First day of school 2012, Olathe, KS

Since we're about to start school in 2013, I figured I should post these from last year! ;)  It was scary and exciting starting at new schools...for the kids and me!  Jodee was a 4th grader at Brougham Elementary..had a wonderful teacher, Mrs. Gaede, and made some GREAT friends that year!! We were so blessed!

Dylan was a 3rd grader at Brougham, had Mrs. Hermanson...another amazing teacher!  We were doubly blessed with 2 of the best teachers at that school!  So thankful for a wonderful first school year in Kansas.

Dustin started school in Kansas as a 7th grader at Frontier Trail Middle School.  Awesome school with great teachers.  He did great...and made some really good friends!

Last minute summer fun:

2012 Birthdays....8, 10, 13!

Sweet little Dylan turned 8!  His birthday happened to be on a Sunday morning and he didn't want to wait til after church to celebrate:) How can you deny that?

Jodee turned 10! Justin Bieber birthday, of course!

Dustin turned the BIG 13!!  Paintball was the way to go for him.

I love our kids!!

Kids

Just a quick picture....this shows their personalities perfectly....Dylan: always looking for a laugh, Dustin: way too cool for another pic, Jodee: people pleaser. Love it.

Our first summer in Kansas

One of our first purchases in Kansas was a family pass to the Kansas City Zoo.  Our family L.O.V.E.S. the zoo!  We had some fun exploring the new zoo...it's very spread out compared to OKC, so it took us a while to figure out our 'path' through it.  One awesome animal that we have here is the polar bear!  Very fun to watch.

Can you find all 3 kids?

While Dustin and Jodee went to Camp J.A.M. (Jesus and Me) in Oklahoma, I spent some wonderful time with Dylan. We went to Legoland!!  

We had a blast.  I believe Josh was actually on a mission trip in Honduras during this time, too.  We definitely stayed busy this first summer in Kansas!

The Move

I really had no idea what "the move" was going to be like. I knew Olathe....I knew our church....but actually moving physically to another state, another house, another neighborhood...WOW.  It didn't help that we had a hail storm 3 days before the move.  It totaled the roof on our house. Lovely. Thankfully, we know the buyer well enough for her to trust that we would get the roof replaced with the insurance money.  It all worked out:) I knew it would, but that week was a mess!!  It was a long trip up here with a very full U-Haul....but we were greeted at our rent house (that I had never seen yet) by about 20 members of our church, ready to help unload.  It was awesome!!  I really wish I had pictures from that night...it was incredible.  They even put our beds together for us so we could sleep comfortably that night. Now THAT'S hospitality, people!

We immediately felt very welcomed. It was great!  I was a little sad, here and there, but there was work to be done, so I held it together quite nicely.  The sad came later;) We worked hard getting the house put together most of the summer. Yes, it took ALL summer to get it in order-kind of.  It's a year later and I'm still rearranging cabinets..ha! 

2013...say what?

Wow...cannot believe how much has happened since my last blog..oops.  Let's just say life got a little hectic. Between Josh finding a job 300 miles away from our home, planning a huge move, babysitting 11+ hours a day, selling a house, renting a house, making new friends.....I just didn't have it in me to keep up with this thing!  I'm glad I finally have some time to sit and reflect now.  Thankfully we have pictures to help me remember the past year:)

Embracing the big move!

 Thankful for wonderful family and friends who helped us pack:)

Our 'pounding' from our new church family.  It's been a year and I still haven't had to buy paper towels!!  They are a wonderful, thoughtful group of loving people. So blessed to have such sweet friends here in Kansas!

 S. T. A. I. R. S.  We all had to get used to those...even the dogs!  We have 4 levels in our house...basement, main living area, dining and kitchen area, and upstairs (kid's rooms).  WOW. That's a lot of stairs!  

A favorite in Olathe...the awesome city swimming pools!! 

Well...that's a start, right?  I will be keeping up during the summer....no promises on next school year! 

Fast forward

Okay..I know I have so much to catch up on here on our blog...but pardon me while I fast forward to our HUGE life change coming up soon!  We. are. moving. to. Kansas.   There. I said it.  It has been announced to family, friends, the facebook world, etc., but I thought I should also put a little post about it on the blog.  Maybe for me to have to look back on and see what I was thinking/feeling about all of this.  Because, I know, in a year or so, I will look back and think, "What was I worried about?" But in the moment, right now, I'm freaking out.  Seriously.  Not outwardly, and not constantly.  But that panicky feeling is definitely there.  My biggest worry/fear is finding a place to live.  I know, that shouldn't be my focus, but for some reason, it is!  Along with that, how in the world will we sell our house?  I babysit 5-8 kids a day here at our house.  Seriously, how can we show a house with so many kids in and out each day?  I don't know.  I am hoping our dear Lord has a plan for us, for our housing, and for my irrational fears.  I know He does.....but I sure wish He would just enlighten me a little.  :) On a brighter note, we are here in OK through the school year.  That is a lifesaver to me (and the people I babysit for!).  At least I don't feel rushed.  And, let me also say, I am SO happy Josh has a job to look forward to.  What a relief for him...I know it's been a stressful 2 1/2 years for him too....I hate to dwell on my craziness.  We will be blessed by living in Kansas..I just know it.