The transformation of this house from Thursday to today is amazing! It is amazing what a fresh coat of paint and cleaning does to a house!

Monday was cleaning day. As I said this house hasn’t had a good cleaning in YEARS.

Amanda took a day off from work to clean our kitchen!! She got in there and polished the cabinets, cleaned out the cabinets (I won’t say what she found in there) and washed the cabinets and counter tops. When she was done, this kitchen looked AMAZING!! We even said, “Maybe it doesn’t need to be remodeled after all!”.

The paint and polish totally transformed this room!

While Amanda scrubbed away the nastiness in the kitchen, my parents and I cleaned the windows.

They are sparkly clean now!

Around noon I left with Sweet Pea and took her to my parents’ house for a quick nap before we headed to the orthopedic doctor. As I was rounding a corner I came upon this car that had apparently blown out a tire and maybe had even crashed into the side rails on the road. The guy was just standing there in a daze on the side of the road. He appeared to either be in shock from the accident or stoned from drugs. I had to slam on breaks (good thing my child was properly buckled) and quickly put on my flashers and prayed the cars behind me wouldn’t rear end me! When I got around the car, it dawned on me that someone needed to call 911 and get to the scene immediately or some car was going to come flying around that curve and not be able to stop in time and crash right into the car and the man!! So I called 911 and reported the accident.

I got Sweet Pea down for a quick nap and then we left for her appointment with the orthopedic dr. We arrived just on time, walked in to the check in counter and were told our appointment was not today but THURSDAY! What?!!?

I just stood there at the counter and laughed. It was either laugh or cry.

My car’s “maintenance required” light had come on a few days ago and (of course) while I drove to this appointment that I did not have, the car started making funny noises. After learning our appointment had been made for Thursday and not Monday, I called Dave, told him about the car and then told him I was going to take it to our car guy and then someone would need to come pick SP and me up!

So now I am without a car when I need to be running back and forth from house to house. Awesome!!

Isn’t it funny how the very week you close on a house and are trying to get it ready to move into that is the very week your daughter breaks an arm and the car goes into the shop.

I know I should feel stressed right about now, but I don’t!!! I know moving and everything that is going on now should be making me feel like I am running around in circles, but I don’t!

Before I do anything big I pray and ask the Lord to bless the process and go before us in all the tasks at hand. This move is no exception. April 1 I gave this process to Him and He is blessing our efforts to get our family moved into this house. While the broken arm and the car troubles were certainly not in my plan (and, believe me, I have a written out plan of tasks that need to be completed each day!), it hasn’t taken the Lord by surprise at all. He gives us the grace we need in all situations.

That is something infertility and adoption taught me. When things don’t go according to my plans, roll with it. Just roll with it.

Here is the sweet little baby helping her Daddy. She was hot with all that wrap on so I ended up just letting her run around in her diaper. It is amazing to me that she does not care AT ALL that her arm is essentially gone! She just runs around and plays as if all is normal! And she falls more. Which is not good. She is off balance since her arm is pinned like that against her body. I hope they cast her so she can get out of the “one arm swaddle”.

Miss Priss was utterly delighted when I told her she could watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Aunt Amanda’s phone. And do you know what else this girl did today- thanks to her Aunt Amanda?!

She took a nap in her new room on a blanket, with no sound machine and no black out curtains. I underestimate my childrens’ flexibility. I left with Sweet Pea and said Little Bug could just skip her nap today because work needed to get done and in order for LB to nap someone would have to leave and go home with her for two hours for her to nap. Or not nap. Since some days now she just doesn’t sleep at nap time since she is weaning the nap anyway.

Well Aunt Amanda made her a bed on the floor with blankets, laid down with her and SHE FELL ASLEEP! I got back and asked where LB was and Amanda said, “Asleep. In her room.” I couldn’t believe it. I had to go peek under her door to believe it! And there she lay for two hours sleeping while we continued to be loud and clean and talk. Aunt Amanda must have super powers.

Grandma was over in the morning to help keep the girls entertained while we worked!

And now tomorrow starts the flooring installation!!

It’s all coming together! I look forward to seeing it come completely together and become HOME!

- Elaine