hi from our new home!

Shot this video on Saturday while we were moving in. And another video, just for fun. And Steve's working from our new house today, so back to normal life :)

I hurt my back somehow during move-in day, but things seem to be getting better so I'm extremely thankful that it wasn't anything serious. I am trying to take it easy so that it doesn't get worse again, but it's so hard with all of the boxes that I want to get put away!

some of the latest pics and updates

So we close on our house this week! Here are a few pictures that I snapped during our inspection last week. The things in the pictures are the sellers things, they haven't moved out yet, and we haven't moved in yet. I will for sure take some more pics, especially of the outside of the house, when we move in. We're anxious to get in and get working on the to-do list that we have building up in our heads :) We certainly feel blessed!

Master bedroom and bathroom: (the master has lights above the crown molding, you can sort of see it in the picture)


The E man checking out his new room. Actually, this might turn out to be Steve's office, we'll see.
The two rooms on either side of the entry way:


The front entry way:
Straight through the entry way, looking through the living room:

Another view of the living room, from the kitchen:My new kitchen:

And a few of Ethan, just because:
In my hoodie that Aunt Laura knit for me!



First time trying Cheerios. He sure was intrigued but didn't know what to do with them :)

house update

Things are looking good for our house! We may be closing this very month! Details to come soon :)

house update

So we have a signed purchase agreement. The next step on our house purchase is through! This is a positive sign. Still more waiting to do, but I'm very hopeful and am liking this house more and more as time goes by :) I really hope that we are able to purchase it!!

a new thing every day

A new baby was added to our family yesterday!! Saige Mae Thomasma (Steve's sister and brother in law's first) weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 1oz. I got to see her briefly yesterday evening right before bed. Ethan came with, but he slept the entire trip :) I absolutely cannot wait to see her again and hold and cuddle with her.

And Ethan made a new discovery over the weekend:
He has feet! And he loves to grab them. On Sunday he was trying to put them in his mouth, and he kept tickling himself and giggling. It was pretty adorable.

We keep getting updated on the house that we put an offer on, and we're still waiting and hoping. It's not a done deal, but it's getting closer. We're positive about it.

possible house for us!

Today, Steve and I might just be placing an offer on a house! Yay! If things progress positively, we'll be posting details for sure :) We're cautiously excited!

house hunting

So, after saying goodbye to our Indiana house, we are now beginning the search for our new Minnesota house! We went to a few open houses over the weekend and it got us pretty excited to begin searching. We are going out today with a realtor, not in a big rush to buy, but hoping that we find the right thing for us!

closing on our Indiana house

Things appear to now be all set to close on our home in Indiana this Friday. Please pray that everything goes smoothly, and that there are no hold-ups or delays! We are sad to see that house go, but excited to get on with the move, and have that wrapped up.

fun milestones

Ethan swatted purposefully at his toys for the first time today :) Of course, this video was taken at the end of his playing, so he was getting pretty tired. He had so much coordination that it surprised me!!



Also, I finally got the giggling on camera!! You'll have to go here to watch it, I can't get it to load here.

Lastly, Steve is heading down to Lafayette this weekend for packing and moving out the last of our stuff out of our house! We are set to close a week from Friday, yay :)

Merry Christmas 2009!

We have had quite an eventful year this year. I thought I would update you all on some of the changes in our lives.

Angela: After working for a research lab at Purdue University since 2004, the funding for my position ran out and I became a full-time housewife beginning in June. After spending a month or so on projects around the house I decided to use some of my free time at our church and began volunteering 2 mornings a week at our church's community center. I also kept up my weekly commitments at the local pregnancy resource center.

In July we found out that we were expecting a baby, due March 21. I spent the next couple of months on the couch, so I was thankful for my slower-paced schedule! In early November our ultrasound revealed that we should prepare for a little boy.

Face shot of the littlest Mellema:

Steve: After working since 2004 at a software company, Steve accepted a new job in the Minneapolis, MN area. Steve grew up there, and the chance to be close to at least one side of our family was pretty attractive. Earlier this month we loaded up our things and moved from Lafayette, Indiana to chilly Minnesota. We are currently staying with Steve's mom and dad while we transition to our new city.

The move has obviously changed several things in our life. Steve has played in a band, TitusJustus, for the past several years, so it was hard to say goodbye to them. He really enjoyed having a creative musical outlet there, as well as being a part of our previous church's worship team. It was hard to leave behind many of the areas of service that we've been a part of, both through our church and local community. But at the same time we're looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us in our new community.

These next few months hold some exciting changes for us, a new baby, hopefully a new house, and exploring our new city, so be sure to stop by for updates every so often. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Double-digits!

Today, if you notice on my ticker to the right, I have 100 days left in my pregnancy. I am now in the double-digit countdown! And as soon as I find the camera and the cord to the camera, I'll take some more belly pics :) I have definitely noticed significant growth the last couple of weeks, and so far everything is still going well.

We're getting settled into Minnesota, despite the cold weather! Steve starts his new job on Monday so he's looking forward to getting going on that. I had my first doctor's appointment here already, to get set up in the new clinic and get my next few appointments mapped out. So far I am so impressed with the efficiency of my new clinic, and I really liked the nurse practitioner that I met with. I meet with my new doctor in less than 2 weeks.

24

Things are going well here, and in the midst of Thanksgiving, packing boxes and canceling utilities I turned 24 weeks :) I am feeling good, just some random aches and pains that are probably common and nothing to complain about quite yet. Baby Mellema is certainly a spaz, there is no end to his flipping around, kicking and squirming. We've been talking about names and have a few on a relatively short list, but aren't really attached to any one quite yet. Here I am at 24 weeks.

more big changes for us

Steve has accepted a job in Minneapolis, Minnesota and we are moving in just a few weeks! We decided that one major life change (baby) wasn't quite enough, so we're now adding a job change, a cross-country move, selling our house, and potentially buying a new one :) Steve's last day at his current job will be tomorrow. Things are moving quickly, we're planning on being in Lafayette until the week of Christmas. We'll be in Minnesota for Christmas anyway, so we figured that that week would be a good time just to pack up our cars with as much as we can fit, and go. I'll stay up there and Steve might be down a time or two to deal with house stuff until ours sells.

It's hard to imagine starting over, we've grown to love Lafayette and our community here. Although it's also very comforting that Steve's family will be so close, his parents and 2 siblings and their spouses all live up there. So it will be very bittersweet for us, but at the same time we're very excited to begin this new phase of life. Your prayers for our transition will be greatly appreciated!