Tortured

Right now Mark and I are feeling a little bit tortured. Last Wednesday we put an offer in on this lovely house we found and love and haven't made any progress since then.

This house which is 6 minutes from my in-laws and 20 minutes from my parents isn't perfect, but feels perfect for us. Just so you can appreciate the close proximity to our families, right now it takes us 50 minutes to get to my in-law's house and 40 to my parents.

What we also love about this house is that it is set back in the trees so unlike living at our current house in which the kids fight over sticks in our backyard. We wouldn't have that problem at all.

Besides the location and the yard, what is not to love about a house that has gigantic size bedrooms which would be perfect for sharing? Add in that we would go from 2.5 bathrooms to 4.5 bathrooms and this house is as good as sold. Except it isn't.

Did I mention that it has a swimming pool too? Be still my heart. When I said that it was as good as sold that was a bit of an exaggeration. It's actually been very complicated trying to buy this house.

When we put the offer in last Wednesday the wife of the couple that owns the house said that the husband was out of town and that they needed an extension on the deadline. Okay. Even though an extension put us at Christmas Eve that didn't bother us since we really love this house. Here's the problem...they never got back to us. STILL. It's so bizarre that even their agent is confused and frustrated (her commission is in limbo after all) and after contacting a mutual friend found that out that it's likely they are on a cruise. Okay. I can deal with vacations but what we can't figure out as Brooke would say is, "why in the history of the world" would they leave with an offer at their ready and not tell us they were leaving town for the week or at the very least let their agent know??!!

The house has been for sale since May and vacant since August so one would assume that they'd be glad that someone wanted to take it off their hands. Mark and I in turn assume that they must have a lot of money to be able to leave on vacation and not have to worry about selling their home with the way the housing market has been here.

We are trusting in God's plan but feel so tortured while doing so. We have to be out of this house on January 31st and really would like to avoid dealing with temporary housing. Word is that the owners will be back by the end of this week, but the end of the week feels like a lifetime away! In the mean time, we are going to look at a few more houses on Wednesday. In truth, I can't imagine a house that would be a serious contender next to this one. Praying for patience and God's wisdom. I'll let you know when we know. :)

All is Calm, All is Bright

It feels like we've done a lot of celebrating this Christmas with the fun spread out over several days. Instead of feeling let down when the 25th came and went, I felt content and ready to move on.

Mark coming home from work to be with us on the 25th was a bonus. Although he probably didn't feel like he'd won the grand prize when he had to assemble this garage my in-laws gave Luke the night before.

This garage had 2 pages of instructions and about 20 steps. Just looking at the picture makes my stomach hurt. Assembling is so not my thing. Good thing Mark doesn't take that stance too.

Ta-da!

My parents, my sister, my niece Stephanie, and my nephew Jamie all came over to our house for lunch. My parents brought all the food including a Honey Baked Ham and the only thing we had to do was pick up the living room from the night before. Pretty sweet deal.

The kids were so much calmer then they were when we opened presents from Santa. They played so peacefully that we started eating without them and then they had to eat in the dining room by themselves. I kind of liked that arrangement.

After lunch we opened the last few presents. Brooke was thrilled with the camera my parents gave her.

Brooke, even though I think she's a cutie pie, will never be a model considering how she struggles when it's requested that she smile for the camera. My sister, Michelle, looks cute though. :)

Brooke showing off her new camera.

Two handsome boys...can't wait for it to be three!

After lunch and presents I took some pictures of Stephanie and our kids. We moved the kitchen table out of the way and sat on the floor in our "breakfast nook" so there wasn't a busy background. It worked in a pinch.

I got a couple of cute ones of Luke and Stephanie. Luke was enjoying spending time with her and found Stephanie so entertaining. She gets a lot of practice with kids Luke's age at the day care she works at when she's not going to class. Who needs college? I'd like to keep her.

I call this look on Luke's face the "I might pee my pants any minute" pose. I was sad that my other niece, Carly, had to work just like she did on Thanksgiving. At least she got paid overtime which is probably helpful when you're 16. Still, she was missed.

Staying home on Christmas meant we missed going to my in-laws and a turkey dinner but I don't think I could have handled all the excitement. It was a quite, intimate day considering we were small in numbers. ( Last year we also had the company of our friends from Houston, Janice and James. We missed them too.)

