Out with the Old, In with the New

We've officially been living in the new house for almost a month now, and things are finally starting to feel like home. 

Last week, Matt Wilson came and had our old house and small barn torn down, taken to the dump, and dirt work completed in five days- can you say amazing! Last weekend we took one more picture of us in front of the old house to commemorate the ending of that chapter of our lives.

On Tuesday when we got home from work, half the house was gone! 

Brady and Ashley took a little time to wave a final goodbye to the house as Matt continued to knock it down. 

By Wednesday all that was left was a little concrete. 

And by Saturday we ended up looking like this.

But I won't lie and say this whole process wasn't a little bittersweet. While our first house together was technically in Pinkneyville, this was the first house that we actually owned. I remember the pride we felt making that final house payment and getting that debt off our back. 

I still see myself crying on the couch in the living room when we found out that Ian had died. I know exactly where we were standing in the kitchen when I told Eric we were pregnant with Madison, and then again where we cried when we found out she too would die.  And that same place we held each other when mourning the loss of Jordan. 

The wall in the "extra" room saw my belly grow with Ian, Madison, Brayden and Ashley, Jordan, and Katie. 

The house was filled with the sounds of baby cries, laughter, and little footsteps once the twins arrived. I'm pretty sure there are dents in the carpet where I shushed them in front of their cribs when they were crying. I could show you exactly where each one took their first steps. The guest bed they loved to play on. The path in the kitchen and living room that they wore out running around on.

There were so many Christmases, birthdays, and anniversaries celebrated in that house. There were tears of joy, of sadness, of anger, of love. We went through our highest highs and our lowest lows there. Grew as ourselves, as friends, as husband and wife, as a family. Brayden and Ashley might not remember their first house, and I know that Katie sure won't. But we will. 

As much as I wanted to finally get out of that house for good, there will always be a tiny part of me that wishes we could hold on to it for one more minute longer. It served our family, and all those families before us, well. 

But now, there's no looking back. We're in the "boo" house (as Ashley calls it), and we couldn't be more excited to see what it has in store for our little family. 

Packing it All In (May Recap)

(I wrote this post the week that Katie ended up being born, but I didn't have the heart to really change anything, so as you're reading pretend that we don't know Katie would be born that week.)

This past month has been a blur, so let me hash it out so I don't forget all the fun we've been having!

First up, how about a little house update? Since my last update in April, the house has come a LONG way. We have flooring in almost every room (just missing the carpets in the bedrooms), the cabinets are in (minus the counter tops), our bathroom shower is complete, and I think that all the trim work is officially done!

It's been a fun process watching the finishings start to come together. I'm so excited to get all of our lights in and the siding on. Our appliances and furniture are all waiting to be delivered- minus the table, chairs, and barstools which will be a few months still. And the fact that we actually found our living room furniture in stock (you know, since we didn't start looking for that until April...) was a true miracle. I stopped in to King's furniture in Olney at just the right time! It won't be long until we are actually living in the "new house". But don't expect it to be fully decorated for a while, there is the fact that a new baby will also be here in a few weeks and we all know that that will take top priority.

Speaking of adding a new one to our family, we have been trying to make these last weeks with just Brayden and Ashley a little more special before their world is completely thrown upside down and they have another sibling to share in on the love. 

I definitely think that Ashley realizes that something is changing soon, because she will not let anyone but me do anything. She needs her hands wiped off?-"Momma do it". She needs her diaper changed- "Momma do it". She needs help with a toy or a shoe or literally anything?- "No, momma do it!". At least she now says I'm her favorite when Eric asks her so I guess that makes it worth it? Brayden seems pretty oblivious to the fact that I'm having a baby, so we will see how that goes once he or she gets here. 

Aside from the extra clinginess, they are both loving the outside now that the weather has warmed up. The swing and wagon rides continue to be a favorite. 

And tractors. They love tractors. We have to point them out when we see them out the window, we read their "Green Tractor" book a million times a day, and Eric even brought in some of the old metal tractors that he used to play with as a kid for them (and Brady has slept with his on occasion). 

They even got their first ever tractor rides last week with my dad. They were both a little hesitant before the ride, but when dad brought them back and they came out, they were both all smiles and said they wanted to do it again. I'm sure that dad wouldn't mind having a few extra riders again soon!

On mother's day I got lots of extra love from the two of them, and Ashley even hand picked some flowers from my mom and dad's tree for us to match. 

Jordan's headstone came in not long ago so we made sure to make a quick stop out there that day too to see the half of my heart that's in Heaven.

