I'm Back!

We FINALLY got internet (and TV!) hooked up at our new house today after waiting for over a month! I can take or leave the TV, but that's Ed's 'decompress zone,' so he's been in major withdrawal! As it turned out for me, my phone (with AT&T - an account I've had for 10+ years!) didn't work inside our house. I got a new phone (with AT&T) and a new SIM card, to no avail. So, I'm now a Verizon customer - and since I was getting a new phone, but didn't have internet, I opted for a BlackBerry. I'm trading it in tomorrow for a regular ol' phone, cause I just don't need it, but it sure filled a void nicely!!
Anyway, lots to catch up on. I'll be posting more soon! Oh, and I should mention that I have over 1000 blogs on bloglines ... so chances are pretty good I won't be able to catch up on all of the ones I read/subscribe to ... so if you posted something you don't think I should miss, PLEASE let me know!!!! :-)

SOLD!

WE ARE HOMEOWNERS ONCE AGAIN!!!! YAY!

Family Update

Life has been so stinkin' crazy these past few months and I really miss blogging. And reading everyone else's blogs. My bloglines update tells me I have over 600 "new" blogs to catch up on! Sheesh!

I'm praying for a quieter, calmer 2009 for our family. No moves. No babies. No job changes. I'm up for busy. And, at the end of the day, I'm still up for whatever God has in store ... but a girl can pray fervently, can't she?

I am thankful for the changes that 2008 brought. Although stressful, having a new baby, moving back home and Ed loving his new job are more than worth it!

Speaking of new babes ... Mr. Jace ... AKA bubbs, bubbsarooni, bubby, "tiny," (my mom's fave), poop king (sorry for sharing that one!) ... is growing like a little weed! Can't keep that stinker in clothes that fit! He's 6 months old and I'm happy to report he's FINALLY sleeping through the night. He's still not a good napper, but I can deal with naps when I can sleep at night! Clearly, he missed the section of the manual on 4th babies being good sleepers! He's sitting up and is a pretty happy little guy. He's a big-time momma's boy. Lucky for him I know how quickly that ends, so I'm enjoying every minute of it (mostly, anyway!). He LOOOOOVES Jakey. He loves the girls, too, but Jakey is the clear favorite.

On the house front, we are closing on Monday ... My Birthday! Happy Birthday to ME!! We did our walk through yesterday and all is good. We had the kitchen repainted because Ed said he couldn't deal with PINK! I tried to tell him it was more of a 'salmon' color, but he wasn't buying it! We had it painted a light turquoise ... very pretty and will go with our kitchen decor really well! We are moving on the 29th! Can't wait. I'll be sending our new address out with our Christmas cards (yes, I know, its cutting it close ... just be glad they're going out!) I didn't get to make them this year. Bummer.

But, I have been making other stuff. Hair bows, mainly! I'd forgotten what a big deal hair bows (the bigger the better!) are in Texas! They are so stinkin' expensive to buy, so I decided to try my hand at making them! And, ribbon headbands! SO cute!

I think that's about it. For now.

Third Time's a Charm!?!

This has been an interesting week. The kids have all been sick. Nothing terrible, just colds. But, all 4 of them! Makes for a house full of needy children! And one tired momma!

Then, Tuesday afternoon we found out that our builder is pulling out of the neighborhood where we were building our house!!!!!!! WHAAAAAAT??? The neighborhood is about 80% built out ... but our little street that will only have 6 houses when its finished will for the time being only have 3. At least one of which will be vacant. So, for a whole host of reasons, we decided that it is just not a burden or a risk we are interested in taking on. Interestingly enough, I'm not as disappointed as I *should* be.

So, TIME CRUNCH! Our lease expires next month ... time for quick shopping and a quick-close! I don't think either of us could have anticipated just how quickly it would go! Wednesday, Ed called me while the kids and I were out running errands and said he'd seen a David Weekley house online and wanted me to go take a look. I did and it is BEAUTIFUL! Its completely finished and ... get this ... we close in 2 1/2 weeks!!!!!! What a whirlwind.

Assuming all goes "according to plan" (and we have seen that it doesn't always), we'll be moving into our new home after Christmas! And, its not soon enough for us!

Here are some pics - enjoy!

A House Goes Up

We've gone from dirt to brick in what seems like no time at all. Only about a month has passed since we signed the contract! Here's the progress thus far in pictures:

The day we signed the contract - Sept 29 (the ground was already cleared and form boards down)

Slab and partial framing

All framed up!

Siding going up and windows going in

Insulation up. Sheetrock arrives ...

