Thank you, Grandma!

Over Spring Break the kids got to spend a few days with Grandma.  Ross' mom majorly blessed us (my spell check is saying "majorly" is not a word - but I don't care.  It is to me!  And it fits.)  :)  Anyway - MAJORLY blessed our socks off by taking the kids from Wed.-Sat. so we could continue to move, pack, and clean.  It was awesome for us and for them, well, just check this out...

Setting up the tent in Grandma's back yard....

Going to the zoo....(poor Milo had a nasty headache - little out-of-it looking.)  

Going garage-sale-ing....Grandma gave each kid $3 to spend at the town garage sales...absolute heaven!  She said Miles picked out the first thing that caught his eye at the very first garage sale and then had to wait around forever (like a typical guy) for his sisters (who, like typical women) soaked up every moment, searching for JUST the right stuff...  :)

Picking out Webkinz...

Making S'mores in the fire pit in the backyard...

And doing tons of other cool, amazing, fun kid stuff.  

 

I'd say a definate

...WAY UP!

We love you, Grandma!!!!

Found taped on the wall next to the front door...

Last night here...

Tonight is the last night we'll be sleeping in our house before we move tomorrow. Thought I'd post some pics of the kids all set for bed in their old, familiar spots for the last time. It's kinda bittersweet and exciting at the same time...

Maggie and Josie in their beds for the last time...these beds are staying with the house.




Miles in his toddler bed for the last time before he graduates to a big-boy bed and Ellie in her sleeping bag where her bed used to be...it's already over at our new house. She's journaling about the whole thing with her new calligraphy pen. :) Makes an English-major mom proud. :)

This afternoon I was feeling a little freaked about all of the change on the horizon and then I just realized so much of what I feel depends primarily on how I process it. What kind of filter am I looking at all of this through? A "negative, this-is-crazy-every-thing's-happening-at-once" filter, or a "positive, so-thankful-God's-provisions (and timing)-are-amazingly-perfect" filter? (Does that make sense?) I guess I really, truly sense God teaching me to take every thought captive into obedience to Him...and I'm finding there's immeasurable peace and contentment that flows from doing just that.

So, here's to the last night in my bed (yep, we're graduating to a King-sized!) and the first night of our new adventure...

He Lives!

Name Tweak

Ok, we've had about 4 wks. for all of this to begin to sink in. After thinking and talking tons about it, we're pretty positive we've settled on a slightly different variation of Yonas' name. We love his given name and its meaning ("Jonah.") But we think we're leaning towards a mix of the two - "Jonas."

"Yonas," "Jonah," and "Jonas" all have the same meaning, which is "Jonah" or "dove." We love the symbolism and idea of claiming him and welcoming him into our family with a slight variation of his given name (which is modeled in the Bible - i.e. Abram to Abraham, Saul to Paul, etc...you get the idea.) :) But we also love the idea of retaining the meaning and essence of his given name and heritage. We think "Jonas" fits the bill and will be a fairly easy transition 'cause it sounds almost identical.

AHHHH!!! I just can't wait!!! :)

We Have a Court Date!

May 14th!

I'm in shock. Definitely still surreal - I feel like I'm floating through life right now. :)

And we just got confirmation that the Embassy in Addis has our approval, but I'm kinda sweating the fact that we're going to mess everything up by moving and having to send an update. (It's crazy the hoops we have to jump through just to say we're moving 2 minutes away. Ugh.)

BUT, it's all good. I'm thankful. I'm blessed. And of all the things I wonder, dream, and think about, it's his smell. Wierd, maybe, but true. I just can't wait to smell my little boy. To bury my face in his little neck and soak him up.

Just wanted to take a second and share some unforgettable Miles moments from the past week. They still make me chuckle.

1) We were running around town last week gathering Ross' supplies for his fishing trip and Ross asked all of us, "Where do you guys want to go for lunch?" To which Josie replied, "Buffalo Wild Wings!" And then from the back Miles calls out, "Uh, no guys. We can't. I'm a vegetarian!" (And this from my could-eat-3-cheeseburgers-at-one-time kid.) :)

2) Last Saturday at one of four indoor soccer games, our pastor's 12 yr. old daughter (and friend of Ellie's) walked up to talk with us. The first thing out of Miles' mouth was, "Do you wear a big-girl bra like my sister Ellie?" (If only you could have seen both girls' faces...)

And on that note, I'll end with a hilarious Maggie moment from last night:

3) Maggie and Miles were watching me make dinner. Mags asked me what I was cooking and I replied, "chicken breasts." She gasped in shock, "Miles, we're having chicken boobs for dinner!"