We Have Been Married for FIVE Years!!

5 years.

I have been married for FIVE years!

It is absolutely unreal.

Yesterday morning at breakfast we were talking about how different our life looks now.  And how it probably isn't exactly what we imagined 5 years ago.  On the not-meeting-par side of things, I definitely thought we would have more money.  And neither of us ever imagined we would live in a town smaller than where we grew up.  I probably thought we would have at least one more kid but I'm sure Hubby thought we wouldn't even have Miss A yet.  haha.  I saw myself not working at all (possibly volunteering, but not working).  On that note, I NEVER, EVER thought I would be teaching sex ed (yikes!).  And I definitely pictured a house with pictures on the walls (currently, the only room we have decorated is the nursery...and it is super cute!).  



But there are so many things that are better than we could have ever imagined.  Having all of my family in one place (one house in fact) is super unexpected (especially the addition of a sister-in-law).  We both love the jobs that we have - especially because I'm getting paid to work at a place where I very easily could have ended up volunteering!  I never thought I would enjoy talking to junior high and high school students about sexual integrity - but every time I leave that classroom, I am glowing from the inside out.  God somehow managed to allow me to have my dream job (behind the scenes at a non-profit) AND allowed me to be a *mostly* stay-at-home mom.  But more importantly, we absolutely love being parents - more than I ever thought possible.  I think that is the biggest unexpected curve ball - how much you love your kids.  Even if I had known 5 years ago that she would be a reality today, I couldn't have anticipated the joy that overflows from my heart as I kiss her goodnight.  5 years ago, I could have never dreamt up the journey that brought Hubby and I here today.  I have seen us both grow in phenomenal ways - usually by looking back. 

God brought us together.  He brought us here.  I'm sure he had a good laugh at our 5 year "plans."  What He gave us was so much better than what we ever asked for, so much better than we ever imagined.  I can't wait to see where the next 5 years takes us.

So with that being said....here's a fun guess:

In 5 years we will have at least 2 more kids (maybe more).

We will have finished our bedroom suite and painted every wall in this house.

I will be homeschooling Miss A.  Or unschooling.  Maybe.

My walls will be decorated.....maybe......

We still won't get the whole "parenting" thing but we will love it and have fun in the middle of the mess.

Justin and I will be growing even more.  Closer together, closer to God.

Outside of those hypothetical ponderings - only God can know.

But I can't wait to see what He has in store.

So far, so beyond good.

Big News: I'm Officially a WAHM!

Thanks to the inspiration of working with so many successful Work-at-Home-Moms (WAHMS), I have decided to venture out on my own.

Introducing.....

Open for Business!

As some of you know, I believe that God has called me to be a stay at home mom.  My place is with my daughter and in my home.  Call me old-fashioned, but this is what I was born to do.

In an effort for me to make a bit of income (which we really do need), Hubby casually mentioned that I should sell some of the stuff that I make for us.  

We have both learned so much about the chemicals in our cleaning products, as well as the chemicals in our bath & body products, that we've slowly started switching everything over.  And we both believe that there are a lot of other people out there, like us, who are sick of chemical ridden products.  Why add nasty ingredients when natural ones work just as well?

So... We have officially started selling natural cleaners and natural body products!  And I am SO excited!!  We named the shop after our daughter, Aelah, which is Hebrew for Terebinth Tree (find out more about her name here and more about the process of naming our shop here).

Live locally??  Keep an eye out for us at craft shows!  We had a first one last week and we've hit the ground runnin'!  ;)

We are starting small but hope to grow.  You see, I won't sell anything that I haven't perfected in our home.  And sometimes that takes time.  I tend to combine recipes to get the best of the best.  But sometimes something isn't quite right.  Our laundry detergent, for example, went through 2 or 3 changes before I settled on the best recipe: something that cleans well, lasts a long time, and doesn't leave any residue!

Rest assured that if you're buying from our shop, it is a tried and true recipe.  No chemicals.  No additives.  Just natural ingredients.

So what all are we selling anyways???

