Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Finally

The new house post : ) The reason it's been so long in coming is the same reason the house is not finished being unpacked. I am highly unmotivated. The opposite of motivation. I just don't really care to finish the process. Not sure why. It's very annoying, though. I would dearly love to have all those boxes unpacked, broken down and in the recycle man's truck.

We never would have gotten moved in without the help of so many people. My mom took the kids on several adventures that day, much to their delight. My Grandma and Aunt Mary worked harder than women half their age at cleaning bathrooms and the kitchen. Grandma peeled acres of old shelf paper out of cupboards. I never would have gotten my kitchen put away if it wasn't for her. We spent all Friday cleaning the house to ready it for our belongings.
My dad and Mr. Andy motored through the physical labor with Tadd. First they had to load up all our stuff at the storage shed and then drive it here to unload it. The plan was to load up Friday evening and then unload Saturday morning. However, the skies had opened and were dumping rivers. And it was discovered that the UHaul had a leak. A couple leaks. So, Dad and Andy dug deep and accessed energy Tadd and I did not have and made the decision to unload the UHaul at 9:30 PM. Yikes! They did it all in about an hour. And then they all drove home and left us for our first night in the new place. We camped out in our (still wet from the carpet cleaning) living room on various pieces of furniture with whatever we could find for warmth tossed over us. It was kinda fun. Emphasis on kinda.
Tadd brought me my fall decorations box so that I could decorate for my favorite season and make this place feel a little more like a home.
The family room boasts custom built cabinets and shelves on either side of the fire place. I don't really like the cluttered look, but I needed to make use of the shelves to house all my cookbooks, vases, and other kitchen items that I couldn't fit into cupboards. It'll work for now.
This little man and his mom helped to entertain our munchkins most of the afternoon and evening. He stayed up way past his bedtime so that his parents could help us.
Moved in or not, life keeps on asking to be lived. Tears have to be quieted, tummies filled, laundry cleaned (if not put away), etc. And I am enjoying the everydayness of those tasks. For instance, Wednesday morning comes and the kids always remember that it's pancake morning. This fall mix from TJ's is a great help. I recommend it. Of course, not if your dad/husband is Uncle Nate Dog, because his pumpkin pancakes are much better.

This little one likes to practice with cheerios. She puts them in, thrusts them out and makes a big mess. But it keeps her busy in the high chair while the rest of us eat.
These two are into funny poses.

More everyday living. Nothing like granola to make the house smell delicious. And a certain Daddy-man has been asking for cookies...so we indulged him. Without my kitchen aid, because it was injured in the move. Still need to call about getting that fixed.
One of the best parts about the backyard is the concrete pad and basketball hoop. Perfect for shooting hoops and also for driving little cars on and drawing with sidewalk chalk.
We haven't gotten back on a preschool schedule yet, but we did break out the paints.
And perhaps my favorite part of the new house--the "playroom". Our new house is the traditional layout. That means it has a formal dining and living room. We are not really formal type people. And who can be with kids anyway??? So we turned the formal dining room into the playroom/computer room. I love it! Now all the toys are in one place and I can see and hear the kids playing while I am cooking and baking next door in the kitchen. Someday if we reconfigure the kitchen, the dining room will morph back into its original purpose. But by the time we save up for that I think our kids will be well beyond the toy stage : )
Thanks for your patience. I have more posts waiting to be created. The week before we moved mom and I took the kids to the Puyallup Fair to go mutton busting. I'll try to get right on that one.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Day Has Come

You all may be wondering "how long exactly are these folks going to live with Brooke's parents????" And I think my parents might be wondering that as well. But, the day has come. The Lord directed us to a new house. Just a few hours ago Tadd and I signed the papers on a new place. Friday, with the help of several women, we plan to sanitize it : ) And Saturday, with the help of several men, we plan to dump our stuff in it. And then the plan is to live in it. I have no pictures to show you at the moment. But from now on said house will be appearing in my blog photos, I'm sure.
We are thankful to be settling down to find a new normal. We are grateful for all the prayers our friends and family have uttered on our behalf. And we are especially thankful to my parents for all the time they have allowed us to live here at their house. The list of things we've ruined is too long for one blog post. Thank you for your patience and your generosity. We are praying the Lord will bless you for your love to us.
I'm sure you will excuse me for a lack of posts over the next few weeks as we move in. I'll post more when I can!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Summer Is:

~Camping out in the backyard.

~Going for boat rides on the Puget Sound.




~Learning to hate a life jacket : )
~An afternoon nap on the water. Too bad I forgot the camera the day each kid took his/her first solo inner tube ride behind the boat.
~Going to the zoo with friends.

(newborn baby tigers. They weighed the same as Nora the day we happened to be there).
~Watching cheesy animal shows that made Ezra bust a gut.
~Learning to love a dog.
~Getting babysat by a dog (mommy's been reading too many Carl books to the kids!).
~Swimming in the backyard plastic pool.
~Celebrating a 23rd birthday.
~Waving good bye to an Uncle who drove away for his first year of college.
~Celebrating a Special Grandma's birthday.


~Going to Northwest Trek to see local wildlife.






~And, sadly, summer is also about ills and spills. This spill involved splitting her chin on a deck chair. 2 stitches. Grandma is removing them in this picture.
And that is what summer is! What it isn't is over yet. A week and a half yet before my favorite season of all begins!