Greetings, Family and Friends!
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| Grandpa's Desk Still Being Used |
I am sitting in our new house in Appleton, WI in the little sun room we have turned into an office and to top it all off; my Grandmother Alexander gave Daniel my Grandfather Alexander's writing desk! I am sitting at it now and the memories I have of seeing that wonderful man of God working at this very desk just bring tears to my eyes. The many times I would visit and play around on his office floor while he worked. He is with Jesus now, but I love to think of him looking down to see his desk being “used” to spread the love of Jesus like he did his whole life. Thanks for joining me in my sentimental moment!
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| Easter egg hunting with Christie! |
Yes, my friends we have moved….again, but this time it is for good….I hope (just knocked on Grandpa’s desk – hehehe)! We have been in this wonderful home for just over a week and while the boxes are still strewn about and I still have no idea where the bath-towels went, it feels more like home than any house Daniel and I have ever lived in together. I thought I was being overly sensitive about the whole thing, but Daniel made the same statement to me the night we moved in here. I like to take that as another confirmation from God that we are doing the right thing. The move went as smoothly as possible for a pregnant woman in her third trimester and for a family who just moved three months ago. My dear friend Christie, from the lovely state of CO, came out for ten days to help us with this transition. I have known this dear woman since Ellie was 6 months old. She worked at the 24Hour Fitness in the Kids Club and we connected immediately over our love of Harry Potter, thanks Harry! She knows me very well and we are so alike it can be creepy. She filled in during my weaker moments physically and emotionally. She encouraged me and at breaking moments she would just push me (softly of course) out the door and say, “Go catch your breath and get some sun therapy!” She took care of my kids and even brought a new game that Daniel and I loved and now we must go out and buy it! All and all, God knew I needed help and he worked it out that Christie could come. There are no words to express how grateful I am, thank you my friend.
Now that we are here in Appleton the excitement of the Church Plant itself is starting to bubble in me! It seems so real now! My hard working man wrote up a huge “report” to take to the Wisconsin Presbytery this coming up week to show them his progress so far. He has met with a lot of people from the community during the last few months, talk about a lot of coffee! My “introvertness” (not sure that is a real word…) just makes me want to curl into a little ball and rock in the corner when thinking about all those meetings, but it makes Daniel come alive. It has been fun to watch him in his element. We have some fun summer activities planned for our growing Appleton group.
As the weather is warming up people are starting to creep out of their homes. This past weekend our little street was all a flurry with the sounds of lawn mowers, weed – whackers and of course children! We bared our winter white legs and worked on the first lawn we have ever owned! It was thrilling! The girls and I cleaned out the designated area for our future vegetable garden. It was a delight to have them working beside me. They were more interested in the worms and roly-poly’s than weeding, but that’s ok. Caroline…well, Caroline just wanted to eat the dirt so we took turns steering her back to Daddy, “Go play with Daddy, Caroline!” who would steer her back to us, “Go play with Mommy, Caroline!” you get the picture.
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| Morgan Biking like a pro |
Here is a small update on our girls. Ellie is in her last few months of 2nd grade and is doing well. We have kept her in the Kaukauna school because we didn't want to change her over for the 3rd time in one year. We will just make the 20 minute drive twice a day for now. She was in a musical program two weeks ago and took her music teacher very seriously when she said to keep smiling the whole time. Ellie most certainly kept smiling the whole time! We did our best to hold in our giggles because she sort-of looked like a Barbie Doll up there. Then by the end of the performance the smile had turned into more of a grimace! Her teacher came up to us afterwards and said with her eyes twinkling, “Wow, Ellie can sure hold a smile…” So cute! Morgan has been adding to her list of “victories” this month, but it didn't look like it would be a victory in the beginning! A few weeks ago she came stomping into the house and threw herself dramatically on the couch. Then she cries out, “I will never learn how to ride a two wheeler bike!” (me) “Wait, did you fall off your bike?” (Morg), “Noooo, I just KNOW I won’t be able to do it!” I tried to talk to her and comfort her, but there was no consoling the child. She sobbed for about twenty minutes then got up and went back outside. I, of course sighed and said a few things to the ceiling and go about getting dinner ready. When I happened to look out the window, oh twenty minutes later, there was my Morgan on her two wheeler bike just riding around the cul de sac…seriously? We ran outside and had a small party to celebrate! Love the drama…never gets old. Caroline continues to suck us all in with her super cute gibberish and her drunken teetering around the house. I love the way this kids walks! It always looks like she has had one too many! She loves to say, “Uh-o” at everything and my response always is, “There’s no uh-o. You worry too much!” She has just added “co-cu” for thank you to her growing list of communication…so cute! “Velma” (nick-name for baby Breed) is now 29 weeks and 1 day along! According to my “What to Expect” app on my I-Phone “Velma” is the size of a butternut squash (17in, 3.1lbs). It’s amazing that a 3 pound baby can cause this much discomfort. I feel like I have a 20 pound basketball stuffed inside my belly. I just feel…big. I don’t like that word choice and I am the only one who can use it. If you see me you can say things like, “Erin, your pregnant? I would never have known!” or “Erin, you are just glowing! What could be the cause?”
All and all, I am doing a lot better. It is good to finally be in a home we love and a place to fully settle into. I still struggle with a bit of depression and low thinking, but that will heal with time. God has been ever faithful and has been showering our family with His love. I feel utterly blessed when I look around at where He has brought us so far. Thank you for your prayers and your support for our family. We miss so many, many of you. You bless our lives!
