We're Still Here (and I Can't Believe We're Here!)

We are nearly, completely unpacked and just about organized. We're squeezing into a much smaller place so we are having to get creative. Luckily we have a huge garage! It has been a looong week of moving in here and we just got Internet today (the worst experience with all that that we've ever had in all our moving and Internet-setting-up history). But now it's here and we are still here (it really feels like you drop off the planet when you don't have Internet). And we live in Washington....and we still can't believe it. Perhaps we go through this every time, but we just keep saying, "I can't believe we live here. How did this happen?" And then we relive all the recent events. Just our processing I suppose.

Our new house is awesome. AWESOME. We really, really love it. It's small, but fitting us surprisingly well and the location and setting is literally unbelievable. The weather has been really nice. Freezing cold, but dry and even sunny a few times! :) We have taken unpacking breaks to explore the woods and paths and streams and ponds and there is much more to see and discover...especially as the seasons start changing in a few months. We see deer and raccoons pretty much every time we drive down our long driveway. I can only imagine how this place will come to life in the spring!

There's not a lot of pictures to show for the last 3+ weeks that we have been here and the ones I have aren't so good, but I will post them anyway...especially for a Grandma and Grandpa and a few other long-distant friends and family who would take just about anything off my camera card. :)

The best kids around

new gloves for cold weather!

and boots! we live in the woods!

We had to get a Christmas tree right away because the boys were going to have a cow if we didn't!

Easton just watched and pointed while the boys put it up. Brendan and Wyatt pretty much did everything, even stringing the lights! :)

Here's a sneak peek at our new house. This is the side of the house. That door leads into the garage and the garage is just out of the frame to the left. The front of the house is around to the right.

More coming soon.....

Blessed

I feel very blessed today. I am blessed everyday. But today is a day I feel spoiled-blessed. Our frustrating house hunt has come to an end. An "I can't believe how awesome this is" kind of end. I know it seems a week is no time at all to be looking and finding a place to live, but the search has been going on much longer. I like to do lots of searching and lots of research so that I really know what the "market" is and what we can get and where and for how much. All that. In our price range, in the area we need to live since we only have one car, the pickins have been quite slim. I was mostly looking at tiny little townhouses or really (really) junky little houses without yards. I kept looking and wondering how I could do this with 3 little boys who are getting kind of big for "active" playing inside, especially inside something as small as I have been looking at without the option of playing in a yard or something. Well, it was frustrating. Frustrating, but we kept going back to a word Rand felt God had given him at the very beginning of this little part of the journey. "Patience". We have reluctantly said no to a few properties because they just didn't feel right, knowing they would get snatched up if we waited longer than a minute to think about it. They were too far from work, WAY too small, zero yard, too expensive, etc.
After a full day of driving around on Sunday with the whole fam. we came home a little defeated. Brendan asked on Monday during school when we might have our own place. Not knowing what in the world to say I said, "We just need to keep praying about it. We're having a hard time finding a place we can afford, close to Daddy's work, where we will have enough room for all you boys." He suggested we pray right then. I said, "Great idea." He prayed (doesn't usually want to, but did this time). His prayer was precious and went like this...almost verbatim:
Dear God,
Please help us find a house where me and Wyatt and Easton can have lots of fun.
And where Mom and Dad will like being there too.
Amen.

I gave a big smile because children's prayers always make me smile and I thought it was perfectly perfect and very sweet.

After school I got back on the computer to check out listings and find all the new stuff and start my little process. I found a couple. I sent some emails. I got a couple emails back and I arranged to go look at one with Rand that night. (You have to move FAST on rentals we've learned.....more times than one). Anyway, we drive to it. GREAT location. Great! Perfect actually. Close to absolutely everything. Kids stuff, Rand's job, shopping, church, etc. We drive down this long driveway, through a gate (awesome! it's gated!), onto a 140 acre estate. 140 acres! The house was great. A little small, but good and literally on 140 acres. The owner lives on the property and also 2 other rental homes with tenants who have been there for the last 6 years.

