A big change

I can take one book of my list of must reads. The Urban Homestead. Not because I read it but because we will no longer classify as an "urban" homestead. Yep, we are goin country!
This has all happened really fast and I am still processing it all but by December (if all goes as it should) we will be moved in to a new home.
It started out as a discussion of possibly moving sometime in the future and quickly turned into looking at properties and then before we knew it we found "the one", made an offer, and should be closing on or before Nov 24th! Originally we wanted a little more square footage because when we purchased our current home we had three kids with no plans of any more. When our little man came along that complicated our bedroom situation forcing all three girls in one big room and him in the guest room. For now it works but looking to the future we can't see that working forever. The house we ended up finding and falling in love with did not fit everything we were looking for but we loved it anyway and couldn't pass it by. We were actually driving around looking at another house and about to go home when we saw the sign at the end of a dead end street. We drove up, parked in the driveway and got out to take a look around.
What we found was a quaint 1825 square foot home that sat on a beautiful acre and 1/4 on a quiet dead end street. At first I thought there was no way we could make that square footage work but once we looked around inside we saw the potential and fell in love with the property. It has three bedrooms upstairs and a den downstairs that will be our "master" bedroom. The other thing that we love is that this was the first house the kids were excited about. Up till this point any mention of moving was met with complete resistance from all our children. When they got out and looked at the yard and started playing and catching frogs they were asking if we could move to this house before we even saw the inside! We looked at a few other homes with more SF and even nicer insides but something kept drawing us back to this house.
We are excited to live in the country (but it's actually only 10 minutes from our current home and still close to shopping etc). We (and when I say we I mean the kids and I) already have plans to get chickens and they already are coming up with pony names. There have already been updates made to this 1980's split entry home (kitchen is beautiful) but there are lots of things we want to do to make it our own and we are both actually looking forward to that.
It is out of our current school district so we will have to try and get boundary exceptions because we really want them to stay at their current school with all their friends. There will be some sacrifice in making this move though and it really hasn't been easy for me to choose to leave. Some things I am really going to miss:
Having one of my best friends as a neighbor. Sending the kids next door to borrow a cup of sugar or whatever else I might need. All the storage space in our house and bed/bathroom size. Driving 5 minutes to the grocery store, dentist, pizza place, mall, gym, school, and Costco. The kids having so many friends to play with every day. Being surrounded by Christian neighbors who all have awesome kids. The bus stopping at our front door. Sitting at the park on a sunny day and visiting with a number of supportive neighbor ladies. Spur of the moment neighborhood BBQ's. Being available to help out with child care whenever a neighbor needs it. Impromptu community lunches for the kids in the park.
Although all this makes me so sad to go, I still have excitement about what the future at our new home holds. My neighbor said it well when she said "It will just be a new different."

Book Lust

Most of my friends wouldn't describe me as an avid reader and in all fairness they are mostly right. Before I had my kids I was always reading a book. Mostly novels for simple guilty pleasure. Since having kids I have found it extremely difficult to start and finish a book. I have started many, and finished a few. My tastes in books has changed a lot. I am not drawn to novels at all unless they come by high recommendation by someone I really trust. I see books now more as food for the soul than for simple entertainment. I have had more desire to get back into reading and have been keeping a list of books I'd like to read in the near future. Here is my list. Keep in mind I am not promoting these books and don't know how good they are but I'd like to find out for myself :)

The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer Christianity by Skye Jethani

The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ's Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children by Sally Clarkson

The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections by Amanda Blake Soule

Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage & Preservation by Sharon Astyk

The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity by Sally Clarkson

My Heart-Christ's Home: A Story for Young & Old by Robert Boyd Munger

The Excellent Wife: A Biblical Perspective by Martha Peace

That's My Son: How Moms Can Influence Boys to Become Men of Character by Rick Johnson

The Pressure's Off: There's a New Way to Live by Lawrence J. Crabb

Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit by Mark Chanski

Heaven at Home: Establishing and Enjoying a Peaceful Home by Ginger Plowman

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World by Julie Ferwerda

Mission Minded Family, The: Releasing Your Family to God's Destiny by Ann Dunagan and Greg and Sono Harris

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt

Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul's Path to God by Gary Thomas

Sacred Influence: How God Uses Wives to Shape the Souls of Their Husbands by Gary Thomas

Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes

The Urban Homestead (Expanded & Revised Edition): Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Process Self-reliance Series) by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen

Steady Days: A Journey Toward Intentional, Professional Motherhood by Jamie C. Martin

By His Wounds You Are Healed: how the message of Ephesians transforms a woman's identity by Wendy Horger Alsup

Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives (Re: Lit Books) by Wendy Horger Alsup

At the moment I am reading a book called When Kids Hurt by Chap Clark and Steve Rabey. It is good so far and actually very convicting as a parent. I'll hold my complete opinion until I finish it but at this point I would recommend this book to anyone who has kids or works with kids. I also just started going to a bible study with some women from our new church and we will be studying the book of John. Still need to read my chapter for the day!
If you have read any of these books I'd love to hear your thoughts (that is if you weren't the person to recommend it to me!).

