Denial

Still here.

I think that for a while there I was thinking that if we could just get through the boards, closing on the house, and moving cross country then I would be able to exhale.

Ha! Instead, I found myself surrounded by a mess of boxes, furniture, and hungry children at 9 AM Sunday morning, realizing that the exhale was still a ways away.

I started packing about six months ago. Seriously. I knew it would take me a while and I had some nesting urges at the end of my pregnancy with Sadie so I started packing. It's been steading coming together and exactly one week before the move, I had pretty much everything but the kitchen in boxes or packed. Then, Jack got sick and I spent the four days I planned to do the kitchen and tie up loose ends taking care of a sick little one.

By the time I got the packing train going again, I knew that I was behind, but I thought it would still be manageable. So with J out of town Sunday night, I started working in the kitchen. I realized that I had never packed my kitchen before. Seriously. It's a lot of work.

When we moved from Charlottesville, VA, after J's medical school graduation, we had some good friends come over the night before we were supposed to leave. I was in such denial that we were leaving. It was our first home and our first community as a married couple, and I was devastated to leave. Bo was only about three months old so I did not do much ahead of time. The afternoon that our small group was coming to help us I decided to cook dinner for everyone. When the got to our apartment, we had lots of empty boxes and a crock pot full of dinner. I'm not sure what they thought, but they were so gracious and in about three hours they left us with full bellies and full boxes.

Sweet Mary and her two of her kiddos. Enjoying some of that dinner in the courtyard.
These guys kept us laughing.
And our little family...

Oh my, things have changed!

There are so many things that I want to write about and update, but it's going to be slow going here for a bit longer. Things are coming together, but it definitely takes time!

More updates to come, but I must add that Friday we got the exciting news that J passed his boards. This is a HUGE deal! I am so proud of him and all his hard work. He really rocked it. We're both so thankful that this huge milestone is behind us and thankful for God's provision!

Proud.

He did it!

The boards are over.

I just need to let that sink in for one minute.

In case you need a little refresher, the boards are the tests that medical professionals must take to be licensed and insure competency. It's kind of like the bar exam that lawyers take except that J has taken seven board exams. This is the last in the set of exams he must take to be a board certified radiologist. And it's huge.

It's an oral test that has 11 sections [that must each be passed independently to pass] and it takes about four hours. Massive, yes. Overwhelming, yes. Finished, yes.

It's been four years of preparation, but the last two have been characterized by almost constant studying. It has required amazing discipline and sacrifice and I just cannot believe it's over. I am so proud of him!

Last weekend at church, there was a celebration breakfast for all the graduates. I think J was a little embarrassed that I put his name on the list.

But he deserved a little pat on the back.

The man has been in school or training for the last 25 years. That's a long time, people! I know technically he's still one year shy of being completely there, but the end of residency is a huge accomplishment.

I'm so proud of my graduate.

We laughed when he opened his gift...too bad we're already through our 20-somethings, but I am excited to see what our 30-somethings will hold.

I have to mention that we do have one other "graduate" in the family this year as well. We had a celebration with our pre-k friends and did some certificates for the boys. I cannot believe that he is old enough to be in kindergarten, although I rarely doubt that he is smart enough :) I still have very mixed emotions about sending him off to school next year, but he is excited for the next step.



Way to go, boys!

6 months, and a day!

I can't believe Sadie's six month birthday came and went yesterday without my doing a post. I had a great update post planned, but I'm thinking it will have to wait a couple of days. It's coming; I promise!

In the meantime, we're working on a new skill with the little peanut.

She's still working out some of the logistics, but we're getting closer and closer to her holding her own bottle :)

1122 is close enough

One of the days that we were in Atlanta, we had a playdate with my husband's sister and her kids. Despite the fact that she lives in the same county as my parents, we had a 40 or so minute drive to get to her house. Atlanta is just crazy big like that!

Anyhow, at one point on the way there, we stopped at a light, and I was overwhelmed with nostalgia. I looked to the left and thought it was an awfully familiar place. I was almost certain that my childhood home was just down the road.

