We've had trouble in getting to Solla Sollew

So here we are in Brooklyn New York! I hardly know where to begin with an update on the last couple months of our lives. There is no question it has been the hardest struggle Kyle and I have gone through together so far, yet we have been strengthened and we have been blessed to see many small and large miracles. Kyle took some time to write many of our experiences in his blog, so to make this easier here is his post if you are interested in details.http://www.Kylefackrellmusic.com/blog.html Since I really can't say it better, I'm not going to add many details.

What we have found at the end of this journey, is that God is so aware of us and he has heard our prayers. We are not done yet though. It has been a struggle here in Brooklyn. Kyle's work hours are long and the pay is little. I am struggling to find a way to get around this city with two children! It is so different! Most stores don't have parking lots! That means for a lot of looking for parking and walking and fighting traffic (not my most favorite thing). So, it has been an interesting experience. I also am finding that I don't really like city living. It is so busy and noisy and crowded. Our ward is also very different from what we are used to. This is a cool thing in many ways. It is fun to be the minority and to listen to a range of accents and experiences from all over the world. It is neat to be around so many different kinds of people. There aren't many kids in the ward though, so I am hoping to get to know people in neighboring wards that we can be friends with for play dates and things like that. Despite the challenges of living here, I have been able to find some places that are easier to get to and there are some beautiful parks and beaches very near. I do keep in mind that it takes a long time to feel at home in a new place. So, we are going to give it a couple years. The longer I am here the better I get at city living and I know there is a reason we are here. I think I can say pretty confidently that this is not where we want to settle down by any means, but I am hopeful that it will become a place that we will be sad to leave when the time comes. We will see how our journey unfolds.

Here are some pictures. Sorry about the poor quality, they are from my phone, I can't find our regular camera at the moment...in a box somewhere maybe!?

Also, to those of you who are wanting to visit NYC you have a place to make home base for a couple days! We are about 1 hour from our door to Manhattan on the subway, shorter by cab. We would love to have visitors and we have a living room and a blow-up mattress and couches! Feel free to call or email and reserve at date at the Fackrell Inn. :)

Here are some pictures and other updates.

So, in the craziness of everything James has stated to not take a regular nap, and when he does he won't go to sleep at night! So, we have tried to keep him awake in order to keep bedtime reasonable. (With a nap he will literlly stay up until 11 still bouncing around!!) However, the poor child still gets tired and will fall asleep anywhere. We are getting into a better pattern now that things are a little more stable, but in the transition it was funny to see all the places he fell asleep!

Yes, he is totally asleep here!

Also, WIlliam is growing and I am pretty sure he is bigger than James was at this age. He is not a great sleeper anymore, although he is getting better. He is 4 1/2 months and I just put the 12 month clothes in his drawers because he has grown out of most of the 9 months clothes! He is quick to smile and laugh and he adores James. He will watch him and smile at him all the time. He prefers to be held and is not great at being left while I do things, so my arm is getting strong to say the least. My patience is being tried at times too. :) He has started rolling both ways in the last few weeks and he grabs at everything!

James being a "light pole" at Prospect Park

Sadly we didn't get to do anything Halloween related this year because of
weather and James was sick, but he is a darn cute pirate!

Here are some pictures of our new house, as it is right now...so its not really clean and organized, but if I wait until its perfect, i will never get pictures. :)

This is our house! The lady standing in front is the angel that owns it and is letting us rent from her for ridiculously low price. She is standing on her level and we are on the bottom just below her. 

from front door before we got couches

from the kitchen

play area behind the couches (one of my favorite thing about this house is that it feels much more spacious than we expected for a NYC apartment.)

kitchen is very open and i can see the whole room from here!

go up the stairs to two bedrooms and a bathroom

our bedroom

boys room...needs some serious decorating...maybe someday!

James and William

Well, I've officially been on my own, with no help for about 2 weeks. I have to say, I am so much busier and I can't keep up with the chores! I am really trying to find a balance of play and work, but it seems like I can never get all my work done to start the play. Anyway, it has been a bit of a struggle, but I'm hanging in there. I figure that this has been done before...some have even raised more than two kids, though I can't imagine how at this point! :) Anyway, here are some pictures from this week. Also, my sister Megan pointed out to me some pictures of James and william at about the same age, I thought it was pretty amazing how much they look alike, so I decided to put them on here too.

James making William smile. That made me smile, despite how disobedient James was being at the moment.

William at 7 weeks

James at about 10 weeks.

William at about 4 weeks.

James at about 6 weeks.

Here's a quick catch up!

Well, it has been a busy and happy last few weeks. William is growing and healthy and he is a sweet and easy baby. James loves his little brother and calls him, "my William,"which actually comes out more like, "my yuyum". Its a little hard for him to pronounce. We have been so blessed to have my Mom and Dan here for so long. They were a wonderful help and we had so much fun! I'm so glad they got me through the transition of one kid to two. It would have been much much harder and a lot less fun without them! Also my sisters all came to visit and Kyle's parents came to visit, which made it even more fun! So, all around we had a fun month! Here are some pictures, not really in order or anything, just the highlights.

We are thinking his eyes are blue! Its still hard to tell if they'll stay that way, but so far it looks like they will!

William is a good smiler. This isn't the best one, but it shows his cute little smile.

James was spoiled with lots of playmates. This was a sweet action shot!

Fireworks on the 4th! (well this was the day before)

William cuddling with his future cousin :)

On our way home from the beach! 

This was on the blessing day for William. It was a sweet blessing. 

We went to the Grand Caverns, which was so fun and beautiful. James thought it was so cool too! 

James raising one eyebrow. He's still working on getting the other one up, but it makes me laugh. I love this picture!

Welcome Baby William!

Yes, the time finally came! Actually, William came right on his due date! That was a nice surprise. My water broke at about 1:30 am and he was born at 1:18pm weighing 10 lbs 12 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. Maybe I will post the whole story later...I thought I would just get pictures up right now, but if you are dying to hear the whole birth story right this minute call me! I will tell you! To keep it short, I labored for 12 hours, including 2 hours of pushing, then after no progress and a very stuck head I got a c-section. All of my questions about what my body can do were answered in the experience and I feel at total peace with how things turned out, even though I really wanted a regular birth. I am grateful that everything worked out the way it did and I feel very blessed. Most importantly we feel an overwhelming love and gratitude for this beautiful baby. We love him so much. So here are some highlights from the last week.  

This is a day or two before he was born. Man, was I tired. And yes, that is a basketball under Kyle's shirt....its still too small!

Here are my two labor supporters (Kyle and my Mom). I wouldn't have been able to get so far without them. 

Proud big brother. James really loves little William and is anxious to hold him and to take care of him
and to share with him! 

First family picture with our new little one.

I think I have this exact picture of James...I think they look so much alike!

First outing to doctors appointment at 4 days old.

We are so glad to have him finally here. So far he is a very sweet and mild baby. He sleeps really well at night, so much that I think I am resting better than I was the last month of pregnancy! He is mellow and happy and sleepy. He's growing and eating a lot! I am recovering really well and I'm so grateful to have my mom and Dan here to help take care of the house and the meals and James (and to keep us entertained:)) It has made this recovery so much better. What a blessing!