A few weeks overdue!

Thankfully my title is talking about my blog post, and NOT about the baby in my belly.

I've been wanting to write for weeks, but have honestly always had something else to do (okay, ALMOST always).  I'll give you our life update in bullet format this time.

- We got our house!  We just closed on it this past Tuesday: homeowners again!  It was a HUD home (government owned foreclosure situation), so there were extra hurdles and delays, but it's finally done.  And thanks so much to new friends who offered to watch the children during the closing (we had no choice but to plan on taking them along)(and in retrospect, that probably would have been a disaster!)(also, my parents normally could have watched the kids, but they were in Iowa visiting Josh and Ericka for Malachi's dedication).
The entire house needs painted (started that on Tuesday as soon we closed), and it got new carpet yesterday.  I'm pretty excited to see the carpet, since I had to choose the color/type based on a text message picture from Simon while he looked at samples with the contractor in Indianapolis... while I was still in South Bend.  (yes, the "designer" had to put complete faith in her husband's decision even though I would have totally loved to pick it out myself).  It's a great house with a lot of potential, and I'm sure I'll share details as we complete projects.

We had some amazing people come on the spur of the moment and help us paint and play with the children!  Thank you all so much--- such a blessing.  Then we spent the first night in our house, the kids in pack 'n plays, Simon and I on an airbed (I forgot sheets, pillows, towels... we made due).  I felt like a 90 year old woman when I woke up the next morning!  :)  I was covered in paint (painted a ceiling the day before), but there was no way I was taking a shower because the hot water isn't working yet.  Simon was braver than I, but he had to be because he had to leave for Cincinatti for a work meeting.  I finished packing up the kids and prepping the house for new carpet, then I drove with the kids to Cincinatti to meet up with Simon and drive the rest of the way to Maryland.  Simon's meeting in Cinci was at the NCAA Baseball World Series, and they had some great kid activities (and free ice cream!), not to mention baseball.  It was a great little outing in the midst of a 10 hour driving day.  Our dinner time stop was aided by Cabela's, aka: animal exhibit for the kids.  And we still love Sheetz.

- Like I said, we came to Maryland on Wednesday.  Simon's brother Luke is getting married tomorrow!  We are so very excited for Luke and Lauren.  We will be here until Monday.

- We are moving to Indianapolis on Wednesday after we get back from Maryland.  The children will stay with my parents for 2 days to give Simon and me a chance to get the house in some sort of order and do more painting.

- I am 36 weeks pregnant!  Praying that baby waits to make its arrival until at least June 1st.  But based on how much this baby wiggles, I have a feeling it wants to get out and make its debut.  I've been feeling pretty good physically, and have my 36 week appointment on the Tuesday between returning from Maryland and moving to Indy.  I don't have to worry about choosing a new doctor though: none of the doctors in Indianapolis accept the type of insurance I have.  The hospitals, however, DO.  So I basically have to show up at the hospital and use whomever is on call.  I'm cool with that.  Just get the baby out.

- I am so excited that Simon and I won't have to be apart anymore during the week!  That 2 month span in our lives is over and we can be a family again.  Husbands and Fathers are so very important.  Simon is enjoying his new job and still in the learning stage.  It keeps him busy and his mind rolling, and he's meeting a lot of awesome people.  Seems to be a good fit.

- The children: oh. the. children.  They have kept me busier than anything else.  The lack of a daddy, a mommy busy packing and baby-laden, sleeping in multiple strange places, lack of sleep and eating unhealthy "travel" food have all contributed to behaviors I've never seen before.  They are fighting like cats and dogs, being disrespectful, and fussing a fair share.  Of course, there are good times too, and they can be completely sweet and adorable.  I'm ready to get into a new normal and settle down for good.  Oh wait, and then comes baby #4?!?!?!?  Pray for me.  :)

That's life in a nutshell.  Be back again soon, either with a moving update or a baby announcement!

Happy New Year

I hope that you do not mind our lack of gusto recently.  Few blog posts, no Christmas card or greeting, and updates few and far between.  I'll at least make an attempt to say "Happy New Year!"

This is what we've been up to for the last week or so...

