Hiccups & Home

Last night while I was feeding Laney before putting her down, I got a major case of hiccups. I mean, the kind where your whole body jumps every 5 seconds. It was really frusterating to Laney b/c she could never get a good rhythm going with her eating. Everytime she'd suck, I'd hiccup and bounce her off me. So I tried really hard to just relax and take deep breaths so they would slow down. Finally she got a rhythm and finished eating. When I held her up to burp her, she starting hiccuping too!!! And now that her tummy was full, she thought the sounds of my hiccups were hilarious. She busted out in laughter when I hiccuped and I laughed at her every time she hiccuped. I don't know how on earth we both got them at the same time, but it was one of those little blessings from God that just makes you smile.

I made a list back in January (when we were still in the "dreaming" stage of thinking about moving) of all the features we would like our new house to have some day. I pulled it out last week to look at it again, and I was absolutely amazed & humbled that God answered our unspoken prayers by giving us EVERY thing on that list! Our list was pretty specific too. Things like: long flat driveway to play basketball, seat in master shower so i can shave my legs easier, two sinks in the girls' bathroom, secondary bedrooms close to master bedroom, spacious living room for having company, big backyard with covered patio, divided staircase so if the kids fall it won't be too bad, one big garage door instead of two little ones, easy access for dogs to go to bed in the laundry room, and the list goes on. I mean crazy specific stuff. And this house has everything on our list. And several bonus things we never knew to ask for, but that we are so glad to have. It is so awesome that we serve a God that cares about the little details that matter to us and is so generous with us.

This is not the order I was planning to post the pictures in, but for some reason I can't cut & paste them (can anyone tell me why blogger won't allow that anymore? or is it a setting I have messed up?), so this will have to do.

The living room, with our clean, folded laundry on display The girls new bunk beds! I can't wait to get their room decorated with some PINK stuff!

Tatum did not want to eat her taco soup tonight. No banana pudding for dessert. Poor thing.

Our kitchen "before." I hope very soon to post "after" pictures when we bless it with new countertops & backsplash. I guess 2 inch tiles were cool in 1989.

The view from my kitchen... the GAMEROOM and the backyard!

Laney is a sitter now!

No basketball goal yet... Christmas present maybe?

The yard still takes my breath away. It is the main reason we chose this house.

Brian finished summer school today and starts volleyball tomorrow. I wish for his sake he had a break, but I am so thankful he is willing to work hard & that he enjoys what he does.

Some friends have asked me recently how I am feeling about going back to work in a few weeks. Honestly, I am at peace about it. I am not looking forward to it, but it's not the end of the world. Life will go on and God will carry me through another school year. The girls will enjoy their time with their Gigi or Nana taking care of them while I work each morning and I will try to keep the perspective that I am my husband's helper and it is a privelege to help him in this way. Please pray for me that the Lord will help me be more bold & outgoing in my faith this year at school. I feel like God has kept me at that school all these years for a reason and I don't think I've fulfilled it yet. I hope this will be the year I fulfill my purpose there, whatever that may be.