Eric and I celebrated our 9th anniversary on the 11th, where he treated me to some country fried steaks and mashed potatoes and gravy- one of my favorites! It's hard to imagine life getting any more fun with this crew, but I know that there's so much more good to come for us.

On the 16th, we met up with Brian and Mara at Doug and Ashley's house for a play date and pizza dinner (courtesy of Brian and Mara's new pizza oven). The kids stayed up way past their bed time- read hours past their bedtime- but the memories made were worth it. Here's to hoping that we can get this crazy bunch (plus another little here soon) together a few more times still this summer for even more fun!

On the 25th, my school held a little shower for me. The "little cutie" theme was adorable, and the gifts were much appreciated. 

This weekend we are planning on spending one more time of just the four of us at Aikman Wildlife Center to let the kids enjoy all the animals there. Life is about to get pretty crazy, but we are here for it!

2021: A Year in Review

2021 was a year of joys and heartaches. It was a year of speeding up and slowing down. A year of growth and change. Let's take a look back, shall we?

February 11th, we had our first IVF transfer in trying for baby #5. On the 19th we found out that we were pregnant, and by March 8th we got to see our little bean on the ultrasound screen. 

Brayden and Ashley turned ONE this year. Those were the fastest 366 days (thanks to a leap year) in my life!

 
We enjoyed lots of time in the snow, and my dad made them their first snowman. 

Despite enjoying the snow, we welcomed warmer spring weather with open arms- my babies LOVE the outdoors. We spent as much time as we could outside this past year, and plan the do the same in 2022. 

We enjoyed coloring eggs and having our first Easter Egg hunts.

May was a busy month! Eric and I enjoyed a camping trip in Pyramid State Park with Brian and Mara. 

We went to the zoo and aquarium with our cousins and aunts and uncles.

I went on a weekend getaway to Southern Illinois with my best friends.

And while May was a fun filled month, June was met with much sadness as we found out that our baby #5, our Jordan Kenneth, had gone to Heaven long before he should have. We miss you every day, Jordan.

In June we took our first little vacation with Eric's family to St. Genevieve Missouri. Brayden and Ashley did so awful on that trip, but it was still a nice distraction from the grief we were feeling.

June also encompassed fair week, and I was really excited to take the kids out to the livestock barns and let them look at all the different animals- they both had a ball!

We enjoyed swimming in my mom and dad's pool all summer long.

We had family pictures taken, and while Brady and Ashley were less than cooperative, they turned out amazing. 

Eric started his new job at Versatech at the end of July, so we had some week day dates as he transitioned over there, and it was just what the doctor ordered! We enjoyed golfing, wineries, eating out, watching a movie, and an escape room. 

Brady and Ashley went to their first football game this fall (and many after that). We are fans of cheering on our Eagles!

In September Eric and I escaped to the mountains in Colorado for Justin and Sam's wedding! The weather was perfect for our mountain getaway, and we enjoyed catching up with friends and exploring the Colorado wilderness through hikes and jeep rides. 

September 22nd we went for our first IVF transfer for baby #6! We found out on the 30th that we were pregnant, and October 15th we got to see our little baby for the first time. To say I'm a nervous wreck is a little bit of an understatement, but so far things are going well. 

Brayden and Ashley attended their first two weddings (both for cousins on my side of the family), and we discovered how much they like to dance to music- not that that was a huge surprise to us. 

October held our annual Wave of Light ceremony, where we added one more candle to our family picture this year. 

We went to the pumpkin patch with our cousins and had a grand old time playing with all the cool things there. 

Thanks to Hand Foot and Mouth disease, we didn't really celebrate Halloween. But we still had fun wearing our Slinky-dog costume the week before. 

I got Covid the first week of November, but I'm super thankful that I only lost my sense of smell (and it came back within a few weeks), and no one else in our family got sick!

Right after Thanksgiving our dreams of building our own home became a reality when our basement was finally dug! We now have basement walls and a floor. In January we will get walls and hopefully have a functioning house by the summer time!

December 7th we welcomed a new Nephew- Austin! We are in love with this little cutie pie.

Brady and Ashley also attended their first Newton Basketball games this year! We had fun cheering for daddy (but mostly climbing up and down the bleachers).

Christmas was a blast this year, and Brayden and Ashley were really into opening presents. So much so that basically no one else got to open a present when they were around ha!

We celebrated a low key New Year's Eve- the kids were in bed by 7:30, and Brian and Mara came over for appetizers and games/movies. I might have barely made it to midnight, but it was a great night with great friends.

2021 really was one to remember, and a pray that 2022 has a little less heartache and a lot more fun!