Iowa!

Here are a few fun facts about our life so far in Northwest Iowa:

-We are buying a home in a rural town of 500 people. It has about 5 streets in one direction and seven in the other.

-I signed a form giving permission for Sam to go on any field trips with his class this year, today at dinner he casually mentioned that they went to the bank during school today.  No, not a pretend bank at school, the real bank in town.

-The only decent temporary housing we could find is 45min from the town we will be living in, so if I let Abram nap in his own bed, I drive 3 hours a day getting kids to and from school.

-Savannah is in a pre-k program 3 days a week at the elementary school. Yesterday she had school and spent the 45 min driving to school whining that she didn't want to go to school. Today she spent the 45 min whining that she wanted to go to school. #youcantwin

-Abram went into the post office to get the keys for the PO Box he had paid for online.  This is in the "big city" of 12,000 people, mind you.  And the lady at the service desk called to her co-worker, "he did this all on the internet, how do I handle that?!"

-I was talking to some ladies at church about how I'm making my husband crazy telling him to be careful about how he drives or where he parks in the town because people are watching us, and they just nodded their heads and said, "Oh they are, they're watching you."

-That was confirmed 3 times over when We went to meet with the director of the preschool/daycare program in the school. She had heard a family from NC moved into town, she knew her husband had done an estimate for electrical work at our house, and when I mentioned that I was thinking about being a substitute teacher she said they were talking about that in the office as well.

-We close on our cute little house in two weeks and I can't wait to take over the town!

Summer trip!

4th of July  at DC !!!we went on 1000 trains called metros.we wer there  for 3days.my favirit f. Wer the smiley s

The past 12 months

I realized today that in the past 12 months we have been through 3 moves, 2 job searches, and 1 new baby.  I'm very grateful Heavenly Father has helped me to keep it together, and even enjoy the ride.

Thing 1 & Thing 2

It can be demanding to have Sam at home instead of at school, but I tried to plan a few things to help us enjoy his spring break and we have been having a lot of fun.  Lately I have been having lots of moments where I just genuinely enjoy hanging out with my kids.  They are at great stages and are fun little things.

Looking For Work

Sam is on Spring Break this week so I have tried to plan some things to keep him entertained.  I told the kids last night we were going to go to the park for a picnic and then go to the Trails & Rails Museum - which includes a little about the Mormon Trail and Pioneers that came through little old Kearney, Nebraska.  Anyway, they were super excited.  It was supposed to be 50 degrees today and nearly was, but the wind was SO cold.  We braved the cold windy weather in the name of a picnic and then it started snowing on us!  I tried to get out of going to the museum, which is mostly outdoors, but the kids both really wanted to.  Bram was upset and Sam starting giving me suggestions on how to cheer him up so we could still go.  "You could stop and feed him.  Or maybe he just needs to be held."  It was pretty cute to see how interested he was in everything on the tour.  It still surprises me how much he enjoys learning about history, things a lot of people would not consider very interesting.  He soaks it up. 
On a lighter note, we were driving past a field the other day that had one lone cow in it.  I pointed it out to the kids and Sam said, "Maybe he is going on and adventure."  I said, "Yeah, he could be."  Then Sam said with definitiveness, " I think he is looking for work."

A Love Affair

I really am amazed at how much I love this place.  Nebraska.  Who could have guessed?  Well, me.  I could have guessed, I just didn't really believe it.  When Abram and I drove across the country a few years ago we stayed in Nebraska one night.  I loved it.  There seemed to be something so romantic about it.  I even recall telling him I wanted to live in Nebraska - and here we are!  Every day I love looking out my big windows and seeing huge cornfields. I love saying hello with the kids to the cows we pass on the way to ... well, anywhere actually.  I love living in a house on a dirt road and having a garage and a yard and as exhausting and emotionally taxing as it can be to make them, I love having new friends. I have definitely been blessed with some good ones here already.  I will take more pictures and post them soon.

Home Again, Home Again

We had such a great time with family and on our house hunting trip.  Abram and I were on 8 flights in 12 days, each one with at least one of our children screaming.  I'm grateful to be home! Until tomorrow afternoon anyway ...