... and goes up!

We finally get a SOLD sign!

And, today - brick is going on!!!

House finishes

We spent over three hours choosing the finishes for our new house! Fun, but mentally draining, for sure! Here's a sampling of our choices.

My, How Time Flies!

Wow - I really can't believe how much catching up I have to do on my blog. And, not just mine, but on reading everyone else's. Sheesh. Where does the time go? Oh, I remember ... nursing a baby, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, homeschooling, shopping, errands, gymnastics, ballet, soccer, bathing, disciplining, referee-ing ... and on it goes! Lame excuse, I know ... but its the only one I have! I should mention that my sister-in-law, Stacey, has done a better job of blogging the latest with my kids than I have!

So, first things first, today is my friend, Ericka's birthday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my sweet friend! AND, today is the day that Ericka is moving from Dallas to HOUSTON!!!!! YAY! I'm totally excited for her and her family ... and of course, for myself!

Ok, now for the catching up part. The last time I wrote we were still recovering from Ike. And, that particular day was Jordan's 8th birthday! I was working on a post about that, but I deleted it since its a little far removed now. Suffice it to say I can't believe MY BABY is 8! She's such a little miracle and just amazes us. She's totally into Hannah Montana, which we think is not only hilarious and adorable ... but downright awesome! I mean, let's get this ... JORDAN is into pop culture. I love it! I know, I know, my job is to temper pop culture God's culture - and I am, but can I just say that her interest is so ... well ... TYPICAL! And, for the mom of a "special needs" child, it just doesn't get any better than 'typical!' We had a family birthday party with grandparents (even her great grandmother!), aunts, uncles, cousins and the like. It was a ton of fun! We even had a bouncy house. Not because we invited enough kids to make it worth the money, but because we knew it would just be a blast ... and it was!

I think I've mentioned that Jakey started fall soccer. Life doesn't get any better than that for him. He's totally pumped about the crazy-sized cheering section he has at his games! I mean, our immediate family alone takes up a chunk of the sidelines - add in Grandma, Gummie, Grandpa, and/or Aunt Stacey - and he's got quite the fan club! This is his first year that they keep score, and he likes it - especially since they're 3-0!

Jace is growing like a little weed and is just a cute, fat baby! I don't know what that kid weighs, but he's wearing 12 month clothes. He just turned 4 months old. There's just something not-right about that! Aunt Stacey loaned us her exer-saucer (or whatever fancy name they have for them now) - and he's our first kid that didn't need some sort of lifting device in the bottom so their feet could reach! And, he loves that thing! He turns it around and talks to all the toys on it, drools on it, you know - the usual baby thing! He also rolled over for the first time this week! He started with going from his tummy to his back on Tuesday and then the other way today! And, I guess he came pre-wired to know that practice makes perfect, because he's been rolling all over the place this afternoon! That kind of stuff never gets old! Its always fun to see the 'firsts!'

Ed's the best man in his friend, Brad's wedding this weekend. Brad was Ed's best man in our wedding, so we've been watching our wedding video this week. Jordan keeps asking where she is and thinks that my little brothers are Jake! Its hilarious how kids just can't fathom mom and dad NOT being mom and dad! We're excited for Brad and are looking forward to all the festivities this weekend! I'll be leaving Jace with my mom, and I'm not really looking forward to that. Its not my mom, its the leaving part I have an issue with. I've never been too hip on leaving my babies. But, I'm not hip on taking kids to weddings either - especially not spitty, blow-out-poopy, noisy ones like Jace! His noises are cute and all, but somehow I doubt the bride would appreciate them as much as I do!

Ok, so on to what everyone has been asking about. A house. Have we found one? Did we sell the one in Iowa? Yes. And, yes! We finally took the company buy-out with our house in Iowa which equated to a financial beating. We lost about 20 grand. Considering the market, ok. But, we had to take a nice chunk of change to closing and that just doesn't sit well with me. Paying money for a house I'll never see again? Ugh. Needless to say, we had to re-evaluate our buying plans here. Part of God's plan, no doubt. We've been feeling convicted about the need to simplify and spend less. That's not to say we've been called to live in a box somewhere. But, we did go down in our price range and found a fantastic home we're really excited about. Its new construction, but has already been started and we should close before the end of the year! From a homeschooling standpoint, the kids have a new unit study they are excited about - home building! We'll be taking lots of pictures of the progress ... and you'll probably "get" to see more than you care to!

Settling In

I can't believe we've been in Houston for six weeks already! Time has FLOWN by - and it doesn't feel like we've accomplished all that much.