For the time being, here is our list:

• All-Purpose Cleaner Concentrate
• Carpet Cleaner Concentrate (great for use in carpet scrubbers as well as spot-cleaning)
• Goo Remover
• Laundry Detergent (not listed on the shop yet but will be very soon!)
• Deodorant
• Organic Vapor Rub

Natural and Simple.

Follow us on Facebook here.

or

Favorite our Etsy shop here.

And....drum roll please...

Make sure to stop by on Monday for a giveaway sponsored by The Terebinth Tree.  One reader will win store credit of $25!

Plus, use discount code MYBLOG10 for 10% off!

If you could switch over one product: cleaning or bath & body....what would it be??

Faith Through Generations, It Starts with Me : The Truth

This study almost brought me to tears.  For so many reasons.  I could blame it on hormones or the classical music playing in the background.  But, in reality, I know it was the Holy Spirit.  There are just some things that genuinely strike my heart more deeply than others.

Did you know that back before the printed word, history was passed down, primarily, through word of mouth?  It makes sense, but it definitely isn't something I pause to consider very often.  In fact, in Old Testament times, "oral tradition was the principal means of preserving national history" (Expositor's Commentary, emphasis added).

Psalm 78:5-8

5 For He established a testimony in Jacob
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers
That they should teach them to their children
6 That the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born,
That they may arise and tell them to their children,
7 That they should put their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,
8And not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

It is a beautiful passage of Scripture isn't it?  Our faith, the law, commands, and works of our God are to be passed down from generation to generation.  Why?  So that we would not be like our fathers (or ancestors) and be stubborn, rebellious. lacking a faithful spirit and a good heart.

Think about that for a second.  If we did this right.  If we taught our children the laws and commands, told them of the wondrous works of our Lord, and lived like we believed them all (with true faith) then the effects would be multiplying!!  

Our children would learn from us and their children from them and so on and so forth....

Each and everyone of them would be instilled with faithful spirit and righteous heart!  I pray every single day that I am able to instill these things in my daughter.  That when she grows older and has to make a choice between the world's way and God's way, that she won't even have to think twice.

As I read this passage, a lot of things came to mind....but the question that really got me thinking, the one that brought tears to my eyes was this: Am I capable of teaching my daughter the way she should go?  For Proverbs 22:6 states: Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Can I do that?  Only by God's strength and wisdom.  But how do I rely on that strength and wisdom, where do I find it?  His Word and Prayer.  They have to be a daily part of our lives.  Without them, we are lost.  And if we are lost, how do we show others the way?  

We should know the Lords laws & commands, as well as His wondrous miracles, so well that if we had to pass on this history orally we could do so without distorting or forgetting the truth. Our ancestors had no other choice.  They learned and memorized.  They didn't write the Word on a piece of paper, but on their hearts!

In order to train my daughter in the way she should go, I must write His Word on my heart.  I need to spend time in His word and in prayer daily.  Kids learn by what they see, not what they hear.  Setting the right example is key to teaching generations after me the way they should go.

It starts with me.

Aelah Grace: 3 Months

No way is this possible.  We have a 3 month old!!  Not cool.  It seriously flies by so fast.  Everyone tells you.  And I believed them.  I just didn't realize how fast it would fly.  haha.  She is the best thing.

SO much has changed since her 1 Month post.  Especially since I didn't really do much of anything at 2 Months.  Lame I know.  

Lots of new & exciting things!

Whoa baby......

I didn't even want to put her in that basket.  I didn't want to know how much she has grown.  It kills me.

How am I growing?

Well, at her 2 month appointment shew as 11 lbs, 13 oz and 24 and a half inches long.  Still very average for weight but literally off the chart for her length!  As the doctor phrased it, "she is above the 98th percentile."  We weighed her at a friends house last week and she is 13.6 lbs.  I'm sure she is longer too but we haven't measured her.  She is just about to grow out of her 3-6 month clothing....crazy child!  ;)

What's new?

What isn't new might be the better question.  In the past week and a half she has become an entirely different baby.  Again....killing me....

She went from the occasional coo here and there to "talking."  Her favorite person to talk to is her daddy and the bees on her swing.  hehe. 

