Project 365, Week 33

This was a week settling into our new home, getting four schools figured out, preparing for company and having a family weekend. Yay for summer!!

August 12

We are having so much fun with Junior Bible Quiz! The kids are all passionate and competitive...and energetic at 8:30 in the morning! :)

We love our game room and its fun to see the combinations of people and the variety of games.

August 13

So fun to have a last-minute dinner with friends.

August 14

I slowly wore K down and she agreed to do Crossfit. So we're starting together, until she gets comfortable and confident. Being fit and active and part of a community is going to be so great for her!

Sweet baby snuggles at the softball game.

August 15

Amy had a friend looking for a babysitter and she recommended my girls. When we went to meet the family, Avery took great care getting ready, showering and straightening her hair. I was struck by how grown up she's getting!

August 16

Nana and Grandpa John arrived from Florida and dug right in with the great-grands. We had a nice evening with family.

First fire!

August 17

More family time.

In the evening R came by with the baby. He's doing his best, figuring out this father/provider thing.

August 18

The evening before, in the middle of getting dinner ready for a houseful, I went and picked up two kids for a respite stay with us. We were told they had lots of energy, so first thing in the morning, we headed to a park to play for a couple hours.

In the afternoon everyone came over and Nana hosted her annual "Unbirthday" party, which is a big bash for all the kids, since she doesn't get to see them on their birthdays. The kids are always delighted and think its funny to celebrate their birthday when its not actually their birthday. The day usually involves a family wiffle ball game, too.

Project 365, Week 32

After Tuesday when we closed on the house, we were able to take a deep breath and to start settling into things around here. Still lots of unpacking and moving garage stuff, but the uncertainty/limbo time is over.

The kids are doing summer. Separately, Avery and Amanda and K and J went to different amusement parks and Aiden had some adventures, too. And we're enjoying the freedom to have bedtimes that are just suggestions and lazy mornings to sleep in and start slow.

August 5

On a very hot afternoon we went to watch Daddy and some uncles play softball. Bonus...cousins! :)

August 6
No picture.

August 7
CLOSING DAY!! One week after moving in and two weeks after our "drop dead" date, the house officially became ours. Or, better put, we promised the bank we would send them a check every month for the next several decades.

I had bought steaks and planned a family celebration, but the kids had sleepover and hang out opportunities, which I was happy for them to be a part of. So instead, sitting around the kitchen table that night, eating steak was me and Shaun, J and Gavin. We had to laugh and say, yup...this is our life...we do very few things "normal".

We did end up going out the next night to celebrate and Shaun and I spent some time casting a vision for the kids of why God has allowed us to be in this house and how we see it being used to bless others. We talked about neighboring well and being a light and a friend in our community. There were some eye rolls, but mostly it was good.

August 8
Sweetest little girl.

August 9
On the way to pick up J from the barn, I was compelled to pull over and capture this scene.

August 10
We do lots of Italian ice around here. I like that its inexpensive and that it takes a while to eat, which can turn into some good conversation time. ;)

August 11
Avery had a couple friends sleepover.

Project 365, Week 31

Shaun and I have gone through many tough life circumstances...we've weathered a lot and this week was right up there. Its too long of a story for here but nothing went smoothly with pulling the house closing together, so we were faced with having to be out of our house but not having a place to go. Mixed in with all of that we had a fairly major crisis with one of the kids that has been quite painful. 

We are continually learning how to navigate the tension of hard and good simultaneously...both equally true and real at all times. That place where they meet is where hope can best be found, I think. Hope is an anchor.

July 30

Lots of packing and waiting to hear about closing info.

Avery, Aiden and Shaun worked together to install a tub/shower at the renters request.

July 31
The night before we'd called off the movers and decided we'd spend the day loading up the three-car garage with our stuff, clearing out the house enough so that our tenants would be able to move in on August 1st as promised. We didn't know where we'd sleep the night of the 1st, but we had several generous offers. The movers called the morning of the 31st, making sure nothing had changed overnight but also letting us know we could keep our stuff in the truck for a couple days. Relief!

Thirty minutes later, the sellers realtor called to let us know the sellers had agreed to sign a Use and Occupancy document so that we could move in prior to the official closing. Sweet relief! Shaun and I literally held each other and cried, it was that intense. Then quickly, we set everything into high gear.

We didn't send out any requests, but still much of our family came. They brought fresh legs and arms for carrying boxes, they brought kids to fill up the back yard with screaming and laughter, Pop and Kiki brought a "picnic" spread, enough to feed the entire work crew. A couple brothers also took the time to set up our beds, which I didn't think was a big deal because I can sleep anywhere, under any circumstances, but when we finally crawled into bed that night it was a morale booster to have an actual bed.

Once the movers had gone, no doubt relieved to be done with us, Nathan gathered everyone into the kitchen and made a generous toast over sparkling cider and said a beautiful blessing over our new home. Even in our exhaustion and uncertainty, it was so humbling to hear his words, to look around the room and see the faces of our tribe. The same faces we were thinking of when we discounted homes thinking, nope...that dining room can't possibly hold everyone.

Lots of life happens within our walls and many people come through. We always pray that its a place of safety, acceptance and blessing. We pray that people are better for having spent time in our home.

August 1
We had the honor of attending a ceremony to recognize my brother's hard-earned, well-deserved promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. He's had an impressive career but even more importantly he's a strong and loving father, husband, son, brother. Truly, he's one in a million and I'm so thankful for his service to our country and his presence in my life.

August 2
Dump loads and loads from the old garage to the new.

The kids took their bikes for a spin around the 1-mile loop of our new neighborhood.

August 3
This former dining room will now be a family game room. We've had to work around boxes, but its already gotten lots of use. In exchange for usually saying "no" to screens, we say lots of "yes!" to "want to play a game?". :)

Sweet, sweet E, almost a week old.

August 4
Working her way around the new kitchen. Since we no longer live 3 minutes from Dominos, we'll have to find a Plan B for after church on Saturday nights.