As we made our way back home, I stopped at that same light and quickly plugged our house number [1122] and street name into the GPS. Sure enough, the house was just over a mile down the road. With the kids having their naptime in the car, we took a brief detour to check out the home of my childhood.

I laughed a little as we got close because I realized the house number was actually 1133 instead of 1122. Funny how memories can often be so close and yet not really accurate at all. The house was the only one on the entire street that had anyone out front so on my first pass I chickened out on my hopes to take a picture. I turned around in the coul-de-sac at the end of the street and drove by again.

And I have to say that I'm so glad I have the picture. This was the house where I spent my first nine years. I ran laps around the downstairs when "Lassie" got too scary during our afternoon TV time. I sang countless solos to the trees in the backyard. My dad ate the sand tacos my sister and I carefully prepared for him in the sandbox. I learned to ride my bike on the street. We played games with Barry and LeeAnn in the driveway. We searched for Kraft caramels in the living room at birthday parties. I even remember the little nook that fit my bed perfectly in the front bedroom that I shared with Sarah.

This is a week of lasts for us here. Even as I type it, I think I am truly in denial of the reality that we move on Friday. The list of tasks that have to be accomplished before then is absolutely daunting, which actually kind of makes me wonder why I'm blogging :)

As I sat in church this morning, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed at what the last four years have brought us here.

When we got here, we were a small family, excited about our new house, a little overwhelmed about a new reality.

Bo was still a baby in so many ways at 17 months. I was 35 weeks pregnant. J was about to take his first step into a new career. We were homeowners for the first time.

In four years, we've brought three babies home to this house. Crazy!

And now we're this.

The wildest thing is that I'm almost certain that none of the kids will remember this house or this place. I think it's possible Bo may have some snippets of riding his bike or some of the people he knows here, but this will not be a place that they truly think about. It's amazing because there are so many events here that are seared into my memory.

There are relationships and activities and our church that I will miss greatly. People and places that have touched me and encouraged me in countless ways over the past four years.

I think the thing that I will miss the most is our backyard, most specifically, our playset in the backyard. When we first bought the house, I thought it was a nice "extra."

Granted, it was lacking a few key elements that made it accessible for an 18 month old. J worked hard cleaning it up and then when a family down the street took apart a back yard playset things really came together. We added a second slide, a climbing wall, the monkey swing, and some extra stairs in key places for nothing other than sweat equity. J also spent some time restaining it, adding a few extra toys, and putting on a new canopy.

And voila!

It's now the set we know, love, and play on just about every day. I didn't really realize how expensive these things are if you wanted to put one in. It borders on insane, actually. For us though, with the number of little ones we have, especially with one always being a wee little one, combined with the amout J traveled this was the key to my sanity most of the time!

Still can't believe we have less than a week to enjoy it. Off to pack!

Sick Days

We've been a little under the weather here, so we've been doing quite a bit of this...

This little guy has been feeling it.

Poor guy had a high fever and a bummer little cough. We've had some sweaty nights, and I'm going on two nights in a row of seeing every hour on the clock.

The kids actually woke me up [or rather startled me] from a deep sleep this morning. I thought for sure their little noises would rouse me, but I slept right through it.

"Mom, it's almost eight o'clock and we're ready to get out of bed. Why are you still sleeping?" Bo asked.
Ella chimed in, "yeah, we're ready to get up and eat some breakfast."

I sent them back to their beds for the five minutes it took me to brush my teeth and get dressed. Not a lot of packing happening to day, but we're enjoying our first fever free day!

Hopefully we'll all sleep well tonight.

Gender

I'm one of those who believes that there are inherent differences [from birth] in gender. I know that nurture does play a role, but I would argue that there are innate variations in male and femaleness.

How about these two versions of "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" I've been hearing quite a bit of lately...

Bo: Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed."
[And so it continues until there are no more monkeys on the bed.]

Ella: [in her best sing-songy voice] Five little monkeys were jumping all over the bed. They were getting near the edge and jumping around and being silly and laughing. They thought it was really funny to jump around and they were having so much fun, but they didn't realize they might fall off. One little monkey was jumping on the side near a pillow and he got too close to the pillow and he fell down a little bit and then he fell off and bumped his head on the side of the bed near the floor and it hurt him so bad. So Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, "Those monkeys should not be jumping on the bed because they could get hurt and they should stop."