She rolled over for the first time!!  But she hasn't been super proactive about it since.  Just a couple of times...

Keep on rollin'

She has laughed out loud...well, giggled..., while she was awake, a few times now!  They are few and far between and pretty random but they are the sweetest little giggles.  And they make us laugh pretty hard.

We also had her dedicated yesterday.  And it was such a special day.  We have an amazing church family and I am beyond grateful that they will be a part of her life.  I pray that God has big plans for our little lady and that we are able to raise her to walk in His path.

Beautiful Moment

Beautiful Baby

How are we sleeping?

Another big step about a week and a half ago was moving her into her crib!  I am 100% sure that this was harder on me than it was for her.  I liked having her in the bassinet next to the bed so I could see her and hear her breathing.  But it has gone wonderfully having her in her own room.  I sleep much better.  And she has done awesome!

She sleeps about 10-11 hours a night and I usually only have to wake up once to feed her.  Sometimes she will wake to eat before we go to bed or after I wake up (and occasionally I use her as an alarm clock.  haha) but, I don't mind that as much.  ;)

We have been letting her "cry it out" a little bit.  We discovered she fusses just as much if we are bouncing, rocking, patting, etc. as she does when she is laying in her bed.  I combined a couple of different methods I have done with children I worked with as well as some I've read and it is really working for us.

Sometime between 8 and 8:30 we change her into her PJ's.  Then once she seems sleepy we lay her down in the crib (usually by 8:45 at the latest).  Sometimes she talks and falls asleep on her own.  Other times she fusses or cries.  If she does fuss, we set a timer for 3 minutes.  Then one of us, usually Daddy, goes in to pat her and soothe her.  But we never pick her up.  If she keeps fussing we set the timer again, but for 5 minutes.  I go in at 5 minutes.  If I can get her to calm down, I leave the room.  If she doesn't calm down, I try to nurse her.  Usually she eats because she "tanks up" as I refer to it before falling asleep.  And then we start the process over if needed.  Now that she is 3 months, I may add a 10 minute increment in there.  But I'm not sure she will need it...   

What do you do for a sleep routine??

Funny Convo (Aelah is 2 Months)

Pregnancy brain was a real thing.  And so is mom brain.  My beautiful little lady definitely stole some brain cells from her momma!  ;)  Because of that...and because of the craziness of the Holidays and a last minute trip to visit family 7 hours away, I completely spaced on Aelah's 2 month update!  I was a little heartbroken.  Since her 3 month update is just around the corner....I thought I would just share a cute little story instead.

But first....here is her 2 month picture:

I couldn't believe the difference between her 1st month and her 2nd!!  Just unreal!!  

So...anyways....back to our funny little story....

We did make a last minute trip to go see my husband's family in Michigan this past week.  We have 7 nieces and nephews and it is always a ton of fun to see them!  All of the girls were, of course, extremely excited to see their new baby cousin.  And it was so fun to watch each of them hold her and be motherly in their own little way.  I especially loved the moments when they would think no one was watching and I could just soak up how sweet they were being with little miss Aelah.  Like this pic:

The boys, for the most part, were rather unimpressed.  hehe.  But that's to be expected.  However, at one point, Kyan, famous for his one-liners decided that he was going to come talk to Aelah.  She was laying on the couch next to me, he walks over to her and puts his hand up, "High Five."  I kind of chuckled and told him he might be waiting awhile for that high five.  Then he looks at me, "Well, can I give her an M&M?"

Haha.  It's funny how different boys & girls are isn't it?  I enjoyed the little giggle and someday he will get that high five!  ;)

Share some of your kiddos awesome one-liners in the comments below.  I'd love another giggle!  :)

Christmas Traditions

It's that time of year when the world falls in love.  Every song you hear seems to say, "Merry Christmas...."

I absolutely love this time of year.  There is a sense of magic in the air.  People are a little bit nicer.  Giving is at an all time high.  And almost everyone (with the exception of an occasional Scrooge) is just a tiny bit happier.

