House Update: The Land is OURS... now waiting on the house!

The last time I shared about our house I was discouraged.... days after the "day I thought would never come" (aka the loan signing) we were still waiting and still "jumping through hoops"!

And as I've continued to say (and remind myself) we really aren't in a rush! I mean we are renting and know that we can't live in the parsonage forever:) But there is a deep sense of wanting to be "settled".... wanting to wake up and not have the pressure of having to pack up 7+ years of our lives soon or wondering where we really were going to move (since everything has seemed soo up-in-the-air then).

So you can imagine that Wednesday night when we got word from the bank that our loan had been approved! All we had to do was wait to meet the lawyer and start signing.... ah, I can breathe again:)

One of the first things I wanted to do was to visit "the land"! I knew visiting it would have a different look to it. No more was it  "the land we are hoping is ours", but the land our house will be built and our home will be established.

{pretty}

And the woods our kids would (and already have) play(ed) in!

{happy}

They call this the "Indian hut" and you can always hear them spying out English settlers and ships;) They have already spent hours playing in those fallen down trees;) Nice to know they ARE on our property.. sorta!

Our yard is still a wild "field"... very wild! In time maybe it will be tamed a bit:)
Until then, we have some major mowing to do... Chris suggests a better method than "by hand"!! LOL!!

{funny}

{real}

This is more of a statement than a picture.

The reality is that we still have some waiting time, but there are glimpses of stuff happening... the building permit is getting finalized and into the hands of our contractor this week, and there is talk of laying a foundation soon;)

And there is a sense that this is all a "dream"! I think the reality of us living in "our" house is not sinking into my head. I doesn't feel "real" yet!

{ready for the reveal of the house.....drumroll, please.........}

the crooked look is from the bad photographer (me!!)

Quick house facts (no pictures because the decor was for showing the house and my house will be no where close as nicely decorated... I'm deficient in that area!) It's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house. There is an unfinished 3rd floor (think storage!). The second floor contains the 3 bedrooms and the 2 full bathrooms. The first floor has an open floor plan in the back. The kitchen, breakfast nook, living room and dining area are all basically connected with only one wall dividing the kitchen and the dining "room". The front where you'd walk in from  has an open staircase to the 2nd floor and an "office" room to the left. There is also a hall that has our laundry nook and a half bath;) The house is unique because it was built with a finished one-car garage... insulation, carpet and crown molding... a little strange? Sounded like the perfect school/play room to us;)

I'm excited about  everything.... can't wait to start putting my dishes into the kitchen cupboards or organizing our school/play room! And especially feeling "settled" at home!

But... one day at a time...
First things first.... like a solid foundation! :)

And there is a great story behind how the house found us ... one day it will be shared. Right now we're just thankful for the ways things turned out and the final decisions that were made! And all the ways this house (and land) "fit" us:)

Thank you for praying for us! For those that extended words of support and encouragement!

The light at the end of the tunnel looks a little closer!! And maybe, hopefully,  I've grown in trusting and waiting for the Lord for our needs and desires!

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Chris: I want to live in our "new house" ** when Mommy and Daddy get too old to live there.... They are getting older and they will soon be my kids Grandma and Grandaddy.

Lydia: Chris, that means you will be a grown up, it takes a long time to be a grown up. We are just kids, we have a LONG wait until we can be grown ups.

Chris: Well, that is where I want to live when I am a grown up:)

** He is referring to the house we are hoping to move into when it's approved and done... sigh.... we've already started calling it "our new house"... but alas, it isn't that yet.... yet... sigh...

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On a recent bike ride, we were deciding whether to ride down to the river. It's a really pretty view and a really steep hill to peddle back up.

Anna offered her opinion,"It would be breathtaking..."

I realized she was talking about the steep hill that she would have to get back up... not the view :)

Then Chris pipes up,"Well then, I'll take it!!"... meaning he was ready for the adventure;)


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Our girls' hair is WAY too long. Lydia's is thin and seems to be easier to care for. But Anna has super thick hair that is getting harder and harder to brush through.

In frustration, while brushing out twigs and leaves from jumping on the trampoline, I told Brian we needed to cut off about a "foot" of hair.

Lydia was walking by. She overheard the converation and exclaimed, "What! You need to cut off her foot!!"

From the picture you can see that her hair is WAY long and definitely needs a trim (or something)!!!


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 I love this picture:)
She looks soo grown to me...

it's such a reminder that I will soon have a pre-teen on my hands! Oh, how quickly my "little" girl is growing up! And how many more moments I need to take to encourage her heart and pour love out on her... she's got such a beautiful little, sensitive heart!! And she's a super big help to me and so giving to her younger siblings!

Just Random Thoughts

Sometimes I find it soo hard to blog...

it's not that I don't have anything to write.... it's just that sometimes I am process soo much and I"m not sure what to write. What to share, what to keep processing, what to keep to myself :/

A friend does a post called Mind Dump... LOL!!! So this is sort of one of those.... just getting out all those random thoughts!

* I sat with Anna Thursday while she read Ramona Quigley, Age 8. She is a great little reader. It was really sweet just spending a couple of moments with her while she read to me... giggling at the same stuff, helping her with a few really big words;)

*I've been reading a book about foster care... it's actually a review opportunity through SIMPLE. It gets into the nitty gritty of behaviors and emotional problems that foster children commonly have. But what has interest me the most are the parenting strategies to work with and demonstrate love to these children regardless of their problems... many are ones that I could use myself in working with my own kids during our "off" moments!

* I've been using Nate's diaper changing times this month singing songs/reciting poems about body parts! For some reason he is drawn to it and stays a little more still... for a moment;) Anyway... it's a fun time for us and we're getting a little learning in:) If your Happy and You Know it song and 2 Little Eyes poem  are our favorites!