Side note: Did I tell you all that I got rid of my chicken coop because we were moving? Well we were going to put it on craigslist and I got on to see what they were selling for just to get a feel and I found an ad from someone who wanted to trade a canoe for a chicken coop with 3-4 chickens. Rand and I were like, "Hey, let's get a canoe!" And we did. It's pretty much awesome, but we did feel a little silly strapping it to the roof of the mini-van and driving from Phoenix to Olympia not knowing exactly how we were going to use it. My brother-in-law even said, "What are you going to do with a canoe?" "I don't know. Take it to a park or a lake or something and paddle around" Whatever. Anyway, we have a really sweet canoe!

Back to the story....
So we are talking to the lady (who is really cool and just opened an art gallery downtown Oly. by the marina) about the house and the property and she says this: "You can't see it right now because it's dark, but just beyond the backyard here there is a stream and you can canoe in it right down to Black Lake." Rand and I looked at each other with our mouths open. "No way! We have a canoe!!!"

Needless to say we jumped on the opportunity to rent this cute little house on a private 140 acres right in Olympia. And we had a signed deal in just a couple days. I just still can't believe it.

The property has an established orchard with apples, plums, pears, etc. It has a private lake that is fenced that we get to use in the summer with a sandy beach and a dock. It has woods and fields. It has a sport court (tennis and basketball) and a little kids play house/cabin. There is a beautiful pond and a meandering stream. And did I mention 140 acres for all the walking and exploring one could wish for? The road to the home is paved so there is great bike riding for the kids. It is like living on our own private county park. There are lots of birds, owls, deer, otters, eagles, etc. She even said when you are canoeing on the stream beavers will swim next to you and fish jump right out of the water!

It is beyond an answered prayer and we are just dreaming and imagining of all the fun we are going to have there and how perfect it is in every way. God answered our prayers about location and price and size and space for our kids to play. And then went over and above and gave us something that we will LOVE, where we can use our canoe for goodness sakes! I keep telling Brendan, "look how God has answered your prayer! You and your brothers are going to have so much fun, and Mom and Dad are going to like being there too!"

For as fast (and unwanted) as this move has been, God has answered our prayers in such obvious, kind of over the top ways, that we can't even stop and wonder if this is what He wants us to be doing. From the job, to our house getting rented in less than a week, to money concerns, to finding a place to live here, it feels like God has taken all our worries and answered all our pleas and then some. It's the "then some" that has left us speechless through this process over the last month or so and we are so grateful!

We feel very blessed and can't believe we got it. And as my mom said, I can't believe there was even something this good (that we could afford) to be got! Another part of the story though is that the owner had listed it for rent a month ago. It's been available since Nov. 1. She told us it always rents super fast, but this time she hardly had anyone come look at it. She reposted her ad that day, and we showed up. It literally feels like it was just for us!
So we will be unpacking our stuff now and moving in this weekend. And soon, there will be pictures. Lots of pictures!

Just Transition

If I never have to transition in this way again.....well.....that will be alright. This has been a tough one. And boy did it happen fast or what?! All of a sudden we were packed and loaded and driving down the road. Getting here took forever. We were together (for the first time during a move) because we didn't do the U-haul thing, but we were sick and stressed and it took us 3 days to drive from Phoenix to Shelton. But we made it. We got here on a Saturday and Rand started work on Monday. The guy does not skip a beat, does he?! He got cold sores and the rest of us got the stomach flu....twice. bleh. We've been here just a week and I am house hunting full time. It's hard. We are on a budget...we don't want to be "house poor". We have one car so being close to Rand's job is essential. We have 3 little boys....wonderful mind you, but we've gotten some concerns about that from potential landlords. I would love for them to have space outside, space inside and what not, but our budget is making that option look near impossible.

Anyhoo, we are practicing patience which has been the word of the week while we look and search and look some more...striking out nearly everywhere. But everyday there is something new and at least with renting things can move pretty quickly. We are getting settled in other ways and are ready to plug the kids back into AWANAs and we went to church on Sunday and that was good and I get to go to my old midwives who delivered Wyatt and I am thrilled about that. My parents, while divorced, live within walking distance of each other at the moment and it has been a blessing to send Brendan and Wyatt on their own down to Nana's house for cookies and video games and crafts every afternoon! :) I actually love that.

So that's the scoop. Here we are. Things are good. Trying hard to trust with the house situation. Something will work out, hopefully soon. I know my Dad likes having us here, but we are a pretty big presence! It will be good to have our own space again!

Stay tuned for more developments! :)

BTW, baby #4 is doing just great. I only panick a little when I start doing the math about how much time left. Yikes! I'm 32 weeks!!!!!

