Oh The Places They'll Go...

That was the title I chose for our 2010 Year in Review picture book that we made for the grandparents, etc. this Christmas.  I obviously canNOT go back over all that happened in "our Knott so normal life" since my last post in...2009! Just know that I am probably justified in my long absence. 2010 was a whirlwind of activity around us - I mean we're a family of 5 - there's always a whirlwind of something around us! :)

I figure the best way for me to "summarize" the past 16 months or so is to include snippets from the aforementioned 2010 Year in Review.

January and February 2010 were full of new experiences. Sam and Carrie had the opportunity to take advantage of a work trip for Sam to Orlando, FL for a week in January. It was an amazing time to refresh and spend some quality time without the kids. Don't worry about the kids - they had a blast too. The boys spent the week with Uncle Josh & Aunt Crystal while Cel spent a fun filled week with her best friend Josie.



The week in Florida also brought with it possible changes. While there Sam was offered a position in Eastern IN - yes, Indiana. The time away from the kids gave us the opportunity to concentrate on talking through the pros and cons of this possibility and spend LOTS of time in prayer. Carrie talked Sam into a ride on a roller coaster at Universal Studios - probably WON'T do that again! :) We ate tons of yummy food and even did some work while we were there.


By the time we headed home from Florida, we were excited to see how and where the Lord was going to lead...even if it did seem it was in the opposite direction we thought we wanted to go.
 
We should've known by the way the year started that it was going to be an interesting ride - really wasn't planning on that reference to the roller coast :).
 
2010 brought the addition of more fun to our farm too...
 
Daddy tore down the old chicken coop and built the best chicken coop in Tippecanoe County in its place!  It was amazing!  Hoosier Girl, our sweet foal, made her arrival in Cel's birth month as well.  We loved watching her prancing around the pasture!
Spring 2010, the kids and Mommy witnessed the ups and downs of true farm life. Papa's cow, Crazy Daisy, was due to calf in the late spring along with most of the other cows. One day Daddy realized she was struggling to move. He was able to get her up to the barn, but her health quickly declined. The vet came; they were able to save her calf, but we had to put Daisy down. That day the kids experienced death and new life all in the same place. The kids loved the opportunity to bottle feed Sweet Pea - she really was a very sweet calf. The kids would often love on her, and she'd nuzzle them. Amazing experiences for us all. Then of course, we already mentioned the arrival of Hoosier Girl. The morning of her birth, we all traipsed outside in our pajamas to get our first look. God's creation is awesome! We even had a very unusual first for our little farm - TWINS. One afternoon Mommy looked out the window to see a new baby calf - then she took another look! There wasn't just ONE calf - there were TWO!

Spring and early summer were very busy for both Daddy and Mommy. With a lot of changes at the school, Mommy found herself being stretched by many new experiences and responsibilities. Daddy found this to be his busiest spring yet with many hours of work and very few hours of sleep.

June & July 2010
In between packing, getting the house ready to sell, and tying things up at school and the Attica plant, we tried to enjoy our pool as much as we could during the month of June.  We made HUGE strides!  Carson loved to tiptoe in the shallow end without floaties.  Micah took life in his hands and starting jumping into the water off the sides of the pool - even off the diving board a few times.  Cel mastered jumping off the diving board WITHOUT floaties!
We said goodbye to a lot of things before we moved.  The kids looked on while one by one the animals found new homes.  We said goodbye to dear friends, a church family, and a school family we loved.  We said goodbye to our beautiful little farm with its green rolling pasture and Daddy restored barn and chicken coop. We said goodbye to a house that holds so many dear memories.  All to make a new HOME in Illinois.

WOW - hold on a second - you said Illinois!!! What about Eastern Indiana?!?!?
I mentioned earlier that Daddy was offered a job in Eastern INDIANA - how did we end up moving to  IL?!?!? GOD! After much prayer and investigating, Daddy was ready to accept the offer in Eastern IN because it seemed that's where God was opening doors. It wasn't really where we wanted to go, but we were willing. Then God amazingly shut that door and opened the door we had been praying and hoping for - a job in IL. This job meant being closer to MiMi Great and other family; it meant a promotion for Daddy with the possibility of more manageable hours. Yet more blessings undeserved.

So after our goodbyes, we waited for a week for our furniture to arrive at our new home. We were so excited to settle into our new home. We spent the rest of July getting to know our new town and finding our way in a new church. It was an adventure TOGETHER! We have loved being closer to some of our extended family. We are happy to be able to get together with our "cousins" and play or take dinner to MiMi Great! God is providing new friends and new opportunities for us. We are excited to see what the Lord has for us here!

A curveball - you bet?!?  A happy change - yes, but moving is ALWAYS hard - no matter the circumstances.  It's hard to leave friends, church, school - the comfort of the known for the -----UNKNOWN!

Let the school year BEGIN! Cecelia started 2nd grade and Micah started preschool at a Christian school in the area. They both have settled in beautifully to new friends and new school. Carson and Mommy have found plenty of ways to keep busy in between trips to school for drop off and pick up.

YES! You read that right - for the 1st time in almost 8 years of motherhood - I am truly a "stay at home mom"- no part time job, no working at home - although I've found that "stay at home" is a misnomer - I run all over the place it seems!


Fancy and Hoosier Girl (our horses) came back to live with us (actually they live down the road about a mile) in August. We couldn't believe how much Hoosier Girl had grown since we saw her last. She's a beautiful foal with a lot of potential...and a lot of energy! The farmer that is boarding the horses has various farm equipment that the boys love to climb all over. Cecelia has really turned in to a horse lover. She continues to gain confidence in handling Fancy. She's looking forward to riding lessons so she can ride Hoosier Girl some day!

So we finished up 2010 in a different state from where we started the year. I've learned so much in the past couple of months since our move. I am constantly amazed by God's attention to details in our lives...the littlest tiniest details - He is in them!  He knows our needs before we even know them! He goes exceedingly abundantly above what we can imagine so often.
So I think that brought "you" up to speed as best as I could - so here we are - 2011! Can you believe it?!  I am repeatedly astounded at how quickly my life is FLYING by - it seems the kiddos change from day to day - hey, sometimes it seems like WHERE WE LIVE changes from day to day - just kidding! :) In all seriousness, I realize more and more how much each moment counts.  I cannot pass up even just 1 teachable moment with one of the kids because I am not guaranteed another and frankly before I know it - they will be out on their own - so very hard to believe, but so very true!

Well, that should be enough for today - my official first day back to blogging - I should have a cookie or something in its honor! :) 

Bye for now, friend.