Friends from Maryland!

Girl's night out 

Potteiger Family Christmas

Henry Family Christmas

And we have a surprise too....
(well, if you really know us, I guess it's not much of a surprise)

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Bebe Numero Cuatro
Due in early/mid June.
(Christian is obviously happy.  The girls are too...really...you just can't tell in this picture).

(and just a heads up, we aren't planning on finding out the gender.  ...cuz I know you'll ask!).  We're old school like that.  And the fact that we are having so many munchkins.  And we're not even 30 yet.  For now I'm happy raising my children and supporting my hubby, and yes, we know we're crazy.  :)

But we're happy.

And we're hoping you can find happiness with your own family and be revived in your walk with Christ this new year....2012!!!

Blessings!

Where You Been?

Why thank you for asking!
I've spent the last 2 weeks galavanting across the midwest, something like this:
Maryland to Marion, Indiana, to South Bend, Indiana, to Davenport, Iowa, to South Bend, Indiana, to Vermillion, Ohio, and back home again.
This amounted to 30 hours of driving time, 11 of which was just myself + 3 kiddos.
I give full credit to God for how well behaved the children were in the car for all of that.  Really--- SO good.
I loved seeing (here we go!) Cindy, Amy, Jace & Will, (and Greg too), Cindy (aka Nina), Mike, Nick, Jason, Katie, Ron, Jill, Evan, Tiffany, Rachel & Anna, Betsy & kids, Beth, Wendy, Keith & Brit, IWU Admissions Staff, Integrity Automotive workers, Mom, Dad, Ericka (and baby!), Josh, Joel, Beth Ann, and finally SIMON!
(eek, hope I didn't miss someone).

Our trip included things like a dead van battery, which needed replaced and in the process of trying to jump it Christian locked the doors and the keys got stuck inside.  Most of the strange stories present themselves at the end of my trip when I was driving home with the kids... I think that may just be a post all its' own.

Of course I had a super time catching up with friends.  I was especially blessed by the wisdom and insight of several mentor-type friendships.  Those are priceless.
Christian and Jace were especially buddy-buddy.  I don't think either of them listened to their mamas the entire time they were together.

And getting all 5 of them to sit still in a picture was useless...

Thank you so much to Amy Tonagel for letting me bombard her home.  And thanks to her mom for helping me make the drive out there!

I enjoyed every moment spent at my parents house.  Confession: I didn't help wash a single dish or do any house cleaning while I was there-----sorry Mom!  I was a little bit lazy, and also busy working on a fun design project.  Check back in a few days to see what I did with this space:

It was great to watch the girls interact with my parents, as this is the first time they've really been old enough to be really playful.

We visited Notre Dame to see the cathedral.  It had to be 200 degrees out.

We also trekked out to Iowa to visit my sister and her husband, who are expecting a baby boy in October!  We had fun taking some maternity pictures (I'll share those soon too)(oh, okay, just one, not edited).  This is Ericka.  She's fun.  And a great writer too.

Over the next week I want to share with you
- Children's Nook Design (I think you'll like this!)
- The Figge Art Museum
- Ericka's Maternity Pictures
- Journals of a Crazy Traveling Mama

Check back soon!

Baseball Party

Christian turned 3!  I was planning on doing a soccer party, but Daddy Henry won out for baseball (and I'm glad he did!).
In addition to adults, we were only going to have 7 kids at the party (and that's including kids under the age of 2), so it was primarily aimed at pleasing the grown up bunch.  I am looking forward to parties that involve a whole slew of kids!  Anyway, we did the typical baseball invite, ball park food and decor.  It was a lot of work and I started way too late, but it turned out to be a lot of fun!  Oh yeah, and I realized the Dollar Tree is totally the place to go if you're throwing a party.

Decorations:  Yep, good ol' pinata (before and after)! I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  A scoreboard just for fun.  Streamers and balloons.

Food!  Hotdogs and hamburgers, cracker jacks, watermelon, IBC(!), and Emeril's fresh Strawberry Lemonade (I could drink this all summer!).

Cake and presents (thank you everyone!).  Great baseball cake from Mammaw Henry.

