Mold and Other News

We are on schedule to buy our house mid September. Eric is enjoying his new job. We've started school. Everything is running really smoothly. And then the bomb drops....

All of our stuff in storage is covered with mold. We haven't been there to see it, yet, but my friend Leatha (who also has all of her worldly possessions there) says it is extensive. As in, we needed two trucks to move all of our stuff to the warehouse, but we may only need one to move it all out. Most likely, we will have to throw out all of our upholstered furniture, mattresses, and unfinished wood items (the insides of many dresser drawers are unfinished wood). We won't know about items in cardboard boxes until we open them up. All clothes, blankets, towels, curtains, and other fabrics will have to be washed. According to another friend who went through a similar situation and lived to tell about it (always encouraging, Teresa!), that is about 93 loads of laundry.

It is overwhelming.

So I'm reminding myself of all the things I have to be thankful for....my husband, kids, our health, family, friends, and most importantly, our God and the salvation offered to us though Jesus Christ. All things on this earth will burn. Mine just might burn a little sooner than I anticipated.

In other news, Caleb lost his first tooth. The toothfairy paid a whole dollar for that first tooth! Sophie's hair can now fit into pigtails (very small ones, but we'll take it). Eliza is crawling all over the place, babbling, and signs "all done" and "more". She also says "uh-oh". Danny spends a lot of time outside with his pocketknife and slingshot. He also gets in a lot of fishing with his grandpa. Eric is loving his new job, but not the 1+ hour one way commute. My mom and I have been running what we jokingly refer to as "Lea and Holly's Daycare". We've been helping out my sisters with their kids. We had to call 911 one day as my 2 week old niece was choking on mucus and wasn't breathing. Thank God I had a bulb syringe (we call them blue booger suckers) and my mom suctioned out enough mucus that by the time the paramedics arrived, she was getting air. A reminder that every day of life is a gift from God.

Pictures from summer activities to come.....

Where do we live?

You know you've been moving around a lot when in the midst of a discussion about where we will be the next few weeks, your 3 year old jumps in to reiterate the plan and says, "Yeah, and after that we'll go.....we'll go.....where do we live now, Mommy?"

We just got back from a great week of vacation, which ended with 7-9 inches of rain and the lake flooding. The town nearby was sandbagging, as they were afraid the dam on the lake wasn't going to hold. Of course we took the kids to see the water gushing over the dam, covering parking lots, and running wildly over the roads we had walked that week. The power of the water was stunning...

And as I was discussing with my dad the "back way" to get home, I began to tell him the highways I would take. Then realized, I'm not going home. My home has moved, although I'm not sure where, yet. And for a little bit (because of course, too many feelings are never good :) I let myself mourn the loss of the familiar and the loved.

But hey, our set up right now is pretty good. Tree house, sand box, huge yard, pond with fish that about jump onto your hook, cousins, and lots of space to spread out.

But there is no place like home.

It's Official!

Eric has a new job teaching ESL at the university! He starts August 3.

Our house should (I say "should" because past experience has taught us it ain't over 'till it's over.) close on July 21st.

We are moving! The last Sunday at our church for the kids and me will be this weekend. Eric won't finish work here until the end of July. I have no idea how to say goodbye to the friends who have become family over the past 15 years.

I love our city. I love our church. I love our friends. I'm nervous about what is to come.

Walking by faith.....

Trusting He'll provide......

If I don't get to say goodbye to some of you, know that I love you and expect you to come visit!

Good News

Eric received an email requesting that he interview again on the phone for a teaching job at the university. Tuesday @ 8:30a. Please be praying for him!

And thank God that He gives us encouragement when we need it! (I needed it.)

Family news:

The boys have been preparing for war with Josiah (the 12 year old boy who lives upstairs) for a couple of weeks now. Not sure when the war will take place, but the backyard is prepared! They are both covered with bug bites.

Sophie's new favorite question is: Can I go play with Brenna? Brenna is a little girl her age who lives next door to our temporary, "lower level" apartment. They are so fun to watch as they take their babies to the "store", on walks, and put them "night-night". The other day I walked into our bedroom to find two dolls, tucked in ever-so-carefully, in Eric and my spots.

Eliza is crawling, eating EVERY LITTLE BIT OF ANYTHING she finds on the floor, pulling up to standing along most anything, clapping her hands when we say "yea!", and shaking her head "no". She is a very happy baby these days.

Right now we're enjoying a family favorite to take a break from the summer heat: watching Tom and Jerry cartoons. :)

Caleb is a little daredevil. Here he is jumping his bike off a pretty big jump for his little bike. Thanks to the Sabino's for the backyard and bike ramp. *Note I made sure he was wearing a helmet before attempting this feat.

This jump was the first of four tries. The first was the only one he landed, the other three being magnificent wipeouts. (So glad I got the first on video!) No major injuries, thank God! What I can't believe is that he kept trying! What a little dude. "Pastor Paul" finally convinced him to wait until the next day to try again after the third wipeout. And the next day we built a ramp more suitable to his bike. He is living up to his name's meaning: brave.

The Crazy Life

I was wrong in my prior post....we ARE crazy.

Our family of 6 is living in our friends' 2 bedroom basement apartment......indefinitely.

We moved out of our house before our closing date and then it never closed. Yes, you read right. Our house is still for sale and we are currently not living in it. We may move back in.

We currently have no home phone and no home address. At least I have a blog address. :)

Eric did have an interview on Friday that went very well. We'll see!

School gets out tomorrow and we'll see how creatively I can entertain four kids with MINIMAL toys and space. The pool is too much to handle with all four kids and just me.

It is so crazy, you just have to laugh......or cry. Depends on the day. Today I'm trying to laugh.

Scared of the Storm

As I just wrote the title of this post another meaning flashed into my head more applicable to me, but that is a different story...

Last night Sophie woke up, crying, after a big crack of thunder. I went downstairs and she told me she was scared of the Lighting 'Queen. She meant lightning, but she was calling it Lightning McQueen.

And this is what it is like growing up with two older brothers. :)

(For those of you not up on your Disney movies, Lightning McQueen is the main character of the movie "Cars". The boys went through a "Cars" craze for a while. We even own Lightning McQueen pillow cases!)