Stories from the past week...

Well, I'm sure you're all wondering how things are going here. It's been not quite 2 weeks since I arrived, with my Mom and girls, to the state of Kansas to begin my adventure here. To be honest, I don't really feel at home yet. Of course, we're still living at Ty's parents' house, so that may have something to do with it. It is quiet and pretty darn beautiful out here, so there are at least 2 good things about it. It has been, and is, quite a transition for all of us. The girls actually did really REALLY well in the car. I was amazed. The first day was pretty good until it was time for Anna to go to sleep. She was terrified of the room we put her in for some reason, so we switched rooms. She was still scared in the new room, so I spent the night in there with her, and my Mom the next night. Finally, the 3rd night, she slept in there by herself. Of course, it wasn't until the next morning that I found out Ty had told her that if she layed down and went to sleep I would come in there when it was my bed time. Since I was unaware of this, I never went in. Oops! She didn't seem to mind the next morning, and she's done pretty well ever since. I had been really sad thinking that Anna might not remember all of the important people we are leaving in TX, but every night she continues to list off all of our friends and loved ones in her bed time prayers. It makes me smile every time, and I hope she keeps it up for a long time. I'm still not able to use my computer, so I can't upload any pics of our new house, but I will asap. The work that thing needs will be a chronicle in itself, but I'm excited for the challenge and for something to do. Now if only I could find something that would make us some money but let me be home with the girls, I'd be in hog (or should I say cow) heaven. Any ideas?

We're here, and I'm still alive...

Well;
We made it to Kansas safe and sound (well mostly). Have you ever noticed how a 2 year old's voice gets louder with every passing hour in a car? Actually, the girls were even better than I expected, and I made it all the way here without shedding a tear (perhaps I was all dried up after the couple of days before). I'll officially apologize to everyone for not responding to your emails, but Ty's parents have dial-up which means I can't view half of your blogs or anything on FB. I keep reading the comments to the photos, but I can't see them, and even though I read your emails and posts, I can't seem to be patient enough to wait for the reply window to pop up. So, don't even bother wanting to see any pics from up here for a little while. We are looking at a house "in town", though, so I may be officially back online soon! Until then, I'll leave you with a story from my adventures to KS. About 2 weeks before the move, Ty and I notice that my inspection sticker had expired (IN APRIL). We decided it was silly to pay for an inspection so soon before we left, so we just left it alone. It hadn't bothered be for 2 months, but now every time I saw a cop car go by, I'd hold my breath and my heart would race a little. I joked with Ty more than once that I'd get pulled over on my way out of Texas, and do you know what? IT HAPPENED! Just outside of Denton, my Mom and I passed a State Trooper who had just finished pulling over someone else. Somehow he saw my sticker, and with a flash of his lights, we were stopped. Can you believe it? I explained the situation, and he gave us a warning. My Mom was driving, and she said it was the first time she'd ever been pulled over. Sorry, Mom! Oh well, I knew it wouldn't be easy getting out of there. More fun stories to come, but that's all for now.

Pity Post

I can't believe it's been like 6 days since I last posted. You can tell how crazy things have been since I haven't had the time/energy to post the last few days. So, even though there's not much to tell, here's an update on everything to kinda fill in the gap. Packing is going slow. I know I only have a week left, but I'm just not ready to have a house full of boxes that are full of stuff that I can't get to or use. Pretty soon, we'll be sitting on the floor, eating off paper plates, and just staring at each other in the evenings. Ah well, it has to happen some time, or my stuff will have to endure Ty's packing method (cram things in the nearest box and chuck it wherever it'll go). Then our buyer's real estate agent started calling and saying, "Well, she might want to bring a friend over to see the house, or she might just want to poke her head in some time this week." I'm thinking, "really"? Can she not wait 7 more days? After that she'll have all the time in the world to show every friend she's got, but right now my house is full of partially packed boxes and the stuff that needs to go in them. She'll have to look behind the mountains of boxes to see anything and just try to stay in the little path we've made between the stuff. On top of everything, Abby's got the sniffles. I'm really hoping it's just a cold, 'cause I do NOT want my first order of business in KS to be finding a doctor to take her to the first day we get there 'cause she's still sick! Oh the up side, I'm having tons of fun hanging out with everyone with all my "goodbye" parties, lunches, playdates, etc. It's great to be reminded of just how many great friends God has blessed us with during our time here. On Friday, I'm taking Anna to the circus for the first time with some of those very same friends. Can't wait to see what she thinks of it. (I'll be sure and post pics!) Ty's keeping Abby, so I'll be able to really enjoy the experience without having to worry about her (or feed her in the middle of everything ;)). Well, that's all for now. Hope you feel caught up. Until next time...

Date Night = Blessing

Today's blessing is...my husband's sweet thoughtfulness. Really, this should be yesterday's blessing, but it was WAY too late to post last night, so here we are. Ty and I hadn't had a date night in... well, I can't remember our last date night, so that tells you how long. Anyway, all he told me was that I needed to dress up. Yay! I love dressing up, and it just so happens that I'd saved a nice dress when packing up my seldom used clothes for the move. Of course, I was crossing my fingers, hoping it would fit since not much else of mine does. Luckily, I squeezed into it, and felt great about it. So we get in the car to take the kids to our good friends, the Neely's, to watch them for our surprise date. When we get there, they're all dressed up too! Stacey's Mom (who is one of the bravest women I know) kept all 4 kids while we went out on the town. I was so surprised and delighted to have our friends come along! We hopped in the car and went downtown to Mi Cosina for dinner (yum), and then to the Bass Hall for a show. While I can't all together recommend the show we saw, I love going to the theater and haven't been in FOREVER, so I'm not complaining. The night ended way too soon (it was a Tuesday after all), but I'm so thankful that my husband knew I'd been dying to do something like this for a long time. We'll have very few chances for things like this pretty soon, so it was so sweet of him (and our friends) to work it into our busy schedule. What a blessing!
P.S. I know I probably broke the photographers' code, but I just couldn't see myself with my camera around my neck, so I didn't get any pics. Stacey's mom took one, so if it's good, I'll post if when I get it.

Sunday Hodge Podge

Well, it was another great day to worship the Lord and be with friends. Friends who encourage, support, laugh, and learn with you. When you have kids, it's even better when you can see that they love your kids like they were their own, and you feel the same way about their kids. Today I watched Carter wear a stocking cap in 90 degree weather, Anna and Payton eat olives off their fingers, and Morgan and Spencer make my sweet baby smile over and over. They seem like silly everyday things, but they are memories I will keep in my heart forever.

On a completely separate note, here are some things I found while bumming around on the net today:
http://products.polaroid.com/product/part_number=PG009/1848.0.61264.61265.0.0.0
You know those great old Polaroid cameras? Well here's a digital one! I know someone at church was talking about this a while ago. I finally checked it out, and I think it's so cool! I totally remember almost every bday party I had, my Mom would take pics of me with each of my party guests. I loved it! At $150 it doesn't even seem too expensive. The sheets you print on aren't cheap, but not too much more than a digital print. Don't know if I'll ever get one, but I think it's a really neat idea.
http://thelovelyladybaker.blogspot.com/2009/08/rice-krispie-cake-for-unwanted-birthday.html
This is my friend Christina's blog. She made the cutest cake basically out of giant rice krispie treats. What a fun idea! Everybody loves 'em, and it's a great twist on the traditional bday cake. After I make Brandi's peanut butter brownies, I think I'll try it.