The majority of our time has been spent house shopping, visiting family and unpacking. This past week has been a tad more productive and it almost feels like LIFE is starting to take shape here.

We had a pretty successful week of homeschooling. By 'successful' I mean that everyone got a little review time in. I have to adjust my goals - which tend to be unrealistic most of the time anyway - to accommodate Jace.

I've always heard from other moms that the hardest time to homeschool is with a newborn or a toddler. Well, I've done the toddler thing and now we're doing the newborn thing. It is a challenge, but one I think we can conquer with a little patience and flexibility ... hmmm ... two things that aren't exactly my strong suit!! :-) God does love to develop our character through life circumstances and I suppose this is no exception. Its a good thing that I absolutely LOOOOVE homeschooling!

Jordan is starting ballet on Wednesday. I actually found her a homeschool ballet class. She will be one of the younger students, but I think that will be good for her. The teacher was very enthusiastic about her being involved. Jake has soccer practice on Wed and his first game next Saturday. Jadyn is starting gymnastics on Thursday. Its her first 'activity' - and I'm not typically a fan of starting kids quite so early, but I think it will be good for her. This lease house that we are in has several columns that lead into the dining room and the kitchen. The other day I turned around and that cute little thang had shimmied right on up one of them!! Yep, gymnastics, here we come. I figure, if nothing else, maybe they can teach her how to land so she doesn't hurt herself! :-)

Trying to get the activities lined up for the kids really made me miss everyone in Iowa. We were so blessed to have such great friends - at P.E., ballet, soccer, HEED, church - and even the best neighbors! We miss you all! Its always a challenge to feel like we're starting all over again with making friends and getting plugged in. Meeting new people is not really one of my gifts. But, it will be worth it - and I know we'll be plugged in to a new circle of friends in no time. God has been so faithful to provide such amazing friends at every stop along our journey!! Not to mention that we have some fabulous friends here already!

I should mention that being close to family has been wonderful! The kids have been so thrilled to get to see Grandma and Gummie so often. Plus, getting to see my little brother when he was on leave. We've had the chance to see Kylie and Stacey - and Kylie absolutely loves Jakey!!! Its too cute and makes him feel really good! Plus, I had the most wonderful surprise the other day. My sister-in-law, Beth and my neice, Lauren came over with lunch! It was so fun to not only see them, but to know that we can visit anytime! We're going to Ed's cousin, Audra's on Monday for the holiday, so that will be fun as well!

Can you believe Jace will be THREE months old tomorrow??? Gracious, where does the time go? I went to a homeschool support group open house this week and had him in the sling while my mom kept the other kids at home. He's finally got enough head control that I can carry him facing out - and he was on cloud 9! He smiled at and "chatted" with everyone there! It was too cute. He's a sweet and happy little guy. I'll have to post some new pics soon.

Well, I think that covers the latest with us. I'll try to stay a little more current - and I'm sure hoping to get and stay caught up with reading blogs! Its amazing how fast they add up when you get behind!

A Month Later...

I can't believe nearly a month has passed since my last post!! So much has happened! We are officially Houston residents once again and its been fun to be back and catch up with our families. We're looking forward to catching up with all of our old friends as well! Its hard to believe we've been gone for 5 years!
We're leasing a house while we wait to sell the house in Iowa and look for and/or build a one here. It ended up taking our moving truck more than a week to get here - so we've only been in the house a week and a half. Amazingly, however, we are unpacked and settled in. The only room left to organize is the school/craft room (which is technically a media room).
Jace has turned into a really sweet, and (dare I say???) easy baby! He's mellowed tremendously. He's still pretty particular, but we're understanding his needs a little better, so that helps. I can't believe he's already two months old. He's huge and adorable!! He smiles a lot and loves to "chat!" I'll post pictures soon. The other kids are doing great. They still really miss their friends in Iowa. They have been great throughout the major life changes recently. Especially Jordan! She has handled it remarkably well!!! I'm really proud of her. Change is typically really hard on her!!
Interestingly enough, we're currently hunkered down, waiting for a tropical storm/possible soon-to-be-hurricane to roll in tonight/tomorrow. Its been brutally HOT. This IS the Houston I remember!
My brother, Erin, is on leave this weekend and I actually got to see him!! That is one of my favorite parts about being back in the homeland! Eric says he may be home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Can't wait to see him as well.
We've also had the chance to see our niece, Kylie a few times and man, is she a cutie! Our kids just adore her - and she thinks Jake is hilarious. He chases her around and she just giggles away! So cute.
I really miss everyone in Des Moines!! And, there are lots of little things I miss. Like no hurricanes. And no traffic. And, the small town. And, for that matter, the temperatures. That will flip this winter, however!! I figure we'll be lovin' the winter temps around here!! Probably won't be nearly as cold as I remember it being before!
I'll update again soon - hopefully with pictures.