Our Last Day (In 2 Places)

Our last day in Wichita was Sunday. It was a lovely warm day. We soaked up the sun and each other as much as we could. I miss them lots.

We drove straight from Wichita to Phoenix. It was 18 hours. That was crazy.

I came home to a very packed up house. Rand is a machine. His new job starts next Monday. We are excited and sad. Right now I'm mostly sad...and feeling very pregnant.

Today my Mom and I packed up most of the rest of everything. The moving truck will be delivered tomorrow and loaded. We will most likely hit the road on Thursday.

Our house rented in 4 days. That is a God thing! Rand's current job is cutting the night calls soon. The new job is there now. That is a God thing, too.

Transition is hard.

I keep shifting my mind to the positive. Rand has a great new job and God continues to provide for us in His perfect timing. I will be back in the Northwest by family and old friends. I will have a baby girl soon. I really love Rand and those 3 little boys of mine. It's a good life.

Rand told me the other day that the word "sacrifice" is made up of 2 words that mean "holy" and "to make". I like that. It makes me want to sacrifice more....or at least be grateful for the sacrifices that come with walking this path.

The computer is probably getting packed away tonight. I'm going to bed early. My body is telling me to stop...or else have a baby tonight. :) I think I'll wait on that one.

Thanks for the support and prayers for us for the next couple weeks while we re-adjust!

Pics from our last day in Kansas....Miss you Lovingfoss'

He means business folks, serious business

So does she......all the time!

And happy 3rd birthday to this "little fire ball" on Sunday. You are precious.

Chicken Chronicles::Vol. 11 (The Best Pets)

Our 4 chickens have been the best pets. We have all loved them. Rand has sort of loved them. They were impossible to keep off our patio because I insisted on letting them run around wherever they wanted. They made a royal mess on the patio and it was a real pain trying to keep it clean. I loved watching them run around the yard and chase bugs and fight over fruit and take dirt baths. Not to mention the daily supply of eggs...even if one of them hid them from me most of the time.

I loved these 4 ladies and that is why it was so sad for us to let them go to a loving home who wasn't going to truck them north and then probably provide them to raccoons for supper in their not-so predator safe coop. We are already making lists of names for our new flock that we have planned. And believe me. There will be more than 4! :)

Weighing Pros and Cons

The job hunt. What can I say? We have been determined to stay here. Unlike other past job hunts, Rand has kept his resume here, in the Valley....right where we are, knowing we have a bit of time to figure it out and find something that will work. We have driven all over town dropping off resumes and there are the multiple online searches a day looking for what is new in both of Rand's career fields (funeral service and ministry). Nothing.

The only other place we occasionally check is Washington because deep down we've always thought eventually we'd go back there for good. Well, let's be honest...Rand started dreaming about living in our house here forever, but not me. It's too.....city for this small town girl. But I have been more than willing. Anyhoo, Rand knows my dream and so in the search that has been bringing up nothing he has also looked in Washington just to see if there is anything. Recently a job came up within his company (SCI) and he made a call about it. Turns out he went to mortuary school with the manager there who is hiring. There was an interview on the phone and then they asked him to fly up to continue the conversation. He spent last weekend in Olympia checking it out. It went well. And now we are left with a really hard decision.

At night I panic and say, "No. We just can't. We have to stay here. But there's nothing else. We are running out of time." And then in the morning I feel really good and think, "No problem. I'm okay with this. We can do it. It will work out just fine."

So I have been making lists and lists of pros and cons. There's a lot of things on both sides. Here's a few of the majors:

Pro: Hey! It's a job offer! That's more than we can say for any other leads we have followed.
Con: It would mean moving again.

Pro: The job pays more, involves more (kind of a promotion), has the opportunity for overtime if desired, bonuses, is a "transfer" within his company so he keeps all his vacation, 401K, etc., is at one of the nicest funeral homes in the area, and is in Olympia (close to my family) and hello?? it's the Northwest. :)
Con: The compensation is more than he makes now, but is nothing to write home about.

Pro: We can stay here until we are ready to come. They are flexible as far as when we have to be there and start.
Con: uh, we are having a baby. Move soon? (NO!) Move after the baby is born? (NO!)

