The Move, part I

Who in their right mind would go through the hassle of a move with four young kids at home? If you said no one, you're absolutely right. Deciding to take on this endeavor meant that we had to take a little break from sanity, but after Edith was born we knew. Our sweet little home on Smith wouldn't hold up to our growing family any longer. We found a beautiful 30 day St. Joseph novena and began to pray it every day to cover the entire process... We didn't keep count but I'm fairly certain we were well over 30 days. I truly credit his intercession for allowing me to keep my wits during many stressful, trying moments.

The first step was getting the house ready to show. We packed away 70% of our belongings, using any available basement or garage space graciously lent to us by our friends. I mean, even if our potential buyers knew that six humans occupied this teeny three-bed, one-bath home, it sure couldn't look like it! Homeschooling basically disappeared for the summer, replaced with life lessons like "How many books can you fit in this box without breaking your back when lifting it?" and "How do you flip pancakes when you accidentally packed away the good spatula?"

Once the house was ship-shape, we took our photos (which made our house look beautiful, by the way!) and waited for the showings to start rolling in. My parents were gracious enough to let us crash at their house for two whole weeks so our house could stay spotless and available at a moment's notice. The first week was packed with showings, and our spirits were high! We would have a buyer at any moment, we just knew it! But no bites, and then the initial flow slowed to a trickle. Then not a single showing for five days. Ugh. We decided to move back home. I mean, what was the point of taking up space at my parents' house when there was nothing going on at our own home? We readied ourselves to settle in for the long haul.

On a Wednesday, the kids and I packed everything up to head home after lunch. But early that morning we received a notice for a showing! A slight change in plans, and we would get home late afternoon instead. An hour later, another showing! This one for early evening, so we decided to do dinner out and stick to our plan. Then a THIRD showing was scheduled between the first and second, meaning we couldn't get into our house until after 7:00. Wow! So we made a family evening of it, heading to the library and then to bike and have a picnic at Harriet Island. As we got ready to leave the library, we got a call from our realtor with the great news... two offers were coming in on our home! We were giddy with excitement and relief. We headed to the park with light hearts to wait out the third showing.

Thursday we met with our realtor and accepted an offer, the first of many signatures we would put on paper over the next few months. The couple buying our house was engaged but would be married before they moved in, and they wrote us a letter to tell us how excited they were to start their life together in this house. That same evening we went to two showings, one of which was the house I am now sitting in to write this post! The moment we walked in, I fell in love with the open layout, the natural light, the room behind the garage that just screamed "school room!" We talked it over and then went back for a second showing and decided to put in an offer.

I had been under the impression that the showing of our house would be the most difficult part of the move, but ohhh was I wrong. My first emotional breakdown came during negotiations with the sellers of our new house. The house was in the top of our price range and we had hoped they would come down a bit. We negotiated back and forth for days! Each time we countered, we had to wait for what felt like years to hear a response, and they eventually refused what we had decided was our best offer, raising it by what amounted to $300! We were floored. We started wondering... Is this a sign? Are we not supposed to buy this house, even though it's only going to be $300 more than we were planning for? Do we have to walk away? It just seemed so strange and surreal.

But then a wise friend told me, "Just keep walking forward until God closes the door." God was not the one who chose our upper limit, so after praying about it we didn't feel like He was closing a door, but instead asking us to choose whether to keep walking or not. So we kept walking, and we signed the final purchase agreement. The beautiful home I had been trying not to dream about was really going to be ours!

To be continued...

Sneak Peak

It seems that some of you have been waiting with baited breath to get a glimpse of the inside of our new house! Sorry for the delay on posting any photos, it has only recently reached any level of cleanliness that I feel comfortable publishing photos of it. In the interest of full disclosure, on the off-chance that you think my house actually looks like this in the midst of homeschooling four littles, I shamelessly used the old real-estate trick, "Hide the Mess out of the Frame". When all else fails, and the mess is unbeatable, just don't include that room! So without further ado, here is some of our new house!

Here is our living room, photo taken from the top of the stairs leading to the bedroom hallway. The window looks out to the front yard, the kitchen is behind the partial wall on the left side of the frame. Beneath me (down two half-flights of stairs) is our front entry, garage, and school room. Our house is a four-level-split style that you might be familiar with, but I think one unique thing about it is that the main entrance doesn't come into the living room but into the level below it. I've been enjoying the ability to keep our living room completely clear of shoes and coats so far!

Dining room/kitchen view. Behind me is a sliding glass door to our deck, which Paul has been painstakingly cleaning, staining, and painting. The dining room has room for our table with all its leaves without feeling crowded at all!

The photo below is taken from the dining room looking through the kitchen. The small table is where we usually eat breakfast, lunch, and snacks. There is a sliding door behind that table that leads to our three-season porch, or "smoking room", as Paul has dubbed it. Past the table you can see an opening in the wall. That's the closest look you'll get right now at our school room...I am going to save that project for another day. There is a door in that room that leads directly into the backyard, and it is on the same level as our garage and main entrance. 

