As I sit and much on cheesy quesadillas (pardon the bad typing!) I figure I should update everyone on the first two real weeks (after mom went home) of life in smalltown.  Well, Anna fell running into the house and had 4 stitches on her face. I slipped while cutting veggies and stabbed my hand resulting in 5 stitches and we had a family battle (all except for the Logan, the little veggie lover) with food poisioning (from some meat at a graduation party). And, O almost forgot, my mom had a horse riding accident and broke her hip and wrist and is in a hospital in Missouri, probably until this weekend. Other than that, we're just trying to find our new "normal" (that always seems to elude us!)

I've also added some pictures of our crazy retro basement that is actually in the process of being updated. Though the kids are begging for the shag (nasty, old, shaggy) carpet to stay, it is leaving and we may frame a piece just for kicks!  Did I mention we have an AMAZING landlord! The upstairs is already updated so I'll toss in a picture of our, lovely orange couches.

Tomorrow we go, as a family, to our first brandin'.  I'll try to update with tales and pictures over the weekend!

Enjoying Grandma!

We were very blessed to have my mom travel with us to Nebraska and help with the kids, cleaning, unpacking.  I was spoiled! It was like having a live-in helper!  We did get to take her out for some fun too and enjoy the local lake and the kids' new Easter basket sand toys.  The final picture is pajama-clad kids and mommy tearfully waving goodbye to grandma.

Unloading

We unloaded the truck and started getting settled on Wednesday last week.  There were lots of helpers unloading, but unfortunately mom had the other vehicle with my camera inside.  We did, however, capture some shots of the very helpful youth group that came over Wednesday evening to assemble furniture and mow the lawn.  We have had a very warm welcome to this community and I will continue to add updates, Lord willing!

Moving Day!

One week ago Tuesday was a VERY big day for us.  With 2 SUV's, a box moving truck, 3 adults, and 4 kiddos we set out to travel 550 miles in 13 hours hitting 3 fast-food joints, 2 rest areas and arriving at our final destination of Burwell, Nebraska.  I had three traveling buddies for the most of the trip (the kids took turn in the big yellow truck) after there was a 15 mile meltdown in grandma's backseat.  The kids watched movies and I jammed with my earbuds in while driving a whopping 50-60 mph because the loaded moving truck went soooo slow!  Upon our arrival we were greeted by friends with hugs, soft beds, and fresh coffee for Wednesday morning.  Praise the Lord all went well and these are just a few snapshots from our day! And in case you were wondering, I took all of these pictures while I was driving!

Big-time update

So, obviously this needs a little updating since the last post shows Lilly as a newborn! We are moving April 17th to Burwell, Nebraska for Jeff to take a full-time position as a youth pastor at the Burwell Baptist Church! We are very excited and actually counting down the days until the move!

This time is bittersweet though, as we have to say good-bye to the many friends the Lord has blessed us with in the last few years, mainly at Boulevard Baptist Church. The church has been a great place of healing, specifically for me. I cam to Boulevard a broken and weary Christian, but through God's Word, the wonderful people, and His grace I have come to understand and rely on who I am in Christ, not who I make myself to be. God had a specific purpose for Boulevard in my life and I know as we move on, He will be faithful in His work in our lives in Burwell also.

Forgotten Blog

Well, I haven't exactly forgotten it, but it has lost it's importance on the to-do list. Little Lilly was added to the brood in October and now we're gearing up for a wonderful holiday including a week-long Christmas vacation to see family in Indiana. God has been so good to us this year and we thank Him for His many blessings in our lives.

Happy Easter

A local church hosted an Easter egg hunt last week at a local park and the kids enjoyed the hype and the plastic eggs more than anything! The eggs have actually been added to the toybox. Ahh, the simple pleasures of life!