Another fun part of the Christmas season is that everyone celebrates just a little bit differently.  I love hearing about a tradition I had never heard of before...or something that is extremely unique to just one family.  We have our own traditions and one I'm sure no one else shares.  ;)

One of my favorite traditions, and one shared by many, is to go pick out our tree.  In previous years we have just gone to a big box store and chose one.  Which I still enjoyed.  But this year we went to a tree farm.  Since Baby Girl is still so tiny, we just chose one from the lot.  But I know we will be going back for years to come.  Why?  Because the experience was phenomenal.  They had a cute little Christmas shop set up with tons of ornaments and other Christmas decor.  You could get hot chocolate, hot dogs...snack bar type stuff.  Santa Claus stopped by!  And if you wanted to pick a tree out of the field, there was a horse drawn wagon to take you!  There you could either cut your own or they would cut one for you.  I am very much looking forward to going as a family in the years to come.

After we pick our  tree, we go home, turn on Christmas music, and decorate!  I love going through our ornaments and picking just precisely where they belong on the tree.  Speaking of ornaments....have you ever heard of Patience Brewster?  She has designed gorgeous ornaments which you can see here.  Anyways....back to our ornaments....

After getting married, Hubby & I decided to decorate our tree in our favorite colors: green & blue.  We added silver as well to bring it all together.  The trend has continued and I absolutely love it.  Someday we plan on having a "fun" tree for the kids ornaments and the ones I have from my childhood.  But here is where the super strange unique tradition we have began.  The very first year we had a tree for the 2 of us was the year before we were married.  We didn't have any ornaments of our own so my parents sent us a box of the old wooden ones that we used on our tree each year.  Among those ornaments was a little clown, with x's for eyes.  While I know each x was meant to look like stitched eyes, but Hubby and I both instantly thought "dead clown" because in today's cartoons, x's mean the character is dead.  We laughed about the "dead clown" and he has to be "hidden" somewhere in the tree each year.  I say hidden because one day our children will have to find that clown.  haha.  But for now, he just gets a special place on the tree...even if he doesn't really match our decor...

I cannot wait for the traditions we will start in the years to come now that we have a beautiful little one to celebrate with!

What strange, *ahem* I mean, unique Christmas traditions does your family have?

Our Story (Part 2): The Proposal

After a full school year of dating long distance, Hubby decided to move to Oklahoma to be near me since I still had a year of school left.  That was in June.

I expected him to propose at any time after that.  But he took his sweet time.  ;)  Summer ended and school began.  I had wanted a fall wedding.  We could go home over fall break and it would be gorgeous - autumn leaves, crisp air, you get the picture.  Once night while we were watching a movie at his place, he came around the corner, got down on one knee, and asked, "Bri, will you (*Insert longest pause of my life here*) give me some popcorn?"  I about killed him.  October quickly arrived and our fall break plans included.......nothing special.  Or so I thought.  He told me on Friday that I needed to prepare for a special day on Saturday.  I knew he was going to propose.  I kept asking him how to dress.  He eventually told me casual in the morning and fancy for the afternoon.  

I drove to his apartment the next morning fully anticipating that night to be the moment I finally said yes.  After hanging out at the apartment for awhile, me anxiously awaiting the surprise agenda for the day, we headed out.  Hubby had decided we were going to eat lunch at one of our favorite places - Big Truck Tacos (mmmmm) so we headed to that part of the city to waste some time.  One of his job sites was over that way so he drove there to show me around.  We happened to drive past our favorite coffee shop, Cuppies & Joe, which I just happened to notice was closed.  

After driving around the job site, we headed back past the coffee shop.  He pulled in the parking lot.  I told him they were closed but he insisted we get out.  There were a couple of girls who were walking down the sidewalk ahead of us - they walked up to the coffee shop door and turned away because they were closed.  I looked at Hubby, "I told you so."  But he pulled me forward.  Despite the "CLOSED" sign hanging on the door, he opened the door and walked in like he owned the place.  The shop is an old house.  And they left it very "homey."  Each room is set up with pieces of furniture - tables, sofas, big comfy chairs.  It's adorable.  Well, one of the rooms had a vase of flowers, a chai tea (my personal choice since I don't like coffee), a coffee for Hubby, our favorite cupcakes - red velvet & german chocolate, and a picture of our official first date (the trip to Falling Water).  I realized in the moments it took us to walk in the door and into the room that the proposal was not going to wait until that night.  It was happening now!

