Boxville

It's here! Moving Day! We closed on our first home, and will attempt to move in today ... however because of several events of the week, we are not "exactly" ready, so I'm procrastinating, but I wanted to let everyone know that we may be "disconnected" for a day or so, as we unearth things from "Boxville". We are so thankful to our family and friends who have helped this week, so far, and those who are coming to help us today, with packing, moving, childcare, food, and support. THANK YOU! The next time I post, it will be from our new home in LAWRENCE, KS! Yippee! Have a great Saturday!

Small Details

Well, we thought we were going to close on our first home tomorrow, but something has happened, and we will not be able to do so until Tuesday or Wednesday. This is not a terribly big deal, but makes me uneasy. I know, ... TRUST! It pushes back our plans for painting and the number of days we have to move over the separate rooms and get the girls' rooms ready, but we'll try to get as much done as possible.

Okay, crying baby and yelling big sister in the other room, they're both to be going to sleep ... better intervene! Happy Monday from Boxville :)

Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, ...

While talking to Mom R. on the phone tonight, I heard the distict sound of the "pain scream" coming from our downstairs bathroom. I ran to the door, flung it open, and the sight within confirmed the "pain" descriptor of the scream, as I saw Erin jumping/dancing around the bathroom, screaming, and clawing at her head. I told Mom I'd call her back, and David, who had also joined us in our little bathroom, and I tried to sort out the source of the pain. We discovered a huge - no, that is not an exaggeration -- bump on the back of her head, but no blood. After a few unsuccessful tries, we finally conviced Erin to divulge the events leading up to the screaming/dancing ...

A few minutes before the above mentioned events, Erin had touched the raw hamburger I was thawing for tomorrow's lunch. I noticed and told her to immediately (not after licking or wiping on her pants) go wash her hands with soap. She headed to the bathroom, and I guess got sidetracked, or just had "one" of her headstrong moments, and did not end up washing her hands, but managed to scale the counter and was sitting on it, feet in the sink basin. "By an accident" she lost her balance, and toppled backwards, smashing head-first on the tile floor, thus causing a sharp pain at the back of her skull. To our knowledge, she did not pass out, but we were concerned at the size of the rapidly growing lump on the back of her head. I felt, once again in our life of parenthood, that we had crossed over into the cartoon realm, as a skinny, pointy bump rose higher and higher from her scalp. During the first exploration, David and I were both looking for the point of pain, and I found the bump, but thought it was his finger. I called our nurse friend Rachel, and she suggested taking Erin to the ER, which we did.

Now, we have not had wonderful results at the Lawrence Memorial Hospital ER, and have spent many hours waiting, and being frustrated with the service. However, tonight was a complete redemtion for the LMH ER. Erin was in triage before we had really finished registering, and we were there for less than 30 minutes ... WITH great service from the staff, nurses, and doctor. What a pleasant surprise! They did not do a scan of her head, but decided that only after examining Erin for signs of head trauma. They want us to wake her every two hours through the night, and take her to a regular pediatrician in the morning.

We came out of the ER to find that Grandma and Grandpa R were on their way to wait with us, and be with us. Since we finished before they arrived, we all went to IHOP for some late supper, which was nice. It's nice to be loved, and have grandparents close to us!

We are so thankful that she is okay. We are hopeful that she learned a valuable lesson ... one that was further enforced on our car ride into town, as the song playing when we turned on the music was "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed", who, as we all know, fell off and bumped their heads. It was kind of funny, however, I don't think Erin agreed.


... No more monkeys jumpin' on the bed!!!

Hip ... Hip ...

Lots to celebrate at our house ...

1. David is HOME! He and Wayne arrived last night at 10:31, and we were SOOOO happy to see them! I don't know who was more excited/impatient, Erin, Mommy, or Grandma :) It's amazing how much I missed that man! The girls had fun reactions to his return, so that made Daddy pleased ... I don't know who was smiling or hugging more, Daddy or Erin :)

2. It looks as though our house purchase is going to happen! We have a contract, the inspections are done and passed, and I think we are just waiting on the final business end of things, with the appraisal and loan. I am going to call our landlord this afternoon and let them know we are planning on leaving.

3. Along with #2, comes a closing date of March 26th, (two weeks from today!) which means moving the last few days of the month, which means two weeks to pack! Mom R. came for the weekend and worked really hard to help get us ready. We worked on getting the kitchen back under control and doing a bit of cooking in advance, packing up the framed pictures, putting away the clean laundry, cleaning/organizing/throwing away lots of junk from the floor of the girls' room, clearing out the upstairs hallway, and other general cleaning to be organized to pack -- clean things are nicer to pack than dirty ones! The boxes are starting to accumulate, and soon, we'll be in the land of cardboard around here! Thank you for ALL of your help, Mom!

4. KU won the Big 12 Championship

5. Erin and I have spent the last hour planning on how to decorate her new room at our new house. She is not very open to the idea of moving, so I'm hoping that this project will generate some excitement.