Staying home also meant that all was calm by 4 PM and the kids got to bed a heck of a lot earlier than had we made the rounds like we have on previous Christmases. All the celebrating was exciting but I have to say that I'm ready to move on. Packing is on the agenda next. That will be my next post. :)

12.25.10

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

T'was the Night Before Christmas

Mark's parents and Uncle Poodle (who is also known as Uncle Steve) came over yesterday afternoon around 3 PM. We also had a quick visit with Mark's brother, Kevin, and his wife, Megan.

Santa's got nothing on Grandma Kathy who brought with her tons of presents. It was so nice though that the kids got to open them before dinner and still Stella could be in bed by 6 PM. I'm not kidding. Yesterday was the 3rd day in a row that she didn't take a nap so I fed her dinner before the rest of us ate. When she started roaming the living room looking for trouble (in the form of hitting Brooke and Luke who were playing happily with new toys) it was time for bed. Stella was asleep in 5 minutes and then we ate our dinner in peace.

When Brooke opened her look-a-like American Girl doll she said, "I'm the luckiest girl!" When she opened the horse and accessories to go with it, she was over the moon. So far the horse and doll are named Cindy and Cindy Lou (I'm sure reading the How the Grinch stole Christmas a few days ago had something to do with that). I'm not sure which is named which because when she first opened it the horse was Cindy and the doll, Emily.

All three kids got these cute little puppies that walk and bark. I told my in-laws this is the closest our kids will ever get to owning a dog. Brooke said that she hoped she didn't have to clean up the poop. :)

It was tiring for me since Mark wasn't there to help get all the toys out of the vaults/packages they come in. Three kids and lots of presents= lots of assembling and unpacking=exhausting.

Stella loves her new Fairy Boot doll house. The accessories are just the right size and durable enough for a 2 year old.

And if you were wondering from my previous post of the kids' dollar store presents who would receive the toilet brush...That would be Uncle Steve. The even funnier part is that Luke told him it's for dishes. It's the thought that counts. :)

One unexpected blessing on Christmas Eve was that Mark's trip got rearranged and he was able to come home last night at midnight. He wasn't supposed to be home until Christmas day around 8 PM and God worked it out so he could be home with us on Christmas. Glory to God!

Now we're onto what feels like round 15 of presents when my family comes over for Christmas day lunch. We are so blessed!

Mail Call!

Being inside can make anyone go a little crazy which is why we were happy for the distraction of packages being delivered right to our door. I'm not sure what the rules would dictate, but I am too impatient to wait until Christmas to open what I know are Christmas packages. The kids benefited from my impatience because they got to open not one, but two packages today.

The first came from our friend, Janice, who was supposed to be here with us right now. It's a bummer that obligations sometimes get in the way of fun. Stella got this little baby with a bath tub and is in love. She was pretty ticked when I wouldn't let her sleep with the bathtub too tonight. Brooke and Luke made me promise that we would get to the craft kits Janice also sent for them tomorrow. Not enough hours in the day I tell you.

Then came presents from Mark's Aunt Nan and Uncle Charlie. The wrapping is usually just as fun as the gifts but Stella wasn't thinking about the wrapping when she discovered under a darling little outfit this sweet little baby. She gasped with delight and was literally dancing while I was taking it out of the package. She's sleeping with that baby too right now She's going to be a good little mommy someday.

Brooke cracked me up when she opened up her present and found this Hello Kitty purse. She said, "This is so exciting! I can't stop looking at it!" She ran upstairs to get her money and is so pleased that she can swing the purse around by the strap. Hopefully, no one will lose an eye on that one.

After Luke opened up his birthday present from Great Aunt Nan, a really cool backpack that stores cars, he wasn't very interested in the clothes. Such a boy! But when I made him try on the cutest pair of jeans he'll ever own, he told me that he would wear them everyday because he liked them that much. Of course when I wanted to take his picture because he looked so handsome, he wanted to be silly. I can do silly and he still looked handsome anyway. :)

I snapped this quick picture without Luke knowing because the sight of him in those jeans and sweater from the back made him look so old...and handsome. I could eat him up!

While Stella was not napping in her crib, Brooke and Luke went out in the backyard to play for almost an hour and a half. Thanks to great boots and some decent gloves (finally!) they were good to go and stayed toasty warm the whole time. At dinner when Brooke was telling me her "highs and lows" for the day she said her low was being bored in the backyard. After an hour and a half of fun, I guess I would have grown bored too. Silly girl. I guess her day was pretty good after all. The packages helped too. :)

Christmas on the 22nd

As I told you previously Mark got called out on a four day trip so we opened our presents early.I would say it was fun if it didn't stress me out so much. The next thing I know is Luke is tearing into a present that doesn't belong to him and Stella is following suit. Mark kept trying to remind me that they are kids, but I'm sure my blood pressure was through the roof. I think the problem was that everything was happening so fast that I couldn't take pictures like I wanted to. I like controlled chaos, not outright mayhem.