Oh yeah, and Christian sang the National Anthem into his lovely red horn.

PLAY BALL!  We made our own baseball field.  Fun for kids and adults!

(and see that wee-little person in the red shirt at the top right?  Yep, that's me.  And it's the ONLY proof that I was in attendance at my son's 3rd birthday party.  At least he'll know I was playing ball).

And the kids loved playing in the pool and sprinkler...

I thought that Christian would love hitting the pinata.  To my surprise, he refused to hit it (this may be a first he's ever refused to hit anything!), and he would not let Simon help him hit it.  So it was left to his cousins and the help of adult strength.  Once the candy came out, everyone was happy again.

And this little Orioles guy was lovin' life...

Ben & Kirsten Love

One great part of moving to Maryland is that Simon has been able to refresh his longtime friendship with Ben, and both of us have been able to get to know Kirsten, his fiancee: who today became his WIFE!  Congratulations Ben & Kirsten!
Back in October, they asked me to take their engagement pictures, and we had a lovely chilly day out in the park...

Kirsten had a lot of beautiful DIY ideas for the wedding and she enlisted the help of myself and several friends during our Sunday night get-togethers.  Several are shown in these pictures:

~ Printed and corner-punched her own programs

~ Ribbon-wand send-offs

~ Lovely Gerbera Flowers!

~ Ribbon tied chairs with, you guessed it, Martha's good ol' tissue pom-poms!

~A cupcake cake (really yummy!)

~ Name cards stuck in cork, which she and our friends cut ourselves, as shown here:

(*note: if you are getting married soon and want to buy her corks, I think she has about 100 corks cut and ready to hold name cards, see them standing in next top-right picture)

~ Matted picture as guestbook

~ Again, cork name card holders

~ "Trial-size" coffee favors

If you have any questions about something, let me know and we can tell you where she got her ideas.  It was a beautiful wedding and she was a beautiful bride!  Oh yeah, and her mom made all the jewelry for the bride and maids, I loved it.

Simon was a groomsmen, and I was the guest"book" attendant.  We stepped out for some pictures after the reception, look, I'm a fairy!  Hee hee...

And a little chuckle to end with... this picture was during the maid-of-honor's toast.  Do you see Simon at the left side?  It looks like he's getting his hair done at a salon.  Can you guess what that thing is?  

Also, the guy next to Simon is the boyfriend of the girl talking: doesn't he look enthralled?  Heh heh.

Look at Simon just one more time.  BAH-ha!

Yay for weddings.  Blessings!

Talking in Circles

I recently discovered something new to me: Almond Butter.  Basically, peanut butter made with almonds instead of peanuts.  I had a recipe for granola bars that called for it, so I bought it.  I was too impatient to wait for it to go on sale, so don't gag on your coffee when I tell you it cost me ten bucks.  Yikes!  I could have gotten one for $4-5, but it didn't have the dark flecks, and the flecks mean that it was made with the skins on, which adds extra flavor and antioxidants (whatever that means).  So I went for the good (and organic) stuff.  Apparently you can also get cashew and hazelnut butters.  Intriguing!  Anyway, I really like it!  And when I read the ingredients, my jaw dropped:

Seriously?  Almonds.  And that's it.  Crazy.  I really like it with cranberries on toast...

Have I talked about Christian in a while?  He's my buddy.  He thinks old-school headphones are the bomb... 

He is to the age now that he can handle doing small art projects with me, like watercolor painting or using small kid scissors to cut a paper into a million pieces (this gives me a good 10 minutes to get something done!).  He's also been dying to get outside...

Don't laugh at his boots: he thinks they're awesome (and so will his sisters!).  Christian appeared ready for the outdoors yesterday (including keys in his pocket to drive) so I let him go out while I gave the girls lunch (with a watchful eye of course).  But he wandered too far after being warned to come closer, so I had to go retrieve him.  He informed me that he couldn't find the creek.  The CREEK!  Umm no, it's a RIVER and it is a 7 minute walk through the woods behind our house.  I took him there one time in the fall: and he remembers.  I promptly told him that there are big animals in the trees that might bite him if he goes in without mommy or daddy.  No more outside time that day, but he did have fun jumping in some puddles...