Heading South

I hesitate to post the details about our move - since those details seem to change so fast, but here's what I think is the "final" change!
The movers are coming to pack us up July 14-16 and we'll be heading out of Des Moines July 17. Its bittersweet - Of course, I'm totally thrilled about getting back to Texas and being near family, but I also find myself a little sad about leaving here.
We should arrive in Houston July 19! We're making the trip down a mini family vacation - since its probably the only vacation we'll take this summer!
Can't wait to see everyone there - and I really can't wait to have my little family together again!

Quick Update

I've dropped the ball on the blogging thing - and yes, I know you want to see new pictures of my cutie-pie :-)

Those of you with kids can appreciate just how busy I've been lately. I'm doing good to keep my kids bathed and fed on a regular basis. Just kidding. It is getting easier every day, but it is busy. And, computer time is limited!

Anyway, I thought I better update our moving plans. Its a long story, but due to some relo issues, we decided to let the house in Houston go. Thankfully, they are returning our earnest money, so that's a blessing. We are looking into doing temporary housing for about 6 months and mabye build a house in the meantime. Still working out all the details and plans seem to change by the day. For now, the kids and I are staying put here until early August. God has a plan and we're just waiting to see what that is.

Jace is getting a little easier each day. He smiles at us a lot and he sleeps great most nights, so I can't complain. I have a sling, so I can just "wear" him around - that way, he's happy being held 24/7 and I can still get things done. We're not pros at it just yet - and he's a nosy little dude that wants to see out, so we're still trying to adjust. He does like to nap in it, though.

I need to do better at taking more pictures. For now, you'll have to enjoy these that Jakey took!

Blind Faith

I think my female friends will appreciate just how much faith I have in my husband.

He is in Houston making an offer on a house this morning. A house I haven't seen. The only house he looked at that didn't have pictures online of the inside. Go figure.

I've seen pictures of the outside and the floorplan.

My requirements for a house were that it be at least 4 bedrooms; have a room off the gameroom that could be used as a school room (in this case the media room); a park within walking distance and a kitchen open to the family room. This house meets each of those and then some. It's 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, 2 1/2 car garage, 3563 square feet with a gameroom, media room & study. Ed says it has beautiful dark kitchen cabinets with dark granite with a built-in desk in the breakfast room. Lots of art niches, pretty decorative tile and nice carpet. Fortunately for me, he's very picky when it comes to houses & finishes; plus he's trying SO hard to make sure I'm happy - so I know it will be perfect! I can't wait to see it! He's supposed to take pictures and video of it today.

We're asking for a closing by the end of the month, so I'm praying the offer goes through. The sooner our family can be together again, the better. I miss Ed like crazy and being post partum doesn't really help with that! :-) Its been hard not having him here, but I'm glad he went and found a house so quickly! That makes it all worthwhile.

Hopefully by next week, I'll be writing a post about our closing and moving dates!!

Its official!

As if having a week-old 4th baby isn't enough, our house is now officially on the market!
As my friend Sarah says, we'll be living in "museum-mode!"

On The Road Again!

We're on the move again!!
I'm so excited that I can finally blog about one of the biggest things happening in our lives the last few months.
Ed has accepted a new job with Traveler's Insurance in HOUSTON, TX! It is an amazing career opportunity that will open a lot of doors for him - not to mention the bonus of getting us back to Texas!
Obviously each move comes with mixed emotions as we'll miss the friends we've made here - but we're also excited about what God has in store for this next chapter in our lives!
This has been a roller coaster ride for us for the last 5 months. We've gone from thinking we might be moving to Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas and now, its Houston! It has been a wild ride, but we know God has a perfect plan and we're so thankful for that! Today is Ed's last day at Nationwide.
The next few weeks will be a little nutty for us - with having a new baby, Ed starting a job in Houston, putting our house on the market, buying a new house, etc. We are trusting God with the details and timing of it all.
We are so grateful for the time that we've had in Iowa - even though this winter was a little hard to take! We have loved the size of Des Moines, the fun things around town to do, the friends we've made, our wonderful church family and most of all, the work that God has done on our family here. We have been so blessed! Thank you to everyone here that made our lives so great!! We will miss you very much!