Landing

We are here.   And, we are home.  We've landed.  Truly and fully home.  Thanks for about 97 miles worth of packing tape, amazing family who helped, friends who helped, church family who swooped in to load and unload, one UHaul, two trailers and a horse trailer... we pulled off the big move!  Thank you seems such a tiny phrase in response for all the help involved in making this happen.  Once the boxes landed, we found ourselves finally... at home.  A house we would have never envisioned.  106 years newer than our old place, with absolutely NOTHING on the exterior that can even be painted.  It is beautiful and lovely and convenient and an answer to so, so, so many prayers!!!  A place to rest and be.  Oh, we are thankful and excited to see what God has set to unfold here at our new house.

Our first time in the house after closing :) 

 This boy took a little convincing.  

You see, he loved his blue house.  

But, once we convinced him we were going to take all our stuff with us... 

he was cool with it.  Sometimes in the crazy, we forget that the little 4.75 year old brain doesn't realize that 'moving' means taking your toys and blankets and snuggly bed and treasures with you.  

Both kids are incredibly excited... the new place has a play room and a good backyard.  Honestly, neither the playroom or backyard are exceptional or overly big.  But they're so excited to have space to play and run.  Basically our motivation for moving.  Space to live and play and rest.  We've already had play date offers and an invitation to dinner with friends.  Little things that mean so much.  

 And, of course... we broke the house in right off the bat!  

Wes brought home Chinese take-out and beings we couldn't find the silverware... we made 'do'.  

Chinese food on the floor with tongs.  

Life is incredibly good.  So very good.  

These past couple weeks have involved a lot of landing.  So thankful for family for all their help including the crew from Greeley coming up to help and Wes' parents for helping with projects and entertaining the kids.  We're already amazed at the friends that have stopped by and the neighbors we've met.  The next street over has 17 kids on that block alone.  The neighbors across the street have kids the same age as ours.  The park is short-ish little walk down the street.  The un-official 'welcoming lady' has stopped by with the dish on schools.  We've landed indeed.  And, we're loving it.  Yesterday, the kids were playing the in back yard and Kaleb said "Mom, I love this park... its so big for running."  Well, actually its just your backyard, doesn't even have grass yet but it is kinda big and flat and all yours.  

It's good to be home... 

The Blue House In Between

Sometimes to start out in a place with a set of expectations about the what and how life will unfold.  Tonight is our last night in the house in which God built our family.  Well, the home where He put our family together anyways.

It has taken seven years to get to tomorrow.  Seven years ago this weekend, I met my future in-laws for the first time.  Wes and I both would say that seven years ago this weekend, we pretty much kinda knew in our gut (and hearts) that just maybe after all those years of waiting around- perhaps God had sent the one.  Perhaps a wedding and a husband and a house together and kids actually might be a possibility.  

Four months later, we were married.  And, we had bought a house and a whole new era of life set before us.  There were dreams of babies and family gatherings. What an adventure it has been these past 6.5 years.  When I think of our time here in our 106 year old farmhouse...it has always felt like the place in between.  The place in between the two towns in which Wes & I worked 60 miles apart every day.  The place where we balanced a lot of things.  Things like work, church and concession stands and daycare and home study appointments and early meetings.  The place where we always drove back to from where we were in order to sleep to go to where we needed to be.  Between all the commitments, this is where God chose to plant us in order to work out the process of building our family.  The perfect way in which God built our family.  God knew exactly how our family would come together and I'm am so incredibly blessed by how life has been transformed these past seven years.  

The refining process of building our family.  The sometimes intense process of grafting into family.  The blessings of walking our sweet little 13lb. 'baby' boy into our home that first time.  And, the precious moment when we sat down for the first time as a family of four... all on one continent.  I would have never guessed seven years ago that it would taking traveling through all but 3 time zones throughout the world to get my son and daughter home. I would have never guessed at how much work would go into this place of 'in between'.  In between home study visits and post-placement visits.  In between the times God said no and the times God said to go in a different direction.  

I would never have imagined the joy and miracles and blessings which would unfold in this house.  

Over the past year, God has been simplifying this place in between.  A blessing of a new job opportunity.  The release from my daily commute and extra curricular work responsibilities.  Which prompted the flexibility to consider moving followed by a Fall season filled with 'little projects' and purging of the house and clearing out the clutter.  

This coming week, we're going to land in a new place.  A place with a mini-commute, with daycare literally about 1 minute away, next fall Kaleb's school will be within about 5 minutes and church will be a three minute drive.  The circle that was about 60 miles across for six years will now be about 5-10 minutes.  What a miracle to have our home, my work, daycare, church, preschool and elementary school all within about a 5 minute drive.  Praise the LORD!!!!!