Enjoying the weather

All the ones above are from an afternoon of playing in the woods and sitting on a blanket reading a book together.

And these are from the other evening, when we had our first fire in the fire pit.  Issy took the bottom two pictures :)

It has been super duper fantastically beautiful here, for the most part, since our arrival. Spring came early to Wisconsin, which I very much appreciate, and it has made the transition so much easier. The kiddos have had a lot of outside time, playing in the sandbox, collecting sticks for our firepit, soaking up the sunshine.  Life isn't perfect, but I think it might be as close as it gets :)

Pics from Issy's birthday

Doing her schoolwork in the morning.

She picked out a boxed cake and wanted to make it herself. Such a big girl!

I decorated it. It was quite the pink and purple creation (cake decorating is not a talent of mine) but she really really seemed to like it.  She asked for fairies, but we forgot them at the store (they were even on the list!) so she got princesses on her cake instead. This was an acceptable substitution.

Among other things, she got a American Girl doll comb for her dollies from Grammie and Grandpa. I included this picture to show the joy. She has wanted that comb for a long time.

My big girl, her homemade crown, doll (with freshly combed hair) and her cake.

First project

I am excited about our house. It has a good layout, for the most part and there is a lot of potential. But as with most not-designed-or-decorated-by-you houses and since it was built almost 20 years ago, there is some updating that needs to be done.  First things first- the light in the entry way. We took down the old one (top picture- I was holding it because I forgot to take a picture before Joe took it down.) and replaced it with this neutral one (or at least I think it is pretty neutral now. I am sure it'll look dated in 20 years.) And this is the beginning of making this house our own...

Around the house...

George started full-on crawling this last weekend. Oh, and there is a little tooth right under his gums. It's been a big week to be a George.

We took moving as an opportunity to make some improvements to the big boy's room. The bunk beds were originally me and my sisters, and then my nephews used them, so they were pretty rough looking- lots of scratches and dings. The boy's room is painted a pretty dark color, so we painted the bunk beds a very bright teal color (which they picked out because Isaac's favorite color is blue and Liam's favorite color is green. Good compromise.) Because there is room for it now, we put the Lego table Joe built last summer into the boy's room. And Joe built legs for it, which he painted the same teal.  We are going to do a Star Wars theme in their room, just need to find some posters and maybe some fabric for curtains?

Also, blogger has been causing me stress. Why will it not let me move my pictures where I want them?! And it won't let me choose certain fonts at times. I am about ready to convert to a wordpress blog :P

Getting used to life here

It was actually a pretty good, full, we are going this alone again, week at our house last week. We started our lessons again, unpacked some boxes, put up some kid's decorations, got the rest of our stuff delivered. It was weirdly normal. Maybe since we have moved so much in the last few years, unpacking and settling in is just part of our lives on a semi-regular basis?

 I really like this house, very much. I haven't taken a lot of indoor pictures yet because there are still quite a few boxes laying around, but soon.  The bedrooms are really generously sized, which is nice since we are putting multiple kiddos in them.  It is nice to be able to put a bed, their clothes and even a few toys in a room without it looking like we really crammed it all in.

The one downside of this house is that the kitchen is kind of small. At least compared with the kitchens I have had recently.  There isn't a pantry and not quite enough cabinet space. But we have been brainstorming ways to put in a pantry, so that will help a ton. And paint! Oh my gosh, I am so excited about the paint. I have found so many wonderful ideas on pinterest (thanks, pinterest!) and I think I want to paint the cabinets white and the walls a robin egg blue. So light and beautiful and cheerful. It has been such a long time since I have gotten to decorate a house the way I want.

The kids have been adjusting to life here, too.  Pretty well, I think. I have started potty training Adelle in full force, which has been, um... interesting?  Not terrible, all things considered, but met with some successes. And some messes. She doesn't seem to much like the idea of pooping in the toilet, which is somewhat unfortunate. Once I figure out what will motivate her to do so, I think things will smooth out. She actually woke up dry this morning, which I don't expect her to do again, but was a nice surprise.

