Baby Steps

Okay, you all must really think we're overwhelmed. The fact that I haven't blogged in over a month does mean I've been just a little bit busy, but more so we've had a nasty virus on our computer. It's still there and I'm working on trying to get it removed but I wanted to finish this post I started at least three weeks ago before the virus struck but just never got around to finishing it. I've had so many great pictures of the house project and the newly turned three year old that I've wanted to post but this stubborn computer just won't let me. I was able to add a few recent ones this morning but it's just taking way too long so I'll have to do more another time.
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So what have we been up to in the past month...
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Well, our house is sl...ow...ly... getting completed. Inch by inch, we're making progress. It has completely consumed our lives lately but we are having fun seeing the improvements that we are making. This has been a monstrous project but we are so very thankful to some great family and friends who have been graciously pitching in and helping us to get things done.

Praise God, we sold our house and are set to close on October 16th. Selling our house so quickly and not to mention closing just 2 weeks before my due date has made things a little more hectic to say the very least but we are so very grateful just to have sold it. Financially things will be so much easier on us even if we are living in a work in progress house. We keep reminding ourselves that it'll just be a step up from camping. And we've done that plenty of times before. Just not with a newborn!


But I have managed to make peace that it's not going to be even closely finished but in the end I just feel very fortunate to be at this point in our lives. I know that one day we will have a beautiful house in which to raise our family and we'll have a sweet new daughter added to our family. What a blessing this all is! Even though it'll be quite crazy for the time being I know that this has all been God's timing for us and we are really glad things have worked out the way they have. We are learning so much from this experience for sure.
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So far the four bathrooms are completely gutted still and the kitchen has no counter tops, sink or oven but somehow we will figure out a way to make due with it because there is little chance of it all happening before we move. And the entire outside has yet to be touched. We did cover the house with black tar paper in preparation to put up the new siding but then we realized we were closer to selling our house then we thought so we needed to put that off and focus on the inside. So it'll look hideous for a while but once we're living there Josh can start working on the outside. At this point the look of it doesn't bother me a bit. I'm just hoping to not have to live in and birth this baby in our RV!
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We are hoping to have two bathrooms completed by the time we move in and all the wood floors finished except for Gracie's room which has been a storage room for all the wood floors. Josh is so close to finishing the floors and has been working on them every night until he can hardly keep his eyes straight anymore. The kids have been out there too each night, sometimes not getting home until 11pm and they have been such troopers. I'm so proud of them! We are all so exhausted but there's been little time to think about that. We just keep moving forward.
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We are excited to have the crew from our small group bible study coming out tonight to lend a helping hand so we are hoping to get the floors finished along with some painting too! It'll be a fun night for sure! When I say finished I mean laid. We still have to have them sanded which is happening Monday and Tuesday then we have to do the stain and sealing which is a three day process (one coat a day) on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and maybe we can start moving things in on Sunday. That's the plan for today but as we're learning, that can quickly change!

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One of the bathrooms that we are attempting to get finished is the babies (fletch & maggie's) jack and jill bathroom since we're putting the large jacuzzi tub in their bathroom. We figured that the kids are the ones who use the big tub in our bathroom now and they never use their little bathtub in their bathroom so it just made sense. We really didn't have the room for one in our bathroom anyway.
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Both Gracie and Fletcher were born at home in our current jacuzzi tub and in my mind, there is nothing like giving birth in the water. Honestly I am a little bit scared at the thought of not being able to do so this time around but I am keeping peace knowing that it's all in God's hands and He will take care of all the details like when I give birth, where I give birth, and how much of the house is completed at that time. I figure Maggie is coming when she's ready whether things are finished or not and in the end it really doesn't make much of a difference. One way or another it will all get done and I will even be able to help a little bit more once I've recovered from birth compared to what I can help out with now. But we still going to try to get that tub in before she comes and maybe, just maybe I can have my third and very much wanted water birth.
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When I'm not at the new house working, I have been keeping up with homeschooling as well as packing up our house here. My dining room is filled with packed boxes and last weekend we nearly got the attic emptied out. All of this has made this pregnancy fly by. I just can't believe it's nearly over and I do get sad thinking that it is. But I can't even say how excited I am to see my girl and to have her here present in our lives. We all are beyond excited.
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(the majority of these pictures are from almost a month ago but again, the computer is being stubborn so for now, this is all I've got...)