6. Avery is on antibiotics for an ear infection, but the good news is that we found a new pediatric office in Lawrence that we like! She doesn't complain of the pain very often, and is such a good baby!

7. Erin and I didn't kill each other while David was away. In fact, it seems today has been a bit more rough than most of the time he was gone.

8. I slept soundly for the first time in about 2 weeks last night, even though it was a short night.

So, it feels like we are having a little time to breathe, together, as a family. Thank you for all of your prayers and support during the last two weeks. We have been blessed! Have a great week!

Still Standing

Hello. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are holding out, and enjoying our time together, just girls. Erin, Avery, and I went to Athol to visit the farm, where baby calves were poppin' out right and left! The trip was short, but fun. Now, we are home, and Grandma Rahija has come to help us get ready to move! How exciting! We are mainly cleaning right now, but tomorrow we'll get some packing done, and that will feel great! David and Dad arrive home on Sunday, barring any problems in Guatemala with the special guest arriving with added security. We are all missing each other, and now counting down the time until we are together again.

Some things learned this week:

• Calves have stickery tongues (learned by Erin when licked on the hand by Speedie the calf).
• Cow poop stinks.
• Grandmas don't like prairie chicken feathers on their kitchen table, especially the ones that came from a prairie chicken recently ripped to pieces by a wild animal.
• Mommy can sing "I Love You A Bushel and A Peck for 30+ minutes without stopping if needed.
• Babies can cry a lot when they get their toe poked by a sharp thing wielded by their grandma.
• Green beans are not as appetizing as pieces vs. mush to a near-one-year-old.
• Erin looks/acts like a future American Idol starlet (as noticed by a man in Walgreens today).
• There are many wonders to be found in Walgreens, especially if one has an hour to kill walking through the store.
• Other people's children are sometimes as obnoxious as mine :)

That's about it. Thanks for your prayers - they are appreciated and being answered (Erin has only had a few major tantrum-like episodes all week, less than normal!).

Mushroom

It's a fungus, it's a cloud, no, it's ... Erin?

Here is a fun Erin story from our adventure to Sam's on Saturday with Grandma, Aunt Michelle, and Natalie. We had a nice outing, and some great "girl time" together! I can vouch for Michelle's laughter ... I heard it in the next aisle, and zipped around the corner, fearing what I would find my daughter doing. Thankfully, it was simply comical, not comical and destructive :)

Thanks for pushing the girls, Chelle! I know Erin enjoyed our day, as did Avery and I!

http://chellenee.blogspot.com/2007/03/sams-club.html

Faring Just Fine

We heard from David and Dad ... they are in Guatemala and have put in two days' work so far, with some concrete work and begining stages of the roof. It sounds, from his VERY vague note, that they are having a nice time. I guess we'll get the unabridged story later :) He sent me a text message tonight, which made me smile ... yep, I'm a dork!

The girls and I are doing okay, a few of the regular (as of late, anyway) tantrums, but nothing we couldn't handle ... Erin fell asleep under her bed today which was funny, but challenging, as I had to leave for UC leadership meeting, and had to drag her out from under there. What a nut! Avery is missing daddy, and keeps looking for him on his side of the bed in the mornings, and calls out "Da!" when the door opens in the afternoons. It's cute. I know she'll give a good response when he arrives on Sunday. Erin had a sad evening Saturday, as she was really missing daddy. Grandma got out a box of pictures from when David was growing up, and as we looked through them, she gave Erin two of his senior pictures. It's not what he looks like now, but his eyes and smile are the same, so it was enough for her. She was pretty pleased to have them, and cradled them all the way home. We had a fun day playing outside today, and soaking in some sun! It felt so nice and refreshing to sit in the sun with the breeze tickling our faces and arms. Spring is on its way!

We are going out to Athol for a bit this week, leaving tomorrow. Grandpa has three brand new babies in his lot (calves!), and one in the barn that was just born tonight. Erin will LOVE that, and it's supposed to be really nice weather while we're there, so I'm hoping for some good "farm time" for her! I know Avery will enjoy showing off her new skills too, as well as her two teeth! We will celebrate her birthday, Grandma's birthday, AND Great Grandma Boeck's birthdays while we are out there. Fun times!

Well, as before, thank you for praying for all of us this week. We notice, and appreciate it!

