Back to the roots

Now that we are settled again in CO, I feel like I can update about being back in IL! We were there for 18 days. The longest Andrew and I have ever been apart in our 14 year relationship. It was hard, but it crazy busy for both him......and us. It went as fast as it possibly could, but we were so ready to get back home again.

It started off with a flat tire! UGH! We couldn't have done everything we needed without the Klein's being sooooo gracious and willing to let us use their outlook for a few days!! What a blessing they are to us! Thanks guys!! We love you!! We were never in a place longer than 24 hours. I put almost 2,000 miles on our van while we were back. It was INSANE, and utterly exhausting, and we clearly didn't lack in things to do considering we drove SO MUCH! We all ended up sick, along with getting my mom and dad sick. Brekyn started climbing out of the pack n play on the 2nd night so that pretty much ruined any thought of a good nights sleep! We stayed with my parents for the most part, but we did stay with others 5 of the nights. Being back was great to see everyone and spend time with those we love, but it also reminded me what life was like in IL, constant running, always feeling guilty for not having the time to do more, it brought out an ugly, sinful person that I didn't realize was who I was there. I lost track of the Holy One. I hardly read the bible, and when I did it was because if I didn't, I would feel guilty. I didn't desire Him to fill me, because I was so exhausted from everything that was filling our time. I don't miss that person, and it didn't take me long to desire my 700 sq ft home with much fewer distractions. We are SO INCREDIBLY THANKFUL for our time there, and for everyone that spent time with us, made us a meal, and loved on us! But I felt it right away, that is no longer home. It's really amazing how God does that. How He completely prepares you and molds you without you even realizing it.

Here are some pics of our days there!

Hooray for Chick Fil a WITH cheese sauce!

SO MUCH FUN with Friends!

AND SO MUCH FUN with cousins!

GAHHHH! I love them!!

And the flight back...this momma and 3 kiddos.....I'll just say it was interesting! ;) 

HOME SWEET HOME!

All the kids have hammocks out here and they play "camping" ALL.THE.TIME! Our kids got them as a gift, and they were waiting for them for when we got back! They were super surprised and are having a blast with them!

God's creation is so so beautiful!

Colorado is home now and we missed it so much! Our friends here have become family. We see them daily, which is AMAZING! It's such a cool community. A true example of what the body of Christ is. We all work together and when someone is struggling we rally around to build them up. And when someone is celebrating, we rally around to celebrate! MaryGrace has quickly become one of my dearest friends. Her story is amazing, she's one of the most genuine people I know, and I am just so so thankful for her. Her and her husband are expecting in November and yesterday they were supposed to find out the gender and as I said before, when someone is celebrating, we celebrate together. So Nikki and I threw them a gender reveal party. Well, you probably guessed it, the tech could not decipher the gender so instead we continued with the party and surprised everyone that it would still be a surprise! Not exactly as planned, but still so much fun!

Andrew's schedule has been SO CRAZY! a little about his schedule, then in another post, I'll break down the classes he's finished so far. So over summer visiting professors come to teach so classes are only 1-2 weeks long. BUT they are INTENSE! He typically has 80-120 pages to read per night. Some teachers do tests everyday, others have you write a summary on the readings. He's had a few papers and gearing up for a 20 page research paper now. Plus he's trying to work for Troy still and do some labor on a house here that needed some work. AND he preaches some in a small town over he mountain. Recent graduates recommend not working to get the most out of it and now I can see why. He usually worked 60 hours a week in IL and we see him less now. I constantly have to remind myself that this is temporary. So again, this is why I am SO INCREDIBLY thankful for the community we have. The mommas stick together and we support each other when we know our husbands can't be home. We are so proud of him. He works so so hard to get the most out of school and still provide for our family. He is truly the most amazing man I know.

And now the kids....
Brynlee
Camp COCO was amazing just like last year. She enjoyed a week of staying up late and playing all day. She loved her counselors this year and really enjoyed having Boston there. She had a St. Jude appt while we were back too and it went well. As most of you know she really struggles with processing things. Mainly quick changes, she doesn't handle well. She cannot control reactions when she's shocked, leading to tears, or patience with anything, constant distractions, especially during school. She does a great job reading, but won't read to anyone but me because of fear of messing up.  I talked with Beth the NP for a long time about the difficulties in school and emotional outbursts and quick reactions to EVERYTHING. She recommended that she see a neuropyscholgist. And after our talk, I couldn't agree more. I look forward to getting a professionals opinion about how her brain works!! I want to help her, but at this point, I just it's trial and error and that's just not fair! She absolutely loved our time in IL, but she too was ready to get home. She thrives on routine, whether or not she knows it, and IL was all things opposite of routine. Last week we were told about a youth play going on in town and the auditions were last Friday. This is right was her alley. She is all things drama, but because she's young and doesn't want to read, we knew that getting a part was slim to none, but we thought it'd be good for her to try and at least see what auditions were like for the future. We got am email on Saturday night that she did in fact get a part! She is one of the elves and has 26 lines in all (16 as a Gracie the elf and 10 lines with the other elves) and they sing a few songs. She is beyond elated! Rehearsals started on Monday and she's loving every second of it. She's really doing great and enjoying being a kid!

Boston
This boy! He loved camp too! It was so hard to have him leave. He's my snuggler, my love bug. He said he did get sad at camp and wanted to go home, but sissy calmed him down, he said he thinks he was tried because it was really fun! ;) He is really loving having all these boys around to play with. swords, light sabers and walkie talkies every Tuesday night after potluck, the boys of all ages are out playing. It's really neat seeing these older boys include the younger ones! He's really doing great in school! He's about half way done with Kindergarten, but since we've been back we've really only been reviewing. It's hard to get everyone back into the routine and because Bryn needs one so bad, he gets to slack on school! He's always wiped at bedtime and falls asleep way quicker than the girls! All in all, he's loving life!

Brekyn
She's quite the pistol, full of sass. She's a climber, she's a let's destroy everything kind of girl! Hense the nickname, Wreckin' Brekyn. But she's an absolute blast. She reminds me SO MUCH of Brynlee. Some think that sounds silly, but I'm confident that God knit her together in her bio mom for us, creating her to fit our family and therefore have similar traits. There are four 2 year olds here so it's a riot watching them together. She asks for them when they're not around and "chats" with them when they are there. She's the youngest right now, but come November there are 3 babies due!

Thinking of all of you in IL as you endure the heat. I think I miss that the least!

💗