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.

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!

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!

Kopachuck State Park

There have not been many hot days this summer around here. But when they come we sure do enjoy them! Living here with mom and dad there are lots of opportunities to be around water. I've posted about eating dinner at the beach by the Narrows Bridge before. This particular evening (and a few others) we ventured down to Kopachuck State Park. The sunset is visible at this beach. Plus, you hike down a fairly steep trail to get to the water, which means you get a workout on the way back to the car.
The water is freezing but that never stops the kids. Unfortunately, the current always pulls them quickly and so either Grandpa or Daddy have to get wet in order to bring them back to safety.
A watchful Grandpa.
Nora loved to dip her toes in the water.

If you look closely you'll see smoke rising above one of the mountains in the Olympics. There was a forest fire that had been very small and suddenly exploded to cover hundreds of acres that day. They let it burn as it was a natural cause and not threatening any humans. As beautiful as the Cascades are with the majestic Rainier around here...the Olympics at sunset have long been my favorite. If you can manage to cross the Narrows Bridge right as the sun is dropping--ooh, la, la!
Nora Liv turned 6 months the day after these shots were taken. She is changing in so many ways. She can do tricks--she sits alone and rolls over. She tries to move. She is experimenting with baby food, but doesn't love any of it yet. And the main thing is that she's happy. She still has fussy periods and loves to be held and cuddled. But I can put her down with toys on the floor and she'll play and be happy for fairly long periods of time. Her nights are full of interruptions, but she takes naps now. So many things to be thankful for. And she has two bottom teeth with two more just about to join them. Her thighs carry the majority of her weight still.

Ezra's my same old boy : )
The long legs I always wanted : )
Nora loved the feel of the rocks in her hands. As long as her pa-pa was in her mouth we were pretty sure that there weren't any rocks in there.
Her "hair" was glowing. Her hair does appear to be going blonde as it comes in.
So many opportunities for scenery shots. This happens to be the very beach where Tadd proposed to me. In August. At sunset. Down on one knee. After asking my father's permission. Yep, he did it all right. What else could I say but "yes"???
The lighting was just so beautiful for taking photos.Mom took some family shots for us. We are a family of silhouettes.


Watching for the exact moment the sun made its exit. After that we hiked back up to the car and drove home to the hot house. Ah, summer!