I know you're being patient....

Okay I know everybody is waiting patiently for an update...between getting ready for Hawaii, going to Hawaii, and recovering from Hawaii, we've been a very busy family. We just finished uploading a ton of pics to our flickr site and I should be back w/ an actual post to this blog tomorrow...with Halloween pics too. I'm feeling a little melancholy tonite so unless you want a super sappy post, you probably want to wait until tomorrow.

I promise to be back soon and make it worth your while...I know I owe you a few posts so check back soon.

B

No, I Will Not Help You Move....

So, I feel like its been forever since I've written, but its only been a week. We've had so much, and still do, on our plate that I feel like we're kind of stuck in the eye of the storm trying to find our way out. Don't worry, nothing bad, just making some big decisions.

So in my last blog I mentioned our rental situation and my concerns about how that might play out. Well our renters have renewed their lease so that is a weight lifted off of our shoulders. They seem to be happy there but we are having some plumbing issues at the condo right now that we are trying to resolve in a cheap and easy manner. Luckily, if there is one industry our family is full of help, it would be plumbing. Larry and Daniel are going to clear the lines, install new toilets, and faucets that Mike was able to get through work. Like I said, we've got good connections as far as plumbing is concerned. So hopefully this will all be worked out in the next couple of weeks.

Now as far as our living situation goes, we're still in limbo. We decided that we need to be saving some money each month and rent seems to be a good place to start looking, especially because we have rental income and an opportunity to be making some money instead of spending more. So we bit the bullet, so to speak, and told our landlords that if possible we need a rental decrease or we would have to give our notice instead of renewing. You know me, I'm all over craigslist and I know we can find something cheaper, of course with way less room and probably minus the backyard, etc...but what's important right now is saving money and not worrying about how we are going to pay our bills in order to keep a big house. So after a week of waiting, we finally heard back from the landlords and they are considering lowering the rent but are also considering selling the house so...we're still in limbo. Next step, Mike's truck. We've been trying to sell that thing for a couple of years now. Its a great truck, low mileage, and in perfect condition but the reality is our car payment was ideal for a dual income family, not just one especially when it doesn't get driven at all. But the economy being what it is, we've been so upside down in the loan that we couldn't even pawn the thing off...until now. After some research, multiple days at the dealership, so many trips back and forth that I lost count... finally got rid of the truck and bought (we like to say hoopty, but its not really) an older model Expedition. Since I don't drive anywhere, at least not in the extra car, gas was not really a concern. We wanted cheap and safe. It literally was one of the cheapest on the lot and we think its a steal and its a great car we can grow into without Mike giving into the minivan pull, he's been very persistent about "never" driving one, plus we're able to save lots of money a month, and it will be paid off in the same time we had left on the truck loan. Oh yeah, did I mention Mike is loving the idea of not getting called to help people move anymore...not that he really minds, but its just another little thing us lazy bodies are excited about. So all in all, we're making great strides to fulfill our goal of saving money and making better decisions.

Onto lighter notes...last week Van had school pictures so I thought I would post some. This week he's had a fabulous week at school and really enjoyed it, never giving us a hard time about going or having to stay there, but actually going willingly. Hopefully we've reached a turning point, or at least we had a great week. The week of the pictures was still during Van's difficult times, as you'll see in the group shot (just posted so you can see the hysterics). Also, the mom who took the pics also captured some of Ava and either she's getting cuter by the day or that mom is the best photographer around. Although I can't take credit for taking the pics, I will take credit for posting them. Enjoy.

Sweet....sometimes

that was the best smile we could get

as her uncle jarod says...just look at those eyes, we're doomed

...and suckers for those big wide mouth smiles

another pic of them in the same frame...again, you take what you can get, right?

Okay this was the group one I mentioned, check out Van, front row on the right

That's all for now. Leaving for Hawaii in 4 days, may not be back before then...so it may be awhile before you hear from me. I'll try to keep you posted.

B

Is it love?

