{somewhere in between}

A friend was joking with me about being homeless, but it's kind of true.  We've almost closed on the house we're moving out of, and we've almost closed on the house we're moving into, so technically we own one of them, but what it really feels like is that we don't have a home at all.  Weird.  We're somewhere in between here and there, which is a very interesting place to be.

For the time being, we're living in a hotel, which I have to say, isn't all bad.  It means someone else making the beds, cleaning the bathroom, and taking out the trash. It also means a huge pool, movies and microwave popcorn anytime we want them.  On the downside, it includes eating out for very meal (which really does get old pretty quickly), cramped quarters, and kids never getting to bed on time.  I'm also wondering about the person who designed our room. It has three queen beds, which clearly was meant for families, yet between the very low locks, the water faucet on the edge of the counter, and a balcony, we've discovered it's definitely not 2 year old-proof.  Okay, not Henry-proof.  ☺

I think when you have movers come and pack you, it's even harder to digest that you're actually moving.  It's the fourteenth time we've moved, but only the first that we haven't had boxes stacked up throughout the house during those weeks before.  This time it crept up on me, with no piles of boxes to remind me what was quickly approaching.  

My little boys were SO excited when this gigantic truck parked itself in front of our house.  It took everything we had to keep them out of it, but they did find their way up the ramp several times.  One of us needed to be at the house, so Rick was the one who was there most of time, while I did all the errands and took care of kids.  Honestly, I couldn't bring myself to be there while they were packing everything up.

Three days later, it was on its way to Texas!  

We also said goodbye this week to an old friend...one who has been in our family since before Ryan was born. 

We tend to keep cars for a really long time, and have actually only replaced them when we outgrew them. We bought this car a few months before Ryan was born, and he came from home the hospital in it.  It's been a great car, but after putting over 200,000 miles on it, it was time for it to retire from family life.  I know it probably sounds weird, but it was sad to drive away without it.  The kids are still talking about the "speeder car".  Lots of fond memories, for sure. We will need to buy a new car for Rick as soon as we get to Texas--already I can tell we are not a one car family!  

Our truck was also shipped out today, and we won't see it for about a week and a half. It's funny--I wasn't  there when they picked it up, but I passed it on the road and had to hurry to get my camera out so I could take a picture!  

In the meantime, we are driving a rental.  Apparently, a sign that you have too many many little kids is when they don't have enough car seats for us to rent--and have to go buy new ones, lol.  I also quickly remembered that we don't fit in a mini van, and why we didn't buy one when the boys were born.  It is brand new though, and pretty darn fancy!

After a week of movers, packing, tons of paperwork, even more phone calls, and hotel life, I'm ready to have a place to call home again.  

{emma's milestone}

Emma has some exciting news to report!!!  

She is now an official two-wheeler girl!  We got the call while we were in Texas, and we couldn't wait to get home and watch her in person!

Emma tends to be on the very cautious side, and doesn't really want to attempt something unless she's pretty certain it will come out alright in the end.  I'd been talking to her about taking her training wheels off for awhile, and I knew she really wanted to, but she was nervous that she wouldn't be able to do it, despite my encouragement. I could also tell that she didn't want to try for the first time in front of Kate--not because Kate wasn't supportive, but I understood. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is be vulnerable in front of someone who excels at the very thing you're trying to do, and I think that was the case here.  So, while we were gone, my dad took Emma outside all by herself, and she was up and going in no time.  She actually learned very quickly, and took to it like a natural!  

Now the girls are choreographing bike rides down the street and into the cul-de-sac, and it's so fun to watch them do it together.

Way to go, Emmagirl! You were so brave, and we're so proud of you!  We ♥ you!  

{eagle scout}

What a journey.

Monday night was one of the most exciting, scary, and proud moments of life, when the District Scout Council bestowed upon Ryan the title of Eagle Scout.  

It was the culmination of several years of hard work, especially the last six months. Despite being only 13, he really wanted to complete it before we moved to Texas, so he could finish up with all the leaders that have worked so hard and tirelessly to help him along the way.   All of his scouting experiences have been here in Midland, and it seemed appropriate to finish them here as well.  He was done with his merit badges quite awhile ago, but it has taken that long to get his project planned, coordinated, and completed, along with MOUNDS of paperwork. Ryan and I worked together on it, and I have to say, they have been some of my favorite moments with him---ones I will treasure.  

Rick was out of town on Monday night, so I piled all the kids in the car and we headed to a church downtown where the District Council would be interviewing Ryan, and conducting the Board of Review.  He had a wonderful leader come and serve as his troop representative, and he even did a little babysitting with his iPad, too. ☺ The district rep came out and explained everything to Ryan--exactly how it would work, the order that it would go in, and even told him his first two questions, so he could start mentally preparing.  She was so kind, and worked really hard to make him feel as relaxed as possible.  When it came time, I wasn't able to go with him, but his troop leader could, and we were both glad of it.  I kissed him, squeezed his hand, told him I loved him, wished him luck, and watched him walk away.

The kids and I had a while to wait, so we took a walk downtown, where there was plenty to keep them entertained.  We had a great time, but we will have to work on the notion that you need a parent to cross the street, especially when you are two years old.  

When we got back, they still weren't finished yet, which meant trying to keep them all quiet in a small area, and stop them from running up and down the very long and apparently irresistible hallways.  Finally, he and his leader came out, and we all waited together while the council discussed Ryan, and came to a final decision.  About ten minutes later, we were all invited back in, where they gave us the GREAT news! I started to cry--it was a very emotional experience for me. There is just nothing like watching your child work so hard on something, and the see them achieve their goal--it was wonderful. I wish I had a picture of Ryan's face--he just could not stop grinning!