 A few weeks ago, it was warm enough to go out in shorts, but there was still snow on the ground...

Can you tell that this kid has a ton of personality?  He's so much like Simon it's rediculous.

Selah and Jadah really like going up the steps. I only allow them the chance when it is time to go upstairs.  Selah usually wins.

I also noticed the other day that they both had their ankles crossed while they were in their highchairs.  Christian did this all the time when he was little... I love it!

Simon's been busy at work but is doing a terrific job sticking it out in this tough season.  He was sweet on my birthday and sent me flowers and a card with coupons for a "night-off" for me, dinner out, and a trip to Hobby Lobby to get whatever I need to redo our family room.  Lovely!  He's been excellent about spending time with us when he can and helping me with the kids. 

I am also so thankful for my friend Trudy.  We just sorta hit it off and have had some fun playdates with our kids.  But she was so sweet to take me out to dinner to celebrate my birthday!  I don't know the last time I went on a girl-date?!?!...definitely years ago.  We went to a German place to eat: wow so good!  She also made me cake and homemade ice cream.  Look who feels super special now!?  Me me me!  Splendid, I couldn't ask for a better friend, she's an answer to prayer (and for more reasons than her cake and ice cream)!  Also, she keeps a cute little blog! (or you can go to her old blog to read about her and her husband living in Scotland for the past few years!  How cool would it be to live abroad for a while!?)

I was eating more of her cake a few minutes ago (it has chocolate icing), and I had the brilliant idea to spread some almond butter on top.  Delicious!... I wonder how it would taste in other recipes that call for peanut butter?
Well, we're back at almond butter.  What'd I tell ya?  Full circle!

Come back tomorrow to see how my closet-decluttering-event went down!

Road Trip with Mama

Simon had a week-long trip for work, so instead of staying home with the three little ones, I decided to load them up and take them with me to visit some friends in the vicinity of Lancaster, PA.  It had been a while since I took a trip like this by myself (went a few times to my parent's over the summer), but I needed some time with other adults, especially familiar faces and old friends. 

My trip was delayed when Christian ended up getting a fever the night before we were to leave.  We were up a few times during the night, and he moped around and laid on the couch the next day (SOOO unlike him, I sort of enjoyed it!). 

But I still wanted to leave that day, so that night, after getting all the kids ready for bed and giving the girls their last bottle, I loaded them up and made the 2 hour drive to my cousin Judith's house.  Judith is married to Joel, and they have two daughers, Kaelyn and Janessa.  Get this:  Judith and I are one month apart, and our kids are each one month apart (in case that confused you, Christian and Kaelyn are a month apart, and my girls and Janessa are a month apart). 

Christian still wasn't feeling great that night and greeted Kaelyn with a soft punch in the face.  Yeah.  That pretty much set his tone for the entire trip: how is it that he chooses to be the most defiant and selfish child the week that I'm visiting people?!  Honestly, it was such a challenge with him.  He probably got more whallops on this trip than all his previous ones combined.  But I didn't want to give up and let him have his own way, he will not beat me, I am in charge.  My hosts were all gracious and understanding enough, even through decapitated snowmen, unshared toys, and uneaten food.  Many thanks to each of you.

I stayed at Judith's the whole time, and each day visited a different friend.  I thought they all lived closer to each other, but after getting directions, it turned out that they each lived about an hour from my starting point.  What little troopers my children are... 2 hours each day in the car, for 4 days straight.  Surprisingly though, car-time was when they were the best and I was just hauling three sleeping bodies around Pennsylvania. 

First I got to visit the lovely Rachel (Carr) McGlynn, whom I had not seen since 2007!  How refreshing to catch up!  You also served up some awesome Cheeseburger Soup (which I made a few days ago!).  Unfortunately, I have yet to meet your husband.  Someday...

Second, I visited Melissa (Davis) Koonce, a friend from church during high school, and I got to meet her husband, Mike.  You guys were so sweet to let me barge in on your work (and sleep)(Melissa is a nurse)!  You get the award for creative children's food: cookie cutters to cut Christians sandwich into fun shapes!  [Not even his mom does that].   So good to see you!