*Maybe because of these songs or because he's just a curious and attentive little guy, Nate found his belly button this week... and he likes to point it out to others...

 

* I bought some Food Lion semi-sweet chocolate chips the other day... our safe chocolate chips... only to bring them home and see that they have changed the recipe.... grrr!! They now contain milk products and are manufactured with peanuts! I mean really???? Do they NOT know that food allergies are on the rise :(

* My mom went to her grocery store (a different company!!) and they were in a new package that said, "New Recipe... now made with milk!" Again.... thanks!! 

* So now we're on the hunt for safe chocolate chips... we're really missing chocolate chip cookies :(  We'll be glad to take suggestions, if anyone has any.... we've checked Food Lion, Walmart, Kroger, Piggly Wiggly...  I'm NOT looking forward to having to order them... that could get really expensive, especially the way THIS crew eats cookies;)

* We've been using the crock pot this week to help with dinners after soccer practice. It's been nice having an almost finished hot meal waiting for us after soccer! I'll have to do some "homework" this weekend finding new recipes for us!

* We had planned to opt out of snacks for soccer!! With the food allergies it's just another hassle that we can just avoid! Anyway, one of the other teammates has food allergies, too, and so the other moms are going to try to bring one fruit item that would be "safe" for everyone.... YAY!!

*Nate's been trying to climb out of his crib.... we've already unbunked the bunk beds since I found him climbing up the side! We knew it was a matter of time.... so we'll be training a little boy how to stay in bed!! I really wanted him to stay in the crib a little longer... gives me extra shower and school time!

* We've had a totally change of heart about the location we are hoping to move. We thought the bigger city was the best fit for us... but after some conversations and hoping to stay a part of the community we're now looking into moving into a neighboring town/area. It's got lots of pluses, some minuses... just trying to process it right now... a little disappointed and a little relieved :/

* I've got some homeschooling paperwork to get done... I've been putting it off until we knew a little more about our location... but I really don't like having it left undone.

* I think my 1st Bible study with the homeschooling ladies is next week... I really, really, really want to go... not sure it's possible for Brian to bring all 4 kids by himself to the soccer game!! Taking the crew to the soccer field requires many hands and eyes... Nate is everywhere!

* I let Chris use a foam dart gun for one of his review tasks this week.... LOL!! It was a little crazy with darts flying everywhere and the girls begging for a turn.... reviewing his spelling words;)

* We used bottle of Sprite for a school assignment this week :)  The kids hid under the table because they thought it was going to explode.... ha haaaha!  

Hmmm, foam dart guns and Sprite.... what in the world are we studying??? I'll post our wrap-up sometime this weekend... hopefully!

TTT: Lydia help in the Hunt & Conversation with Nate

We've spent WAY too much time talking about houses.... location, what they look like, what we'd like!! We know because the kids are starting to talk "house" too!!

Lydia: We need a house that has an upstairs. The kids can have the upstairs!! And then we can have 3 rooms downstairs. One for you and Daddy. One for Grandma and Granddaddy! And one for the new baby!!

LOL.... so we are NOT expecting. But obviously Lydia has other plans:)

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Lydia also has an eye for "for sale" signs in yards!! It's VERY common to hear from the backseat...

Lydia: There's a house! We could live there.... it has an upstairs!!!  

LOL:)

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We were trying to get to "say" please on video. But it turned into a guessing game of what he wanted:) LOL!!

But in watching the video it was a fun capture of a normal conversation with our 17 month old Nate;) ALthough it wasn't really what I wanted it will be fun video to watch in a couple of months/years as he is really talking;)

A House Hunting Update with Thanks

 So I've been neglecting to share more about our house hunting.... not much to share just yet :/

We've followed leads and leads to land and houses for sale between where Brian will work and where we'd like to live.

Country road after country road...

kids with bowls of snacks...

GPS leading the way to all the addresses we have written down...

then spotting 5 deer and 15 wild turkeys near one property we were considering !!

In one sense it is a very exciting time. After being in one place for 7 great years, this move really feels like a "new" stage of life. Brian has a much different job. The kids and I have adjustments to Brian's new schedule... and then once we move we'll adjust to schooling in a new place with new neighbors and a new city to explore.

In another sense it feels like everything is "up in the air"!! How do we know we have found the right house/land? What is the best floor plan for us? Where we will live? When should I start packing? When we will move? What do we get involved with right now?

And just as I start to get overwhelmed with the "unknowns" I hear....

"Mom, look at this!" or "Mom, can you help me!"

I get brought back into RIGHT NOW! My goal and desire is to live in the "right now". To be faithful in the tasks of today... keeping THIS house, being apart of the little lives/hearts of my children, serving my family in each moment with the right heart and enjoying our church family a little longer.

Thankfully though there is a balance... # 269! We can hunt, plan and talk about the possibilities without everything becoming overwhelming...

and we think we've found another spot we BOTH really like in a location that is perfect... #270! So now it's really figuring out if we can put an affordable house on it;)

And since it's Monday... I'll continue to count :)




271. messes, that are really projects
272. long sleeves in dresser drawers
273. a loyal friend

274. a supportive community
275. friends who have connections
276. housing provisions before we move
277. feeling fall coolness
278. catching sun rays

279. godly examples of the past
280. having a God that examines hearts

Some house hunting wisdom from Proverbs 3:21 - 23:

My child, don’t lose sight of good planning and insight.
Hang on to them,
for they will refresh your soul.
They are like jewels on a necklace.
They keep you safe on your way,
and your feet will not stumble.

Thank you to those who shared their wisdom with us during the first part of the house hunting!