Hubby read me a poem he wrote that detailed our very own story and ended with popping me the question!  I quickly said yes!  My ring was perfect.  And he still managed to surprise me by asking me in the morning instead of in the evening.  He did say later that he completely forgot to get down on one knee because of his nerves.  But I confessed that I hadn't even noticed.

Unbelievably Happy...with scrumptious cupcakes!  :)

They tweeted about us!!

We did still go to lunch at Big Truck...which was scrumptious!

That afternoon was spent on the phone with family and settling on a tentative date.  My parents were set to have a wedding in December.  But with school, I thought that was just a little too soon.  So we planned to be wed over springbreak in March.

We ended the evening with a very romantic dinner at Benvenuti's Ristorante, which, as Google Maps describes, is "Gourmet Italian Fare in Romantic Digs."  They have THE best truffle french fries!  

Very much wish this restaurant was in PA.  :(

It was the perfect day.  One I will never forget.  And one I can't wait to tell our daughter someday.

Were you surprised by your proposal??  Or did you see it coming?

Our Story (Part 1)

Boy Meets Girl.

Insert long romantic walks on the beach, late night chats, and an extravagant proposal here.

And they live Happily Ever After.

If only every story were that wonderful right??

But we don't live in a fairy tale world.  And I'm glad.  Our story might not be one you would find in a story book or watch in theaters.  But it is our story!  It is unique.  No one else can claim it.  And happily ever after is a little boring isn't it???  ;)

Hubby and I pretty much grew up together.  I don't remember meeting him.  He just always was.  We went to the same church and my memories of him probably start around 6th grade or right around the time I started youth group.

He was a grade ahead of me.  I didn't like him much.  Hubby was the "it" boy in youth group and, in his terms, I was pretty geeky.  He did date quite a few of my friends and that in itself told me that he wasn't anyone I would be interested in dating.

Fast forward to New Year's Eve my freshman year of college.  We both showed up at the party we'd all been going to for a few years.  And he was different.  A couple of years out of high school had done him good!  I felt like he was a lot more mature and well-rounded.  And he apparently thought I was a lot more good lookin'.  ;)

The night was fun - full of flirtations and cheesy one liners.  Unfortunately, I was home in Pennsylvania on Christmas break and had to head back to Oklahoma just a day later.  We sent texts and silly Facebook messages and one day he called.  I was ecstatic.  But then everything was adding up.  I couldn't start a relationship with a guy who was half way across the country.  And, besides, I was still hung up on a friend at school.

So how do I solve the problem?  I stopped answering my phone, stopped responding to texts, and ignored all comments, messages, and 'pokes' on Facebook.  No explanation.  

Fast forward another year to that same New Year's party.  The party had shrunk this year.  By far.  I think there were 6 of us there.  My & Hubby included.  I hadn't spoken to him since I started ignoring him.  I was embarrassed and beside myself.  But things quickly went back to normal.  No one brought up the awkwardness and all was well.

I went home that night (or rather the next morning...it was New Year's remember) and quickly took the coward's way out.  I sent him a Facebook message apologizing for the past and wishing him well.  He laughed about it and that was that.

We spoke on and off for the next few months.  Nothing flirty.  Nothing serious.  Just friendly conversation via Facebook.  I dated another guy for a few months but it ended quickly since I couldn't see a future.  

Summer came and Hubby asked me to go to the movies.  We were both home and bored out of our minds and he had to meet a friend to pick up some things.  It would be nice to have company come along and then we could go see Night at the Museum 2. I agreed but swore up and down to my parents that it was NOT a date.  And I made that clear to him as well since I sat with my arms crossed and leaning away from him the entire time.

We hung out quite a bit.  But the entire time I swore up and down that we were NOT dating.  And then my family went on our annual beach vacation.  And I hated being away from him for so long.  While I was gone Hubby made plans for us to go to Falling Water - the house built by Frank Lloyed Wright.  