Pro: Living close to my Mom, Dad and Sister would be great help not to mention friends and other family we have missed for almost 5 years now! (Can you believe Brendan was 3 and Wyatt was Easton's age when we left?!?!)
Con: Our family here is great help too. Not to mention the friends we would miss terribly and would be saying goodbye to for the second time.

Pro: I prefer NW weather and really hate summer here (basically May-October)
Con: It rains there a LOT...and while I like the rain and grew up there and what not...I really enjoy winters here (basically November-April)...even though it's not really winter and I miss true seasons.

Pro: We have some property there that has always been a dream to eventually get on and grow our own food and run through the woods, etc.
Con: We have a house here and we aren't sure the best move with that (keep it as a rental and find someone to manage it for us? Get out at all costs and not deal with the headache? List our house now and deal with showings?)

These are just a few of the issues racing through my head all the time. I'm hoping that by writing it down I can get it out of my mind and get on with...I don't know...schooling the children, growing a baby, doing my chores, etc. :)

In my gut I feel kind of excited about it. Olympia feels like "home" to me and I can see us there very easily. The job is a really good job and I think Rand could really thrive there. The idea of moving doesn't stress me out all that much this time around and if we hadn't done it so much recently I probably wouldn't hesitate for a minute.
At the end of the day it comes down to what it has come down to every time we've done it. It's a job. It pays. And what other choice do we have??? That's the question!

What do you think? (Try not to be biased based on where you live) :)

Ahhhh, our life. So glad I've been writing it down for the last 5 years because honestly....who would believe it?

Yard Demolition

Yard demo is under way here. Demolition to make way for renovation! Sort of forgot how it feels to have a new house with all kinds of possibilities but having to be patient because it is such a slow process to make it all come to life. The backyard is mostly a blank slate. We are trying to really think about how we will use the huge space most of the year and how we can minimize the work and time required to maintain it! Not an easy task. We are in a race right now to beat the heat and get a lot of the "work" done before it gets too hot. This yard probably used to be nicely landscaped, but that was about 30 years ago...and some things...like the railroad ties need to go! The boys took care of that. :) Whoever lived here before used railroad ties stuck in the ground upright (buried about 2 feet deep) for some type of fence like border around a raised area of the yard. Besides that, there are some boards in the ground that probably bordered the river rock that is embedded all around the yard from the grass, which is now pretty patchy. Last weekend all the railroad ties came out. We are going to use some of the bigger (less rotten) ones as a border to house the kids new swing set. (Remember when we had to sell ours back in PA?? Such a sad day. We're looking forward to a new one and are so excited to have the space for one.)

Upcoming outdoor projects:
removing all the random river rock and boards
pool fence to protect our almost walker
swing set
planting (grass, plants, flowers, vegetables)
composting
painting chicken coop and moving loud, messy chicks outside
desert landscaping front yard

swing set is going to go in this corner

Living Room

No where near done, but living room is coming together and the Christmas tree is up. There are priorities when there are little boys in the house and Christmas decorations is one of them!

See if you  can spot the early Christmas present/house warming present we received last week!!! :)

Having lots of fun in our new house!!!

Merry Christmas to us!!

Got this in the mail yesterday. I LOVE it!!! I got a bunch of pictures that need frames from my pals at Cooper Studios, but this is by far my favorite. Thanks Amy and Forrest!!!

New House

Okay, okay. House pictures. I delayed posting anything until we were official and now we are official! After 3 and half years of what has felt like true wandering we are homeowners again! God has protected us and blessed us more than we can even say. We sold our home in WA right at the beginning of the big economic crumble and God has protected us from buying over and over again. While frustrating at the time, we knew it was smart for us to rent...we just didn't know how smart until hindsight set in. Now life feels a little more even-keeled and God opened the doors for this to happen. We could have never afforded this house just 3 years ago with the inflated market and finding a nice rental at this price these days (at least in phoenix) is impossible! We feel so lucky and so blessed.

These pictures I took while we were still looking at the house. Things are a crazy mess so until we are more moved in these pictures will have to do, just to give you an idea!

2068 sqft.
4 bedrooms/2baths
pool
remodel
HUGE backyard (by phoenix standards)

The Wagner Residence sans landscaping!

 Come on in!

Living Room (staging furniture)

 

 School Room (off the living room) Kids are standing in the laundry room. Back door is just beyond them down that little hall.

