Update on Life

It has been a while since my last post and I apologize! Life is crazy and busy and full of uncertainties right now! =)

The kids and I are still living in Michigan. I moved us out of our rental house on the 19th with the help of several of my aunts and uncles. Drew was of course in Florida during the move, my two brothers live out of state now, and my Dad was in Uganda so I was wondering who was going to help me move all of our stuff into storage! Thankfully, some of my wonderful extended family stepped in and offered to help. One of the perks of having a very large and close knit family!

This is how Olive woke up her first morning at my Aunt and Uncle's. It's clear how she feels about the situation!

So we moved out of our rental house and into my aunt and uncle's basement. It's been going well and we are so grateful to have a place to stay. But this separation from Drew is beginning to weigh on the kids more and more. It has been four weeks since we last saw him and we are all missing him. It's been the hardest on Isaiah. He will often times break down in tears and cry out, "I just.... I just.... I just miss my Daddy!" Both of the kids have been grumpier and testier than normal. It's hard handling discipline all on my own and trying to know when to come down hard on them and when to have more understanding about how difficult things are for them right now.

I've been keeping our days busy so that we're not thinking about Daddy all day long. Thankfully my aunt and uncle have been so welcoming to us and very understanding when the kids are less than obedient. We have felt very comfortable here.

Eloise and Uncle Dan enjoying a yellow popsicle.

Drew is enjoying his job and living near his family again. He is missing us, though, and sends us packages and letters frequently. The kids draw him pictures and send them in the mail. We do a lot of Face Timing and the kids have been able to talk to him quite regularly. We also send a lot of video messages back and forth!

A message for Isaiah on an especially hard day:

A letter from Daddy!

At this point we are planning to move down to Florida mid August. Drew and his Dad are going to drive up and then we are going to pack up all of our stuff into two trailers and hopefully be able to move it all down in one trip.

Once in Florida we will be staying in an extended stay hotel until we are able to secure more permanent housing for us. We are not crazy about spending 1-3 months living out of a hotel but we have decided that we need to be together again as a family, especially for the kids' sake and this is the best way to do it.

I sent Drew a text with this picture and said, "Missing you at Skoops!"

He sent me back this picture and said, "Missing you while running!"  Way to make me feel great about my decision to eat ice cream for dinner!

Please pray for our family during this time of transition. Please pray that we would be able to find a house that is perfect for our family and that we would find it soon. The lack of stability in our lives right now is really beginning to show itself in the behavior of the kids and we are so anxious to settle down and remain planted for an extended period of time.

Putting  a letter in the mail for Daddy:

A package from Daddy!

 

Although it's been a bit difficult and we are anxious to get back to "normal" we are so grateul for the way the Lord has provided for us throughout this move. We are extremely blessed to have such wonderful friends and family walking beside us. The Lord is FAITHFUL! He has been with us every step of the way and He will not leave us now. I saw this on Facebook the other day and it really resonated with me:

 

I'm so thankful that God's got this all under control and that I don't need to worry about how it will all work out!

We Are Moving!!!

We are moving! Not just houses, but States! We're moving to......

FLORIDA

Drew is originally from Florida and we are in the process of moving back to his home state! Crazy, huh?

Last month Drew was offered a job, one with better hours, better pay, and the ability to go back to school for his Master's Degree. It is an excellent job at a highly respected financial firm, but we wanted to make sure we considered all of our options before we made a decision. After a lot of thought and prayer we decided that we couldn't pass up the offer! Not only are we excited about the job but we are excited about being near Drew's family too (oh, and not having to endure these Michigan winters!).

Drew started his job a little over three weeks ago and has been living in Florida since then. The kids and I are still in Michigan. We are looking into housing options in Florida and plan to move down when we can get something lined up. In the mean time I am busy packing up our current house in Michigan because our lease runs out on the 20th of this month!

It's just the beginning...

Yes. It is crazy over here. =) Packing up a house by myself with three little kiddos and without my husband is not an easy task. But it is getting done! As of right now we are planning to put all of our stuff in storage and move in with my aunt and uncle until we can secure some housing for us in Florida. Then, Drew will come back to pick us up and help us move.

Taking a load to the storage unit.

Although this is such a crazy time right now, we feel such a peace about our decision and so grateful for the way the Lord constantly provides for us. We are going to miss our friends and family in the North but we are excited about being near our friends and family in the South for a while. We probably won't be in Florida for the rest of our lives but it's where we'll be for the next few years and we are anxious to begin our lives there!

Thankfully I have two little helpers to help me out.

And one little helper who just looks so darn cute while she waits for the rest of us to finish up. 

If you would, please pray for me and the kids as we pack up our house in Michigan and stay with relatives. Not only is moving stressful on the kids but they also miss their daddy and that has been hard on them. Pray that the kids would adjust well and maintain good attitudes and that I would be able to do all that I need to on my own in order to move out next week. Thankfully, we've been staying in a furnished house this past year so I won't have to move much furniture! Also, please pray that we would find housing for us in Florida soon so that we can all be together again!

God is GOOD and we know He's got this. ;)

Miss Olive: 3 Months Old

Whew! I'm a few days late with Olive's three month update (she turned 3 months on the 2nd) but I have a good excuse! We've been gone from home for three weeks, and the last two weeks I've hardly had any internet access. What's a girl to do!?!? =)

We were in Myrtle Beach for a week with my side of the family and then the past two weeks we've been in Florida. The kids and I just got home two nights ago (to a HUGE stack of mail to sort through, dirty laundry to wash, and a whole lot of unpacking to do)! It's nice to be home but we have some big changes coming up in the future so not much time to relax (more about that in a later post). 

Anyways, little Livy is growing like a weed! She's a joy in our lives and we are so thankful for her. She is a sweet and cuddly baby and our whole family is smitten with her! She's had some rough days these past few weeks as we've been out of our routine (and had two 24 hour car rides!) but she's been a trooper! She is almost always ready for a smile and a sweet giggle! We are so in love!

Three Months Old Already!!

Height & Weight: Olive is about 14 pounds on our at home scale. She has an appointment next week and I'm anxious to see what her accurate height and weigh are!

Eating: Being gone from home for the last three weeks really did a number on Olive's eating schedule. =) She's still eating pretty much every three hours but now that we're home we're going to get back into a consistent routine again.

Yes my three month old is watching a movie in the car.... it was a long ride, people! Whatever it takes! =)

Sleep: Being gone also did a number on her sleeping habits! ;) She's been waking up about 3 times every night to eat. Still taking good naps but I need to get her back to a little consistency during the day and hopefully that will help with night time sleep.

Cool hair-do!

Personality: Olive is seriously such a happy little baby! She's very content and laid back and LOVES to smile. She will smile for most anyone. She has also started giggling! It's the cutest thing ever. =)

Milestones: Olive has started showing a love for blankets and will pull up any blanket near her and suck on it. She's also started trying to get her thumb in her mouth and we're wondering if she's going to be a thumb sucker just like big brother! We can tell that she is starting to be able to see a little bit farther away and now things across the room will catch her eye and make her smile.

Olive met a new friend when we were in Florida- Maryella!

Too much cuteness!!

Love early morning snuggles with this sweetie.

Isaiah and Eloise: Isaiah and Eloise are still great big siblings. Eloise is the ultimate mother. I love seeing all three of them interact with each other! It makes this mother's heart happy. =) I have never seen either of them be mean to "Baby Olive" even when she's screaming. I know there will be fighting in the future, but for now I'm thankful that they both love and accept her!

Happy three month birthday, Baby Olive!