Finally, I stopped in Harrisburg on my way home and had a super sweet visit with Annie (Miller) Phillips, also a friend from high school and college.  Her new little dog Flynn must've had enough after five minutes, because he departed to his crate and slept for the remainder of our visit.  I was so glad you had off work and could let us come to see you, you were such a laid back and joyous host!

Judith and I (and our kids) got to spend a lot of fun time together doing the "mom thing."  It's always good to see other mommy tricks and have playmates for your kids.  Christian finally got a little nicer the last day we were there, and wasn't bad the entire time.  I'm glad he had the interaction (he obviously needs to learn more about it!).  In addition to rearranging their sleeping conditions, Judith also made us some yummy meatballs and fed us, well, me in particular, some delicious peppermint cookies and brownies.  Thanks so much for your hospitality!  It was crazy fun!

Oh yeah, and even with all the challenges of traveling with 3 children, one of whom is a 2 year old that is probably making your hair gray, I would totally do it all again.  Don't you want me to come visit YOU?

Burgers

Not hamburgers, silly reader.

Luke and Tracy Burger! They were our only other married friends during college, but upon graduation, they headed to San Diego and have found it to suit them quite well. Their families still live around Indy, so when they came for a visit, we tracked them down and got together.

Lucky for us, they love kids. :) (doesn't the sky look really cool in this picture?)

Watching a soccer game (it was cold... oh, and Christian peed his pants while standing on that bench. eehh):

And they were so sweet to let us come along to their family cookout. (with reeeaaallly good food too)(do you like the way 3 of those words had double "o's"?)

We had a lovely time visiting!

We are now busy packing and preparing to move to Maryland.
Countdown: 12 days. 

Everything's Better Where?

So have you been curious what this was about?

Okay, you're right, everything is NOT better in Maryland.  But for now, for us, this statement holds true for Simon's job.  Beginning October 11, Simon will start his training as an Edward Jones Financial Advisor... in Hagerstown, MD!

Simon has been keeping his eyes open for something new, not because he wasn't happy with what he does now (IWU Assistant Director of Admissions), but because he knew there was something out there that would better fit his personality and gifts and provide for our family.  He wanted to do something where he interacted face-to-face with people, but which also allowed a flexible schedule.  He noticed this job opening in Hagerstown, where he grew up, so it is the perfect place to get clients.

Hagerstown was the place of his birth, childhood, and young adulthood.  This is the place where he played little league and school sports... where we met and dated... where we have memories of visiting family and friends.  And now it will become the place where we raise children, send them to school(maybe where we went to school), and grow as a family.  It will also be wonderful living so close to Simon's family! (they are in the same town)

We also realize this means new friends.  We have been extremely blessed by our friends here in Marion (and surrounding areas).  We share similar values, education, and family goals.  Making new friends will be a challenge: finding a couple that we both enjoy and get along with, and probably that has kids (because once you have kids, life is just different).  We know we'll make friends, but we'll really miss the ones we have so close now.

So obviously you're asking, "didn't Rachel's parents just move to Indiana?"  And the answer is, "yes."  It has been amazing having them live closer and being able to drive up for a visit.  Telling them we were moving was one of the hardest things ever.  But we will continue making the 9 hour drive (just in the other direction).  Skyping will become a much more common occurrence in our house.

We are planning on renting a house in Williamsport, MD (just a few miles southwest of Hagerstown).  And hopefully in a few years we will be able to build a house (advantages of having an in-law who is a contractor).   For now we can dream, but in the meantime, there will be a lot of hard work and long hours.  Simon will be in training for 4 months.  He will then build a client base and work with customers and investments.  Please keep us in your prayers during this transition.

Anyway, enough of the nitty-gritty, we will be moving the first week of October!  We are excited for a new beginning, and we have prayed a lot about this decision.  God has opened doors along the way, we are trusting Him to provide and guide us.  To those of you in Indiana, we are heartbroken to leave.  Please know that we will be visiting and will do our best to see you.  To those of you in the east, we look forward to seeing more of you!