Happyish News

Last night, as we were packing David's things for the trip, we had to have a chat about the condo situation. Ron called me around 5pm, and told us the owners had two offers on the table ... similar ... ours was more desireable because of the earlier closing date, and the other offer was a bit more cash. They were leaning toward the cash, but their realtor called Ron and told him they really liked our situation better, as they knew we were stable (isn't that a funny descriptor for our family!!), and as we briefly met the gal, I think she fell in love with our girls. However, the cash was pulling a strong punch, so their realtor told Ron that if we would offer $1000 more, it would be a no-brainer decision in our favor for his clients. I was really excited about this, especially since I heard that interest rates dipped, and we might have an even less payment each month than originally planned. I called my husband to share the news, and was met with a not-so-pleasant response. After a few moments of conversation that neither of us are proud of, we decided to wait to talk until he got home from work, which was about 9:30pm. The topic didn't come up again until very early this morning, probably close to 1:45. We talked and talked and talked, I prayed, and I felt we were no closer to a decision than earlier. I really want this house. It's cute, clean, spacious, has two living areas, a double garage, fenced back yard, and is move-in ready, where we wouldn't have to do anything but put in new shelf liner. I don't want to be the wife that demands the house though, and stresses out the husband, cleans out the paychecks, and makes the family fall apart because of this dream, however. We went to the office to look at David's newest accomplishment at LFN, and after a while, David just pops out with "Let's do it. I'm okay with the extra $1000, and I think it will be fine. If God wants to close the doors, then it will be fine, will do our best to know His plan." I was so happy, because I felt like we were back on the same side again, and we left a message on Ron's phone to go ahead and offer that deal. I had a funny thought, that if this is not "the house" then I'm sure the sellers would have accepted the other offer, and ours would be dropped (again). However, when Ron called me this morning, he said their realtor, Kelfel, was pleased, and said they'd make it happen, or something like that.

Sooo, if all goes well, with inspections, the lending process, and barring any God "no"s, then I think we will close on our first home on March 26th. This is less than a month, and with David being gone for over a week, I'm sure he'll feel stressed about it, BUT, we have had so many offers of help with the girls, and with the flexibility of his new job -- such a blessing! -- I think we can make it happen, and be ready to move by the first week of April. I feel it sounds that I'm getting excited a bit prematurely, but I am just happy that something is off on a right foot. Please continue to pray for us as we discern His plan, and that we would be good stewards of our time, money, and gifts. Thank you for the gift of your prayers to this point - He has heard and has carried us, comforted us, and kept us from becoming too discouraged through the process! What a blessing YOU are to us!

Change of attitude

I know ... it's nearly a miracle at the number of posts recently. I bid my husband good-bye this morning at 3:15, after we crashed to sleep around 2:45. He boarded a plane and called me from Atlanta around 8:20, and should be in Guatemala as I type. I was happy for him to go, and know he is excited to have the chance to be on this trip. As we packed and repacked his things, I felt this sense of loneliness, as if I were saying good-bye for ever, not just the 10 days he'll be away from us. I guess each time we part ways I should treat it as if it could be the last. Each hug and kiss, each "I love you", each wave from the front door should communicate my love for him. Anyway, I did not do a great job of getting up to help him, but he was pretty much ready when we laid down for a quick nap. I hope he had a chance to nap on the plane or on the ride to their destination this afternoon, as I was lucky enough to sleep until 7:30, snooze until 8:15, and cuddle my girls until 9:30.

I have been dreading this trip in some ways, as it means that I am the only adult that will be here for the 10 days he is gone ... no grown up conversations, no intervention in discipline situations, no one to share a movie with ... However, my outlook today is one of pleasing promise. I have 10 days to share just with my girls -- no getting "shown up" by daddy and his cool tents and games. I have 10 days of no dirty underwear/socks gathering on the floor, and can get the laundry caught up again -- just a week ago I was bragging of this to my mother in law ... it is not so at the moment, though gaining! I have 10 days to establish a new routine of picking up, 10 days to teach Erin some new letters, 10 days to help Avery say some new words, 10 days to pack some random stuff into boxes that make sense (or throw away junk we don't need!) ... 10 days. There are 10 days of time to spend in prayer for my husband ... to grow my love affair with my Lord ... to show love, tenderness, mercy, and grace to my girls ... to worship ... to breathe in His presence. 10 days.

I can tell some of you have been praying for me ... this peace is not from within me, it is beyond my understanding. THANK YOU for lifting me before the Father ... for lifting my girls in His presence ... for offering to help ... for being my family. I feel you, and am blessed by your faithfulness and belief in the One who holds each second in His hand, and cherishes each of us in it.

Temporary Loss of Sanity?

Well, I write to you on the day before David departs for Guatemala (aka Gualamala, according to Erin, where her daddy will be picking bananas off the trees to bring back to her each day) for 10 days, helping build a roof on a home, and other various jobs in the San Lucas Toliman area. I have to say I am very excited for him to be able to go, yet lament that the girls and I will be here. Because of recent behavior issues (Erin's most recent dip into disobedience/independence), it almost scares me to be the only adult in our house for those days, so we will be taking trips to both Grandma's houses during that time. Also, with things unsure about the house, I may be using some of that time to pack/do bigger cooking to prepare for a move. Erin's excited to play with Natalie at Grandma R's and see the new calves at Grandpa G's place!

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I may be off the radar for nearly a fortnight (which, I guess isn't really that abnormal, but with the recent burst of posting, I felt the need to say something), but, shall return, hopefully with my sanity and both children fully intact! Well, my eldest in "sneakily" turning on the light in the hallway to get my attention, and my youngest just started crying, so I'd better investigate! Love to you!