God has a sense of humor

So the first few nights in our new house, I prayed a blessing over this home. I asked God to help it be a place where He is the center and that people would feel his love and kindness when they came here. I prayed that I would not let this house be an idol for me and that instead I would use it to serve Him and have it be a safe place where my kids grow in Him and learn from Scott and I. I also prayed that I would not worry about everything having to be perfect and just enjoy this beautiful home that God has blessed us with. Well, be careful what you pray for, lol!!

In the first week here, God made sure to keep me at my word!! It all started with Oliver getting his hands on a pen during our first full day of living here . . . and drawing all over the walls! Yes, he got in trouble, but I was able to find some humor in the situation (it was just paint, after all). The list continues. Since we've moved in, there is a chip in the kitchen tile & a scratch in my countertop, the finish in the bottom of my stainless steel sink was somehow stripped from something we washed in there, there is a dent in my laminate, and Oliver pulled so hard on my beroom curtains that the rod ripped right out of the wall! Yes God, I hear you. Nothing in this world can ever be perfect - I'll leave that job up to you.

Oliver is caught in the act of drawing on - count 'em - FIVE walls with four different paint colors.

Dry Spell for Blogging = lots of CRAZY changes!

So to say that I've slacked of in my blogging is, well, a gross understatement! So much has been happening since the end of summer. Our lives have been turned up and down and all around. I'll just give a quick recap. August was so insanely busy for me. We had been toying with the idea of building a house for about a year, and near the end of July, the plans were kicked into high gear! So the rest of summer was filled with finalizing blueprints, getting quotes from too many tradespeople to count, purchasing a lot, putting our house up for sale (never mind the cleaning and the showings!!) and trying to make sense of it all!! By September 2nd our house was started and our home in Morris was sold within a few weeks of being on the market! I was SO glad to have all of those last-minute showings over with, let me tell you. But, we had a decision to make about where to live, seeing as our move out date was December 1st and we were only expecting our new place to be ready in February or March. We ended up deciding to move in at my Mom and Dad's. They had a TON of space for us (3 large bedrooms) and we could have the basement pretty much to ourselves. It was also great to have Mom and Cristina around to help with the kids when I had to run all over the place doing errands and house visits. So, at the end of November we packed up our cozy little house and left the only home that we as a married couple and the kids have ever known. It was sad, but we were still excited about what the next few months would bring. Christmas and the month of December were like a whirlwind, so we really only settled into a routine there sometime in January. The kids did great - they loved all of the fun and attention at Nana and Papa's house. There was virtually no adjustment period for them and Kalia only asked about our "regular house" in Morris once or twice. We all got along really well there (for the most part) and I am so amazed and thankful at how willing Mom, Dad, and Cristina were to add the turmoil of our family of four to their daily lives. Dad and Scott spent a lot of long evenings working at the new house, and we made it a real adventure for the kids to go visit the house and familiarize themselves with it. Especially Oliver always loved checking out all the action. Kalia's favorite part was making a map of where all of the rooms were going to be. So now, all of the craziness of decisions, phone calls and decision making is over!! We officially moved on March 17th, spending our first night in our new home. Now I am left with boxes, boxes, and more boxes, but we are slowly settling in and making this into a warm and cozy place to live. Am I going to become a regular blogger now, you ask?? I suppose only time will tell, but I think I'm going to try posting once a week. For now the only pictures I have the energy to leave you with are pictures of leaving the Morris house, and of moving day into the new house. Enjoy!

Goodbye House! We'll miss you!
Empty Living Room :(

Dining Room (which was really just part of the living room)

Master Bedroom

Kalia and Oliver's room. I was sorry to leave these stripes behind. They were so much work, and I absolutely loved this room. I was not at all sick of the paint yet!

Little white Kitchen - NOT sorry to leave you!

Last bedtime in the Morris house, we had lots of laughs and snuggles. It was the perfect evening, actually. A great way to leave the house with smiles and happy memories.

AND . . .

MOVING DAY INTO THE NEW HOUSE!!!

The kids sat on Kalia's bed in her new room and watched a video while all of the moving was being done in the afternoon! It just so happened that the day we moved was the day that Mom takes Cristina in to school, so I had no one to help me pack or take care of the kids. They did great though and were no trouble at all! The packing on the other hand . . . including Scott there were EIGHT men working on the house and the moving, and only ONE of me packing and organizing!! I think I did pretty well though, ha ha. Oliver's room. Lots of sorting to do, since the kids have shared a room up until now.The kitchen was the most overwhelming room to me as far as unpacking was concerned. Luckily my super-organized Aunt came over all day Thursday and helped me unpack and sort everything out. She was great for coming up with suggestions for how to use the space in the best ways possible! I even have a few empty cupboards!!

The dining room. Our old set of table and chairs look a little small and out of place in this space! Luckily our new set is on order and on the way :)

Our bedroom. The boxes and bags and suitcases all got packed into the walk in closet, so this room looks fairly tame!

The living room with all of its South-facing windows!

More living room mess

So luckily this is not how the house looks anymore! I got a lot of help with unpacking that evening and the next day, and now I have only one box in sight on the main floor. I am getting very excited to find places for all of my decorative items and make the finishing touches. Once everything is "pretty" I'll post some more pictures of the whole house and maybe even a little video! See you soon (that is any of you that are still following this blog after such a long time away, lol!)