Growing Up Fast

I thought staying home would be so slow. Granted most of my "stay at home" experience has been moving and in-moving ;) but these girls are just blossoming. 

F started potty training herself. Here's a pic of her on Dave's GM's pontoon (bottomless) as he has a bathroom on it and F used it about 10x's. 

Pete, Dave's GM, loves kids and invited us for a pontoon ride. The girls got to drive and easily found the throttle. 

Miss E learned quickly how to tie and requested her own pair or "tie shoes". She tied these all by herself!

Baby Green Thumbs

Planting some annuals around our fire&line hydrangea, named "Montgomery". Mulch next when daddy makes some. 

Wasn't sure how the clothesline would work but so far so good. Kinda cool to attach from standing up on the deck. 

Outdoor Gardening

We have a beautiful flag in our front yard. However it was FILLED w/ grass, bulbs, and was completely root bound. So I left my sleeping babes, including the Hubie, in the house while I cranked the tunes and dug in the dirt & cleaned up the bushes for 3 hrs. 

After: the fire & ice hydrangea our realtor gave to us. In 5 years it should be 5' high and around. The girls & I will be mulching and adding a few annuals to pretty it up for the next few years. 

These poor bushes & grounds have been poorly neglected for the last few years. The original owners did a beautiful job. The subsequent owners ... Ahh. Anyway they seem much happier and so were the bees. 

No I'm not lactating or peeing my pants. This is what 80*+and hard work look like!

Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning the New Home

Would you drink this? No? Then why walk or lie on it? This is what came out when I Shampooed carpets today. This was from the "clean" part of the carpets. I still have a lot to do, but I cannot lie or walk w/o shoes knowing if they're not clean. 

The Long Process of Moving In

Moving in doesn't stop at: bring your stuff in, set up, & live. This girl is still making it comfy for her girls today. 

The girls both have 2 smaller windows vs 1 large window in each bedroom. I took their bedroom curtains and cut them in half to make them into 2 sets. 

"Half" done. 

My makeshift sewing spot. 

Time for a little R&R after all that hard work. 

Sparrows & Dust.

Matthew 10:14
^"If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet."

This is the scripture I quoted to David when his position, along with 44 others, was severed from work.  I have not been fired from a job (technically - that's another post), so I do not know what it is like to give 100% of your time and talent all for it to be shoved away and unappreciated.  We talked it through and believe that he was let go mainly because he has integrity and his tenancy to stand up for others.  Some companies do not appreciate that in their staff.  That is also why I believe I was promised a part time position that was retracted 3 wks later -- I ask the tough questions.  Some companies just want door mats, robots.  David and I aren't that. No one in our families are so how can we be expected to just do without asking, "why?"

I posted recently a timeline of our job loses, job gains, & house buying and selling.  GOD IS IN CHARGE.  I have not a doubt.  I told my girlfriend at work "if He takes care of the sparrow, he'll take care of us" when we were in the early stages of 2 lost jobs and nowhere to go from there and she asked the tough question..."now what?".  When I left her for the last time 10 wks later, she had given me a beautiful framed picture of an older lady feeding birds and it says "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God...even the very hairs of your head are numbered.  So don't be afraid, you are worth more than a flock of sparrows."  Ironic as she didn't remember me telling her the sparrow quote.  This is now my new favorite decoration in my home. 

The last mass we celebrated at our home town, I sat in the pew drinking it all in.  My eyes wet with tears.  This was where I was married, where my babies were baptized, where I was accepted into the church.  Just when I thought those around me would notice, my friend Teri stood up and she read these words from the 2nd reading: 2 Cor 12:10 "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." "...when I am weak, then I am strong."

And so we moved July 11. We attended our first mass at our new parish the next day and what do you think the Gospel was that day?: Mark 6:7-13 "wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.  Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust of your feet in testimony against them."  And I love that whenever I tell people I'm new they reply with a smile or a handshake and say, "well welcome to town!"

I had to laugh.  I always say God is in control, but when you realize that you aren't the one holding the steering wheel it IS a scary feeling.  You feel watched, out of control, scared, intimidated.  Anyone with an ounce of faith can see He lives.
God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.

Bemidji Art in the Park

Very similar to Land of the Loon in Virginia, Bemidji had their art in the park this wkend. We got to taste some treats from some local vendors, bought some CDs from local artists while dancing to their live music, & met Paul & Babe. Poor daddy had to go back to the old house and cleanup and put some insulation up under the house. So it was just a girls' day. Beautiful and 80* but mostly everything was in the shade. Kinda sad my first real outing and having that sinking feeling of not seeing ONE familiar face. That's what I love most about these things. But we're getting established and having fun doing it. 

Having lunch in in the grass with our new mermaid dollies.  

Fun at the park. 

07/11/2015 the Big Move

My little squished sweeties. Hey look there's room for more!

Back of my van before adding more to nearly touch the ceiling. 

Hubie's truck and a full 26' Uhaul

Preparing to Move:

Friday 7/10 LOADING UP TO MOVE:

8:00 am Sent out Dish satellite box. 

10;45 Met prior owners cleaning out new home. Awkward. 

Walk through & closing at 11:00 & noon. Wrote check for $250 for reimbursed propane. Pre-owners dug hostas per our permission. 