I will try to have pictures soon :)

Little big girl

My baby turns 9 today. 9. I remember turning 9. She has been an amazing introduction into parenthood and I really couldn't ask for a sweeter little girl. Happy birthday to my little peanut.

This was the time I was hoping for...

...during those hectic, crazy days in February when it was me and the kids, packing up the old house, not knowing exactly when we would get to move into the new one.

And here we are. Thank God.

It is funny how God works. When we moved back to Kansas, I knew in my heart that we would not be staying there.  I didn't know how or why or when, but I knew it was only temporary. We rented a house for a year and when our lease was almost up, I started to get that itch. That setting-down-roots itch.  Even though I felt quite certain that Kansas wasn't going to be our setting down roots place.  So we looked into buying a house. And God said no.

I was disappointed. Blessedly, we had the opportunity to rent a beautiful house, 5 minutes from Joe's work, in a quiet neighborhood filled with gorgeous, huge trees, with gigantic windows. It was really perfect.

And when Joe was out of work, I started catch a glimpse of that bigger plan. The reason that we weren't supposed to buy a house in Kansas.  As he was looking, he was free to broaden the search since we weren't burdened with having to sell a house.  Then he found something- in Wisconsin. And we were able to pick and go (well, as easy as it is to pick up and go when you have five little ones).

When he first started corresponding about the position, I looked up real estate in the area, even though I figured we would likely rent again. Because it is what I do. There was one house that stood out- good square footage, good bedroom size, 5 acres. Room for our little family to grow up in. When we came up for him to interview, I remembered the house and it was simple to get to, so I had Joe drive by it. Location was great. But it seemed like long shot.

Joe accepted the job and we began looking for a house to rent. And then we decided to look into buying. God said yes this time. Joe came back up, looked at several houses and, serendipitously, the first house that I had looked at, before he had even interviewed for the job, was indeed a good fit for us.

And now we are here. Setting down roots, settling into our home.  There are hard times to come- adjusting to being without our families and friends. That is just life and how things are. But for now, I am just taking a big, deep, piney- air filled breath and feeling very grateful.

Here we are...

Me, the kids, the husband, the dogs and the cat are all now in Wisconsin, settling into life in our new house.

I will return to blogging soon. Very soon. And will likely be blogging more often again, now that we are living away from all our family. Got to keep everyone updated :)

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters...

I love these women. I was just the pesty little sister and I had no idea growing up how much I would value their friendship, how much I would like just hanging out with them, and the enjoyment I would get out of watching our kids develop relationships with one another. It really makes me hope that my kids like their siblings as much as I like my sisters.






We were able to have a Sister Night recently, complete with hotel room and night on the town. It was pretty wild, let me tell you. Especially with the nursing baby tagging along :) He fell asleep on Aunt B's shoulder and then woke up in time to watch KU lose to Missouri. But a good time was had by all anyways.

That in between time

As I was preparing to write today's post, it made me think back to this one that I wrote when we were preparing to move the first time.  That seems like forever ago.  But Joe left yesterday to go start work in Wisconsin and I find myself in a similar situation- me and my (now five) littles are hanging out here, packing up our things.  I should correct myself. They are not packing. They are attempting to behave themselves so I can pack. And actually, I am not packing, I am paralyzed into inactivity by the amount of work I need to do.  When Joe was here, he would start packing a box and I would be forced to a) pack a box myself or b) feel bad that I wasn't doing my part (I should note- he didn't make me feel bad. It was self imposed guilt.) Now all I have to go on is internal motivation. This is not good news, considering I am a classic procrastinator. So instead, I'll share some pictures.  And then see if I can muster the internal fortitude to just pack a box.

In other news, since we are moving, we got family pictures taken with my family and with Joe's.  I have mine to share- Joe has his family's. I will have to see if I can get them from him sometime. These are my people:

It is times like this (and many others) that I wish my mother were alive. I think this picture would make her very happy.  If I imagine real hard, I can picture her in that space beside my Dad where she should be. Is that weird? On occasion I allow myself to fantasize about this alternate reality where she is still alive and I call her to chat every other day (um, or every day maybe) and she loves my little family as much as Joe's mom does. And sometimes we disagree and she thinks I am a little nutty for breastfeeding past a year old and having a baby at home and cloth diapering but she loves me anyways.

