ch-ch-ch-changes

My poor blog has been severely neglected for the last 6 months...but for good reason. We moved to our little house on the river in July and are loving it! There were many adjustments to be made for everyone. We miss our family and the things we grew to know so well in Houston. We miss our church and their wonderful preschool program. The kids miss having their own rooms, more space for toys, and their old neighbors. But God lives! And He is working on everyone in this family and has been since we made the decision to move here all those months ago. We may miss family, but when we get to see them we cherish it that much more and enjoy every minute that we're together. Thank God that we live in a time where we can speak on the phone or computer at any given moment. We have found a new church that the kids love and we really enjoy as well. We walked in their doors at an awesome time...they are moving locations and growing to accommodate the increasing amount of people coming to hear God's word. The kids' best friends live only 4 houses away, they have room to run and play, and how many kids have a river in their backyard? The children are all three sharing a room for now, and though they still bicker now and again, I see them growing closer and becoming more tolerant, patient, and respecting each other's space. I for one am appreciative that there is not as much room for toys and material things. I know it will make them better people in the end. Try telling that to a 7 year old! lol

The house is still a major work in progress, but we are getting projects done as we can. I think it's coming along pretty well considering there are 3 little people running around, a busy husband and a tight budget for the time being. I don't quite remember if I'd posted pictures of it before, so here are the ones of the rooms we've worked on so far.

Dining Room before:

Dining Room after:

It looks different in the dining room since this picture was taken, but not much. The banner was from a back to school party I hosted for the kids, and the carpet is gone. Now we have laminate wood floors, thank goodness!

Hmmm thought I had taken an "after" picture of the kids' bathroom but I guess not. I'll post those tomorrow, it turned out really cute. Here's some pictures of the house decorated for fall:

The other side of the dining room

Fall wreath I made

boxes I painted for my mom and mailed to her

We brought this little guy home some time in August. His name is Gunnar, he's a Lab/German Shorthaired Pointer mix. So sweet.

Then the last week of September happened. Kali Mae's birthday party plans needed to be wrapped up, my parents were coming in that weekend to stay with us and be here for the party. Chandler ended up being hospitalized due to asthma for a couple of days in the middle of the week. The morning after we got home from the hospital stay, our amazing dog Oliver was hit by a school bus and died instantly. It was a horrible week and even worse day. It still makes me depressed to even play back in my head. I made it through with prayer and family to helping to get everything back to "normal" and in order. We are blessed!

Kali Mae and Oliver a couple of months ago

I'll leave you with this:

We're moving!

Lately Josh has been working quite a bit in Corpus Christi, and things have been going pretty well with the jobs he's had there. So, since we (well, I) have always wanted to live close to the beach, and Galveston was out of the question, it seemed like a good fit. He's introduced me to a couple that he works with there, and this past weekend we drove the kids out for a second time and stayed the weekend with them. We had a blast!

the newest addition to our family...Oliver! He's 6 months old :) We've had him since February.

They live on a river, so there is tons for the kids to do...they passed out before we left their driveway to come home! Good times.

And of course since our house is on the market, we're training a puppy, and started potty training a child, I had to add a little more to my plate and plan a party for Kali. Since kids can't exactly stay in touch with their friends themselves, I thought it would be neat to have a tea party for Kali and her friends this month. I've had the idea for 2 years, even bought the invitations for it back then...just haven't ever gotten around to doing it, and it's the perfect time. I'm trying to spend as little as possible so she and I can make a lot of the decorations, and involve her. She is super creative and loves crafts. I bought 12 antique tea cups and saucers last week from one of my favorite antique stores in the area, they're beautiful! Now Kali has her own collection when the party is over. I'll be making her outfit and hair accessory...I'll post pics as things come along. Hopefully I won't be myself and procrastinate. Off to get some things started!