So everybody knows Van has lots of ladies in his life. It seems like almost all of his friends are girls and Mike and I have always pondered...will he date one of these one day? We always joke with our friends, oh maybe they'll get married, ha ha. Well as of a couple of months ago, it looked like Van had made his choice. Delaney Marrs, 1 1/2 years younger than Van, had really caught his eye. To be honest, she is one of the only brunettes he gets to play with so I think that may be it...my boy may just be into brunettes and not blondes. Well anyways, he followed her around at a family dinner and then again at her bday party. They had all sorts of little converstations and he just thinks she's so pretty. So today I got an email from Jenny Marrs...apparently Delaney found a picture in Maggie's room and has been carrying it around all day...even going back for it if she left it somewhere. Take a look at this...

In case you can't tell, the little picture is of Van. I think it just may be love. We'll be getting together with the Marrs' next week so we'll have to see how these star crossed lovers do. I'll keep you posted.

B

Trying to stay posted...

Hi everyone. We've been so busy around here that again, I have to apologize for missing my weekly goal. Ava and Van have been struggling to get through the last couple of weeks with runny noses and congestion. It seems like its been forever that I haven't had to wipe any noses. Van has been struggling in more way than one. He has really been going through a rough time lately. He has decided school isn't all that fun, especially because we leave him there and it's even worse when I'm there working. He cries ever so sadly when I drop him off but is fine after a few minutes. He just seems to be going through something. He's having a hard time adjusting to Ava too. She is officially crawling, has been for a little over a week now and is very active. Her role in Van's life has changed from the cute sister he could share with on his terms, to the little rugrat always after his toys or anything he has because it looks interesting. A friend of ours had it right, she said there are so many books on how to make your child adjust to a new baby but are there any books on how to make your little one adjust to a crawling and moving baby? From what I hear, all of this is totally normal. All of the moms at Van's school say hang in there and that he is doing great for a 2 1/2 year old. So I have to trust them because they have very recently been through the same thing. It just seems like everything is hitting Van at once and he's trying his darndest to adjust. He still gets in the car after school and says he had fun and tells me all about what he did so I know he does like it. He gets so excited to share all of his days events with anyone who will listen so I know he enjoys it. Another good friend told me, once it turns into a negative experience for him, we may want to back off. Great advice. I don't want Van to hate school, especially when he's so young and we're doing this for him so he likes it and can enjoy what he's doing, not because we have to or need the preschool. Just keep our little boy in your prayers...oh yeah us too, the terrible 2 1/2's have hit and hit hard...like I said, lots of adjusting, all at once, for all of us.

As for Ava, she is all over the place. She has had a runny nose for what seems like forever, I think we're going on 3 weeks. In the beginning I thought it was sick, and it may be, but now I'm convinced its got to be her teeth. She has none but is working really hard at getting them. I really hope we see some soon. Yesterday I was just thinking, wow I didn't wipe her nose all day she must be moving on. However, last night around midnight she woke up really upset and daddy went in to check on her and she was super congested with snot all over her nose. So he sucked it clean and put her back in bed...however, the rough night continued and once again we've been sucking her nose out all day. Its got to be her teeth. Well, just keep her in your prayers too.

As for Mike and I, we're hanging in there. Like I said, lots of sickness going around. And, if you read my last post, you can see it just seems crazy around here. We did fix our computer after practically reloading the whole hard drive, but its up and running. Our spider and worm problem got resolved after the exterminator came out this weekend. We've been trying to stay healthy the best we could even though it seems like everyone is sick around us. Hopefully we're on the up and up now. We leave for Hawaii in a little over a week and are very excited. Its a well deserved and very needed break. We're looking forward to sitting back, relaxing, soaking in the sun and just enjoying time together...hopefully we'll all be healthy. Another weight on our minds is our lease. Our renters lease, as well as ours, expires next month. We have sent off a renewal letter to our renters and right now our future is kind of in their hands. If they choose not to renew, we will probably be moving back into our condo. If they do renew, we have to decide whether or not to stay in our house. Of course we'd love to stay in our house, but finances are so tight and we're just not sure what the best decision would be. We know God provides us with all we need and we want to be making the best decisions with those provisions. As much as we love our big yard, our big house, rooms for both kids, and an office for both of us to work from home, we're just not sure this is where God would choose for us to be. Please pray for Mike and I, that we continue to place our faith in God and make wise decisions for our family. Like any loving father, we want to make him proud and want him to be happy with our choices.

Hopefully I'll be back before Hawaii comes around...maybe I'll even get around to downloading some new pics for you...Wish me luck.

B