Sigh. Sorry for that digression. Well, it isn't looking good for packing a box tonight. Maybe tomorrow will be my day.

Off on a new adventure

He often used to say there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep and every path was its tributary. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to." (from The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien) 

Joe interviewed. Then interviewed again. And we visited and he interviewed some more.

And he got the job, so we will be moving to Wisconsin in about a month.

I am excited/scared/sad/happy/nervous/overwhelmed. Some of the questions from my last post have been answered, namely, where. The when hasn't exactly been pinned down. And the how, oh my, the how. How to move two adults, five kids 8 and under, two dogs, a cat, and a houseful of stuff? Oh, I guess the where hasn't been answered specifically- general area, yes, place to live no.

Which brings me back to overwhelmed. 

But I figure we have gotten this far, which was the really hard part, and the rest is just details. Some really important details, albeit, but details.

Breathe in. Breathe out. We will be home soon. Finally, home.

Growing pains

I keep starting blog posts, getting overwhelmed at everything that is bouncing around in my head and then abandoning them.

There are two main things that I keep going back and forth between:
I am having a hard time letting go of the life we left when we came back to Kansas.

In that life, I was slowly but surely building a support system, making friends. I lived in a house that I loved, that was comfortable and felt like home. The view out my window was always breathtaking. My body felt good there. My soul felt good there- how can such beauty not inspire me to draw closer to my Creator?  I missed my family, I missed my friends but they never really seemed that far away. Distance doesn't really matter to Love.

It is silly. I understand I can't live in the past. That was then. And to take back the last two years would be to take back some awesome things. Namely, the opportunity to be with so many of the people that we love and that love us dearly.  And my sweet little Georgie and the care that was provided to me that allowed me to bring him into this world while both of us remained healthy and whole.

But this is the last thing I saw when I stepped on that plane to leave.

And I have a hard time getting it out of my head.

Then the what ifs and the coulda, shoulda, wouldas start to flow. And I just want to be back there again.

The second thing that is often on my mind is just what comes next?  I know that another huge life change is likely in the works. Very possibly a move. But there are many more questions than there are answers- where, when, how? I feel oddly at peace with it until I think about how hard it is going to be. The practical aspects- packing, moving. Adjusting. Meeting new people. Missing playdays at my sister's house and the kids missing afternoons with Grammie. Missing watching my nieces and nephews grow.  Really, just the missing in general. I am not sure I am ready to do it all again.

But we go where life takes us.  Sometimes when my children have to do things they don't want to do I tell them, "Well, you have to do it, so you can either do it the nice way or the hard way but it will be easier if you do it the nice way".  I should tell myself this when I want to start whining.

Mostly, I feel very worn and ready to get to "normal". The last 5 years especially have been so exhausting. Since 2007, we have lived in two states, in five houses,  had two pregnancies and added two babies.  I should say that we are definitely a stronger family for it, but it is tiring nonetheless. I am ready to settle. I am ready for mundane. Routine. Rhythm.

That is my hope- that wherever we go we can settle in, build community and really call it home.

A little laugh for your day

He is about the jolliest little baby around :)

A year ago today...

...I found out that I was pregnant.  This was rather unexpected. I was scared-- mostly scared of being pregnant and all the things that entails for me.  I was also not quite sure I was up to the task of mothering five children. But you know what?

George has turned out to be the best surprise that I didn't even know I wanted.

I'll admit, the pregnancy was hard. Hard physically, hard mentally not knowing what was next. But it made his coming perfectly and uneventfully all the sweeter.

 

He fits into our family better than I could have imagined. The older kids love him. He is so smiley and kissable, what is not to love?

He is only four months old and he is already trying to keep up with everyone. 

It is amazing how much a year can change things. That fear, that uncertainty turned into this beautiful little boy. I am blessed.