No...I didn't fall of the face of the Earth!

Hey. I haven't had 2 seconds to sit by myself let a long Blog. Sorry about that. So, we moved out. It was HORRIBLE. But here we are....still at my parents house because we haven't found a house yet. It's not like we haven't been trying. I have been on the computer every day searching. I thought I found one, we drove out there, saw the house, and was truly disappointed. So....we keep looking.
The good news is that we have a potential house lined up as of today....haven't seen the inside yet. But it's big enough to hold all of us and down the street from a new school so we'll see.
My parents have been great. The kids LOVE being here and getting to swim every day and having Papa take them on the boat. (My parents live on a lake) I've enjoyed the company and extra help so it's been nice. Steve is still staying in his temporary place and coming down on his days off. So we see him about once a week. I can't believe it's been 2 weeks already. I miss my friends and my church terribly!!!!!
SO as soon as we find a house and get settled I'll post some pictures and get back to blogging. Right now...I'm going to bed! =)

PODS are coming...PODS are coming...

Whew! I have tried calling all kinds of places to get some moving truck/storage/movers etc... and everyone is booked! BUT Pods is not! =) So, tomorrow some time we'll be loading the PODS... I'm soooo excited to get stuff finally cleared out. I have boxes piled 4 high in my front room. We can start taking beds apart and furniture down...now that we have a place to put it. I'll keep you posted on our PODS experience because I've heard both good and bad things...so lets cross our fingers that ours is a good report! =)

Kraft Food and Family

Can I just tell you how much I love Kraft's Food and Family Magazine!!?!??! It is such a great magazine. Plus, it's FREE! They send it a couple of times a year. The one I just got was the Summer '08. I think they send them out for every season. Check out the website and sign up, it's free and they send you coupons as well... http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/registration/contextualsignuplogin?RegistrationActivityID=1237


Enjoy!!!!

Packing

So it's been a while since I posted. It's not that I didn't want to post...just haven't had the time to sit down and put my thoughts into actual sentances! You know how that goes don't you.... the 2 year old refuses to go to sleep and now that she can climb out of the crib she thinks it's fun to get up in the middle of the night. She wanders into my room and says "Morning Mommy!" but....it's only 2:45am! AM!!!! No, Bella, it is not morning let get you back in bed... again! After a few nights of this, I am EXHAUSTED!!! So my thougths tend to be sporatic and fatigued! =)

Since I'm also trying to finish my degree by taking classes online, I have homework (which my kids find hilarious!) and Monday night is when everything is due... Did I mention the class is on the American Constitution! Yea....um...I don't do history very well... and me being determined to get an "A" in every class....I'm screwed! =) lol I have had an "A" in every class but 1...it was a "B+" !!! 2 stinkin points away from an "A"...
Anyway, so between kids....school...and packing...I'm tired.

This whole moving thing has really began to stress me out. It's not packing and the move itself ... it's the fact that we still don't know where we are moving. I decided to take a few days to really pray and fast about what the heck we were going to do. In the midst of my time with the Lord, Steve's company informed him that his district will double at the end of the month but they can't tell him where the stores will be yet. >=( Why.....why can't we catch a break? After I begged him to find out some more info (like a general vicinity of locations) he was told to stay along a specific highway. So not the answer I wanted!!! It's in the middle of the state! So, my dream of moving to the beaches of the central coast were just put on hold... and now we are trying to find a place to rent.

We'll be moving in about 12 days.... and ask me if my house is packed! =) NOPE! Still working on it... somehow I misplaced the huge tape roller....so I'm on pause until I can find it...=) The joys of packing with 4 kids that decide that those items you put in the box were really items that they can't live without! and so "please, please, please can't we just keep them!!?!?!?!" as they pull the items out of the box... Yeah...I'm getting lots done! =)

Yummy Coffee-Mate!

Hey! Want some FREE coffee-mate? Go to http://www.coffeemate.com/ and click on the little coffee cup on the right! =) I'll probably get my coupon about the time I'm moving...but hey...I'll use it eventually! =) With all those early mornings unpacking 50 Million boxes!!!!! =)

I need some advice...

So, you know how we go through stages in our lives? Most of us start out with nothing and then work our way to something. Rarely is anything really handed to us.... we must work, save and achieve. Am I right?

Have you ever said to yourself "This is just a stepping stone" ? I know that we have. Our first house was and is a stepping stone to a bigger house. It's the "starter home" - you know the one... 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms and small square footage. My husband's first job out of the Navy was a stepping stone job to get him to something better. You have to gain the experience needed to get you the career... following me?

Ok so here is my thought process... we are moving out of state... that is a fact. We can practically move where ever we want because he has to drive to specific stores....that is a fact. We own a home...that is a fact. Enough for the facts... now to the question....

Should we take another stepping stone or should we jump to where we want to be? In other words.... do we move to the town that isn't really so nice - that we'd want to move from in a couple of years? OR do we move to the nicer town...smaller house....but a town we could see ourselves living in for quite a while?

We were cautioned to not settle for the stepping stone if we don't have to.... we don't HAVE to buy a house since we already own one... so we could rent.... so why not rent in the town that we wouldn't mind staying in for a while? Sometimes it seems like those "stepping stones" turn into anchors and you get stuck where you really didn't want to be.... make sense?

Our oldest will be in Jr. High in 3 years and High School in 5..... so I don't have too many more moves in me... I refuse to make the Jr. High years more difficult by making her the "new girl" over and over...

Have you made multiple stepping stone choices? Have you regretted any of them? Have you said "screw stepping stones...we're going for broke!!!" ? If so.... I want to hear about it.

Keep us in your prayers.....

Tamar

LONG WEEKEND!!!!!!

Well...Steve came home this weekend because he was miserable without us! =) lol He thought he missed all the chaotic noise until he got home and heard it! =) We had a busy weekend. Will's preschool did their end of the year Parents night. It was so cute to watch all the kids sing songs! Here is a small clip. They were singing the song It's my Father's house... The kids are singing...
"there's a Big Big Yard where we can play FOOTBALL!"

And I told you I might have been gifted with 8 arms like and octopus to be able to keep up with my 4 kids.... well... I found a picture I took of Annabelle eating that messy chocolate cupcake! =) Aren't you glad it's not your kid?!?!

On Saturday I was so excited to go to a High Tea with some girlfriends. We had a very nice time. It is always enjoyable to be able to be a girlie girl every once in a while! We all got to wear funky hats! =) It was truly a wonderful and relaxing time! So the picture of the table is lovely.. those things in the middle...scones! I love scones and these ones were HUGE and wonderful! Don't our hats look so festive??!?!?! =)

Wait there's more!!!! AS if this weekend wasn't busy enough!

We finally celebrated Will's 4th birthday! We went to the fire station and got to have a tour. The kids were soooooo excited!!! The firemen were awesome! They gave them a tour of their TV room (and um....they have 2 LARGE screen TV's with some really really really nice leather recliners....) their kitchen with 3 HUGE stainless steel fridges and a super nice stove...(I want it!!!) their sleeping rooms, and their gym (um...yeah...I want that too!!! lol) and then the kid's favorite part...the TRUCK!!!! After the tour, the firemen gave the kids little Jr. Fire Fighter hats! How cute is that!

After the Fire Station we went to the park... so much fun to be 4 again!

So...Steve left....reluctently....and we're counting down the next few weeks. I guess I'd better start packing some more...but first I have to finish my school work for tonight and clean up this mess of a tornado that blew threw here when daddy was home! A mom's work is NEVER done! =)