We Are Moved!

Today marks the 3 week point since we left Milwaukee for Springfield.  It seems like much longer ago that we pulled away from our upper duplex, me driving with the boys and Ryan behind the wheel of an enormous Budget rental truck.  While we still have a bit of settling in to do, we are unpacked and are absolutely loving our new home!  I feel blessed beyond what words could possibly express every time I look around our space.  After renting small and inconveniently designed spaces for our entire marriage to date, it is so wonderful to have a place of our own.

The boys were very excited about the huge truck on our driveway!  They had races with our downstairs neighbors after school!

Despite a nasty forecast, the rain held off for both the loading and driving--we were so thankful.  We drove down to Ryan's parents' home the night after we loaded and then the rest of the way to Springfield in the morning.  Despite our exhaustion, we made it!  Loading the truck took a long time thanks to being upstairs with narrow, crooked stairways, but unloading into a ranch was a breeze!

These boys were so excited to see their new backyard.  They have been outside for, literally, hours every day since we arrived.  Our old home was an upper duplex with limited access to a [nonexistent] yard space.  As a mommy of little boys, I am so, so glad to have this for them.  I truly feel complete joy to see their handprints all over the back door!  They have already discovered the water spicket and have spent a lot of time exploring, digging under rocks, catching fireflies, helping prune bushes, and meeting our neighbors.  They came inside one afternoon and announced that the little dogs next door were named Stella and Coco!  Then when we were outside one evening, Charlie climbed up on the playset and started talking to the neighbor over the fence... "Goodbye!", he shouted, "We'll see you again the next time you come out of your house!"  Oh boy...I'm not sure if that made her smile or dread the next encounter with the new neighbor kid!

Here they are playing with their cousin Gia on the day we first arrived:

 

 

This little guy has loved his "new" desk (it used to be Ryan's when he was a little boy!).  He's decorated it with some of his favorite things and has each drawer designated for its own items as well!

 

And this little guy finally has a crib, now that Charlie is into a twin bed and the front of the toddler bed has been put back on.  He is sleeping great in his new room!

And our middle little guy has enjoyed helping as much as possible, especially sweeping the floor (the hardwood floors are beautiful but a lot of upkeep!) and cooking with Mom.

And this is what you do when your husband has wanted a fireplace for forever and it is slightly chilly in late May!  We're looking forward to using it often this winter!

I am loving my wide, open kitchen with so much counter space and cabinet space.  Here is the first meal I prepared in my new kitchen!  I have a feeling we'll be eating a lot of meals outdoors this summer.

 

Overall, the home has so much wonderful storage, fantastic lighting, and plentiful electric outlets (go ahead and laugh--this is a big deal to me!).  Today I vacuumed out our cars, and there were outlets on every side of the garage!  There are also a lot of outlets throughout the kitchen that make food preparation so much easier--both lighting and outlets were sorely lacking in our old kitchen, and given the amount of time I spend there, I am very thankful for both!  Another amazing blessing is a laundry room that's clean and not in a dark basement!  And another--I don't have to roll my dishwasher over and hook it up to the sink anymore to run it, I simply push a button and it starts!  

As we've gotten in a really started seeing the home up close, we see that there are plenty of things both inside and out that need some TLC.  My personality type wants everything done immediately, but I'm learning contentment and patience as we take one thing at a time.  We've decided to use what we have, and if it doesn't have a place or isn't a specifically seasonal item, it is time to part with it.

While I am so glad to be in our new home and closer to family, I have a strong longing to be back in Wisconsin, too.  I want to take a walk along the Menomonee River and go to the Tosa farmer's market.  I want to drive up to Ryan's school and go pick Abe up from Roosevelt school.  I want to see our friends.  I am so grateful for the relationships we made during our time there that will not end with a move here on this earth.  "Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love!"

Next up, a few pictures of our last days in Tosa....