Main bath

Master Bath

In this picture clockwise from left: (taken from Master) furnace closet; play room (or easton's room can't decide); straight ahead boys' room (maybe all 3); right= library/office/guest room; then linen closet. Hallway to living area to the immediate right but not in picture.

Back patio (part of it)

The farm

View from master br

The only thing making it possible for me to live in Phoenix May-October

Back door from garage. Gate to front.

Our park!

Front door

Pantry (if this wasn't here, I wouldn't have bought this house. This makes the kitchen big enough!)

Out the living room window.

Kitchen

We really, really love it. The house has been beautifully remodeled and so we don't feel the need to do anything cosmetic. So nice! We have an insane list of projects and it will be a work in progress for a long time while we make this place "ours". More house pictures to come as we get settled!

Miraculous Healing?

For unknown reasons our computer is showing no signs of virus. We backed everything up onto an external hard drive and since haven't had any problems. Strange. Perhaps when we turn it off it will never come back on. I don't know. A little nervous to load any pictures.

UPDATE: We signed all our legal documents for the house early this morning. We are waiting for seller to get all of his in then it will all get recorded and ta-da! New house! Our monthly payment and interest has just gone down and down over the 6 weeks that we have been going through this process. What a blessing! And then to top it off (long story short), we are getting a new refrigerator out of the deal! We went and bought it tonight. AND our computer has healed itself (for now)! It's been a great day. A little bit of a downer is that our landlord wants us out this weekend instead of next and so we are moving everything a little faster than we had planned. But once we are in, we are in!!!! We're pumped.

While I'm procrastinating tomorrow, perhaps I'll post some pictures! :)

How to Move....Again

I could write a big long post here about all the why's I have in regard to all the moving, but does it really matter? No. I don't think it does.

Seriously. I have moved a lot! I thought it had just been since I got married but I was thinking back and it's really been since I graduated from high school.

1. Hawaii(3 months)
2. Philippines (3 months)
3. George Fox University (1 year) (home for summer)
4. Biola University (3 years) (home for summers)
5. Portland, OR/ Western Seminary apt. 1
6. apt. 2
7. apt. 3
8. apt. 4 (in a span of 3 years)
9. Moved in with my parents while we waited for our house to be built (6 months)
10. Our first house! Shelton, WA (4 years)
11. Moved in with Rand's Dad in Phoenix while we waited for said house to sell (6months)
12. Peoria, AZ (first rental) (1 year)
13. Conference Center in Valley Forge, PA (1 month)(temp. housing while we looked for a place to live)
14. Audubon, PA (1 year 2 months) (second rental)
15. Phoenix, AZ (8months)(current)
16. Next week we move again. 2nd purchased home. Phoenix, AZ (LORD willing)

Rand and I are packing for our 12th move together. 12! 12!! You'd think we would be moving experts by now...or that we would have gotten rid of a lot more of our junk by now. Every time feels just like the first time...okay maybe not the first time, but at least the 7th (#11 on the list). It is just plain hard. Rand and I have the same fights, I mean discussions.:) He is pushing me too fast, or he is throwing away things I want to keep, or he wants to hang a picture where I don't like it, etc, etc. We are getting better at that. I close my eyes and let him go and every once in a while I look through the garbage and pull a couple things out, and then I let him decide where to hang a picture or a clock and if I really can't live with it a week down the road, I just move it myself when he's at work and see if he likes it later. See? You learn things as you go. The packing is the worst. The unpacking is the worst too. I throw up my hands a lot and say, "I just can't do it. It's too much. It's too big!" And Rand, well he just does it. He's really good, really.

How do I do it? (I get asked that all the time) I don't have a choice. That's how. Every move we've made has been out of necessity. We go for a job, or we move because we can't afford the new higher rent, or we get laid off, or someone doesn't pay their mortgage and that leaves us without a house. You know, that kind of stuff. What can you do but roll with it?

We do it because we have to and it gets done only because I married a really hard worker, non-procrastinator (thank goodness!!!)

For me, it's hard. I don't do well with upheaval (the stage of moving we are in right now). And then it takes me a really long time to find my rhythm again. Way longer than most people I think. It took me about a year to feel "normal" after we moved to Pennsylvania. Would have been nice to stay and actually live in that "normal" feeling/state. Now we are here and I haven't found it yet. Soon I think. A home of our own should help.

