We're Home!

We're in the new house! I feel so tired and overwelmed and like I should be spending these quiet moments while the girls are sleeping doing more unpacking or organizing - but I need a break. I'd really like to just take the day off & pretend there's nothing left to do... but then I trip over a box and my sore toe reminds me that it would be better to get settled in as soon as possible.

Our 'closing date' came last Thursday with the seller's attorney still promising our attorney would have the paperwork necessary -- and to date, our attorney STILL does not have the necessary paperwork. Thank the Lord the pre-possession paperwork went through so we're not homeless. We were able to get into the house last Thursday and get to work. Our big move was on Saturday. We had over a dozen people, a moving truck, several cars, a pickup truck, and a couple vans pulling trailers -- and thankfully that was enough to haul everything in one trip. The loading took just over 2 hours and the unloading took just over 2 hours. It felt longer ;-) but I was pleasantly surprised it didn't take longer and super blessed by our friends, family and church that came out to help.

Saturday night was our first night staying in the house. We've gotten a good amount of unpacking done in the past couple days but of course, there is still plenty to do. The hard thing is trying to figure out what to do next. Some boxes I want to unpack but then realize that I should set up a bookshelf first to have a place to unpack the items in the box... but then I think I should first clean the floor or put down a rug so the floor is clean before the bookshelf goes down -- stuff like that. I find myself often either standing in a room just thinking and doing nothing -- or I go to do something in the kitchen like make a sandwich and I've walked around the room 3 full times before I collect all the items needed b/c either I can't find them or I'm not used to the flow of the kitchen yet. So I find myself wasting time either way -- by doing nothing or by doing more than necessary. But I know this too shall pass. It's only been a few days!

This morning I went to our church's ladies Bible study which is now just a 4 minute drive from our house. I went there after dropping off Madison at my brother's house (which is just 1 minute past the location of the Bible study) to play with her cousin's. Avery went with me and did well most of the time -- she got pretty tired & fussy toward the end. It was good to be out and part of a group activity though.

Poor Matt has come down with a cold on top of allergy overload from moving/dust/cleaning this past weekend. So here in his first week to commute to work, he is feeling horribly crappy. We're praying he'll get better & it won't drag on forever.

Speaking of dragging on forever, while we are very very thankful we are in the house we continue to be very frustrated with the seller's attorney who are dragging their feet and NOT doing what they say when it comes to our closing. It's nice to be in the house but it still makes me a little uneasy, taking residence in a house we don't own. I want to tie up the loose ends and make it official, but it's out of our hands. So we wait.

I know you're all anxious for pictures -- I'm anxious to give a photo tour! But there is still so much to do and I want to actually have presentable pics to show! So be patient -- hopefully by this weekend I can get a few pics up.

Buried Alive

The box piles keep growing. Madison's bedroom is about 1/2 full of box stacks and the piles have expanded into other parts of our apt too. Lord willing, only a few more days to live like this.

Monkey Business

My girl is happy as a clam with her new car --

This was Madison before even eating breakfast this morning -- "Bye Momma, I'm going to the store! Where are my keys?"

Politics in the Blood

My dad is running for public office!

Moving Targets

Attempting to take a picture with moving targets...

Niagara Falls

I haven't had time to sit down and get Niagara Falls pictures posted from last weekend. What a picture perfect postcard day we had! The air was comfortable, the sun was warm. For being a holiday, the crowds were surprisingly small. Our $10 double stroller came in real handy. We enjoyed walking around looking at the falls then going on Maid of the Mist. The girls were very good -- exceptionally good considering they did not nap ALL day until after 4 PM. We had a couple helpers with us -- Anneke & Judah -- and I don't know what we would have done without their 2 extra sets of hands! Here are a 'few' pictures (hey, 20 is a 'few' considering I had over 120 to start with!) from the girls' first of many visits to Niagara Falls --

Moving Prep = Wealth Realized

I've been in this place before -- piles of boxes, bare walls, a kitchen utensil I know I have but must've already gotten packed away. This is life for the next few weeks! As we prepare to move this time around, I'm struck once again by the realization of how wealthy we are. Oh we complain about what we don't have. We complain about Matt having to work 2 jobs to make ends meet. But when 80+% of what we own is packed up in boxes and we're managing to get by just fine without all the 'stuff', I realize 1) wow, we do have a lot of 'stuff'. And not necessarily just stuff cluttering up our home, but handy, helpful, fun stuff. Stuff that God has blessed us with, stuff that makes our lives a little easier or more enjoyable. And then 2) I realize that there are people in this world that don't have what we do, people that truly are poor. I remember the day we moved out of our Nebraska apt. I remember looking around at the bare walls, the rooms without furniture, our packed bags in the corner, no place to lay my baby but the floor when it was time for her nap since the crib was already packed. It was sobering to think of people with nothing more than 4 walls around them... and yet to acknowledge that we can be content in any situation, in plenty or in want. What if I did only have the 4 walls around me? Our family is together, we're healthy, we've never been without food or clothing, and we have the security of knowing that whatever happens in this life, Jesus has paid my admission ticket to be with Him forever in the next. Do we need any more than that? And yet our heavenly Father loves to give good gifts to His children. It's a good reminder, even if I do hate the moving process.


Madison's room -- 3 1/2 of the 4 walls look like this & the stacks keep growing higher. I'm thankful Matt is able to get so many empty paper boxes from work. They're free and they're uniform size which makes life a lot easier.

Avery at 6 months, preparing to move from Fairport to Waterloo --

A blast from the past -- Madison at 6 months preparing to move from NE to NY -

An unrelated photo -- The girls are starting to play so well together (when Madison doesn't come charging in like a bull in a china shop and knock Avery over in the process of showing her affection). It's so funny to see Avery sitting up all the time -- makes it look like two 'kids' playing... Where'd the baby go?!

Wedding Bells Again

Congrats also to Matt's cousin Shannon who recently got engaged & just set the date for Sept 3 2010!!

Wedding Bells

Congrats to my cousin Jenny who just got engaged yesterday!! Hooray!

Who Needs A Laser Pointer?

Seriously, this rivals a cat and a laser pointer for entertainment --

Weebles Wobble

Avery is to the point now where she can sit up without using her hands to prop or steady herself. But she's still a little wobbly when she leans too far and tends to fall over. While she is able to sit by herself, I still haven't seen her doing it often. She usually lays on the floor and scootches around or whatever. This afternoon I walked into the room to see her just sitting there, upright and totally on her own, smiling away at me. I grabbed the camera and (with Madison 'helping' - I should say "Madison-zilla") here's what we got...

Play Times

Our sweet, silly little girls --

What's the best thing to do to get wound up right before bed? Wrestle with Dad!

Mm, snack time!

Looking older, almost 6 months --

Too sweet!