No tears!!

By Annika, anyway. There were some tears from her Momma, though. Monday was Annika's first day at preschool. Obviously we started a few weeks late because of the move. She did so great!! We went a bit early and met the teacher first. That helped tremendously. She wasn't overwhelmed with meeting new kids. The only time she cried was when she had to go home. We had bought new school supplies and she was very sad that she couldn't bring them home with her. This prompted me to bring out the watercolors that afternoon so she could see that we do allow creativity at home! :)



On Tuesday she told me that I didn't have to walk her to the door, she could go into the class by herself. I knew that I didn't have to, but mommy kinda has to do it for her own selfish, "I'M not ready to let you go by yourself" reasons. It makes me so happy to see the big smile on her face when we pull up to school in the morning.

Monday was also Dan's first day of work...he didn't have to be there until later so he left after we did...here's a picture of his first day. ;) Don't know what kind of smile he has when he pulls into work everyday.

Ice Cream Sundaes to celebrate the first day of school

Make sure you get every last bit!

She is her father's daughter!

Third time's the charm?

Augh, this house hunting stuff is getting a bit aggravating. When we arrived here last weekend, we thought we were organized and ready. We met with our realtor on Monday to look at some houses. We revisited some that we saw on our househunting trip, and also looked at a few new ones including one in a subdivision that we found online. This area looks like a great community that is right across the road from the school where Annika will be attending preK and hopefully elementary school.

Needless to say we fell in love with the house in the great subdivision. It had EVERYTHING we had on our "wish list." It even had a back staircase from the kitchen (like the Huxtables!). Great yard, great price, great everything. We were ready to put in an offer. The next day our realtor called a 1/2 hour before we were to meet with her to put in an offer. The sellers had already accepted an offer on the house. We were devestated. Tuesday we essentially "mourned" the house and the fact that we won't be living there. We did put in a backup offer in case the buyer backed out, but with the information we have that isn't likely. For some reason, God didn't want us to have that house.

House #1--bummer, already sold

So it was back to the drawing board...House #2 came along. Same subdivision but higher price tag. We took a look. It was a beautiful home, great yard, move-in ready with a finished basement, but more than we wanted to pay. But, we took a stab at it anyway. We went back and forth with the sellers (who were already relocated to Alaska). Eventually, yesterday (Saturday) we decided we didn't want to go as high as they wanted. This was getting frustrating...again, we have to see God's hand and say that he didn't want us in that house.

House #2--too high of a price tag

On to House #3...same subdivision, just down the street, another house. Exact same floor plan as House #2, but even though it's new construction this was a foreclosure. This house is on a good lot, but not necessarily move in ready. It has some cosmetic stuff that needs to be done by the builder. It doesn't have a finished basement and there isn't any landscaping done yet. Other than that it is also a beautiful house and the price could be right. That is where we are now...our third offer on the third house. Will this one take? We will keep you updated! Hopefully, we will have a home soon!!

House #3--maybe home?

Yes, mom,

I'm eating my vegetables.

Our home until we find a home

As a part of Dan's relocation package, his company hooked us up with furnished temporary housing while we search for a house (more on the househunting progress later). Here are some pictures of our apartment...it's a nice little space. Enjoy the tour!



The Main living area





View of the Kitchen from the main living area




The kitchen





The hallway with a computer area





The Master Suite




Landon's "room." Poor kid has been stuck in the closet ever since he was born! We won't know what to do with him when he's in a real room!




The girl's room. So far them sleeping together has worked out well.




The view from our balcony. The geese give us a little symphony as we lay in bed at night. There's nothing like a few quacks to set the mood.

On the road

I sat down all ready to write about our trip out west. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that is wasn't really that eventful or exciting. Praise God that we had a good and safe trip.

We headed out around 8:00 a.m. on Friday. We made it to outside of Columbus, Ohio. Taryn was a bit of a handful. We were going up and down the mountains in WV and PA, so we were thinking this is was bothering her ears? She would be fine, then she would let out this loud cry, almost like she was in pain. Nothing we could do would console her. We gave her a bit of Tylenol at one of our stops and that seemed to help a bit. She would quiet down when Mom E would illegally sit on the floor in front of her and read her books. Or, maybe, she's just smarter than we think and that was part of her plan in the first place!

Finally happy!

The stellar traveler! Thanks Leapster!!

Getting a blowdry before we hit the road.

On Saturday our goal was to make it to outside of St. Louis. We had perfect driving weather the whole way.

Landon hanging out with Grandma while the rest of us did a little swimming.

Sunday we headed out to KS. Compared to the first day, days 2 and 3 were really easy driving. Just a straight shot through the countryside. We were definitely in farmland. We praised God for an uneventful trip. For the most part the kids were great travelers, we only had to turn the DVD player on once a day. I was also very thankful for my minivan. That's right, I said it! I LOVE MY MINIVAN!!!

Moving on out

Now that I am a little more settled, I will give a recap of the past week...here's part 1:

On Wednesday the packers came to pack up the house. Dan's new company paid for packers. Money well spent! Three gals and one guy came at 10 a.m. and 5 hours later my whole house was boxed up. They did in a 1/2 a day what would have taken me at least 2 weeks! Sure they didn't have 3 kids underfoot and no sentimentality towards anything they were packing, but I was still impressed!
Thanks to our dear friends the Y's who let us bunk up at their house while they were at the beach. Even though we would have loved to have seen them once more before we left, it was very nice to have a home to go to while everything was packed up. Since we have spent a lot of time in that house, it was essentially like home!

