It's official! Anna is a preschool graduate. This is the Anna they know at school. Shy and reserved but very happy with the situation. Her teachers decided they had never really had a student like her - I agree! I don't think there is anyone in the world like Anna. She is neither a leader or a follower. She does what she does because she wants to, she is sweet yet presistant, she is capable and wants to know everything - we love her very much.

Embarassing Motherhood

It was funny this morning... I woke up and thought I really need to embrace motherhood and not get so caught up in the dishes, laundry, naps, and reading lessons. I need to take the time to embrace motherhood, to enjoy those moments of discovery, and fun with the kids. This is what it got me - a makeover. It was raining, the kids inside all day, 'bored, bored, bored' as I was told, then they had the idea to give me a makeover. I had to admit, laying down on the couch for a few minutes was very appealing and so I consented. They spent an hour doing my makeup (all 17 pounds of it), my nails, and my hair (which was dripping with water by the time they were done). The girls had such a great time and it was such a novelty that soon other neighborhood kids were coming to see the show - just because they couldn't believe a mom would do such a thing. When I opened my eyes I counted 12 kids watching all facinated. That was a moment I'm glad I took the time to embrace. They still talk about the time they gave mom a makeover.

The 3 lovely ladies in charge of the makeover!

Continued Chaos

What is the worst part of moving?

The half filled boxes all over the house? Waiting for missing parts to be found before taping it up
The curtains off the walls - revealing the broken blinds, holes that need patched, or all the painting that still needs to be done?
Is it the packed boxes that are too heavy to move - so sit until a strong man comes home to move them elsewhere?
Or is it the garage that slowly fills up, leaving no room for the car, or the toys that are still being played with?

It could even be the really weird meals we eat as we try to use up what is in the freezer! I think overall it is the general chaos! Nothing is clean, everything is out of place, so much to be done, and you know that if you don't finish something before nap time is over than you will have kids pulling out of the boxes what it took the whole naptime to put in the boxes!

Now where?

A boy and his dog... I was trying to capture the moment. Kaid had his arm around Roxy, his flash light in his pocket, the ever important froggy rainboots, and a look of pure contentment/adventure waiting to happen on his face. I hope you all can see the little details in the picture that I saw in real life!

We've Discovered

We've discovered the perfect cure for those gloves and boots on the little ones in the middle of winter. No more cold hands and feet because snow gets in their boots or their gloves fall off. It's even good for those little ones who are on their hands and knees more than on two feet. Kaid and Quinn are now duck-taped into their snow gear. It worked so well even Bekah was in on the action and wanted her gloves taped on. Warning: make sure the potty break is taken before the duck-tape is applied. Also note: anyone prone to claustrophobia will break under the confinement of such duck-tape. aka - Anna. (We can't even get her to wear a coat most of the winter - let alone gloves, hat and snowpants...)

Down Stairs Workroom

Dining Room

Main Bath

Our New Home

We are moving back to Ohio where Craig will do a Emergency Medicine Residency. We spent 5 days house hunting and according to Craig it was serendipitous that we found this house. I called it Heavenly Father blessing us but... we came across this gem - completely out of our price range but met all of our requirements. 4 Bedrooms, 3 baths, 3100 sq feet, storage (lots of storage) the right schools, great back yard, a place for the boat, fantastic shape, next to the golf course, and many perks that we never expected. The real estate agent convinced us to make an offer - we did and it was accepted. So if everything goes well with the details - we'll be moving in the first of June! Hopefully the baby won't be born until after we are settled. I'm not convinced that the baby won't be born somewhere in Iowa or Illinois in the process of trekking across the country for this move.