When that day arrived, I knew it was a date.  I couldn't deny it any longer.  It was that very day we made things official.  

And the cheesy one liners didn't end there...

Tune in next week to hear the story of our proposal!  :)

Baby Stuff: Dear Husband

I wrote this a few days before my due date and planned to give it to Hubby the night our baby girl was born.  I actually forgot about it in all of the excitement but gave it to him at some point the next day.  ;)

I wrote this letter to show my husband that our marriage was still and will be a priority in my life.  Yes, we have started another chapter, but adding a member to our family will not change the way I feel about him!  

Dear Hubby,

Today will forever change our lives.  Today our Baby Girl was born!  I still can't believe we are parents!  Us....parents....even though this is something I've wanted since the day we said "I do," it still terrifies me.  We are officially responsible for another human being.  Ah!

Anyways, that all isn't the point of this letter.  There are actually two things I desperately want you to know.  And never forget.

First, you are going to be an amazing father.  And I mean that with all of my heart.  I have no doubt our little girl is going to have you wrapped around her finger.  I know you will want to give her the world.  I love that!  I also know that you are going to teach her how she should be treated as a woman as well as how to ride a bike.  You will dread her first crush, her first date, and the day you walk her down the aisle.  And because she knows how much you love and walk with the Lord we will be able to trust her decisions when it comes to guys anyways.  But when they break her heart, because they will, I know your shoulder will be there for her to cry on every time.  I also know I'll have to convince you to not strangle those boys, no matter how truly terrible they might be.  I hope you know how much I believe in you when it comes to this 'dad thing.'  You are going to be amazing!

On another note, I know that a baby, now matter how precious she may be, will change our relationship.  And while I am pretty sad that our 'just the two of us' chapter has come to a close, I know our marriage is strong enough to weather any change - no matter how small or how big.  ;)

I want you to know how much I truly love you - with all of my heart.  

I am going to do my best to always put you first.  You deserve it.  Our family deserves it.  You might need to remind me from time to time.  And while I may get mad at first, I will eventually remember you are right.  Every day I will strive to love you more.  Then someday, far from now, when we're empty nesters, we will be even more in love than today.  I know that watching you be a dad will make that easy.  But I want to be more intentional about 'dating' and keeping that spark alive because you are so worth it!  I never want to lose what we have - our affection, our silliness, and our willingness to follow where the Lord leads.  At this point in our marriage I am so proud of us, so proud of you!

I am so excited for our future.  I can't wait to watch our Baby Girl grow and change every day.  I can't wait to see how we grow as a family.  God is before us so we cannot fail!  Here's to another chapter on our journey - the start of a new adventure!

I love you!!

Put Your Suitcases in the Car

So...my parents are moving in next weekend.  As in moving in to our house.  Yep.  And it's all my fault.  ;)  Here is the story of why...

Have you seen the movie God's Not Dead?  Just a fair warning, I'm about to give a little tiny, tiny part away...but it won't ruin anything major if you haven't seen it yet.

Throughout the movie, a pastor and his missionary friend are trying to go to Disney.  The first attempt, the car won't start.  No matter what they do, it just won't start.  So they decide to get a rental.  When it arrives a day later, it wouldn't start either.  Sometime after that, the rental place returns with another car.  The pastor gets in to start it and it won't start.  Just an absolutely ridiculous chain of events.  Finally, towards the end of the movie, after all of the major plot stuff is wrapped up...they decide to pack their suitcases and try again...with the pastor's car that wouldn't start in the first place.  They are standing in the parking lot with all of their suitcases and the pastor decides he's going to try the car out before they get packed up.  But his missionary friend reminds him that they have prayed and need to have faith - "Put your suitcases in the car."  They did.  Then got in the car and it started!

My parents have been trying to sell their house and move for over 2 years.  They live an hour from us and our church (where my dad is the pastor).  He makes that drive almost every single day, occasionally twice in a day.  But no one was biting on the sale - it isn't exactly a seller's market around here.  They had a couple approach them about renting to own but weren't comfortable going that route.  Well a weekend or two before mother's day, they found a place they really liked down our way.  But they were frustrated because they hadn't sold and couldn't do anything about it any ways.

