To Chad

Chad, I just wanted to tell you "thank you"

...thank you for working so hard for us.
...for taking such good care of me and the kids.
...for buying me a house.
...for letting me rest while I was sick.
...for always giving me compliments...you make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
...for being the kind of father our kids deserve.
I miss you and hate it when you are gone. You are the best husband, I couldn't have dreamed of a better husband for me. I will be forever glad that we were brought together. I love you, handsome.

My Jacob

I was telling a friend about my weekend with Jacob and she just laughed and said that I needed to put this on my blog. (Thanks Janalyn!) I love my Jacob. He sure has come a long way from where he was a few years ago. We used to call him the "tornado" because he would destroy everything in sight. There was a time when every picture frame in my house was missing the glass, when we were on a first name basis with poison control (they used to just call to check up on him), when Jacob got lost everywhere we went... the worst was missing him for 45 minutes at the Dino museum. Things have improved a lot. Now on a sweeter note, Jacob is so sensitive. He allows compliments to flow freely from his mouth, and as long as I talk to him in a kind and soft voice, my wish is his command. He sure does keep me on my toes though....and here is what brings me to why I am writing this in the first place...

Saturday I took all 4 kids to the church to clean. Chad was out of town so it was just me. I sent the boys upstairs to wipe off the banisters with a cloth while I took the girls down the hall to wipe the chair rails. After a few minutes I couldn't hear the boys any more and a friend of mine said he would check on them. He found my two boys on the ROOF OF THE CHURCH!!!! A TWO YEAR OLD AND A 4 YEAR OLD ON THE ROOF OF THE CHURCH!!! He coaxed them back to the small window and helped them inside. (Thank you Dave for saving my boys!!) When he asked Jacob what he was doing there, Jacob replied that he was perfectly safe and that he knew how to fly like Peter Pan. We are never watching that movie again!!!

Sunday after church ended I learned that Jacob had left the church to run through the parking lot and across the feild. I think I need a leash. He told me he went with an "adult"...a boy who is 2 years older than him. Is that what he thinks an adult is? After a long lecture, he called his primary teacher to appologize and this is what I heard..."I am sorry I ran across the street. I thought I was going to go to jail, but I didn't. Good bye!" I just pray I can keep him alive until he is an adult. All of this just makes me love him more... I just don't know if I can keep up with him...I love you my Jacob.

I wanted to be sure I made note of all of the miracles that have happened since we decided to take this offer to move. I couldn't find my journal in all of the chaos, so I will list it here before I forget...

1. We were looking for a moving company when Chad ran into an old friend who he hadn't seen for years. His friend informed Chad that his older brother was the CEO of a nation wide moving company.

2. Jackson potty trained in the middle of all of the packing and moving and craziness, all by himself.

3. We were able to get our house on the market in a week- we painted, repaired, cleaned, and moved into my grandmas house all in 6 days.

4. We had 3 offers on our house in 6 days. I am still shocked about that, especially in this economy.

5. We closed on our house 19 days after we listed it.

6. My grandmas house has been vacant and we have been able to stay there during all of this. This has especially been meaningful to me...I have missed her so much. Some mornings I can almost hear her stirring juice in the kitchen and smell breakfast cooking.

I have to know that Heavenly Father is aware of us. I feel so strongly that it is time for us to go, even though it is not what I had wanted. I am glad that miracles still do exist. To have things with the house go so smoothly has been wonderful, especially because I feel like my kids are having such a hard time right now. When I start to doubt (which I do often) I need to remember all of these miracles that have happened and know that things will work out. Life sure is crazy....never a dull moment!!

We just made an offer on a house in Virginia...we'll see what happens next.

I just wanted to give an update on what is happening. We put our house on the market three weeks ago and it sold in the first week. We are closing tomorrow. I can't believe how fast things have happened. Now we are turning our attention to searching for homes in the Ashburn area. I have such mixed feelings right now. I am so grateful for how quickly and wonderfully things have gone, but I also feel so much sadness for the friends, neighbors, and family that I am leaving. Tonight I had to say goodbye to my house. It's been a wonderful house, and I will miss it's warped doors and worn floors. Time to start a new chapter.