On Thursday the movers came. A crew of 3 guys and the driver showed up at 8 a.m. and were ready to go. By 2 p.m. the truck was loaded. Again, I was impressed...check out how these guys carried the boxes from the house!! Remember we lived in a townhome--with 3 floors! Have you ever seen the show "Everest: Beyone the Limit" show on the Discovery Channel? These guys reminded me of the sherpas.

The girls dancing with grandpa in the big empty room.

We closed on the house at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Yep, did get a little choked up when we handed over the keys. It wasn't my house anymore! (However, I do know where the hidden key is so I could have still gone by to check it out). The buyer was excited to move in and that made me feel better.

On Thursday night the D's came over to have dinner with us and Dan's parents. It reminded us again of how blessed we are by our friends in VA. Good times! Now we were ready to hit the road!

We're home?

Thank you for your prayers! We arrived into Kansas this afternoon around 1. What a trip! More details to come, but overall the kids did great! I am glad we aren't going any farther (sorry mom...can't make it to the West coast). Thanks to Mom and Dad E for enduring the trip across with us. It made it SO much easier. Can't even begin to think what I would have done if I was in the minivan by myself with the 3 kids. I think I would have hit Maryland and turned right back around!

We're all moved into our temporary housing. It's a nice little apartment that will suit our needs perfectly while we search for a new home. It's got a great view of a little lake that's the home to a herd?... swarm?... flock! of ducks. "Duck" is one of Taryn's favorite words to say, so she is loving it. We are back house hunting tomorrow! Well, I am ready to sit on the couch, watch some t.v. and eat ice cream! Later...

Out of Office

Tomorrow some very nice men (or women?) will be coming by and packing us up. SOO glad I am not doing the packing!! But, that means our computer will be all boxed up. Since we don't have a laptop, we will be out of touch via email and blogging for a bit...unless I come across a computer at a hotel somewhere along the way. See y'all in the Plains!!

Going out with a bang!

What a wild and crazy weekend!! On Friday night my hubby surprised me with an early 30th birthday party. Trust me it is really hard for him to surprise me, but with help from a few sneaky gals, he managed to totally surprise me. He got a few of my close girlfriends together for an evening "Painting our Hearts Out" in Occuquan. Just feel the brushstrokes, ladies...or something like that. "Dessert and Drinks" afterward was, well, interesting. Let's just say I saw a part of Virginia I hadn't really seen before.

On Saturday, Dan was able to play in one last flag football game for the Alpacas. He was a bit sore this morning, but I am so very glad he didn't get injured. He would have been no good to me these next few days if he was hobbling around. In the afternoon, a group of woman from GBC who are extra special to me got together for lunch. Even though some of these woman I have known for less than 2 years, they have impacted my life in ways I don't think they even know. What a great God to bring us all together for a season!!

Today was an "o.k. this is really happening" kind of day. We worshiped at GBC for the "last time." (I say it in quotes, because I know we will be back). What awseome things God has done in that church. It's a little church that I know will make a great impact. We are blessed to have been a part of some of it. Today was also important because we had Landon dedicated to the Lord. We are committing to bringing up this little guy to, by God's grace, be a man of faith.

After church B, K, and M so kindly hosted a little going away party for our family. No goodbyes here, just some "see ya laters." Thank you for the wonderful Kansas City bbque and Virginia ham. We are leaving and going to some states that know how to eat well! Words can't describe how much you all mean to me.

True Friends are Hard to Find...Difficult to Leave and Impossible to Forget...
Thank you to my wonderful hubby and friends for an incredible weekend! I love you all!

Suzanne Whang (and you) will have to wait!

We still haven't decided on a house yet. But, thank you for your votes and comments!! Will be sure to keep you updated.

Poor guy

Sorry, daddy, but this is what happens when you go out of town!

I am sure this is only the beginning of the dressing up of our little guy! With two older sisters, I am sure there will be make up and nail polish in his future. We'll just be sure to take pictures for the wedding day slideshow. :)

Any "House Hunters" fans out there?

Picture Suzanne Whang walking along saying..."Dan and Rebekah are moving their family from Northern Virginia to the Kansas City area in two weeks, will they be able to find a house in time? After a weekend of looking at nearly 30 houses, the couple was able to narrow it down to three choices.

Will it be House #1 with the great yard but is on the top of their price range?

Or House #2 that is spacious but farther out?

Or will it be House #3 that's brand-new with a great layout but smaller lot?

Which one will they choose? Stay tuned...

This is for the Grandmas!

Our little guy is coming out of what BG likes to call the "Dark Ages." We had his 2 month appointment last week...he's 14 lb. 6 oz. and 25 inches long!! We are praising God for our happy, healthy little man! Thought the Grandparents that are oh so far away would enjoy a few smiles just for them.

When life gives you tomatoes make spaghetti sauce!

And that's just what I did. I'm new to this blogging mindset so I didn't think to take a picture of the mounds of tomatoes that I had to chop. But, here is a picture of the pot 'o sauce. Good stuff!

After simmering for about 3 hours, it did reduce to only about 12 cups of sauce. However, we still have a bunch more tomatoes on the vine that will be ripening soon. Hopefully, we will have another harvest before we have to give up our garden to the new homeowner. Now, what to do with all my green peppers? Any ideas?