Where have we been.....and where are we going?

That's a very good question, indeed!

The last three months have been a flurry of activity in our house!  School started up and Brady is in Grade 2....and loving every single minute of it!  So thankful for a great school, amazing teachers and a boy who loves to learn!  He also started piano lessons (another hi-light of each week!), and Awana (easily his favorite event each week!).

So, along with the start of a new school year, school pictures were next on the to-do list.  I won't tell you how hard I had to work to get one.  Oh my.... I mean really - the facial expressions were hilarious (but not in a good way!).  I don't know how many times I heard Brady say, "but mom, I AM smiling".  And then just when the nostrils stopped flaring and the smile was genuine, do you think he was looking AT the camera???  Oh well!  Out of the hundreds, I did get a couple for each boy that worked out!

So yes, there were a LOT of outtakes....had to throw in just a couple for you!

This outtake isn't so much about the boys, but rather, their beloved Barn Cat (BC for short), who appears to be feeling somewhat....stressed?!

This one just screams "CHEEEEEEZ"!

A little bit of brotherly love....

And finally.... their reward for nearly sending their mother over the edge - a fun quad ride!

In the midst of the back to school routines starting up in September, we put our house on the market.  And in the perfect timing that only God could orchestrate, our house sold!  This again confirmed how God's got it all under control.  We don't see the big picture, and so we start to question God, or start to stress and worry about things.  That easily could have happened to us, and probably had moments in which the doubt did get a hold of us.  Why didn't our house sell 6 months ago, when we were getting plans together, and were ready build a house on the lot we bought last summer?  At that time we didn't know, but God did, and he had something different in mind for us!

What He did provide for us is a story in itself!  Since Brady started kindergarten, I kept thinking about how wonderful it would be to live closer to the school.  I grew up across the street from my own school and loved it, and now having my own kids, that convenience would be so great!  There was a particular bay that I really wanted, and only a handful of homes that would work (in my mind!).  Being a bit of a Real Estate guru, I had always watched the realtor's websites like a hawk, but nothing came up in that area.

But one afternoon this Septemer, as I went to check new listings, the words "Chestnut Bay" jumped off the page at me.  The listing hadn't even loaded, and I had the phone in my hand and was calling Don at work,   telling him to call our realtor....we had a house to look at!

Given the location of the house, I knew it was going to sell quickly, so the pressure was on!  Later that afternoon I met our realtor (Don was too busy at work to come) and literally checked out the house in about 14 minutes!  Twenty minutes later the offer was written up and then the waiting game began.  There were more showings and offers in the coming hours, so I knew it was out of our hands, and into God's.

And, 24 hours after seeing the house online, we found out it was ours!  So yes, I bought a house.....without Don even seeing it!  My mom made me laugh by emailing me a verse from Proverbs 31, "...she considers a field and buys it."

So, next weekend we'll be loading up!  I'm excited to be so close to both our elementary and junior high school.  Our backyard will have 9 acres of green space and 3 play structures, and the best part is, I don't have to mow any of it!  And we're steps away from school!  See....God had this all planned out for us.  His ways are the best!

Now, after all the drama of buying this house, and selling our own house (which was another another display of God's plan, totally being done in the lives of another dear family!) it was time for a pumpkin carving party!

And now,  on to Brady's latest involvement.....hockey!!!  This boy is loving it!  And even this morning, when they had to be on the road at 6:30am, to get to the arena in time, there were smiles all around!

And even though you can barely see the snow, the GT racers came out, with the excitement of snow days to come!

Well, that's a bit of a long one....  I guess it was 2 months of missed blogging wrapped up into one long, overdue post!  It's fun to be able to share some of the 'normal' things that happen in our family!!