Our new home!

I am SOOO excited! We found a beautiful home in Wisconsin to rent! It's a 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,466 sq. ft. home with a finished basement. It's located in a peaceful cul-de-sac and it backs up to a wooded lot. It's actually a conservatory, so it's a relief to know they'll never build back there!  And the best news is, we actually have the option to buy it after our home here sells! It's amazing to me how this has all worked out. I was all set on that condo that seemed so great... but would have been a huge mistake. A condo with 4 kids?? What was I thinking?? Thankfully God was doing the thinking for me, and had something better planned for us.

I was getting nervous and discouraged because I just felt we had to secure a home for our family, but nothing was working out. But everything just fell into place with this one. My testimony has grown so much about how Heavenly Father is involved in the details of our lives. This has been a huge reminder to me that when we put our trust in Him, things work out for our good. I just feel so grateful and happy! What a tremendous blessing.  I think this home is absolutely ideal for our family.
Here are a few pics of what will soon become the Hudson Haven...

Here is the living room (with a vaulted ceiling yay!) I just love the layout of this place.

Loft upstairs

Love this kitchen... especially the unique duel fireplace to keep us warm during those Wisconsin winters.

Cozy living room

Master Bedroom with a walk-in closet

Basement- so excited to make this a play/rec room for the kids!

Large room in basement.... we'll probably make this what we call the "inspiration room". It will be reserved for special family times, like family home evening, blessings, family meetings, etc. There's also a large unfinished part of the basement for Jon's tools, storage, etc.

And I really love this spacious and fenced backyard, with a slight slope for the kids to sled down in the winter.

Did I mention it's the second to the last house on a cul-de sac?!  In a great school district?!  WOO!!  I hope you all know if you ever come up our way... you'll always have a place to stay. Soo excited!!

Something to smile about...

Our little Celeste is obviously feeling much better. She lost her first tooth tonight! It's been dangling for over a week, and she has come to us everyday for the "daily wiggle" to see if it was ready. So since it was hanging by a thread, Daddy gave it a little tug before bedtime, and it was finally time for Fantasia the Toothfairy to make her first appearance at the Hudson home!

This is the little note she left behind:

I'm glad it fell out tonight because it gave her a little something to smile about. :)

Brokenhearted Graduate

Today was Celeste's last day of kindergarten. I was able to go to her little graduation celebration. It was adorable. She was so thrilled to perform the songs they learned this year, and I was pleased to see her cheering for everyone and giving high fives to all the kids as they went up to get their diplomas.

But when it was time to say goodbye... she seemed to realize that she probably wouldn't see her friends and her teacher again, and it broke her little heart. She couldn't stop sobbing, no matter how much I tried to comfort her. I think that's one of the hardest things about being a parent is a sometimes there's nothing we can say or do to make it better. :(

So after she said her goodbyes we went out to the car and had a good cry together. We're sure going to miss our wonderful friends here in Ohio.

Celeste and her very best friend

Group hug!

Here she is trying to be brave. Love this sweet tenderhearted girl.

Having the "funzies!"

I haven't had much time lately to post because we're getting ready to move and life has been really CrAzY! But it was a great day to get out of the house so I made sure to snap a few shots of my little summer sweeties at the pool...

Celeste is such a great big sister! She is so sweet and helpful to her baby brother. I just love how nurturing she is by nature.

Here's Baby Jakey who got confused and thought this was a drinking fountain.

What a fun afternoon! Thankfully, I learned my lesson from my last mortifying pool fiasco and didn't repeat the mistake!

The best medicine...

is laughter. That's one thing I haven't been doing enough of lately. I've been pretty stressed out about this move. Although the adventurous side of me is absolutely thrilled about this exciting time in our lives, the side of me that needs order and structure is trying not to completely lose it.

So the condo I was gushing about? It's probably going to be sold to someone else. :( We were all set to go, but then an offer from a buyer came in and it looks like they're probably going to take it. I don't blame them. I guess that's what I get for lusting after it anyway. :( But there goes 2 weeks when we could have been looking for another place to rent. And the homes we're currently looking at, just aren't working out for one reason or another. I'm trying to exercise patience, but I'm getting a little nervous now. Jon starts his job in less than 4 weeks, and we have no where to go! And our house is filled with boxes, we have endless projects to undertake, and just as quickly as I get stuff boxed up, the kids get into them. Then since I'm all stressed out, I end up scolding them more than usual, and at the end of the day, I feel like a complete failure. :(
Sorry for the rant, I know I have so much to be grateful for, but it's just been one of those days and I'm really worried about getting it all done. I know that "faith and worry cannot exist in the same mind at the same time" so I guess I just need to have more faith.

So anyway, in an attempt do something fun with the kids this afternoon, we made some goofy aliens, fish, and ducks for lunch. It was really silly and simple, but it seemed to help keep things more light-hearted around here...




Thankfully, my husband has an amazing outlook on life, and he helps me try to see the positive in every situation. He makes me laugh every day. I read recently that the average adult laughs an average of 15 times a day? That's pretty sad considering that the average child laughs up to 400 times a day!

But seriously, how could I not laugh when I asked the kids to get dressed this morning, and they came in wearing these ensembles...

So my goal for today... be a little more childlike and laugh a little more than I did yesterday.