Moving

My Blog has been silent lately as we are in the middle of moving!  The previous owners moved out last Saturday, so since then we have been moving in.  It has been a lot of work, but fun, too.  The kids have been great help and  have enjoyed rediscovering toys that have been in storage for a year.

Our new HOUSE!

We are so excited that we finally own a house.  A single story with a pool, which we believe will be the most helpful for Melody's mobility needs.  It even has a view.  Something we were sure we would have to give up.  We praise God for His provision.  It has been a long one-year journey from selling our previous house to buying this one. 

We will begin moving in 23 days!  The previous owners are renting back from us for a few weeks while they complete the sale of the house they are buying. 

It has been a longer journey than I anticipated, and we are thankful to be nearing the end.  All we need to do is actually get moved.  The pool is only 6 months old.  Isn't it amazing that God even had them put a pool in for us?  Perhaps that is what we were waiting for. 

These are a few pictures I have.  Kevin has many more, but these are the best I have.  Of course, I'll have lots more once we actually can move in. 

House Update

Today we submitted our 8th offer on a house. Pray for God's will and timing in finding our new home. I must admit I am getting anxious. I had optimistically hoped we'd be moved by now. The number of items that are "in storage" that we are finding need for is growing. Our costume box is in storage, so this month we are trying to make new costumes inexpensively.

Finding the home we are looking for is not easy. Single stories are not as plentiful in our area, especially with at least 4 bedrooms and in our price range. We can drive by many of them and not even have to go in to know they won't work for us. Too hilly, or too many stairs to approach from the outside.

The house we just placed an offer on I really like. However, it is in a high tax area and doesn't have a pool. So, we are trusting God to show us His will. We do not have the money saved we would like to at this point, so we may have to just trust that God will give us the ability to put a pool in later.

Continue to pray with us that God would allow us to buy a home that will meet the needs of our family. Pray that we would not grow impatient, but that we would lower our expectations if that is what we need to do, too.

. . . But I Love You More.

Melody Annalise Allen - 6 months

Today the kids and I took Melody for her 6 month pictures. Okay, we're about a month late, but we've been a little busy. Thankfully, it is Spring Break, so we have our time freed up a bit. We also took in a showing of the Chipmunks Squeakuel at the $2 theater and Melody generally enjoyed her first movie experience. Everyone else did.

Tuesday after swim lessons we took the time to stop by our house and mow lawns, pull a few weeds, get the mail, and generally make sure it is looking good. I found myself very emotional by the time we were leaving. First of all, our house looks gorgeous. All the new paint and carpet and counters and shower are beautiful. The weather was beautiful and the view was gorgeous. I really miss that.

Kevin said we didn't sit on the porch and enjoy it enough. However, I've realized that I enjoyed the view more than I ever knew. To be able to do dishes while enjoying the snow capped mountains was something I took for granted. Now I look at window blinds or the side of an RV. I am really an outside kind of person. I love yardwork and walks and being outside improves my outlook on life tremendously. The views from our house helped me to feel like I was outside, even when I couldn't be.

I walked around our house enjoying how nice it looks while holding our precious Melody. I hugged her tight and told her how much we love her. You see, no matter how much I love and miss our house, it will never mean more to me than my children. I told Melody how we were leaving all this behind for her and how she is worth it. Oh, I shed lots of tears. Doing what is right isn't always easy, but it is always worth it.

Then I walked into our girls former room and glanced at the windowsill. There sat one of the many "staging" items. But what caught my eye was the flowers now decorating it. I began crying again as I realized Elizabeth had picked flowers from the yard and brought them up to decorate her room. She didn't say anything to me, just did it. For a room she loves, but is learning to let go of. We can look back and be sad, or we can look forward with anticipation and excitement for the future. This is what I tell myself as I encourage my daughter.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of remodeling and moving. I've barely had time to think, much less process. Tuesday's visit to our house was a chance to begin to process and grieve leaving our house. We have loved that house and have lots of wonderful memories there that will always be with us. I love our house, but Melody, I love you more!