Brooke and Stella modeling new sunglasses from their stockings. Brooke was really cute she said, "We are so lucky! How do we thank Santa for all this?"

Things appear calm and bright but this was just the beginning.

I bought Brooke a Vintage Rose Wrap headband and she was nice enough to model it for me.

Stella got into a groove tearing the paper off presents and was hungry for more. I remember that feeling of "what's next?" as a kid, but as an adult I want them to savor opening presents. I realize that's a tall order for kids so I tried to ignore my feelings on the issue.

Stella loved her AquaDoodle which is just a water filled pen that draws on this special mat. It dries and then it all goes away so you can start over. I like that water doesn't stain. :)

Stella's favorite gift has to be her new bike helmet. She's be admiring Brooke and Luke's for months and was desperate for one of her own. Mission accomplished.

She was either wearing it around or carrying it with her where ever she went.

Brooke and Luke liked this set of Dot Art books and "markers". We were introduced to these last year when my sister-in-law gave Luke some for his birthday. He wasn't too impressed back then, but both have warmed up to them since then and ran out of books to dot. Not any more!

There was a break from the chaos after all the presents were opened and the kids headed to the dining room to do Dot Art. I was glad for the break and the quiet.

My handsome husband got a new jacket and hat (so he doesn't need to wear that lime green headband anymore). He might have looked even handsomer with a shower. :)

I told you she loves the helmet.

A "To Mom, From Mom" gift...a fun, new camera strap for the love of my life. No, it's not for Mark, it's for my camera. :)

Mark is reading a Blurb Blog Book made by me, a great find by my neighbor, Stephanie. This website "slurps" your blog and pictures in minutes and then you can have it printed into a legit, hardback book. It takes a couple of hours to customize, but after you get the hang of it, it's no harder than working in Microsoft Word. I'll post more on this at a later date because I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you have a blog.

I always feel compelled to photograph the damage done to the living room. We clean a little as we go, but inevitably it ends up looking like a bomb went off.

After the presents, the Dot Art, and some fighting over people touching other people's stuff, I was ready for them to watch Luke's new Curious George DVD so I could recover from the morning. Luke was really funny becasue he kept saying, "Christmas Eve is so very much fun!" They did really have a hoot of a time.

It was also a timely viewing since shortly after the movie started, Mark and I were busy writing an offer on the house we'd like to make our own. We're really excited, but this process is not so much a sprint as it is a marathon. We're waiting today to hear what the counter offer is and then we go back for multiple rounds. I'll let you know when we get our final answer which is when things will be really exciting. Praying for God's will to be done...one way or the other.

My mom is here with us today and I plan on bundling the kids up and throwing them into the backyard. They need to get some energy out since they were in the house all day yesterday.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to Mark's parents and brothers coming over to be with us and then on Christmas, my parents and family will come over until the kids are in bed or Mark comes home...which ever happens first.

Only 2 days until "real" Christmas!

The Most Wonderful Time of Year

Things have gotten really crazy around here since this past Saturday. See even Stella has gone mad considering she's insisted on wearing her bathing suit everywhere. One of the most exciting things has been that our house is now pending, Praise God! We close on January 31st and Lord willing we will have a place to go. :)

It's been really pretty around here too. The snow has been around for a while and it just adds to the air of excitement surrounding Christmas. The kids were disappointed that we don't have lights up outside this year. We had intended to do so (okay, Mark had intentions of doing so) but with the snow and unusually cold temperatures we've had since Thanksgiving, that task is on hold. There's always next year, right?

Can you see me in the gold ornament? I look like I'm smuggling basketballs under my clothes. On Friday, I'll be 28 weeks pregnant so I suppose it's about right to be so round. I go to the doctor next Wednesday and I can hardly believe that it's been 10 weeks since I was put on bed rest.

In reality these last 2 weeks I haven't done much resting compared to the time I spent on the couch just a month ago. The bed rest kind of let up naturally because of showing our house and having to leave. Now I've been up much more and my body doesn't show any sign of distress with the lesser amount of resting. I continue to watch and monitor what my body is telling me but I have enjoyed a greater sense of freedom. Granted, I'm not out shopping, but folding laundry and helping get the kids meals pulled together and on the table.