Then there is the girls' room! My mom's amazing friend painted the bedrooms and they look beautiful. I'm so excited to actually decorate instead of simply shoving stuff (and kids) into any available space. My parents set up the kids rooms while we were in North Dakota picking them up from Grandma, so they got to come home to their new rooms all ready to go! 

The boys room I am also saving for another day... I want to do it justice, but it rarely lives up to its potential, with a constant carpet of clothes and legos. Our room also needs a lot of work... it, along with our basement, has become the dumping ground for things without a home. If you're curious about the rest, come and visit and I won't be able to selectively hide the mess from you!

It's Official

"Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger, abounding in mercy."
 -Psalm 103:8, our quote of the year

This is the year we've all been waiting for... the year where I fill out my official Letter of Intent to Homeschool in the state of Minnesota! Up until now, we have had no requirements, no paperwork, no nothing. For all our school district knew, Max didn't exist. But now he's registered at Merciful Heart of Jesus Academy, i.e. "home". The others are still unofficial, but this was a big step for me! I've made a real commitment, signed a piece of paper and turned it in. We are a homeschooling family for real.

Following Pope Francis' lead, we have chosen the theme of mercy, with St. Faustina as our Saint of the Year. As always, the kids were greeted with crowns bearing their grade level and were forced to pose for pictures. This year, although they weren't happy about it, you sure can't tell by looking at them! We then had pancakes with whipped cream and raspberries from our neighbor's garden, prayed a Chaplet of Divine Mercy made out of chocolate chips, decorated our quote poster for the year, and painted a simplified Divine Mercy image. If any of you remember my experience at the start of last year, you'll be glad to hear that this year has kicked off on the exact opposite foot. I am pumped to start exploring and learning with my kids, I have a clearer understanding of my goals, and it sure doesn't hurt that we actually have space to create an inspiring and organized environment.

Our day of traditions continued when we went out for pizza with Grandma at our favorite joint, Tommy Chicago's. The kids always receive a picture book as a first day of school gift, and after dinner Grandma brought them to the fountain outside the restaurant to read all of their books to them. They loved it! But it started getting a bit chilly so Paul and I grabbed hot chocolates for them from the Caribou Coffee nearby. Then they really loved it!

I can't say enough how excited I am for this year. Last year was a tough one, with lots of burnout, lots of long and difficult stretches, but we powered through and stayed strong. I'm so glad we did! This year is already looking to be joy-filled, jam-packed with learning and peace and love!

Max, Grade 2

This year Max wants to learn: Cursive, Ancient History, how to paint like Leonardo DaVinci
His goals are: To read a chapter book, to craft a diamond sword in Minecraft
Important moments: Beginning First Reconciliation and First Communion prep! WOW!
First Day of School book: The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, by Tomie DePaola

Lucian, Kindergarten

This year, Lucian wants to learn: Math, anything involving patterns and numbers, Science (especially experiments), cooking
His goals are: To learn how to pump on a swing, to beat Daddy in Chess
Important moments: Being in a different class from Max at co-op and doing great!
First Day of School book: The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

Audrey, Preschool

This year, Audrey wants to learn: Painting, coloring, reading, everything her brothers are doing.
Her goals are: To teach her baby sister to walk, to jump higher than Daddy
Important moments: Starting Good Shepherd (no more nursery for this girl!)
First Day of School book: Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

 

 

 

Proud to Be

Our annual Fourth of July family pic

Matching patriotic garb, delicious grilled food, face painting, backyard fireworks, a massive (ear-bursting) city fireworks show, this is how our family does America's Birthday. The kids look forward to the fireworks show with varying degrees of excitement, ranging from Max, who literally can't contain himself, to Audrey, who thinks even a sneeze is entirely too loud. Paul thought ahead and bought her some headphones, which we combined with earplugs to make the fireworks bearable.

Backyard fireworks

Earmuffs!

At least we tried. When the city fireworks show started, we realized we were basically sitting directly underneath them, and they were deafening! Audrey curled up with her head under her blankie and didn't move for the entire show. About halfway through, we discovered that she was sound asleep! I guess that's one way to tune out the noise.

The boys put all they had into celebrating! They lit sparklers, got Icees, explored with Grandpa, and then sat mesmerized through the entire show. After Christmas and Halloween, I'm pretty sure the Fourth of July is their favorite holiday. 

Once Around the Sun

 

 My poor, poor fourth-born gets the short end of the stick, I'm two months late posting about her first birthday! Her first birthday! That momentous occasion where she gets to dive head-first into a sugary mess for the very first time... how could I have put this off for so long? But I'm going to give myself a pass, seeing as we just completed our epic move across town, and just got internet access yesterday. So there's my excuse, but I still hope she doesn't grow up with a complex!