He requested Dairy Queen afterward--I think he definitely deserved it.  

Congratulations, Ryan--we love you!  

{at home with gramme & poppy}

My parents have really had the chance to have a lot of time with my kids over the last month.  They came to visit us, and to be here to stay with the kids while I was gone to Texas on both house hunting trips, which was wonderful--we literally could not have done it without them.

One of my trips had to be postponed at the last minute, and when it was re-scheduled, the flight was for the next day.  I was able to just go hop on a plane to meet Rick and be gone within 24 hours. Yes, it's TRUE!!! That NEVER happens when you have five kids and both of you are traveling--usually it's an insane amount of organizing, planning, juggling, and hours of preparation, so it was literally like a dream. I was even in first class, thanks to Rick's status--I pretended I was a great world traveler, me and my pink polka dot luggage, all the way to Detroit.  :) 

Okay, enough about me, lol.  Back on the home front, my parents had everything under control.  My dad took the kids to the park everyday (just wait until you see the contraption he made to take all four kids behind his bike) and played with them every minute of the day.  My mom did all the laundry, kept up our nightly chapter reading, made yummy treats, and they both kept the house so neat and clean!  They went on lots of adventures, had movie nights & sleepovers, went to breakfast, and had individual dates with the kids, which they are still talking about.

My mom took a bunch of pictures from their stay, including their trip to the Nature Center, and a few shots from around the house.  I'm so glad she did, because then I get a peek at all the fun they had!

 

The first trip I went on was seven days, which is the longest I have ever been away from my kids.  I missed them terribly, and all I wanted to do was kiss their fat cheeks, squeeze their arms and chubby hands, then look in their eyes and tell them how much I love them and missed them.

Thanks, Gramme &  Poppy, for a wonderful visit!  We love you!

{a home tour: texas edition}

 I joined Rick in Houston again this past week in order to finalize our house plans, along with about a million other things. I'm happy to say that we accomplished everything we needed to, and I'm feeling good that my list has gone down a little bit.  

We now have reservations for hotels both the week we move (we need to be out of the house for three days while the movers are there), and the week we arrive (where we will stay until our things get there), rental cars on both ends--since our truck is being shipped at the same time as our house items, flights for all seven of us to Houston (which was quite the feat, I have to say!), and closing dates for both homes (and even on the same day!).  

Finding a new home was a huge project, and one I'm glad to say is mostly finished.  The Woodlands is a booming area, and we found it more difficult to find a house than we had previously thought it would be.  Due to a high water table, there aren't any basements, which really threw us for a loop. We've never been without one (at least since our apartment days)!  Rick has a lot of tools that are all in the basement workshop of our home now, and we had to have a place for them.  That meant only being able to look at houses that had a 3 car garage, and it really reduced availability.  After looking at several houses, we realized that not many people have 5 kids and 1000 pounds of wheat, lol!  Without a basement option, we also needed to find a home that had enough storage space on the main floors to house all of our food storage

Finding a home with good-sized yard was really important to me.  I know that I'm really spoiled right now--our house sits on almost an acre in the country, with tons of beautiful trees, and I absolutely love it, but I knew I wouldn't be able to find anything like it.  I really wanted room for my kids to run and play, and since we are are going to be outside a lot, I wanted to give them plenty of space! Texas is wonderful for other reasons, but in the area where we will be living, large lots just aren't available. It's all about master planned communities (which definitely have their upsides), but it's just not the same. 

 In the end, we totally lucked out and found a brand-new house on a decent-sized lot, and although the footprint of our house takes up a lot of space (it's 3800 square feet, with 3100sq on the main floor, along with a 3.5 car garage), it still left us pretty good-sized backyard.  It's on the very back street of the community, with a greenbelt across the street, which means lots of trees!!  There is an Olympic-sized pool, splash park, fitness center, tennis court, and playground, just a 5 minute walk from our house, and the elementary school is just another minute or two past that.  Our new church building is within 10 minutes, and the ward has a huge youth group, with an even bigger Primary and nursery.  

So, without further ado...welcome to our new home!  (I did have pictures of the front, but my hard drive crashed, and they were lost.  I'll add them once we move.)

View from the front door, into the house:

On the immediate right is the study, followed by the formal dining room.  The hallway to the left (just after the closet) leads to the laundry room, garage, guest bath/Ryan's bath, and Ryan's room. 

Study:

Formal Dining Room: 

Laundry Room:  

(I'm really going to miss the laundry room I have now!  Out of all the houses I looked at, none of the laundry areas were much bigger than this.  I would have given up my formal dining in a heartbeat for more space in here!)

Guest/Ryan's Bath:

Ryan's room: 

Kitchen:

Dining Room: 

(The blue tape you see on the floor is to mark where they are removing the carpet and adding more tile.  Carpet under an island where little boys and girls will be eating?  Not such a great idea!)

Family Room:

Children's Retreat:

Yes, that's what it's called!  In the photo above, you can see two arched doorways. The one on the right leads to the master bedroom and bathroom, and the one on the left goes to what the builders have called a "children's retreat". which is like their own little wing of the house!  It has a small playroom, which we'll use for books, puzzles, and games, along with two bedrooms and a bathroom. It's perfect for my four little ones, and one of my favorite things about the house.  

Small Playroom

Jack & Henry's Room

Kate & Emma's Room

Kids' Bath

Master Bedroom:

Master Bath:

Master Closet:

Upstairs: Playroom and Bath

Back Porch & Yard:

(Ceiling fans will be installed on the porch as soon as we arrive!)

While we love it, it doesn't feel like "home" yet, but that's okay.  

Home is where our family is, and right now, we have a few more weeks to eek out all the enjoyment we can here in Michigan, in the house we love and call home.