We've always said seven sounded like a good number...

J and I have been careful not to make too many hard and fast decisions about what our family will look like. We certainly realize that our plans can change in an instant, so we've tried to be open-handed [and open-hearted] with our desires. We would still very much love to adopt and considering number five is on the way, seven is a number that's come up more than once.

I got the chance to test out my "mom of seven" wings yesterday with my precious niece and nephews. I was so excited that we were finally going to be in the same city as J's sister and her three kids and then they had to up and move! Seriously, it's a total bummer, but I know they are excited about new opportunities. Anyways, I offered to hang out with her kiddos Thursday night and all day Friday as she wrapped up packing and supervised truck loading. We've moved enough times that I know watching kids and doing those last [frantic] things are stress inducing. I was so glad she said yes!

They certainly kept me moving...

Breakfast.



The stove stopped working sometime late Thursday afternoon, and Sadie was not sure how she felt about the baked eggs.



Everyone got dressed and then we were right back at the kitchen table for a little artistic expression.



Hey Max, how's that crayon?



We decided to head out and stretch our legs for a bit. Chaos outside is sometimes more fun than chaos inside!



Hey Lisa, just for the record, Max can climb all the way to the top of the ladder!



I didn't even try to look cute!



Water cups stayed full and on the counter all day...love the lineup.



At this point, I took a deep breath and checked the time. 11:02 AM. Wow. Really? I brought the babes inside at that point and it wasn't long before the bigger kids followed and they had fun in the playroom while I got lunch together.



And then, ahhhh, nap time...or not so much!

While all of the littlest ones slept, we enjoyed a little game time. Candyland is lots of fun with this crowd!



After everyone had a few minutes of quiet reading time, they were back outside digging for treasure. Eli found a little x-shaped tile separator and everyone quickly became convinced that X marked the spot for buried treasure. What? Doesn't everyone dig for treasure with baseball bats?



I thought our library movie about elephants would buy me a few minutes to sit down, but it was pretty much just chaos with the TV on!


Note to self: those bookshelves need some work :)

And it was at this point that I officially lost my picture taking stamina! I put some quesadillas in the oven for dinner and everyone pitched in to clean up while they heated up. I managed to get everyone settled at the table right as Lisa was pulling in the driveway. And then we all went to bed early :)

A good day

One of the things I really wanted to do after we moved was take the time to visit my grandparents. Now that the drive is only about three hours (instead of substantially longer), my mom and I talked about a time that we could go down for an afternoon and visit. Our last visit was a number of years [and kids] ago so it was definitely time. Here we are having lunch at Cracker Barrel in early 2007...

My grandma Dotsy and a very young Ella.

Grandpa Dick



The whole gang.

It's hard to believe how different our family will look in January of 2012!

We visited and had some yummy watermelon on the porch. My aunt Jane and her two boys were also there for a little bit so we got to visit with them as well.



Sadie loves watermelon!



Then, it started raining, so we moved inside for some entertainment from Dotsy. She had the middle's complete attention with her nursery rhyme performance.



Then, it was present time!



Dick and Dotsy were kind enough to let us help them open the presents we brought them.



Love the snuggles.



And the whole gang again.



Turns out getting all the kids to stand still and smile for a photo is maybe just a little too much to ask. I consider it a victory that no one was crying.

I'm so glad we were able to make the trip and that the kids got to visit with their great grandparents. I am really hoping J and I will be able to make a trip back with the baby at some point as well!

Hot, Hot, Hot

It's warm here this week, seriously warm. We're doing what we can to stay cool! These pictures are from my parents house just before we got into our new place. I'm wishing we had a box of popsicles around here right now. They seem to do the trick to cool us all off!

Sadie did not exactly understand the popsicle concept, but she wanted one nonetheless. She was content to carry it around [along with her handful of pinestraw!] which was nice because she didn't get all that sticky!


Hope you're staying cool!

Best. Driveway. Ever.

We are loving so many things about our new place, but the driveway definitely ranks near the top. It's long and flat and perfect for riding bikes. Plus, there's the slightest incline right at the end, so the kids are not even mildly tempted to try and ride their bikes out into the street. After a year of having nowhere to ride, we are relishing our bikes and the new driveway!

On Moving

I can honestly say that moving is not one of those things that I enjoy all that much. For me, there's something about being settled and having community that feeds a deep need in my soul.

Before I got married, we moved one time. It was a move across town and it was so exciting. The prospect of being closer to all of my friends, having a bigger yard to explore, and organizing my "new room" was so appealing. It was a move, but not really. It was simply a new house in the same world I had always known.

Then, I got married. In nine years we've had residence in five different states. I giggled a little when I filled out my driver's license application and I had to list all of the states in which I've previously held a license. It seems like a lot for this "put down roots" kind of gal. Now, while moving that many times would not have been my preference, I see so many benefits for me and my soul in the process. I've been forced outside of my comfort zone and had many opportunities to discover things about myself I probably would not have learned in one place. The transition has made me ache for home, a heavenly home where there will never be friends that I leave behind or items that get damaged! I've seen how much the comforts of the familiar make me reliant on myself my own adequacy instead of seeing my constant need for a Savior.

Leaving Nashville was hard. We had great community there and so many things were beginning to be comfortable. Being somewhere for only a year is hard. The reality of the temporary and fleeting is absolutely glaring. As we prepared for this move, our first without an expiration date of sorts, it just felt a little strange. We've anticipated this point in J's career for the past decade and to finally be here is surreal. The kids also understood the reality of a move this time and there were lots of hard questions and answers from them. I was so thankful that J's company took care of the logistics of packing and moving us, but it was hard for me to process the transition without packing anything. There is also an element of coming "home" after almost a decade away that adds some strangeness to the transition.

Goodness, I'm rambling and probably not making any sense, but we are transitioning to this new city and all these new experiences. Already, I am so thankful for the fact that I don't have to use a GPS to get around. I'm able to navigate without conducting a mini research project first. We've had playdates and connected with friends and the kids are loving the fact that there is more to do than just play with mommy :) There are still many things to figure out, but we are thankful for this next step in the journey. And considering we're in a rental house, it's likely we'll have another move to anticipate here before too long :)

Here's the last shot of us in front of the house in Nashville. The kids were playing in the yard and when I tried to get a picture, they clamored into the van.



They were ready to go!


And now we have some new backdrops for pictures. I'm sure this is not the last shot we'll take on the fireplace!

Maybe when we get some of the furniture that needs staining and repairing out of the garage and into the kids bedrooms I'll take you on a tour!

I, I, I, I'm Staying Alive!

I figure that by this point it's unlikely that anyone is even checking the blog any more! I took a serious vacation from updating for sure.

The funny thing is that before we left Nashville, I downloaded a ton of pictures and drafted several posts thinking I would post them throughout the last few weeks as we were getting settled here. Well, obviously that didn't happen! We went [much] longer than expected without an Internet hookup and I seem to have forgotten just how much work is required to move. Crazy!

We are starting to be a little more settled here. The boxes are unpacked and we are starting to add some of those touches that make a house feel more like a home. J starts work tomorrow so I guess we're jumping into real life.

I am realizing that moves are always eventful. I think I could make my first million if I started a moving company that showed up when it was supposed to and moved things with care and concern. If only I was better at lifting things :)

I am going to post all those drafts. They will show up below this post, and hopefully I will get my act together this week and start working on some more frequent updates. There's so much funny stuff happening every day that I hate to miss posting it!