Dropped off car, bike, & 4wheeler. 

Hubie's work: picked up dual-axel trailor to bring tractor. Realized ball too small for hitch. Stopped to get 2 5/16" ball. 

3 construction stops on hwy 2.

Called rapid rental to get Gary to sign off on Uhaul truck before they close at 5.

Text Jer, Troy, & James about delay. 

Truck's check engine light on. Hubie pulls over to tighten wires. Better. 

Gary said Jrs truck blew brake line & Jen couldn't get Gary's van to start. Truck fixed. Van not. Bad battery?

Mom babysitting girls. Gives ride to David to uhaul on her way home. 

Troy, Jer, James, Rowland's & Gary work from 6pm-10pm loading the 26' uhaul like a game of Tetris. 

'Slept' on floor. Online journaling at 3am since I can't sleep. 

Thanking God for these awesome people in my life!!!

The Big Move

Last Park Play date with Maki Kiddos

Playing 'Chicken'?

This partridge has been playing chicken with me a couple of times a week lately. It's amazing. I can always hear them when I'm in the house. I can feel the drumming of their wings in the back of the neck, like the slow startup of a 2-cycle engine. Love these little critters, but this one has been slowing me up lately. 

4th of July Sparklers

Poor baby got burned after grabbing the top of an already-burnt sparkler too soon. Lesson learned. 

Felicity Turns the Big 0-2!!!

Today was her actual bday so E,F, & I went for a DQ hot fudge sundae!

Catriana, Jacie, Trevor, E, Isabella, Matt, F, Brecken, & Wm

The Grandmas & The Papas

The little miss picked out her own 'meow' cake. 

Daddy teaching how to blow out a candle. 

Whirl Wind of Recent Events

04/01/2015 - I put in my notice that I am leaving my job & agree to stay on until they hire a new OT (which turned out to be 10 wks later).
05/01/2015 - David has a voicemail from a headhunter to work at Potlatch. He doesn't return call.
05/04/2015 - David, along with 44 other employees, gets severed from his position. Same day David returns the Potlatch phone call and gets a phone interview set up.
05/06/2015 - Potlatch phone interview
05/07/2015 - Christi starts her 2nd vial of allergy shots w/o reaction (yeah!). 15 down, 30 to go until maintenance.
05/08/2015 - Face to face interview
05/13/52015 - David has phone interview in Two Harbors. Potlatch makes offer.
05/14/2015 - David drives to Chanhassen for interview.  Potlatch offers to help move us since David explains our hesitation to relocate.
05/16/2015 - David accept Potlatch offer.
05/20/2015 - David goes to have drug testing, physical, and background check.
05/22/2015 - Went to look at 5 houses.
05/23/2015 - Dave uses tractor to smooth out parents new crushed rock driveway.  Girls & I attended babysitter's grad party - come to find out she's attending college in the same town we are moving to & offered to babysit for us - super yeah! Attended nephew Matthew's first communion party.
05/26/2015 - David and I go to take 2nd look at farm house and make offer.  Got outbid & lost house.
05/29/2015 - Made offer on 50220 House and they accepted offer. 
06/05/2015 - New house's radon level is 16pCi/L. Needs to be 4 or below. Inspection went well.
06/05/2015 - Listed our house.  Did our own radon test and it came back at 1.0pCi/L.
06/12/2015 - My last day of work. Started @ GA 11/13/2006. Had nice lunch with the "old" crew as they were all there filling in for the day (Steve, Penny, Sherry, Laurie, Susie, & newby Tania).
06/18/2015 - Sold our house.  Buyer wants to close on 07/24/2015.
06/22/2015 - House inspection on our current home. Went well. Contingency removed.
06/23/2015 - Radon mitigation system installed on new house.
07/10/2015 - Planning to close on our new house - was supposed to be the 13th, but this gives us 1 more wkend to move.
07/24/2015 - Planning to close on current home.

Whew!! NOW I'm caught up ... I think. :)
Praise God for making this all possible.

Pumpkin Bread

I substituted butter for oil 1:1 and it turned out great. YUM!!!

One of MANY Ice-cream Bucket Uses:

Dora in the House?

I laugh to myself as I hear the kids playing together and Elizabeth tells Felicity, "Gracias Sissy". And the little one replies, "Nada." Supposed to be denada, but it works.
E is also trying to teach F to count to 10 in Spanish, but Felicity is just trying to learn in English.
I think we've been taking in a little too much Dora!!

Felicity Joy nearing 2

My little Joy Joy is a free spirit. She loves her mommy & daddy and adores playing with her big sister "Doc". Her most recent sayings are "day-do mama (thank you mama)" and "I get it daddy". She went from no words to sentences over nigh it seems. She is very adamant about her 'nacks.  The letter 'a' still comes out her nose, but occasionally springs from her lips. 

Morgan (& James') Baby Shower

Baby Brooks #9 is going to be making his debut 8/8/15-tentatively. So we threw a baby shower for Morgan at my home this Sunday. My sisters and I make a great team. Good food & games. That little boy is going to be so loved by these last 4 girl cousins - smothered is probably more like it (Bry knows not to smother anymore! Hehe). 

James and Morgan are selling their home and renovating a new one. Hope they have a place for all the nice stuff they got!