Appointments

I feel like all I have done is run back and forth between appointments the past few weeks...Ear dr for Madison, Dentist appt's for all of us, 5 yr old well check for Madison, eye appt for Mack...but thankfully we are all well, other than a little cough and runny nose. I'm so thankful that the church provides such good insurance for us! Here are some pic's of our recent appt. adventures!

Madison discovered how to take "selfies" at her well visit with Dr. Raley! Funny girl!! Thankfully she is a healthy little girl and she didn't need any shots! That's always a good thing!

She thought this one was hilarious because it looks like she's picking my nose. Her sense of humor is so funny!

Later that same day, Jonah "helped" Daddy at work while the girls and I had dentist appointments! We were there for almost 2 hours and I knew he would never make it! I'm always so glad to get our dentist appointments over with! Mackenzie has her very first (and hopefully her last) cavity. Not looking forward to having that filled in a few weeks.

Who needs Legos when you can build with toothpaste?!

Mackenzie is doing great with her glasses! We are hoping that at some point, around 9 or 10, she may grow out of needing them. She didn't like having "fuzzy" eyes all day after having her eyes dilated!

Jonah kept running over to the door and when I would tell him to come back he would look at me, like "What are you gonna do about it?" He is very good at testing the limits!

Breaking Ground

It's just dirt...but it's OUR dirt and we are proud of it! They did dirt work and flattened out the ground around April 9th. They said it would take about a month from the time we signed off on the paperwork, which was March 31st, before they officially broke ground. The waiting is the worst part...I have laid in bed at night and fretted over whether we made the right decision...but I have to trust the fact that we prayed that God would open other doors or shut this door if it wasn't right...and here we are! I drive over to our new neighborhood often and sometimes just park on the street and look at where our new home will be. It obviously doesn't feel like "home" to me, but I know that will come with time. I think one of my biggest concerns about this house is the backyard...it will be much smaller than we are used to, but I think it will still be okay. I just have a hard time visualizing things I can't see right in front of me. Now that all the decisions have been made, it's just a waiting game...we can't wait to see our beautiful home come together!

This was pretty much an instant panic attack for me when I realized these 3 utility posts would be in our already too small backyard. I. Was. Not. Happy. Apparently they were there all along according to Simmons, but I am fairly certain there was only ONE...but, what can you do? Nothing! Brian tried to make me laugh about it and then reassured me we could put landscaping around it, but neither made me feel any better. This is just one of those things that I will have to get over and deal with I guess.

Look how flat our ground is! I am definitely looking forward to having a level driveway.

I think the official "start" day, when they began the footings, was April 28th, which would make the 120 completion date around August 25th.

April 30:

May 7:

 May 15: They poured the concrete and then started framing the very next day!

Change Is Hard...

In less than two weeks, 10325 S Prescott St will be just a memory, not the place we call home. As I lay here listening to all three of my babies sleeping peacefully, the feelings I have can only be explained as a complete mess...happy, but sad...excited, but unsure...overwhelmed and ready for the next two weeks to be over, but also wanting them to never end...yep, I'm. A. Mess. This is the home that we have grown our little family up in. Mackenzie was 15 months old when we built this house. Just a baby. We brought Madison and Jonah home here. We watched them take their first steps, say their first words, use the potty for the first time...so many "first's". My Dad was a part of this house...he will never walk in another house that I live in, which makes me so sad. I know that a house is just a building with walls, windows, a roof...but this house has been our Home. Our safe refuge from the world. A place to retreat. Where we have laughed, cried, and made countless memories with our children. Where we have celebrated victories and fought through defeats. We have celebrated birthday after birthday within these walls. In some ways, I feel like a huge chapter is coming to an end...and I hate it. Yes, I know the chapters to come will be just as wonderful, but it's never fun saying goodbye to things you love. Even if it is just a house! The sometimes sad reality is that nothing stays the same forever. I know that our home here on earth is not eternal, and for that I am so thankful!  t's kind of silly really...we are getting a brand new, much bigger, beautiful home with everything we need and more. Yet I'm so sad to leave our 1421 sq foot little house. I have been so happy here and it is hard to imagine what life will be like in a new place. I know that we will always look back and smile when we think about our wonderful memories here on Prescott St. God has been so gracious and good to us! I know that 13696 S 91st E Ave. holds lots of happiness for us and memories just waiting to be made!! I just have to somehow survive the next 10 days on this emotional roller coaster! Then our crazy time of transition begins as we become "homeless nomads" for the summer as we wait for our house to be built! I have made the decision that I will embrace each day as it comes and not miss out on the blessings it holds, just because things are out of the ordinary. Living basically out of suitcases in different places every week for 4 months sounds crazy to most people...but I can do ALL things through Christ with strengths me! I am trusting Him to carry me through!

Tractor Ridin' & Playin' Outside

Brian left for Guatemala on Saturday, so the kids and I spent a few days in Newcastle at G-Ma's house. It was a nice break from all of the packing at home and the thought of what the next few weeks would hold. The weather was beautiful, so we spent the evening taking tractor rides and playing with my new camera! (which I'm loving!) It's times like these that I miss my Dad the most. He would love being "Pa" to my kids so much! It makes me so sad that they are missing out on the wonderful person that he was.

The girls love helping G-Ma take the trash up the hill with the tractor and trailer! Jonah wasn't too fond of the tractor ride. This takes me back to the days that he was deathly afraid of tissue paper or anything like that, that would make sudden loud noises! He just doesn't like it! I'm pretty sure his Daddy and his Pa would've both told him to toughen up if they would have been there! Jonah was much happier throwing rocks into the water instead!

G-Ma's pond is so pretty!

G-Ma tried to talk him through it, but he just wasn't having it!

I got these chickens from Poppa Jim & Grandma Jean's house when Poppa sold it. I remember loving them when I was Madison's age. In fact, I loved them a little too much when I sat on the momma chicken and broke her neck...I guess my Grandma loved them enough to fix it and 25 years later, here they are and my little girl is playing with them!

One more tractor attempt, one on one this time...and still it was a no-go!

Madison was Pa's little buddy!