Are we homesick? Well. . .not exactly. We are so happy here in Central PA. We do feel like it is our home now, so we are not exactly homesick. I have decided that we are just "missing." We are missing not only Texas but also Santa Barbara and St. Louis. We are missing all the places we have made our home together as the Stewart Family. We are missing seeing family members ooh and ahh over baby Lilia. We are missing our friends and being able to be a part of their daily lives. . . missing seeing their families grow. We are missing lunch at Tia Maria's (What I wouldn't give for a Tia Maria enchilada plate right now!), smoothies from Blender's, and Trader Joe's. And the answer is YES if you wonder if we are misssing you. We are missing all of you.
So, let me tell all of you about our new home. Dave has his first job as an attending at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center as a colorectal surgeon. The job is a good fit for him. He works with great people, his patients are doing well, he is involved in research, and he is working on his masters in health sciences. He is almost always happy when he arrives home from work. . . .what a blessing! We bought our first house in Palmyra, PA just 5 miles from Hershey and the medical center. We still get a feeling of thankfulness when we pull into the driveway. We love living in a smaller town. To give you a sense of the town of Hershey just imagine street lights shaped like Hershey's kisses. We have found a wonderful church family at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg. It is the type of place that has made us feel so welcomed and so much a part of the family that we feel as if we have been here longer than just six months.
The children are doing wonderfully. We are still homeschooling. Eve is six and enjoys taking dance and Chinese lessons as well as going to Kid's Club at church on Wednesday evenings. She shares that some of her favorite memories from 2008 are when Natalie and Lauren came to visit from St. Louis, when she had her first real sleepover at Liberty's house, and when she saw Lilia Belle for the very first time. David Jr. is three. He is also enjoying taking Chinese lessons and is learning to enjoy his friends and activities at church. He still on occassion says that he wants to go to our old home. . . .he has been a bit slower to adjust to the many changes in our lives this past year. He reports that his favorite things to do in the "whole wide world" are playing with Eve with the dinosaurs, watching Papa play Rygar on his old Nintendo, snuggling with Mommy, and watching Lily roll over. Lilia Belle is two and half months old. She is still the sweetest baby ever! She sleeps through the night every night which amazes us since it took her big sister and brother much longer to come to that point. She is amazing us all with her abilities so far. Despite her Down Syndrome she is already rolling over and has begun to give us big smiles. She will start physical therapy sessions next week.
So, until we can see you all again face to face, know that we are happy in our new home but are also missing you.
Love,
David, Christy, Eve, David Jr., and Lily
This webpage is my attempt to both keep in touch with all our friends and family accross the country and to keep up with my photos and family history. I hope to update at least once a month. Be sure to check out the Latest News section for an update on our family. I hope you enjoy!
Christy
Dave,
I knew it was you.... When you walked into the exam room I said hello in a rather excited voice, you in turn looked at me rather quisically. Knowing what was coming I changed my tone thinking that it may not be the best practice on my part to become to "familiar" :)
Anyway, you should remember Tessie and I from Care/ Sheperds group at the Brouillette's a couple of years ago. We are still at the Milton hershey School and attending Trinity.
Hope all is well w/ your family.
See you again in a month or so.
thanks
Patrick Crowley
Thank you for sharing your pictures:) We are so blessed to have you at Trinity. Your children are precious.
Amanda Creason
Thanks so much, Christy, for sharing your pictures and an update on how you are doing! Everyone looks GREAT and Lilia is adorable! Transitions take time, but it sounds like you guys are doing well. Thanks, and keep in touch!
Julie Bauer