we’re in

So the big day finally came this last Saturday and we managed to move almost everything into our new house.  It was a pretty big disappointment to us as none of our friends from church were able to come and help (the closest friends were all out of town) but Ehren and his dad were able to move all the big furniture themselves.  Ehren has moved a lot of big pieces by himself so by the time the day was over he was just worn out.  Audrey was with the kids most of the day and that was a huge help because I was taking all the smaller stuff from the old house and I could not believe how long that took.  I concluded we have way too much crap at our house.  Most of the stuff is kids clothes and toys and here I thought we didn’t have that much of it in comparison to our friends’ houses, but boy is it a lot.  If the kids in Africa saw this…:)  I still haven’t let the kids play with most of their toys and they’re doing fine without them so we’re not even going to take them all out and instead change the toys around once in a while so they think they have a new toy.  Kids love their new rooms and the only room that’s a little challenging to arrange is the boys room because Kason’s crib takes up a lot of space which we didn’t realize.  We still have all the pictures and breakable decorations at our old house and I can’t wait to find the perfect spot for my favorite pieces.  It is funny how quick we got everything moved, we already have the internet set up, phone, and the mail will start coming here today.  It is still very surreal to us to be in our new house because it is so beautiful and almost seems too good to be true.  I never thought Ehren and I would own such a nice house and it never really bothered me but now it’s like I’m scared to enjoy it because it seems too much, especially now when so many people are struggling financially and losing their homes.  I almost feel guilty when I see some friends who want to move to a bigger house but are not able to sell theirs.  As for the pictures you will have to wait a little bit because I’m too embarassed taking pictures when there is still chaos going on.  It’s been hard to get as much done as I’d like with the kids, but slowly we’re getting there.

The moving has started

Well, we can see the end of the tunnel.  The carpet is done, we have heat and hot water and we started to bring in some things to the house.  Nothing big, mainly it is toys and stuff to entertain the kids while Ehren and I are working at the house.  It’s been really hard to get anything done with the kids and I really miss my mom because it would be so nice if I could go to the house during the day or be able to take trips back and forth but it’s impossible with all 3 kids and their naps.  Then they all go to bed at 8pm and I could still do a lot at the house, but I can’t just leave them here so that part is very stressful for me and I feel like I can’t get anything done.  Ehren has been working on the house every night and he can’t wait when we are moved in so he doesn’t have to run back and forth.  We are all very anxious to be there and if everything goes well we will move all the furniture this Saturday and then slowly work on the clutter we accumulated in this house.  I have been working on packing stuff up, but I don’t want to pack away everything and then have to unpack it at the new house.  Especially the clothes we use I want to just grab and put away in the closets.  But I still have a ton to pack and I wonder how long it will take to organize everything in the new house.

In the middle of all the stress I have been losing weight and now almost all the pants I own are too big.  I should be excited about it, but it’s a little frustrating because I don’t want to spend money on new clothes right now.  It is also funny because every time I try to lose weight by running and working out not one pound goes off, but when I don’t even try I just find myself a size smaller.  I have had no time to work out whatsoever since my race in August so it will be nice to have Ingrid, my sister-in-law, here so we can trade off watching the kids while we work out.  But I guess it’s partly because I barely have time to eat during the day and I’m always the last one to eat so I just quick eat something before I have to get to my next project.

The kids have been doing great considering our stressful time right now.  Kade is really excited about his new room and wants to go to the new house all the time.  I don’t think Anika really gets the idea of our new house, but she also likes it there and her and Kade just chase each other all over the house when we’re there.  I just took Ani to the podiatrist to talk about her flat feet and the doctor thought her feet were not that severe, but she should wear a shoe insert to help her arch and we’ll see if it improves any.  I didn’t even know they do surgeries for people to create an arch so that’s a possibility after she turns 7 or so and it is really bad.  Anika also needs to go to a developmental specialist in January just to see if her speech and motor skills are where they should be.  It’s easy to be worried about her, but I try not to think about it too much and just see what happens at the doctor.  Kason is growing and he’s been a lot better lately, just playing with his toys and watching Kade and Anika.  He also got the hang of the ceral and now he just kicks his legs and arms when he sees me getting the cereal ready.  Then if I wipe his mouth up before he’s done he starts to complain and cry because he thinks the cereal is gone.  So he will probably be another good eater and I am going to work on those veggies soon.

Kason at 5 months

Our baby is almost not a baby anymore.  He’s growing up so fast.  Everyone who watches him says he’s such a good baby, but I think it’s because they hold him almost the whole time.  He can be fussy if he’s at the same place for too long, which is how Kade was too.  But he loves to watch Kade and Anika play and they can entertain him for a long time.  Kason plays pretty well on his tummy too and sometimes looks like he’s about to start crawling so we’ll see how long it will take.  He is so strong and it always amazes me when I’m changing him and feel his legs because they are just muscular.  It is also a little funny to see him this long because when Kade was at this length he was already walking.  We had a 4 month check-up and Kason was still in the 98th percentile for height and weight.  If he keeps it up he’ll be heavier than Ani soon.  He’s only a few pounds behind.  He actually is heavier than her when he’s in the infant car seat and I can barely lift that thing.  My back hurts if I have to load and unload him from the van too many times.  We are slowly starting the cereal, but he’s not too excited about it.  He eats it once it’s in his mouth but I have to shove it in there because he won’t open his mouth.  I’m happy that he’s sleeping all night, even though he has a night once in a while when he gets up once and is hungry.  It will be a lot nicer in the new house where he’ll have his room and not be in the living room or our room where someone wakes him up all the time.  We’re all ready to move, but there is a lot of packing to do now which I’m not too excited about.

watch out, I can really bite

what are those 2 doing

I am bored

it’s too bright, mom

I love bath time!

Calm My Anxious Heart

I have started a womens Bible study on Wednesday nights and I really love it.  We’re going through the book “Calm My Anxious Heart” by Linda Dillow and I would recommend it to any woman.  It is not only about the worrying we do but also about being content with who we are (who God created us to be) and what we do.  At this point in my life it is just what I need.  From building the house, to having a 3rd baby this year, there are a lot of worries that creep into my heart.  And unlike some people I am a real worrier.  Linda Dillow gives a lot of examples from Eastern Europe during the communism time and it speaks to me more because that is the part of the world I come from and it reminds me I have so much to be thankful for.  But I think more than overcoming the worrying I like the focus on contentment because it is so easy nowadays to compare yourself with other people and not be content with ourselves and our life.  Something that came out in the Bible study made me think about my contentment as a stay home mom.  It is very hard to be always happy staying home with the kids where diapers, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes and taking care of the kids doesn’t end.  When you look at it from the day’s point, it seems hard and long.  But in the end we have such a short time before the kids grow up and leave us, and in this world of bad influence on every corner I have to cherish the moments I have with our kids.  So I really love how this study brings me back to what is really important in life – having the eternal perspective.  We have women from 20s to 50s so it is nice to get imput from all different ages.  Kade has Awana during my Bible study and there is nursery available for Kason and Anika so it’s nice to be able to go there and not worry about the kids.  Ehren would usually stay home with the 2 younger kids, but he’s been busy with the house.

By the way, we just found out Ehren’s ehhouse blog is #23 of the fastest growing wordpress blogs, pretty impressive.  So now Ehren is telling me I need to spice mine up or something to keep up with his.    Who cares about the numbers, I’m doing it to keep the family updated – although half of them has to read it in English, not their native language.