stream of consciousness

One of my favorite blogs is written by this girl known as MckMama (for some reason the link-y thing is not working~ go to www.mycharmingkids.net if you're interested)....I got sucked in about a year ago when her son Stellan was sick, and now I check in daily. She's fun to read, and I have learned a lot about healthy cooking, tips on raising kids (she's currently expecting her fifth~ brave woman), and even gotten a few lessons on Photoshop. I tell you all of this to explain that I am shamelessly copying her in this post....every once in awhile she'll do a "stream of consciousness" post, just kind of rambling about things that are going on, and I think it's kind of fun. So here I go....

We are starting our second week of staying at my parents' house, before we join Brian next month in our new home. Things are going great here~ it's been fun getting to spend this extra time with Mimi and Papa, the boys are loving all the extra love and I am too. Last week we got the joy of having Brian home with us for the entire week. Although the week itself was kind of tough~ going through a house that has only been lived in for 4 years was a job, it was still great having him here. (I can't imagine what people go through when they live in the same house for years and years) I was thankful that we didn't have to actually pack everything ourselves, the packers did a great job. The control-freak in me had a hard time being there, so I kept myself busy with errands and such as the hubs stayed behind and dealt with all of that. And while I don't feel a major attachment to the house itself (probably b/c I moved so much as a kid, I was used to new houses and kind of liked it that way) it was still hard to leave it. Lots of memories there, lots of happiness...just glad that part is done and we're looking ahead now.

Oddly enough, it's been way easier getting our house sold here than it is finding a house there. Isn't house-shopping supposed to be fun? Apparently, no. :) After a rollercoaster of events that caused more stress than I would like to re-live, it looks like we have finally found our new home. I will post pics when it is official. I'm excited about the house and am starting to decorate it in my head....love the front porch, the fact that it's on a cul-de-sac within a cul-de-sac (love that the boys will have more freedom to play and ride their bikes). Most of all, I'm anxious to have us all under one roof permanently again, so much so that I'm not really that worried about the house itself. Although, trust me when I say I'm thankful for this house~ it's beautiful, roomy....a place I had envisioned for our family.

The boys and I are taking a little weekend trip to visit one of my best friends and her family. I love going up there, and how Amanda and I are always able to pick right up where we left off (not that hard really, considering we have been friends since middle school and still talk on the phone nearly every day) but what's even greater is watching our kids do the same thing. :) And because it's impossible for me to blog without posting at least one photo, here's one of the 6 kiddos together. It's not the best pic, and kind of old, but you get the idea. They're all really cute, and we (not-so) secretly hope they pair up and get married someday. Because how great would it be for Amanda and I to get to be grandparents together? And how cute would those grandbabies be? I'm just sayin'....we can dream, right? :)

I'm learning to take one day at a time. I've never really been very good at that before~ I'm a planner, a worrier, I like to know what is ahead before it happens. I know God is teaching me a lot right now...some days I'm more open to it, other days not so much, but He's forcing me (in His own special way) to trust His plan. I look at these past 3 months and how hard they've been, but I also see lots of fun, lots of great memories made, and most importantly, God's hand in each step we've taken. Would I have chosen this path He has us on right now? Honestly, no. I like things being comfortable. I like the familiar. I like my people here. I really don't want to find new people there. I know God is pushing us out of our comfort zone, and that's exactly where we need to be. He never promised us things would always be rainbows and butterflies (or puppies, if you ask the boys) but He did promise us He would be faithful. That He would be here. And I know that He is. And as long as that is the deal, we will be fine. We will be better than fine. We will be happy, bonded together as a family of five, trusting God's plan, and believing that if He has called us to it, He will see us through it. And I know that to be true....I've seen it over and over again.

And now? I'm sleepy. And starting to think that Hunter will never sleep alone in his bed again. He has ended up in bed with me nearly every night these past few months. I don't really love sleeping alone, so I haven't minded the company too much, but now I know we have created a little monster (albeit, a cute one) who is in for a rude awakening in just a few weeks. ;) We'll see how it goes.