"How many monkeys are left now, Mom," she asks.
[And so it continues, each verse with its own unique explanations and variations. At the end of each verse, she asks again how many monkeys are left. We're still working on the whole counting backwards thing!]

We're doing it!

This morning, as church was beginning, I leaned over to J and whispered, "we're doing it!"

"Either that, or it's doing us," J replied.

Oh, and how true those words feel this morning. J is studying an insane number of hours every day. I am trying to put things in boxes every chance I get. Things are winding down and wrapping up. I had my final Bible study with other moms this past week. The last MOPS meeting of the year was Friday. We are down to Bo's pre-k graduation party and one more week of church and then our time here is pretty much done.

I just feel weary.

Moving is no small task, and doing it pretty much on my own, with four small kids, as I watch my husband work incredibly hard every day is just not much fun right now.

I was especially encouraged by these words this morning...

Romans 12:2
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

"Placing something in someone's mind affects intellect, will, and disposition." Charles Swindoll

The entire sermon is worth a look if you have the time!

It is a season where I feel like I am limping through the finish, but I was reminded this morning that my mind and my heart must be saturated in God's word. That is the only place where I am going to be able to find rest. So true, so true!

Caught Up

I finally managed to wrap up my recaps of our travels, and while I've got a few more things I'm hoping to post about before we head out of town in two weeks, I don't have a lot of time today.

I'm trying to get a few tasks completed before I head out of here in a couple of hours. My mother's day present from my hubby is a massage, and I am so ready to go! Given the fact that I've had a migraine and a series of really bad headaches here in the last week, I would say it is much needed!

I'll leave you with a couple photos of Sadie.

Yep, she had her first go round in the exersaucer the other day.

I wasn't sure she would be able to hold herself up well enough to really enjoy it, but that was definitely not the case. The dolphin and fish were her favorite!

Prolific

As one of five children who married a man that is one of seven children, I had no doubt that I would one day be a part of a large extended family.

I just had no idea it would be so soon!

Five cousins on my husband's side.

Plus three cousins on my side

Plus my four kiddos.

That leaves the current cousin count at 12.

Oh, and there are still six siblings that haven't started adding to the mix yet :)

Cousin Fun

I was so thankful for my husband's sister, Lisa, and her willingness to host a playdate with all the cousins on my husband's side. It's amazing to see all the kids and let everyone just run around and play. The kids were so preoccupied with each other [and had minimal conflict] which left me some time to catch up with the girls. A rare treat!

Max is the latest addition to the cousin ranks, and I was so glad to finally meet him! He's already waaaaay bigger than Sadie, and he gave my arms a little workout. But how about that smile? he is precious.

Aunt Natalie joined us since she was finished with all her exams for the semester. And Mya, standing next to the bouncy seat, was only minutes old the last time I saw her. I hate it that we haven't been home in over a year. Kids grow too fast!

There was lots of pretend food making and eating.

And plenty of snuggle time as well. Babies always provide lots of entertainment!

I can't wait to live a little closer and love on these babes more often. We miss them so much!

blessings

I used to feel sorry for my brother. I mean, he was the only boy in a family with five kids. It was an "Andy sandwhich" with a duo of sisters above and below. Then, as he got a little older, I realized he had a pretty sweet deal. He was the only one with his own room, AND he got to do lots of fun stuff with dad since he was the lone boy. Yeah, he definitely had it pretty good.

There was quite a bit of talk in our house about girly things, and I'm sure he witnessed more emotions than he cares to remember. There may also have been a time that we dressed him up in a leotard, sequin vest, and bowtie and made the boy do a dance routine with us. Lots of character building happening for him! We also used to joke that hopefully one day his wife would thank us for all his on the job sensitivity training!

Let me just tell you, his wife is pretty cool. It can't be easy to inherit four sisters when you get married. And I must say, we are a pretty chatty group of sisters to join as well. It has been a blessing to know her as she's meshed into our family, and seeing her as a mom these past few months is serious icing!

I was so excited that we were able to be at their church with them as they had sweet Bradford baptized a couple weeks ago. I love stepping into someone else's world and doing life with them, even if it is just for a few hours.

