cry is changing and she is CONSTANTLY "talking" to herself. It is soooo cute. I have had so much fun just hanging out with her during the day while I unpack and organize.
As many of you know, and if you were paying attention to the news, we moved in literally the peak day of a record breaking heat wave in LA. Of course right?!? Omygosh, it was unbearable. But three days ago, it dropped below 90 and I was so0o glad!! and thennnn.... after 4 days of being here, a huge storm came up from Mexico and it was STILL in the 90s with thunder, lightening and rain! It was crazy but actually kinda fun! It didnt seem to bother Kenley one bit and she slept right through it all.
And then there is the story of our trip down here!!! I am still thanking God for getting us here safely after our little escapade on hwy 580. Basically... we had everything packed in a trailer that we were pulling behind Gavin's parents Yukon and we were driving on 580 when the trailer broke off, leaving us fishtailing on the freeway dragging the trailer by a safety chain... sparks flying every which way! I really thought we were done. The first thing that flashed into my mind was my cousins car accident and I really thought we were going to flip. So I just threw my body over Kenley and started praying. By doing so I actually blocked a big mirror that slid forward and almost hit Kenley square in the face. I do NOT know how the trailer did not flip. It was a miracle. Andy (Gavins) dad did an amazing job of staying calm, not hitting the brakes and getting us to the side of the road safely.
So after we were all calmed down, we ended up having to wait for Uhaul to open, where we had to unpack everything and repack it into a uhaul van. By the end of all that, it was 4 hours by the time we got back on the road. It took us 14 hours to get to Riverside, my friends!!! ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?!? haha!!
Yes... we are having fun now actually :) Just speaking for myself, it has been a very hard adjustment and our first week here was extremely hard on me. I do pride myself on being one tough cookie but this has been very difficult. It was a week of a lot of tears, homesickness and to be honest... just wanting to go home. Poor Gavin had to basically convince me everyday for about a week straight that this is where we are supposed to be, it WILL get better and that I just need to stay positive. I couldnt help but think how easy that was for him to say. He has a built in group of friends with his team and people that he knows... while I have still yet to meet a single soul. Let me tell you... that when you have a new baby, in a new place knowing no one, it is a very helpless and empty feeling.
HOWEVER!!!... two mornings ago, I woke up and literally decided that this experience is going to be what I make it and that if I sit here and complain, nothing is ever going to improve and I will be limiting myself to my own fears. So basically, here goes nothing!!! So that day I got my gym membership, ran to the rec center for a quality workout, came home feeling like a million bucks and have been feeling great ever since. I came home and made plans for every weekend  through October to keep my mind focused on things to look forward to. Such as going to San Diego to visit friends, friends and family coming HERE! (Kenley's Godmother and one of my best friends Sarah Hosp is coming this weekend & my mom and brother are coming the weekend of Oct 24 to go to Disneyland!!) So excited!!
Tomorrow I am taking Kenley to "My Gym" in Redlands which is about 10 miles away. It is a little baby gym playgroup type of thing where moms bring their babies to play, "exercise" and learn. I am really really excited to go. I used to take my Goddaughter Addie to the one in Santa Rosa and we would always have a BLAST!! Couldnt ever seem to get her out of that darn "ball-pit" though! haha.
and thursday is Moms and Munchkins which is also a mom group that meets in Redlands. So I am willing to give that a shot as well. I will let everyone know how both go!
Attached are a few pictures of our place and a picture of Kenley at my friend Allie's swim meet at SDSU when we went to San Diego last weekend. I made her a shirt that said GO ALLIE and she had her red bucket hat on like a true Aztecs fan in their school colors!!
Alright everyone... saying I miss you doesnt even seem like enough words. Being so far away and without you had made be realize just how truly blessed I am to have such wonderful, supportive, loving friends and family. Thank you so much for all of your good thoughts and prayers for us. love love love jess