As we sat around during our Mom's Day picnic, I looked at both of them and asked a serious question: "You've prayed about this.  You know God wants you down here.  So what are you doing to exercise your faith?"  And then, referencing God's Not Dead, which we had just recently seen, I added, "It's time to put your suitcases in the car."  So they did.  And brought them all to our house.  haha.

You see, they decided to work something out with the couple who wanted to rent to own.  Then they made an offer on the house that they liked based on what they could afford.  Even though it wasn't unreasonable, their offer was not accepted.  But their house was sold.  So where are they to go??  The only logical conclusion was our place.

Thankfully, our house is very decent sized.  There is a very large garage upstairs that we only used as storage and work space.  It is to one day become our master suite and laundry room.  Well, it's going to be something of a bedroom/living space sooner than we expected. Our current bedrooms are on the complete opposite side of the house...you can barely even hear yelling from there to the garage. The nice thing is, the only thing we have to share is our kitchen.  Outside of that, my mom & dad can be pretty independent if they choose to be...or if we make them.  haha.  And the other perk - they are going to work on fixing that part of the house up while they stay...which wasn't something we were going to be able to do anytime soon.  

All in all, it isn't an ideal situation.  But, I think it may be a good thing for awhile.  We'll be able to get some things done at the house.  We'll have help with our utilities for awhile.  Dad won't have to drive an hour to work anymore.  Mom will be able to be a bit more involved now that they are only 10 minutes from the church.  Once Baby Girl comes I'll have all the help I need.  And someday they will move out.  They just have to find their own place.  And we are doing all we can to help them!  ;)

For some, I suppose this is just insanity.  But we both have a really great relationship with my parents.  We spend quite a bit of time with them anyways.  And I'm not dreading it as much as a lot of people would or as much as what my parents think I am.  Though I'm certainly going to give them a hard time!  I'm really just excited that they will be closer and grateful Baby Girl's grandparents won't be an hour away.

But today is a hard day, as it is the last day I will spend in my childhood home.  The guys were blowing insulation above our garage so we decided it was best for me to be elsewhere.  So up home I went.  It does make me a little teary.  I have SO many memories and it makes my heart a little sad that my kids won't grow up around here like I had always envisioned.  

I look at the woods behind the house and can picture the fort we had in the rocks and mountain laurel.  I see my brother and I smashing berries and pretending to be Indians by putting the purple goo on our faces and running around with sharp sticks.

I've always felt at home in the woods.  I will genuinely miss our beautiful trees...even the ones I got stuck in.

I gaze over the front lawn and think of the hundred times we rolled down that hill in a refrigerator box.  Or the dozens of sled riding parties we had.  Or about sled riding on the back hill...which was even more of an adventure...especially when adults end up with broken appendages.  ;)

Beautiful front yard isn't it??  I'll even miss mowing this crazy bank.  ;)

I think about the countless church picnics and birthday parties we had and the hay rides around the property.  And I can still see two teenage boys dancing on the giant picnic table on our back porch to show off to a bunch of girls.  One may or may not have been my husband.  Though, to be fair, I was not interested at all at that point in our life.  haha.  ;)  That same back porch is where I learned to get over my fear of storms as we sat and watched the thunder and lightning roll through the hills - something I miss even now.

Looks so empty without the extra large picnic table that is now sitting at our place...

There were the grapevines we swung off of in the back field.  And our redneck shooting range where I learned to shoot my hand gun.   And of course there is the creek that was way at the edge of the property line.  I was always too scared to go down without my brother - the woods were thick and it was far from the house.  But we had quite a few adventures down there - including running from what I'm positive wasn't actually a bear - though we were sure it was at the time.

Wish you all could see this in the fall!

Seriously breath taking.  *sigh*

Is it crazy that I'll even miss making hay?  Or the fact that the radio was always on in the barn??  It is the little things isn't it?

I can just see our clothes flapping in the breeze.  :)

And the times we spent climbing through the piles of hay....even though we weren't supposed to!  ;)

But these memories will last with or without a house.  It is just a place.  The people are what made it a home.  Now I will have them all close.  And someday soon (I hope), my parents will have a new place where my kids will make their own memories.  

