We're still alive......

and moved into our new house.

And thanks to our parents and friends, we're 99% unpacked, set up, and have even painted a few rooms. Here's Owen helping pack up our valuables on our last day in our old home.

I'm kicking myself for not taking before pictures, but here is my new kitchen.
The kitchen that was formerly pink.
And I love it. Love, love, love it!
And when I say the kitchen was formerly pink, I actually mean the entire house is pink. We got the boys room and the laundry and master closet painted, and we'll keep right on painting.
I mean, every time I walk in this house I have Steel Magnolias quotes running through my head: "my colors are blush and bashful.... your colors are pink and pink."

But in my georgian brick kitchen?
No Shelby. Nothin' but love. :)

We even had a little bit of sunshine today and took advantage to explore one of the many neighborhood parks.

And even though it was sad to leave the house we brought all three of our babies home to,
and even though I already miss our previous neighbors and friends,
and even though our new neighborhood is a bit more hilly for my runs than I was expecting,
I think we'll be happy in our new pink house.

In three days.....

We move in two days.
Which means our computer will probably be packed up tonight.

But in three days, somebody will be two.

So I'm writing this blog post early because I don't know when the internet will be up and running at the new house and I don't want to miss Owen's birthday post. Heaven forbid he ever have the opportunity to say, "I was just the third kid. Nobody cared about me. I didn't even get my own 2nd birthday blog post and for Christmas that year they got me some pillow pet I didn't even want."
We just can't have that, so here it is:

Two.
Owen will be two.

I find that hard to believe.
(Except when he's throwing temper tantrums and then I find it easy to believe.)

Honestly, it is hard to put into words what the last two years with Owen have been like. On one hand, they've been extraordinarily difficult; the kind of years you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. The kind of years that were full of a baby screaming because he's in pain, too many doctor appointments, procedures,medicines, and therapies to count, too many nights laying in bed awake and worrying, and too many tears shed because as a mother, one of the worst things is seeing your child in pain and not being able to prevent it....Seeing your child in pain and fervently longing to take his place.

On the other hand, these have been the two most life changing years of my life. Owen has stretched me in ways I didn't know I needed stretching. I've been blessed with a great marriage, but these struggles have made it even stronger. I've been blessed with a great family, but these struggles make me appreciate them even more. I look around and realize some parents would give anything for their child to have his issues. Some parents are watching their children go through much worse and so now I hit my knees for those families like I should have been all along. I've had faith in God for a long time, but this past year has made me rely on Him like never before. And even though Owen's not out of the woods yet, I have more hope and trust in God than ever before because I've learned He will take care of you. His timing might not be the same as yours, but He will not abandon you; even in your darkest hour. And I've had some dark hours.

So happy (almost) 2nd birthday to my bright, blue-eyed, life changing little boy.
I'm so thankful for you.
You're my scrappy little fighter....
And I thank God for that.
And I pray that your bad days continue to get fewer and farther in between.
And I'm so glad you came along and made our little family even better.

Can we say "plethora"?

How many little girls do we have living here?

Just one.
Why do you ask?

Cuteness Overload

Last night at bedtime, some people were not very patient about waiting their turn to read books with me, so Emma Grace took the matter into her own hands.

And here's Isaac, patiently waiting for me to put the camera down and finish reading to him.

The End.

Random Update

The house is a wreck.
Like a big time wreck.
But the good kind of wreck that means you're moving soon.

Todd broke his pinkie toes.
(well, one broken....the other one severely messed up.)
He tells people he did it karate chopping muggers who were going after a sweet little old lady.
(Really he did it falling down the stairs carrying a heavy box of........tee shirts.)

The kids have been doing a lot of this while I pack:
(I know, I'm still waiting to get my Mother-of-the-Year Award some other time.)

We did manage to celebrate Genna or Liddet (Ethiopian Christmas) with a traditional coffee ceremony. Some of Isaac's favorite people in the world were there to celebrate with him and he kept saying: It's Christmas in my Ethiopia today.

Too cute.

Here are the kids wound up after their coffee and popcorn.
In case you were wondering, it is impossible to get a great picture of six kids, six and under. Seriously.
Impossible.

The girl on the right started at her new school this week.
She was scared, but brave. She is such a champ.
I already got a great report from her teacher.
She loves it there.

And this guy down here?
I can't even describe it.
We were so scared to start a new heavy medication for him.
But the doctors said it was time.
And they were right. It was time.
He's gained a pound on it.
He wants to eat all the time.
He's doing awesome.
He's feeling good.
He's doing well in speech therapy.
He's doing better in food therapy.
His heart is perfectly fine.
His GI tract is not acting up right this minute.
And did I mention that he's gained a pound?

We're all happy about this turn of events.
We're all praying it continues.
We all needed it.
We all hope it leads to a reduced amount of doctor appointments soon,
but we don't mind going this often if we keep getting such good news. :)


And that's it for my random update.
Happy Saturday Night.

Break time.

Taking a break from packing.

Contemplating......
When will I stop organizing and sorting while I pack?
At what point will I just start chucking everything in boxes haphazardly?

I'm thinking it will be very soon.
Maybe even tonight.

I know, I know.
Deep stuff.

Resolutions

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS:

1. Gain weight. Do not start lifting weights or doing sit-ups or push-ups this year.

2. Eat more unhealthy foods. Give up veggies for candy, meat for cake, water for diet coke, etc.

3. Keep cramming the calendar full of events that take away from family dinners and time together. Family time is so overrated.

4. Spend less time reading the bible and more time reading books like Twilight and the Hunger Games.

5. Spend less time cultivating friendships that last.

6. Watch way more tv and play more video games.


(I've never done well with New Year's Resolutions, so I thought this year I would try reverse psychology and see if it helps.)

I'll keep you posted.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(Enjoy these pics of our "overrated" family time together in the snow...) :)

Surprisingly, Owen lasted longer than we thought he would....