Garden update

Well, it's been an unusually slow to warm summer for us here in the Great Northwest and my plants are the proof. I just picked and ate our first ripe tomato last night (they have been planted since early June). I even moved them to a sunnier spot in our yard this year but they are still taking forever to ripen. I guess that's okay, I just found a good recipe for fried green tomatoes.
All my seedlings I had planted inside died before it got nice enough to plant them outside so I replanted them all straight into the bed in late July. What we have growing right now: In the bed on the left we have yellow cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, Roma tomatoes and regular cherry tomatoes. Along with a spinach plant that suffered abuse from a pup and then some lettuce mixes. In the bed to the right we have beans, snow peas, carrots, zucchini, cucumber, leeks, and peppers. I probably planted too much in that box but seeing where they are at now I'm thinking it won't matter much by the time fall hits us. I am hoping for an extended summer though or a very mild fall so I can at least reap a little harvest!

The place to be

My sister in law sent me her wrap when I had Hudson and it has been the best mode of transportation I have yet to find for a baby! I wish I would have had one with my other 3 kids. I've used the Bjorn, strollers, slings and other awful front packs and none compare. He falls asleep almost every time he goes in the wrap and it's way easier to navigate around shopping isles, amusement parks, nature walks, what have you with this than with a stroller for sure. The coolest thing is that for around $20 and a pair of scissors you can make your very own! I've vacuumed, cooked, pulled weeds, planted plants, shopped, "fished", painted (outdoors), hiked, and so much more wearing my baby boy. It is the best place to be, according to Hudson that is, and I love having his face so close I can kiss it anytime I want!

Addy Mae

Addy turns four in a month. I can't believe she will be four! She is such a sweet hearted little thing and I am gonna miss this time in my life when it passes. I sat down not long ago and asked Addy a few questions about her favorite things and this is what she had to say:

favorite thing to do? "play and do everything at my house."
favorite movie? "Alvin and the Chipmunks"
favorite color? "pink, blue, and purple"
what do you want to be when you grow up? "a babysitter"
what's your favorite name? "Addy" (of course)
who is your favorite bible character? "God"
If you had $5 what would you buy? "a puppy"
what is your favorite food? "hot dogs"
favorite dessert? "ice cream"
favorite person to play with? "Maya and Siera. Don't forget Ella, I like to play with Ella too!"
what is your favorite game to play? "school"
favorite breakfast? "dinner" (lol!)
If you could wear anything what would it be? "a princess dress"
If you could go anywhere, where would you go? "to Amber's house to see if every one's awake"
favorite bible verse? "God's alive"
favorite toy? "my puppy that looks like a bunny"
what's your favorite thing about having sisters? "playing with them"
favorite thing about having a baby brother? "playing with him"

Garden

We built our raised beds and got them in the yard. Now we just need to fill them with dirt and plant our seedlings!

LANDLORDS BEWARE!!

My parents own two homes in SE Portland that they rent out. This house is the one Justin and I used to rent from them and moved out of when Emma was about 8 months old. During the holidays my parents had an empty house and spent many weeks fixing it up after their long term renter moved out. They put in new sinks, painted everything, new toilet seat in the bathroom etc. They worked really hard getting it fixed up for their next renter. In January they rented to a guy named William Oliette. For the first two months things went fine and he paid his rent on time. My parents said he seemed like a really nice guy and they went with their gut instinct (no background or credit check) when deciding to rent to him. Big mistake! NEVER rent to anyone without running a background check, checking references, and doing a credit check first! This LOSER stopped paying rent after two months, had 5 big dogs on the premises (which was part of the rental agreement, NO PETS) and after my parents spent a month going through the courts to get him legally evicted, he completely destroyed their house. They had to have him arrested on Tuesday night and removed from the property. He was released Wednesday morning but faces felony charges of criminal mischief and property damage. My parents knew he was destroying the property yet the laws prevented them from removing him for up to a month! There is something wrong with our justice system when the contributing members of society have to take this type of abuse from the losers and leaches in our society and can't do a thing to protect themselves or their property. See the link I am attaching for the news coverage and pictures of the damage this guy did. They were the top story on the 11 o'clock news last night and it re-ran this morning. Two different news stations covered this story yesterday. I normally try not to call people names but this guy truly is a loser by all standards. The sad thing is that he probably will skip his court dates and never ever have to pay a dime for the damages he caused. I only take refuge in the fact that this evil man will eventually have to face a Judge. Proverbs 20:12 "Do not say, I will repay evil; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you."
http://www.kptv.com/news/23304676/detail.html

Who will change my diapers?