My brother is actually coming home too!  Which is an answer to prayer.  He has been stuck in Japan for awhile, which is a whole story in itself.  But after not seeing him for a year, he will permanently be home in just a month!  But we also have to squeeze him in somewhere for at least a short time.  haha.  Going to be quite the adventure over the next couple of months!  But God is good and He has a plan.  Just anxious to see what that might be...  

To the beginning of a new journey!  

The Funny Things Kids Say

We spent the last 5 days in Michigan visiting Hubby's family.  We love going up there.  It is beautiful country and the people aren't so bad either.  ;)

The best part?  We have not one, not two, but seven nieces and nephews to love on!  Seven!  And, yes, they were all in our wedding...it was awesome.

They always have some of the funniest things to say.

This time around my favorites were from the two younger boys.  

Ky-Guy is 9 and has always had some awesome one-liners (yep, we have a list).  This time, as he was jumping from the boat to the doc we hear, "ouch!  I guess I'm not Indiana Jones."  I made some comment about him being a little short yet and he kept trying to say he was a mini Indiana Jones but couldn't get it spit out.  So he goes, "I'm miniana Jones."  Needless to say, that's his new nickname.  Now I'm trying to convince him to write a comic about Miniana Jones.  

Then there's C-Man, the youngest of the 7.  We were at his sister's softball game and he asked Hubby to play catch.  The thing is, Hubby is not a sports guy and has literally never touched a baseball glove.  C-Man had to show him how to use it and hold his hand the right way.  ;)

So later at dinner we were asking how catch went - he looks at Justin and says, "Everyone knows how to play baseball but you.  *pause*  ...and grandmas and grandpas."  Lost it.  But it might be true...

As we were leaving that night we were saying our goodbyes and told them that the next time we see them they will have a new cousin.  C-Man replies - "Yay!!  I just wish it wasn't a girl.  Can I give you some magic dust to change it into a boy?"

Haha.  I love the minds of children.  They are so unique and so funny.  

What are some funny one liners from your kiddos??

Over Due Thanks to Mom & Dad

My parents.  They aren't perfect.  In fact, they are far from it.  :P

But...I realize on occasion that if the rest of the world's parents were more like mine, the world would be a MUCH better place.

And I mean that.

Now I'm not trying to brag here, I just had a moment where I realized the true awesomeness of my parents and I had to give them the kudos they deserved!

For one - they've never walked out on me, abused me, sold me for drug money, used me to get welfare check, etc.  Which, apparently, makes you a stellar parent compared to a huge percentage of humanity.

Second, they've set a beautiful example of marriage.  Again, not perfect.  But they've stuck it out through the tough times and they've grown together.  No matter how much they fight, I know they would never be happy without the other.

They raised me to know right from wrong and to take responsibility for myself and my actions. I know that paying off my debt takes priority over buying a new TV (even if our new living room makes our current one seem teensy).  I have been taught to respect others and to stand up for what I believe.  They taught me how to live and how to live well.

But when it comes to little things they set the bar high as well.  They have always supported me and attended my activities (even when it was a 5th grade orchestra concert that sounded a bit like cats or when I decided to try the french horn which sounded more like a dying cow...).  They don't manipulate me using guilt.  They give (of their time, money, and so much more) expecting nothing in return. They are always, always, always there when I need them whether that means stopping by the house to set out meat because I forgot, coming over to help paint/clean so we can get ready for Baby, lending me cash because for some reason I forget we live in an uber rural area and/or wasn't prepared for a yard sale, giving us gardening advice, mowing our grass, etc.

I could go on all day.  I am just blown away at the enormity of how blessed and fortunate I am to have parents that I enjoy spending time with.  Heck, we miss them when they aren't around for a week (But don't tell them I said that...).

I am so very thankful for them and I don't tell them that enough.  So, Mom & Dad, since I know you are reading this - thank you!  One thousand times, thank you!  You mean the world to me and to Justin.  And our little one is going to be so blessed to have such awesome grandparents. :) We love you SO much!