I love that we now have two summer birthdays in our family! It is so wonderful to celebrate at the Grandparents' pool with watermelon and grilled food. A summer party basically plans itself! Cousins Alexander, Isaac and Samuel came over to swim and party with us, and Edith even decided that she likes swimming! I think it helped that so many helpful family members were encouraging her.

Our food-lover devoured piles of watermelon, a hot dog, and an entire frosted cupcake. I pride myself on choosing the messiest possible dessert for her first foray into processed food, although I do feel a bit guilty about the amount of food dye she consumed. Ah well, all in moderation... including healthy eating I guess.

I remember with some of the other kids that age one felt like such a milestone. They're growing up! They've been alive a whole year already! But my dear, sweet Edith is still my little baby girl, and I don't believe I'll think of her any other way for quite some time. Happy belated birthday, Edith Clare!

Get a Move On

We have been in the process of selling our home for what seems like forever, although it has actually been less than two months. Everyone warned me that it was a massive undertaking, and with four kids in tow the craziness factor grew exponentially! I only recently realized how much I have missed writing during this whole ordeal. All of my spare time has been taken up by phone calls to banks, lenders, contractors, realtors... so instead of reaping the therapeutic benefits of writing during my down time, I have been on the phone. The. very. last. thing. that I want to spend my time doing.

To put it mildly, it's made me a tad touchy. I've been using up all my "nice" on strangers, and my kids have been getting the brunt of my frustration. I've felt it coming to a head for the last week, as all of the pieces of the puzzle have to fall into place in perfect precision. But as they say, it's always darkest before the dawn... and I think I can make out a faint light at the end of the tunnel.

Although the ups and downs have been hard on me, it is all leading toward something amazing... a new home! We are so blessed with the space we have lived in for the last six years, but the family of three that we were when we moved in could not have imagined the needs of the family of six we have become, much less a family of six that schools at home!

I have felt God's hand in this entire process, even as I fluctuate from ecstatic to frantic over the course of a single day. He is always constant and in charge. And he has taught me a lot, more than I can even begin to describe.

The first week that our home was on the market, we had at least a showing a day, and we were incredibly hopeful. We stayed with my parents so that our house could be presentable at a moment's notice. Then after the first week, we went a long.... slow... five days without a showing. It was excruciating. We decided to go back home on a Wednesday, thinking that if things were this slow we wouldn't have too much trouble getting out for a smattering of showings. So we packed up our things and planned to meet Paul at our house after work. Then we got the first message: Showing at 3:00. Yes! Things are rolling again!

An hour later: Showing at 7:30

And then: Showing at 4:15

Three showings in one day! We changed our plans to head to a park for a picnic and bike ride while we waited out the showings. But before the last showing even began, we got a call from our realtor. Two offers! On the same day! We toasted with our hard root beer and I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders.

Thursday morning we accepted one of the offers, exactly two weeks after we listed our house. And that evening we found Our New Home. I can't wait to share it with you, it is perfect for us. I fell in love with it instantly, even though the kitchen is a bit of a mess. The layout is perfection, the neighborhood is quiet, the backyard is divine. We went to see it again on Saturday and wrote up an offer. After five (FIVE!!) days of back-and-forth, we agreed on a price and I finally let myself begin to dream of our family in that space.

Even with both houses accounted for, the hard work has not let up. We need to do several major repairs on our home before closing, and why oh why is it so hard to get a straight answer from a sewer repairman? There have been pages and pages of legal documents to sign, and of course our scanner went kaput today as I tried to scan and email a 20 page document one...page...at....a...time. So after spending all morning on the phone, I drove 13 miles with four kids in tow to drop it off because it had to be in today or else! Actually they were extremely kind and accommodating. But a deadline is a deadline, I get it.

So now, I think I can take a breath. We nearly have the contractors lined up, our paperwork is mostly in order, and we have had our new house inspected, with no major red flags. There will still be crazy days to come, but I think I can manage it. And every day brings us closer to our new home!

Our family makes a house a home

She's Three!

 

On the heels of a fun, busy weekend away and in the middle of a full week of Vacation Bible School, somewhere in there my spunky little gal turned three years old! I knew her actual birthday would be busy, but we managed to get some good celebrating in. Her brothers made her a crown and wand, and we had donuts for breakfast. Then Grandma came and took her out for ice cream in the afternoon, and we concluded with cupcakes in the evening. Three treats for the three year old! I think she's still coming off that sugar high.

Then on Saturday, when we had a moment to catch our breath, we had her Thomas the Train birthday party. It was low-key, just her cousins and auntie and grandparents, but it was perfect. We had an impromptu water balloon fight (man I love summer birthdays!), Thomas balloons, and a Thomas ice cream cake. (Did I mention I love summer birthdays?) Then Audrey got to open her gifts, which included, to her delight, a stroller for her Baby Owie! She immediately buckled in her baby and took her for three consecutive walks around the block.

Everyone had a wonderful day, especially the Birthday Girl.  Happy, happy birthday, Audrey Therese!

How to decorate a Thomas cake for non-cake-decorators, like me