Yesterday we went out looking at houses and left the kids with Mark's mom for a better part of the day. It was a fast pace, sometimes depressing dash to see all 9 houses on the list. The first two smelled of old people and needed TONS of work. Two were really nice but had no yard. Some were just ordinary, but one was a possibility. If things go as planned we will put in an offer on the gem of our house hunt. I'm excited to see what God has planned for us!

In addition to running around all day yesterday, Mark took the kids to his parent's house again (for the 3rd day in a row!) today so that he could go look at the house a second time to check a few things we were wondering about. After that he was off to our niece, Emily's birthday party.

The above picture is one that Brooke drew for Emily for her birthday. It's of the ballerinas in the Nutcracker which the kids watched at my in-laws. This morning when Brooke was vacuuming under the kitchen table she asked me if ballerinas had to do chores. That cracked me up!

The kids have been up late 3 nights in a row and haven't had a bath in just as long. Gross, I know, but they were so tired when they got home that it was all they had just to get into bed. Tonight we insisted, tired or not, that everyone bathe. I don't want my kids to be labeled "stinky" especially since it's almost Christmas. :)

This is where things get a little more crazy, Mark got called in for a four day trip starting tomorrow afternoon. If you do the math that means he'll be gone until Christmas night. The benefit of kids being so young is that tonight we told the kids that Santa will bring presents early so we can open them in the morning before Mark goes to work in the afternoon. I'm excited, they are excited, everyone is excited.

Thankfully, I've had the presents wrapped since last weekend and everything is ready to go. I did have to wrap a few last minute presents that are "To Mom, From Mom". I wrote on the tags that it was from Kohl's because it is and I thought Mark would get a kick out of that. He probably would get a bigger kick out of going longer than a month without seeing charges on the Kohl's card. Maybe next year. :)

Proof my kids are no longer smelly. Love the buns!

Mark was so kind to take Brooke and Luke to the dollar store so they could pick out presents for our families. Mark said it was an absolute hoot and a holler, especially when Luke picked up the toilet brush for someone very special. I can only imagine the thought process going on in their heads as they picked out all these special gifts. Can't wait to see the faces of our family members as they open the gifts up.

Why is it that everything from the dollar store smells like a toxic waste dump? I've never been to China, but since everything from the dollar store is made in China, is that what the entire country smells like? Considering the kids would probably select crap as gifts anyway it's really the least expensive route to get it all from the dollar store. When you're in there, you don't have to tell them no since everything is a dollar!

Brooke was so excited when I broke the news that Santa was coming to our house tonight. She started running around the house making preparations. One of the things she had to do was to collect things to give to the poor. She told Mark that since she doesn't know any poor people that she wanted to leave these things for Santa to give to the poor. She had really good intentions despite the collection of junk she collected. I love that girl's sweet heart!

To go along with the "cookies" (which are really chocolate graham crackers), the gifts for the poor, Brooke also left this note for Santa. Please allow me to translate:

I love Santa and Mrs. Clause. From Brooke. Give the toys to the poor. Santa we didn't have an cookies.

The "co's" at the end are our abbreviation for cookies. It started before Brooke could spell when Mark wanted to talk about cookies but didn't want the kids to know. He would just spell the first two letters and I knew (and now Brooke knows) exactly what he's getting at. Now Brooke has adopted the term and it cracked me up that she put it in the note.

She quickly "wrapped" presents for Mark and I and put them under the tree. I wonder what we are getting? :)

I love Christmas and Santa and while we don't dwell on the Santa aspect we still enjoy the tradition of Santa bringing us presents. This book God Gave Us Christmas does a beautiful job of showing how God and Jesus are the focus of the holiday and how Santa fits into the picture.

The little bear in the book asks his mom if Santa gave us Christmas (an easy assumption for kids to make) and then they go on a journey to see God all around them.

The message is so sweet because it's true. Santa may be a fantasy but the real message of Christmas is alive in this book and in our hearts. Near the end of the book the little bear asks if God gave us Santa. The mom explains that Santa reminds us of generosity and caring for others and that we should always thank God for giving us Christmas since Jesus first came when God gave us Christmas.

I wonder if this will be the last year Brooke will believe in Santa and that makes me feel a little sad for her to miss out on that little bit of childhood "magic". What I really hope for is that she will always know that while Santa may come and go, God will always be with her.

I'll be back tomorrow (hopefully) with pictures of our Christmas morning. Tis the season. :)