Sit Down and Relax…

This might take a while.

Though we’ve been quiet here on our blog our lives haven’t been such. The madness started over three weeks ago when we started the work on our house. The Realtor came in and told us our house was in great condition but it still needed a little work. Two weeks, one garage sale, several ATM visits, and a lot of labor later and we were done. “The Stager”, Brenda, really did an amazing job showing us how to prepare our house and get it ready for showings. I had no idea these people even existed but what a difference it made. We didn’t want to sell the house after everything we did to make it so beautiful!

I can only view the last several weeks (actually months) like a complex jigsaw puzzle. Thinking about all that needed to be done, prioritizing everyone’s needs, and then maintaining some sense of normalcy for the kids was overwhelming at times. I can’t remember a time in my life when so many different, but equally important things, demanded our attention. Yet the pieces just fell in place. God has taken care of every detail so beautifully that there hasn’t been a day gone by that I haven’t sat in awe at His provision, protection and care. Three weeks ago we were told that our house would be competing against growing competition, we would be paying money at closing and that it could be on the market for a long time.

After we finished the work our Realtor looked at the house again and told us we should raise the selling price. We agreed. It was listed late on a Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday morning (not even 18 hours after we listed) I was shopping with Hannah when our Realtor called. An offer had been made on the house. A family that had looked at 40 houses prior to ours fell in love when they walked in. They had several requests for items that were not originally in the listing so we raised the price (again) to account for the items they wanted and they accepted. We’re told that the hard work begins now (inspector coming, etc.) but we feel really good about what has happened and we’re told that we might walk away with a little cash instead of paying. After the house was officially done we packed our bags and headed north to Plano, TX where we spent some very special time with Mimi, Pops, Nana and Ray. We had a wonderful weekend and the kids were showered with love from everyone. Saturday was a great day for Blaine especially because we went to the Fort Worth Zoo (which is ranked as one of the top 5 zoos in the country.) It was spectacular and so big we didn’t get to see everything. That didn’t matter though because Blaine was able to see his favorite animals – the cheetah and the sharks. Hannah’s favorite part was being carried around by Pops the whole time and sleeping in the stroller. And then Sunday was Mother’s Day. We had a lovely brunch with Pops' side of the family and ended the evening with Mimi’s famous cooking and some wonderful family time. Mmmm. Thanks Mimi, Pops, Nana and Ray for loving on us all weekend.

Monday morning came bright and early as the kids and I caught a 6:15 AM (yes, I said 6:15 AM) flight out of Dallas to Michigan. David was headed back to Austin to fly with his new boss to Boulder for his first week of work after dropping us off. I asked the woman at the ticket counter if I could get an escort pass for David so he could help us all back to the gate and she agreed. What a huge help it turned out to be. We were a bit rushed at the gate though so our goodbye to Daddy was cut short and I had to peel a sobbing boy off of David as we boarded the plane. Blaine was crying and yelling, “Daddy, I want you to come with us. I don’t want you to go.” I felt so sad that I started crying too but quickly realized that if all three of us were crying that wouldn’t be good. So I maintained my composure and whisked our little ones onto the plane. I dreaded the flight for a long time but it ended up not being terrible at all.

Blaine was a champ and Hannah Grace was, well, Hannah Grace. She is still young enough to be a lap child so in order to save several hundred dollars I decided to not get Hannah a seat. Luckily our first flight was not full so she got her own seat. I had enough fruit snacks and books and movies to keep her happy for about an hour. Blaine also had a DVD player which can keep him content for about two hours. Our second flight was not as awesome. HG was fidgety and bossy and the man sitting next to us had nowhere else to go because the flight was completely full (poor guy!). He said he didn’t mind… though I find it hard to believe that he didn’t care about Hannah pinching his arm hair, throwing fruit snacks in his lap and trying to share her Ba-Ba (pacifier) with him. He was a good sport though. There was also a sweet couple behind us that played peek-a-boo with Hannah the last half of our flight.

When we arrived in Detroit I breathed a sigh of relief. We made it! Blaine led the way off the plane, his cute little carry-on right behind him, to our stroller which was waiting for us. I strapped Hannah in the seat and she started coughing, which led to gagging which led to vomiting. This wasn’t just a little spit up, this was the real deal. Poor darling started crying and threw up some more – soaking her clothes. I ran to the airplane and asked for napkins as Blaine ran excitedly away from me to find GG and Papa. A nice Southwest employee stopped him and sent him back down the jetway to me. Reason #89 why I don’t eat McDonalds and why my children don’t and shouldn’t! Especially a McDonalds at the airport – Ew!

We found baggage claim and GG and Papa. After changing Hannah we were on our way. Monday was a lazy day because we were all tired from getting up at 4:15 AM. Everyone went to bed early and took long naps the next day. Much of Tuesday was spent emailing with our Realtor and getting the house listed. You know how that story ends. (Thank you God!) Wednesday and Thursday I was glued to the computer lining up rental properties for us to visit this weekend while both David and I are in Boulder. I think we have 7 total to look at right now.

I barely talked to David this week so we’re both looking forward to being together this weekend. In fact, I’m en route to Denver right now. I have never left Blaine (4 years old) or HG overnight with anyone. Of course we have went on some dates but the longest I think we’ve been away has been a half day. This trip out to Boulder is really important, not just so we can find a house and get a feeling for the different areas but also to get some time alone and have some adult time. Blaine has been glued to Papa for the entire week. Papa happens to like many things that Blaine does: being outside from sunrise to sunset, play in the dirt and in the forest, fish, and sit by the campfire – so Blaine has been in heaven. I haven’t been able to get the dirt scrubbed off that boy at night sine we’ve been in MI.

David seems to be enjoying his new role and company. I am so proud of him for going for this position and so excited that they were able to see what he could offer and jumped at the opportunity to hire him. For the first time in my life I won’t be working and David will be the primary breadwinner. It’s a bit scary but it also feels like this is where we both belong right now. I started working at the age of 14 and worked all through high school and college. Nearly 20 years in the work force – the last four years I’ve been a stay-at-work mom (I was fortunate enough to bring the kids to work with me.) I have always loved my work outside the home but I also see the value of work inside the home. I’m certain that at some point in the future I will want to do something part time on the side but for now my focus will be on the kids and getting us settled in Colorado. On the way to the airport Hannah kept telling Mom and I that she lived in “Colohado” and when I told her that I was going to look for a house with Daddy she smiled. Then I told her that I was going to find her a big bedroom. Her big beautiful eyes got big and she opened her mouth like she was shocked. She said, “Big room – Hannah room!” Then she kept saying “Colohado” and “Hannah room.”

Let’s see, I think that about does it for the update. I’ve only called home to check on the kids twice since I’ve been gone (4 hours) –and I think that’s pretty good! At some point I think my parents will probably stop answering the phone. :)  My dad is competing in a fishing tournament in the morning and my mom has a 5K so Cousin Leslie and Great Grandma Crower are double teaming the kiddos. I’ve also asked Leslie to make sure GG and Papa are following the four page instruction sheet I left for the kids (just kidding…) :)

Here are some pictures from the last week.  (I'm sure you'll be able to tell... but Blaine took the first few.)