Deep breath. Pack a box. Imagine a new home. Get excited about only the positives. Procrastinate a little, hoping it will get done somehow anyway. Throw a little fit. Pray. Collapse in exhaustion. Get behind on everything else. Come face to face with all your failures as a homemaker wanna be. Pack a box. Throw some things away. Vow to do better. Curse moving and dreams that haven't come true. Re-think of all the positives. Pray and breathe.

That's how you move....again.

Out of Whack

Life feels totally out of whack these days. We are still trying to find our rhythm here. I always forget how long that takes...after you move....after a baby...after a new job. I have managed to keep up with school for the kids at least. I don't know how, but we're doing good there. I have a couple priorities besides caring for the newborn. One is washing the diapers, because we just can't go running out of those! And two, doing school. We're already behind enough after our long Christmas break and the break we took during our big transition. Holy moly it is hard to get much done besides that, though. Easton is now going on 5 weeks old...so I'm feeling ready for some "normal". Easier said than done. I just don't do the whole, "let the baby cry while you go get things done" thing. Nope. I just nurse, and rock, and carry and hold all the live-long day. So things are getting a little hairy around here. I really need to vacuum, do dishes, dust, put away laundry, change the sheets, mop the tile, put away laundry, grocery shop, do the dishes, clean the bathrooms, put away laundry, run errands, plan dinners, spend more time with the big brothers, do dishes and put away laundry! It's a little overwhelming.
Rand's new job is going well. It is such an improvement! But, he works extra every night after the kids go to bed until about 1 in the morning. Today I went to my parents for the afternoon and dinner. Rand couldn't join us because he was "on call" after 8pm and had the call car and couldn't drive it out. I came home around 8 and he was gone. He called at 9 and said he was heading out on his 3rd call. What is this life? I really wonder sometimes what we are doing, where we are going, what is God teaching us?
Our house is a blessing...and a curse. Rand gets nervous when I complain. He tries to always keep a good perspective about the blessings God has given us...including a place to live. I'm grateful, honest, I just don't love it. The landlord is constantly here fixing things...usually the pool which is usable, but constantly broken. The wall colors and carpet are "not me" and I have no desire to try and change it. I told Rand yesterday, "I'm super thankful that we have a house...and functionally it works great (for the most part). But I look around and it just doesn't look like me and there's really nothing I can do (or am willing to do) to make it feel like our home." All a part of the transition, I guess?
Basically, we have a new baby we're still trying to get to know who has changed everything. A job that we just weren't expecting that barely pays the bills. A work schedule that leaves Rand gone more than we would like. And a house that we're still trying to make ours (or make work until next year). Things just feel a little out of whack.
I drove through our old neighborhood today on my way to my parents RV spot at Lake Pleasant. I went right past our old house...down the streets I used to walk with my friend, Marie-elena, almost every night. Right past the back wall that framed our little yard and fantastic firepit. It was so weird. I felt really, really weird driving through there. It could have been the case that we never left and I was just driving home and turning onto Plum Rd. right into our garage...as if no time had passed at all. Or it could have been the case that it was ages ago, and the kids I had there and the life we had before was long, long gone. I pointed it out to Wyatt. I don't think he recognized it. Ugh. I must be dealing with a bit of baby hormones because it seriously makes me feel totally depressed.
Please pray for us! Rand's heart is still for Liberti. It's hard to do anything but survive right now, though. Really, how do you plant a church AND work more than full time AND take care of your wife who won't do any house work because she insists on nursing the baby all day AND rough house with the 2 other boys who are being somewhat neglected by said mother (not really), AND, AND, AND....?
We're still in transition..and things are just a little out of whack!

