Entrusted to us...

This is our new home! And oh, what a journey it has been to get here. "Here" is knowing that this really isn't OUR home; it is the house God has entrusted to us, and we have seen His goodness so tangibly in the way He has provided for us. I know the blog has been a little quiet lately, but that's because we've been working through some opposition to God's plans. Two weeks before our original closing date, we found out that Vince's overtime counted as "salary," and that there was an income limit on the loan type we were getting, so all of a sudden our choice was to change loan types, which meant coming up with almost $4000 for a down payment, or walking away. We did not have $4000, so we prayed for God to provide and waited hopefully, but started making strategic plans for adding a baby to our current apartment situation. One week after the news, my aunt found out about our situaton and wished she could help. The next day she found out her tax return had gone in early, and she had enough for her needs plus enough to help us, so she loaned us a down payment. We never would have dreamed of God providing the way He did....dropping that much money in our laps seemed improbable at best, but I knew He could if He wanted to. And He did....which blessed us in so many obvious ways, but also it just confirmed to us that this house really is a part of His plan for us. We probably could have eeked it out somehow on our own, but in the back of my mind I wondered if we'd be trying too hard to force something God was trying to say "no" to. So the outside provision was a resounding "Yes" and "Amen", and we are taking that blessing with open arms! We already have plans to host youth over the summer, and our prayer is that our house (and we) will always be open to anyone in need. Because it's not really ours, you see. We're taking care of it for God and we want to use it the way He wants us to.

So yesterday we closed, today we got the right keys (that's another story for another time....), and this Saturday we move in. Oh yeah, and I'm scheduled to induce labor on the 31st, unless Zoe decides she wants to come sooner. I think the nursery will be ready for her...I know we all are!

T-minus 25 days!

We are scheduled to close on the house May 12! Two weeks from tomorrow we have our initial walk through to make sure everything's right, then a week and a half after that it's a done deal. I can't believe how fast it's gone, but we're so excited that we will be able to get in before Zoe makes her entrance to the world! We have to pay for our apartment through June no matter when we move, so we can take our time on the non-essential stuff. That's a good feeling! We started packing a little bit this week ("we"=Vince). Ziva has always loved climbing on boxes! Hopefully this is the last time she'll have the opportunity for a LONG time.

Here are some shots of the hosue with the brick done. The last time we got to go inside they had tile down and all the wood trim and cabinets up. And they've poured the porch and looks like the driveway will be going in this week. There's still a lot to be done inside, but in two weeks, it will be finished!

The Princess Turns 3

Last weekend Ziva turned 3. Of course the weather was bad....we're three for three so far....but we crammed everyone in the apartment and had a grand ol' time. I think this is the most presents Ziva has ever had to open at one time in her life! We spread the gifts out at Christmas so she's not in shell-shock and not overly focused on the presents. I think it works great....our heart has been to make a BIG DEAL out of birthdays, to celebrate how special she is (and same for siblings and any family members), so that when Christmas rolls around, it's a BIG DEAL because it's Jesus' birthday, not because of what she may get out of it. So I love that she had tons and tons of gifts--we were blown away with everyone's generosity! Ziva loved every minute of it, and we were all laughing at her natural talent at pulling tissue paper from a bag and tossing it into the air. Hers was a joyful soul! Our joke, for those of you who may be familiar with the TV show Friends, is that Ziva is just like Chandler--she can have a normal smile on her face UNTIL it's time to take a picture, and then....well, it turns out looking like this. But she's three so it's adorable. And we're working on it for the future. :)

Taking a picture with "her Mitch". Of the Uncle Mitch/Aunt Rachel combo, Rachel has always been the favorite. But Mitch came out to dinner one night when Rachel couldn't come, and she was deposed, big time. Ziva will always love her (who wouldn't?!), but Mitch now has a very special place in her heart, and it seems to be sticking, even when Rachel IS around.

Blowing out her candles, and I think she actually blew, instead of spit. Hope so....we've been eating it all week. ;)

And here the princess is showing off her new princess gear. One of my old students, Lena, has been babysitting for us on small group nights, and she sent this gift up to my classroom this week. Did anyone know they even make baby snuggies?! Pretty cool. Ziva's even been sleeping in it, despite the 70 degree temperatures. We sure love our princess!

House update #3

Last week the sheet rock went up! Vince and our friend Will worked on their own to insulate the garage the night before the drywall guy was coming, since that insulation doesn't come standard....it sure is nice to have friends driving by checking the progress every day! We drive by a lot already, but between 4 of us, we don't miss much. They started on our neighbor's brick over the weekend, so hopefully ours will be up in the next couple days. You can see the stacks of bricks ready to go out front.

Vince took this one from the backyard....there's a pretty good slope down toward the water we back up to. It will be a great backyard for fishing!

Hard to believe it should all be done before Zoe is all done! :) But not really when you consider how infinitely more amazing than a house is a human being. I have to keep reminding myself that....not loving 3rd trimester or the fact that I still have 8 weeks to go. But she'll be worth it!

House update

The house is really taking off. They poured the foundation this week, and in a matter of days we went from nothing to a completely framed house, with a roof!

Still in diapers

I always forget to post the pictures until I'm halfway through and they go to the top, so here are a few aquarium pictures from our spring break last week. We had fun, and Ziva especially loved the sharks and turtles.

Well, the potty training was a bust. You may have already guessed that since I posted nothing about it all week. We tried a couple different times, but neither time was very long, and both gave me the impression that she genuinely may not be ready yet. Although, she turns 3 a week from today, so I will be pushing her along. :) I got a book from the library that I've heard great things about; I just need more time to read and process it before I dive in, so I'm hoping to read it this week and try again on Saturday. *fingers crossed*

One reason it didn't work out so well was that mid-week I went to Arkansas for the funeral of a dear friend's mother. You can read all about her remarkable 3-year battle with cancer on her blog http://vickidees.blogspot.com/. The funeral was a pretty amazing celebration of her life and such a gripping reminder of God's love for us and what that can (and should) look like in our lives.

Spring Break = Operation Potty Training

Ah, today is the first day of spring break. Yes, I did bring home a lot of school work that I just couldn't catch up on, but I'm not thinking about that now. I'll put it off until Sunday.....don't tell my kids. :)

And since I have a whole week home with Ziva--and it's the last week home with Ziva before Zoe arrives (a little surreal!)--I am determined to get our little princess out of diapers and into panties. To say she has been reticent is probably an understatement. She shows strangely mixed signals of being ready and of not--hiding when she's going #2, insisting she's not wet or poopy when I ask about her diaper, wanting to wear panties, NOT wanting to try on the potty....I just don't know what's happening in that little head. And I don't really have a game plan or know what I'm doing, but it's do or die time. I'll try to keep you posted with pictures and funny stories (as they are just bound to happen), and hopefully by the end of the week I will report back with total success!