Here they are hanging out before the service with Em's grandmother.

Then, they had our whole gang over for lunch at their place afterward. My boys loooooove Uncle Andy!

Ella always likes to be as close to a baby as possible.

How about mom and dad with all those kids?


Sometimes I do a double take when I realize that four of those five are mine.
Yikes!

But why can't the neighbors be in our family?

One day during our visit with my parents, we went outside one day to help Papa blow off the driveway...

It was big fun once we got over our fear of the noise. The ear muffs definitely helped!

Jack never could muster the courage to try it. He wanted to so badly, but he just couldn't seem to get past the noise.

We were having so much fun outside that we dug out the bikes and the helmets and moved down into the coul-de-sac for a little recreation.

Bo is really doing well on his bike.

Ella wasn't all that happy pedaling around, but she was drawn in by the pink and purple bike.

Jack loved, loved, loved the helmet. He also loved being pushed around on his little tricycle.

Ella eventually gave up on her own ride and became Jack's personal pusher.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any more fun. The neighbor kids from next door came running out of the house and down the driveway.

Mr. S was kind enough to share his pogo stick. Papa had to help, but we had some big fun!

Jack was so excited to have a turn, but his delight quickly turned into sheer terror. He would not let go of Papa!

Then Mrs. S gave Bo a little tree climbing tutorial.

Did I mention it was serious fun?

Now Bo keeps asking why the neighbor kids are not in our family.

"But mom, I love them so much and they are so much fun. I don't understand why they can't just be part of our family!"

If there's a tornado, don't come to our house!

I've gotten several sweet calls and emails from people concerned about the storms in our area yesterday. It's definitely tornado season, and forecasters are all saying that it's likely we will have a very large tornado this year. It's been about ten years since a big one, so this is the time to watch out. The weather predictions for this week are especially scary, and all signs point to some pretty extreme weather.

Ironic that they are putting on our new roof today. I do wonder if that's the best decision given the forecast for the week, but I'm going to trust that the roofers know what they are doing!

Thankfully, we were fine yesterday. We spent a little over an hour huddled in the closet in my bedroom.
Just imagine this...

along with a half dozen or so pillow, everyone's blanket and favorite stuffed animal, a radio, and a flashlight in a small, hot space.

I wish I could say that it was a wonderful time where we sang songs and I built some sort of lasting memory in the form of a bead necklace or something. In reality, it was an epic battle to keep Jack away from Ella's feet and to make sure Sadie's head didn't get stepped on. In the midst of the chaos, I kept fussing at the kids to quiet down so I could hear the radio. I also ran out to look at the TV in between the sirens going off around us.

It reminded me of our first Saturday here. Every Saturday at noon, there is a test for the sirens. I hardly notice it now, but on that first Saturday, I was here with J's mom, two of his siblings, and a 15 month old Bo. It was beautiful. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky.

When we heard the sirens J's mom and I looked at each other curiously. What's that? We debated back and forth for a minute, but we both knew it was a tornado siren. I closed the garage door and grabbed Bo and we all headed to the closet while I called J.

"Babe, is there a storm out there?"
"What?"
"Does it look stormy or anything? Do you see anything that looks like a tornado?"
"No, Em, it's a beautiful day. Why? Is everything okay there?"
"Well, the tornado sirens are going off and I'm totally freaked out."
"We'll be home in a minute, but I'm pretty sure that you're ok."

He was home in a minute, and he asked a neighbor about the sirens [which were still going off] as he was heading into the house.

"Yeah," he said, "as he came to get us out of the closet,"they test the sirens on Saturdays so we should be good."

He was merciful enough not to make too much fun of me! We've spent a few times in the closet since then, but thankfully we've never had a tornado all that close to where we are. Now if the big one they are predicting could just wait until after we move, I would appreciate it very much!

only child

Sadie and I are hanging out by ourselves this morning just waiting for the other kiddos to wake up. It's kind of nice to have some time with just her. It's a rare treat for sure.

She suggested I put a picture of her on the blog, and I agreed that would be fun.

The girl lights up when she sees the camera!

And she loves her Papa too :)