Nursery Trials

I've taken pictures, but I think tonight just words will suffice. I've given a little tid-bit on here about my crib and changing table situation. The set I have I got as a hand-me-down from a friend in Portland, OR. It had been through her 2 boys and then I used it for my 2 boys when we lived in WA. Knowing we would probably have more kids I packed it with me to AZ...where we then packed it and moved it to PA. Half way through my pregnancy I put it all together and in a room that was going to be the nursery. True, it had seen better days and I was contemplating taking it all apart and painting it, but knew our weather in PA probably wouldn't be too great for that kind of a project which needed to be done outside.
Fast forward and it does indeed get taken apart, but not to get painted...to get moved again. Now it's pretty darn thrashed with marks and spilled paint and other such moving disasters that just happen when you move like we do.
Not having the funds to replace it I set to work on getting it looking at least a little better. Paint. And heck, our weather is pretty great right now. I'm really not in any shape to be doing this sort of work, but I'm desperate and I'm really wanting it to look better than it does. So I paint, and I paint, and I paint, and I paint some more. Outside, in between our rainy days, with a fan going, and a mask on, etc. I completed the changing table first and put it together and moved it into the nursery and loaded it with diapers and wipes and blankets and all sorts of other baby bottom necessities. Then the crib. I took more time on the crib because I knew it was going to get more wear and tear. Extra coats, top coats, etc. Finally I finished, let it all completely dry and air out and brought it in the house (after vacuuming real good in the babies room). I was beat, but excited to get it all put together. Hmmm, where the heck are those silver rods that hold on the sides? Come to think of it, I haven't seen them....at all. I look around...everywhere. I call Rand, my mom, Joanna (all of who may have seen them in the unpacking). Nothing. Nowhere. Well, there is no crib without them. I give up for the day.
So, the next day I think, "Gosh, they have to be here somewhere." So I grab one end of the changing table to move it away from the wall thinking that maybe, just maybe, I missed them the day before and they were hidden underneath or something. As I do this, the side literally pops off and the top and middle shelf go crashing down. I yell something and everyone comes running in. It's ruined, and honestly, unsafe for holding a child even if it could be put back together. While I am grateful to have figured this out before there was a child involved in an accident, I still threw myself one big pity party and had a good cry about it all. Brendan fretted over my state and cried himself when he feared that maybe the baby really would have to sleep in a drawer.
I pulled myself up by the bootstraps eventually and decided I'd just hit the garage sales this weekend. Craigslist was only showing slight potential. I just didn't want to pay a bunch of money for new used crib and changing table. People on craigslist really want a lot of money for their junk!
Well, anyway, one of the blessings of moving back to Arizona is my friends. And I have good ones. They are coming to the rescue and my friend Ashley brought me over a changing table today. And another friend says she's got a crib I can use. And I'm really grateful. Still a little stunned and ticked that I spent so much time doing what I've been doing the last few weeks, but still. The Lord provides!
I still hit up the garage sales today, mostly because I was looking for a swing and I found one. And she only wanted 5 dollars for it! So I took it, and it will be just great. And I also got a bouncy seat that looks brand new for next to nothing. So that's basically it. What else do I need? Not much. A diaper pail is the only thing I can think of!
Tomorrow marks one week. One week to go! There's a new moon in 2 days, so I'm kind of hoping things happen then, but whatever. One week isn't that long. (Please don't let it be longer!!!!)
I realize this is a long, rather lame story, but I'm kind of hoping to remember it and laugh one day. Ha ha ha ha, remember what I went through when I was pregnant with #3? Let's start with ummmm, moving across the country! Oy Vey! It's been an interesting few months. I'm hoping with this baby comes a little bit of calmness to my life. Is that wishful thinking?

A Baseball Day

Well we are slowly but surely settling in.....and I mean slooowly. I'm just pretty darn slow. And my body hurts and doesn't really do what I want it to and I'm pretty tired...a lot. Things are getting put away, but there still seems to be a lot to do. Rand is working, which is good, but an interesting transition and an interesting job. Still trying to find our routine and have everything settle down a bit so we can think more "church" and of course, "baby".
I'm 35 weeks today....which means I can safely deliver at home in just 2 weeks!!! Holy Moly!!!!! The baby's room is still in shambles....big time. Oh well. I just need some diapers and onesies, and that kid should be set for a while. :)

Yesterday, we took a break from it all and had ourselves one major baseball day. We started out bright and early in the morning at the Diamondbacks Stadium for free family fun. It was Fan Days or something like that and there were lots of activities for the kiddos and even a tour of the players' club house. It was pretty cool to be down on the field and in the dug out and what-not.






After that we headed over the Rand's old high school for the 2nd annual Horizon High School Alumni Baseball Game and an honorary celebration for Rand's old coach, Coach Kibler, for 30 years of service at HHS. Rand played (on the old guy's team) and had a total blast. The kids had a lot of fun watching Dad play, but not nearly as much fun as Rand had playing. He pulled a couple muscles and almost threw his back out on his first swing, but overall played well! :)
Oh, the glory days!