Our Week

Well, I’ll just get it over with.  Rip the band-aid off, right?

Our family is moving.  To Kentucky.  Remember this place?  It’s everything I could dream of for Brother.  We have thought.  We have prayed.  Our children have prayed.  We have gone to the temple.  I was reminded that I promised Alex’s Birthfather that we would do everything we could to help Alex develop and become the most he can be.  We really feel that Kentucky will help with that.  VIPS will help with that.  Having the Kentucky School for the Blind right there in Louisville (unlike clear away in Austin like here) will help with that.  Our girls have prayed and we are all in agreement that our family needs to be in Kentucky. Great!  Then let’s go!  Jason’s work has been great – they will let him work remotely.  No problem they said.  Fantastic!

Except that we own a house.  A large 3000 square foot house with a mortgage.  We have to get rid of this house and preferably for a large profit as houses are more expensive in KY. (darn!)  We talked with one realtor who walked in and learned that we had seven children.  After picking her jaw off the floor, she said just cut your losses.  Sell as is and be done with it.  It’s too much work with that many kids!  Then we talked to a realtor we know from church.  She has explained this crazy market, she has talked dollars and cents with us, and she has guided us on how to get our house ready for the market.  Thank you Mariangel!  It has been an exhausting, draining, and emotional process for me so far – and we still have so far to go! 

I have had so many thoughts of late.  I have likened selling our house to our lives here on earth.  We had one person say just forget it.  It’s too much work.  You have too many other responsibilities.  Forget this house and walk away.  Sound like anyone you ever hear in your head?  This is too hard!  Why bother?  It’s just who I am.  Then another who walked in and said with a little work, this house is going to be amazing!  Isn’t that what the Savior does to us?  Let’s work on this together.  We might need a little polishing or we might need a major overhaul – but either way, He sees worth and potential in us.  He doesn’t give up and walk away from us.  Especially on this Easter Sunday I am grateful for Him who has paid the price and can see me for more than I am, but for who I can be!

So grateful that I have decluttered and thrown things away over the years.  We have been in this house for 11 years!  That’s a long time!  Still every trash day I have sacks and sacks.  So much junk!  I am giving things away left and right.  And still we’ll have so much stuff!

Sleeping is overrated.  So is eating.

Grateful that I have 17 therapies a week.  It’s the only time I stop moving and working.

Back to our regularly scheduled blog post:

Having a friend over after Camp Hope last Saturday.  Sammi graciously cooked for her exhausted parents.                                  

A quick trip to the ER to replace a blown balloon on the Bella’s g-tube.

Everything, every piece of clothing, every toy is being weighed to see if will go to Kentucky or if someone in Texas could use it better.

For FHE, we watched this from the church – powerful!  Loved it!

Loving on kitties                                 Jessi had Orchestra UIL  – straight 1’s!!   AWESOME!!

Loving on each other

Joy’s sweet aide.  Mrs. Brown or “Brown!!!!!” as Joy calls her.  They planted flowers and had an Easter Egg hunt in her class!  I adore Joy and Bella’s teachers and assistants.  I can’t tell you the amount of prayers that have gone up in gratitude for these women and pleading that the girls will have good teachers in Kentucky!

Miss Rosie told Sammi about some sensory gloves – stuff gloves with flour – they feel really cool!  She also likes plain water.                              The kitties are getting so cute!

Going through food storage – Becca helped me with this baking soda in 2003!  Love her little handwriting! 

This week two carpet guys came out, one granite guy, and the painting guy.  Lots of decisions, lots of money.

Grace and Lizzy watching TV                     Joy coloring

Bella wants to do a forward roll

Jason got everyone up so they could see the blood moon/lunar eclipse.  Very cool!

Brother has learned to ask for up by placing his arms in the air.  He loves jumping on the ball.  How are we going to live without our therapists?  They are my dearest friends!  They know exactly what my children face each day.  They celebrate with me.  They grieve with me.  How I love them!

In PT Bella is working on how to push her own wheelchair

Garden pics                     and Bella’s artwork from school

We are loving the cheap strawberries right now!  Isn’t this one crazy?

Reading with Alex                 More happy jumping

Good bye puzzles, Goodbye song box (some things have such emotional attachments)

Mama love

Working in PT on swinging in a big boy swing!  He kept testing his boundaries – he’s funny!  Cute Bella!!

Lizzy took an uncontracted braille book to school for free reading – her classmates were amazed!  She made really good progress through it!   Another Bearkat award for Sammi girl.  Oh Sammi, how hard this is on you.  You are being so brave and trying so hard.  I appreciate your sacrifices on Brother’s behalf.  How I pray for good teachers, friends, and church leaders for you!

Playing with her baby       Trying to eat all of our beef in the freezer!    Dancing with Daddy!

For the granite guy to make a template the counters had to be totally cleaned off.   Turns out our kitchen isn’t that small after all!     Poor Joy trying to eat breakfast at the table!  All of our kitchen junk!

Even though I am exhausted, when my baby asks if I’ll go on a bike ride with her, the answer is “Yes, of course!”  They need as much stability as I can provide.  She picked this primrose during our ride.                        Playing together                     Blowing bubbles

With all of the going through and cleaning, I felt a little guilty for my big girls.  So off they went with Dad on Friday night to see Captain America!  (They were happy about that!)  They called it a Daddy Daughter, Daughter, Daughter Date!

New appliances

Dying Easter Eggs

Family Dinner at the Farm – it is going to be weird to have holidays without our family

Easter

 

  In Young Women they talked about “The Living Christ.”  We have been so blessed to live among such devoted and wonderful Saints!  So grateful for the good women that touch my girls’ lives!

 

 

 

 

Church Nursery – Bella.  She loves that zebra!