getting ready for our girl
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colton's bamboo room in the making



the kids are all learning great work ethics from this project

they are hard workers but sometimes they get a little too loud and we have to do this...


isn't our black house lovely? I think the tar paper is growing on me slightly ; ) I can't wait to see it finished with the new siding
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we inherited this cool pink crusier when Josh's aunt recently passed away

the kids ride up and down the street, ring, ring..

and uncle austin came out to give the birthday boy a ride
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the kids think we have the world's cutest neighbors

One of our neighbors has sheep and every now and then they sneak out and take a walk up and down our street. Lucy is training to become a good sheep dog as she always knows how to get them back into their fence safely.

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On another both sad and happy note, we had to say goodbye to my brother Brian, his awesome wife Kelly and two sweet girls Ava and Kaya who moved to Costa Rica in the middle of September. We are so super excited for them knowing what an awesome experience this will be for them, but we sure will miss them to say the very least. The girls have started a school that is taught in Spanish only and so far are adjusting pretty well. We are so looking forward to them coming home in December for a visit, to meet their newest little niece and cousin and to maybe even learn a little spanish from them.
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While they are away they've given us their beloved candle to remind ourselves that even though we are apart, we are all connected as family and will always be. The kids love lighting it and saying the names of the each person while picking out who's who.

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Here are a few pictures from our sleepover just before they took off...

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oh how we miss them already!!!
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the cats have loved having plenty of boxes to perch upon
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This is a picture from mine and Fletcher's birthday morning, September 20th, before we left for church. Hopefully I can load more pictures of our special day soon.

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This whole journey sure has been one wild ride but sometimes you just have to close your eyes and go for it!

And know that in the end you will safely land... somehow!

Peace and Tranquility

Amidst all the busyness of our lives these days (with raising three little ones, being the life source of another, running a business, house showings and the BIG project among all of little ones) we still manage to make time in our lives for a little bit of peacefulness. Many times that means going to our "farmhouse" as Fletch calls it to relax by the pond and watch the sun set. I guess the fact that it is surrounded by donkeys, horses, cows, lamas, goats and farm birds qualifies it as being a farmhouse even though no animals reside on our land. Yet.
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The inside is a complete construction zone which isn't the most suitable place for little ones or clumsy pregnant women to be hanging out it (yes, I'm totally referring to me) but the outside is quite nice. In fact we love it!












It really wasn't that dark out but I love how these next shots made it appear to be.


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As far as the house redo goes, the drywallers are finishing up their end of the project and we'll be ready for paint soon! I have been busy flipping through the Benjamin Moore color wheel trying to come up with the perfect color choices. NOT EASY!
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The exterior is ready for the hardiplank to be put on then it can be painted. Our new (old) front door awaits paint and then it can also be hung.
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The wood floors have about 2 more weeks of adjusting to the indoor air temperature before they can be installed. We decided to go with solid Heart Pine and then stain and seal them ourselves after they are installed. I am so excited to see how they turn out!



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And I continue to work on my little projects while preparing to teach 1st and 3rd grade.



All the books are ready and will start to collect dust if we don't start soon!





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Our little girl will be turning 6 next Saturday and is counting down the weeks until she can hold her baby sister in her arms. Only 14 more to go! She is trying to convince me to allow Maggie to sleep in her bed with her for her first night here. Obviously not happening but I'm sure she will be a huge help to me in so many ways. I think Maggie is going to be a busy little one like her big brother Fletcher. If the fact that Lori my midwife chased her and chased her until finally she had to pin her down and hold her to one side of my belly on Wednesday to get her heart rate count is any sign that she's going to be a handful, I think I'll be grateful that I have my Gracie girl here to help.

Big News!!!

Our newest little girl will have a room of her own! I still can't believe it but we closed on our new h0use today! Celebrate 10 years of marriage, have an ultrasound, buy a new house...all in a days work I say!

We were so pleased to stumble across the perfect little 5 bedroom 4 bath home to meet the needs of our growing family and all the boys in our household couldn't be any more excited that it is perched in the middle of 5 acres!

And I say... bring on the chickens!!! I'm gonna be ready this time!