The other night while sitting at the dinner table we got on the subject of getting older. Justin posed the question of which one of you will take care of me when I get old? They basically all said they would but Addy was the first to raise her hand and say "I will daddy!". He then responded, "okay, but you have to change my diapers too." She laughed and that started a whole new conversation. Emma had been pondering all this discussion and pipes up, "I'll send you to God and he can change your diapers dad!" We just laughed and decided that maybe Emma wouldn't be the best one to take care of him when he gets old (picturing her with a pillow over his face saying "go to the light dad, just go to the light").

Family Update

This year so far has been so busy and full of change. We added a new family member, which always comes with a lot of adjustment and at the same time we have been adjusting to loosing a family in a sense. After having Hudson in October we made the decision to find a new church. Justin has gone to Hinson since he was 5 years old and we have been going together since I was 16. It's the only church us and our children have really ever known. Justin and I were both baptized there, all our children with the exception of our newest, have been dedicated there. Justin and I have served with youth or college for a combined total of about 15 years (which is half our age!). We have made most of our deepest friendships there and our children have been nurtured there since they were infants by the loving children's department workers. So why leave? Good question. There are many reasons really and it was not an easy decision. We have lived in Vancouver for about 6 years now and have continued to drive to Portland to go to church. With our level of involvement this was starting to become quit tiring, especially after adding our fourth. Tuesday nights for college group, Wednesday nights for youth group and kids club, Sunday mornings for church and then any events that went with those different ministries. Our kids are also getting to an age where they really want to invite friends to church with them. It's not that realistic to think that many of their friends' parents are going to say "sure, take my kid and drive them over to Portland and have them home by 9pm, no problem". We just really felt like it was a good time for transition and to start plugging in to our community. Be closer to home and give our kids the opportunity to bring friends and possibly go to church with some kids they go to school with. We want them (and ourselves) to feel more connected to our community. This also gives Justin and I more opportunity to invite parents to church as well. The process of searching for a new church has not been easy. In fact, at times it has been scary depressing. We have visited about 7 different churches in Vancouver. At this point we like about 3 of them enough to go back. I think we have about 3 more we want to check out before making our final decision. It's been tough though. I have struggled a lot with wondering how we were going to make the right decision and if we were making the right decision by leaving. God is good though and we continue to lean on him for guidance and peace through this process. As soon as we know for sure where we will end up we will let you all know. We are still going to Hinson on Wednesday nights so our kids can be involved in something while we are using Sundays to look at churches. Justin and I are taking a Financial Peace class on Wednesday nights and we have learned so much and really love it. Business for Justin has been pretty good but now he is predicting a major slow in business because it looks like the rates are going to continue to rise. For us this will be difficult times coming up if that is true. I am still staying at home with the two youngest kids and loving being an at home mom. I have been getting a lot of cake orders this year though so that is nice to have a little extra income on the side, even if it's not a lot. So far this year it looks like I will be doing 4-5 wedding cakes. I'm keeping busy at home as well. I planted my herb garden and planted a bunch of seeds inside and am planning on building two raised beds for my garden in May. I'll keep you posted on how that goes. I've never made anything myself before. The older girls are doing great in school. Katrina is still taking piano lessons (we are looking for a new teacher right now though) and we are thinking about getting her into soccer in the fall. Dad is also going to put her in golf school this year. Surprising to us she seems to have a lot of natural athletic ability. Emma on the other hand is totally uncoordinated and has zero interest in doing any sports. She however shows some pretty amazing (for her age) artistic talent. I am thinking we should get her into art classes and I'm also trying to talk her into doing soccer but so far no luck. We kind of want them each to be taking some kind of arts class and one sport. Keep them well rounded ya know. Addy is doing great at home. Amber and I have been meeting on Monday mornings and doing some preschool type activities with our three year olds. They really enjoy it and it has been fun. It appears to me that Addy may be developing some artistic talent as well. Up until she got sick I had been taking her to the library each Tuesday for storytime too. Hudson just turned 6 months old yesterday. He is in the 95th percentile for his height and 85th for weight. He is such a joyful little boy and such a blessing to our family. Today he woke up with pink eye (that Addy had last week) and he is still smiling and happy as can be. We are looking forward to the summertime, warm weather, no sickness, and a few vacations hopefully.

First Easter

Spring Break

I haven't really been posting much lately. I don't think anyone notices though :) But if you are reading my posts here's another for you. We are in the midst of spring break here in the couve and on Saturday I drove to Pendelton to pick up my 14 year old niece and 11 year old nephew (who live in Idaho) to spend the week with us. So far it has been fun. We went to church on Sunday and then spent most of the day at the house playing video games, grocery shopping, and cooking. Monday was my nieces birthday so while she went shopping with my mom, the kids helped me decorate her birthday cake. Then we all went to my moms house and had tacos to celebrate her birthday. Today we are going up to the lake to swim (in the pool, not the lake) and we have plans to go to the beach later this week and maybe the zoo. Not sure since it is raining like crazy this week.